I can't believe that today has come! Can it really be a whole year since I delivered my two precious daughters?
What a wonderful year it has been.... what an incredible blessing to have twin daughters! Having the girls has been so much fun, and a lot of work too. Of course it is the best kind of work! I remember those early days of round the clock feedings and being up every hour to nurse someone. Even not remembering which baby woke up when because I was so tired. A few times I accidentally putting one baby down on top of the other sleeping baby because I didn't remember which one I was nursing! LOL.
It has been an incredible first year watching with wonder as they grow. Those early bleary eyed days of watching for that faint first smile or a small coo of happiness. How quickly they blossom from these tiny needy swaddled caterpillars to wiggly giggly crawling beings in your home. It' now almost like having two little doggies on the floor.
Some of my best time with the babies have been while nursing them. The first time they were brought to me in the hospital I had them both latched on and nursing. It was glorious! Early nursing twins was a bit of a challenge mostly because it was an around the clock venture. I still have the little memo note pads that have long list of P & S with feeding times and L or R. I had to write it down or I would totally forget who ate when.
I am not a schedule type person so I did most of the early feedings one at a time allowing each girl to follow her own biological clock. Finally toward 2-3 months I nursed them together more frequently and now tandem nursing is all I do. It was during one of these nursing sessions that they noticed each other for the first time. It was an amazing moment! They were just 3 months old and Sydney unlatch after suddenly seeing Payton for the first time. She kind of cooed at her. Payton didn't respond. The very next time I nursed them together again, she did it again and Payton unlatched and cooed back as the two locked eyes for the very first time. It was beautiful and amazing all at once. These two little beings had shared a womb, shared a bassinet, and had been sharing a crib for 3 months holding hands most of the time yet they hadn't even consciously known the other one was there. This simple first acknowledgement was so precious to behold that it brought tears to my eyes.
I am proud to say that I have breastfed these babies for an entire year and they have not had one drop of formula! I was so worried in the beginning. I wondered if I could possibly make enough milk for them both but that proved to not be a problem. Not only did I make enough, I made too much!! I was even able to pump enough so that each time they had infant cereal, it was mixed with my milk too. At one point I had over 1 gallon of milk in my freezer for them. I was so worried that I would get called away for an emergency and not have enough for them so I pumped and froze milk frequently. We still enjoy our quiet milk time together.
My girls are growing into active and happy little souls. Payton is definitely the dominate twin. She is bigger and robust. Her personality can be summed up nicely with the word gregarious. There is always a huge beaming smile on her face. She is content and silly too. She tends to be a bit rough with her sister and thinks nothing of pulling Sydney's hair or biting her. Poor Miss Sydney. Payton likes to be the center of attention and will shout out "Hi Ya" to everyone we pass in the stores just trying to get some attention - as though being twins wasn't enough to stop every shopping old lady!
Sydney is shy and a bit reserved. We call her our drama queen. Everything that happens to Sydney is a big deal and she usually erupts in tears. Just putting her in the car seat can be a personal offense to Syd. She is very sweet and silly too and loves to laugh and play peak-a-boo. She looks at things with an intensity and really likes to study her surroundings. A smile from Sydney in public is a real treasure as she only gives them out sparingly. At home they come easily but are often a bit shy and coy.
It has been so neat to see these two little personalities develop as they grown up side by side in the same atmosphere. It is an neat and special joy that mother's of multiples get to witness and treasure. As a mom to many, I often wonder if the situations of a child's early days have made that child who they are or if it is more a product of their personal identity. With twins, you get that unique ability to watch as two totally different little people blossom out of the very same set of situations. It has been really marvelous to watch.
I guess with time being short and things to do, I will end this entry with a slide show of the last year... I hope you enjoy it!
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