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

2 months

We are now officially past the 2 month mark...9 weeks, to be exact. Every day seems to be a new adventure, both for us as parents, and for the twins. As parents, we are discovering more and more what each baby likes and dislikes. We discovered that the babies LOVE laying on couch pillows on their tummies with their legs folded underneath them. It seems not only comfortable, but also a way of expelling excess air...especially for Peter! Of course this is always done only during the day with supervision. Peter and Joy are beginning to enjoy bath time more, and only yelp a little when they initially get into the water.

The babies have had plenty of adventures--many trips out to see friends and family, to the dollar store, and a couple 1 1/2 hr. stroller rides on 20 degree days! They were extremely bundled up and quite toasty warm inside their many layers of clothing and blankets. I did, however get lots of curious looks from people! I'm finding that the stroller is one of the best ways to calm fussy babies, as well as an AWESOME form of exercise for me (the double stroller itself weighs close to 50 lbs, and when you push it through the snow, it makes for a great workout!).

Sleeping at night has been getting better and better for us. We are now getting 4 or 5 hours between feedings at night (which amounts to about 2 1/2 to 3 hrs. of sleep at a time for me). Initially, we were making a big effort to keep babies awake in the evenings between 6 and 10 pm, but we discovered that it doesn't necessarily help. On nights when they slept all day and napped in the evening, they often slept great at night, and on nights when they were awake during the day and I made extra efforts to keep them awake at night too, they often had rough nights. So there seems to be no rhyme or reason! We hear that babies tend to turn a corner at around 3 months, so we are anxious to make it to that point.

We also had another weigh-in at our 2 month appointment today. Peter now weighs 12 lbs 3 oz (66th percentile, up from 18th percentile last appt!), and Joy weighs 10 lbs 10 oz (up from 7 lbs 7 oz a month ago). Joy's weight is now in the 44th percentile, up from the 7th percentile last time. I am so proud of them, and also of my progress and accomplishment as a breast feeding mother!

Christmas Day 2009

Smiles!

The twins have begun to smile a lot more as of 6 weeks. We don't know if they really understand what it means, but they are doing it a lot more--especially when they see our reactions. They are also smiling more with their eyes, so we think they are beginning to form connections between happiness and smiles. I am putting some pictures on this post.

We are enjoying getting to know each child more and more. Both babies are pretty content, although Peter is definitely more relaxed than Joy. Joy tends to get upset a lot quicker, but she is oh so cuddly! She is happiest when someone is holding her with her face against their chest, binky in mouth. We think she likes the sound of a heartbeat. This is almost a sure fire way to get her to sleep! Peter and Joy LOVE being patted on their backs, and sometimes it seems like the harder we pat (almost whack!), the happier they are!

For our extended family Christmas party, we stayed overnight at the Gerber Guest House in Fremont, and everyone was amazed at how content the babies were and how little they cried. And they actually let us get 2 4-hour stretches between feedings at night! It was great for us, because we had tons of people who wanted to help us with the babies at any moment, so we could get in a nap or eat our supper undisturbed.

I mentioned earlier how much I LOVE napping with both babies on me. I'll put a picture of that in.

Watch this darling video of Peter smiling!

Pictures up to 5 weeks

3 wks (above)



Peter and Grandpa in the man chair
5 weeks (above)




First Christmas tree before we chopped it (above)

One month

As of this past Friday, the twins turned one month old! They seem to be growing like crazy. Sometimes it even feels like they've grown from one feeding to the next. Yesterday (Monday), we had another doctor appointment. The doctor and nurses were astounded to see that both twins had gained between 2 and 2 1/2 lbs in the past 2 weeks on breast milk alone! Peter is now 8 lbs 9 oz, and Joy is now 7 lbs 7 oz. They are nursing like champs, and we are celebrating both their growth, and the fact that WE made it through the first month. Period. AND without having to supplement with formula. Both babies received the second of Hepatitis B shots, and Peter proceeded to pee all over the exam table during a diaper change, completing an eventful trip to the doctor's office.

I am enjoying staying at home with the babies. My favorite thing is the peaceful times when both babies have their eyes open and are contentedly looking around (Maybe I like it so much because it seems to happen only once a day!) Another favorite is falling asleep with both babies laying on me.

As of Friday, we have discovered the magic of the pacifier! There are those who would dislike the idea of pacifiers, but when there are 2 crying babies, a little bit of peace is worth A LOT!!