Answering ... must have baby registry items

Sweet Sarah who is expecting a BOY asked about must have baby registry items.

Well, my experience may be slightly different because I had two, but I'm sure that a lot of the items would translate well for anyone.

Items that I couldn't have lived without ...

Some sort of baby chair/bouncer seat. Not only is this a good spot for napping when they are little, it provides a safe space where they can sit and look at toys around them, and you can use it to sit and feed them when they are starting rice cereal, solid foods, etc, but can't sit in a high chair. We had a Boppy brand and one that was Fisher Price papasan style that we borrowed from a friend. I liked them both.

Swing. I know that some Pediatrician's are against the swing, but there were some days that this was the only thing that made my babies happy. We had the Fisher Price papasan style ... both a new one and one that we borrowed. Loved, loved, loved them both.

Dr. Brown's Formula Mixer Pitcher. This rocked. I nursed/pumped for eight months, but we also had to supplement with formula. Since I had two, this pitcher came in handy because I could make up a larger quantity, the mixer really took care of any clumps, and then the formula was in the fridge, ready to go. We used all Dr. Brown's bottles and had good success with them so I never tried any others.

Medela Breast Pump. It ain't a pretty sight, but if you need to pump, Medela's are the best and you can find the hospital grade models easily too.

Halo Sleep Sacks. My daughters still sleep in a sleep sack. Yes, they do go up to an XL that goes up to 36 pounds so I figure that we still have a little more time for these. They liked being swaddled when they were small, but once they got too big for the swaddle blanket, they would never keep a blanket on them and I was always freaked out about suffocation. This way, they stay safe and comfortable at the same time.

BOB stroller. I can't say enough good things about this stroller. We bought it when Maddy and Libby were 6 months old so I never used it with the car seat adaptor. It's good in neighborhoods with lots of curbs and for long runs, too.

Snap & Go stroller. I loved this when the girls were little and still in infant car seats. Like the names says, you could just snap them in and go.

Cloth Diapers. While I didn't do cloth diapers for little bums, we used cloth diapers for burp cloths, to clean up spills, and Maddy and Libby actually sleep with one of their cloth diapers as a blankie each night. I actually prefer the larger, thinner ones over the thick ones. They have adorable lovies, but what they always want is their blankie. You can also tie it around their shoulders and play superbaby, or around their head and play baby with a do'rag!

Sound machine. We didn't use anything fancy, but actually a clock radio of Hubby's that has a "wind" setting on it. It definitely helped to mask noises during nap time and night time.

Board books. Books have been a favorite of Maddy and Libby for as long as I can remember. We made reading stories to them part of our nap and nighttime rituals. Board books are great because they will take more abuse (chewing, drool, etc) than the regular books.

If you want to make your own baby food, and as tempting as the Williams-Sonoma model may be, all you need is a stick immersion blender and silicone ice cube trays. Then just visit wholesome baby food and you'll be all set.

Good car seats. We had Graco's as infants and now we have Britax. Love the Britax.

Baby Jail. Ok, this may not be politically correct, but once Maddy and Libby were mobile (crawling), this thing saved me. I was working from home at the time and it was the only way that I could keep an eye on them while I tried to do a little work. It's huge and if you can get over looking at primary colors all day, then it can save your life!

We've had a few things that were trial and error. I thought I had to have Baby Bjorns, but I really didn't use them all that much, but I had friends wore their babies all the time. Also the Bumbo seat was kind of a bust for us. They seemed to be too small/too unsteady at first and then the next thing I knew, they had outgrown it. However, other people that I know loved theirs. Same for the Diaper Genie. We use a Diaper Champ that just uses grocery store bags and it seems to be so much easier than using something that requires a special refill.

Other must haves that I think were vital to our sanity:

A schedule for meals/sleeping and sticking to it. If it was nap time, then I was at home ... not out trying to get my babies to sleep in a stroller. Not judging those Mom's that can do this, but a schedule was sacred at our house.

A non-quiet house. Huh, you ask. I vacuumed when they slept, flushed the toilet, dogs barked, phones rang, music was on and everyone turned out OK. Granted, I didn't have a party while they slept, but they got used to household noises and now can typically sleep through one another waking up, dogs barking, storms, etc.

Please feel free to leave any more "must have" baby items in the comments and we can all share ideas. I can remember doing our baby registry over several visits because I would just get overwhelmed with all of the stuff. Plus the fluorescent lighting and concrete floors in most of those stores are no fun!

1 year check up

We go tomorrow for Maddy & Libby's one year (12 month) check up. By the way, do I really have to start telling their ages as thirteen months, sixteen months, etc. or can I just say one year? It just seems confusing to me. I don't tell people that I'm 436 months old. (!)

Anyway, we had taken this picture of my Dad last July after both girls were home from the NICU. My family have always been huge St. Louis Cardinals fans and my sister-in-law sent them these onesies. They were a 0-3 month and they were huge. I think we had taped them in the back to get a better picture.
My Dad wanted to take another photo this summer and even packed up his same STL hat and shirt. It was definitely a big difference this year. Don't you think?
It's easy to get a little anxious about their appointments ... people are always asking about their milestones. "Are they walking yet?" "Are they talking?" "My Pediatrician told me that our daughter should say three words by her 1st birthday." "What do they weigh?"

Needless to say, I can easily get a little overwhelmed by all the other questions, plus all the ones that I'm thinking about ... "Why do they scream like I'm poisoning them when I offer milk in a sippy cup?" "Should I be concerned about their teeth since their top teeth came in the wrong order?"

Part of me doesn't care about the milestones, because after all they are only a range. I do know that they are healthy, happy, determined, and sometimes shy, silly, giggly, daring, curious, great eaters and sleepers, excited when they see Daddy, and to me are the cutest & sweetest girls around. Of course, I can't help but worry a little, because I want to do everything possible for them and I want them to meet or exceed any "test" no matter how big or small. So, here's to hoping for a good report tomorrow and a reality check for me that my little babies are indeed growing up.

** Edited to add ... I have to say that after a combined eight shots, two finger pricks, and minimal poking and prodding, both girls did very well. I have also decided that my scales are about 2 pounds heavy, so I will immediately start changing MY weight whenever I give it out. Ha. Because I freely announce my weight all the time. Anyway ...

Libby checked in at 21 lbs, 5.5 oz and 29 3/4 inches tall. She is in the 50th percentile for weight, and 60th for height.

Maddy almost hit the 19 pound mark, coming in at 18 lbs, 15.5 oz and 28 3/4 inches tall. She's in the top of the 10th percentile for weight and 25th for height.

Both got a great report and scored well on their developmental questionnaire that we filled out. Do other people do these? A list of about 25 question that go over gross motor skills, fine motor skills, problem solving, verbal communication, etc.

They've both continued to grow at a steady rate over the year, which is good. I think I have also been in denial about how close they are to walking when Libby nearly took an unassisted step while standing on the table in the office. Oh, I don't think there are enough baby gates at Babies R Us to help us out when I have two walking.

Our Pediatrician also noted how M&L seem to be mirror-image twins ... something that we had noticed as well. It'll be interesting to see if that continues.

Deja vu

Of course we know that the girls really look alike, but when I saw this picture of Maddy today, I felt deja vu.

Maddy - 7 weeks

Check out a very similar picture of Libby.

Libby - 4 weeks

No more preemie diapers

Picture a small picket line with very small babies, parading picket signs chanting ... "No more preemie diapers ... they must go."

That is where I was say around 2:30ish this morning. Someone woke up, so my routine is to check to see who is crying, find the appropriately marked bottle in the cooler. (long story - Maddy receives milk mixed with formula, so at night it's been easier just to use bottles and have everything ready, plus Hubby can help out with those nighttime feedings that way!) Next, warm up bottle, then go to change diaper so bottle is warm by the time said baby is changed and ready to eat.

This morning, I found Maddy completely soaked - down to the mattress pad, so this is through one preemie diaper, one outfit, one blanket, one sheet saver pad, one sheet, and one mattress pad underneath. Needless to say, I think this little girl is getting too big for her britches and it's time to switch over to the whopping Newborn diapers, which seem to be a little more absorbent. Whoo-hoo!

Hubby had to join me in the trenches to help get everything changed on the bed, which anyone can tell you, is not fun anytime of day, but is especially not fun at 2:30AM.

Oh, and did I mention that our washing machine is broken and we are not so patiently waiting on a part? We may be making another trip to our friend Ben's house for use of his laundry facilities. So much nicer than the laundromat!

Very sad

I know for most people, it may seem crazy to have your parents stay with you for over 6 weeks, but seeing my parents drive away this morning has brought me to tears. It already did last night, just thinking about it and I'm sure it will again later today.

I have never had an affectionate, lovey-dovey relationship with my parents. We joke that they aren't huggers, but I've always known that they love me and of course, would be there for me in any situation. After all, they are my parents. My dad is very stoic and quiet, where my mom is a little crazy and doesn't care what others think. I guess I'm grateful that I'm a little bit like both of them.

I think seeing my mom love those little grand babies so much also shows me how much she loves me. I know this sounds like some weird comment and I should probably be laying on a couch talking about this somewhere. While she's not affectionate with me, we laughed that she was going to kiss their cheeks off she gave them so many kisses. I'm sad because my parents live 8+ hours away and I'm not sure if they'll get to see the girls as often as they would or I would want. I'm sad, because my parents are 65 and 75 years old, and not to be morbid, but they won't be around forever.

I know that my parents have probably driven Hubby crazy (Thank you, Hubby for not losing it or leaving us.), but they have been such a huge help and it's been so great to see them with the girls. It's definitely been an emotional rollercoaster since our 1st days in the NICU, to the girls both coming home, to late night crying sessions, explosions of poop, and trying to be the first person to get the girls' smiles.

My mom never cries, and did this morning when they were leaving. I know that it's really time for Hubby and I to truly start life with just the four of us, or six of us ... can't forget Zeus and Zoe! It will be so good for us to establish our routines and get into the groove of parenthood on our own. I know I have to stop this sappiness, because someone will be up soon and ready to eat and to get my love and attention, and that is what's important.

3 days of gifts

Our wonderful friends have been keeping our postal carrier quite busy over the past few days. So much mail has been addressed to the girls, and luckily it's not from the hospital or insurance company! I wanted to share a few of the items that we've received over the past few days ...

From a good friend of mine that I have known since the 2nd grade, some adorable personalized note cards. These will be perfect for thank you notes or writing letters to their Grandparents.

Not one, but two books from Mad About Plaid, who I have also known since the 2nd grade. These books are so cute and I know the girls will cherish them. The illustrations are great and it's so nice to have a book about twins, for twins.

One package from our favorite Canadian friend Lisagh proved to be preppy and pink - what more could two girls want? Two beautiful wall-hangings, made by Lisagh. Check out her Preppy Petunia etsy site for more of her lovely creations. Now just to find the perfect spot to hang these in their nursery.

Yesterday, we received two boxes marked "open immediately." Since I'm typically a big rule-abider, we did. From one of Hubby's managers, we received two gorgeous red Japanese maple saplings to plant in honor of the girls. What a lovely gift. These came from Eternitree, and I noticed from the website, that Oprah is also a fan.

Later on, we were paid a visit from A and E, two of our good friends. They came bearing the cutest monogrammed bloomers for the girls. Who could get a spanking in these? The girls also received "lovies", these adorable and super-soft bunny and lamb blankies. Now, if I can just find one of these in adult size, I'll be all set.

What wonderful friends - our girls couldn't be any luckier, as are we.

Little St. Louis Fans?

My Dad has always been a HUGE St. Louis Cardinals fan. My brother and sister in law sent these little onesies for the girls. I'm not sure how Maddy feels about the Cards ... hopefully she won't turn into a Braves fan.

date night

My parents kicked Hubby and I out of the house last night, so we could have dinner out. Since we still haven't taken the girls out on the town (just for Dr.'s appointments until they're a little older), we went solo, and I have to admit was wonderful.

I had my first glass of wine since last year, and luckily timing worked out in between pumping/feeding, that I didn't have to do a "pump & dump". We chose a neat little place with outdoor seating and a guy playing acoustic guitar - everything from Coldplay to James Taylor. We had a great dinner, good conversation (mainly about the girls and the birth), and of course toasted to Maddy & Libby.

Now, I'm not sure what Grans and Grandpa did to the girls while we were out, or if they were just jealous that they didn't go, but they were not wanting to settle down at all last night. Feeding, rocking, walking, diapering, singing, holding -- nothing worked. Finally, the pacifier and sheer exhaustion (them and us) finally put everyone to sleep. We are hoping not to repeat that again this evening!

Con artists

We may really be in trouble once the girls reach their teenage years, as they have already started to con their grandmother at 1 month of age.

This morning, I fed both girls around 7 - 7:30 am, then my mom helped me bring them downstairs around 8:00 am. I had been in the office drinking coffee and probably checking blogs, when I walked back in the kitchen when my mom asked me something about Libby's last feeding.

I looked over and Libby was over halfway through a bottle, her second one in the past hour! Apparently, Mom didn't think they had eaten yet, so she went ahead and warmed up some milk and Libby had no complaints - just a full little belly. Maddy wasn't quite fast enough, so she had to survive on just the one bottle for the hour.

It's been wonderful having both of them home, and I will admit it's been a bit of a blur and hard at times, but also amazing. We're surviving and are having fun getting to know the girls and their personalities. I am also happy to report that we survived two Doctor's appointments and our first stroll around the neighborhood this week. They are gaining weight well, and to us look huge, while to everyone else, they are still tiny. Libby weighed in yesterday at 5 lbs., 15 oz. and Maddy is up to 4 lbs., 9 oz. It is hard to believe that tomorrow will mark 5 weeks since they arrived.

sappiness x 2

I have to share this picture of Hubby from over the weekend. After reading one of our Mother Goose nursery rhyme books to the girls, (which brought tears to my eyes), Hubby also had the girls enjoy a little tummy time with him for a while. Again, the tears.

Life is good.

Insider Stock Tip

If it's available, buy stock in OxiClean. This stuff is the bomb and I can't believe that in under two weeks, I have practically drained an entire bottle. Poop, spit-up, formula, milk ... all gone, like magic. Well, with a little scrubbing, but I'm still amazed at how well it works.

Do I sound like an infomercial or what?

We survived ...

The first day and night with both twins home. I was actually a little bit, urhm a lot nervous at how it would all play out, especially the nighttime part. During the day, both girls' schedules were about 30-45 minutes a part, which stayed consistent pretty much through the night. Somehow, I was able to handle the midnight feeding solo and Hubby took the 3 AM by himself. The 6 AM ended up being all hands on deck, including my mom.

But, the good news is the girls survived, as did we. Now, next on the radar is a Doctor's appointment later today for one of the girls, then next week, we have 3 appointments scheduled for both. That does scare me, because it's going to require getting both in the car seats and actually using the double stroller and navigating in buildings.

Our first afternoon nap together.

Full house

It is pretty ironic to me that on what would have been my anticipated due date (July 17 - 37 weeks), that Madeline will be coming home. We are beyond thrilled that both girls will have made it home in less than a month and we can really now have the entire family under one roof. We feel very blessed.

One down, one to go

That is right ... we received notice on Monday that Libby was able to come home with us and that she did on Tuesday. We didn't expect this news quite so soon, and then had a few hiccups getting ready for her arrival that included:

• The first test failure. Every NICU baby has to pass a car seat tolerance test - this is to make sure that they can sit up in a car seat and have no respiratory problems. Well, that wasn't the problem for us - it was the car seat. The ones that we had were slightly too big, so we ended up going to 2 places to find a new car seat that would fit her. We got the new one and she passed her test with flying colors.
• This was also the day that I was going to buy my new car. Goodbye little Audi, hello big ol Ford Explorer. I have dodged the Mini Van for now, but who knows ... I may change my mind in a couple of years. I like the size of the Explorer, but if you see me, I wouldn't suggest parking near me because parking isn't going very well. Of course, the paperwork took an excruciating amount of time and was just a longer process than we had hoped.

So, let's see ... a few things that we've learned so far about parenthood so far.

• I may opt to keep my parents around for the next 6 years. (Just kidding, Hubby!). They were planning just to come and visit for a few days, but have been here since I went into labor. My Mom has been a Godsend and it's great to have the extra help with Libby, cooking, cleaning, etc.
• Libby poops and pees like a boy. Example, when you pull off her diaper, you better watch out because at least once a day, that's when she decides to finish up. Nice. Her burps are also of the college frat boy caliber, but that's a good thing.
• Don't forget to leave all of the clothes downstairs, because when she has an explosion at 1 AM, you really can't run downstairs to get the change of clothes while you have a screaming baby on your hands. (Thank you, Hubby.)
• Zeus & Zoe seem fine with the new addition - they've done a lot of sniffing and a little poking around, but seem relatively unfazed.

So, life is definitely a lot busier, but in a good way. It's hard not to be at the NICU to see Maddy quite as much, but we're still up there quite a bit. She's doing really well and continuing to gain weight and meet other requirements, so we may have two babies home before too long!

Bit of a blur

I guess it's really more than a blur, but that's the best way I know to describe it. I think the body has a mysterious way of allowing you to run on auto-pilot when you need it.

Luckily for Hubby and I, my parents are still here helping out, our church has been great at providing several meals for us (even Zoe managed to help herself to a bit of leftover chicken pot pie that was on the counter), and we are able to see the girls as much as possible.

To answer a few questions and to give a bit of an update ...

Their names are both family names and one that we just really liked.

We did find out that the girls are identical twins. WOW.

They have both surpassed their birth weights. Maddy is up to 3 lbs, 3 oz and Libby is up to 4 lbs, 10 oz. Yay.

Still no definite word on when they can come home, but they are both doing great and are in the least intensive room of the NICU floor. It's still hard for me to believe that they are here, and not still swimming around in my stomach. Especially when I'm holding one of them and their movements are oh-so familiar.

Ritz Camera is getting more of my money than humanly possible.

I know I won't be posting much, but I'm still checking in with everyone ... especially at 3am-ish, when I typically have a date with the ol' b-pump machine. I really need the hands-free model, so I can type better to leave comments!

Introducing ...

Happy 1 week birthday!

Madeline Kate (Maddy) and Elizabeth Lucy (Libby)

They're here!

After a few days on bed rest, Baby A and Baby B decide that it "was time", so off we went to the hospital on Saturday night.

Delivered by C-section, we are pleased to announce the birth of our daughters on Saturday, June 21.

A was born at 9:48 PM and weighed 3 lbs., 2 ounces and 15 1/2 inches.

B was born at 9:50 PM and weighed 4 lbs., 9 ounces and 17 3/4 inches.

Both are recovering nicely in the NICU. A is breathing fine on her own & B is using oxygen, but is getting better every day.

We really went through the range of emotions yesterday, but we feel so blessed and amazed by these two little girls. We are still working on finalizing names and downloading pictures, so hopefully a better introduction soon!

Hubby should play the lottery

I was sitting in our den on Sunday evening, feet propped on a pillow, watching TV when Hubby came in and asked me what I felt about NY in the fall? My first thought was "Has he gone mad? Does he not remember that we'll have 2 infants by the fall and probably won't remember our first names, let alone want to take a visit to NY?" Then it hit me ... he had entered his name into the ING NYC Marathon lottery several months ago, almost as a joke, because really, does anyone ever get picked out of the lottery?

All I asked was "Did you get in?" His grin said it all.

So, now for the next question ... who wants to babysit or come to NYC and help out with 2 3-month olds?!

He's trying to decide now if he would have enough time to train and be ready by November. He can always defer his entry to next year, but what a great opportunity. I'm really torn ... I would love to go and watch him run, but I don't know that I'll be ready to leave 2 little ones by then and I know I won't be ready to carry them around NYC.

Maybe I could do it with one of these?I can only imagine getting around the crowds with this much baby strapped to me. We'll see, but with this luck, I really think Hubby should go buy a lottery ticket to see if we can win the $25,000,000 or whatever it's up to these days!

Feelin' like a rock star

Some of the women from my office had a baby shower for me on Friday afternoon. It was really sweet and we received some very nice gifts and lots of essentials - huge ol' back of diapers, blankets, etc.

One of the gifts made me feel like a celebrity mom-to-be. I received this cool lullaby CD. This company takes modern music and turns it into instrumental music made for kids. I received The Cure, one of my old faves, but they have everything from AC/DC to Bob Marley to Coldplay.

Rock on!

Learning to say thank you at a very early age

Aren't these the cutest thank you notes from KT Originals?

I wanted to find cards for our upcoming shower other than my regular thank you notes, but gender-neutral and not too cheesy. I'm sorry, but too many storks, ducks, and bows make me cringe. They also have matching birth announcements as well ... decisions, decisions.