Storytelling Duo

Finally, we can voice our opinions...well sort of.  At the moment, we both like to go to bed about 11pm and sleep peacefully until our tummies get hungry at about 5am.  We eat quickly then go straight back to sleep for another three hours.  We're nice to Mommy that way; but it's also because we like to wake up in time for...SESAME STREET!!  If we wake up about 8am, it gives Mommy just enough time to feed us, put new diapers and outfits on, and sit us in our bouncy chairs.  We sometimes watch the end of "Dinosaur Train" and then our favorite show finally comes on.  We kick our legs like crazy and smile when we hear "Sunny day sweepin' the clouds away.  On my way to where the air is sweet.  Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street."  Then Tully appears on the screen and we start telling him "We're here!  We're here!"  Mommy can't believe we love this show so much.  It's made it a little easier for her to work in the morning.  Daddy didn't believe her until his day off last week when she showed him how excited we got.  Laith loves talking, and really loud too.  He smiles anytime Mommy gets near and talks to her when she picks him up, telling her how much he loves her.  I'm not so carefree with my love, but it is hard to hide my smiles when Mommy smiles at me.  I like to sit on the couch next to her, propped in the corner, so I can see her and the TV.  I wobble back and forth, kicking my legs to show my happiness.  I blow raspberries too, and smile every time Mommy looks at me.  After a bit, I want Mommy to hold me, so I feign crying until she picks me up.  Then I settle in her lap with my head against her chest to watch Elmo and she rests her cheek on my head until I fall asleep.  We've got Mommy wrapped around our fingers if you couldn't tell.

Here's me talking to my lamb, and then Laith wanted to show off too by talking to Mommy.

In the Heat of the Night

About a month ago, I realized if I kept waking up the other baby during the night for a feeding, the twins would never learn to sleep through the night entirely.  I started only feeding the baby that woke up and soon realized Laith was able to sleep through the night.  Unfortunately, Vivienne could not.  She has severe acid reflux that was keeping her up at night.  It finally got to a point where she wasn't eating more than an ounce at a time.  After 3 straight feedings of just an ounce, we went to the doctor.  She was put on Zantac to help, but it didn't do much.  At her 10 day follow up, the pediatrician decided to try out Prilosec.  It took its time, but it has helped quite a bit.  For three weeks, I worked hard at getting her to eat full feedings, being persistent at keeping the bottle in her mouth and threatening her with the words "I can use the medicine dropper if you won't eat it on your terms".  Bryan's family came out the end of July and were a huge help.  The first night they were here they told me to go to bed and they each took turns taking care of the babies.  I had forgotten what it was like to sleep 6 hours, let alone in a row.  Poor Vivienne though kept struggling with her reflux.  Then my mom came out for another two weeks to help and we worked even harder at getting Vivienne to eat.  We succeeded eventually, and two days before my mom left, Vivienne slept through the night.  I chalked it up to being a fluke, but then she did it a second night, then a third, and now a whole week!  I'm crossing my fingers that this means we've figured out nights and days finally, and will only have an occasional relapse.

Kept Me Company in the Wee Hours

 


I saw the world's best Olympian swim in his final race; the first woman make history for Afghanistan; cheered for the US in almost every volleyball game; mesmerized by the grace of divers and gymnasts; astonished at how difficult and aggressive water polo is (did anyone else imagine "Meet the Parents" during matches?); watched history take place when Pistorius ran; and unfortunately missed one of my favorite summer sports, synchronized swimming.  I truly miss the Olympics now, as there's absolutely nothing on TV, even with 200 channels at my leisure.
 

 

 

It's Been a Long Time...Since I've Seen Your Smiling Face

One of my favorite moments is after feeding time when they fall asleep on the pillows I've surrounded us with to accomplish two baby feedings.  Sweet, precious...and quiet!

Laith gives grand smiles.  I love to take up his personal space and get within a few inches of his face and give him smiles too.  He's a lovable personality with tons of energy.  His legs are so strong and he loves when I bounce him while he's standing.  He sometimes helps and pushes with his legs and jumps quite high.

Vivienne is delicate and sensitive.  It took her a little longer to start smiling, but only because she loves to be thoughtful.  She takes her time at everything, as though she's truly trying to understand.  One of her favorite games is to watch Mommy and Daddy stick out their tongues and then mimic us.  She also watches intently when I roll my lips, so intent to learn how I'm making that sound and do it herself.  Daddy will ask for kisses, and she's actually tried to do so several times.  She'll open her mouth in a small o when you place her lips against his cheek. 

Laith had his frenulum clipped in the middle of July.  While he was in the NICU, the doctors mentioned it may need to be done.  At the time it wasn't too bad, and he could nurse and bottle feed just fine.  However, as he grew, his tongue was becoming forked and we decided it needed to be done.  I was an idiot and told the doctor Bryan and I wouldn't mind being in the room when the clip happened.  I wanted to be there for our little man.  Daddy got the task of holding his hands and head still while the doctor clipped.  Mommy sat in the corner and cried.  Vivienne slept through the entire ordeal.  His tongue is now shaping out nicely, and he's cooing like crazy.  I'm glad we got it done, especially at this young age, as I won't have to hear years from now "Mom, remember the time you got my tongue clipped..."

 

Every once in a while, I'll see Bryan in Laith.  This is one of these moments.  His profile is very much his father's face.  I love when these moments happen.  It makes my heart smile.

I started to take 3 month pictures with the bear, but Laith wasn't having it.  He whined and carried on, and this is the only decent shot I got.  By the time I finished with him, Vivienne was passed out.  So much for tracking growth...

And finally a smile captured on Vivienne's face!  She gives the sweetest smiles and melts my heart every time.  Laith and her are trying so hard to get the hang of giggling, and when they do, the tickle monster will forever hide out in our home.

If Only I Could Tape This to My Front Door

Perfectly sums up how I feel towards those who show up to our house with the potential to be under the weather:

There's No Crying in Baseball!

In a recent conversation, I realized I hadn't thought to take a picture of the twins at one month old against an inanimate object to chart their growth.  I guess the hubbub of finally bringing them home from the NICU took precedence.  So when we hit the two month mark, I was determined to not forget.  I used this giant teddy bear we've had long enough that I don't remember how it happened to join our family.  I thought it'd be fun to have the twins sit in his arms and take a picture.  Ha!  These two squirm just as much as any baby, and trying to get them to hold still long enough was a pain.  Then when I finally got Laith to settle down, Vivienne started to fuss.  Alas, these are the shots I ended up with.  I have omitted the really silly looking ones; one in particular where Laith is bug eyed and I laugh hysterically each time I see it.  Vivienne was screaming her head off the entire time, but you can hardly tell in these pictures.

 Quite handsome in this shot and looking so much like his daddy.

 Bliss came towards the end.  All that crying pooped her out.

Then yesterday, during their first morning feed, I plopped both babies in Vivienne's cradle to drag out to the living room to tandem bottle feed.  They looked so cute squished next to each other I ran to get the camera and take a picture.  In classic fashion, Laith started sucking on Vivienne's fist, and she burst out into a series of gut-wrenching wails.  I hope this isn't the sign of a couple of siblings that don't do much getting along...maybe the double negative in this sentence will cancel itself out meaning they will be the best of friends.  Until then, Laith will keep chilling and Vivienne will keep wailing, with daddy in the background shouting "There's no crying in baseball!"

First attempt at baby pictures, long way to go..

I have never really invested any time trying to shoot pictures of people. My sister is great at that but I tend to do better with still life. Below is my first attempt to learn about light and shutter when working with babies. I have a long way to go. The first picture below shows what this lens and camera are capable of. I shot this test pic of our porch heater, free standing, through a window at a range of about 25 feet.  If you zoom in you can see how clear the image is. Babies move unpredictably and the light in our living room was the worst possible for this experiment but we will improve and by the time I figure it out they won't be babies anymore...

Test shot for contrast and clarity

Laith

testing light and babies patience

Vivienne