Twin Living

I’ve read that there are two types of people when it comes to time – those that arrive at a specific time (8pm on the dot)and those that provide a range of a time- say 7ish, 8ish, 9ish.

Most of you probably also know that I have always been a very prompt person.  One of my biggest pet peeves is being late or waiting for people who are late.  I operate in the world of very specific time intervals.  If I say I’ll be there at 8, I’ll be there at 8, or maybe 7:55. If I’m running late, I usually have a bit of a panic attack, stressing about how much longer it’s going to take me to get to where I’m going and how late I’m really going to be.  I tend to worry about the person that is expecting me and try to communicate this (thank goodness for cell phones and text messaging!) I stress about being late to work, late to a dinner date, or late to the dr. (The ironic part about always arriving on time to the dr is I end up waiting longer in the dr office than if I just arrive late!)

Sooo, you can imagine what it’s been like getting out of the house with the twins in tow. I have a very limited time frame for which I can get out of the house in between naps, so I try to make the process as quick as possible. But, it inevitably takes about 30 minutes to get organized.  I have to prepare 2 bottles, change 2 diapers and get 2 girls dressed,  organize myself with my keys, wallet and phone and maybe grab a snack, put both girls in car seats and if I’m going to the car, get the stroller out the front door while the girls patiently wait inside on the living room floor. (Thankfully, Wrigley keeps them entertained as I’m opening an closing the front door and loading up the stroller).  I also have to make sure I plan ahead for any catastrophe that might ensue- as do all moms-pack the pacifiers, favorite toys, a change of clothes, extra diapers, burp clothes, bibs, wipes and depending on how long we’ll be gone, maybe more bottles. Inevitably, as soon as I’m all packed up and heading out the door, one of the girls will need a diaper change, so I have to bring them both back inside, change the dirty diaper usually on the floor of the living room so that I’m close to the front door where the stroller is patiently waiting….(and, if we are going away for the weekend, this whole process can take up to 2 hours!)

So, this leads me to my new world. I’m learning to relax a little about being everywhere right on time and just yesterday had the realization that I’m definitely becoming an “ish” person.  I now operate on “twin time” which is about 10-15 minutes late, (or I’ll be there at 7ish.)   I guess this is just one of many small compromises we’ll be making  in the years to come.  So I apologize to everyone in advance about my new tardiness.  But, hey at least I have a good excuse!

A few small updates on how we are doing:

- Camden got her second tooth last week on the same day that Marin got her first!
- Both girls are finally sleeping through the night consistently (took them long enough!)
- Camden is probably going to be crawling very soon- she has been up on all fours and has figured out how to go from lying down to sitting up.
- Marin has taken to talking/screaming very loud to get our attention. So loud that it often scares Camden and makes her cry.
- The girls continue to be more and more engaged with each other. It’s so fun to see as they roll around on the floor together and grab at each others toys, hands, or suck on each others toes.

Marin recently learned to hold the bottle herself. And as you can see, she gets quite excited about it. Almost too excited.

I had a revelation the other day as I was feeling Camden’s first jagged little tooth through her gums that these girls are already growing up so fast. I know, I know, it’s so cliche to say, but it’s true!  I realized Camden’s tooth was a first of many “firsts” and I almost got emotional as I had my finger in C’s mouth thinking about how amazing it will be to experience all these firsts with them!

And, it will be interesting to see how they each progress.  So far on the list of firsts, Camden rolled over first and got her tooth first, but Marin sat up on her own first….Not that I’m counting and not that it matters AT ALL! I’m sure it will continue back and forth like this their whole life.

Today’s first, if you can call it that, was that we had to move the girls from the Pampers “Swaddler” brand diapers to the “Cruisers”…… Now that they are sitting up and moving around on their bellies more, it was time to get some more coverage (And, I’m hoping this will cut down on the number of blowouts and loads of laundry!) This is symbolic because “Cruisers” are for more active babies… no longer babies that just lay there and look cute. It’s go time people, these girls are officially on the move!

Anyway, we’ve been loyal Pampers (and Diapers.com) customers since they were born, mostly because that’s what people recommended to us but man, as the diapers get bigger, the # that come in a package gets smaller and the price goes up! How is that for baby economics?? I hate to “waste” any diapers now since we go through so many and it’s seriously eating up a huge chunk of our budget!

As I mentioned, they are both sitting now and below is a photo I took with iphone in their Dr. Seuss “Thing 1″ and “Thing 2″ outfits.

We are still awaiting House of Pain’s approval to use their music for this video, but we think they would approve.

Wow! Where did the time go? It’s crazy that today the girls turn 8 months old.  On one hand, it feels like just yesterday that I was pregnant, but on the other hand, my delivery and their arrival seems like foorreevver ago. Wow how times have changed. They have reached such a fun age- and have just started to “play” and laugh with each other. We can’t wait to see how their relationship will develop. I’m sure they’ll be best friends just like Monica and I are.

So anyway,  in honor of their 8 months on this planet and my limited time I thought I’d list 8 things about them:

1. Camden got her first tooth two days ago! Judging by the drool and hand sucking, Marin isn’t too far behind.

2. Marin has hair that Rod Stewart would be jealous of. It’s bright blond and stands straight up. Not sure what we’ll do when it starts to get longer. Everyone that sees her makes a comment about it.  Camden’s hair is a little shorter and we are still trying to figure out what color it will be, but it looks to be a little darker blond.

3. Camden seems to be the more reserved of the two . Marin is much more energetic, while Camden is a little more pensive and likes to size you up. But once she is comfortable, she is much louder and sings and laughs sometimes more than Marin. Marin has the “Jack Nelson” laugh, named in honor of her grandfather. Her laugh is a little more silent, with a wide open mouth. Both Marin and Camden will belly laugh when Graham plays with them and tickles their bellies. It’s the cutest seeing them both laughing at the same time.

4. They are both sitting up on their own for a few minutes at a time and I’m sure in the next week or so they’ll be solid sitters.

5. Their favorite books include: Snuggly Puppy, Goodnight Moon and Hippos Go Beserk

6.They both LOVE their jumpers. It’s so loud that I’m sure our upstairs neighbor is wondering what kind of contraption we have set up for them.

7. They love going for walks around the city and I can count on one hand the times that they’ve gotten upset in the stroller. The three of us and Wrigley can be spotted around the neighborhood- our favorite place to walk is down to the dog park and around the Charlestown Navy Yard. We can’t wait for the summer when we can walk along the Charles River.

8. Graham and I are so tired, but we feel so very blessed to get to share the rest of our lives with these two little angels. Everyone always says this, but Motherhood ( and Fatherhood) are the most amazing experiences ever!

Lots of Love!

Here are some recent photos:

So I was feeding Marin and Camden at our kitchen counter the other day and Marin started reaching for Camden’s bib. (Marin consistently wants what Camden has but I digress…) So, I got out the video camera and thought I’d share one of their first interactions where they are laughing at each other. Such a special moment.

I didn’t want to miss this, so they still have prunes and squash on their faces!

Hi Everyone! It’s Kirsten and its been a while since I posted anything. My only excuse is that I haven’t been able to find the time to write – I barely have time to shower, let alone keep up a blog!  But, I’m going to get better. Especially because I’ve recently left my job at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester and taken on a position of President, Chief Operating Officer of Domestic Affairs at 28 Elm St.  So, I’m in day three of my new job and I thought I’d give you all an update about how things are going. I plan to try to check in more regularly- I’ll try for once a week until I get adjusted to my new position.

First of all, my bosses are the best (I am so lucky to have two) While they demand a 12 hour work day where I sometimes  start at 6:30 am and work until 7pm, they are extremely friendly and like to smile and laugh at me a lot.  They seem to time this perfectly for when I might be feeling a little tired from the night before or just need a break. Speaking of breaks, they don’t allow for much flexibility. They eat bottles four times a day and just started eating solids three times a day. And while they do take two naps a day,  Marin sometimes only naps for 45 minutes, which allows me a very small window to jump in the shower or maybe check my email. So I apologize for not returning phone calls or emails. It’s fast and furious around here until 7:30 or so, and then I have about an hour and a half to eat dinner and clean up, get ready for the next day. Yes, Graham and I get in bed around 9pm now.

So, in case you were wondering, here is a run down of what I do all day in my new job:

• 6:30-7: wake up, report for duty. Change the first diapers of the day, but bottles in the warmer, lay out blankets on play room floor
• 7/7:30- First Feeding: Camden needs prune juice in her bottle every feeding which often results in the first change of clothes for the day. She likes to spit up and spill prune juice/milk all over her and me. Marin is consistently a good eater of her bottle, Camden is not. She likes to take her time and we often battle getting that last ounce or two down.
• 8:00- 9:30: Morning Playtime! This usually entails a 15 minute rotation of rolling on the floor, practicing sitting, having a dual jumping competition or reading stories. It’s kind of like that work out place Curves. It’s an intense circuit and all about distraction.  We are also beginning to institute  a “snack time” into this chunk of time
• 9:30- 11:00: Morning Naptime. The girls will usually go down for their nap together, in the same room, different cribs.  (At best, I get a 90 minute break and so I take a shower or clean up the dirty bottles then it’s right back at it….)Usually Marin wakes up after 45 minutes and Camden keeps sleeping so sometimes I get the experience of having one baby to manage instead of two which can often be a nice treat.
• 11:00/11:30 – Mid morning bottle.
• 12:00- 1:00: Walk or more play time. If the weather allows I like to get the girls out for some fresh air ( and Wrigley too). The girls love our Bumbleride stroller, and sometimes they are so relaxed they begin to nod off, so I do anything I can to keep them awake until we get home and they can nap in their cribs.
• 1:15- Post lunch/walk snack- we are just beginning to institute this before their nap
• 1:30/2:00 ish: Afternoon nap. The length of this nap all depends on how the morning nap went! I usually cross my fingers for at least 60 minutes.
• Post 3pm: Afternoon bottle and playtime: This is where the day gets the most intense as we need to make it until 7pm on that 15 minute circuit of activities. Again, it’s all about distraction here!
• 5:30: “Dinner”: Overall, the girls aren’t great eaters. Camden likes the solid food more than Marin, but if she eats too much, she won’t take a much of her bottle. Marin likes the bottle more than the solids so we are still working on finding a balance for both of them.
• 6:30/6:45: Evening Bottle/bed time: We admittedly only bathe the girls every 3 days or so- unless of course if there is a blowout situation that we deem a bath is necessary. But doing two bath times during their peak fussy time is tough, especially if Graham is working late.

So, that’s it! In between all this activity, I try to fit in at least one “project” which can range from putting in a load of laundry, cooking dinner or organizing their clothes. It all depends on my workload for the day. And, if my bosses are in good moods. But so far, so good.

I can already tell that my bosses love me and that I’ve done the right thing by accepting this challenging, but extremely rewarding position. I feel so blessed that I am able to spend so much time with the girls. Its such an amazing experience to have two babies and I hope you’ll continue to check in on us- and I’ll try to report more frequently about how we are doing!  I’ve included some photos below so you can see what our day is like. My next project is to learn how to upload some video, but alas, the bosses are calling me to get back to work!

Lots of love,

Kirsten Nelson

President and Chief Operating Officer
Domestic Affairs
28 Elm Street

Marin and Camden are very aware of each other and each other's toys

This is the circuit I mentioned that includes 2 swings, 2 bumbo seats, 2 jumpers, 2 boppees and 2 bouncy seats, many teething rings and lots of toys!

This is after a cold winter walk this week in our Bumbleride stroller

Here they are eating in the Phil and Ted's booster seats- they are such big girls sitting at the counter!