I was watching the news on KTLA a couple of weeks ago, when I came across an interesting segment that caught my attention!

A new class called Sling and Dance, a unique workout for new moms. Your baby actually becomes your workout partner, so you not only get to bond with your baby, but also find the time to get a great workout during the day!

After watching the news, I knew I had to try this class out for myself.

Sling and Dance is very new and currently there is only one location in Orange County. With increasing demand, they are expecting to expand! The class I attended was at Granola Babies in Costa Mesa and currently is offered every Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Check Granola Babies for their complete class schedule.

Here is a little preview of a Sling and Dance class:

I have to say, Sling and Dance was awesome and my baby and I had an absolute blast! It not only felt wonderful to finally workout but I felt so good about myself after the class.

Yes, you will get a good burn! Doing squats and boogying down, with an extra 17 pounds on you, will definitely do the trick! My baby loved it!

Babies love movement and it appears to be very soothing to them. All of the babies in my class enjoyed the dancing and not a single one fussed.

I am definitely looking forward to this class again.  A great workout, bonding with your baby, meeting new moms, and getting out of the house…all in all, this class was a huge hit in my book!

Although this class may not be twin friendly, since it would be very hard to dance with two babies, let the baby who is not in the sling watch the class and switch the babies half way through. There is so much going on, that even the baby who is watching, will still have a good time!

All you need to join the class are your baby and your sling or carrier. Get ready to dance, laugh and bond… I know I sure did!

For more information on Sling and Dance or to sign up for a class, you can visit their website http://slinganddance.com.

When the girls were first born, I could not wait for them to reach the milestones, like smiling, rolling, and even walking. When I look at how far my girls have come in the past six and a half months, tears of joy come to my eyes because they are growing so much every day.

When I was little, my parents had my first baby shoe bronzed to preserve a memory. I wanted to find a special way to capture my little girls. My husband and I started talking about the possibility of making hand and footprint impressions and began to do a little research online.

Within a few days of talking about the baby impressions, I came across this post, Ceramic Baby Handprint + Footprint Plate Giveaway on the Tiny Orangesblog!

After doing a little more research, I was stoked, and called Elsie Holdridge, owner and ceramist of Precious Hand / Footprints, to book an appointment on November 5th!

Elsie was absolutely awesome! A true pleasure to work with and she worked so fast with the babies. We are so incredibly happy that we went to Precious Hand / Footprints!

We told her that we wanted three plates, one for us and two were Christmas presents. We were concerned that they may not be done before we left for our Christmas trip. Elsie made a special note on our order form and when they were ready on December 2, she not only called me, but sent me a picture text of one of the plates! Talk about, going above and beyond for customer service!

Precious Hand / Footprints has been in Orange County since 1991, over 20 years now. They will work with you to make sure you get exactly what you are looking for!

We had the girls impressions taken when they were four months old, but you can get them done as soon as you leave the hospital!

Impressions are done by appointment only.  Here is all the contact information you will need:

Precious Hand / Footprints
28362 Marguerite Pkwy., Suite #4
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
949 364-3659
www.PreciousHandFootPrints.com

Your babies will not be small forever, but their impressions will last a lifetime!

On Christmas Eve, Katelyn & Chelsea turned 6 months old! I cannot believe how fast time is flying by and how fast they are growing. At their 6 month checkup:

Chelsea:
Weight: 16 lbs 10 oz
Height: 26″

Katelyn:
Weight:  16 lbs 3 oz
Height 26.2″

I have a feeling they are going to be tall girls. We are always buying at least one size bigger in PJ’s, because their feet are too long!

They have reached some incredible mile stones!

The girls have learned to roll. Which was adorable at first, but now, they are rolling all over the place. I can still keep them contained, so I am still doing okay. Once the crawling and walking starts, lookout world.

Recently, they started holding their own bottle. The first time they did this, I was so excited, I almost cried. I cannot believe they do not need me to hold their bottle anymore. How did this happen so quickly?

Their babbles are adorable, and I swear they say “Momma.” One of their favorite toys is a cow that sings with moo’s, so they are most likely saying “Moo-ma,” but who cares, it is so cute, and I’ll take it!

We have branched into a variety of foods now. We have tried Oatmeal, Banana, Pears, Green Beans, Squash, Carrots, Sweet Potato, and a couple bites of Apple Sauce.  They love oatmeal, especially with banana or pear mixed in. Their second favorite food, Green Beans. All I can say is, Really? Green Beans? They did not get that from their Momma!

They are attempting to sit by themselves on the floor. Chelsea sat up by herself for a whole 15 seconds. I was so proud! Katelyn likes to kick off the floor, or so she always pushes herself backwards. I know, sitting, leads to crawling, which leads to walking, yet, somehow, I still encourage this every day!

We are experimenting with the training sippy cup, although the girls are not fond of it at all. They do like to play with it, eat, kick it, shake it, throw it, pretty much everything but drink out of it, but hey, baby steps are okay if you’re a baby.

All in all, the girls, and Mom and Dad are doing great! Every day is a new adventure and I am so fortunate to be able to work from home so I can watch them grow.

Since our lives may be a little more crazy, in an amazingly good way, I may be a little late on this but… I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season and Cheers to the New Years!

Upstairs

Nursery

This Christmas, my husband, the girls and I, traveled to Sisters, Oregon, to spend the holidays with my husband’s family. We were there December 18-27, and for two babies, that required a lot of strategic packing!

Thank goodness, my husband is the most organized traveler I know! Had we flown without him, there is a good chance we would all be in Missouri right now.

It all starts with the packing! Knowing that I could not fit a case of diapers in my suitcase, we planned ahead! Before leaving for Oregon, we placed an order on diapers.com to include diapers and overnight diapers! My mother-in-law also made a special trip to Target to pick up formula, bottle liners, food, wipes and essentials. Having big items already at our destination was definitely a lifesaver!

We ended up traveling with two checked suitcases. Keeping the number of checked suitcases to a minimum is key, since it costs $20 / bag on Alaska Airlines.

Alaska Airlines has a rule that there can only be one lap infant in a row on an airplane. It has something to do with the number of oxygen masks that drop down. For most people, this rule does not affect them, but traveling with twins, it means, you have to break up your party. My husband would be in one row with one baby, and I would be in a row in front of him with the other baby.

Since we knew our hands were going to be full, (that is an understatement) our carry-on luggage was restricted to two backpacks. Each back pack was equipped with entertainment (iPad/Kindle Fire/Baby Toys), burp cloths, bibs, bottles, water, formula, diapers, wipes, sanitizer, and extra clothes – because you just never know!

The girls traveled in their car seats, which then sat in the double snap n go stroller. We pushed the “baby limo” all the way to the gate where we then checked it curbside and picked it up when we got off the plane.

We each had a Baby Bjorne carrier, and carried a baby in the Bjorne on and off the plane, to allow us to have our hands free.

We flew from Orange County, had a layover in Portland, and arrived at our final destination in Redmond, Oregon!

On one leg of our flight, a gentlemen sat down next to my husband and saw the baby. A smirk went across his face as he quietly slid into his window seat. As the plane touched down, and both babies had been extremely good with no fuss at all, my husband looked at the guy next to him and said, “I bet you were pretty worried when you sat down next to me, huh?” The guy replied, “Oh yah!” The baby just smiled at him.

I have to say, I am thoroughly impressed. The girls traveled extremely well. They even did a great job entertaining other travelers on the plane!

As amazing as they were, as little travelers, I still don’t think I’m ready to get on a plane again with them anytime soon. Let’s just count our blessings now!

We had a very Merry Christmas!!

Sampled is the key word, spit out is probably a more appropriate term! We are starting out with Gerber Oatmeal. It is a single grain cereal that you mix with formula, which is supposed to be a great starter cereal for babies.

Tuesday and Wednesday they tried the cereal for breakfast and dinner. Unfortunately, I really do not think ANY of it was actually consumed. I’m pretty sure all of it ended up on their face, arms, bibs, and hands. The girls were really more interested in eating their bibs then anything else. Each meal would lead to the girls screaming an ear piercing screech. I was beginning to wonder if they were going to be on a liquid diet for the rest of their lives.

This morning, we had a breakthrough! We tried some oatmeal for breakfast, and it was a hit! The girls actually ate a little bit of it and breakfast did not end with a screaming match! I was so proud! I know this is going to be a fun, but very messy adventure.

I recently purchased the Magic Baby Bullet and I am planning on making my own baby food. I think we are going to start out with some avocados. My husband jokes that I should grind up some chips too, so they can experience chips and dip, but I think we will have to wait until they dip the chip themselves!

Okay girls, I am ready, bring on the mess!

On November 4, 2010, we found out I was pregnant. It was going to be hard to keep this a secret for the next seven weeks.

On November 23, 2010, we headed to the doctor’s office for our first ultrasound appointment. I will never forget that day. That was the day we found out we were not just having one baby but were having twins.

We were excited, shocked, scared, and in awe. I can still hear the doctor telling us that he sees two hearts beating. I still remember my breath of air that was taken away, the tears of joy and fear forming in my eyes, the firm squeeze of my husband’s hand on mine, the big grin on the doctor’s face,  and the multitude of questions I initially had before the visit, that went unanswered.

My husband and I were in a complete state of shock and now had an even bigger secret to keep between us.  On the drive home, we really did not say much. There was so much to take in and our minds were racing faster then we could process.

Last Christmas, the news that we were not only pregnant, but having twins, spread like wildfire. 

Our lives were about to change forever and we could not be happier!

In March, we decided on names and Baby A and Baby B became Katelyn & Chelsea. This pregnancy was becoming a reality.

By the end of my pregnancy, I was huge, exhausted, in pain, and ready for these babies to arrive!

On June 24th, our little angels decided it was time to make their debut and an unplanned c-section was scheduled a few hours after my routine check-up.

As I sit here today and look at the last year, I cannot believe everything that has happened. On Thanksgving Day, my girls will be 5 months old. It is amazing how fast they are growing and how much they are learning every day.

This past year has been an incredible ride, full of emotions, and this Thanksgiving, as my husband and I sit down with our new family and stare at our beautiful girls, we realize how incredibly fortunate we are, and how much we have been blessed.

As I sit here right now and write, my girls are napping in their cribs, and tears of joy are flowing down my face. I am so overwhelmed with happiness and love my girls so much. This year, we have a lot to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

For the past couple of months, I have made plans to meet up with new moms (of singles and multiples) and the question is always asked, “What time do your babies eat and what time do your babies nap?” The question is always posed so we can figure out what time to meet up, preferably after a feeding.

I realized, I could not answer this question and felt like I was one of the only moms who really had no idea. Every day was different. Some days the girls were eating around the same time, but usually not. Naps were often at opposite times, feedings were sometimes 30-60 minutes apart and I was never getting a break.

After talking with several new moms, and three new moms of twins, I realized, I was making my life a lot more stressful and did not even realize it.

It was time to at least get one thing in order, feedings. Before Thursday evening, feedings were all over the place. Sometimes the girls would cry an hour after they just ate, only to eat one more ounce. It was chaotic and I was feeding babies around the clock and it was non-stop. I was always exhausted.

After four months, I saw the light and this Momma has a new plan, which surprisingly has been a fairly easy adjustment for the girls. It all started Thursday night with a 6 p.m. bath, 6:30 p.m. feeding, and 7:00 p.m. bedtime.

Normally, the girls wake up twice at night, but something must’ve been in the bath water Thursday night because they only woke up once!

Friday morning came. My husband left for work at 6a.m. and today was the true test to see if I could get my life on schedule. Miraculously, both girls woke up at 6:30 a.m. and so it began, the first feeding. My day went like this:

Feedings:
6:30 a.m.
9:30 a.m.
12:30 p.m.
3:30 p.m.
     <6:00 p.m. BATH>
6:30 p.m.
     <7:00 p.m. BED>
One nighttime feeding (between 1 a.m.-4 a.m.) 

Having both girls eat at the same time was outstanding. Coincidentally, it led into napping at the same time, which meant, Mommy got a break. We followed the schedule again today and it was a success!

I used to be extremely stressed out running errands because it seemed like someone was always hungry. I never knew what a good time was to meet a friend because one girl was eating and one was sleeping. I feel like I was missing out on a lot of things because I was worried about leaving the house.

Now, this schedule has helped me get my life back.  It is so great knowing exactly what time the babies will eat and that I could plan my day around it. I was finally in charge again… okay, I am in charge for the first time! How could it take me four months to start this?

Special thank you to my new friend, Erin, mother of beautiful 5 month old twin girls, for showing me the light. I can finally say, “Yes, 10 a.m. sounds like a great time to meet up for coffee!”

Right now, my focus is on the feeding schedule, next we will work on consistent napping, and then we will focus on eliminating the night time feeding. Hello world… this Momma is back!

In my head I have always had a vision of the mother I was going to be to my children. I was always going to be the mom who was well put together, but I never realized there would be times where my ultimate goal would be to not fall apart.

No, I am not perfect and I think being a mother makes me even more aware of my imperfections. Sometimes, I am not the mother I always dreamed I would be, but there is one thing that will always be the same, I love my kids more than this world and I will do absolutely anything for them.

I know I am really hard on myself and my husband is constantly reminding me that I am. He tells me every day that I am an amazing mommy, but then there are times when I just want to curl up in a ball and cry. There are times that I get incredibly frustrated and in turn that makes me feel horrible. I have two beautiful children, how can I possibly get so upset?

Perfect? Not even close. Before you become a parent, it is incredibly easy to look at someone else’s parenting skills and critique them or judge them. I am guilty of this and it is not until you have your own children that you truly understand, just how hard being a mother really is.

The majority of every day, it is just me and the girls. I am already outnumbered. In raising twins, I have had to figure out a lot of things – feeding at the same time, what to do when they both are crying, carrying two at a time, running errands, and the list goes on.

There are things that I do that works for us and things I swore I would never do with my own kids. Yes, my girls have watched television. I know kids are not supposed to watch any television before they are two, but there are times, I need to take a shower, get some work done,  or even get a breath of air. The majority of the time it is Baby Einstein and that makes me feel a little less guilty but there are other times they catch what the adults are watching.

The girls are not on a daily schedule. I have an approximation of when they will nap or eat, but they really run the show, not me. They eat when they are hungry; they nap when they are sleepy. I still do not have a solid bed time routine. I know it is important to implement this as soon as possible but every night is a little bit different. They do go down pretty good, so I guess I am doing okay. With two babies, I am still figuring things out.

America is on a “back” to sleep campaign and we are told that babies should never sleep on their tummies, and I totally understand this reasoning. However, It is simply a fact, my girls sleep better on their tummies, so we started out letting them nap on their stomachs when we were sitting right next to them. Now, they are sleeping longer and have already starting to be mobile by “skooching.”

Babies should never sleep in your bed because it is dangerous. I guess I broke that rule again and again. If one of my babies is having a hard time falling asleep and it means no one is going to get sleep, she is coming to bed with me. After the 5:30 a.m. feeding, my husband gets ready for work. Often, I bring both girls to bed and we snuggle for another hour before we get up.

When one of my babies was very constipated and in pain, I gave her an ounce of prune juice diluted with water. I am told that babies are not supposed to have juice so young and I tore myself up debating on if it was the right thing to do. It was only one ounce of juice and it worked. My baby felt better and I felt like I did the right thing for us.

I always thought I was going to breast feed. I took all of the classes and was as prepared as I could be. Unfortunately, my girls were not as prepared. I went to multiple lactation consultations and my girls were simply not latching. I was stressed out and crying every single day. I felt like a failure. For the first couple weeks, I pumped every 2 hours just so I could feed my girls and it finally got to be too much. I was emotionally breaking down every day and making myself sick. Finally, I decided it was okay if they were formula fed and  honestly, it was the best decision for us.

No, I am not a perfect mother and yes I have guilt for doing some of the things that you are not supposed to do. When it is just the three of us, there are naturally going to be some days that are harder than others and I have to kick it up to twin survival mode.

I know some will judge me because I used to be one of those people but I know that I am doing everything I can to keep us ALL happy and healthy and that includes a healthy Mama!

So, I am not perfect but I  am doing the best that I can and taking it day by day. I truly believe being a mother is the hardest job in the world but definitely the most rewarding. Every day my girls are learning something new and it is amazing to watch them grow. I feel so blessed to have two beautiful, healthy, happy girls.

We met up with two of our best friends and an amazing couple, who also left their kids for a 24 hour celebration! We headed to Morongo Resort & Casino in Cabazon, CA,  for the night.

When we left the house, I was so excited. I am never alone with my husband and I could not wait to have a getaway with him!!

We arrived at the resort, and when we told them this was our first night away from our girls (twins, 3.5 months) they gladly upgraded us to a nicer room at no charge!

It was time to pack as much fun into the day as we could! So first thing to check off our list was jump into our bathing suits, grab a drink at the pool bar and sit and float around the lazy river.

We had to keep our day jam-packed! My amazing husband arranged for a spa appointment for my best friend and I, so after many laps around the river, my friend and I headed to the spa for a 50 minute Swedish massage – it was phenomenal! A massage, dip in the Jacuzzi, time in the sauna and a cool shower, and it was time to meet back up with the boys.

We met for a drink at the casino bar and headed to the room to change for an extravagant dinner on the roof. I got to wear heals and a little black dress! I broke out of my “Mommy” lounge clothes and had a chance to be me and it felt great!

The night carried on with a fabulous dinner, gambling at the black jack table, watching people dance at the night club, and finally calling it a night.

I don’t think I slept a wink that night! I missed my girls so much and was laying in bed staring at the clock. Finally at 7am, I looked at my
husband, jumped out of bed and was ready to go! We grabbed some breakfast, hit one last blackjack table, stopped at one outlet store and headed home to see my girls.

A night away with my husband was definitely needed and the girls were in amazing hands with their Grandma.

I realized how much my life has changed, and as stressed out as I get sometimes being with the twins all day, there is no place I would rather be, then home.