Way Back When-sday

And a comparison shot. Emma's sitting up pretty well now. She still tips over, but it takes longer and she's learned to correct herself. Mostly. Cora's much more interested in CRAWLING! She's still not crawling in the traditional sense, but she scoots and rolls everywhere she wants to go. Why sit, she says, when she can move!

For Way Back When-esday, first there's Emma sitting in Abby's old outfit. It's not "way back," but it is from a few days ago!



Date Taken: February 21, 2009
Age: 6.5 months

Abby about a month younger, just learning to sit. Wearing the same outfit.


Date Taken: June 5, 2005
Age: 5.5 months

As always, visit Cheryl at Twinfatuation for more!

The girls had their 6-month checkup on Friday. Sure enough, they've both outgrown their infant carseats. Barely. Emma is 26 in. long & Cora's 26.5; the height limit is 26 inches. Emma's also finally passed Cora in weight! She's 17lbs. and Cora's 16lbs. 7oz. I'll have to dig up the paperwork to get their percentiles.

I ended up buying the Itzy Ritzy shopping cart cover, and used it for the first time today. It worked great! My only issue with it is that it comes with a clear plastic zipped bag to keep it in, but it's so small I had a ton of trouble getting it out when it came in the mail. There's no way I'll be able to get it back in! I ended up ripping off one of the toy holder loops trying to get it out and they responded quickly and offered to have me send it back for free to get it fixed or replaced, or pay seamstress fees to have it fixed myself. Haven't done either yet since it's such a small thing to fix.

Anyway, I used it for the first time today at the grocery store. I later found out my store has a new policy where the bag person goes out with the people using the racecars so they can get them back in the store right away. Because of this, there were none to be found outside. I ended up carrying both girls in, but couldn't figure out how to attach the cover while holding both. While I struggled, a kind woman asked if I needed help so I handed her Emma while I got it on and Cora in. Next time, I'll sling one and hold the other since I'm not comfortable wearing both.

The babies did really well sitting up together while Abby rode in the racecar part up front. Having them both together in the 2-person part was nice because they were able to lean on each other. I brought a blanket with me in case they needed some extra support, but they didn't at all. There wasn't much room left up there anyway. They also loved the different view! Sadly, I didn't get a picture since I'd planned on taking one when we left. I'd already made the bag boy who came out with me wait while I bought Girl Scout cookies, so I didn't want him to have to wait while the crazy mom took pictures. We got many looks and questions while we shopped. The typical "Are they twins?" "Are they identical?" Abby always gets asked if she's a good big sister/does she like being a big sister too.

Completely off-topic, but I once had a woman argue with me about them being fraternal. I told her they weren't, and she asked "Are you sure?" as she looked at both. She clearly didn't believe me even when I told her they look nothing alike. All it takes is one good look to see that!

Rough Weekend

Every one of us is sick! It started with the babies and it's worked its way toall of us. No one is getting any sleep around here! The babies are looking better, at least, so hopefully Cora will go back to sleeping 12 hours again very soon. Between the three kids waking, we're not getting more than an hour at a time. I really miss sleep.

Way Back When-sday

This was right before we moved from Spokane. Back when she hated being anywhere near grass.



Abby
Date: March 4, 2006
Age: 14.5 months

I couldn't resist adding a couple more.

Date: August 31, 2005
Age: 8.5 months


Pretty much the same spot in our old backyard as the second picture, just a different time of year.

Date: December 5, 2005
Age: Just a couple weeks shy of a year



Be sure to visit Cheryl at Twinfatuation to see more Way Back When-sday participants!

6 Months Old

Already! I feel like I blinked and 6 months passed. My pregnancy, up until the end, felt like an eternity, but these 6 months have flown by. I can't believe the first half of their first year is already over!

Both girls have changed so much recently. They're both on the verge of sitting up unsupported. Just a little more! Cora's also ready to start crawling! She gets up on her elbows and knees and rocks back and forth whenever she's on her stomach. She's getting really good at throwing herself forward to reach things too.

We started solids right after they turned 4 months old at the advice of their pediatrician in the hopes of reducing Cora's reflux. She's doing so much better now! She's down to regular baby spit-up instead of the constant projectile vomiting she'd do before. I'm not having to change her clothes nearly as often any more! Both girls took to eating solids really well. The first time we fed them something other than cereal (sweet potatoes), they ended up eating an entire jar each! The last week or so, Emma has decided she no longer wants to eat, so it's been a struggle. Cora, on the other hand, will gladly eat her jar and whatever Emma leaves! We've gone through all the Level 1 foods now. Both girls love orange veggies--carrots, sweet potatoes, squash--and hate green veggies (peas, green beans). Of course, they both love all the fruit.

What else? Cora's still a terrific sleeper, and Emma's hit or miss. We never know if she's going to wake up once at night or 2 or 3 times. Cora has decided 6-6:30 is the perfect time to wake up, so it's really tough when Emma's last wake-up is at 5. They're both still on the same schedule, so when Cora wakes up we get Emma up too. They take 3 naps total, but they may be transitioning down to 2. Now, their first nap lasts about 1.5 hours some days, and their second lasts about 2. When they take a third nap, it's still only about 30-45 minutes. Typically, they take a third nap when they take a short first nap now. Abby still takes a nap in the afternoons, so I always coincide it with their second nap.

They're currently wearing 6-9 (or 6-12 depending on the manufacturer) month clothes and size 3 diapers. Going up in diapers was a little sad because that means they're no longer wearing Pampers Swaddlers. They've graduated to Pampers Cruisers. Sniff!

We'll get their official stats next week (Friday). We're so curious to see how much they've grown!

Question for those with multiples

When the babies go for their 6 month checkup next week, they will surely have outgrown their infant carriers. Abby outgrew hers at 4 months, so she was nowhere near sitting up unsupported in grocery carts. I solved my problem by buying a Buggy Bagg (HIGHLY recommend them if you have a singleton!), which was great because it was well-padded and came with a detachable pillow. That pillow was what sold me on the Buggy Bagg and was perfect for helping her sit up in the carts.

Now, we're in a similar situation with the babies. They are very close to sitting up unsupported, but they're not quite there yet. Since I won't have the infant carriers to load up one cart at Target any more, I have 3 options.


1. Use the Buggy Bagg in a single cart for one baby & sling the other while Abby walks next to me. The only problem is that we don't use the sling very often, so they're not used to it. Until they're comfortable in it, we'll have to keep these trips short.

2. Push the babies in the double stroller while pull a cart. Not only has it been a big pain when I have to shop by myself and have to use 2 grocery carts, but taking the stroller would limit space in the minivan. We've had to get creative when we forget to take the stroller out before going to the grocery store.

3. Do the bulk of my shopping at the grocery store with the race car up front and room for the babies in the back. Since they're not quite sitting unsupported yet, they'll need some padding to help them. I was hoping Buggy Bagg would make a double cart cover thing with pillows, but no such luck. I have found several cute ones that say they can be used in the big double carts, but they don't come with pillows so they don't really help me. Plus, they only have 2 leg holes, so each baby sits inside one leg hole and has no fabric or padding between their legs. This isn't a dealbreaker for me, but I haven't found one that comes with a pillow. Honestly, I do love some of the patterns I've found, particularly the Itzy Ritzy ones, but how would I support them into a sitting position? Is it padded enough to help? The Buggy Bagg wasn't. They are very close to sitting on their own, so it would really only be for 2 or 3 weeks, tops.

I'd love to hear any suggestions or experiences you may have with grocery cart covers. Thanks!