Excuses, Excuses--9 Months

I haven't posted here in a while because I'm either:

-cutting up baby food (no, we don't have to eat from a jar anymore! Just cut up soft things and let them feed themselves!)
-feeding hungry children who open their mouths like little birds whenever they sit at the table
-cleaning up mashed peaches from the dining room floor
-taking pieces of paper away from Peter and cleaning out his mouth afterward
-changing poopy diapers
-washing poopy diapers
-nursing 2 almost-20-lb babies
-getting moral support from other moms
-folding not-so-tiny-anymore baby clothing
-chasing after Peter, who now crawls to EVERYTHING he shouldn't be near
-watching Peter and Joy interact and touch each other's faces...they love peering at each other through the slats of their cribs
-tickling and playing with the kids (I'll do anything to hear their wonderful giggles!! Especially Joy, whose laugh is actually audible now, as opposed to a "Ernie-style" laugh...think Sesame Street :))
-practicing my clarinet to play for Becky's wedding in Seattle
-attending Becky's wedding in Seattle
-vacationing with Steve's family in Seattle
-trying to spend quality time with my husband
-surely there are other worthwhile excuses...

Smiles, Skirmishes, and Sitting

The title pretty much sums up the elapsed time between now and the last post (Peter and Joy are just about 8 months old now!).

SMILES: meaning both the act of smiling (our hearts still melt when we see each smile) and the new teeth behind them. Actually, Peter is the only one who has teeth, and we noticed that a top tooth (his third) just cut through since yesterday. Joy has no teeth, but she chews, bites, and sucks on everything as if she did! If they manage to get their hands on one, remotes and phones also make fun toys, but cleaning up spit-up on the hand set is NOT fun for mommy! Oh--and the smiles are even more lovely when their mouths are full of (and smeared with) peas and squash!

SKIRMISHES: Yes, we have officially had the first fight. Peter grabbed a toy out of Joy's hand, which resulted in a loud wail of distress. No doubt it's happened many times since then with Joy as the instigator. You can see in one of the pictures below how she basically has Peter pinned in a half nelson. We're sure this will be the last time something like this EVER happens, as we know our children will be perfect in every way! (I REALLY hope you could sense the sarcasm in that sentence!)

SITTING: The kids have basically mastered sitting without assistance. This results in Mommy being able to accomplish lots more while they're awake if she needs to. No crawling yet, but Peter has begun to rock on all fours, so it may be coming soon. But really, it would be quite alright if they didn't crawl for a long time yet!



Above: This was the view as I walked into the living room one day...





Above: Millenium Park
Above: First trip to Lake Michigan (South Haven)

Above: WWF bound?

6 Months: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Here is Take 2 on this post...somehow I lost it when I first tried last night. 6 Months today!

THE GOOD:
-I am still breastfeeding both babies successfully (and still loving my appetite...I've officially hit pre-pregnancy weight...it took a while to drop 60-plus pounds, but I did it!)
-Both babies keep smiling and laughing more and more! Peter's laugh is loud, sounds like a goat, and he sticks his tongue out when he does it. Joy's laugh was very quiet and sometimes would sound like she was hyperventilating, up until a couple days ago, when she had her first "real" out-loud laugh.
-It's garage sale season! I plan to clothe my children in all secondhand clothing with very few exceptions. And I don't think their clothes are any less cute than new ones!
-No allergic reactions to the solids we've been giving them
-Peter finally started to roll over a few weeks ago. Joy's still working on it.
-Peter can sit in the exersaucer for a LONG time and entertain himself
-Joy continues to break her own records for the longest amount of time without fussiness
-When the twins wake up from their nap, they don't cry for me to come get them very often anymore. Instead, they coo and make cute noises, and have great big smiles for me when I come get them. :)

THE BAD:
-Peter got his second double ear infection. I guess when he starts to act grumpy all the time, we now know that's our first clue (the kid doesn't complain much otherwise...)
-Only 1 day after I took Peter into the dr. (which also happened to be a Saturday), Joy began acting the same as Peter when he had his ear infection. The dr. recommended we take her to Urgent Care to check it out. And guess what? NOTHING! So much for our otherwise-free Saturday morning.
-We've stumbled upon one of those "periods of wakefulness" that they talk about in the baby books. More waking up during the night=no energy for mommy and daddy during the day. What happened to our 8 pm-7 am nights??

THE UGLY:
-The smell of poopy diapers now that the babies are into solids...
-Cleaning off poopy cloth diapers in the toilet. (But not for long! My handy dandy husband is adding a diaper sprayer to our toilet, so it will be a piece of cake!)
-My red bloodshot eyes after one of those "wakeful" nights.
-Snapping at each other when we haven't gotten enough sleep. It's amazing how everything is suddenly better in the morning again though...
-TWO babies crying at once--if I actually thought of it, I'd make a sound recording and play it back for them someday...(By the way, they don't both cry simultaneously very often, which is a GOOD thing).

THE IN-BETWEEN
-Whenever we go out in public, we've just learned to expect attention, questions from strangers, and stares. One thing that never ceases to amaze me, though, is the number of people who ask if our BOY/GIRL twins are identical! I am always patient when I answer, but if people would just think about the difference in equipment between boys and girls, they would be able to figure out the answer themselves...
-I hate to be unfriendly, but sometimes I just have to avoid eye contact when I'm in public if I want to get anything accomplished.
-Another question people ask is "Did you have to use fertility drugs?" or "Were the twins a surprise?" (which is basically an indirect way of asking the first question). Even though our twins were au naturel, I still get a little squeamish when people ask that. It's a highly personal question...a little like going up to a stranger and asking them if they take birth control. All that aside though, I always try to use that question as an opportunity to share our miraculous story and how God worked in our lives. So perhaps the people who ask that question are the people who God wants to hear about our story.

That's it for now. Below are some pictures from the last month or so.











Above: The Easter Bunnies are here!

Almost 5 months!

With the babies' 5 month "birthday" just around the corner, we are finding ourselves wondering how our babies have gotten so OLD! :) Although we have some challenging days, we are certainly loving parenthood even more than we used to! Both babies smile and laugh often, and are learning to use their voices. Sometimes this is cute, and sometimes it's NOT. Joy has learned to screech within the past couple of days, which was fun the first time, and not so much after that. When she screeches, we just wish she understood the word "no". Anyway, I suppose it is all part of the learning process, and understanding "no" will bring a whole new set of challenges! Regardless of the temporary annoyance, watching them interact with us has been precious. Click on the following links to hear Peter and Joy talk.

Video of Joy Talking

Video of Peter Talking

At the babies' 4 month doctor appointment on March 10, Peter weighed 15 lb 15 oz and Joy weighed 13 lb 10 oz. The doctor told us that at this point, it would be fine to end their 4 am feedings, and that they'd have to cry it out for a night. This was EXTREMELY painful to listen to, as they cried for nearly an hour, but the 2nd night, they slept through until 7:30 am. We felt like a million bucks when we woke up! Since we were already letting them cry it out at night, we decided to use the Ferber Method to put them down for naps and also at night. In a nutshell, the method involves putting them in their cribs awake, and then going in to comfort them (WITHOUT picking them up), after 5 or 10 minute intervals until they go to sleep. The following nights, the intervals increase each night until they learn to soothe themselves to sleep without crying. By the 3rd night, our lives had drastically improved, and by a week, the babies were basically pros.

We were also given permission to start solids, but to me 4 months seemed early for breastfed babies, so we are spoon feeding them rice cereal but holding off on fruits and veggies until 6 months or so.

We have thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful weather this March, and a long stroller ride has become a part of our daily routine. The babies (and mom) are so much calmer and more relaxed when they've had a healthy dose of fresh air. It just makes us all the more excited for summer!

Just Pictures...

Discover Wildlife: Raise Twins!

Discover Wildlife: Raise Twins. That was the slogan on a bumper sticker we got as a gift. And after the past month, I must say it's true!

February started out with a bang: We had 2 sick babies for almost a week, a trip to the doctor, followed immediately by a trip to the ER. Both babies had terrible coughing fits, runny noses, and were having difficulty breathing. Not to mention, they both required round the clock care and constant holding. Joy seemed especially miserable. Sick babies=Tired parents. At the doctor, Joy responded to the breathing treatments (nebulizer), but Peter did not. So the dr. came in, checked Peter out, told us we needed to go to the ER, and also informed us Peter had a double ear infection to boot! And we were thinking Joy was the one who was more sick... Poor Peter! I definitely had a few tears on the way to the ER. Thankfully, Grandma was with me, so I wasn't all alone. I made a few calls asking for prayer, and boy did it help! By the time we finally saw a doctor at the ER, the situation had improved drastically...Peter's oxygen levels were back within the normal range, so they gave us one more nebulizer and sent us on our way. We also had to purchase our very own nebulizer machine for at home...it is shaped like a dog. I had to laugh when I saw it! No doubt we will need it again (sadly).

Whew! It took another week or so to get completely out of the woods, but it was amazing how God took care of us in the mean time by sending some great people to help me out during the day the rest of the week...Thanks to some awesome church friends, family friends, and family. We are truly blessed!

Now, on a much more fun part of the wildlife thing, the babies have become SO much more interactive. They are thrilled when daddy comes home, and they LOVE smiling, looking at hands, and talking jibberish. I will have to post a couple more videos of each baby "talking". I know they aren't as cute to other people, but we think they're great! (I suppose I am becoming somewhat of one of those doting mothers that I used to be annoyed with...)

Below are some pictures of the past month or so.



Above: Peter munches on the French chicken from Uncle Jack. Peter and Joy are beginning to suck on the toys they are holding.


Above: Happy boy Peter
Above: One of Joy's smiles (she's finally beginning to live up to her name!) :)
Above: Just before The Week of Sickness
Above: Aunt Aimee giving Peter one of his nebulizer treatments (we're still not sure if they really worked or not...)

Above: Steve with Joy during The Week of Sickness (Yes, it's an official title because of what it did to all of us!)
Above: Joy is just about ready to go on one of our (in)famous winter stroller rides! Both babies fall asleep IMMEDIATELY when the stroller begins to roll...

Above: Aunt Aimee holding Peter before a ride in the stroller. Snug as a bug!

(For anyone who thinks I'm a terrible mother for taking infants on stroller rides in February, here is what they wear: onesies, a fleece sleeper plus cotton mittens, a fleece sleep sack, snowsuits, two hats plus a hood, and flannel blankets on top of their snowsuits. ) They don't seem to mind one bit, and I LOVE the fresh air, and the quiet!

Baptism and Cloth Diapers!

Baptism and cloth diapers. Seems like an odd combination, huh? Well, those are the two major things to happen to the Van Wyk household over the last few weeks. First, I'll start with cloth diapers. Right from the get-go, we decided that we were going to do cloth diapers. To diaper one baby from birth to potty training with disposables costs $2500-$3000. So multiply that by 2 babies, and you have $5000-$6000!! Ouch! So, that was pretty much out of the question. Cloth diapering from birth to potty training can range from $800-$2000 (including utilities), depending on the type of diaper used. We chose the most economical option, which is prefolds and covers. We estimate that it will cost us around $600 from birth to potty training for 2 babies, which is a much friendlier number. :)

For anyone who isn't familiar with cloth diapering these days, prefolds are the square cloth diapers (think old school). But nowadays, there are no pins, just velcro and/or snaps, and plenty of cute and fun options to choose from for covers. You just set the cotton prefold inside the cover and velcro it around baby, just like a disposable diaper. Many people are impressed that I'm so green...when in fact, sadly, budget was the main motivator!

So far, I'm amazed at how simple it's been. In fact, I'm sad I didn't start sooner. I'm doing laundry all the time anyway, so the diapers aren't a big deal. Plus, I don't have to fold them (just stack them), and they aren't stinky at all yet since the babies all the babies eat is breast milk. (Who knows what I'll be saying when they start solids??!) Oddly enough, I think I secretly look forward to changing cloth diapers because I always think about how much money we're saving, AND it somehow feels like I'm going the extra mile...it's kind of a sick sense of accomplishment!

Now, on to the second part of the title: Baptism. Yesterday was a very special day for us. Peter and Joy were baptized at our church. We were honored that Steve's father, Rev. Case Van Wyk could baptize our babies. His voice cracked with emotion as he baptized them, and Steve and I had tears in our eyes--especially given our long journey to get to this point. It is no doubt God knew the perfect timing for us. (If you aren't familiar with the story, you can check the very first entry "Many Answered Prayers" on this blog). We had a large number of family members and a few close friends in attendance, not to mention our church family. Everyone there knew our story, and have been a great source of comfort through the rough times, so it was neat to see everyone rally around us and rejoice with us!

I do plan to put some pictures of the baptism up, once I figure out how to load them onto the computer from Steve's camera. Although we know the focus isn't on what they're wearing, I have to point out that Joy is wearing my baptism gown, and Peter is wearing Steve's (which is made by his grandma out of his mom's wedding gown). The little booties were made with love by my mom. :) We are definitely blessed!

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.
Isaiah 55:8