They grow up so fast

So it's been over 5 weeks now since they were born. Last night was the first night where we did not have them sleep in our room in the craddle/bassinet. We wrapped them up snuggly in their sleep sacks and turned on the sleep sheep. We hooked up the baby monitor for the first time after testing it from downstairs. After it was all said and done - it went very well!

The usual waking every 2-3 hours, feeding both at the same time (tag team) and changing their endless poopy diapers did not change. We weren't disrupted much more than we usually are. It was really great overall.

So now they are sharing one crib and the second crib right beside them is a dedicated change station (as it was before). We also have one of those change pads that we use downstairs (those change pad covers suck!). So our dining room table is basically change station #1 and the second crib is change station #2.

We also have two playpens. One of them is setup downstairs in the kitchen/tv room. We use it during the day when they are not in someone's arms or in one of those vibrating chairs. The second playpen is kept in the van. We use it strictly for when we are visiting friends or going to the parents for dinner. I am sure that will change as they get older and we find a need for both playpens at the same time.

They are looking more alike each day. I am starting to get a bit confused at night. I often have to ask the wife which one she gave me to feed. Once I am awake I can tell, but at first glance it is getting a lot harder.

Up 1, sleep 2

Feed for an hour (tag team) and then sleep for two hours.

Rinse repeat.

1 month already

Lily is one month old as of today:

Rebecca is one month old as of tomorrow:

They are growing so fast!!!

Déjà Poo

The poo is never ending. Diapers are being used faster than you could ever imagine. At an average of 20 cents a pop, every diaper counts. We are coming up with new ways to change the babies each day. At least we don't have to deal with the pee pee tee pee's but still the clothes are getting soiled at an alarming rate. Having a lot of spares around is key. The worst is when you go to do something and you have run out of "x". You have to stop what you are doing and leave a crying screaming baby while you open up the next costco size box of wipes and deal with plastic wrap that makes you want to join in the scream-a-thon.

The rewards are also never ending. The looks you get, the tiny smiles they unknowingly make. The cuddles and kisses they give out even though its only because its been an hour since their last meal. They attack those nipples like it is the last supper. It is pretty amazing to watch. The growth is daily as they continue to pack on the pounds at a progressive rate. The wife drops them just as fast. In fact, she is basically back to her starting weight. Which is amazing. She rocks.

Photo Shoot #1

My buddy Evan is a hobbyist photographer. Knowing this, I set up a time with him last week to take some pictures at his loft in downtown Vancouver. It was a lot of fun and the 300+ photo's turned into 42 beauties.

Click here and enjoy!

Lily on the left, Rebecca on the right

A picture of them sleeping at home 5 days later.

I think it was the third night we were in the hospital when we decided that, whenever possible, we would place Lily on the left and Rebecca on the right so that visitors and friends would always know who was who.

From there, it just stuck and seemed like the obvious move.

The first night they both spent it in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). We were allowed to visit them and hold them, but they were hooked up to baby monitors that measured their heartbeats and the number of breaths they took per minute etc.

They sat there in their incubators and held the positions they were most familiar with in the womb. Lily was on her back, curled up in a ball and Rebecca was on her stomach in a similar position. They weren't together, in fact if they could see they wouldn't even be able to make eye contact. But you just had a feeling that they knew they were close enough to each other to share some whatever it was they were sharing before they entered this world. Brain waves? LOL

The labour itself was an event. We showed up on Tuesday at 9am and by 9pm the wife was hooked up and having regular contractions about 2 minutes apart. The doctor had broke her water manually about 2 hours prior and we were regularily enjoying the laughing gas together. I didn't get much out of it, but Mom really did love it in the end. That, combined with the epidural made for a somewhat pain free experience. Albeit very temporary. At 11:15 we were moved into the operating room. This was precautionary in case there were any complications and an emergency c-section was to be had.

By 11:30pm I knew there was a real chance that they would be born on seperate days. By the time it was 11:45 we knew it was only a matter of minutes before Baby A would be born. The room was filled with 15 doctors and nurses and everyone was buzzing with the thought of seperate birthdays. All of the sudden the doctor realized that the cord was around Lily's neck! She took quick action and applied the vaccuum to Lily's little fragile skull and gently pulled her into the cold welcoming air. We realized at that exact moment that we were having twin girls. It was such an amazing sight, I have chills as I type.

They wisked Lily off and three doctors took care of her. In between pushes and contractions we glanced over to make sure everything was ok. It was. She was a bit white in color but the doctors did their thing and eventually Lily was moved to the NICU.

By this time we were already into Wednesday morning and it was official. The girls had seperate birthdays. An odd feat, but one that was not overshadowing the real goal of the evening which was - two healthy babies. 15 minutes passed and Rebecca was born!

We couldn't have asked for a more successful delivery. Two healthy babies born naturally and Mom recovering with minimal damage. The fact that they were born on different days is kinda cool, sure. But the most important thing was that all three of my ladies came out of it happy and healthy. I love them so much.