Everyone in their own bed

The old regime

It took us a good month for us to stop prepping for night feeds. We no longer sleep with bottles filled with water, and measured out formula on our nightstand. Sure there has been a few times when we’ve had to duck into the kitchen to make a bottle to put a girl back to sleep but there has been many more nights where they sleep through till morning.

Week 1: The nightstand

The days are also getting easier; mainly because they are now chugging down five 6oz bottles between 7am and 8pm. Ten feeds a day is so much more manageable than say twenty plus.  So much so that I no longer cyber stalk Alex’s movements through Four Square and Find Me, and countdown to him coming home. In return Alex is also no longer greeted by two screaming babies being thrust in his general direction whilst I curl up into the fetal position on the couch.

Whilst they aren’t feeding or napping at set times there is a rhythm and a flow to the day, and most importantly much less crying. They are wearing 6-9 month clothing (Naomi leaning more towards 9 months), and have just graduated size two diapers.

At the weekend we started using the regular stroller seats. They look so grown-up, and Naomi just loves not being squished into the car seats and being able to sit up properly.

Road trip to Starbucks (I call shotgun!)

They really are big girls now.

Okay, so it’s obviously not a real dilemma but I am sure that the parenting message boards have discussions  about the pros and cons of babies and teddy bears (and babyccinicos): appropriate age, health dangers, attachment issues, and how if you give a baby a teddy too young they end up like Sebastian in Brideshead Revisited. Let’s face it Sebastian and his attachment to Aloysius was probably his healthiest relationship.

Too cute

We’ve started to give Naomi a bear to play with and hug. I noticed that the girls approach the play mat toys very differently. Zoey is all over the dangling toys. Grabbing, licking, whacking, and sometimes she manages to do all three things at the same time. Whereas Naomi will try to roll over, stare at the toys, stare at Zoey, give a half hearted whack to whatever is dangling overhead and then start to cry because she would much rather be sitting up than lying down.

Cuddles!

I tried giving her the developmentally stimulating toys to play with when she is sitting but she showed no interest (at the moment). Then I grabbed a bear and stuck it under her arm. I figured she might prefer the softer texture to rub and pinch, and she does.

Always at hand

So now she is interacting with the her bear more, and we have lots of cute photos. Win win.

Motion & Rest

I just had to use that title as much as I *hated* the ying yang thing when I was pregnant. You tell people (and by people I mean the total strangers that enjoy grilling pregnant women) you are pregnant with twins, then they notice your Chinese spouse and they can’t help but tell you that you should name them Ying and Yang. Like you are carrying panda bears or some other furry critter.

Anyway, back to the cute photo of Ying and Yang… I mean Zo-Zo and Mi-Mi (their panda names). Every morning after they’ve had their first bottle we put both girls in Zoey’s crib to gaze at mobiles (or each other), play with their developmentally appropriate toys and kick themselves silly whilst Alex and I have breakfast.

"What up, mamma"

Sometimes they kick until they cry, or until they nap. Today it was the latter.

Zzzzzs time two

They’d started off perpendicular to each other, and then Zoey shuffled 90 degrees so they were head to tail. Lying like that, in their dark and light blue matching onesies the ying and yang comparison sprung to mind.

Zoey and Naomi very much balance each other out. Zoey in her constant state of frenetic motion, and Naomi sage and calm. Zoey wiry and small, and Naomi solid and chubby.

They are both so different from one another, and very much their own people but I can’t imagine one without the other.

Rare group family photo

Zoey was so overwhelmed with the farm experience she passed out with "excitement"

Naomi was a bit more into the countryside experience

Zoey practicing her pitch perfect timing decided to give empathy a test run on Monday, when she and her sister had their three month check-up and vaccinations. Deep joy. So not only was Naomi, our little empath in training (Deanna Troi has nothing on her), crying when she heard the other babies in the waiting room kick-off but Zoey rolled out her trademark *sad face* when she heard/saw Naomi crying post injections. This worked her up nicely for her own set of jabs.

Our pediatrician is very happy with how they are progressing, and remarked on their strong head/neck control and Zoey’s command of *sad face*. Naomi is clocking in at a solid 13lbs 2oz, and Zoey not that far behind at 11lbs 14oz. So that means at the witching hour I am carrying around 25lbs of Cylonette chubbiness!

Slight *sad face*

It probably doesn’t help that when Zoey makes her *sad face* she gets a chorus of “aaawwwwwwssss” from us, and this may be why she is dialing it up from this slight *sad face* to 11 (unable to capture on camera because it’s too funny). But, our Zoey does have the most amazing smile that she rolls out for special occasions (it was Friday, and ‘Death Race’ had arrived).

Big smile for Jason Statham

Sadly, this week has not been all smiles as Zoey suffered her first brush with diaper rash. The poor wee bugger’s bum was bright red like a baboon. Thankfully it cleared up quickly thanks to Butt Paste, and didn’t interrupt her nights sleep. And, whilst Zoey suffered from actual diaper rash Naomi suffered with diaper rash by proxy. Howling times two at every diaper change. Fun.

On the play slash development front it is crazy how fast the girls are getting to grips (literally) with things, and how differently they are progressing. Naomi is all about (supported) sitting, and we’ve fashioned a box to keep her entertained when she tires of being wedged in a corner of the sofa, and Zoey is still CEO of the play mat spin classes. Both are starting to strategically move their legs to try to turn over, and are grabbing with their pinchy fingers. Naomi prefers grabbing her clothes and bib whilst Zoey grabs everything apart from her clothes and tries to get it in her mouth.

Naomi in her first box

"Yum!"

"What's this?"

Next, roll to her tummy and starts crawling!

They start the day staring at mobiles in the crib, and kicking their legs like they are in a spin class. Naomi also enjoys staring at Zoey’s little legs going like the clappers.

Legs out!

They are so big now that when they are both in the crib it looks crowded (they are sleeping separately now) and I can’t believe they were ever this tiny:

Tiny Zoey and Naomi

Or even this tiny:

More swaddle than baby

They are also spending longer and longer stretches on their play mat. Whacking the sh$t out of piggie, and the rest of her farmyard friends.

"Who's that girl?"

But mostly they like staring at the mirror, and smiling at the babies smiling back at them. I swear yesterday I caught Zoey making faces, and practising her sad face.

The Smiler and her minder

They are both becoming more aware of each other. Naomi is particularly sensitive to Zoey’s crying, and finds herself joining in even when she was smiley and happy moments earlier. A few days ago Zoey was crying so hard that Naomi couldn’t concentrate on having her bottle. I had to stop feeding Naomi, and take care of Zoey as Naomi was getting more and more distressed. At the moment Zoey doesn’t appear to have her sister’s empathy but then she is half toaster.

Arctic explorer Naomi & her Sherpa

Kraverie is the bastard offspring of our two favorite food trucks (Korean tacos and crepes)  that decided to get together to open a restaurant so they wouldn’t have to spend the winter freezing their collective arses off in their respective trucks.  The food at this joint is so good, and since we bought a shed load of crepes off them when they had their food truck they know us, and don’t mind that we take up a four top with the girls.

Naomi grabs our favorite table by the window

Naomi shuffles up to her Sherpa for a cuddle

Naomi places her order

The adventure is all too much for Naomi, and...

... the same went for Zoey

Whilst the bairns slept Alex and I feasted on kimchi fried rice with bacon and a fried egg (runny yolk of course), and Korean chicken wings (spicy and sweet), and of course a crepe to finish.

Kimchi fried rice

Korean chicken wings

Daddy's Little Cylon(ettes)

The Cylon(ettes)