6 Months and Lots of Learning

6 Months?! My goodness how time is flying! I can't believe our little sweeties are 6 months old already. It's unreal. The months have gone by so quickly. It wasn't that long ago that I thought life was going by so slowly and I would never get out of their newborn phase of eating every 2-3 hours even if they were sleeping. I never thought they'd grow up and play with toys or do anything other than cry and want to be held. Low and behold, that time has come!

This month has brought a lot of changes. Thankfully, the girls have done a fairly decent job of having their whole world flipped upside down. 

At their 6 month appointment, I had to work :( so Mom and Kyle were able to take the girls for their shots and to meet their new KY doctor. Apparently the girls did a good job. Emmalyn weighed 13lbs 11oz, and is 25 inches long. Harper weighed 13 lbs 6oz and is 24.75 inches long. This is the biggest difference in their weight since they've been born. Crazy to think that everyone says Harper is the chunker when Emmalyn is actually 5 oz heavier!

The doctor also instructed us to give them oatmeal...not rice cereal. Apparently rice cereal has been found to have arsenic in it (yikes)! In a few weeks, after they've gotten used to eating that, we can transition to food. I will start them on veggies for as long as possible so they get used to the non-sweet taste of foods. Then I'll start switching it up between that and fruit. Watching them try to eat for the first time was hilarious!

The doctor didn't seem concerned about Emmalyn's flat side on her head. He just suggested she do more sitting up/tummy time to avoid lying on it excessively. I apparently also have to continue feeding them at night. He said if they were singletons, that they would suggest not feeding them during the night, but since they're twins and are smaller, any time they wake up at night I have to nurse them. Which is basically what I've been doing, so there's nothing different about that. However, we will be giving them that oatmeal at night time, so maybe it will help them to sleep a little better and I won't have to wake up as much to nurse. Working full time and waking up at all hours of the night isn't exactly helping my brain to function adequately.

While they can sleep as long as they want and I'm not required to wake them up anymore, since we moved home and don't swaddle them anymore (yay! and nay), they wake up all the time. I'm about to lose my mind. My first few weeks at work were awful because I was so sleep deprived. I felt like I saw almost every hour of the night which I haven't had to deal with for quite a while. This could be due to some kind of sleep regression that I've heard so many terrible things about. I've also heard from some breastfeeding moms/gurus that when exclusively breastfed babies' moms start working and they are put on the bottle during the day that it causes some kind of "reverse" cycle and at night while the mom is home, they want to nurse more which means waking up at night more frequently. Either way, I'm tired 100% of the time. Poor Kyle rarely spends much time with me because I always want to go to sleep as soon as the girls go to bed. The life of a working mom.... 

Emmalyn has officially become a roller. I'm not sure how many times she's done it, though it's probably only once. Kyle was able to watch this wonderful moment and I'm so glad he did! I got to see Harper's first successful role, so I'm glad he was able to enjoy Emmalyn's. Also, that same day, Daddy got a double dose of new developments! While Emmy was rolling from front to back, Harper managed to roll from back to front! He said he had put her on back, turned away to do something and when he came back she was on all 4s. So he laid her on her back again and watched as she flipped back over on her stomach. After he told me, I was so excited for her! Luckily he had a little video to show me, too. Since then, she has been rolling like crazy. Emmalyn had a big week. She learned how to roll both ways within a week. I guess she just watched Harper do all the work and then figured out how to do it quickly. When we go check on them at night, sometimes they'll be sleeping face down. So they're even rolling around in their cribs! Unfortunately, Emmy doesn't quite like sleeping on her stomach so she wakes up and cries every time. I can't believe how much our babies keep growing!

Here are some other random things that have developed over the month:

• Can fit into some size 3-6 sleepers\6 month onesies
• Starting to outgrow their 0-3 month stuff
• Still in size 2 diapers
• Love standing up on their feet...while someone is holding them of course :)

• Trying to work on sitting up on their own. They still totter over after a little bit. 
 

 
• Doing much better at tummy time. Harper is pretty much a champ at this.
• Recognize their names....sometimes. I say that loosely because sometimes we think they just hear something and turn their heads and it's not exactly because they notice their name. 
• Drool a lot, still no teeth. The drool is crazy! They will soak their clothes...so we are trying to remember to put bibs on them more frequently.
• Stick everything in their mouths. Love biting down and sucking on fingers. Theirs. Mine. Etc.
• Kyle taught Harper to "attack" and she grabs the toy and bites it.
• They love to talk. 
• Their hair is starting to grow in a little bit which is nice.
• Harper's strawberry on the top of her head has stopped growing. So now we just start the slow process of it fading. 
• They are both moving their legs alot and you can tell they want to move forward. They are in the beginning of stages of trying to learn how to crawl. Both of them are able to draw their legs underneath their bodies and push up on them but it certainly isn't a fluid motion. It's really cute to watch them try.
• They interact with each other constantly. They pull on each other, bite each other, reach for the other, steal each others' toys. It's ridiculously cute to see how they interact and behave towards each other. 

 

They've also started to fall asleep on your chest again which is nice. For about 2 months or so they would refuse to fall asleep up against your chest. They hated to be there because they were so curious to see what was going on that they wanted to look around instead. Now, they are gradually becoming more accustomed to dozing off on your chest which I think is one of the sweetest things.

Kyle also does this really funny thing with the girls to make them squeal. Listening to a 6 month old try to laugh because she's being tickled...but she isn't quite sure what noise to make...is one of the funniest and cutest things to hear. I love when he does it to the girls because I love their reactions. You can definitely tell they love their daddy.

It's interesting to be a parent. The relationship you have with a newborn is incredibly sweet. They love you more than anyone else on the planet because they see you more than anyone else. We are the people who nurture them, play with them, teach them, love them, etc. Of course they enjoy seeing other people like grandma, nana, aunts and uncles. They love their family, too. But being their mom is one of my most cherished roles and I know Kyle feels the same way about being their dad. Confession: I hate seeing them cry... but when they are crying when someone else is holding them and then I take them and they stop... it is something I find so comforting as their mother. I have never felt needed like that before. I know my husband loves me and wants me near him because I feel the same way about him. But the desire for a baby to be with their momma...well, that feeling is something I can't quite explain but it's a wonderful feeling.

I still get asked every time we go out if I have one girl and one boy. It's a never-ending battle. I give up. I'm putting them in blue and green for the rest of their lives so everyone just assumes they're boys. However, I'm sure if I started to dress them like boys then everyone will think they're girls, haha!

As a side note, I know many people want to know why we don't post a lot of pictures of the girls on Facebook. For that, I am truly sorry. However, I am one of those overprotective mothers and just don't feel comfortable with their faces plastered all over the internet! So please, if you are curious why Grandma or Nana or other family members/friends haven't been posting...don't blame them. Blame the Momma and Daddy! They have been unbelievably kind and respectful of our wishes to limit the posts on Facebook. I know everyone is super proud of their new roles/titles in regards to the girls and want to show them off. If the internet was a safer place, then we'd let everyone run wild and post whatever they want. But it isn't, sadly, so we ask everyone not to really post pictures of the girls without our consent.

Below I posted a few pictures I meant to put in the previous post. They are from the girls' first trip to the beach at Camp Pendleton just a few days before we moved home.

 The girls have enjoyed meeting new people and seeing family members.  They are definitely starting to warm up to people much more than when we first got home, so that's a definite improvement!

Here is a 4 generations picture of the girls with Kyle's side of the family:

A Kentucky Family At Last

We officially live in Kentucky!!

It has been a surreal experience the past week or two since I've moved back. When we were flying over KY, I looked out of the airplane window and smiled. It was beautiful. Green grass everywhere. Full, luscious trees. Beautiful barns. Large farm lands. I couldn't believe I was back in Kentucky...for good! It still doesn't feel real. Everything feels the same as I had left it 2.5 years ago. I guess that could be a reason why I love Kentucky so much. It doesn't change much. It saves the sweet, southern charm associated with the state and the people.

Kyle has been a stay at home dad for a few days now. It has been interesting to switch roles with him. He used to be the worker while I stayed home and dealt with the household chores and kept up with the girls. Suddenly, that all changed. Now, I work from 8am-4:30 and he stays home tending to the girls. I know he misses working. As fun as it is to have children, sometimes we (parents) want to work as well. It's hard to stay at home all day...even if it is to care for children. Sometimes it just becomes boring and tedious doing the same things over and over again. Since my girls are so young, there isn't much variety in what you can do. Go for a walk. Tummy time. Give them toys to grab at. Nap. Feed. Repeat. Same ol', same ol'. Over and over again. Maybe when they are older and can actually do activities as kids, then it won't be so monotonous because you can be active and participate. Until then, whoever stays home to watch them just has to deal with it. At this moment in time, it's Dad's turn to be the daily caretaker. However, he is still on the search for a job. He has adapted the mentality of "do what you can, until you can do what you want." So teaching my be put on hold for a bit while he (hopefully) gets a job elsewhere and then he can continue to apply to schools. All of our stuff is being stored for several months until we can figure out what to do residential-wise. Hopefully he can get a full time job and then we can buy a house. I'm ready to be a home owner! So, prayers would be appreciated ;-)

While Kyle is at home doing his daddy duties, I am working for the first time since Dec. It was the longest time I've gone without a job since I was 15 years old. Ever since I was old enough to legally work, Mom made me. It wasn't so much as she forced me to do something I hated doing and resented her for it. It's just the way it was. I even expected to work and wanted to. I enjoyed getting the paychecks. Even though they were all part-time jobs, they were still a way to get money. Then, when I got pregnant, I had to stop working after a certain point. Now, I'm back at it! God blessed me immensely by giving me a full time job as a staff interpreter. This has been my first full week of work and it has been fantastic! I love the people I work with. So far, there haven't been any interpreting assignments so I'm still nervous about that since I've been on a break for so long, but the other office type duties we've been doing to prepare for the semester has been enjoyable. At this point in time, this is a position I would love to stay in long-term! So, lets pray that happens, too! :) It's been hard to wake up and go to work everyday, though. Although, I won't lie...I enjoy the adult interaction that I had been missing for the past 5 months.

This whole experience is causing Kyle and I to become much more sympathetic to what the other person dealt with while we were in California. Luckily, though, there are people Kyle knows who can stop by and offer assistance if he needed it or if he needed to go do something then more than likely he'll be able to find someone to watch the girls. Nevertheless, we can both have a deeper understanding of how the other person felt. It has been a humbling experience, for me at least. I used to be bitter sometimes because Kyle got to go out and interact with other people and just enjoy the work day while I slaved at home with fussy twin babies. But it's hard coming from work and going into a house where you can't relax until after the babies have been put down for sleep. In reality, both of us were working all day long. Now, I am able to understand that more! And on the flip side, he gets to see what's like to feel stuck at home for hours without anyone to talk to and juggling 2 babies at the same time. Both scenarios can be tiring!

As far as the girls go, Harper has done this really weird thing where she tries "talking" while sucking on a pacifier or nursing. It isn't really "talking" since she doesn't open her mouth... it's more like humming. She has done it quite a bit but not all the time, even when her eyes are closed and we are trying to rock her to sleep. Sometimes it's rather funny. When it's 10pm and we've been trying to put her down for several hours, it becomes increasingly annoying. We can't figure out what she's doing. I say she's singing =P

They are both really becoming chatter bugs. They love to make their little noises and babble. I especially love it when I'm in another room and I know one of them is awake and lying in their crib, or in the Pack N Play and they are just talking to themselves. It brings the biggest smile to my face because it is one of the cutest things ever.

They are adjusting well which is good. They still get fussy around new people sometimes. Don't take it personally...they weren't exposed to many new people in Cali, so they like being with Mommy& Daddy. I know both Grandma and Nana have enjoyed having them closer.

Kyle has been growing out a beard since his EAS date (Aug 1). It looks really good on him! However, I think he's already sick of it and going to shave. Boo! He said he's going to grow an actual beard for the winter. You better believe I'm going to hold him to it. This has been the longest he's gone without shaving in years. I've never seen him with so much facial hair, so it's been a treat. :)

I will post again at their 6 months to update all their information for you all. However, I just wanted to post something beforehand about our move home!