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Stefanie Van Aken

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Stefanie Van Aken

Tag Archives: Twins

Twinners: The Other Mommy

22 Friday Jul 2011

Posted by Stefanie Van Aken (RSMLVTravel) in Archive It, Fun

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Tags

Multiples, Twins

I often find myself laughing inside when I notice how quickly I can go straight from “Mean Mommy” to my 7 and 5 year old, then turn to my sweet little angels and bestow a thousand kisses on them and tell them how much I love them.  With the age gap between the two sets of kids, it is almost as if I am two different mommies.

With my two older kids, I am fun loving, but also the disciplinarian.  A side of me the twins have yet to discover.  The only time I tell them “No!” is if one is pulling hair, scratching out his brother’s eyeballs, or stealing his bottle.  Other than that, they can have anything they want because they are so beautiful, and delicious, and adorable…they are my bubbas, and I am over the moon for them.

I think to myself, there is no way I will ever yell at them like I do their older siblings.  Then I laugh again, remembering that I once felt that way about them, too.  I ponder the thought of whether or not I will be like one of those parents who had their kids late in life, so they are more lackadaisical about raising them.  Then I am interrupted again by my little girl, who just adores her two baby brothers.  She jumps in the crib to sing them a lullaby as I kiss them good night, set up their humidifier and close the curtains.

Then I say to them softly, “It’s still me, we just haven’t gotten to know each other on that level yet.  One day we will, but for now, I’m enjoying the innocence of you being a baby because one day, soon, the wrath of Mommy will unleash on you, too.”

It’s kind of like owning a dog.  You know how they say owning a dog helps lower your blood pressure, makes you happy, and releases stress.  That’s what my babies are like for me.  It doesn’t matter what is happening around me, when I see those rosy cheeks, gummy smiles and chunky thighs, I just can’t help but to feel a calmness come over me.  I’m loving this time because I know it’s going to be over all too fast.

 

 

Feeding Twins

05 Tuesday Jul 2011

Posted by Stefanie Van Aken (RSMLVTravel) in Fun

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Feeding Multiples, How to Feed Twins, Multiples, Twins

My boys are 9 months old.  They are huge!  It’s actually the first comment out of anyone’s mouth when they see them.  They were big at birth and they continue to thrive and grow.  I was exclusively breast feeding them for the first three months, and even that didn’t slow them down.  Now they eat like crazy…whenever I have something on my plate, or in my hand, they want it, and if I don’t share it, they get angry!  I actually didn’t start feeding them food regularly until about a month ago.  I just felt like they didn’t need it, they were content with their bottles, and quite honestly, it’s a lot of work on my end to feed two babes at the same time.  So, selfishness aside, I decided it was time to start introducing them to food as a part of their regular routine.  I have the Beaba, which I have also talked about before.  I love making their food, and I’ve enrolled my nanny and husband in the act as well, and they seem to like it, too.  Now in addition to their bottles, they get fruit in the morning, veggies in the afternoon, and little finger snacks throughout the day.  I also put things in their little nets, like fruit, meat, things I would worry about them choking on, but I know they would enjoy.

People are always asking me how I do it.

How do I feed two at a time?  When they were first born, a friend of mine (also a RockStarMommy with twins) turned me on to these pillows: Got Bibs.  If these boys were my first, not sure if I would have gone down this path, but being more relaxed the third time around, I decided to give it a go.  I do want to say, that the best way to bottle feed your baby is to do it yourself, so there is constant supervision and care while the baby is eating.  With these pillows, you have to be even more on top of your game because when the babies are young, they don’t really know how to turn their heads or stop the flow of the bottle.  They may choke, or in my case, they may throw up an entire 8oz bottle all over you and your furniture and floor.  You still have to be cognisant in stopping to burp them, giving them small amounts at a time, and most of all, you don’t want to miss out on the nuturing and bonding you get when you are actually feeding your child…the skin to skin, the eye contact, all of those things are super important with newborns.  But having two at the same time, I have to say, these things were a lifesaver to me.

Got Bibs Feeding Pillows

When the babies first came home, we started them on a very strict feeding and sleeping schedule, which they adapted to quickly, and still follow today.  It has also made our lives SO much easier.  They are great eaters, great sleepers (started sleeping through the night at 3 months), and very laid-back personalities.  Someone asked me if I share their bottles, like would it matter if one got the other bottle on accident or purpose.  I was so grossed out at first.  Now, I don’t even care.  I feed them with the same spoon, if one finishes his bottle is still hungry and the other is done with half a bottle left, guess who gets the leftovers??  Not something I allow my older kids to do, but for some reason, I’m OK with it for the babies.  Maybe I need to rethink that, but you know what, it works for now, and why fix what’s not broke?

feeding_twins

I love my little guys so much!  We never intended on having two more, but we couldn’t imagine our lives without them.

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