"Hi"

Clara has been crawling up a storm. We first got excited when she crawled across a room. Now she is effortlessly crawling out of rooms and around the house. She really is proud of herself. 

My mom came over the other day and I was upstairs with the girls in their room. When my mom called upstairs to see where we were Clara started crawling towards the top of the stairs, shrieking both with excitement and to tell my mom where she was. It was so cute! 

Lucy, on the other hand, is doing a lot of sitting around. It really stinks that she has to watch her sister move and learn to crawl while she stays confined to her cast and bouncy seat, beanbag, bumbo, etc. On a positive note, she's been tolerating being on her tummy more and is trying to roll and move around in her crib. She grabs onto the crib rails and throws her body around. Every night when we put her down to bed she does around 45 minutes of acrobatics instead of trying to sleep. I love to watch on the monitor. 

The positive to Lucy not being able to focus much on motor developments is that she has been focusing a lot instead on her communication. 

She's been using sign language to communicate "please" for most of the summer, but neither Lucy or Clara had said their "first word" until the other night. Lucy had finished her sponge bath and she was looking in the mirror with daddy waving as he said hi when she also said "hi". It was so cute and I even got it on video. Since then she's been imitating animal sounds like crazy (she'll meow like a kitty, pant like a dog, growl like a lion, and baa like a sheep). She's also tried to say our dog Pepper's name multiple times. As a speech pathologist you can imagine I get pretty excited about this stuff. 

Every day just gets better and better with these girls. They are growing and learning so much every day and I love watching them explore and master new things. 

Today we celebrate their birthday with a big birthday bash. Although this mama invited way too many people, it's going to be so fun to celebrate that we all survived the first year of their lives. 

Fluoride

Now that the girls have teeth I've started thinking about fluoride. Our first pediatrician prescribed a multi-vitamin that contained flouride to use around the time the girls turned 6 months. I never gave it to them because they didn't have teeth so I figured there was no rush. I do know that our water isn't treated where we live, hence the supplement. 

I went to a baby expo around the time we were prescribed the fluoride and there was a pediatric dentist there. She highly recommended using it and said you can tell the difference with children who have had it. She also have us some really cool baby toothbrushes for free that we've recently started using. 

I read a few articles this morning about fluoride use and I think we will likely use it. I have horrible teeth and have had 2 root canals and really need to get a second crown. I don't want my girls to have to get as many fillings as I did as a child, but I'm pretty sure my mom hadus fluoride, so that's not the reason I had so many cavities. It was probably my lack of consistent and good tooth brushing and flossing. I did read though that flouride is linked to neurological damage (although not significant). 

So, I ask you, what's your take on fluoride? Do you give it to your children or is your water already treated? Are you skipping it altogether? 

Things are Changing Quickly

Lucy got her 2 bottom teeth in the past 24 hours. Yesterday I felt the bottom right front tooth and this morning the other front one had come through. She was amazingly well and didn't complain much. You can just barely see and feel them, but they are there. So, we will be celebrating their first birthday with teeth all around! So far they both have the bottom2. Clara's have really started to come in and I noticed the other night that she's learning to bite with them. 

Clara also started really crawling the past few days. She's been so close for so long and now she's officially on the go. I feel badly that Lucy is stuck in a cast while her sister is able to move and explore so much more. I've been debating making a referral for a physical therapy eval for when she gets the cast off. Both girls aren't exactly advanced physically and I know it wouldn't hurt. I'm thinking she might qualify if she hasn't yet relearned some things she was doing prior. 

We also have an appointment scheduled for an ENT next week for Clara. Her upper frenulum on her top lip is very tied. I want to get it looked at because I don't want it to affect her dentition. So, we'll see how that goes.

 Lots of exciting changes around here!

"No Good News"

Yesterday was our first follow up with the orthopedic dr. The girls, my MiL, and I spent the morning at the zoo with the multiple moms for a play date. We had a fun time and the weather was beautiful. I met W at the appointment at 1:30. 

When we checked in they told us the dr was running about an hour behind. My MiL stayed with sleeping Clara in the car. 

We waited in a few different waiting rooms. It was like they had multiple layers of waiting. They did an x ray and we waited some more.

They finally took us into a room with a nurse. She pulled up the x ray and my heart sank. It didn't look healed at all. 

I fed Lucy and we waited some more. W went out to get Clara and brought her in so I could feed her too. When she was done he decided to bring her back outside. Right after he left the dr came in and I felt horrible asking her to wait for W. He had rearranged his schedule to be there and I didn't want him to miss talking to the dr. 

So, he came backand we waited some more. She finally came in and Lucy smiled at her. She pulled up the x ray and  said she hadn't seen much healing yet. We talked about their birthday party on the 30th and she said she wasn't comfortable taking the cast off at any time next week. She didn't seem concerned about the lack of significant healing. She pulled up an X-ray of another child she saw that day. He had worn his spica cast for 6 weeks and the difference in the image was quite clear. She said there "wasn't any good news". I asked about ways to help her heal more quickly and she suggested vitamin d and milk or calcium. She suggested trying to have Lucy sleep in her car seat to be more comfortable. We then looked at a calendar and scheduled her next appointment for September 3rd, their birthday. It was either then or the 8th so I picked the sooner one. We're hoping the cast will come off that day, but she didn't make any promises and said it would be dependent on the  X-ray. She said typically a child is in the cast for 4 weeks plus a week for every year old they are. 

We both left super bummed out. I guess we were hoping for good news. I'm sure getting a cold for over a week didn't help the healing process. As we both said, seeing the X-ray was a reminder of how badly she broke her leg. We live day to day with the cast, but seeing an image of how broken it is sucks. 

I spoke with my lactation consultant Erin on the way home. She suggested I be better about taking my prenatals and that I supplement myself with vitamin d and calcium. That way Lucy will get those things. She said I could give them more calcium in the form on yogurt or cheese but that breastmilk is much better than cows milk because It contains stem cells. 

So, unfortunately, the first two weeks in the cast yielded minimal healing. I'm hoping the next two weeks are better. It's not really in my control, but I want my little girl to get out of that cast. I want to hug her and feel her little legs against me rather than a huge hard cast. 

I guess it's best to know in advance, but Lucy will be in her cast for her birthday party. The outfits I bought them with cute onesies and cherry leggings will have to wait. There's no denying that I'm disappointed, but I'll put on a smile and sing "If you're happy and you know it" for the hundredth time today because it lights up her little face and I love watching her clap her little hands. 

2 Weeks Down

Today Lucy has been in the spica cast for 2 weeks. The first week was definitely the worst, but we're all still adjusting. 

Sleep has been awful. She's fighting going to sleep and I'm just not comfortable letting her cry while in the cast. She can't communicate with us what her problem is so for now she gets her way. I'm not wild about this, but I don't know what the alternative is. 

She's sleeping in our bed and is very restless. She cries out a lot in her sleep and wakes up crying. I'm not sure if she's just uncomfortable or if she's in pain. She's still stuffy from the cold that keeps lingering. 

We did a much better job of getting out if the house last week. I think we did something pretty much every day. I generally had an extra set of hands for outings so that was definitely helpful. 

I've been busy gathering supplies and crafting for their birthday party that is in 2 weeks! 

This week we have our first follow up appointment with the ortho dr. I'm hoping they'll do x rays so we have a better idea of the timeframe for removing the cast.  

Here are the projects I've been working on for their party. We are doing a twin cherry theme.

The invitation: 

Birthday banner:

Balloon wreath (still needs a number 1 in the middle):

High chair banners:

I can't believe my girls are turning 1 in a few short weeks. I hate to wish away the end of the summer but I'm just so ready to say goodbye to that spica cast! Tomorrow is our appointment so please keep us in your thoughts for good healing news. 

CD1?!

Yesterday I woke up to a unpleasant surprise. I thought for sure since I was still nursing at night I wouldn't get my period. Pair that with PCOS and irregular cycles to begin you and you can imagine my surprise. As much as I don't welcome it back, I've had a long break. This is my first period since December 2012. Crazy, huh? 

I've been taking metformin since about 8 weeks post partum. I've been slowly increasing my dosage as that stuff can be rough on the GI system. This week I started my dose at 2000 mg. I don't think this is what brought my period on. 

Don't get the wrong impression when I put CD 1 as a post title. It doesn't mean we are trying to get pregnant. I'm not on birth control but I also didn't think I was ovulating. I guess I should start paying closer attention. We also aren't having much sex to be completely honest. 

My sister came out Tuesday night for the night with my nephew Benny. Yesterday we went to the zoo with the babies and by the time I got home I had a horrible headache. Shortly after it turned into a migraine. 

Since having the girls I've gotten 2 really bad migraines. I'm debating going to my primary about it because I literally can't function when it happens. Thank god for a great and capable husband. Anyone have experience with migraines? Any tips or advice?

Week 1

It's been a week since the slip on the stairs that led to Lucy's broken femur. To say it's been a rough week is an understatement. On top of having one child in a half-body cast, her sister came down with a cold and started teething on Wednesday. At first I though it was just teething as she had a low-grade fever and runny nose, but I feared a cold as my MiL was sick with one the previous week.

Originally our plans had been to leave the girls with my in-laws on my birthday so W and I could go out for a birthday lunch at the Melting Pot. As it got closer and I learned my MiL had been sick, I decided against bringing the girls to her. The girls have gotten colds 2 other times. Both times it was when I left them with someone who had been sick. I didn't get exposed to it so didn't produce the antibodies in my breast milk. So, instead I decided to keep them with me that day.

Then on Monday we had to spend the night at the hospital. We needed help with Clara. So, she spent the time with my in-laws. Am I surprised she got sick? Not really, but I also can't help but be angry about it. I know my MiL didn't mean it, I just didn't need that on my plate too. Big surprise, Lucy got it too. She started feeling crummy on Saturday and her sleep has really suffered too.

Generally I can count on Clara for 11 hours of solid sleep. Starting Wednesday night she was up multiple times. I hit rock bottom on Saturday night when I'm pretty sure I didn't sleep more than 45 minutes straight. Lucy has been waking a lot too. She's stuffy, she uncomfortable, she's in pain, she's hot, who the heck knows. I do know it breaks my heart to hear her crying so much at night. She's usually very easily comforted at night but that has not been the case this week. She's pretty much sleeping in our bed minus the first part of the night when we put her down in her crib.

Clara has also developed quite a bit of jealousy. In all fairness, I wasn't really thinking much of her those first few days. I was meeting her basic needs but relying on others to do a lot of the playing, snuggling, and loving her. I feel horrible admitting it, but I was just spread too thinly for it all. As a result, she's been very unhappy. When she seemed to be feeling worse on Friday and started really screaming multiple times I brought her to the ped to be sure she didn't have an ear infection. Her ears looked find and the ped pointed out how much her life had changed too. Since then W and I have been much more conscious to give her special attention too. 

I had lots of help last week because I didn't think I could take care of both girls by myself. As beggers can't be choosers, I was stuck with my MiL a few days. I know she means well, but she's just too intense. She can't do anything without asking a million questions. It would be helpful if she just did things to help with the girls or around the house. Instead, it's a thousand questions just to know what to give them for a snack, to know which clothes to put back into the wash (if it's dirty it's a safe assumption it needs to go through again, please don't ask me!) She also lingered far too long. When the girls finally went down for their afternoon naps she would show zero signs of leaving. I felt like I had to be there to entertain her and talk with her when all I wanted was some alone time or a chance to lay down myself. By the end of the week I told W I just couldn't have her help. I was more stressed out and struggling with her around. 

This week I am planning to do more without help, try to plan some kind of small outing every day,and try to get our lives back to as normal as possible. 

Today was a great start. W left for work around 8:30 and my SiL came over around 11:30. I showered and packed some snacks for the girls while they were napping and we went for a walk and picnic in the park. 

11 Months Old

The girls turned 11 months old on the day I turned 31. We celebrated by attending a picnic for families with multiples. We had such a great day. Every other month if I didn't take monthly pictures or write my post on the exact day it wasn't a big deal. Well, Lucy broke her leg the following morning. So, despite her not actually being in a cast on her 11 month birthday the pictures will have it in them. Also, life has been turned totally upside down. It's as if Lucy was turned back into an infant overnight. She lost all independence she had gained so it makes it hard to write about how she was before. I will do my best to remember because I know I will regret if I miss a month of these updates.

Celebrating my 31st birthday with my girls

Play date with friends

Mmmm...blueberry muffins!

Good morning mama!

First morning in Maine

Hanging on the porch in Maine

Out for a morning walk

First lobster dinner

Trying out our new twin pool float

Such cuties

Checking out the elephant at the zoo

Playing with baby Everett. We're big girls now!

Rocking on our elephant

Big girls sitting in chairs

Tandem nursing in the backseat of the car in party dresses

Pool party with Jack

Lavender Festival

This month we took a vacation to Maine. We swam in the freezing Atlantic Ocean, tried out our new twin pool float, ate lobster for the first time, and tried ice cream. We attended a lavender festival, got together with lots of friends for play dates, attended two first birthday parties, learned how to crawl backwards and pivot while sitting, visited the zoo, learned "if you're happy and you know it", and met our friends new baby and suddenly became the big kids. You visited New Jersey and met some family and then briefly also visited the states of Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. You also met your great grandma Karolyn in Maine. 

Lucy- you're so little yet so, so strong. You love standing up and will do it for long stretches. Your sleeping took another turn for the worse this month as mommy and daddy went to a concert and left you with grandma. I guess you woke up and cried for about a half hour that night and then for about 10 days after you were up like a newborn again. You needed the reassurance that mama was there, and boy was it exhausting. You even went through a phase where you wouldn't let daddy comfort you at night. By the end of the month, gratefully, things had definitely improved. You still love sleeping in our bed and cuddling with mama, but we're trying to get you back in your crib ASAP after night time feedings. You really took off with your sign language this month. You started with "please" when we introduced you to lobster. My eyes teared up with pride as you signed please and then devoured your lobster. As you will find out, lobster is your mama's favorite food. You wave consistently and are showing me you understand more words. You also love dancing to music. You love peek a boo and think putting your hands on your head counts as playing. Any time I pulled out my camera this month your hands went straight to your head. You love your doggy pepper and think it's great if he lets you pet him. You are so smart, cute, and wonderful and I love you so much.

Ride em cowboy

Look out, I'm driving!

Snoozing with daddy

Clara- This month you got your first tooth and your mama was so excited! It was right after our vacation which helped explained some of your unhappiness at times. You are moving and changing positions like crazy. You pull to stand independently and also crawl backwards only. You get so frustrated when we try to get you to work on crawling. You love splashing in the tub or pools and can get crazy sometimes with it. You wave consistently and are just starting to dance to music. You haven't really started using any sign language but we're working on it with you. You are still such a great sleeper. Your pack and play kept getting slanted on vacation, but that didn't seem to bother you. You've decided you need to voice your unhappiness whenever you don't think things are equal. If your sis gets something you're not shy about demanding equality. You started making a squinty nosed smile for pictures this month and thought you were hilarious. At the beach or in the sun you refuse to keep your hats on. You continue to be a great eater and love trying new things. You don't always like them, but I'm glad you're willing to try. You are such a strong and beautiful little girl miss Clara.

Trying out baby Everett's quilt that mama made

squinty nosed smile

Nursing with a view