6 Months Old!!

So the girls are 6 months old!! On the one hand, it feels as if things have gone by in a blur. On the other hand, it feels like a very long time ago that I got more than 5 hours of sleep in a row! Seriously though, I know I am going to be a disastrous mother because I mourn the passing of everything. I keep saying I can't wait to get rid of the double snap n go. So I get a new stroller, I take it out yesterday, I see someone with a double snap n go, and I'm jealous because her babies are still "so cute and little." (Mind you, I never saw the babies, and chances are the ever so petite Dylan--the nurses in the NICU nicknamed her "Little Bit"-- is about the same size). We were talking about our favorite sonographers at the mothers group today (yes, when you have a high risk pregnancy in SF you all see the same doctors and the same ultrasound technicians, and yes, you develop opinions about them) and I even found myself a little nostalgic for those days. Good god why would I ever want to repeat that?! Anyway, I think it might be because there are two of them and so it feels like it is going by so fast and I keep worrying that I am cheating them out of the love and attention they deserve.

So, what's up with the ladies? Charlotte is 14lb, 13oz and Dylan is 13lb, 5oz. This puts Charlotte in the 25th percentile and miss petite in the 5th percentile. Neither of them are on the charts yet for length (C is 24 inches, D is 23 1/4) , but they are at the 75th and 25/50th percentile for their noggins. I'd like to think this means that they have big brains and their bodies are just catching up, but who knows.

As for their development, this is something that has been worrying me a bit lately. I could tell that the doctor thought that they should be better at following objects. Based on the books they are definitely not at their actual age, and I think they might be a little behind their adjusted age. I went to twins playgroup last week and they were definitely the least advanced babies there (even behind some 5 month olds). I worry that I am not playing with them in ways that will help them improve their motor development skills. I find it frustrating to air these concerns with friends and family because they try to tell me I'm wrong even though they don't have any real data. Yes, the girls have improved a lot, but they are still behind where they should be. Pretending this isn't so just hurts the girls by potentially preventing them from getting the help they need.

The good news is that I received notice that Dylan is eligible for followup treatment at the Whitney Clinic at the CPMC at 6 months, 18 months, and 3 years adjusted age. She made the cutoff by 9 grams (1/3 of an ounce!) Charlotte did not make the cutoff but I hounded my insurance and they said she should be covered. This comes in September and I am very relieved to have people who know more than me evaluate them.

Now I'm sure I have made it sound like they are just lying around doing nothing. This is NOT true. (I swear God sends me little messages every once in a while to remind me how lucky I am. Saturday I was in Real Foods and someone came up to the girls and said that he was an identical twin. He clearly had Cerebal Palsy that he probably got as a result of delivery or prematurity). Dylan is flipping herself over every five minutes (she finally did something before her sister!) Charlotte doesn't stop talking. They love to grab toys and follow the windup ladybugs with their eyes. And they smile A LOT. Charlotte more so than Dylan (we call her the "smile slut" because she gives it up so easily), but Dylan has been smiling a ton in the last week. They laugh and giggle and love to stand up with help.

The other thing that is going on is that we are starting to sleep train them. I didn't necessarily want to do this now but the girls kinda backed me into it. They stopped feeding themselves to sleep but didn't know how to put themselves to sleep. It started taking 2 hours to get them to sleep, and I decided that it was worse to have them unhappy as I went from one to the other trying to get them down. So with the help of the wonderful Noelle Cochran we have been helping them learn to soothe themselves to sleep. Yes, this does involve some crying out but we would go in frequently to soothe them. Also, we haven't done it all at once..right now it is just morning nap and bedtime. It has been tough but in less than a week things have gotten MUCH better. Now, here's the downer...they are back to getting up twce in the middle of the night. I think this will right itself in the next week...I really HOPE. I will eventually get them to sleep through the night, but my pediatrician recommends I let them feed once a night until 9 months...maybe even 9 months adjusted age!!!! I have to admit, I was a little surprised (MacKenzie is thinking "you need to get yourself a new pediatrician" right about now). Anyway, they are tiny little munchkins, and I'm hoping that a schedule and solid food will make them eat less and less until it will be clear that it is just a habit and I can get rid of it. But for now I'm left to dream about 8 hours of uninterruped sleep.

I will say that it is very nice to have the girls actually asleep by 6:30/7 because it actually gives me some personal time before bed. We are watching Entourage right now, the ONLY good show on tv right now (can you believe that Rebecca Mall dated Ari?)

Whew, that was a LOT of writing. Info overload maybe...consider it therapy...since I should be in Hawaii right now sipping an Andy Price drink but we had to move the trip for Andrew's work...and then the deal didn't happen!!! So its beer and Entourage instead.

I'll post a bunch of pics soon...