The first month with #doublesinks

Somehow, the hospital allowed us to go home with two newborns.  Not sure how they allowed that, but we've managed to keep them alive and growing! 

Each day for us is like groundhog day - every three hours we change diapers, feed them, snuggle with them, rinse and repeat.  A typical feed looks like this:
Change Baby #1's diaper
Nurse Baby #1 for 10 minutes
Change Baby #2's diaper
Daniel brings me Baby #2 to nurse for 10 minutes, takes Baby #1 and starts bottle feeding
Kim starts bottle feeding Baby #2 (or if we have a helper, that person feeds)
Kim pumps for 15 minutes
Babies sleep
Clean bottles & pump parts, wait a few hours, repeat all over again

It takes about an hour to complete a full feeding session.

We also encourage very loud belches in this fine dining establishment :)  Every time one of the girls burps, Daniel says "GOOD GIRL!" and kisses her on the forehead.  It's awesome :)

I did some research on c-section recovery.  The main point: rest, rest, rest.  In the hospital, we sent the girls to the nursery each night.  In order to rest at home, our saving grace was having a night-time helper each night for the first week.  We have amazing friends/family.  The helper would stay in the playroom with the girls, and if they fussed, the helper would soothe.  I slept on the couch and Daniel slept in our room, but we would get 2 solid hours of sleep.  Everyone would wake up - Daniel and the helper would feed the girls and I would pump. 

We have the BEST friends.  Here is a middle of the night pizza party with Kristen and Bobby after one of the feeds :)

Lesson learned: night-time help the first week was crucial.  Don't turn down help if someone offers.  Have people you trust stay the night - they won't do things exactly how you would, but they love your babies and keep them alive and happy :)

FAQs: How do you survive?
Really awesome friends and family.

Lesson learned: rest really is the key to recovery.  I recovered REALLY well from my C-section, and I attribute it a lot to resting, listening to my body, and not overdoing it.  I accepted loads of help and Daniel did most everything.  I only went up and down the stairs once per day for the first week - reserving that for a much-needed shower and nap in my own bed.  We didn't clean, do dishes, grocery shop, or do anything that wasn't focused on the girls.

Daniel said he oftentimes wakes up holding the pillow like a baby.  haha!

After a week, we felt confident enough with newborn twins and not completely sleep deprived enough to try to do nights on our own, and we survived!  Our night-time feeding routine looks like this:
Kim* changes Baby #1* (baby #1 is whoever is crying)
Kim calls to Daniel - she is ready
Daniel takes Baby #1 downstairs to fix bottles
Kim changes Baby #2
Watch FRIENDS and feed babies
Swaddle babies, kiss them goodnight, repeat in 2-3 hours
Kim pumps, washes bottles & pump parts

*parents and babies switch roles often
At night they sleep well in between feedings.  We sometimes have to pop in paci's, or need to rock one, but they actually do really great.  Can't complain about that!
In our opinion, the hardest part about having twins is their feeding and how it takes two people.  At night, we can't simply say "I'll take this feeding - you sleep", because it takes both of us to feed them.  On the flip side, one of our favorite parts of having the twins is the feeding times - we get to stare at our girls and laugh at FRIENDS - at 10am or 3am, doesn't matter, we still love it.  When they get older and less floppy, we can pop them in a boppy or bouncer and feed at the same time, but for now, we both binge-watch FRIENDS and keep the girls happy :)

FAQs: Where do the girls sleep?
-After the first week, they've slept in their cribs
Do they sleep in the same crib?
-Nope, separate cribs

FAQs: How long does Daniel get to take off?
Daniel took two weeks off from work and then teleworked the following two weeks.  He worked upstairs and would come down for feeding time.  Having him home was amazing - I couldn't imagine doing this all solo.  We are so thankful for his very flexible schedule.  Even after four weeks at home, he only goes into the office three days a week, and my mom comes over to help with many of the feeds. 

The girls spend an awful lot of time sleeping & hanging out on the floor on these awesome pillow blankets from Kristen and Bobby.  We soak up their cuteness and embrace their sleepy-stage.  SO many people love them, and we have lots of visitors coming in and out soaking up their cuteness, too. 

Lesson learned: Never turn down food.  If someone is coming to visit and offers to bring a meal, say YES!  Also, have a ton of paper plates, utensils, cups, and napkins on hand.  You don't want to have to wash bottles and dishes.  Ain't nobody got time for that.

Lesson learned: hire a house-cleaner.  We had someone clean the house while we were in the hospital.  For the first month, we didn't even bother with any sort of cleaning and were able to focus solely on the girls.  Best $75 I spent.

the girls love to be in the same position.  Ella is in the back, Sydney is in the front

Ella & Sydney, swaddled up tight and looking cute

naptime with Daddy

They are tiny.  Huge for twins, but tiny.  All of our visitors say "we've never seen babies this small!".  We love these little people!

E & S sleeping in the diaper-changer part of the pack-n-play

my cousin, Dustin, and his wife, Ellen, were visiting VA for Easter

Great Aunt Julie getting some baby love

Ella meeting her Great Granma for the first time

Great Granma and Sydney.  Granma was SO happy and in love!

 The girls were only six days new when they celebrated their very first Easter. 

Wearing the bibs Daniel & I purchased after our second doctor's appointment, when we were confident that we were having healthy twins, and that they would arrive by Easter :)

itty bitty Easter bunnies

meeting cousin Jacob for the first time

FAQs: Are you breastfeeding?
Kind of.  Trying to breastfeed is hard.  Because the girls are technically considered "preemies", it's totally normal for them to have a hard time latching & sucking.  In addition to trying to nurse each one of them for 10 minutes during feeds, I also pump every three hours.  This is what it looks like when you need to burp a baby while also pumping.

After a week, and a few conversations with the lactation consultant, I gave up trying to nurse them, and focused on pumping.  It was apparent that I had a very low supply, so I turned my focus from trying to breastfeed to getting my supply up.  Due to the low supply, it was apparent that I would probably never be able to exclusively breast feed and would always have some sort of supplementation/bottle feeding, so why waste the extra time on breastfeeding?  Not worth it in my opinion.  I vowed that nursing would never be a source of stress for me, so it was an easy decision to cut it out.

Lesson learned: tiny babies make an awful lot of dirty dishes.  After a few days of being home, we ran the dishwasher 4 times, with only the top rack being filled with bottles.  Each feed we had 4 bottles - two for them, two from pumping.  Eight feeds a day = 32 bottles in 24 hours.  We promptly purchased a sanitizer.  Though pricey, it takes 6 minutes and 3 oz of water.  It saves us time, sanity, and energy costs. 

Our very first outing was the day after we got home to the pediatricians office.  We get extra points because we were out the door and at the appointment ON TIME!  Our second outing was to the studio of Pyle Photography for the girls' newborn pictures.  The pictures are so incredible that they deserve their own post, but here is a sneak peak:

behind the scenes: photographing real-life easter bunnies

I can't even...

Our next outing was to Chippenham for a breastfeeding class... here we are all ready to go in our not-so-small double stroller

about 30 seconds after this picture, Sydney spit up her whole bottle, all over herself & brand new car seat... YOLO girl

Ella says "stop it with all the photos"

Daniel & his girls, wearing the beautiful gowns they gave him for Christmas!

... and in the blink of an eye, we had one-week old beauties!

FAQS: How much laundry do you do? 
A lot, but not as much as I had originally thought.  They are little, and their clothes are little, but we don't HAVE to do laundry every day.  The main reason we have to laundry is we've run out of bibs.

Lesson learned: buy more bibs.  Bibs are like bottles.  We go through about two per feed (because they are messy eaters and spill out of the sides of their mouths; Sydney spits up).  That's 16 bibs per day.

Since I was only going up and down the steps a few times a day, I planned it out and did everything at once - shower, napping in our bed, organizing the girls' clothes, etc.  Daniel came upstairs and brought me this gem - the first time he had picked them both up together:

"they were both fussy"

Our FAVORITE Virginia Tech Admissions Director, Mildred, is in Richmond often, and stopped in for a visit.  It is always SO good to see her, and we joked that she also accepted the girls "early".  Since she likely won't be working when they attend in 2039, we will just show the new Director these photos :)

a few days before the girl's came when we went to lunch, and two weeks later

Abby came to play with the babies and meet Mildred herself!

love it

FAQs: How are the girls different?
Not only do they look different, but they act differently, too.  Ella is ALWAYS asleep, and has a beautiful, deep dimple.  Sydney is often awake, and fights sleep.  She fights it so hard she is always rolling her eyes in the back of her head - it's the funniest thing ever.

Ella with that beautiful smile and adorable dimple.  Asleep, of course.

Sydney and her hilarious eye roll

 And here is a taste of Sydney's antics caught on camera...

Abby and her two birthday-buddies

The girls snuggling together.  I love that it looks like Ella is whispering in Sydney's ear and Sydney is grinning :)  Telling secrets already!

I LOVE that the girls are born in the Spring!  We've taken full advantage of the nice days and take the girls on walks frequently.  Here we are on one of our first walks

itty bitty twins in their carseats

the girls and their momma

in front of gorgeous flowers - such a pretty day!

I had a pretty awesome lactation consultant, Nancy.  She wasn't all about stressing and breastfeeding.  She agreed with the philosophy that it shouldn't be a source of stress.  After I decided to quit trying to nurse, she suggested I bond with the girls by doing skin-to-skin.  No problem, Nancy, any good reason to hold my beautiful girls :)

here we are snuggled up, couldn't be any happier

 Until their umbilical cords fell off, the girls just had sponge baths.

Sydney ready for her wipe-down

Ella is displeased with her naked-situation

So fresh and clean after their "bath".  Ella is trying to eat her hand (typical), and Sydney is ready for a nap!  Getting clean is hard work.

One of the most exciting parts of having twins is witnessing the "twin" things that they do.  They are few and far between right now, but so cute nonetheless.  So far they love to sleep in the same position and scoot close together.  I can't wait to see how they interact and do the same things as they get bigger!


sleeping in the exact same position, my heart is melting.

I found some adorable "I <3 Papa" shirts that I purchased second-hand.  Since Abby set the stage and calls my dad Papa, I of course had to get them.  Even though they are a little bit big, I couldn't resist sending my dad a birthday message

Lesson learned: people LOVE receiving pictures of the girls

And in another blink, a second week had passed!

sporting their typical behaviors - Ella snoozing, Sydney wide awake, both love having their arms in the air

Some of the best moments are holding your beautiful babies.  Here are some pictures with Ella and her Daddy after she's had a bottle and they've watched an episode of FRIENDS

look at that sweet, sweet face.  Naps on Daddy are the BEST!

my heart melts over and over, every single time

Lesson learned: you'll never know how much you love your spouse until you bring a new babies into the world.

 

My mom came over one day so Daniel and I could run a quick errand.  We took full advantage and also went to Don Pepe for a quick lunch date :)

It was strange to eat a full Mexican meal without being miserable and feeling like I was growing stretch marks with each chip!

Lesson learned: Get out of the house.  Alone.  Be husband and wife, not just mom and dad.  It feels really, really good.

And the next day we took the girls to Don Pepe for the very first time.  They spent SO much time their while they were baking, that it only seemed right.

I normally take off each year on April 16th and do something for myself - running a 3.2, donating blood, working in the yard.  This year, it was the most peaceful anniversary yet.  I held my girls all day and stared at them, being immeasurably thankful.

Amazing.  They love sleeping in the same position.  I stared at these sweet, peaceful faces all day :)

Ella Grace

Sydney Ann

Lesson learned: babies have no idea what's going on.  Having a bad day?  Hold a baby or two, they make everything better.

Ella's umbilical cord FINALLY fell off, so we were able to give the girls their first "real" bath! 
Insert same FAQ here: how are they different?
See examples below...

Sydney was SO unhappy with her situation

clearly loving it... holding onto Daddy for dear life

"What was my sister yelling for??"

Couldn't be any more peaceful

 Once we were cleaned and dressed for the occasion, we went to celebrate Papa's birthday!

My dad wanted one thing for his birthday - a picture holding the twins.  Easiest request ever!



Sydney holding onto Papa <3

Aunt Kelly holding both girls.  All four grandbabies in one picture!

Abby protecting her cousins.  She LOVES them! 

doesn't get much cuter than that

One Saturday afternoon, Daniel came down to an all-girls nap session.  Sometimes, when you have two fussy babies, you just hold them and play their game :)

Sink Family of Four selfie

Daddy and his pretty ladies

We went to the pediatrician several times.  Each time the girls would get weight (and gained every time!).  It looked a little like this...

 And just like that, they were three weeks old

FAQs: how is your PPD?
I would like to think I have post-partum happiness.  Seriously.  I have had an occasional cry-fest, but honestly think it's more from sleep deprivation than anything.  I've happy-cried over so many things.  Sleeping in my own bed for the first time in eight days.  I cried even more because I was sleeping NEXT TO my husband for the first time in 8 months (no pillow in between us).  I cry looking at the girls, knowing how lucky we are.  So incredibly happy.  Lots of happy tears :)

We celebrated Aunt Annabeth's birthday

Ella loves her Aunt Annabeth

and so does Sydney!

FAQs: what happens when both babies are crying at the same time?
You've gotta be creative when you have two babies and only two hands.  Every now and then, I employ my feet.  Holding Fussy Baby #1, Sydney, and rocking Fussy Baby #2, Ella.

We've tried to soak up every ounce of newborn goodness.  We don't believe newborns can be "held too much".  So we caught up on Mad Men, twin style

Daniel & Ella Bella

Me and Syd

Sydney with her famous eye roll

And there is with a big grin, and some neck!

itty bitty hand

they love each other.  Sydney just wanted to touch her sister

This is another way you deal with two fussies babies :)  look at that stud..

 Blink again, four weeks new!

they love to be touching

Nana and her girls.  Love that Sydney is flashing a smile :)

 

Our favorite family, The Pipkins/Eckerts, came to visit.  Of course a photo shoot was on the agenda..



Ella content in Katie's arms

Sydney, too

okay, stop it.

Ella and Mrs. P :)

Lesson learned: have visitors come over that make you laugh

 Do you remember this picture?

twin GIRLS!

The girls' first outfits!  This was at their gender reveal party.  We were filled with so much happiness and excitement.  It only got better from there

And here they are in those outfits

And that rounds out our first month.  Enough pictures?  Nope!  I can't wait to fill this blog up with lots and lots of memories, FAQs, and lessons learned.  I'll dedicate a whole post to their one-month pictures.  It's been the sleepiest and happiest month of our lives.  We never knew our hearts could hold such joy.