Two Year Checkup + Milestones

Last week was our two year check up.  I am desperately awaiting the once a year days.  We went from every other day when we first brought Jane and Emma home from the hospital 2 years ago, to twice a week, to once a month, to every 3 months, to every 6 months, and here we stand.  Some of the things that we look forward to these days at each check up include:
Weigh-ins.  The girls went from not even being on the growth chart at under 5 lbs each when we brought them home, to quickly gaining weight and staying steady.  At this past visit they weighted in at around 25 lbs., which is in about the 40th percentile for their age.  Tell you what, I’m just happy that they are ON the chart!
girls

Height checks.  Let me start by saying that I am pretty short.  I am only 5’2″, and my 6’3″ husband picks on me constantly for not being able to reach things on the middle shelf.  I am prefacing my daughters’ current measurements this way because they are only in the 10th percentile for their age.  They are peanuts.
Different Developmental Checks.  I had to fill out a very involved developmental survey prior to going to our appointment.  They asked about walking, running, jumping, different reactions in situations, speech, etc.  Turns out that not only are Jane and Emma just fine, but a bit ahead for their age.  They are speaking in simple sentences and following directions (sometimes), and can even “dress” themselves (although the clothes are usually backwards by the time they are finished, IF they haven’t thrown a total s-fit in the process).
janey
Vaccines.  There.  I said it.  The word ‘vaccination’ seems to have become a dirty word in mommyville, but having our children vaccinated was not even a discussion that Hershey and I had.  We just said “YES” when they asked us in the NICU.  And we’ve followed the recommended schedule closely ever since.  And although we didn’t actually get any vaccines DURING this visit, the girls are scheduled for their 2-year-old vaccines next Tuesday and we have to schedule some blood labs for them in the coming summer months.  Never a fun time when Daddy has to hold the unsuspecting ladies down and Mama cries even more than the girls do, but such is life.  They forget about the shots before we walk out the door, and usually only run little TINY fevers a couple of days afterwards, along with the crankiness and weepiness that is typical.
I like to ask every question that I can think of during these visits, knowing that the doctors specifically put aside extra time for wellness check ups.  This time around, I asked about
  1. eating (toddlers are only expected to eat one GOOD meal a day, and if they throw the other 2 meals all over the floor, “it’s ok, and normal”);
  2. milk (switch to lowfat at this stage, as they no longer need the full fat for their brain development and the cholesterol is no good for them);
  3. pacifiers (try to get rid of them, as they are damaging their pallets);
  4. SLEEP (toddlers at this age are expected to get 12 hours of sleep a day, between nighttime sleep AND naps, and getting up at 6:00 every SINGLE morning is “normal” – ACK!!!)
  5. potty training (get a potty seat for the toilet and spend some naked time in the summer, but understand that in America the standard age for potty training is 3 years old, so not to push them or get discouraged if it doesn’t happen now because 2 is considered “early” in our culture); and
  6. dentist visits (yup, it’s time!).
I was happy to hear that Jane and Emma are in the normal range, even a bit ahead, considering they can sing their ABCs from start to finish, count to 14, and are even starting to be able to identify letters.  Another thing that they do now that I think is REALLY cool is that they sit and read by themselves, reciting the words on each page of their favorite books the way I did when I was itty-bitty.  I’m hoping that this means that I have trained little fellow readers, because I am DYING to have someone to talk about books with, as my students are all sick of hearing me talk about how much I love reading!
emma reading
I also had to ask about the CONSTANT fighting, as the girls seem to have some sort of the-first-rule-of-baby-fight-club-is-that-you-don’t-tell-mama-it’s-baby-fight-club-time pact going on.  We were also assured that this is “normal”.  Not so sure about my hair loss due to baby fight club, though.
crash
What are some milestones that your little ones have reached that you are super excited about?  Anything shock you?  Anything worrying you?  I’d love to hear from you!
We are almost done with the school year which means that it’s almost summertiiiiiime, when the living is easyyyyy….
Happy Thursday, friends!
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Double Digits

This was a big week for our little family!  Not only did we put a bid in on a house (and it was accepted!), but the girls turned 10 months old on Thursday!  This has been a whirlwind 6 days.

Jane and Emma are up to no good every day now.  They are rolling around, military crawling here, there, and everywhere, and cruising from one end of the living room to the other.  A few days ago, I was in the nursery talking to Hershey in the kitchen, and I heard grunting in the hallway.  I looked out the door to see Emma trying as hard as she could to get down the hallway to where my voice was.  It was simultaneously the cutest and scariest thing ever!





















Jane

Measurements (as of March 4)
Weight:  17 lbs 3 oz  
Height:  26.75"  Head size:  46.3cm
Diaper size:  4
Clothing Size:  9 months 
(she can wear 12 months, 
but they're baggy)
Teeth:  1 (top right)
Fave foods:  Chicken, cherries, apples, blueberries
Fave toys:  Anything Emma is holding
Favorite thing to do:  Snatch toys from her sister; cruise
Least favorite thing to do:  Still napping
Major Milestones for This Month:  Cruising; pulling herself up to standing; sleeping through the night














Emma

Measurements (as of March 4)
Weight:  18 lbs 4 oz  
Height:  27.5"  Head size:  46.1 cm
Diaper size:  4
Clothing Size:  12 months
Teeth:  Both top front
Fave foods:  Cherries
Fave toys:  The book on the Fisher-Price Puppy & Friends Learning Table
Favorite thing to do:  Open Daddy's XBox and try to destroy it
Least favorite thing to do:  Sleep
Major Milestones for This Month:  Sleeping through the night; cruising; sitting up from laying down 
(causing poor Daddy to have to lower the mattress in her crib one day after school)


While Jane and Emma are busy being big girls, Mama and Daddy have been busy trying to buy them a house!  We are currently crossing our fingers that all will go well, as we had a (pretty major) hiccup during inspections today.  Here is a sneak peak at what will (hopefully) be our new digs one day very soon!  (PHOTOS REMOVED)

Stay tuned for updates on the process!  I am so excited to be able to share this amazing milestone in our family's life with you!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!  xoxo

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Inside Out

Happy MLK Day!  I LOVE three day weekends!  And what better way to spend the day than to hang out with my little chicas all day long (while doing laundry and making baby food, of course!).  

Last week, we met a major milestone.  On January 13, Jane and Emma were officially on the outside for as long as they were on the inside (32 weeks, read our birth story here)!  Here are some of their stats:





Jane
Measurements (as of Nov. 26)
Weight:  14 lbs 2 oz  Height:  25"  Head size:  44.2 cm
Diaper size:  4 (with some bagginess)
Clothing Size:  4-6 months (she can wear 9 months, but they're baggy)
Fave foods:  Anything with chicken, apples, mangoes, blueberries
Fave toys:  Her exersaucer (of course), Puppy, this remote control, books, 
Favorite thing to do:  Snuggle with Mama and take a bath
Least favorite thing to do:  Get strapped into her car seat, which is a close second only to sitting in traffic while being strapped into her car seat, getting dressed, or NAPPING!
Major Milestones for This Month:  Rolling onto her belly, eating chunkier solid foods, and holding her own bottle (when she's feeling like an independent woman, she still prefers we hold it for her while telling her she's pretty)

Emma
Measurements (as of Nov. 26)
Weight:  15 lbs 5 oz  Height:  25"  Head size:  44 cm 
(even though it looks twice the size of Jane's!)
Diaper size: 4
Clothing Size:  6-12 months and 9 months
Fave foods:  apples, blueberries, fish, but she literally loves ANYTHING I put in front of her -- I think she's going to be a foodie like Mama and Daddy!
Fave toys:  Her exersaucer (see a pattern?), stacking rings, Sassy rings, and Daddy
Favorite thing to do:  "Walk" around the apartment, get raspberries from Daddy, rough house, "pet" the cats, and watch sports
Least favorite thing to do:  Sit and wait for dessert after dinner, sit still in general
Major Milestone for This Month:  Emma has started to figure out how to military crawl.  She spends a lot of time on her face, which leads to rug burn on her face (thank goodness for Aquafor!), but she can move herself from point A to point B, even if it takes a little bit of time (and a couple of kitty-petting detours).


This month has been the coolest so far because their little personalities are really developing, and they are more mobile.  They can also sit up on their own (and face plant into the floor on their own), which makes them a bit more autonomous, and they are so happy and proud of themselves when they are sitting up on the floor all by themselves playing with their toys.  They love exploring the world around them -- they are constantly touching things, throwing things, tasting things, and squealing at things.  I am just so in love with them, and with this stage of their lives.





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Multiplciholidays

WHEW!!!  Well, the holiday season is JUST ABOUT over, and we made it through basically unscathed.  I can also say that I was wrong when I thought that the girls would be more excited about the wrapping paper BUT they also have no idea what to do with all of the presents that they got!  We are so lucky and blessed to have such a big and generous family.


Please try not to get motion sickness from our awesome cinematography skills.
Cups from the $1 section at Target.

The holidays began on Tuesday when I started baking cookies.  I had invited my sister-in-law and her new hubs over for breakfast to see Jane and Emma, but I had an ulterior motive.  They were able to help Hershey occupy the girls long enough for me to get through FIVE batches of cookies.  Yes, FIVE.  Don't ask me how I did it without losing my mind.  Scratch that.  At one point it was me or the gingerbread dough, and I won.


Like my "Christmas mask"? (aka my no make up look)

That night was Jane and Emma's first Christmas Eve party.  They are pretty good about losing their shit at 6:53 on the dot no matter where we are, so, despite our best efforts to keep their bellies full and their minds on gifts, as soon as all of the family members got there, they started crying hysterically and we had to whisk them out of the room and put them to bed.  An hour and a half later, we were able to re-join the party, eat dinner, have a few cocktails, and open gifts before packing the girls up and heading out into the cold night to get them home to their cozy cribs.  I was sad that they only got to spend about 15 minutes in their party dresses, but we at least were able to snap some adorbs shots!










The next day was Christmas and we had a ton of fun making new Christmas traditions with Jane and Emma.  I snuck into their room to wake them up in their little Christmas pjs.  We brought them out into the living room and opened presents with them after their morning bottle.  






Then, it was over the river and through the woods to MY grandma's house, for another round of gift-giving and 7:00 crankiness.  Jane and Emma sat on our laps as we ate our annual Christmas lasagna, and Emma slept through our rendition of "Happy Birthday to you" as we sang to Hershey for his birthday (which falls on Christmas) and Jane partook in the eating of the cupcake frosting tradition (well, it's a tradition now, anyway).  

When we got home was when the real fun started.  We rolled the little twincesses right into their cribs and I began tackling the job of putting away toys and sorting everything out.  We had a truck-full of unopened gifts from Christmas Eve, and no toy box.  I didn't want the girls to wake up to a mess (even though 93% of the time my house is a mess!), so I stayed up until around midnight unpacking and unwrapping gifts.  Which, BT-DUBS, since when are Fisher Price toys such a hot theft item that they have to be soddered into the boxes that they come in?  I don't get that...

Can you spot the Janey doll?

This past weekend we took the trip out to Landisville, Pennsylvania, to visit Hershey's grandpa (also his namesake).  I'll write a post later this week on what to pack to survive a 4 hour car ride with multiples, because that's how long it took us to get home!  But it was worth it to get to see Emma play with Hershey's little cousins.  It's funny how their little personalities are coming out so much now.  Emma is so rough and tumble.  She wanted to be in the middle of all of the action, squealing at the top of her lungs playing with the boys.  Jane just wanted to sit back and snuggle with Grandpa and watch all of the action calmly from the sidelines.  Part of it may have been the stomach virus she seemed to be suffering from.  I was thrown up on 4 times within the first 20 minutes of arriving at Hershey's aunt's house.  Good stuff.

Next year, I'm hoping that we will be able to continue our family's holiday traditions, while infusing some new traditions of our own.  I love visiting family, but I have to admit, this year was a LOT to handle.  I am more exhausted now than I was before the break, and my vacation is over in 2 days!  WAH!

It's hard to believe that 2013 is almost over!  What an incredible year it has been for me and my family.  Tomorrow night we will bring in the New Year with our best friends as we always do, but this year there will be a house full of little kids!  We are so incredibly lucky to have friends with children the same age as us, and to be able to bring in a new year with people who we love so dearly.

How will you be spending your new year's?  What new holiday traditions did you come up with this year? 

I actually found a moment to buckle down and snap Jane and Emma's 7 month photos.  The perfect time to take their picture is first thing in the morning, when they have a fresh diaper, empty belly, and haven't seen us in 11 hours.  SO SUPER SMILEY!






In the meantime, enjoy this new way that I have found to entertain my children.  Well, at least one of them is entertained.


See you on the other side, in 2014!  Please don't forget to vote!

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