Bringing up Allie

I can't believe that Charlie Ann and Raymond are just about 2 months old already. That really went fast.

Things have been going pretty good for the most part. I feel like I'm used to having to do two of everything now. It's pretty much normal. There still are (and I'm sure, always will be) days where I can get overwhelmed. Days where I put Allie in one of the bedrooms so she doesn't have to hear the crying and I go outside for a bit. Some days I just need that 5 minutes to myself just to sit in silence. It sounds awful but if I were to jump to their every whimper and not them cry it out sometimes, I would go nuts.

I'm still getting the hang of some things. Like shopping. Shopping is one of those things I need to work on. Especially with nursing them. It's easy with one baby, I whip out a boob and we're good to go. With two I can't do that. I have to go to the car and try to feed both of them at the same time. It's near impossible nursing two babies at the same time in a car. I've been trying to do most of my shopping in the morning right after breakfast because they're still pretty sleepy and most of the time I can get the whole trip done with neither of them waking up. Shopping in the afternoons is usually a no go. That's the time where they are awake the most and they don't, especially Charlie, like hanging out in the car seat. Grocery shopping with three kids is obnoxious though. I usually have Allie walking with me, while the twins are in one cart and the groceries in another. I laugh thinking about what other people think when they see me.

I so happy we're still in the condo though. I want to move into a house eventually, but for right now, I'm happy I don't have a huge space that I need to keep clean while trying to get used to having not one but three kids to raise. I've done a really good job at sticking with my cleaning schedule and not over doing it. When I actually stick my schedule and do what needs to be done that day, I find that I don't get overwhelmed by an all of a sudden filthy house that I feel needs to be cleaned all in one day.

So anyway, about these babies...

Raymond:

•  He's the fussier one, but we (I think) just figured out what's been upsetting him. He's just like Allie was and has a sensitive stomach. I narrowed it down to a couple things that I know upset his stomach. He's always fussy after I eat any fast food or garlic. I love garlic so this is quite sad, but I'd rather have a happy baby so I'll just deal with it. 
• He is a very strong little boy. He's holding his head up great now.
• He loves tummy time. He'll lay there forever, just hanging out, checking out the world.
• Allie was the only one he would smile at for a while but just yesterday he smiled at me and my dad for the first time.
• His eyes turned blue and he still has his blonde hair.
• He loves to eat and has gained a ton of weight. I weighed him last week and he's already over 11lbs. And the rate he's growing, I'll have to move him up to six month clothing soon.
• He's a chunky little boy and it's the cutest. He has the most adorable fat rolls all over. And his cheeks, his cheeks melt my heart. 
• Raymond is a lover so far. He loves to be held and eats and sleeps best when he's by Charlie Ann.
• He likes the swing and loves to be swaddles. This kid has to be warm or he gets pissed. 
• So far his nick names are: Pork, Porker, Chunk, Rain Man, Handsome, and Moose

Charlie Ann:

• Our Charlie is a very independent little girl. She could care less if she's being held, on the floor, in the swing. She's, for the most part, happy anywhere. 
• She farts as loud as a man would and smells just as bad too.
• She's a lot smaller that Raymond is, only weighing in at about 8 and a half lbs. She's got scrawny little legs and arms. And just has this petite look to her.  
• She loves laying on the floor on her back. She really likes to just hang out and stare at the world.
• She has blue eyes now and still has her brown hair. It seems to be getting lighter though, so we'll see if she ends up a blonde or not. 
• She smiles at anyone who will talk to her. She loves watching your different facial expressions and even started cooing back when you talk to her. 
• She doesn't really like being held for along time. She'll hang out for a bit hen gets too warm or something and wants to be away from you. 
• She finally came around to the swing and likes it. She;s not a huge fan of a swaddle, but is getting used to it. 
• Her nick names so far are: Sweetie, Peanut, Baby Doll, and Chardee

Both of them are doing pretty good at night now. I kind of started getting a routine down this past week. They've been sleeping for longer stretches now that I'm wrapping them at night. I'll usually wrap them up for the night around 8ish, I'll feed them right after and they usually pass out for a good 5 or 6 hours. Then they're up at about 2:30 , 6ish, and then about 9. I'll unwrap them about 9 so they're up and moving throughout the day. Our little night time routine seems to be getting me a little more sleep. I'll get a decent amount of sleep just as long as I get Allie and myself in bed by 9. 

We've been really lucky so far, we're three months in and I haven't really had to by diapers yet. I bought one package of newborns for Charlie because she wasn't quite ready for size 1s yet and I bought about 600 diapers from a lady on one of those Buy/Sell/Trade sites for $20. Other than that, nothing. And I still have about 15 boxes left. I'm glad I stocked up the way I did. 

I also haven't had to buy formula. They're nursing really good so we don't use it unless someone is watching them for me. I stocked up a ton of that too so in a couple months when I do switch to formula, I'll probably have a couple months worth.

So far these babies have been pretty cheap. Other than some clothes, wipes, new bath seats and gripe water, we really haven't had to spend much money. I shouldn't get too excited about that though, the older they get, the more expensive they get.

We've been pretty lucky with the way things have been going. Like I said before, there are some really overwhelming days, but for the most part, we have pretty easy twins (knock on wood!). These babies are amazing and I already can't picture our lives without them. It's just going to get funner and funner the older they get.