The past month has been one of great accomplishment...both of you are exclusively breastfeeding! It has been a LONG road and a lot of work for all four of us, but we succeeded! If it weren't for the support of your Papa, sheer determination from your Mama, and you both being such good eaters, we wouldn't have made it happen. Now that you are both exclusively breastfeeding it makes for some real freedom since we don't have to wash bottles, keep milk cold when we leave the house, pump breast milk or wash pump parts. All we need to do is grab some diapers, the nursing pillow and away we go! I'm SO proud of you boys, we had a really poor breastfeeding start, but now there is no stopping us!
With all of the freedom afforded by breastfeeding, we took a sailing vacation to celebrate Mama and Papa's 10th (!) anniversary. We went sailing when you were six weeks old, but there were som rough parts to that trip since Mama and Papa weren't getting much sleep and we had to deal with the dreaded triple feedings (breastfeed, bottle feed, pump). This trip was MUCH different. There weren't any really rough parts since you are both sleeping well at night and breast feeding is established. We had a great time visiting Port Townsend where we got married 10 years ago. We ate Waterfront pizza and Elevated ice cream, walked around town and visited friends. It was a great trip. We also visited some anchorages we've never experienced like Port Ludlow...anchoring behind the twins, and Mats Mats. It was fun to experience them as a family. In a week we stopped twice for laundry so we could wash diapers. It all worked out Great!
Sailing on Yare! (actually motoring)
Lars steering
Lashed down tight for sailing
In the past month both of you are starting to smile. It warms our hearts. Papa laughs at me when I thank you for smiling at me, but I am very grateful every time you do it.
Beautiful smiles!
We started a PEPS group where we meet with other families who have twins. The meetings are fun. We get support from, and share laughs with other parents who are in the same place we are, and we get to see lots of babies. The meetings do get a little loud with all those babies!
During the day you don't sleep very well, and when it is just me home with you, I feel like all I do is feed you and try to get you to sleep. It makes getting anything done difficult, but daytime sleep is important so that you don't get overtired and have a hard time falling asleep at night. We'll keep working on it and it will get better. We got some good tips on daytime sleep from a sleep doula at the last PEPS meeting. We'll try instituting her suggestions and hopefully things will be different by the time I write you a letter when you are four months old.
You sleep beautifully at night. Typically we all go to bed around 9 o'clock and you wake up around 2 am or 3 am (sometimes 4 am) to eat and then we all go back to bed and you boys wake up around 8-9 am. It makes for a good night's sleep. Unfortunately, now that Papa is back to work, he doesn't get much sleep since he has to wake up at 4:45 am. By the end of the week, your Papa is very tired. I think the next step is getting you boys to bed earlier so that the whole schedule shifts earlier.
During the day you don't sleep very well, and when it is just me home with you, I feel like all I do is feed you and try to get you to sleep. It makes getting anything done difficult, but daytime sleep is important so that you don't get overtired and have a hard time falling asleep at night. We'll keep working on it and it will get better. We got some good tips on daytime sleep from a sleep doula at the last PEPS meeting. We'll try instituting her suggestions and hopefully things will be different by the time I write you a letter when you are four months old.
This past month we have done a lot of baby wearing. During your fussy time at night we like to each wear one of you and go for a walk around the neighborhood. It is a wonderful way to enjoy the summer and it's a good chance for Papa and me to talk. You boys take a snooze so when we come home you eat and go straight to bed. Its a wonderful way to be close as a family. When I'm home alone during the day, I've even worn both of you in the Moby wrap. It's pretty heavy, since you are both getting to be BIG boys, but I love feeling that close to you. It also alows me to have my hands free to do a couple of things around the house while you take a snooze. Baby wearing also allows Mama and Papa to be social on the weekends... we just wear you and go to parties.
Baby wearing to the extreme!
Bjorklund boy buns on a Daisy sandwich (we all went to a party to celebrate Daisy's arrival)
You are both getting really strong. You spend a fair amount of time each day doing tummy time so that you can develop muscles needed for rolling over and eventually crawling. At first you just laid there, but now you push your bodies up and kick your legs.
Before
After I went downstairs for a load of laundry...all locomotion provided by Odin
Lars says: 'On Guard!' (this is a reflex babies have when their heads are turned)
Lars and Odin, we are so proud of you and your development. Thank you for being such great babies.
We love you a little more each day,
Mama and Papa
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