Keeping our head above water

Hi All!! I hope everyone is doing well. If you can't tell by our lack of updates, we are still buried, but doing much better. We are keeping our head above water, trying slowly to get some resemblance of our life back. The girls were starting to sleep through the night but reverted for some reason. So, we are back to getting little to no sleep. They are growing and it's hard to keep them full. If anyone has any hints please email us.

The girls are smiling, laughing, cooing, following us with their eyes, batting at toys, doing tummy, finding their hands and we think they are starting to interact/see one another! Too cool! Get this -- Emily is pretty much rolling over (check out the new videos)! They love the swing and jumperoo, their head control is getting very good. It's so confusing b/c while the girls are 4+ months old, they are really only 2+ months old b/c they were so premature. So, their size is more like newborn to 2 months, but they are coordinated and interested in activities that a 3 or 4 month old would like. Kind of strange. It all evens out, apparently. We are also starting them on sign language. As most of you know, my brother is deaf, so this comes very natural for us. They are definitely reacting to our signs and starting to immitate "mama". Bob and I have a little contest to see if they start signing "mama" or "daddy" first by me only saying and signing mama and him daddy!

We are burning the candle at both ends, but slowly getting organized - which seems to make all the difference. Again, kudos to any parent, it ain't easy. This is the hardest thing we have ever done, but definitely worth it. It's so hard to swallow that LITERALLY every second is spent on their basic needs (forget ours!) - and that's not even enough. Wow.

The many trips to specialists take lots of time, but we are definitely pleased with our new hospital/team of drs. So far, so good. Their apnea and drops in heart rate are doing much better. They are still on the monitors, can't get them off yet. Oh, well. Some of you may have noticed pink patches on the girls' foreheads. This is called 'stork bite' or 'angel's kiss', or a group of blood vessels close to the skin from being cramped in my belly. The docs say it should be gone by 6 months or shortly thereafter. Nothing permanent.

All in all, we are so happy not only that they are in our lives, but that they will have each other. Thank you all for your prayers and wonderful cards and gifts. See below for some of my thoughts for new parents......

My favorite products and hints for new parents --

**Keep all boxes and receipts, and don't take tags off of things, you never know what you will or won't need until the time comes**

Make up bottles for 24 hours in advance.

Get help getting organized!

Pampers swaddlers are great!

Can't live without:

**********BOPPY NEWBORN LOUNGER**********,not your average boppy,

Pottery Barn kids 'SLING' diaper bag,

Bottle warmer (any brand - one for upstairs, one for down),

JJ Cole (or Skiphop makes one) Diaper Caddy to have in other rooms besides nursery - houses diapers, wipes, drawer for creams, etc.,

Purell with moisturizer (white not clear),

Small toys/rattles - get something with a mirror on it,

Bathtub with a SLING in it....have several and use the cheap one with the sling to hold them securely.

"Sheet savers"/changing pads soft and waterproof

Nice to have:

Mountain buggy stroller is the best! Especially with the double carry cot attachment.

Swing of some kind - have the Newborn soothing center by Graco, old kind works just fine too

Jumperoo - my girls already love it and they can barely hold their head up (prop with blankets)

Gym - anything with lights and music, but Baby Einstein is good

Toy thing that makes bubble noise with good music - Fisher Price Aquarium

Something that gives off white noise/womb sounds, even a fan or a/c

Music in nursery - mp3, cd player so you can put something on repeat and it never stops playing

Recliner in nursery

Pac n play or Co sleeper

Make sure to have a breast pump that is portable, can be thrown into tote for impromptu trips to grandma's

Would not recommend:

A mobile that winds up, see if you can find something with batteries.

More later....
Heather