I Wondered When I Would Type This...

Happy Mother's Day Picture!

Hello Again!

Well, it seems from the polls as if most people think Jillian and Jenna are identical. I have to say I am right there with you. :) I think we will probably end up doing the DNA test just to put our curiosity to rest (did you know that Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen--celebrity twins--are fraternal? They look exactly alike too!); but I am in the process of trying to find a reputable company. Does anyone have any friends, family, etc that has gone through DNA testing before (i.e.: paternity testing, twin testing, etc?). I would hate to choose some crazy Internet company and not get reliable results, ya know?

So these days the girls are mighty active. They are squealing but not laughing or babbling yet. Now and then we get a big noise which makes us stop and be excited for a few minutes. Both girls are really into playing under the gym set (the ones with toys handing down). They can't stand that they have to be upright for 30 minutes after they eat...they want to play right away (especially Jillian).

Also, I knew there would come a day when I would say it...but I wish the babies would sleep more! :) Ha ha! No, not really....the 4 hours schedule is very nice I must say. They eat now at 6am, 10, 2pm, 6 and 9pm. They are usually awake for about 2 hours and then take a 2 hour nap. The naps are getting a little shorter each time so I would imagine in the next month or two we would only be taking two naps a day with a short cat nap to make 2 1/2.

I have to say (and knock-on-wood) they are almost always easy to put down for naps. You can tell when they are ready for a nap because they start to cry and fuss a lot. So I take one at a time and wrap her up in her SwaddleMe (best baby product EVER for babies who like to be swaddled, the girls won't go to sleep without having these on http://www.kiddopotamus.com/p_swdl_cttnsolids.php), stick in her pacifier, and if it is a daytime nap to where I can monitor, I put their Lovies by their heads.

Which brings me to something that I find crazy and comforting all at once. I am not sure if you remember me saying, but when the girls were born they had to be transported to a different hospital because the NICU in the hospital I was at was full. The transport team from Cook Childrens came to my recovery room before taking them and tried to help me see them. Even though I wasn't able to (their incubator was too high and my bed too low...couldn't get up because I just had the C-Section and was still numb) the transporters gave me what they called "Lovies." They said to keep them next to my skin for the next few days while I was in the hospital and then once I came to visit the girls I could give them to the babies and they would have my scent...which would comfort them.

Jillian's Lovie (L) and Jenna's Lovie (R)

Now, I am not really one of those people who is into hippy, dippy, trippy stuff like that. I am just not (or wasn't)...BUT, the Lovies gave me a job to do as a mother while we were separated and I couldn't see them or be with them after they were just born. It made me feel better to have the Lovies and I was diligent in keeping them next to me. When I got down to Cooks the day I was released I gave one Lovie to each baby and the nurses were really great about putting the Lovies right up next to them.

So you know what happens next, Jillian and Jenna keep the Lovies with them at Cooks (I missed the Lovies then) and eventually the girls came home, etc, etc and the Lovies went in the closet with the other toys. Now we are up to date... Back when the girls weren't sleeping well at night I read an article that said some babies sleep better if there is an item placed in the crib that smells like Mom. At this point, I was willing to try anything since I hadn't slept through the night since before the girls were born. So, I dug out their Lovies and slept with them for 3 or 4 days. After that I gave them back to Jilly and Jenna.

I kid you not, if the girls are sleepy for a nap, putting the Lovie right next to their head (or slightly under it) helps them calm down and fall asleep. Later I go and move the Lovies, so there aren't any suffocation scares, but I just think that is the neatest thing. :)

Anyhoo...It is definitely fun having them awake but I am glad they have each other. I still have to entertain a lot because they haven't really noticed each other yet. I think they know the other is there but they haven't started looking at each other too much. I am sure that will be coming soon; I watched a video on YouTube of 4 month twin boys cracking up at each other and having the best time.Jillian and Jenna are getting good at holding rattles (if I place them in their hands) and Jillian is starting to bat at objects and try and grab them. They are also getting better at sitting up, they aren't anywhere near doing it on their own, but they don't slump over in their chairs or swings as much as they used to.

Well, that is all I can think of right now. The next few weeks are busy, busy. My sister is graduating from TWU on Friday (Woo Hoo, Tt!!) and my Dad and his wife, MyeongHee, are coming to my house tomorrow (Thursday) and they are going to be staying with us off and on while they are in town for two weeks (he lives in Ulsan, South Korea). I am super excited, especially since this will be my Dad's first time to see the babies in person. To date he has only seen the pictures and video snippets. :)

More to Come...

Jessie