Does My Bum Look Too Big?

That would be a most definite YES!

~End Photoshoot~

We'd like to thank everyone who has donated to the trips diaper service. The generosity of soooo many has kept them in diapers for almost 10 months (three months left of prepaid service). The cloth diapering experience is not only cheaper but better for baby's skin than disposables. But I'm not knocking disposables, we'd be using them if we could afford it. We bought enough preemie disposables to last us the first two weeks after bringing the boys home but ever since it's been cloth. THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!!!

I was almost getting second thoughts about it before the boys were born and after I had invested in the diaper covers and had registered for the service. I had heard many stories of smelly babies, rashes, and blow outs to name a few. But to my relief it has been a very pleasant experience. The service is great because all I have to do is put the dirty diapers on the porch and every week they are taken away and I get fresh clean ones. I swore that I'd never attempt to wash my own but knowing I could save almost $100 a month is too good to pass up. I've asked other M.O.M's who've done it and they only have good things to say. So I might splurge a month or two more after my prepaid runs out in hopes that the boys poops get more solid but then I'll start washing my own.

Which brings me to another topic, about two weeks after starting solids the boys started pooping like crazy. 3-4 times a day for each baby! (they were going once maybe twice a day before) Their poo went from a tomato sauce consistency to more like tomato paste and it makes for some very messy diaper changes. I feel like more is coming out than is going in, is this normal??? Is their G.I. tract adjusting? (I'm emailing their doctor) They only eat like three or four tablespoons of solids once a day. By the time Phil comes home I'm about to scream, I just can't stand to change another dirty diaper! I'm also picking them up more to take them to the changing table and it's killing my back, as if it didn't already hurt! OK enough venting... On a lighter note here are some pro's and con's of cloth:

Con's

-If you only have one baby it's probably not much cheaper to do the service (it's like wholesale the more you buy the cheaper each one is)

-If you wash your own you have to deal with poo...my reality soon enough : (

-There is an upfront investment on diaper covers which are very expensive $8-25 a piece and you need about 6-10 per baby. (thankfully I got my newborn/smalls used and Phil's friend generously gave us a ton of mediums and larges)

-They are a pain to deal with if you leave the house a lot (but perfect for the triplet mom who never leaves her house)

-More frequent diaper changes (I change them every three hours during the day and just double up at night)

-Takes about 5 seconds longer to change them

-Their butts will appear larger than they really are...you should see them at night when we double up!

Pro's

-No chemicals on baby's skin

-Better for the environment (although this may be debatable)

-Less blow outs (I've had more blow outs using disposables and they are hardly ever in them!...but I also buy the cheapest ones I can find)

-A lot cheaper than disposables and almost no cost if you wash your own (ours are 15cents each and if you buy the good disposables they are more like 20+ cents each plus you need to shell out for a bigger trash pick up)

-almost no cost if you wash your own

-almost no cost if you wash your own

-they potty train faster!!!!!!!!!! Boys generally take longer to potty train than girls. I'm looking at 3+ years, so if there is any way to expedite this I'm doing it. Also, the sooner they potty train the sooner I can drop them off at the Ikea play area for some kid free time during the week : )

-Cute diaper covers...see pictures : )

My Two Nannies

For a whole week I had two full time nannies 24/7. They entertained babies, bathed them, changed diapers, cleaned, and cooked all my childhood favorites. All I did was nurse and tickle baby toes. At night they brought me babies to nurse and I slept the rest of the time. Who are they and how much were they paid you ask??? I'll start off by saying I paid them $0.00! You probably already figured it out by the pictures since we look a lot alike but it was my mom and sister : )

My sister had not yet met the boys. She was very anxious to meet them since she planned on coming in Feb but had to cancel because of the flu. I should also add that my sister has a fear of flying and the last time she flew was as a child about 20years ago. But pictures and videos of the boys convinced her to use all her strength to overcome her fear. I'm confident to say she wasn't disappointed.

I picked them up from the airport late one night and warned them not to wake anyone up. Caleb was sleeping in one of the rooms by himself and to my mom and sisters delight he was already stirring when we arrived back at the house around midnight. I turned on the lights and the first thing my mom said was "que gueros!" literal translation "how white" but really she meant 'how caucasian' looking he was. Yes the boys are white male versions of myself.

We did all the family favorites, chatted about the latest family gossip, lounged around in pajamas and watched movies based on real life, took a walk in the mall, and ate delicious food my mom made (I wised up this time and wrote down some family recipes that I'm sure will impress future guests when I try them on my own). They even went with me to the boys 6mo check up and endured the torture of shots right along with me.

Of course time flew by as it always does. My mom kept saying to the boys "no matter how much I kiss you now when I leave it will be as if I never kissed you at all." She took a pair of the boys dirty socks to smell when she misses them. The boys do not have sweet baby smelling feet, they sweat like crazy and leave their socks half soaked and stinky when I get them out of their jumping chair. So I know she really loves them and will miss them dearly.
I will miss them too : (


I'd also like to add that just as I suspected the boys have made the growth charts had they been full term on their birth date. At their check up we found out that Thomas made the 5th percentile, Caleb 2/3rd and Eli about 1st percentile, they are now at a normal weight for a 6.5 month old baby. They are growing like champs!

Two weeks ago I noticed Eli and Thomas eye-ing my food so I ran with it and they've been eating solids once a day ever since. Besides rice cereal we've tried bananas, sweet potatoes and avocado. Their favorite I think is avocado followed by sweet potatoes. Today we try peaches! I have some trouble getting them to drink water though, they don't quite know what to do with the sippy cup and when they get water to come out the just spit it right out.

Check out their sippy cups, I chose Avent bottles because they can become sippy cups and baby food storage containers later on.



Eli helping pops paint

Disclaimer: No babies were injured in the filming of these videos.

I found them like this just a couple of minutes after I had put them facing each other on their tummies. This probably happened a lot in the womb and is why it took him a while to start fussing.


Ants in their pants or just too much energy!

A Day in the Sun

three lil' bears





The last few days I had been noticing that the boys were looking kind of bored and wouldn't get very excited about their toys. I think they needed a change in scenery.

After having record breaking continuous days of rain we had a much needed sun break. On Friday no rain was predicted but it was overcast that morning. I went outside to see if it was very cold, felt like maybe low 60's. This is sweater weather in my book although in Portland people start wearing shorts when it's in the 60's and head for the pool when it hits 70, CRAZY! Growing up in California I would add at LEAST ten degrees before shorts or the pool is considered. So I put the boys in there bear suits to stay warm and we went to the backyard, which now looks like a jungle. The boys were funny in the light breeze because they would get a little choked up by it. I wanted them to check out their new surroundings but instead they just stared at their hands or at each other. All in all it was a nice change and I think they enjoyed it.









Later that day one of my BFF's came over and we walked to a park near our house. The sun was now peaking through the clouds but still a little on the cool side so I dressed the boys in pants, a sweater, shoes, and a sun hat. By the time we made it to the park the boys were down to their onesies and pants. It was down right sunny and warm! I had never been to this park and am now really excited about it, it has big shady trees, a great play ground, and a wading pool with something that I think shoots out water from the middle of it (I'm hoping they turn it on in the summer). I can see us coming here a lot.

The boys were really cute in the swings. They acted real cool and nonchalant but I could tell they really liked them. Lately the boys have seemed really big to me but when I saw them in the swings it was just the opposite. They are still little babies!

By the time we made it back home I felt like I had just worked out. Pushing around a big stroller with an additional 45 pounds in it for half a mile did a number on my weak bed rested muscles. That will change after this summer : )

Caleb laughing funny