9.11.09: Three months old

Today the girls turned three months old.

Stella decided to share a present with me for her 3 month birthday...
First let me set the scene. Our changing table is pretty tall. About belly button height. It is this way because Brant and I are both moderately tall and bending over unnecessarily 20+ times a day is silly. Let me next discuss that our girls are extremely gassy - giving truckers a run for their money. Rumor has it this is likely related to being premature but I don't know, I just know that we seem to hear a lot of tooting. Next I should point out that the girls only poop a couple times a week and usually they have a hard time getting it out. So there I was trying to be a good mom and holding Stella's legs while she was trying to poop. Then all the sudden a bunch of gas came out with the poop a near explosion which ended with poop ON my face. Yes I'm serious, poop on my face. I was stuck between laughing, crying and feeling like I was going to vomit from the smell too close to my nose. So I should thank Stella for this present on her three month birthday. Wasn't it enough that I carried you in my belly for so long? Was this really necessary? and if it must happen, couldn't you at least have done it to dad?

9.10.09: More smiles

I was a little slow capturing the smiles of Daphne and Stella. All the girls started smiling within days of each other, but capturing these adorable grins took some time.

9.9.09: The worm

While straightening the room one day, I set Daphne in a boppy on her belly while Fiona and Stella were in bouncers. This was a safe place to put Daphne where she couldn't escape....or so I thought. I came out of the bathroom to see her partially out of the boppy. She had begun to army crawl over the edge. I was in shock so I watched her continue to push her way over the boppy and onto the playmat. She made it completely out of the boppy. I let her enjoy time on the playmat for a while after working so hard to get there. I couldn't just put her back into it. Lesson learned: attach GPS to children in case further acts of mobility occur in the near future.

9.6.09: Snuggling

We have been noticing this week that the girls seem to be 'snuggling' a bit more than is safe in their single crib. We decided it was time to purchase another crib. Daphne has also begun kicking the sides of the crib (as she is the tallest) and each girl has taken turns resting on the others. We actually went ahead and bought the additional two cribs we will need, but only set up one leaving Fiona and Stella sharing for now. I actually got a little emotional seeing Daphne in her own crib, the girls really are getting big - it is hard to believe is has only been 2+ months.




For our weekly adventure we all went to the Botanic Gardens - it is a wonderful garden just minutes from our home. We weren't able to explore all the gardens in one trip so we will surely return soon.

9.5.09: Playdate

Week one (as a stay at home parent) and I survived. Yes, there was one day where I called Brant to come home for a couple hours, but one out of five isn't so bad - especially for the first week. I am learning, the girls are learning, so we all need some time to adjust.

The girls also had their first play date - if you can call a play date laying/being held at another kids home. We went on our biggest road trip to date and travelled to Soren and Mona's home (~30 miles away). This play date (which didn't involve much playing but more baby holding) went pretty well. Brant and I were spoiled by stealing home cooked food from Mona's mom and everyone held babies while Brant and I ate a meal together - a novelty in our home. We also got lots of help from Joan and Doug while feeding the kids upon first arrival. Brant reassured me that this is what family does, but since mine is so small - I still felt guilty about inconveniencing everyone and bringing the whole family - we are a big bunch these days. We successfully made it home just in time for bed. Another adventure, this time proving that we can feed the girls outside of our house....small steps.

8.31.09: Stay at home mom

It's official, I am now a stay at home mom - at least for the time being. Today Brant started work at Caltech which meant the girls and I were together (alone) all day. Once I got over the shock of being seriously outnumbered - the day went pretty well. My goals for the day were to feed/change the girls and pump all on the schedule +/- an hour. I also attempted to eat a little something on the brief but existent coordinated naps. If I did nothing else in the day, I was still successful having only accomplished those goals. There is comfort in knowing that Brant is a ten minute walk away (yes he timed it - 10:08 to be exact) and that there is family nearby to help as needed (thanks in advance Joan!). I just learned that expecting to accomplish anything else during the day is a perk and not a realistic expectation. I now understand how being a stay at home parent really IS a full time job.

8.30.09: Griffith Observatory

In keeping with the mentality to explore and enjoy LA while we are here, we decided that we are going to try to go on a mini-adventure each Sunday morning. Today we went to the Griffith Observatory. While leaving Pasadena we realized how intense the fires really were. Not only could we see and smell the smoke, but we could also see the orange glow of the fires on the mountains. We realized that going to an observatory while the smoke was so thick wasn't the smartest way to enjoy the view of LA, but we were determined to give it a try. In the picture behind Brant you can see the Hollywood sign but beyond that the view really was limited. We were outside for about five minutes because we didn't want the girls gettting too much smoke and the heat was really overwhelming. So all in all, we packed up the girls, drove 20 minutes, unpacked the girls, walked around the observatory for five minutes and then did the previous items in reverse. I'm not sure it was the most efficient trip, but we did it - we got out with the girls and saw LA and this continues to be our goal.

8.29.09: Ikea

Today we went on a big adventure to Ikea in Burbank. It is actually a great place to go with kids for many reasons.

1. The food is super cheap, Brant and I were able to eat a hearty breakfast for $10.
2. The path around the store is wide enough to navigate our twin stroller
3. There are tons of other kids there (which leads to number four)
4. Any noise made by our kids was muffled by the older kids screaming.

We were able to pick up our organizational and lighting needs and return home with no major issues. This 'getting out' thing is going pretty well (we just carefully time it around feedings/pumpings).

I should also mention that the kids are on a great schedule. We still feed them every four hours, but as of now they go to bed after the 8 feeding and stay in bed until about 6:30 each morning. Of course we wake them up to feed twice, but besides that they sleep - which means we sleep and I have learned that sleep = Happy Parents. No real daytime schedule yet, but if they sleep at night - then we are thrilled.

8.25.09: Zippers

Today was a big day for me personally. I finally decided to try on my old pants....and they sort of fit. Up until now I have been wearing my maternity pants. As we now live in a two story place I found myself using the belly panel as a pocket/bag to carry things in while going up the stairs. This is when I knew my days of maternity pants were coming to an end. Already I have misjudged the time it takes to go to the restroom as I have been spoiled by elastic for so long....zippers just slow me down and buttons - don't get me started on the unnecessary time those take. So now I am officially wearing normal pants. Of course I am not going to say they look cute on or are even an appropriate size for me, but if I can zip them, I will wear them. After gaining nearly ninety pounds I am thankful just to be wearing pants at all. In the meantime if you are walking down the street and see someone whose clothes are too small, just think to yourself that maybe they too just had kids and are celebrating the good old days a little early. I know I am.

8.23.09: Smiles

Breaking News: The girls have begun to smile. So far Fiona is the strongest and most frequent smiler (and the only one we have caught on film) but more to come on this front. We are SO excited for this development, it makes the screaming so much more tolerable :)