Pics and Why I love cloth diapers- The Poo Chronicles #1

Things are going well around here.  The city had their big trash day.  We don't have a dump around, so we were waiting for this city wide dumping opportunity.  Cody took like 6 pickup loads of trash, mostly construction debris, in to throw out.  we finally have space in our 2.. yes 2 garages.  At one point both garages were so full, we wouldn't have been able to pull the cars in if there was a storm.  Anyway, it is so nice to be rid of that.

Here is another round of pictures in the same outfits and same poses.  I do what I can.

I'm also going to throw in some of the reasons I love cloth diapering.  I've kept my hippie ways off the blog because some people judge hippies... but today I have lessons that are important to share.  There are definitely more reasons I love it than I've listed, but we can save that for another day.

Why I love cloth diapers- Reason 1: It can be cheaper.   There is a surprisingly booming used diaper market. You can easily sell used for 50% or more of your cost new.  We are sticking with new but will probably sell our stash when we are done.

Why I love cloth diapers- Reason 2: So cute

Baby hand. You can see my hand is  so dry I bleed.

Cody's mom got them these outfits and wanted a picture of them together.  (Edit: turns out Cody may have made up this request.  silly Cody.  either way... I got a few good pics out of it.)  I don't know how many of you have tried to take a picture of 2 very spit uppy babies together, but it is nearly impossible to get a good shot.  If one looks good the other is making a ridiculous face.  If one is doing something funny, the other one has a bunch of milk shooting out of his mouth... Their clothes get gooey and they start crying because they are too close together.  Anyway... .this is the best I could do.  Thanks for the cute onesies!

This one is also of them in their new onesies.  It is my new favorite shot of them.  I wish I had gotten a little more of Ben (on the left), but I love it.

The first thing Cody bought after finding out we were having twins was matching KSU onesies.  He got them in size 6 months because he thought we would have plenty of time for the boys to wear them.  He was wrong.  I finally broke them out today (it has been way too cold for just onesies) and they are the perfect size now but not for long.

Ben

Ben was laughing at how horrible I am at singing.  At least my babies appreciate my music.

Ben

Alex.  Why I love cloth diapers- Reason 3:  Look how colorful!  Sometimes they coordinate with their outfits.  Sometimes I'm happy to find any clean diaper.

This shot was also a victim of 2 baby photography.  There are some where Alex looks super cute, but Ben is spitting up hugely.  In some, Ben is making a cute face but Alex is having trouble keeping his head up.  I like this one of both well enough.

Ben was getting a little bit tired of being posed.  Alex was singing with me and banging his rattle on things.

I picked this one just because they are holding hands.  This was the last picture I took.  Ben was completely done with picture time. 

Why I love cloth diapers- Reason 4:  Superior blowout protection.  We've never had a blowout in a cloth diaper.  We've had some doosies when the boys were wearing disposables.  There is elastic around the top of cloth that keep even forceful events inside.  Disposables rely on loosely taping around to the front.  Alex had a blowout so awesome that poo made it to his arm.  Yes... his arm.  I used very fancy stars to cover up the actual poo.... because I already feel like that mom just posting this picture.  I think this is a valuable lesson to all those moms out there trying to decide if cloth diapering is the way to go.  It can be less expensive, it is cute and colorful, and it stops poo from shooting out of the arm holes of baby clothes. 

You're welcome.

Updates

Cody brought the plague back into our house.  He got sick for a few days and then I was sick for a few days.  Amazingly, the boys have not gotten sick yet.  I hope it stays that way.  They either have awesome immune systems or we do a REALLY good job washing our hands and stuff when we're sick. 

The boys are doing really well.  We missed their 4 month appointment because we were sick, but I'll reschedule it soon.  Alex is over 14 lbs and Ben is probably getting pretty close to 14 lbs.  They now smile a lot and giggle a lot.  I'll sometimes get a giggle for no reason.  Those are the best. 

I haven't had much time to update, or to take pictures much less post them.  Here are a few.  I might add some more to this post later.  It takes an insanely long time to upload pictures because of our pitiful internet speed out here in the middle of nowhere. 

Alex

They are all pretty much the same, and he has the same big globs of slobber... but I think they are adorable. 

 

This one was taken a few weeks ago.  He may have grown a lot since then.

 

Here is a picture of the time I let him play with a peanut wrapper.  Like a good mom married to a man that deals with programs to monitor allergens in food going to school kids.

 

 

 

 

 

Ben

 

 

Here is a video.  I'm not sure how this works.  I haven't posted one this way before.  Just click on the play button.  (I didn't check this video before I posted it. I thought it was one of him giggling.  I watched it after I posted, and I think it is just awesome enough to keep up. Babies are awesome. Enjoy!)

 

 

Cody's mom asked us if we wanted chairs like these.  I looked at my insane amount of baby crap, and said thanks but we'll probably be okay without one.  Well, I decided to break down and get one.  The boys need some time off the back of their heads. They look super cute sitting in it.  Their bellies are not quite ready to be squished into sitting though.  We've gotten some pretty impressive amounts of spitup if we let one sit there too long.

 

He got stuck in a cup.  They aren't great at sitting yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'll try to see if I have more pictures or video later.  Cody has just been hassling me about putting more pictures up.  I'm not sure why.  He can look at the pictures anytime here, but it is not the same.

 

We'll probably be planning trips in to KC and Lincoln soonish.  We were waiting for rainy weekends, but it seems to only rain on week days.

 

 

Pics and Updates

I think they may be starting teething.  They have a lot of drool, they chew on their hands, and they are getting pretty crabby.

 

Ben started doing this first.  Alex started it about 3 days later.  They put their thumb and pointer finger in their mouth.  Cute and sloppy.

 

 

 

Alex with a lot of drool

 

Baby feet!!  Alex in gray Ben in blue

 

 

Alex smiling.  Catching him smiling on camera is like getting a snapshot of the Loch Ness Monster. 

 

 

They still do not do well with tummy time on the floor.  When they try to pick up their giant head their little legs lift up off the floor instead.  So I've been trying to find other places to help them get the same exercises only with a little bit better leverage.  Here are pictures of them using the foot end of a rock and play.  It was actually quite handy.

 

Alex. He got a little too comfortable and quit exercising.

 

He started off doing much better.

 

Ben enjoying his time.  You can see how sloppy the top of his outfit is from spitup and drool.  I swear I keep them clean.  They just get things gooey faster than I can clean them up.

 

It wasn't all smiles for Ben.  I think this picture is hilarious.

 

Alex's arm is getting so chubby!  I know he is still really small compared to other babies, but these guys were just 4 pounds when they were born.  They've more than tripled their size.

 

 

Ben wearing a gift from Cody's mom.  I still haven't figured out what we call our parents/their grandparents.

 

Things are going well.  I haven't had time to update because they have been a handful.  They are great it is just exhausting.

 

They are officially sleeping through the night.  They will sleep 8-9 hours reliably now. 

 

I got my first giggle from Ben.  It happened so fast I didn't really register what was happening, and he hasn't done it again.  Cody did hear it though.  I can't wait until they start giggling.  It was so cute.

 

Alex was crying on the couch one morning so I grabbed a granola bar wrapper Cody had left before work.  I figured it was shiny and crinkly maybe it would entertain him.  It worked like a charm.  He grabbed it with his hands and put it in his mouth.  That's when I saw that it was a peanut flavored granola bar.  Oops.  I guess he doesn't have a peanut allergy.

 

15 Weeks!!

Weight: Alex: 12.5ish lbs.  Ben: 12ish lbs

New developments:  There have been quite a few developments in the last few weeks.  I'll just combine babies because they literally do everything within hours of each other.

We have LOTS of smiles and LOTS of long coo conversations.  They will sit and chat with you for quite a while if you catch them in the right mood.  Here is a short video of Alex telling me a story one day:

They are sleeping through the night!!  It is so fantastic I can't even up it into words.  They sleep 6-7 hours without problem.  They might sleep longer if we let them, but we don't want them to go too long without eating.  I love sleeping.

They are getting a lot bigger.  They went from being in the 0 percentile (meaning out of 100 babies our babies would be the smallest) to being somewhere on the charts (greater than 5th percentile).  They haven't had an official weigh in, but I'll update that after their 4 month appointment.

What he is wearing:  Same as before.  The 0-3 stuff is getting a little short but still fits.  The 3-6 stuff is a little too big still.

Alex.  He really doesn't like smiling when the camera comes out.

Ben on left Alex on right.  Looking at the flashing lights on their activity mat.

Ben on left Alex on right

Ben.  

Ben on the left Alex on the right

14? Weeks!!

Alex

Weight:  11ish lbs

New developments: I could probably just do one of these sets of answers for both babies.  They do a lot of things at about the same time.  There have been some big developments in the last few weeks.  They hold their heads up for long periods unassisted and look around.  They make good eye contact.  We've got lots of smiles that don't just signal throwing up.  They have gone from making a few little coos to having long coo conversations with us.  They are really good at bouncing on their legs and holding themselves up with their legs.  They are getting huge and growing out of their 0-3 month sleep and plays.  They are working on batting at objects.  We seem to be a long way from rolling over.  Neither of them have made even small movements to show they care to roll over.


What he is wearing: The 0-3 month sleep and plays (pretty much all they wear) are starting to get too short!  That was a really short amount of time in that size it seems.  Some of them still fit fine, but I'm going to have to start buying some sleep and plays in the next size up.  Very exciting.  I got some more diapers in the next size up.  It is oddly exciting to get new diapers. 

Favorite memory of the week: I'm loving the smiling and the cooing.  It is much more rewarding to feed a baby in the middle of the night that at least seems happy to see you.

Least favorite memory of the week: After Cody got sick, the boys got sick.  It has been a miserable few weeks here at the Ruby house.  It was rough dealing with the babies getting sick for the first time.  They can't have any medicine, so there really isn't much we could do.  We just set them up to sleep right by the humidifier and spent a lot of time sucking out their nose.  We survived.


What we're looking forward to: I can't wait for the weather to get warmer so we can take the babies outside.  The winter trapped in the house has been very long and boring.

  Ben  

Weight: 11ish lbs

New developments: same as Alex


What he is wearing: Same as Alex.  He is not as long as Alex.  The 0-3 sleepers still fit him better, but he is getting there.

Favorite memory of the week: same as Alex


Least favorite memory of the week: same as Alex


What we're looking forward to: same

Eyelashes and Eyebrows!!!

They wouldn't calm down, so I stuck them together in the rock and play.  That seemed to do the trick.  I was too scared to leave them unattended like that though, so I had to stand there watching them.  Alex on the left, Ben on the right.

Snuggling

Sort of smile.  They haven't been cooperating when I get the camera out.  This is the closest I have to a smile on the camera.  It is like trying to catch Sasquatch.

Alex dancing in the rock and play

My grandma and grandpa sent matching outfits for the boys.  The boys don't usually have hoods or hats on, so I'm not sure how Alex felt about it. He looks a little confused.   He ended up falling asleep with the hood covering his eyes and nose.  It was pretty cute.



First Solo Outing!

We survived the first time out with me and the boys!  They had to get their (hopefully last!) Synagis shot on Wednesday. Since Cody missed work for me being sick and for him being sick, he couldn't come with us. 

We spent an hour on Tuesday night practicing with the double stroller.  That thing is big and complicated!  I had to learn: how to fold it and unfold it, how to get the car seats hooked on without being too traumatic for the baby inside the car seat, how to cram it in the trunk.  (It has to go in upside down, front first, and jammed sideways once it is halfway in), and how to get it out of the trunk.  (An error getting it out actually made me bleed!)  Once I thought I was fairly comfortable with everything, I quit yelling at Cody to help me more.

Practicing in the living room

The exciting day arrived.  I planned to get out of here at 2:15.  At 2:35 I had the boys in the car and was pulling out of the driveway.  I got to the hospital about 20 minutes early.  I got a fantastic parking space.  It was off to the side in a row of 3 cars (instead of the main parking garage spots) so I wasn't in the flow of traffic or on a slope. 

After I wrestled the stroller out of the trunk, I couldn't get it open!  In all of our trial runs, there is this one hook/snap thing that never engaged while I had the help of Cody to diagnose problems.  It took like 5 minutes, lots of cussing, and plenty of stroller scuff marks from rabid stroller flipping to try to solve the problem.  It ended up being in a really obvious and easy spot.  I felt like an idiot, but I was on my way again. I got the boys set up and started on my way to the elevator.  One of the front wheels had a lock on it that never engaged during trial runs.  I must say our trial runs weren't that effective.  Anyway, after I figured out how to fix the front wheel we were on our way.

The lady checking me in was coughing in her hand and then put wrist bands on the babies.  I found that funny since I was taking my babies to get $3000 shots to keep them from getting sick and they got coated in germs at check in.  I rubbed antibacterial hand stuff on them once we got to the waiting area.  The other parents looked at me like I was insane.

Our appointment was for 3:15.  The boys normally eat at 3.  I pushed their noon feeding back thinking I'd get until 4 or so to feed them.  That would work out great because I'd be pretty much  home to feed them.  Well, the clinic got behind and they finally called us back at 4.  The boys were going bananas wanting food.  The clinic schedules a lot of people with really short times so they are all business.  There was no time to feed them.  I put some formula in one bottle and let both of them suck off it when they were free from being poked.

I used a permanent marker to make onesies that say "Hi, I'm Alex" and "Hi, I'm Ben."  I did this because medical offices like to schedule the boys for two appointments but do them at the same time.  Two nurses come and start firing off questions and doing things.  When Cody is there, we can each take a baby and keep things straight.  I was worried they would get mixed up in the confusion with just me.  The first nurse looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Well their name is on their wristband already, I hope."  Whatever.  I was right.  The other nurse went through all the verification that it was Ben's shot and the correct dosage, and then she started prepping Alex for the shot!  The other nurse was like don't you see the giant Alex written across his belly?  It was the same dose for both boys and I had already noticed she had the wrong boy as well.  I just thought it was funny.  They cried a little after their shot, but they are used to getting poked and settled when I picked them up.

Their onesies:

On the way out, I had a greatest mommy in the world moment.  I was waiting for an elevator.  When one finally opened, this couple took forever trying to decide if they were going to get on or not.  They finally decided they were not because they wanted to go up not down.  The doors were closing.  My instinct was to push Ben in the way of the closing door.  Oops.  When the doors closed on his car seat, they opened back up.  And we were on our way.

I got everyone packed up and finally fed them around 5.

It wasn't bad.  There was no major crying and only some fussing.  If the trunk wasn't so small or the stroller so huge, it really would be no biggie at all.  I'm super glad to have the stroller though.

I'm still probably not brave enough to take them shopping alone.

11 Week Pics

Alex

Enjoying his bottle

1

Ben

Snuggled up against me

2

Both

I took a lot of these.  I put up a few of the better ones, but I will probably delete some later if I think about it.  I just couldn't decide which ones were best.  Alex is in grey and yellow and Ben is in Blue.

3

4

5

Sometimes both just need to be held.  20 lbs of baby is getting to be pretty big.

Please excuse the hair.  The boys were a little extra whiney so I didn't have time to bath or brush my hair.  I think it is funny how many blankets I have around me.  Part of that is because Cody is sick, so I have been sleeping on the couch.  The rest are protection from baby spew.

6

7

Alex on the left and Ben on the right. 

Sometimes they like to sleep close together.. and sometimes they don't.

8

9

10

11