Wearing Both My Babies

Being new at this whole blogging thing, I've been checking out lots of other blogs just to see what kinds of things people write about. My searching has wielded lots of interest in new baby products out there, namely baby carriers. The more I read about baby wearing and attachment parenting, the more of a fan I am, and try to incorporate those philosophies into our parenting.

In the past I've spoken about our infant carriers that we use all the time. We love to wear our babies, and they enjoy it too. It promotes an attachment and closeness to our daughters that I can't really even describe--it has to be experienced. Most of my baby wearing happens in the evening when my husband is home--he wears one and I wear the other. I would really like to be able to wear both girls at the same time throughout the day when he is away. The Baby K'tans that we have does allow you to carry a baby on your back, but this requires the presence of a second person to help you place them safely in the carrier. This is not helpful! I need to be able to wear both of my babies unassisted. I did find a carrier that would let me put one of the twins on my back all by myself--the Ergo Baby Carrier. So, I could wear one baby on the front in my Baby K'tan, and one baby on my back in my Ergo Baby Carrier--I feel freer just knowing that this is a solution to being able to sling both babies at the same time!

This leads me back to the opening of this post about bloggers. This mom, Laura Etherton, has a blog where she reviews and gives away baby products--she has hundreds of followers eagerly awaiting her giveaways. Doesn't that sound like fun?! She's got a pretty sweet gig. Currently she has a contest to win an Ergo Baby Carrier. I think it would be very cool to win--I think my twins would love for me to wear them both at the same time, and I would love it too.

Easy street

I hope all you moms out there had a fantastic Mother's Day yesterday. I love being a mom. It fills me with great joy when I think of my daughters. Just one smile or coo from them sends me to my knees, thanking God for each day he gives me with them. At the same time, I don't think I even need to say it; being a parent is hard. Being the parent of twins is hard. There have definitely been days when I've counted down the minutes until my husband walked in the door, and I've probably cried more tears than my daughters have when I can't seem to figure out why they are so unhappy. There are a few things that have happened recently that have made our parenting journey a little easier. I'm not saying it's easy--far from it, but things might be getting just a little easier, and, yes, I'm going to rejoice in that!

1. Napping. Our girls really struggle to take naps. Occasionally they will both go to sleep and take a long nap, usually in the late afternoon. Most of the time one will nap while the other one stays awake, or they both stay awake. Recently I received some great advice about napping, which this individual got from the book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child. The book is all about doing what works to get your child to fall asleep, and to do it consistently. Probably the most important thing the book talks about is putting your baby to sleep after being awake for no more than two hours. This small piece of information has been SO helpful. I was keeping our girls up for much too long, they were getting over-stimulated and were having a hard time winding down. Since learning this, I've been giving the girls more quiet time, which they do often use to fall asleep.

2. Baby wearing. I've mentioned before how much we love our slings, so this will just reiterate this. Recently we've been able to use new holds with the sling as the girls have gained stronger neck muscles. By "wearing" the girls, we are able to get much accomplished, while facilitating bonding and attachment to our daughters. The girls are so comfortable in their slings--they both love to look around, and when one has had enough stimulation, she puts her head on my chest and goes to sleep. This weekend my husband and I were able to clean, cook, bake and do yard work--all thanks to our Baby K'tan slings. A bonus about the slings is that it allows me to hold both girls when I'm by myself--a big help when they both need to be soothed.
3. Play mat. My friend graciously let us borrow her son's  play mat. This thing is amazing! My girls love to be held, and love attention, as all infants do. There are days when putting them down, even for a moment causes and eruption of tears. Further, I often feel overwhelmed with the task of  engaging the girls in the necessary play to help them developmentally. This play mat works wonders. There are so many things to look at on this thing that it has kept the girls' attention for up to 45 minutes. This gives me time to get a few small chores done around the house, and I can sit there with them engaging them in all the developmental play that the play mat has to offer. We even read a couple of books today!!
4. Mobility. As I mentioned in a previous post, being able to get out and about with the girls has been very freeing for me. We have been able to meet friends for walks, and small visits, all while trying to balance napping and down time. These outings make the days fly by, and can sometimes provide me with an extra hand for a few moments when I need it. 
5. Sleep. For the past two weeks the girls have slept through the night for stretches ranging from six to eight hours at a time. This has been amazing! I realize this is most likely fleeting, and a growth spurt or teething will thwart this pattern, so we treat each night of good sleep as a gift. Being less tired makes the days seem brighter, and for this I give thanks!

Parenting certainly is an exciting journey. I love the ride, and am ecstatic that, for the moment, it's a little less bumpy.

Snug as a Bug

We absolutely love our baby slings. The type we went with, Baby K'tan, are, in my book, geniuses. They allow us to go to church, navigate our way through a store, or to be in any other crowded location with our girls without them being pawed by a bunch of well-meaning, germy people. Most often the twins hunker down and fall into a contented sleep while in their Baby K'tan.

The slings are sized to give us each the most secure hold possible (I'm a small and my husband is a large). If we really want to, one of us can hold both babies at the same time until they each reach 10 pounds (we are working on that whole weight gain thing), which is also a great feature, and one of the few sling makers that offers a double-hold option--brilliant idea for twin parents!

As of late, I have noticed that our sling wearing has given us some looks of wary disapproval. It's not their fault, they just read about the one million slings that have been recalled and assume that 1) we might not have heard the news and 2) that we are putting our children in grave danger. The article has been passed to me about 10 times, so rest assured I've read through it at least once or twice. Don't get me wrong. I totally appreciate that so many people love our girls and are looking out for their well-being.

That being said, let me reassure all you very well-intentioned worriers that Baby K'tan slings were not recalled, and are perfectly safe. They don't cause babies to curl up and possibly suffocate like some other brands. So--when you see me with my baby in the sling, please know that when I smile at you, I do so knowing that my baby is safe, and snug as a bug in her sling.