Flashback Friday: Fun with Friends and Bath Time
First trip to GattiTown with Mandy, Jack, Danielle, and Riley (Brina & Karlie)
Today our Flashback Friday is in August 2005 when the girls were 6 months old. It is quite an adventure packing up and heading out to visit family, friends, or do errands, but we are getting better at it. The process of just getting out of the house, into the car, and on our way is usually several minutes long.
The girls have been enjoying going out and about more. I try to do at least one fun activity outside of the house each week with family or friends. They are usually exhausted by the time we get home, but we have fun. It is good for me to spend time with other Moms too.
Thankful for family and friends to hang out with. The girls are really good and for the most part do really well when we are out and about. They love watching everything. It is neat to watch them soak everything in during our adventures.
Mandy and Jack on the carousel
Danielle and Riley on the carousel
Brina very excited about driving Riley’s cool car! Vroom…vroom….look out people here I come!
Josh carrying Brina
Karlie hanging out with Kari
Christy holding Karlie
Aunt Vick hanging out with Brina as she bounces around
Cousins Jordan and Rachel feeding Karlie
Brina watching cousin Jack open his birthday gifts
Jack opening his birthday gifts.
Karlie starting to zone. She didn’t like the party hat at first, but soon forgot about it.
1st Bath together after being out with friends and having sunblock on them. It was too hard to safely bath two wet babies at the same time before now. They could sit up on their own and each had a place to safely sit in the tub now. At first they were not sure what to do? You mean we can play in here!?
Getting use to the bath time fun.
Flashback Friday: Sleepy Kids
Brina crashed in the middle of chewing in the ring
Today’s Flashback Friday goes back 10 years when the girls were 6 months old. They were exploring more and falling to sleep in random places. Sometimes in the middle of playing with a toy. I tried to move them a few times, but every time I did they would wake up so I just decided to leave them and let them rest. Usually the random naps were small power naps and they were back to playing within a few minutes anyway.
They are beginning to be more mobile and it took more energy to keep up with them. It is so precious watching them sleep peacefully even if it is in their high chair at a weird angle. Oh to be that flexible again.
At this time they are still sleeping in the same crib. As they grow and move around more in their sleep the crib it starting to get a little more chummy, but they look so sweet sleeping together I wasn’t ready to move them into separate cribs quite yet. Occasionally we would come to check on them in the morning and we would see that during the night they scooted down in the crib until their feet were hanging out. Not sure how it was comfortable, but they didn’t wake up or seem to mind it.
When we checked on this morning their were two sets of titty bitty toes sticking out from their crib. It was all I could do not to squeeze those cute little toes, but they were sleeping so peacefully.
Brina fast asleep in her hair chair. Such a rough life. Love how she folds her hands together sometimes when she sleeps.
Brina and Karlie – sleepy babies.
Taking a snooze during their play time with Mr. Octopus – Brina and Karlie
Playing is such hard work for the little ones – Karlie and Brina
Brina fell asleep while playing in her exersaucer!
She woke up with some sleepy “toy lines” on her face. Poor baby!
Playing in the exersaucers is exhausting. Both have crashed during their play time.
How can that be comfortable Karlie!? Not sure how she was still sleeping so soundly with her legs sticking out like that? I think my feet with get cold and go numb. Guess that’s the fun of being a baby.
Flashback Friday: First & Second Time at the Pool
Brina a little unsure about this whole “pool” idea
Today’s flashback Friday goes back about 10 years when the girls first were introduced to a pool. The first trip to the pool with the Greenville Mother’s of Multiples Club family party. We didn’t even have swimming suits for them yet so we took them in onesies and swimmer diapers. They were not to thrilled about the pool the first time around. Both were a little surprised and not overly excited about it. You would never know that now though!
The second time we went to a pool was about a week later with our friend Mike and Ashley. We had gotten the girls swimsuits in the meantime and they did a little better the second time around. Still not thrilled about it, but they tolerated it better.
Brina was a little surprised by the pool water.
Brina slowly getting used to the water on her feet while sitting in Daddy’s lap.
Brina standing up in the pool, still not sure about this whole pool thing.
Brina thinking about sitting down, but still disturbed by the pool.
Brina was very curious by all the other kids swimming around her. Why do they look like they are having so much fun!?
Karlie’s first dip into the pool. She was not happy!
Karlie’s thinking that maybe this isn’t too bad. Daddy seems to think it’s okay…
Jake sprinkled a little water over her head. She wasn’t entirely sure if she liked that.
Karlie sitting on Daddy’s lap talking with another twin. He wanted to know why she didn’t like playing in the pool, ha!
Karlie getting used to the water and she sits there for a minute.
Karlie looking at Mommy for help and confirmation that this pool thing was okay.
Karlie – “Can someone turn off the bright light overhead!” She was not a fan of the bright sunny day and if she was directly in the sun would just close her eyes and whimper. Poor baby girl.
Survived their first “pool swim” or should we say little dip! They were much more content to be back in the bassinet together.
Swimming at the pool was EXHAUSTING! They were out for a nap within a few minutes of drying off and getting into the bassinet. (Brina and Karlie)
Brina and Karlie got their cool new swimming suits and ready to go again. They think it’s funny now as they are at home sitting in the chair together….
Brina with Aunt Ashley at the pool. She is still not convinced that this is a good idea!
Mommy taking Brina and Karlie out into the pool. They were very intent on watching the pool water, like its going to get them or something.
Mommy with Karlie and Brina. They tolerated the pool better this time around with only a few tears. Thankfully it was a small quiet pool.
Brina all snuggled up in her dry towel. She is now ready for her nap.
Look at those pruney little tootsie toes! So cute!
Karlie is getting sleepy. Swimming is hard work Dad!
Flashback Friday: Adding More Foods
Jake making the next days bottles!
Today’s flashback Friday is about 10 years ago when the girls were five months old. Every night right before Jake and I would go to bed we were make the girls bottles for the following day. At this point when I took the picture of Jake (above) we were down from making 16 bottles a day to 10 bottles a day. They no longer had to have any caffeine in their bottles and they were sleeping through the night consistently. Making the bottles the night before helped us be well prepared for the next day when the babies were hungry and ready to be fed.
It was this month after a routine Doctors check up with the girls that they suggested we start introducing them to rice cereal in place of a couple bottles a day. That was an adventure in itself. The girls were not too excited about it at first and would rub it all over their faces and heads as well as cry, but eventually they got used to it.
Brina packed up in her carseat and ready to go to the Dr and on errands this morning.
Karlie doesn’t care if we run errands or go to the Dr as long as she can sleep peacefully in her carseat.
Brina’s first time trying rice cereal. She was ready for her bottle and instead got rice cereal. She NOT happy with me and cried through the whole feeding.
Karlie’s first try with the rice cereal. She was very upset and cried the entire time I fed her too. This picture was taken right before she burst into tears. After a couple minutes she closed her eyes and cried as I fed her the last few bites. Guess, she preferred getting her bottle over the rice cereal. Such a disappointed baby.
Later Jake attempted the second rice cereal feeding instead of the bottle. Karlie was not happy with Daddy either about him giving her rice cereal instead of her bottle. Poor baby….growing up is hard!
After awhile she gave up and began to enjoy it. In this picture she is babbling away as she gives in and eats the rice cereal for Daddy. Glad to see her smile starting to come back.
What a mess Brina! Sometimes we would let them attempt to feed themselves or if we were feeding them they would smear the food all over their faces with their hands. It never failed during this stage there was always a mess to clean up at the end of meal time.
Brina enjoying her morning bottle with Mommy. Loved holding them and talking with them first thing in the morning as they took their bottle. They were always great snugglers and gave me many sweet smiles.
Karlie enjoying her morning bottle. When they first started taking the bottles it would take them over an hour to drink an ounce or two. At this point they were guzzling down several ounces in a just a few minutes. How much they have grown. Loved hearing them drink their morning bottles and sigh with contentment. It was a great way to get the day started.
Flashback Friday: First Summer
Brina completely folded in half and sleeping
This flashback Friday bounces us back to June 2005. The girls first summer! They were continuing to grow. It was amazing to see them start to learn more and change. They still could go to sleep in the most unusual (and what looked like uncomfortable) positions. Their smiles and little giggles made our days so much brighter. They put up with our silliness as parents and we had a lot of fun learning together.
We were home for the majority of the month of June. At their regular Doctors appointment they were growing and looking healthy, however, on Brina’s apnea monitor her heart rate was showing unusually high numbers so we had to go into a specialists office to get her hooked up to an EKG. We also had to bring her home on a portable EKG for a couple days to see if there were any complications. Thankfully she was fine, she just has a faster heartbeat than other kids at her age.
Karlie was our thumb sucker. She is enjoying her thumb as she falls asleep.
Snuggle bugs
Looks like mischief!
Karlie giggling as she attacks Tigger!
Karlie fast asleep with a decorative gift bow on her forehead…..she has no idea!
Love seeing those pudgy cheeks!
Brina having the EKG test done. She is not very happy with us right now.
Back home with all the EKG wires attached to her. She was more content once we were back home and didn’t seem to mind the extra wires until we pulled them off 2 days later and she had a bunch of red spots all over her belly.
Hanging out!
Silly ducks….Brina – “What are you guys looking at?” while Karlie snoozes away completely unaware of the duck on her head.
Karlie tolerated our silliness. As long as she was fed, changed, and got to play she was a happy baby.
Look at that cute milk belly! Such a huge change since her surgery the month before when she couldn’t keep anything down. Thankful for the doctors and a healthy baby.
Brina is excited about picking out gifts in the Cheaper Than Dirt Catalog…..makes Daddy so proud!
Brina showing off her fancy “pant” hat. She is not very impressed.
Karlie is not overly excited by her hat either. She is ready for her nap!
Happy Brina Bee!
Flashback Friday: Sometimes Nobody’s Happy
Brina was watching Karlie cry.
On this Flashback Friday we go to May 2005. The girls were still itty bitty and in preemie clothes. Some days all it took was for one of them to start crying which would cause the next one to start crying. There were times when I knew exactly why they were crying and could help them (diaper change, food, etc…) while other times I had no clue.
I didn’t always get everything done on time or necessary in the right order during those days on little sleep. With the help and encouragement from family and friends we made it through. Jake was a huge help! Due to them being preemies and having the occasional apnea they had to wear apnea monitors at home. It was nice having the monitors go off whenever they had apneas and we never had to worry when they were sleeping if they stopped breathing.
They also had some caffeine in their first morning bottle every day. The caffeine was prescription based and helped with their apneas. The amount of caffeine they received would be the equivalent to my husband drinking several large amount of mountain dews back to back. Needless to say as soon as they stopped taking the caffeine in their morning bottle they started sleeping through the night. It was really nice once they started sleeping through the night. It felt wonderful being able to function on a full nights sleep.
Brina decided that if Karlie was crying she should probably start crying too! The joys of parenthood.
Flashback Friday: Exhausting Day
Must have been an exhausting day!
Our Flashback Friday goes back to April 2005 when the girls were almost 2 months old. Jake and the girls were playing while I was making dinner. When I came back to check on them this is what I discovered. Everyone was napping peacefully. Must have been a busy day for the crew. Maybe it is all those middle of the night feedings interrupting our sleep.
Thankful for my family and the blessings in my life. They look so peaceful when they are sleeping. Those first few months were especially tiring for Jake and I. I am not sure how he did everything. He got up every night to help me with feeding the girls and then go work a full day. There weren’t a lot of parties and late night fun activities other than taking care of babies during this season of our life.
Twice As Nice: Proud of My Girls
I love those moments when your heart bursts with joy at seeing your kids demonstrate wonderful positive characteristics that make them stand out among the crowd. As a parent it is essential that I continue to teach my children about life. I catch them (and yes I am bias) showing these positive characteristics as they continue to mature but sometimes I wonder if anyone else sees these precious moments in their lives as well.
Throughout the school year Brina and Karlie get random “rewards” for being a good example. One of my favorite ones to see come home in their book bags is the one that gets awarded when a student shows positive characteristics when the other students are disobeying the rules. It is nice to know that they can be polite and respectful even when their sister (in many cases) and friends are not. The coupon is for a Free Chick-fil-A Kid’s Meal and is awarded when a student shows on of the following Core Essentials:
- Respect
- Initiative
- Uniqueness
- Joy
- Determination
- Kindness
- Courage
- Humility
- Forgiveness
There is no such thing as a perfect parent (or a perfect person for that matter) so when I catch my girls doing right, it truly makes me proud. Nothing I do will force them to be good, kind, or considerate, however, the words I speak (and more importantly) my actions are showing the girls what is expected. I cannot count the number of times, even in the last week, how they can innocently ask me a question that really makes me think about my actions and in many cases the questions can be quite convicting.
For example, not long ago I was driving with the girls in the van when another car cut in front of us nearly side swiping our van which resulted in a honk from me……from the back seat I hear Brina say “Be careful little eyes what you see, be careful little ears what you hear for the Father Up Above is Looking Down…….” Wow, even though in my mind I was “justified” by making the car aware of our presence through the honk, but having her say those words made me really think about how I was reacting in a tense situation. There is a great responsibility when you children daily watching your words and actions. I know I cannot do it in my own strength which makes me even more grateful for a heavenly Father who helps guide and direct not only my steps but my kids as well. They know I am not perfect, but thankfully they do know someone who is and He is much better example of how we should live.
Twice as Fun is a series on raising Twins and all the joy that comes with it. We have been richly blessed to have twin daughters in our lives and want to share with you our thoughts, challenges, wisdom and love for raising multiples. Our girls have different interests and hobbies but they both know how to add excitement to our lives and make us chuckle.
