14 Months Old - Fully Weaned

Keira and Naomi are full fledged toddlers!  This stage is sooo much FUN!!  They get so excited just walking back and forth from the kitchen to the living room, blabbing and laughing.  I love watching them.  This is by far my favorite stage!!  They flap their arms like wings when they walk too and make each other laugh.  AND they are learning to share :)  They give each other toys, and don't fight as much. Here's a video of them doing their daily routine of walking:

Recently, they had their first hair cut.   It started with me doing a bad job of cutting their bangs.  Rick made an immediate appointment with a kids salon, he was so concerned with how the girls looked, wow! I've never seen him take  initiative so fast in my life!!

They are also fully weaned too!  It was time, they weren't interested anymore so it made sense and worked perfectly timing wise with me travelling up north for a week.  Rick did an excellent job of taking care of them and putting them to bed by him self.  He's a super dad!  

The girls have been vomiting a lot recently and I think its because I've been overfeeding them without realizing it. I still spoon feed them but I'm much more cautious now.  They girls are eating more and more table food, which makes life a lot easier!  They are also still on the chubby side despite the tremondous amount of vomiting, I have no idea how they still gain weight...Naomi is 22.5 lbs and Keira is 21.5 lbs :)  

My sister recently had to travel back home after an excellent extended visit to Ottawa. I've been super lucky to have all this help since I've been back to work!  AND I can't believe Rick is going to be off for almost two months very soon!  I'm soo jealous because the girls are extremely fun right now!!!

Our girls have happy feet!

When the girls were only a few months old, we discovered that they got excited every time we showed them the penguins from Happy Feet (the movie). The other day, we showed them this video of baby Mumble tap dancing to some Stevie Wonder:

They loved it and started screaming and jumping around. After many repeat plays, they started to slow down, but we managed to catch them in the act.

Halloween and Santa Claus

Santa helpers!

Its been a very busy last month!  Alot has changed with the girls of course, they both walk now!  They took their first steps shortly after turning 12 months old and now Naomi is almost a pro at walking.  She started really walking in the last couple of weeks.  Keira is more cautious but almost there :)

Who am I?

The girls had a super busy halloween weekend!  They went to halloween party, went to the mall, then trick & treated around the neighbourhood collecting two huge overfilling pails.  Naomi and Keira got the hang of standing at the door and holding their pails up for candy.   Rick and I had a great time eating all the candy :)

Partying with 12 other kids!

Hanging out at the mall with their twin best friends

Its been super great weather, but I still bundled the girls when they are outside, here's a cute picture of them enjoying the fall weather.

Since I started working, time has flown by sooo fast! I can't believe the girls are turning 14 months old very soon!  I've decided to fully wean them at 14 months old using travel as an excuse.  It will be my first time time away from the girls overnight!  Rick is going to take care of them, I think he will do a great job!

I'm sure everyone is looking forward to all the videos rather than reading this blog, so here's a few cute videos of them toddling and FIGHTING of course, enjoy!

Remembering the Pug

Our blog is a great way for us to share our latest news with friends and family.  At the same time, our memories get recorded so we can go back and take a look from time to time.  And no set of memories would be complete without a final record of the former hairiest member of our family (a title that has now passed on to Rick).

It's been just over a month now without our little pug.  Tracy and I still miss him a lot, and we think the girls do, too.  Guinness used to whine a lot for food, and eventually the girls started to think that the high pitched whimpering noise was the noise a dog made.  Whenever they see a picture of a dog in a book, they make that noise.  And what makes us think that the girls miss Guinness is when we hold them up to the window to look out in the back yard, they whimper for him.  And when we show them videos of him on the computer, they reach for the screen.  Also, a couple of times they've thrown food on the floor and then look around for him.

The day Guinness had to be put down, the girls both gave him a few pats good-bye.  Keira even tried to give him a good-bye bite.  I know it's unlikely that they will remember him when they're older, but it's nice to see them holding on to that memory as long as possible.  And now, they'll always have this blog post to look back on.

I made a video, just to quickly look through the highlights of the photos we have of him.  We have a lot of photos of him.  He was our kid before we had kids.

Birthday Celebrations - Wow, 1 Year!

The girls celebrated their 1 year birthday with a bang!  They had tons of gifts so they spent most of their day opening presents.  They both loved playing with their tissue paper!

Rick threw an awesome party for the girls the next day.  They were surrounded by balloons, gifts, stickers, cupcakes, friends and family.   Alot of people showed for the party including their twin best friends.

The girls were shy caterpillars at first, didn't crawl or play as much as usual, but warmed up at the end and had lots of fun with their balloons.   Here is a cute video of them playing with one of their favorite gifts:

Rick's family flew all the way over from BC just to be on their birthday!  They had a great weekend playing in the pool on the deck, going to parks, and visiting the experimental farm.  The girls showed off their new skills by taking a few steps on their own ....the beginning of toddling and becoming a toddler :)

The girls had a lot of fun with their cousin Amber.  They shared toys, food and even baths!  Amber was a great sport at the end of trip, getting used to her toys being stolen, getting used to the girls stepping around her and having two heavy girls shriek around her.  Amber fought back by the end of the trip and even got used to playing with the crazy cousins.  Amber had a great introduction to home daycare :)

 Naomi and Keira are playing more and more together.  Although they fight a lot, they also play alot now and here is a cute video of them working together :)

Maternity Leave is Over!

I'm back to work!  Its surprisingly refreshing being able to talk to adults, have a hot drink, and eat a warm lunch.  I love being able to go the bathroom without having two babies after me.   Never thought I would say that I looked forward going back to work.  It was fun being with the girls but it was also very challenging taking care of two babies by myself for most of the year.  Although I miss my girls alot when I'm at work, the girls are doing great at home with the nanny.  

We recently had a 12 month check up and the girls are 80th percentile in height!  Talk about a growth spurt!  Each of the girls have five teeth and a couple more are on the way :)  I gave them some pizza the other day to chew on.

The girls also love playing with each other (and fighting too!).  Here are a couple of super cute videos of them playing in the crib:)

Standing on my Own!

Naomi is stuffing cheerios in her mouth through her hat :)

Who's Who??

Girls are standing on their own for a few seconds now!  Its super exciting because it means that they are itching to walk soon!!  Hopefully they walk before I go back to work....!!  Wishful thinking.

I bought two new costumes today, and they had a blast wearing them (more like I had a blast watching them).  Here's a cute video of them wearing their new outfits:)




The girls also love going to the park.  I discovered this recently when their great aunt and cousin came over for a visit.  The girls loved hanging out with them.  Here's another cute video of them hanging out with Daddy and cousin Chris :)

Getting Ready for Halloween!

The girls are getting ready for Halloween!  I bought them a cow and a alligator costume, but after getting the girls to try it on...they are too tall!  So I thought I would take a picture of them now that I can squish them into the costumes.  Their heads are way too big for the hats too!  Funny how Guinness' first costume was a cow too.  I guess I like cow costumes :)

I can't believe I'm going back to work in a couple of weeks!  I have mixed feelings about going back to work, it'll be a nice change of pace, but I know I will miss the girls soo much!  Looking back, my maternity leave was super hard work, probably the hardest job I've ever had.  Before I found out I had twins, I thought maternity leave would be awesome, I imagined that I could pick up and go everywhere with the baby, zooming away to different cities, completing my masters degree when the baby sleeps, and attending all sorts of  mommy and baby activities.  Boy was I wrong!!  Doing all of  that with twins was hard and stressful.  I did it all except my master's degree.  For sanity purposes, I'm glad I forced myself to go out alot with the girls even in the middle of winter but it wasn't easy.

Soothing two crying babies all alone when they are hungry or sleepy was hard.  Training them to nap and fall asleep at the same time without any assistance was stressful.  Nursing them every hour in the middle of the night was insane. Clusterfeeding them non stop for six hours for over a month almost killed me. Weaning them from night nursing left me a few bald spots.  BUT I'm proud to say that I did it and survived!!  AND for the last two months that I've had help, I finally felt like maternity leave was a vacation!

11 Months old - Naomi is weaned!

Miss Naomi is all grown up.  As of last tuesday, she decided to self wean in a happy fashion.  She was never cranky the entire day nor any other day.  She started drinking from a water bottle (few ozs) here and there and declared independency.  I was worried at first because she wasn't drinking nearly as much as her sister but after going to the doctor, there were no concerns, she was super healthy and hydrated (I have no idea how).  She would only drink 5 ozs in 8 hours and still sleep 11 hours at night!  This coincided with her learning to stand up on her own, cruise on furniture and learning to say no by shaking her head.  I feel bad that she doesn't drink a lot so I still supplement her by nursing her while she's napping and right after bedtime.  I don't know why, but she only nurses when she's fully asleep??!!  Oh well, she had all the signs of starting to wean, first by not nursing in public, then not nursing while she's playing, then not nursing unless its just before a nap/bedtime, and now only nursing when she's sleeping!  Keira is still ok but I feel confident that Keira will be ok to wean in a few weeks since she drinks more formula of a sippy cup than her sister!

Both girls are really good at pulling themselves up on furniture and climbing on furniture!  I think they will be walking soon, eventhough I don't want them too, I can't stop them :)

My new nanny also started today, its been great.  The girls are really comfortable around her too.  I think my girls are used to meeting lots of new people again.  Their seperation anxiety has disappeared again!

Singing Babies!

Rick and I purchased a chariot stroller last weekend, now its time for me to start biking the girls around!!  Rick and I are going to jog this weekend with the girls too.  Can't wait:)  I can't believe I have over a month left before I have to go back to work, time has gone by sooo fast in the last six months!  Six of my girlfriends are now pregnant so I kinda feel like I need to join the group (just kidding).

Reflecting back, I feel super lucky that Rick is a super father to the girls and great husband.  I've had a lot of time to relax, shop, go to the gym, play tennis, go to the spa, and go out with my friends.  I've definitely been spoiled with a lot of downtime despite having twins and exclusively nursing.  We've joined a rock climbing gym again so that will be our regular date night activity!

The girls have met a lot of new friends in the last few months.  I've committed a lot of time now to go on regular playdates with my friends, at least three a week just for fun!  They've also been swimming alot in the public kiddie pools.  They love swimming.  Their latest trick is now singing like opera singers.  Here's a cute but loud video of the girls:

Dancing All Day!

The girls are finally better!  Keira and Naomi both got sick on two different weeks and erupted into raspberries for a couple of days post fever.  When they were sick, they wanted to nurse more at night because they refused to eat solids during the day.  Sooo, they picked up a couple of bad habits.  Rick and I had to sleep train them in a tough way but it worked!  We used a gradual version of the cry it out method and the most they cried before falling asleep was 30 minutes.  Both are also sleeping 11 to 12 hours at night now, with an occasional early morning feed after 10 hours of sleep.  They still wake up every now and then but are able to fall back asleep on their own now:)

We recently had a race of both girls crawling, Keira is crawling a lot faster! Keira started crawling right after she recovered from being sick.





The girls started dancing this morning when Rick was playing his iphone.  So I decided to play music all day and they danced all day!!  Here's a quick version of what happen today. 

7-10 Months Twin Routine!

The girls are all grown up! I just wanted to post my twin routine for interest sake.

The biggest changes are as follows: The girls are nursing less frequently (4.5 -5 hours between feedings), don't nap or hardly nap at all when they are on the go (ex: riding in the stroller, carseats), are down to two naps and sleep longer at night.  I make an effort to have the girls nap in their cribs at home now because they are much happier, playful and easier to take care of when I do so.   Its a small short term sacrifice and the payoff is huge (happy girls!)

The girls are awake 2.15 - 2.5 hours before taking their first nap, then stay up for 3 -3.5 hours before taking their second nap and 4-4.5 hours before going to bed.

This routine is +/- 30 minutes
5 am - early morning feed (occasionally each of the girls sleep through this feeding)
7 am - wake up time, playtime
8 am - solids
9:15 am - nurse then nap (nap on average 1.5 hours)
11 pm - awake, playtime
12 pm- lunch solids
2 pm - nurse then nap (nap on average 1.5 hours)
3:30 - awake, playtime
5:00 - dinner solids
7:30 - bedtime

I really hate having routines when I don't work, its predictable, repetitive and boring!!  BUT I think its mandatory when you have twins!!  It made my life way easier :)

10 Months Old - Standing!!

The girls are standing on furniture!!  They are getting stronger by the day.  They are drinking from a sippy cup, drinking some milk, getting heavier, leaner and taller.  Their hair is also getting really long, I might have to start fixing their hair before we go out. They always have bed head.

Recently, Naomi became very sick with a fever, loss of appetite and some vomiting.  Now she has erupted into a rash.  She is starting to feel a bit better but its heartbreaking when little Naomi, the bubbly playful extrovert is super unhappy, doesn't want to play and almost nothing makes her happy.  She has a virus that's taking a while for her to recover.  Keira seems mainly ok, a little cranky but nothing like her sister.

Rick did a bit a baby proofing in the house, now the tv area looks great!  Here's a picture of our new tv station!

Girls are accelerating!!

Naomi and Keira are very mobile now!!  Naomi loves crawling on her knees and pulling herself up on furniture.   I can't believe its only been a week since Naomi started to crawl!! Keira is content with sitting or standing in one area.  Pretty soon, the girls will be cruisin on all the furniture. So Rick and I have made a commitment to spend the weekend babyproofing the house!!

The girls are on and off with their separation anxiety but it quickly fades away if daddy is home or if someone they know well is in the same room, thank god!!  I think their anxiety is associated with their mobility, they know that people can move away from them and they won't be able to catch up!!  But no biggie since they are ok with mom leaving the house and great in public.

Girls are starting to sleep and eat a lot better now that their teeth have cut through the gums, Rick has been doing a great job sleep training them to fall back asleep without any bum patting in the last few days.  They normally go to bed around 7-8 and wake for a feeding at 5-6 am and then sleep until 7-8 am!!  Occasionally, if they learn a new skill, they will practice it at 5/5:30 and fall asleep an hour later in their crib.  There's some crying/fussing involved but each day is getting better.  Keira still wakes up a few times on and off due to separation anxiety but she is learning to fall back asleep very quickly:)  I think they are learning to ignore each other's cries now.  Hard to make two babies happy in the same room!!

They are down to two naps, four feedings, three solids meals and on the road together to 12 hours of sleep overnight, finally!!  They are big kids now :))  The baby stage is almost over, boo, but I'm also looking forward to them walking and talking in a couple of months.

Here's a cute video of them playing footsies after finishing a meal.  They do this everyday :)

Going on to 10 Months!

Last week the girls had their nine month check up, they are doing great.  The girls on are track with their weights and on the same growth patterns.  Naomi is over 18 lbs and Keira is almost 17 lbs!  AND of course, they still have 90th percentiles heads compared to other nine month olds!!

The girls are sitting up super well now, and its awesome! I can plunk both girls in the shopping carts and go shopping!!  Finally, I can pick up a full load of groceries rather than sticking stuff underneath the stroller.  The best places to take the girls shopping is Canadian Tire. The girls love the police carts.






Now that the girls are staying up a lot longer, its so much easier to do things with them, like going out for dinner or having dinner parties or going to all afternoon parties.  We've been going to lots of playdates too. Here's a recent picture of three sets of twin girls!   They actually play with each other now. Its soo cute.  The babies have known each other  for over a year!!






Its been a very hot summer.  So hot that both girls tan and sweat within minutes of getting out of the van. Here's a video of the girls enjoying a nemo mister at a recent birthday party.

New Milestones:  The girls are creeping and crawling.  They love clapping, waving and saying da da!  Here's a few videos demonstrating their new skills :)

And finally, I have full time help!!!  Its super awesome. I feel like a new person.  Having another person around to attend to one babies needs is sooo much easier than having to tend to both babies needs all the time.  I have a great live out nanny right now whose helping me till end of August.  We recently went swimming. Here's a cute video of them swimming :)

Fighting! Nine Months old!!

Smiley Keira

Independent Naomi

Keira is learning to say 'mama' when she's upset now.  Just before she goes to bed, she likes to see mommy and if she doesn't, she will yell out "ma ma' until I see her and then she falls asleep :) Out of the two, Keira is more dependent on mom but each day, its getting better and better.  She also has a little tooth sprouting out of her gums. The other day, I taught her to clap her hands and now she loves doing it, here's a quick video:

I make an effort to get the girls the exact same toys now.  Otherwise, they fight!! Naomi is impulsive, she gets what she wants and rolls around the living room getting it.  Keira is more comfortable playing in her little spot and sometimes steals toys from Naomi but Naomi is often ok with it.  Here's a video of them fighting.  Notice that Keira looks at me when her toy is stolen :)

The girls have been on and off refusing solids for a few days each week.  I realize that their gums are sore and they don't want to eat.  Now that each of them have a tooth, they eat a lot better.

The girls have very different personalities!  If I had to guess, Naomi is much more like me and Keira is much like Rick.  Naomi loves to smile and laugh out loud with teeth showing.  She loves being noticed, gets what she wants, and talks out loud.  She's restless too, she can't sit in one spot for too long.  Keira is more dainty, much more dependent on mommy and daddy to get her toys back, she's content with sitting in one spot and smiles a lot with no teeth/gums showing.  Identical girls with opposite personalities (at least for now!)

Sechelt, Vancouver, Maui and Regina

As promised, here's a quick video of the trip.  The girls had a great time being with family, friends, attending a wedding in Maui and their celebration party in Regina.  They also loved swimming in the pool.  Some cool places they went to included the Maui Aquarium, a beach in Maui, Banyan Tree and the Regina Museum. They are travel gurus now, they've been on the plane at least 8 times already!  Enjoy!

Canada Long Weekend!

The family had a very, very busy weekend.  It was awesome to get out and party like normal people.  It started with Rick attending a stag and I sttending a birthday party, we each took turns watching the girls sleep at night.  It was a great break for both of us.  

On Canada day, we dressed the girls up to celebrate!  Here's Naomi with her Canada day outfit.

We went to Westboro beach with another family of twins too!  It was lots of fun seeing the babies do their neat tricks!  Laura's daugher Anna supermaned out of the bumbo onto the sand.  She wasn't hurt but it just reminded all of us to not leave the girls unattended in the bumbos anymore.  Growing up fast!  That night, we had a bbq at our house with all four girls eating solids at our deck, it was super fun!  It was a great ending to Canada Day

The next day, it was a loong day for the girls.  We had a wedding to attend so we dressed the girls up in two different outfits, one for the ceremony and another for the reception.  Although the girls had to nap in the carseats all afternoon, with only a 45 min nap in total, they were actually really good at the reception.  The girls had a great time eating solids and dancing with mommy and daddy.  They even went to bed at a decent time, 8 pm!  Our future live in nanny took care of the girls for the rest of the night so mommy and daddy could  go back to the wedding.  We abandoned the van and drove back in style in our crossfire!!  

Here's Sharon and Marty in their gorgeous outfits.  Their wedding was super beautiful!

The next day, we had an easy day, we lounged in the deck, girls swam in their pool and had company over.  Here's Ruwan with the the girls :)

 

Both girls are able to say "mum mum" now, I think it means food.  The love feeding themselves too.  

As for me, I recently weighed myself and I have a few lbs to go!!  BUT, I still have a twin tummy and more than a few lbs of blubber :)  I've definitely lost alot of muscle, time to hit the gym !  I've accepted the fact that my body will never be the same, but I'm ok with that, there's always plastic surgery, lol.