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Sunday, August 24, 2014

Parenting Twins - The First Year (Month 5)


The boys turned five months old on Friday!  What a month of "firsts" it has been!  They went to the beach for the first time, tried out the neighborhood pool for the first time and had a stomach virus for the first time.  Ok, some firsts were more pleasant than others, but we were making memories nonetheless.

The babies also started the month off by trying solid foods for the first time.  We started with cereal, then made our way to vegetables and fruits.  One month later, they are pros at eating baby food.  Sweet potatoes and squash are their favorites.  Green beans....not so much.  They are currently eating cereal with a fruit for breakfast and before bed, as well as a vegetable and half of a fruit for lunch and dinner. They took to being spoon-fed really well.  Aaron is a pro with the spoon and will open his mouth up in anticipation for every bite.  I can't shovel the food in fast enough for him.  Ethan is a little more messy with his food.  It seems like he spits out half of what goes in, but he is doing much better now than he was at the beginning of the month. 

Month five was also our first month moving to our cribs full time.  They have officially outgrown the bassinets in our room.  Ethan made the transition to cribs look easy.  From the beginning, he was super easy to put down for bed.  He'd fall asleep on his own within ten minutes.  He also sleeps through the night more than half of the time.  If he does wake up, it's usually only once.  Unfortunately, he never wakes up at the same time as his brother.  All I have to do to get him back to sleep is give him a bottle in his crib.  Because he sleeps so well, he's usually up for his day pretty early in the morning ready to play. Aaron on the other hand, is not the best sleeper.  In general, he fights sleep.   He also wakes up screaming every three to four hours and is not satisfied until I pick him up and put a bottle in his mouth.  He doesn't go back down as easily as his brother.  And because he doesn't sleep as well, he usually isn't ready to wake up as early as his brother.  This also messes with their naps during the day.  By the time Aaron wakes up, Ethan is usually ready for a morning nap.  Because they are not waking up at the same time, they are not wanting to nap at the same time.  It is very rare that I have both babies sleeping at the same time during the day.  I'll be honest. Their sleep patterns this month are killing me.  They are so very different!  As a result, I am not getting much sleep. I have felt more sleep deprived this month than I did when they were newborns.  It was so much easier when they were tiny.  I could wake them up together every three hours to feed and change them and then put them back to sleep at the same time.  Now that they are bigger, they are really showing their individuality.  It's not fair for me to wake up Ethan just because Aaron wakes up, when Ethan is already showing such healthy sleep patterns.  I'm hoping by next month, we'll have seen great improvements on Aaron's sleep patterns.

Developmentally, we also saw a few firsts this month.  Aaron is officially rolling over.  All of a sudden, he has taken a liking to being put on his stomach.  They used to both hate tummy time.  Ethan is still not a fan of being put on his tummy, but Aaron is really starting to enjoy it.  They also grew into their exersaucers this month.  Growing is something that they have been doing like crazy!  Three month clothes are starting to get snug, and I foresee 3-6 month clothes being pulled out in the near future!  At the beginning of the month, the exersauser was still too big.  At the end of the month, they not only fit into them but have figured out how to turn in the seat and play with most of the toys on it.  And just this week, the babies have grown into their jumperoo.  They've not mastered the jumping part, as they are only five months old, but they are fitting into it and enjoying the toys on it.   

Overall, month five has been a big month of changes.  I'd say we are transitioning from young infants to middle infants.  When they were newborns, they just wanted to be held all of the time.  When they were young infants, they started to enjoy swings, bouncy seats and baby gym mats, as they were learning to reach out for things and focus on their surroundings.  Now we are transitioning into the middle infant stage, as they are sleeping less during the day and enjoying more activity and coordination.  Before I know it, they will be in their older infant phase.  I'll need to baby proof the house for that phase, as we will have babies who are crawling, pulling themselves up and preparing to walk.  Time is going so fast!  Their first year will be over before I know it.  I'm doing my best to take in every second of it, no matter how tired I am!  

Week Nineteen






Week Twenty






Week Twenty-one






Week Twenty-two










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