8½ MONTHS - 17 March 2011
I'M A HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE MOTHER!!!!! We went out to meet Albert's friend from Germany and his wife and daughter. It was a wonderful day, the first really sunny and warm day this year. We left home around 11 and spent most of the day outside, first at the park where the girls got to swing, Laia got to walk around a bit holding my hands, and everybody was enjoying themselves. We went to a café to have something to eat and drink, it was still too early for the girls' solids, so they had banana, cookies, bread and milk. When it was actually time for their solids, it was quite inconvenient - there was a 5-year old who was had to think of as well, so we skipped Liva and Laia's solids. By about 15:00 they started getting cranky, we took them out of the stroller a bit, carried them instead of pushing them, we knew they were tired but there was so much going on they wouldn't sleep. Eventually by 15:30 I said I was going to take them home, I felt bad keeping them out like that. We agreed to all just call it a day, and around 16:00 Albert, Liva, Laia and I arrived at home. When I took Laia out of the stroller, she was all wet. Suddenly I remembered, they hadn't been changed since 10:30 this morning. We quickly got all their clothes off, I did Laia while Albert did Liva. Besides being wet on her pants and having her diaper full, Laia was OK. But Liva, poor, poor Liva! She was full of poop all the way up to her neck! Albert can't handle poop, so when he realized, I took over and he took care of Laia. I carried Liva in nothing but her diaper - and poop all over - into the bathroom, put her in the shower while I got the tub ready for her. She sat there, small, cold, chubby, in her diaper, covered in poop, shivering. I will never forget that image. Poor little baby!!! She was better after her bath, but I've learned my lesson - I will never forget to change my girls ever again!
8 MONTHS + 2 WEEKS - 15 March 2011
My parents have just been here for four days, and it's been wonderful! They left this morning, it's always difficult to say goodbye, especially when we don't know when we'll see each other again. It's not really difficult for me to say goodbye, we haven't lived in the same country since I moved away from home at 18. But I feel sad for the girls, having their grandparents here 24 hours a day, then suddenly they're not here anymore. The girls were taking their morning nap when my parents left, when they woke up I brought them into the living room. As we were going there, I explained that Mormor & Morfar had left, though I was pretty sure they had no idea what I was saying. I brought Liva in first, she looked towards the couch all ready to smile when we entered the living room. When she realized it was empty, she looked up at me, back to the couch, and back to me. I explained again that Mormor & Morfar had gone home, but that we'll see them again in a couple of months. I put her on the floor to play and went to get Laia. I explained the situation to her as well, but when we entered the living room she looked at the couch, quickly turned her head towards the dining table, back to the couch, then up at me. It's been a really grey, rainy day today, and impossible to leave the house with Liva & Laia, making them even more cranky - on top of having had three adults around them for the past four days, they were stuck in the apartment with only mommy...
At one point I had had enough and decided to take them out, rain or not. I got them all ready, shoes on, jackets on, stroller wrapped in plastic, food ready to take along, umbrellas, etc. We get to the elevator, I push the button and..... nothing..... I am SO fed up with this elevator!!! Girls back inside, shoes off, jackets off, back on the living room floor. Girls whining, mom going crazy. Lunch. Laia cranky, would hardly eat. Bed. Both girls go straight to sleep. I watch TV for a while, then decide to take a nap as well - my parents being here means going to bed quite late, but still waking up with the girls, who decided to wake up at 6 at the latest every morning the past 4 mornings. It was 14:55 when I lay down for my nap, at 15:05 I woke up because Liva was awake, crying. Great! After a few minutes I went to get her, by then Laia was also awake, crying. Luckily I could hear the elevator was working again; shoes back on, jackets back on, plastic on stroller, food ready, and off we went. We went to the mall, there's a play area which Liva and Laia love. We spent about 20 minutes there, they had a yoghurt, we walked around a bit, and about 1½ hours later we were back home, Liva and Laia in a great mood!! Shortly after I prepared dinner, we were fooling around while eating and Liva laughed more than I have ever seen her laugh. Laia laughed loads as well, but Liva was completely out of it. It was wonderful, a great end to a pretty difficult day! Albert came home while I was getting them ready for bed, he took over and I went to teach. I've just done some work for my meeting tomorrow, now it's off to bed. Albert has vacation the rest of the week, one of his friends from Germany is coming tomorrow with his wife and daughter, we're looking forward to that. They'll be staying at a hotel, but hopefully we'll see them loads. Heather is coming tomorrow morning, I had forgotten Albert wasn't working this week, and we want to give her hours to make sure we don't lose her! I'm sure Liva and Laia will be happy to see her, and they'll have fun with Albert's friend's daughter, they like being around other children.
At one point I had had enough and decided to take them out, rain or not. I got them all ready, shoes on, jackets on, stroller wrapped in plastic, food ready to take along, umbrellas, etc. We get to the elevator, I push the button and..... nothing..... I am SO fed up with this elevator!!! Girls back inside, shoes off, jackets off, back on the living room floor. Girls whining, mom going crazy. Lunch. Laia cranky, would hardly eat. Bed. Both girls go straight to sleep. I watch TV for a while, then decide to take a nap as well - my parents being here means going to bed quite late, but still waking up with the girls, who decided to wake up at 6 at the latest every morning the past 4 mornings. It was 14:55 when I lay down for my nap, at 15:05 I woke up because Liva was awake, crying. Great! After a few minutes I went to get her, by then Laia was also awake, crying. Luckily I could hear the elevator was working again; shoes back on, jackets back on, plastic on stroller, food ready, and off we went. We went to the mall, there's a play area which Liva and Laia love. We spent about 20 minutes there, they had a yoghurt, we walked around a bit, and about 1½ hours later we were back home, Liva and Laia in a great mood!! Shortly after I prepared dinner, we were fooling around while eating and Liva laughed more than I have ever seen her laugh. Laia laughed loads as well, but Liva was completely out of it. It was wonderful, a great end to a pretty difficult day! Albert came home while I was getting them ready for bed, he took over and I went to teach. I've just done some work for my meeting tomorrow, now it's off to bed. Albert has vacation the rest of the week, one of his friends from Germany is coming tomorrow with his wife and daughter, we're looking forward to that. They'll be staying at a hotel, but hopefully we'll see them loads. Heather is coming tomorrow morning, I had forgotten Albert wasn't working this week, and we want to give her hours to make sure we don't lose her! I'm sure Liva and Laia will be happy to see her, and they'll have fun with Albert's friend's daughter, they like being around other children.
8 MONTHS + 1 WEEK - 10 March 2011
Liva misses her Senyor Zebra!! Liva and Laia have two shelves in their room with all their stuffed animals on, they have never shown any interest in these shelves. After Senyor Zebra has gone missing, Liva looks at the shelves every time we're in their room. There's a cow which from far resembles Senyor Zebra a bit, every time she sees it she gets all excited, stretches out her arms and says "Tatatata". When we let her grab the cow she gets all disappointed, drops him and continues looking on the shelves. But there's no Senyor Zebra... We've tried with almost every stuffed animal they have, she won't accept any of them. Both Albert and I have spent hours searching the internet to see if we could find a new Senyor Zebra, Albert even contacted the company who made him. They have no more, and have stopped producing them. I checked E-bay, amazon etc, no luck. Yesterday I ordered a new teddy at amazon, a pink and white striped cow. It has long, thin arms and legs like the zebra, we assume it is the shape more than anything else which makes Liva & Laia love these animals so dearly. We'll see what happens when it arrives. Today I came past a baby store and saw a rabbit in the window, also with long, thin arms and legs. In the shop they let Liva hold it, it's the first stuffed animal she hasn't thrown away with all her force when we give it to her, so I bought it. She touched it a bit like she used to touch Senyor Zebra, I think she might accept it in a few days. When we came home and I wanted to put them in their beds for their nap, she looked all over the shelves again. Still no Senyor Zebra... The rabbit (or the cow we ordered) will never be Senyor Zebra, but hopefully it will compensate a bit.
8 MONTHS + 1 WEEK - 7 March 2011
LOL - Albert and I took Liva & Laia out for a loooong walk today. When it was time for their nap, we lay them down as always. Normally we put Senyor zebra and Senyor mono close to their face for them to cuddle with. Without Senyor zebra, we had taken a cow along for Liva - same material as Senyor zebra and more or less the same colors. But of course a completely different shape and just not what she's used to. We had put Liva comfortably in the stroller, and put the cow where Senyor zebra normally goes. As we were putting down Laia, the cow was descreetly dropped over the side of the stroller onto the sidewalk. We put him back where he should be, and started walking. Next thing we see is the poor cow come flying full power out of the stroller - this time Liva didn't just drop it, she actually threw it with all her force. Poor little cow! And poor Liva... We put the cow back, and eventually she accepted it. But it will never be Senyor zebra. How sad!!
8 MONTHS + 1 WEEK - 6 March 2011
It seems that Liva and Laia can do new things every day. Laia can now stand up using any furniture in the house, and she crawls really well. Liva is starting to get up on all fours, ready to crawl instead of dragging herself along the floor like a zombie. Yesterday we all went out for a walk, Liva and Laia look at everything, smile at people, wave, and we think Laia said "hola".
This morning my mother-in-law took the girls for a walk on her own for the first time. She was really excited about it, and it was great for Albert and me to get a few hours on our own. When she came back she was thrilled, the girls had been wonderful, she had loved how everybody looked at them and made comments, she had been really proud and told everyone that she is the Iaia. BUT - when I was in Denmark with Liva and Laia in August, when they were only about 7 weeks old, my aunt gave them each a stuffed animal; a zebra for Liva and a monkey for Laia. They love these teddies, sleep with them, cuddle them and play with them when we go for a walk. Of course I had put the teddies in the stroller this morning, as always when going out for a walk. When it was time for Liva and Laia's nap there was no zebra.... We looked everywhere, he's gone. It makes both Albert and me really sad, the girls have had these teddies since they were only a few weeks old and love them. We have loads of pictures where the teddies are in the background somewhere, and they were very special to us, and to the girls as well. Now Liva's beloved Senyor Zebra is gone :(. Albert is furious with his mother for not being more careful. I'm just really sad, it's such a shame. I imagine the girls being bigger and seeing pictures of themselves as babies with Senyor Zebra and Senyor Mono, it will be fun for Laia to see herself with Senyor Mono, Liva will ask what happened to her Senyor Zebra. What do we tell her??
This morning my mother-in-law took the girls for a walk on her own for the first time. She was really excited about it, and it was great for Albert and me to get a few hours on our own. When she came back she was thrilled, the girls had been wonderful, she had loved how everybody looked at them and made comments, she had been really proud and told everyone that she is the Iaia. BUT - when I was in Denmark with Liva and Laia in August, when they were only about 7 weeks old, my aunt gave them each a stuffed animal; a zebra for Liva and a monkey for Laia. They love these teddies, sleep with them, cuddle them and play with them when we go for a walk. Of course I had put the teddies in the stroller this morning, as always when going out for a walk. When it was time for Liva and Laia's nap there was no zebra.... We looked everywhere, he's gone. It makes both Albert and me really sad, the girls have had these teddies since they were only a few weeks old and love them. We have loads of pictures where the teddies are in the background somewhere, and they were very special to us, and to the girls as well. Now Liva's beloved Senyor Zebra is gone :(. Albert is furious with his mother for not being more careful. I'm just really sad, it's such a shame. I imagine the girls being bigger and seeing pictures of themselves as babies with Senyor Zebra and Senyor Mono, it will be fun for Laia to see herself with Senyor Mono, Liva will ask what happened to her Senyor Zebra. What do we tell her??
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| Liva (2 months) & Senyor Zebra |
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| Laia (2½ months) & Senyor Mono |
8 MONTHS - 1 March 2011
When we moved into our apartment a little over a year ago, we spent a long time looking for a shower curtain. We didn't actually want a curtain, we wanted a glass wall but couldn't afford it. We couldn't find a curtain we both liked, probably because we didn't want one in the first place, and eventually ended up buying one with a cow on - I love cows and Albert had reached a point where he just didn't care anymore. The curtain is white on the bottom half, and see through on the top half. I never quite understood why it was see through, but this morning I was very happy about it! Liva and Laia have had one of those rare days where they won't sleep at the same time - meaning I can't shower in the morning when they're asleep. Since they're all mobile now, I can't just put them somewhere and shower quickly, too scary! So I put them in their bouncing chairs in the bathroom. Thanks to the curtain being see through they could see me and thought it was loads of fun, and I could see them. Not the ideal situation for showering, but the ideal solution when they won't sleep at the same time. And at the moment we're happy we have a curtain instead of a glass wall, it would have been so much harder to bathe Liva and Laia had there been a wall in our tiny bathroom!
When I change the girls, I normally put one in one of their beds while I change the other. Today I was wiping Liva's little bum when suddenly Laia started laughing and laughing from her bed behind me. When I turned around she was standing up, holding onto the side of the bed and clearly thought it was the best thing that ever happened to her during her 8 months of life. While she was standing there, Tatanka walked past her bed. Laia tried to touch him, and leaned (way too!!) far over the side, I was worried she'd fall out. But I had Liva naked and squirming on the changing table, and for a few seconds had no idea what to do! Luckily Laia decided Tatanka wasn't all that interesting and decided to jump up and down instead. When Albert came home, we lowered the bottoms of the beds so the girls can stand up as they please without me worrying they'll fall out.
So much has happened with the girls in just one week, suddenly they're mobile and come into the kitchen when I'm preparing their food, they can stand up in their bed, they have learned new games, they communicate with each other and laugh loads. Liva's favorite game is when we catch her and tickle her. When we come in after she wakes up, she tries to hide in her blankets (yes in, not under, she hasn't quite grasped that yet) and squeels in delight because she knows we'll tickle her. We have a big duck handpuppet which we play with, the duck will look at the girls for a while and then suddenly attack and tickle one of them. Liva goes nuts every time we play, screams in delight and laughs and laughs. Laia doesn't quite see the fun in those kind of games, she prefers being thrown into the air, swung around by her arms, or anything which involves standing and jumping and using her legs. And I'll play any of those games with them all day long just to hear them laugh! My reward is kisses and cuddles from the girls, I can't think of anything I'd rather want!
When I change the girls, I normally put one in one of their beds while I change the other. Today I was wiping Liva's little bum when suddenly Laia started laughing and laughing from her bed behind me. When I turned around she was standing up, holding onto the side of the bed and clearly thought it was the best thing that ever happened to her during her 8 months of life. While she was standing there, Tatanka walked past her bed. Laia tried to touch him, and leaned (way too!!) far over the side, I was worried she'd fall out. But I had Liva naked and squirming on the changing table, and for a few seconds had no idea what to do! Luckily Laia decided Tatanka wasn't all that interesting and decided to jump up and down instead. When Albert came home, we lowered the bottoms of the beds so the girls can stand up as they please without me worrying they'll fall out.
So much has happened with the girls in just one week, suddenly they're mobile and come into the kitchen when I'm preparing their food, they can stand up in their bed, they have learned new games, they communicate with each other and laugh loads. Liva's favorite game is when we catch her and tickle her. When we come in after she wakes up, she tries to hide in her blankets (yes in, not under, she hasn't quite grasped that yet) and squeels in delight because she knows we'll tickle her. We have a big duck handpuppet which we play with, the duck will look at the girls for a while and then suddenly attack and tickle one of them. Liva goes nuts every time we play, screams in delight and laughs and laughs. Laia doesn't quite see the fun in those kind of games, she prefers being thrown into the air, swung around by her arms, or anything which involves standing and jumping and using her legs. And I'll play any of those games with them all day long just to hear them laugh! My reward is kisses and cuddles from the girls, I can't think of anything I'd rather want!
8 MONTHS - 28 February 2011
Liva and Laia are 8 months old today - well, the 29th, but since there is no 29th this month it's today.
They are extremely happy girls, and love playing. They're starting to play more and more with each other, looking at each other and laughing or grabbing and giving things. Laia started crawling about 3 days ago, Liva drags herself along the floor with her arms - Albert says she looks like a zombie. They love being able to go where they want. Liva still makes loads of sounds and sometimes words such as "Laia", "papa" or "Tata" (Tatanka, the name of our black cat) come out - the only one she seems conscious of is Tatanka. Laia doesn't talk quite as much, last Friday she started clicking her tongue which she has been doing ever since.
Liva holds her own bottle when eating, once I tried to get Laia to do it and after a while she grabbed her bottle with one hand and looked at me with an expression that said "I can do this no problem!". Just to prove her point she took the bottle out of her mouth, swung it around in the air for a bit, and put it back in her mouth - all still with just one hand - and kept looking at me with that same expression. After the show she let go of the bottle and her look said "I can do it, but if you want me to eat, you hold it because I can't be bothered!". So we still hold Laia's bottle when she eats.... They can eat cookies on their own, but not much else. I tried with banana, they almost choked because they put the whole piece into their mouth. Smaller pieces they "chew" on for a bit, then spit them out.
Laia can get from crawling or lying position into a sitting position, and both can pull themselves onto their knees when sitting in their beds and pulling themselves up by the bars. Laia can almost get into standing position when holding on to furniture.
Liva can clap her hands, and loves doing it. They both wave, but never when we say hello or goodbye.
They love being bathed and splash water everywhere. I am really looking forward to the summer and taking them to the beach!
They are extremely happy girls, and love playing. They're starting to play more and more with each other, looking at each other and laughing or grabbing and giving things. Laia started crawling about 3 days ago, Liva drags herself along the floor with her arms - Albert says she looks like a zombie. They love being able to go where they want. Liva still makes loads of sounds and sometimes words such as "Laia", "papa" or "Tata" (Tatanka, the name of our black cat) come out - the only one she seems conscious of is Tatanka. Laia doesn't talk quite as much, last Friday she started clicking her tongue which she has been doing ever since.
Liva holds her own bottle when eating, once I tried to get Laia to do it and after a while she grabbed her bottle with one hand and looked at me with an expression that said "I can do this no problem!". Just to prove her point she took the bottle out of her mouth, swung it around in the air for a bit, and put it back in her mouth - all still with just one hand - and kept looking at me with that same expression. After the show she let go of the bottle and her look said "I can do it, but if you want me to eat, you hold it because I can't be bothered!". So we still hold Laia's bottle when she eats.... They can eat cookies on their own, but not much else. I tried with banana, they almost choked because they put the whole piece into their mouth. Smaller pieces they "chew" on for a bit, then spit them out.
Laia can get from crawling or lying position into a sitting position, and both can pull themselves onto their knees when sitting in their beds and pulling themselves up by the bars. Laia can almost get into standing position when holding on to furniture.
Liva can clap her hands, and loves doing it. They both wave, but never when we say hello or goodbye.
They love being bathed and splash water everywhere. I am really looking forward to the summer and taking them to the beach!
They love being tickled, they love when we lie on the floor with them, they love playing peeka-boo, they love dancing and singing, and they love being cuddled and kissed. They hate having their faces wiped or their noses touched. Liva doesn't particularly enjoy being dressed - undressed is no problem, dressed is a huge theater. They don't like when we leave them alone in a room, but after a while they seem to forget they're alone and start playing. They are very open, loving girls, they smile at strangers - though Liva is a bit more reserved - and give kisses and cuddles to the people they know - Heather, Iaia and above all mom, dad and each other!
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| Liva & Laia 8 months |
ALMOST 8 MONTHS - 26 February 2011
I love Saturdays!! The four of us spent the whole morning in the botanic garden of Barcelona, the weather was great, Liva and Laia were wonderful, Albert and I had a lovely time together as a family. We came home at lunchtime, fed the girls, played with them for an hour, then put them down for their nap. While they were sleeping my mother-in-law came over. We talked until the girls woke up, then she fed them their fruit. We all hung out and played until Albert and I left. We had a great afternoon in the center shopping followed by a wonderful sushi dinner. When we got home and said goodbye to Iaia we looked at the photos from the botanic garden once again, now we're off to bed. Tomorrow is another busy day, I have a meeting in the morning reg. a possible Scandinavian school here in Barcelona, my father-in-law is coming over for lunch and my mother-in-law will join us for the coffee in the afternoon. I love weekends, the only problem is that they're too short!
ALMOST 8 MONTHS - 25 February 2011
What a great day! This morning we went to a playground - well, that was a bit of a hassle at first, the girls were cranky after their morning nap and the elevator still wasn't working. Another fun adventure of carrying stroller, babies, bag, etc down 6-7 floors, at least nobody came out of the elevator and told me it was working just when I had carried everything down this time!
At the playground we met up with other moms from all over the world, there was an American mom who has a daughter only 1 day older than Liva and Laia, and an Italian mom who has twin girls 1 week younger than Liva and Laia. It was great meeting moms with children the same age and sharing stories, experiences, thoughts, worries, etc. If the weather is nice we'll meet up next Friday again.
We were gone most of the morning, 30 minutes after we came home Heather and Jenn came, the girls were thrilled (and so was I). They were here for an hour, Albert came home shortly after they left.
When Albert got home I had to go to a marketing course at the school where I'm employed. A 3-hour course where the whole management team was present. It felt sooooo good doing something else for an afternoon, using different parts of my brain again - or just using my brain again! It's nice to know I can still do other things, and concentrate and focus when I have to.
By the time I came home, Albert had bathed the girls and they were both sound asleep. My little angel girls + my wonderful angel husband = my incredible angel family!!
At the playground we met up with other moms from all over the world, there was an American mom who has a daughter only 1 day older than Liva and Laia, and an Italian mom who has twin girls 1 week younger than Liva and Laia. It was great meeting moms with children the same age and sharing stories, experiences, thoughts, worries, etc. If the weather is nice we'll meet up next Friday again.
We were gone most of the morning, 30 minutes after we came home Heather and Jenn came, the girls were thrilled (and so was I). They were here for an hour, Albert came home shortly after they left.
When Albert got home I had to go to a marketing course at the school where I'm employed. A 3-hour course where the whole management team was present. It felt sooooo good doing something else for an afternoon, using different parts of my brain again - or just using my brain again! It's nice to know I can still do other things, and concentrate and focus when I have to.
By the time I came home, Albert had bathed the girls and they were both sound asleep. My little angel girls + my wonderful angel husband = my incredible angel family!!
7 MONTHS + 3 WEEKS - 24 February 2011
I've just come home from teaching, and the elevator wasn't working - again! Yesterday they were working on it all day, Heather was here in the morning and wanted to take the girls out, she got them all dressed up and ready, but when she went for the elevator, nothing happened. They told her it would be fixed within a few minutes, but she knew that in Spain this can mean hours. So she took the girls back inside, undressed them and gave up on going out. I had a doctor's appointment with the girls at 16:30, since they hadn't been out all day I wanted to leave earlier and take them for a stroll. Around 15:00 I asked the guys working on the elevator how long it would take, they told me about 10 minutes. 15 minutes later I asked again, same answer. This happend 3-4 times, the guys were clearly getting sick of me. Eventually I couldn't wait any longer or I'd be late for the doctor's. I got the girls ready and put them in their beds, the safest place I could think of. Then I carried the stroller 6 floor down (7 if you're American and consider the ground floor the first floor), ran back upstairs, grabbed the girls and the stroller bag, managed to lock the door with both girls in my arms and the bag over my shoulder, and got us all 3 safely down the stairs. I passed the guys who were fixing the elevator everytime I went up or down, they didn't say anything, didn't offer to help, nothing. As I was putting the girls in the stroller, I heard the elevator come down. Out stepped one of the guys who had been fixing it, looked at me and said "Now it works". I almost killed him!! At least it worked when we came home again.
7 MONTHS + 3 WEEKS - 23 February 2011
Liva and Laia are still sick, they had gotten better, but now especially Laia is coughing again, waking up at night and has a runny nose. I took them to the pediatrician, she gave us some different medicine for them. Poor girls, they are so fed up with coughing and being sick, they hate having their noses wiped and they cry at night when they can't breathe properly because their little noses are blocked. I feel completely helpless and useless because I can't do anything to make them feel better! Instead I kiss and cuddle them as much as I can. Luckily the pediatrician said not to worry, they seem fine and it's just a regular cold which is difficult to get rid of with this weather.
While I was at the doctor's office waiting, I saw loads of little babies, most of them there for their first check-up. It reminded me of the first time I was there, Liva and Laia were about 1 week old, I remember seeing the older babies and being a bit envious of the mothers that they had already been through the first six months. I always knew I wouldn't enjoy the first three months, and I always looked forward to Liva and Laia reaching six months. Many people told me to enjoy the time they were so small because it would pass quickly and then I'd regret not having dwelled in it more. Well, I don't regret anything! I don't miss one second of the first six months, and I thoroughly enjoy every second of Liva and Laia now! I love seeing new things they can do every day, I love playing with them and learning what they like and what they don't like, what makes them laugh, what awakens their interest, what catches their attention, etc. I love seeing how they react when I feed them new things, when we go for a walk and discover new things, when they suddenly realize they can do something they couldn't do before and get really happy - new sounds and new movements. They are so much fun now, more and more every day. I don't miss the first six months, I don't know if I will miss these months, but just in case, I make sure I enjoy it as much as possible and spend as much time with them as I possibly can. I love waking up in the morning to the sound of their babbeling in their room, every evening before going to sleep and every morning when I wake up I look forward to a new day with them. They are such wonderful little human beings and make me more happy than I had ever imagined possible.
While I was at the doctor's office waiting, I saw loads of little babies, most of them there for their first check-up. It reminded me of the first time I was there, Liva and Laia were about 1 week old, I remember seeing the older babies and being a bit envious of the mothers that they had already been through the first six months. I always knew I wouldn't enjoy the first three months, and I always looked forward to Liva and Laia reaching six months. Many people told me to enjoy the time they were so small because it would pass quickly and then I'd regret not having dwelled in it more. Well, I don't regret anything! I don't miss one second of the first six months, and I thoroughly enjoy every second of Liva and Laia now! I love seeing new things they can do every day, I love playing with them and learning what they like and what they don't like, what makes them laugh, what awakens their interest, what catches their attention, etc. I love seeing how they react when I feed them new things, when we go for a walk and discover new things, when they suddenly realize they can do something they couldn't do before and get really happy - new sounds and new movements. They are so much fun now, more and more every day. I don't miss the first six months, I don't know if I will miss these months, but just in case, I make sure I enjoy it as much as possible and spend as much time with them as I possibly can. I love waking up in the morning to the sound of their babbeling in their room, every evening before going to sleep and every morning when I wake up I look forward to a new day with them. They are such wonderful little human beings and make me more happy than I had ever imagined possible.
7½ MONTHS - 19 February 2011
Today is Albert and my 6th knowing-each-other anniversary - and Albert had forgotten..... It's no big deal, it's not a day we really celebrate after having a real (wedding)anniversary to celebrate, it was just funny seeing his face when I gave him a small present this morning and he had no clue why. He invited me out for lunch, and in the afternoon bought a nice flower arrangement.
Albert and I met through a language exchange program - you sign up to practice/learn a language (I wanted to learn Spanish, he wanted to practice his English), and then you meet up with someone who's a native or near-native speaker of the language you want to learn/practice. These meetings normally last about an hour, 30 minutes for each language. That was also what Albert and I had expected six years ago. We met up in the center at 18:00, I had a party to go to later in the evening, Albert was meeting a friend. We went to a bar and sat outside on the terrace talking. After about an hour we paid our drinks and got ready to leave - but neither really wanted to leave. Albert asked if I had ever been to another bar which was close by, and though I had, I said no. We went there for a while, and when we were ready to leave, Albert mentioned another bar. I had never been there, so off we went. This continued all evening, until it was about 22:00 - I was late for my party and still needed to shower and change, Albert was late meeting his friend, had already spoken to him a few times on the phone. We walked part of the way home together, and when we had to say goodbye I was desperately hoping he'd kiss me - and at the same time not, because it would somehow also seem desperate. He gave absolutely no impression of wanting to kiss me, and I left, feeling a little bit disappointed... We had talked about meeting up in town if my party continued at a bar or a disco - which it did. Two or three hours after saying goodbye we met up again. We spent the whole night together in bars and discos, said goodbye around 6:00 Sunday morning - still no kiss or any hint from Albert that he'd like to. This time I was REALLY disappointed! I didn't hear from him all day, so in the afternoon I sent him an sms, to which he replied and asked if I wanted to meet up for a coffee. We walked around town for a bit after the coffee, until he (finally!) invited me to his place - the excuse was that I should come see a wall he had painted orange that same day... I gladly came along, and there he finally kissed me! It turns out that he had wanted to all along as well, but didn't want to seem desperate. He did everything just right, and I think it was quite clear right from the beginning for both of us that there was more than just language exchange going on between us - you could almost talk of love at first sight! But if somebody had said that six years later we'd have two cats, be married, own an apartment, be the parents of twin girls, and still be madly in love with each other, we would have assumed they were crazy! I couldn't be happier, though, it's everything I've always dreamed of!!
Tonight we had friends over for dinner, they're our age but have no kids - it's not something we talk about with them, the few times it has been brought up, it seems like he would like kids but she absolutely wouldn't. But we have no idea. Since they have no kids, we didn't spend much time talking about Laia and Liva - actually, they were hardly even mentioned the whole evening. As I've mentioned loads of times, they are so easy and we're so lucky - we put them to bed at 19:00 and had it not been for the playmats, bouncing chairs and highchairs in the livingroom, you would never have known that we have kids; we didn't hear them all night, and Albert and I didn't talk about them. It's actually quite nice to know that we can still be a "normal" couple and talk about "normal" couple things. We assume our friends were having a good time, because they didn't leave until after 01:00.
Albert and I met through a language exchange program - you sign up to practice/learn a language (I wanted to learn Spanish, he wanted to practice his English), and then you meet up with someone who's a native or near-native speaker of the language you want to learn/practice. These meetings normally last about an hour, 30 minutes for each language. That was also what Albert and I had expected six years ago. We met up in the center at 18:00, I had a party to go to later in the evening, Albert was meeting a friend. We went to a bar and sat outside on the terrace talking. After about an hour we paid our drinks and got ready to leave - but neither really wanted to leave. Albert asked if I had ever been to another bar which was close by, and though I had, I said no. We went there for a while, and when we were ready to leave, Albert mentioned another bar. I had never been there, so off we went. This continued all evening, until it was about 22:00 - I was late for my party and still needed to shower and change, Albert was late meeting his friend, had already spoken to him a few times on the phone. We walked part of the way home together, and when we had to say goodbye I was desperately hoping he'd kiss me - and at the same time not, because it would somehow also seem desperate. He gave absolutely no impression of wanting to kiss me, and I left, feeling a little bit disappointed... We had talked about meeting up in town if my party continued at a bar or a disco - which it did. Two or three hours after saying goodbye we met up again. We spent the whole night together in bars and discos, said goodbye around 6:00 Sunday morning - still no kiss or any hint from Albert that he'd like to. This time I was REALLY disappointed! I didn't hear from him all day, so in the afternoon I sent him an sms, to which he replied and asked if I wanted to meet up for a coffee. We walked around town for a bit after the coffee, until he (finally!) invited me to his place - the excuse was that I should come see a wall he had painted orange that same day... I gladly came along, and there he finally kissed me! It turns out that he had wanted to all along as well, but didn't want to seem desperate. He did everything just right, and I think it was quite clear right from the beginning for both of us that there was more than just language exchange going on between us - you could almost talk of love at first sight! But if somebody had said that six years later we'd have two cats, be married, own an apartment, be the parents of twin girls, and still be madly in love with each other, we would have assumed they were crazy! I couldn't be happier, though, it's everything I've always dreamed of!!
Tonight we had friends over for dinner, they're our age but have no kids - it's not something we talk about with them, the few times it has been brought up, it seems like he would like kids but she absolutely wouldn't. But we have no idea. Since they have no kids, we didn't spend much time talking about Laia and Liva - actually, they were hardly even mentioned the whole evening. As I've mentioned loads of times, they are so easy and we're so lucky - we put them to bed at 19:00 and had it not been for the playmats, bouncing chairs and highchairs in the livingroom, you would never have known that we have kids; we didn't hear them all night, and Albert and I didn't talk about them. It's actually quite nice to know that we can still be a "normal" couple and talk about "normal" couple things. We assume our friends were having a good time, because they didn't leave until after 01:00.
7½ MONTHS - 17 February 2011
Liva & Laia do not have whooping cough!! We got the results from the hospital today, the tests were negative! And the girls are much better, so all is OK! We have to take them to a check-up with the pedeatrician and hear what she says, I'm sooooo relieved.
The past 2-3 days Liva and Laia have been extremely happy, it's been even more wonderful being with them. I love how they "crawl" to me when I sit down on the floor with them to cuddle. They want to be picked up, nuzzle my neck, giggle at the kisses and hugs I give them, and laugh when I whisper in their little ears how wonderful they are and how much I love them.
And I've found out why I'm still fat!! I read in a medical paper (I was waiting for a student who was in a meeting, not the kind of literature I normally read) that lack of sleep or periods of extreme tiredness increase the risks of becoming fat. That explains it all - I just need sleep, then I'll be thin again! :)
The past 2-3 days Liva and Laia have been extremely happy, it's been even more wonderful being with them. I love how they "crawl" to me when I sit down on the floor with them to cuddle. They want to be picked up, nuzzle my neck, giggle at the kisses and hugs I give them, and laugh when I whisper in their little ears how wonderful they are and how much I love them.
And I've found out why I'm still fat!! I read in a medical paper (I was waiting for a student who was in a meeting, not the kind of literature I normally read) that lack of sleep or periods of extreme tiredness increase the risks of becoming fat. That explains it all - I just need sleep, then I'll be thin again! :)
7½ MONTHS - 15 February 2011
I called the hospital yesterday, but they still didn't have the results of the tests, they said to call back in 2-3 days. I spoke to the doctor who attended the girls when we were there, she asked how they were doing. When I said they were better, she said it's very likely that the tests will be positive, since it seems the medication is working and that particular medication only works on whooping cough. So we'll see. But Liva & Laia are better, that's what's most important!!
This morning I skipped breakfast and weighed myself just before showering - not a good idea. The scale just seems frozen on that same number! When I was pregnant I was so sure that losing weight wouldn't be a problem at all; I hardly moved the last few months of my pregnancy, so just the fact that I am moving again should be enough to lose weight. I'm carrying twins around, walking loads around the house since they're getting so big now I struggle with carrying both, I have to do two trips every time. And we go for a walk every day for at least an hour, usually around two or more, where I push the stroller which, with Liva & Laia inside, must weigh at least 20 Kg. I know it has wheels, but I'm still pushing it. And Barcelona isn't a flat city. But no, even after more than 7 months I still can't fit my clothes. Summer (well, spring) is coming up, and I'm already dreaming about spending days at the beach with the girls. But when I imagine myself in a bikini I panic - I probably can't even fit my bikini. Oh, the horror of having to buy a new one....
I've even gotten over my chocolate addiction and eat much less (yes, I still eat some!!), I snack on yoghurts - low fat - when I'm hungry, I eat fruit. I don't exercise, I just don't see when I would be able to. I'd love to start jogging again, but I'm just not motivated in the evenings when the girls are in bed. And NO WAY am I getting up at 5 in the morning to go for a jog before getting the girls ready for the day. I can hardly find the time to work, it's impossible to fit in exercising as well. So I guess I'll just have to stay fat for a while still. One day I will be back to normal, that day is just further away than I originally thought.
This morning I skipped breakfast and weighed myself just before showering - not a good idea. The scale just seems frozen on that same number! When I was pregnant I was so sure that losing weight wouldn't be a problem at all; I hardly moved the last few months of my pregnancy, so just the fact that I am moving again should be enough to lose weight. I'm carrying twins around, walking loads around the house since they're getting so big now I struggle with carrying both, I have to do two trips every time. And we go for a walk every day for at least an hour, usually around two or more, where I push the stroller which, with Liva & Laia inside, must weigh at least 20 Kg. I know it has wheels, but I'm still pushing it. And Barcelona isn't a flat city. But no, even after more than 7 months I still can't fit my clothes. Summer (well, spring) is coming up, and I'm already dreaming about spending days at the beach with the girls. But when I imagine myself in a bikini I panic - I probably can't even fit my bikini. Oh, the horror of having to buy a new one....
I've even gotten over my chocolate addiction and eat much less (yes, I still eat some!!), I snack on yoghurts - low fat - when I'm hungry, I eat fruit. I don't exercise, I just don't see when I would be able to. I'd love to start jogging again, but I'm just not motivated in the evenings when the girls are in bed. And NO WAY am I getting up at 5 in the morning to go for a jog before getting the girls ready for the day. I can hardly find the time to work, it's impossible to fit in exercising as well. So I guess I'll just have to stay fat for a while still. One day I will be back to normal, that day is just further away than I originally thought.
7 MONTHS + 2 WEEKS - 13 February 2011
Wow, I feel like a whole new person!! Yesterday morning Albert got up with the girls, and told me to sleep. I slept until 11 o'clock!! We had a lovely day together, the four of us went for a walk and in the afternoon my mother-in-law came for a few hours while Albert and I went out. We went to the center and did things I wanted to do, bought some clothes for me. When we came home we put the girls to bed, Albert made dinner, and we chilled on the couch watching a program on TV I wanted to watch.
This morning Albert got up again, but I told him it was his turn to sleep, I'd take over. He insisted I go back to bed - though it didn't take much insisting! I slept until 9:30! When I got up Liva & Laia were asleep, meaning we could relax for a bit. When they woke up I took them for a walk for about 2 hours, while Albert cleaned the apartment - and so much more. The kitchen shines, he cleaned the oven, the cooker, everything. After we had bathed the girls and put them to sleep, he again made dinner. I started preparing the girls' lunch for the week - I always cook for a whole week and freeze the food (for tips and ideas how to make life as a (twin)parent easier, click here), Albert kept coming into the kitchen to help. I hope this lasts, this weekend has been wonderful, for the first time in over a year I feel I have slept (I didn't sleep the last few months of the pregnancy either, but that's a whole different story! And Albert was absolutely wonderful throughout the entire pregnancy, I guess one day I'll explain about that time in my life).
On top of all this, the girls are feeling better. They don't cough as much anymore, they haven't had any of the strong attacks for the past two nights, and they have been all happy and smiling again today for the first time in weeks. Poor babies, they must really have felt terrible!! It's nice to see them happy again! And they've started eating again as well - Laia has gotten so thin, poor little thing!
All in all things seem to be improving, in all aspects! :)
This morning Albert got up again, but I told him it was his turn to sleep, I'd take over. He insisted I go back to bed - though it didn't take much insisting! I slept until 9:30! When I got up Liva & Laia were asleep, meaning we could relax for a bit. When they woke up I took them for a walk for about 2 hours, while Albert cleaned the apartment - and so much more. The kitchen shines, he cleaned the oven, the cooker, everything. After we had bathed the girls and put them to sleep, he again made dinner. I started preparing the girls' lunch for the week - I always cook for a whole week and freeze the food (for tips and ideas how to make life as a (twin)parent easier, click here), Albert kept coming into the kitchen to help. I hope this lasts, this weekend has been wonderful, for the first time in over a year I feel I have slept (I didn't sleep the last few months of the pregnancy either, but that's a whole different story! And Albert was absolutely wonderful throughout the entire pregnancy, I guess one day I'll explain about that time in my life).
On top of all this, the girls are feeling better. They don't cough as much anymore, they haven't had any of the strong attacks for the past two nights, and they have been all happy and smiling again today for the first time in weeks. Poor babies, they must really have felt terrible!! It's nice to see them happy again! And they've started eating again as well - Laia has gotten so thin, poor little thing!
All in all things seem to be improving, in all aspects! :)
7 MONTHS + 2 WEEKS - 11 February 2011
Laia and Liva have been getting medicin for three days now, and already seem a bit better. They still get cough attacks during the night that are so bad they can hardly breathe, and sometimes so bad they end up throwing up. I haven't slept properly in days, when I'm not up holding one of the girls through a cough attack, I'm in bed fretting! Going to bed early is impossible, every night around 22:00 I'm on my way to bed and remember things I need to do - hang up laundry, clean the kitchen, feed the cats, prepare the girls' bottles for the night, put away groceries that have been in the way for 6 days, which Albert was supposed to put away but didn't, etc, etc, etc. By the time I'm in bed it's close to midnight. Yesterday I vacuumed the house, another thing Albert's supposed to do but hasn't done.
This morning I was feeding the girls when Albert came into their room to kiss me goodmorning. When he asked me how I was doing, I started crying. I can't keep this up anymore! I am sooo tired, I can't be taking care of the girls 24/7, as well as the cats, the house, the shopping and everything else. Albert felt really bad and promised to help out more. I don't need him to help out more, I need him to do the chores we agreed are his. He has said various time during the day I don't need to worry, he'll do more around the house. I really do think he felt horrible this morning, we'll see how it goes the next couple of weeks.
This morning I was feeding the girls when Albert came into their room to kiss me goodmorning. When he asked me how I was doing, I started crying. I can't keep this up anymore! I am sooo tired, I can't be taking care of the girls 24/7, as well as the cats, the house, the shopping and everything else. Albert felt really bad and promised to help out more. I don't need him to help out more, I need him to do the chores we agreed are his. He has said various time during the day I don't need to worry, he'll do more around the house. I really do think he felt horrible this morning, we'll see how it goes the next couple of weeks.
7 MONTHS + 1½ WEEKS - 9 February 2011
Okay, so going to the hospital didn't give us better news - they also suspect it might be whooping cough... They did some tests to which we'll have the results next week. The girls are now in treatment for whooping cough - if that is what they have, they have to be treated straight away, if it isn't, the medication won't hurt them. We were also shown how to clean their little noses, so they're not so full of snot, making it easier for the girls to breathe. Oh, I hope they'll be OK again soon, I'm really worried about them!!
7 MONTHS + 1½ WEEKS - 8 February 2011
Good news and bad news... I'll start with the good news. Laia sat up on her own today. But I have NO idea how she did it. I had left her on the floor to play - Liva was sleeping - while I went to the kitchen for a while. I am 100% sure she was lying down, I am always afraid of leaving them on their own sitting up because they still very often fall over. If they land outside the blankets they bang their heads, which can be quite painful on our parquet floor. When I came back 5 minutes later she was sitting up! Big girl!! :)
The bad news is that they're more sick then we originally thought. The bronchitis medicine the pediatrician gave us last week hasn't helped at all. Today I took them back to the pediatrician for a check-up and they've gotten worse instead of better. Liva is full of slime in her little lungs, sometimes she coughs so hard she can barely breathe. Laia has less slime but her cough is worse. The pediatrician told us to go to the hospital with both of them first thing tomorrow morning. She basically wants to rule out whooping cough, though it's pretty unlikely that's what they have - they have all their shots and it's very rare that it happens in Europe to babies with their shots. Also, they don't have all the symptoms. But better safe than sorry! And hopefully at the hospital they'll be able to find out what it is, and give us medicine. Poor, poor little girls!!
The bad news is that they're more sick then we originally thought. The bronchitis medicine the pediatrician gave us last week hasn't helped at all. Today I took them back to the pediatrician for a check-up and they've gotten worse instead of better. Liva is full of slime in her little lungs, sometimes she coughs so hard she can barely breathe. Laia has less slime but her cough is worse. The pediatrician told us to go to the hospital with both of them first thing tomorrow morning. She basically wants to rule out whooping cough, though it's pretty unlikely that's what they have - they have all their shots and it's very rare that it happens in Europe to babies with their shots. Also, they don't have all the symptoms. But better safe than sorry! And hopefully at the hospital they'll be able to find out what it is, and give us medicine. Poor, poor little girls!!
7 MONTHS + ALMOST 1 WEEK - 4 February 2011
Oh the joys of having twins.... They're both sick - a mild bronchitis. When one's sick, two are sick, that's just how it works. And when they're sick, they're hard work! They cry more (poor things!!!), they sleep more often during the day, but for much less time than normal - since they normally don't sleep for more than 30-45 minutes, it means they now sleep for 15-20 minutes. And worst of all, they don't sleep well at night. A few nights ago I was up every hour, last night every hour and a half or so. Albert doesn't hear them at night, and feels really bad about me getting up all the time. He makes up for it in the mornings - though he has to go to work he lets me sleep while he takes care of the girls - feeds them, gives them their medicine and changes them. The night I had been up every hour he even managed to get them to sleep again - we all three slept until 9 am, it was wonderful!
Heather (our babysitter) is wonderful as well, a bundle of joy! The girls smile as soon as they see her, and it's wonderful for me to get some time off while knowing the girls are in good hands.
Heather (our babysitter) is wonderful as well, a bundle of joy! The girls smile as soon as they see her, and it's wonderful for me to get some time off while knowing the girls are in good hands.
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| Laia & Liva - 7 months and almost 1 week |
7 MONTHS + ALMOST 1 WEEK - 3 February 2011
For the first time since the girls were born, I've managed not to get baby-puke, baby-food or any other baby-stuff on my clothes today! I can actually put it back in the wardrobe and wear it another time, without washing it first. That doesn't happen often! And since I'm too fat to wear most of my clothes, it's a big deal!
7 MONTHS + a few days - 2 February 2011
The girls are so sick, poor things! They have a really bad cold and both cough all the time. It's clear that it hurts them when they cough. They also sleep loads more than normally during the day - which then means they can't fall asleep in the evening when we put them to bed.
Sunday evening I went to the pharmacy to get some cough medication, but there is hardly anything you can give 7 month old babies. They gave me a cough syrup which we can give them, but it just doesn't seem to be helping. We have an appointment with their pediatrician this afternoon, I hope she can give us something to relieve the coughing and the pain.
Sunday evening I went to the pharmacy to get some cough medication, but there is hardly anything you can give 7 month old babies. They gave me a cough syrup which we can give them, but it just doesn't seem to be helping. We have an appointment with their pediatrician this afternoon, I hope she can give us something to relieve the coughing and the pain.
7 MONTHS + a few days - 1 February 2011
Idea for new invention:
Diapers that go further up the back!!
How is it possible for shit to travel upwards? Why doesn't it just come straight out and down, into the diaper instead of all over their back? I've noticed that it happens mainly when they poop while sitting, I guess there just isn't space for it to go down so it travels up instead. Fun.......
Diapers that go further up the back!!
How is it possible for shit to travel upwards? Why doesn't it just come straight out and down, into the diaper instead of all over their back? I've noticed that it happens mainly when they poop while sitting, I guess there just isn't space for it to go down so it travels up instead. Fun.......
7 MONTHS - 29 January 2011
Liva and Laia are 7 months today (and my dad is 62). They are absolutely lovely - though both with a terrible cold.
They interact quite a bit by now. They have invented a game which basically consists in taking whatever the other one has in her hands, be it a toy, a pacifier or whatever. We assume it's a game because they never get upset or start crying while "playing". Another thing they do quite often which is really cute is that Liva makes sounds and Laia laughs at them. Liva can make more sounds than Laia, and Laia seems to find Liva's sounds quite funny.
They both love the cats and try to touch them all the time. The cats are great and often let the girls touch them. They don't do anything when the girls pull at their tails or grab their fur so hard they pull out a handful hair. Poor cats!!
Both girls sit really well, and can almost get back into sitting position after falling over. They can both move around by rolling over, Liva can move forward by moving her body like a snail. They still can't crawl, they get up on all fours and then don't really know where to go from there. Laia crawls backwards and then gets really annoyed at not being able to go where she's trying.
They eat really well with a spoon now, are both eager to eat themselves, especially Liva. We let them do whatever they want when we feed them dinner, which normally results in food everywhere. They eat mashed potatoes and carrots for lunch, blended fruit for snack and porridge for dinner - bottles the rest of the day. They still have dinner around 18:00 and sleep around 19:00. They sleep through the night, wake up around 6:30. It's lovely for Albert and me to have the evenings for us.
They no longer grab things with their whole fist but can use their fingers only, especially Laia can get a hold of the tiniest little thing with just her fingers. They use both hands, and move objects from one hand to another. Laia stretches her arms upwards when she wants to be picked up, I've only seen Liva do that once so far.
We go for a walk every day and the girls love it. We go after their morning nap, if for some reason we don't go they get all cranky and restless. If they are cranky in the morning it's enough to just get the stroller ready, that already calms them down. Sometimes I put them in the stroller long before I'm ready to go, then they sit there and wait for up to 15 minuites - but they're happy! :)
I'm still fat - at least compared to my normal weight... I'm totally addicted to chocolate, and though I try hard I just can't control myself... I'm really sad about not being able to wear my pre-pregnancy clothes, and hate myself for stuffing my face with chocolate all day. The other day I even though about taking up smoking again, after about 6 years of being a non-smoker. Luckily I could at least resist that. I'm still hopeful and do believe that one day I will somehow get back to my regular weight.
Albert and I are doing fine - I think pretty much the same as before the girls were born. Some days we argue and hardly feel like talking to each other, some days we are just too busy to do anything, some days we can't get enough of each other, some days we are both so tired that we get silly and everything and anything just makes us laugh. But most importantly, every day we love the girls more and more, and for that reason we love each other a little bit more as well - even when we're arguing and not talking. We need each other, we need the girls, and the girls need us. I don't think one of us could function without the other three, and that's how it should be in a family.
They interact quite a bit by now. They have invented a game which basically consists in taking whatever the other one has in her hands, be it a toy, a pacifier or whatever. We assume it's a game because they never get upset or start crying while "playing". Another thing they do quite often which is really cute is that Liva makes sounds and Laia laughs at them. Liva can make more sounds than Laia, and Laia seems to find Liva's sounds quite funny.
They both love the cats and try to touch them all the time. The cats are great and often let the girls touch them. They don't do anything when the girls pull at their tails or grab their fur so hard they pull out a handful hair. Poor cats!!
Both girls sit really well, and can almost get back into sitting position after falling over. They can both move around by rolling over, Liva can move forward by moving her body like a snail. They still can't crawl, they get up on all fours and then don't really know where to go from there. Laia crawls backwards and then gets really annoyed at not being able to go where she's trying.
They eat really well with a spoon now, are both eager to eat themselves, especially Liva. We let them do whatever they want when we feed them dinner, which normally results in food everywhere. They eat mashed potatoes and carrots for lunch, blended fruit for snack and porridge for dinner - bottles the rest of the day. They still have dinner around 18:00 and sleep around 19:00. They sleep through the night, wake up around 6:30. It's lovely for Albert and me to have the evenings for us.
They no longer grab things with their whole fist but can use their fingers only, especially Laia can get a hold of the tiniest little thing with just her fingers. They use both hands, and move objects from one hand to another. Laia stretches her arms upwards when she wants to be picked up, I've only seen Liva do that once so far.
We go for a walk every day and the girls love it. We go after their morning nap, if for some reason we don't go they get all cranky and restless. If they are cranky in the morning it's enough to just get the stroller ready, that already calms them down. Sometimes I put them in the stroller long before I'm ready to go, then they sit there and wait for up to 15 minuites - but they're happy! :)
I'm still fat - at least compared to my normal weight... I'm totally addicted to chocolate, and though I try hard I just can't control myself... I'm really sad about not being able to wear my pre-pregnancy clothes, and hate myself for stuffing my face with chocolate all day. The other day I even though about taking up smoking again, after about 6 years of being a non-smoker. Luckily I could at least resist that. I'm still hopeful and do believe that one day I will somehow get back to my regular weight.
Albert and I are doing fine - I think pretty much the same as before the girls were born. Some days we argue and hardly feel like talking to each other, some days we are just too busy to do anything, some days we can't get enough of each other, some days we are both so tired that we get silly and everything and anything just makes us laugh. But most importantly, every day we love the girls more and more, and for that reason we love each other a little bit more as well - even when we're arguing and not talking. We need each other, we need the girls, and the girls need us. I don't think one of us could function without the other three, and that's how it should be in a family.
ALMOST 7 MONTHS - 24 January 2011
Last night, after putting Liva and Laia to sleep, I hopped on a bike and rode to a supermarket to buy pizza. On my way home I got eye contact with a mother walking with her children, and suddenly realized that she of course had no idea that I too, am a mother. And suddenly it made me realize that sometimes I don't feel like I'm a mother... I don't know - am I supposed to feel different? Older, more mature, more responsible? I guess I've become a bit more responsible since I wore a helmet rding my bike... I feel proud of being the mother of Liva and Laia, even when they're not with me. I feel people can somehow see that I have these two absolutely wonderful girls at home.
But riding a city bike with my helmet on at 20:30 on a Sunday night through the streets of Barcelona, with a bag with 2 pizzas, a pack of chocolate cookies and a pack of chocolate, knowing that I'm heading home to an evening on the couch with Albert, in our sweatpants with our blankets and the cats, made me feel like I was 19 years old going to my boyfriend's house, not 36 and a responsible mother. What a wonderful feeling that was! How many twin moms can enjoy an evening on the couch with pizza and chocolate in the arms of their husband, knowing their twins will be asleep until about 6 o'clock the next morning?!?!
But riding a city bike with my helmet on at 20:30 on a Sunday night through the streets of Barcelona, with a bag with 2 pizzas, a pack of chocolate cookies and a pack of chocolate, knowing that I'm heading home to an evening on the couch with Albert, in our sweatpants with our blankets and the cats, made me feel like I was 19 years old going to my boyfriend's house, not 36 and a responsible mother. What a wonderful feeling that was! How many twin moms can enjoy an evening on the couch with pizza and chocolate in the arms of their husband, knowing their twins will be asleep until about 6 o'clock the next morning?!?!
ALMOST 7 MONTHS - 23 January 2011
Combining working life and being a mother and wife is not as tough as I had anticipated - at least not yet... I manage to get about an hour of work done during the day while Live & Laia sleep or play. Thanks to Heather, our babysitter, I can go to meetings and get other things done without feeling bad about it. And since Liva & Laia are so wonderful and sleep from about 19:00 to about 6:30 every day, I can get work done in the evenings, which is great! Yesterday Albert took them both to his mother's house for almost 4 hours, giving me loads of time to work, and every Saturday afternoon my mother-in-law comes and takes care of them. That is worth gold, and is probably a huge reason as to why Albert and I are still doing so good together! :) As soon as she arrives we leave the house and spend the afternoon together. We go into town, look at shops, buy things, have a drink or go out for dinner. We're always gone long enough for the girls to be asleep by the time we get home. And the best part is that we all love the situation - my mother-in-law is thrilled to be with Liva & Laia for a few hours, they love being with their Iaia for a few hours and Albert and I love being able to leave the house and know that our daughters are happy and in good hands!
Last week I took Liva and Laia to the park and for the first time ever pointed out the animals - ducks, geese, dogs, pigeons, etc, as well as people - kids playing football, bicycles, etc. The LOVED it! They sat in their stroller and observed everything. Every once in a while they'd suddenly see each other and start laughing. Today we all four went to the park, first we stopped at a little café where Albert and I had brunch, then we continued on to the park. Liva & Laia were asleep but woke up while we were in the park. We fed them, then looked at all the interesting things before heading into the center of town to stroll around there for a while. We were gone for more than 4 hours, Liva and Laia were happy and enjoying themselves the entire time. We have really been blessed with sweet, easy, happy girls!!
Last week I took Liva and Laia to the park and for the first time ever pointed out the animals - ducks, geese, dogs, pigeons, etc, as well as people - kids playing football, bicycles, etc. The LOVED it! They sat in their stroller and observed everything. Every once in a while they'd suddenly see each other and start laughing. Today we all four went to the park, first we stopped at a little café where Albert and I had brunch, then we continued on to the park. Liva & Laia were asleep but woke up while we were in the park. We fed them, then looked at all the interesting things before heading into the center of town to stroll around there for a while. We were gone for more than 4 hours, Liva and Laia were happy and enjoying themselves the entire time. We have really been blessed with sweet, easy, happy girls!!
ABOUT 6½ MONTHS - 17 January 2011
What a total luxury having a babysitter is!!:) Heather came today for 1½ hours while I was home. I got to organize the house a bit, clean the kitchen and do some laundry without worrying about the girls being OK. I know this might not sound special at all, but when you have a room in your house which has been a mess for months, and has just been getting worse and worse because you can't seem to find time to clean it, and then use the excuse that "it's already so messy anyways" to just drop all your junk there, you just can't imagine what a relief it is to finally be able to organize everything.
It was my mother-in-law's birthday today, she came over for dinner. Unfortunately she finishes work too late to see the girls, but we had a nice evening with her. One of the presents we gave her was a calendar with photos of the girls, she loved it!
Since I've been working all weekend on my translation, which was due this morning, I haven't done any work at all today. And now I'm going to go to bed and read a book - another luxury!! I have 3 books to choose from - another luxury! - I wonder which one it'll be.
It was my mother-in-law's birthday today, she came over for dinner. Unfortunately she finishes work too late to see the girls, but we had a nice evening with her. One of the presents we gave her was a calendar with photos of the girls, she loved it!
Since I've been working all weekend on my translation, which was due this morning, I haven't done any work at all today. And now I'm going to go to bed and read a book - another luxury!! I have 3 books to choose from - another luxury! - I wonder which one it'll be.
ABOUT 6½ MONTHS - 14 January 2011
Do you know those days when you just suddenly realize how lucky you are, and how wonderful life is? Well, I've just had one of those days!
Though I only slept about 4 hours last night because Liva was having stomach cramps, I lay on the couch with her in my arms at 5am, and felt helpless but so lucky to have two such wonderful girls! We both managed to fall asleep, and at 8am Albert came in to wake me up. He had fed Laia and needed to shower and get ready for work. He normally leaves the house at 7:45 to be at work at 8:30, but today he arrived late because he had to help take care of the girls. That made me think how lucky we both are to have such flexible jobs, and how lucky I am to have a husband who takes so much part in the girls and our little family.
Liva clearly felt much better, and the three of us spent the morning playing. After their nap and my shower we went for a short walk in sunny, warm Barcelona. We live very close to the Sagrada Familia but I don't go there often because of all the tourists. However, I decided to go today. The building never ceases to impress me, and I couldn't help but think how lucky I am to live in this incredible city and enjoy the nice weather in mid-January.
Shortly after we came home, Heather came. Her first day yesterday had gone well. I left to go to a meeting a the school where I am employed, and it felt really good to be back and to see everybody. But it felt even better that it was only for an hour and then I got to go back to my girls. How many people work in a place that let you work from home for 9 months after having had babies??
I spent some time with the girls before Albert came home from work at 15:00, then I went to teach his brother English. At first it was quite awkward because we know each other so well, and because we've never spoken English together. But after a while we got into the teacher-student mode, and 1½ hours flew by.
When I came home I was greeted by three hugely smiling faces - my loving, beautiful family! Albert and I bathed the girls and got them all ready for bed together, then I cooked a nice dinner while he cleaned the apartment a bit.
After dinner I had to work on my translation, I have a huge project due on Sunday and am only half way through. Albert came in every 30 minutes or so to ask if I was OK and if I needed something. Though it's annoying having to work in the evenings, at least I'm doing something I enjoy doing, and it pays well.
I have love, jobs that I like, lovely colleagues and the world's best family - also including my parents, brother, his family, in-laws etc. And we're all healthy and happy! What more could anyone ask for?? And what have I done to deserve it all?
Though I only slept about 4 hours last night because Liva was having stomach cramps, I lay on the couch with her in my arms at 5am, and felt helpless but so lucky to have two such wonderful girls! We both managed to fall asleep, and at 8am Albert came in to wake me up. He had fed Laia and needed to shower and get ready for work. He normally leaves the house at 7:45 to be at work at 8:30, but today he arrived late because he had to help take care of the girls. That made me think how lucky we both are to have such flexible jobs, and how lucky I am to have a husband who takes so much part in the girls and our little family.
Liva clearly felt much better, and the three of us spent the morning playing. After their nap and my shower we went for a short walk in sunny, warm Barcelona. We live very close to the Sagrada Familia but I don't go there often because of all the tourists. However, I decided to go today. The building never ceases to impress me, and I couldn't help but think how lucky I am to live in this incredible city and enjoy the nice weather in mid-January.
Shortly after we came home, Heather came. Her first day yesterday had gone well. I left to go to a meeting a the school where I am employed, and it felt really good to be back and to see everybody. But it felt even better that it was only for an hour and then I got to go back to my girls. How many people work in a place that let you work from home for 9 months after having had babies??
I spent some time with the girls before Albert came home from work at 15:00, then I went to teach his brother English. At first it was quite awkward because we know each other so well, and because we've never spoken English together. But after a while we got into the teacher-student mode, and 1½ hours flew by.
When I came home I was greeted by three hugely smiling faces - my loving, beautiful family! Albert and I bathed the girls and got them all ready for bed together, then I cooked a nice dinner while he cleaned the apartment a bit.
After dinner I had to work on my translation, I have a huge project due on Sunday and am only half way through. Albert came in every 30 minutes or so to ask if I was OK and if I needed something. Though it's annoying having to work in the evenings, at least I'm doing something I enjoy doing, and it pays well.
I have love, jobs that I like, lovely colleagues and the world's best family - also including my parents, brother, his family, in-laws etc. And we're all healthy and happy! What more could anyone ask for?? And what have I done to deserve it all?
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| Laia & Liva |
ABOUT 6½ MONTHS - 11 January 2011
Today is my birthday - 36! My first birthday as a mommy :).
The day has been wonderful so far, white chokolate croissants and coffee for breakfast and then off to a friends house to see little twin girls. These girls are now about 3 months old but were about 2 months premature, so can do more or less what babies of 1 month can do. They were so small and so sweet, but once again I'm so happy we're past that baby stage. Liva and Laia sit really well and can play on their own for longer and longer. They interact more and more, giggle loads when they look at each other.
Liva has started moving around, she can twist and turn her body to roll in any direction she wants. She can put herself on the playmat to play, or roll to the other side of the room to grab something she finds interesting.
Both girls love the cats and want to touch them all the time. But they pull at them, and the cats go running. Liva tries to move herself to where they are, but as soon as she's close the cats move.
Yesterday we hired a babysitter, she'll come approximately 6 hours/week, starting this Thursday. She'll have a set timetable and be here when I have class or meetings at the school where I still oficially work. If I don't have meetings she'll still come, that'll give me a chance to get out a bit and do other things. Or organize the house, or whatever. I'm sooooo looking forward to having a bit of help!
We interviewed quite a few people, and were not really happy with any of them. We had said we wanted someone who speaks Catalan or Danish, since we don't want to confuse the girls with too many languages. An American girl also replied to our add, but at first I told her no. However, after not really liking any of the people we interviewed, and the one we kind of liked couldn't do Thursday evening, which was one of the most important times that we need someone since I teach 2 different classes, we decided to contact the American girl. She's great! She was so comfortable with the girls, and they both loved her straight away. Lately Liva has been quite difficult with strangers, and cries when she's with somebody she doesn't know. But not with Heather, she just smiled at her. That kind of did it for me!
I also think I've managed to finally convince Albert that we get a cleaning lady. So far he's said he'd rather do it himself than pay someone to come and do it. And to be fair, he has been really good, most weekends he's cleaned the whole apartment. But now it's really difficult to find 2 hours to clean, and since he doesn't see the girls much during the week he wants to be with them at the weekend, not clean.
Oh yes, back to it being my birthday... Well, on Tuesdays I teach, so when Albert came home I went to my class. When I came back my mother-in-law was here with some presents, and the sushi take-away Albert had ordered came. So all in all a lovely day! :)
The day has been wonderful so far, white chokolate croissants and coffee for breakfast and then off to a friends house to see little twin girls. These girls are now about 3 months old but were about 2 months premature, so can do more or less what babies of 1 month can do. They were so small and so sweet, but once again I'm so happy we're past that baby stage. Liva and Laia sit really well and can play on their own for longer and longer. They interact more and more, giggle loads when they look at each other.
Liva has started moving around, she can twist and turn her body to roll in any direction she wants. She can put herself on the playmat to play, or roll to the other side of the room to grab something she finds interesting.
Both girls love the cats and want to touch them all the time. But they pull at them, and the cats go running. Liva tries to move herself to where they are, but as soon as she's close the cats move.
Yesterday we hired a babysitter, she'll come approximately 6 hours/week, starting this Thursday. She'll have a set timetable and be here when I have class or meetings at the school where I still oficially work. If I don't have meetings she'll still come, that'll give me a chance to get out a bit and do other things. Or organize the house, or whatever. I'm sooooo looking forward to having a bit of help!
We interviewed quite a few people, and were not really happy with any of them. We had said we wanted someone who speaks Catalan or Danish, since we don't want to confuse the girls with too many languages. An American girl also replied to our add, but at first I told her no. However, after not really liking any of the people we interviewed, and the one we kind of liked couldn't do Thursday evening, which was one of the most important times that we need someone since I teach 2 different classes, we decided to contact the American girl. She's great! She was so comfortable with the girls, and they both loved her straight away. Lately Liva has been quite difficult with strangers, and cries when she's with somebody she doesn't know. But not with Heather, she just smiled at her. That kind of did it for me!
I also think I've managed to finally convince Albert that we get a cleaning lady. So far he's said he'd rather do it himself than pay someone to come and do it. And to be fair, he has been really good, most weekends he's cleaned the whole apartment. But now it's really difficult to find 2 hours to clean, and since he doesn't see the girls much during the week he wants to be with them at the weekend, not clean.
Oh yes, back to it being my birthday... Well, on Tuesdays I teach, so when Albert came home I went to my class. When I came back my mother-in-law was here with some presents, and the sushi take-away Albert had ordered came. So all in all a lovely day! :)
6 MONTHS + 1 WEEK - 6 Jan. 2011
Happy Three Kings to all of you who celebrate it today!!
What a weird day!!!! After all the tension there's been between Albert and I for the past month, all the emotions just took over this morning after him and I had given each other presents, so on top of not sleeping a lot last night and all the stress just being too much, I suddenly started crying this morning. But after a shower I felt much better.
We got to my mother-in-law's around 10:00, and as always my brother-in-law and his family were late - today about 30 minutes. It gave us some quiet time with the girls' grandparents which was nice. There were loads of presents, way too many considering the amount of people we are. My sister-in-law got mad about it and started telling my mother-in-law off. Then my father-in-law joined in, and next thing I know, everybody is arguing. My father-in-law said he would not put up with such behavior, and left... Poor man is 73 years old and lives over an hour away. The rest of us tried to have a nice day, though with tension between my brother-in-law and his wife. I felt soo bad that I forgot all my anger towards Albert for a while..... At one point my brother-in-law made a comment which pissed off his wife, so she took their 1 month old baby girl and left. After 30 minutes or so, she came back. We sat down to have brunch, but by now everybody was in a pretty bad mood. As soon as we were done eating, my brother-in-law and his family left. My 4-year old nephew wanted to stay with his grandmother, and I really don't blame him! Albert and I stayed as well, the girls napped and ate, and in the afternoon we went for a walk around Barcelona. It was nice!
All evening I've been steaming vegetables and making puré for the next few days. I've read it can be frozen, so I have tomorrow's puré in the fridge and the freezer full of tupperware boxes. I'm looking forward to seeing how the girls will react. I'm hoping that a heavier lunch will make them sleep a bit more in the afternoon, and then stay awake a bit longer - eat later and not wake up at 5:00 for their bottle.
This morning I managed to get them to sleep until 6:30 before they ate, but I was up twice before 6:30, and the girls didn't go back to sleep after eating. The ideal would be that they sleep about 1 hour longer!
We ordered high chairs for them over the internet while we were in Denmark. But since we weren't home we had to have them delivered in January, and since the company we ordered them from are shut the first week of January we don't have them yet. I hope they'll come next week, I really miss having high chairs after having had some for the month we were in Denmark.
What a weird day!!!! After all the tension there's been between Albert and I for the past month, all the emotions just took over this morning after him and I had given each other presents, so on top of not sleeping a lot last night and all the stress just being too much, I suddenly started crying this morning. But after a shower I felt much better.
We got to my mother-in-law's around 10:00, and as always my brother-in-law and his family were late - today about 30 minutes. It gave us some quiet time with the girls' grandparents which was nice. There were loads of presents, way too many considering the amount of people we are. My sister-in-law got mad about it and started telling my mother-in-law off. Then my father-in-law joined in, and next thing I know, everybody is arguing. My father-in-law said he would not put up with such behavior, and left... Poor man is 73 years old and lives over an hour away. The rest of us tried to have a nice day, though with tension between my brother-in-law and his wife. I felt soo bad that I forgot all my anger towards Albert for a while..... At one point my brother-in-law made a comment which pissed off his wife, so she took their 1 month old baby girl and left. After 30 minutes or so, she came back. We sat down to have brunch, but by now everybody was in a pretty bad mood. As soon as we were done eating, my brother-in-law and his family left. My 4-year old nephew wanted to stay with his grandmother, and I really don't blame him! Albert and I stayed as well, the girls napped and ate, and in the afternoon we went for a walk around Barcelona. It was nice!
All evening I've been steaming vegetables and making puré for the next few days. I've read it can be frozen, so I have tomorrow's puré in the fridge and the freezer full of tupperware boxes. I'm looking forward to seeing how the girls will react. I'm hoping that a heavier lunch will make them sleep a bit more in the afternoon, and then stay awake a bit longer - eat later and not wake up at 5:00 for their bottle.
This morning I managed to get them to sleep until 6:30 before they ate, but I was up twice before 6:30, and the girls didn't go back to sleep after eating. The ideal would be that they sleep about 1 hour longer!
We ordered high chairs for them over the internet while we were in Denmark. But since we weren't home we had to have them delivered in January, and since the company we ordered them from are shut the first week of January we don't have them yet. I hope they'll come next week, I really miss having high chairs after having had some for the month we were in Denmark.
6 MONTHS + 1 WEEK - 5 Jan. 2011
I took the girls to their 6-month check-up with the pediatrician today. As always, they're doing great - Laia is once again taller (longer) than Liva, she's 69 cm and weighs 7300 gr. Liva is 68 cm and weighs 7600 gr. The doctor said they are quite tall for their age, but we had already assumed so since they wear size 9-12 months clothes. She also said that they are beautiful, that they have a really nice eye-color (it IS really nice, it's like a blue/grey undefined cool color), and that they are quite advanced. Liva can sit really well without support, Laia can shake her head "no" and wave, things 6-months old normally can't do.
We can start with vegetable mash now, that'll be fun!
Tomorrow is Three Kings, a big day here in Catalonia - and the rest of Spain, I guess. Well, probably most catholic countries.... Anyways, we're all going to my mother-in-law's for presents and brunch. It'll be our first 3 Kings with the girls! :)
We can start with vegetable mash now, that'll be fun!
Tomorrow is Three Kings, a big day here in Catalonia - and the rest of Spain, I guess. Well, probably most catholic countries.... Anyways, we're all going to my mother-in-law's for presents and brunch. It'll be our first 3 Kings with the girls! :)
6 MONTHS + ALMOST 1 WEEK - 3 January 2011
Happy new year!! Liva and Laia celebrated their first new year's eve in Denmark - sleeping :). We went to my brother's house, and all just managed to stay awake until midnight. We drove home shortly after midnight, watching all the forework - it was beautiful. The following day my brother drove us to the airport, we flew home without problems, and were picked up in Barcelona by Albert's brother. It's sooooo good to be home! All day yesterday the sun was shining, the heating was off, doors and windows were open. After a month in cold and snow that was much needed!
I had hoped Albert and I would be back to normal being back home, since Denmark had clearly been dreadful for Albert - it was too cold, he was bored, he felt unwanted at my parent's house, my family is weird, we only did things I wanted to do... Now that we're back home and he has seen his family I figured he'd be OK again, but I was wrong - he still complains, now it's his family who's weird and I can't seem to do anything right lately.
Today the normal life starts again, maybe getting back to work, out of the house and away from us will change him back to normal - though it's a sad thought that he has to be away from us to be happy.... We'll see how things go the next few days.
It's amazing to see how much the girls have changed the month we've been gone, I'm only just noticing it now that we're back with their "old" things - they don't feel like playing with the toys they have here, they don't like sitting in their bouncing chairs, they can't fit the majority of their clothes.... They seem happy to be home as well and are very smily today - yesterday was a tough day, but they must have been tired from the trip on Saturday, and it must be strange for them to suddenly be back here after a month in a different place - they had probably gotten all used to living there now, with my parents around most of the time. By now Liva sits for about 1 minute before falling over, and Laia has started putting herself on all fours, eager to crawl. She doesn't know how, yet, and lifts both arms at once or shoots forward with her little bum, but she's getting there.
I start working today as well, and since I work from home I have to be very disciplined. That'll be completely different to anything I've ever done before!
I had hoped Albert and I would be back to normal being back home, since Denmark had clearly been dreadful for Albert - it was too cold, he was bored, he felt unwanted at my parent's house, my family is weird, we only did things I wanted to do... Now that we're back home and he has seen his family I figured he'd be OK again, but I was wrong - he still complains, now it's his family who's weird and I can't seem to do anything right lately.
Today the normal life starts again, maybe getting back to work, out of the house and away from us will change him back to normal - though it's a sad thought that he has to be away from us to be happy.... We'll see how things go the next few days.
It's amazing to see how much the girls have changed the month we've been gone, I'm only just noticing it now that we're back with their "old" things - they don't feel like playing with the toys they have here, they don't like sitting in their bouncing chairs, they can't fit the majority of their clothes.... They seem happy to be home as well and are very smily today - yesterday was a tough day, but they must have been tired from the trip on Saturday, and it must be strange for them to suddenly be back here after a month in a different place - they had probably gotten all used to living there now, with my parents around most of the time. By now Liva sits for about 1 minute before falling over, and Laia has started putting herself on all fours, eager to crawl. She doesn't know how, yet, and lifts both arms at once or shoots forward with her little bum, but she's getting there.
I start working today as well, and since I work from home I have to be very disciplined. That'll be completely different to anything I've ever done before!
6 MONTHS - 29 December 2010
HAPPY ½-YEAR BIRTHDAY LIVA AND LAIA! We're still in Denmark and it's freezing cold and snowing, so we don't do very much, which is why there haven't been a lot of posts this month. My parents have looked after the girls twice while Albert and I went to Copenhagen, Albert went to Copenhagen one day on his own, and to Elsinore as well. Though we're on holiday I still get up with the girls every morning, so far Albert has only gotten up twice so I could sleep in... I had hoped it would be a little different since we're both on holiday, but I guess I was too optimistic.
We had a wonderful christmas eve at my brother's house - lovely food and everybody was happy. We did a Catalan tradition of the caga tio, and the Danish tradition of walking around the tree while singing carols. Liva & Laia were asleep but my brother's kids were up and enjoyed the evening. We all got really nice present, the girls got some great toys, clothes, Hello Kitty bedsheets and some books.
The girls are enjoying being here, they love the fact that there are so many people around them all the time. They both have 2 bottom front teeth and it looks really sweet. Liva is getting really good at sitting, sits on her own without any support for a few seconds before falling over, and can sit longer and longer every day. Soon she'll be sitting all on her own. Laia doesn't want to sit, she wants to stand and walk. She can't stand without help, and doesn't understand the concept of holding on to furniture yet. So we have to support her. If we put her standing on the floor she tries walking, but of course her little muscles and everything is not at all ready for walking yet.
We can only leave them alone if they're playing on the floor or securely fastened in a bouncing chair - Liva fell off the couch some days ago... Luckily there's a rug just below the couch so she didn't hurt herself, but cried because she got a shock, poor girl!
Liva still yells, now only when she's happy. Though it can get really annoying it is also very cute.... They both babble loads, and love looking at each other - it makes them laugh. Sometimes if one is crying and there's nothing we can do to make her happy, it helps putting her close to her sister.
They are long, thin girls and already wear size 9-12 months. They eat mashed fruit every day, and solids for dinner, but still only the powder we mix with their milk. When we're back in Barcelona they have a doctor's appointment for their 6 month check-up, I hope they'll be allowed to eat more varied food then.
They are starting to learn to drink from cups and really enjoy that. Their sleeping and eating pattern hasn't changed much, the have dinner around 18:00, sleep around 19:00, wake up between 5:00 and 6:00 for a bottle. If they wake up close to 5:00 they go back to sleep until 7:00/7:30, if they wake up closer to 6:00 they often don't go back to sleep again. During the day they're awake 2-2½ hours and then sleep for about 45 minutes, in the afternoon they sometimes last longer than 2½ hours.
They are fun, more and more every day, and I still enjoy every minute I spend with them, and of course they are just beautiful! :)
We had a wonderful christmas eve at my brother's house - lovely food and everybody was happy. We did a Catalan tradition of the caga tio, and the Danish tradition of walking around the tree while singing carols. Liva & Laia were asleep but my brother's kids were up and enjoyed the evening. We all got really nice present, the girls got some great toys, clothes, Hello Kitty bedsheets and some books.
The girls are enjoying being here, they love the fact that there are so many people around them all the time. They both have 2 bottom front teeth and it looks really sweet. Liva is getting really good at sitting, sits on her own without any support for a few seconds before falling over, and can sit longer and longer every day. Soon she'll be sitting all on her own. Laia doesn't want to sit, she wants to stand and walk. She can't stand without help, and doesn't understand the concept of holding on to furniture yet. So we have to support her. If we put her standing on the floor she tries walking, but of course her little muscles and everything is not at all ready for walking yet.
We can only leave them alone if they're playing on the floor or securely fastened in a bouncing chair - Liva fell off the couch some days ago... Luckily there's a rug just below the couch so she didn't hurt herself, but cried because she got a shock, poor girl!
Liva still yells, now only when she's happy. Though it can get really annoying it is also very cute.... They both babble loads, and love looking at each other - it makes them laugh. Sometimes if one is crying and there's nothing we can do to make her happy, it helps putting her close to her sister.
They are long, thin girls and already wear size 9-12 months. They eat mashed fruit every day, and solids for dinner, but still only the powder we mix with their milk. When we're back in Barcelona they have a doctor's appointment for their 6 month check-up, I hope they'll be allowed to eat more varied food then.
They are starting to learn to drink from cups and really enjoy that. Their sleeping and eating pattern hasn't changed much, the have dinner around 18:00, sleep around 19:00, wake up between 5:00 and 6:00 for a bottle. If they wake up close to 5:00 they go back to sleep until 7:00/7:30, if they wake up closer to 6:00 they often don't go back to sleep again. During the day they're awake 2-2½ hours and then sleep for about 45 minutes, in the afternoon they sometimes last longer than 2½ hours.
They are fun, more and more every day, and I still enjoy every minute I spend with them, and of course they are just beautiful! :)
5½ MONTHS+ - 19 December 2010
Denmark is wonderful. There really isn't much to tell, we're enjoying the snow and not having to work. Albert & I went to Copenhagen one day without the girls, that was really nice! We went for lunch, bought pants for me (yes, my idea of losing enough to wear my regular pants by now didn't quite work.... I was sooooo sick of wearing my maternity pants, which are all too big, and it's too cold to wear skirts here!), had gløgg and æbleskiver ( you have to be Danish to know what that is, and how wonderful it is!:)), and just walked around enjoying the city. Another day we went to meet up with one of my best friends, her boyfriend and their 3-month old son in Tivoli, that was really nice as well. We've been to Elsinore, with and without the girls, we've seen my brother and his family a few times, today we went to a farm with my brother, my nephew Simon and my parents, and when we came home my sister-in-law and niece also came. We all had dinner together, first time ever with the girls.
Liva and Laia are really happy these days, laughing and giggeling all the time, They both have colds, especially Laia, and it disturbs her sleep. But she's a trooper and does great. They both have two teeth now, their bottom front teeth, and it seems there's another one on the way at the top. Feeding them dinner is pure pleasure lately, they do so well with a spoon, and most of the food actually lands in their mouth instead of on their clothes, high chairs, the floor, etc.
On Friday it's Christmas Eve, I am so looking forward to that. Tomorrow we're going to Elsinore again with the girls, to buy the last few christmas presents. Tuesday my brother and his whole family are coming again, Wednesday and Thursday we don't know yet. Friday we'll all be at my brother's place. It'll be the first year that we celebrate christmas just the four of us with our families, in the past it's always been with aunts, uncles and grandparents.
Right now I'm looking at the snow outside, the fire in the fire place and enjoying my husband, parents and (sleeping) daughters, thinking how wonderful life is! :)
Liva and Laia are really happy these days, laughing and giggeling all the time, They both have colds, especially Laia, and it disturbs her sleep. But she's a trooper and does great. They both have two teeth now, their bottom front teeth, and it seems there's another one on the way at the top. Feeding them dinner is pure pleasure lately, they do so well with a spoon, and most of the food actually lands in their mouth instead of on their clothes, high chairs, the floor, etc.
On Friday it's Christmas Eve, I am so looking forward to that. Tomorrow we're going to Elsinore again with the girls, to buy the last few christmas presents. Tuesday my brother and his whole family are coming again, Wednesday and Thursday we don't know yet. Friday we'll all be at my brother's place. It'll be the first year that we celebrate christmas just the four of us with our families, in the past it's always been with aunts, uncles and grandparents.
Right now I'm looking at the snow outside, the fire in the fire place and enjoying my husband, parents and (sleeping) daughters, thinking how wonderful life is! :)
ALMOST 5½ MONTHS - 11 Dec. 2010
We've been in Denmark for about a week now, and it's wonderful!
The trip here went fine, when we finally got to go on Monday. We were standing in the check-in line at the airport, when the check-in lady from the business counter came and said she recognized us from Saturday, she'd check us in at the business counter since there was nobody there. That was really nice of her! We got on the plane without problems, Liva fell asleep before take-off, Laia was awake. They had put us in different rows since it's not allowed to have 2 babies in the same row - safety regulations... But we were told they'd try to put us together, though the plane was quite full. Laia started getting restless and crying. As mentioned before, Albert doesn't have much patience when they cry and he gets annoyed. The girls notice this, and cry more. So the first 10 minutes in the plane were a bit of a disaster. But the stewards managed to find a way to get the 4 of us sitting together in 1 row with nobody else, Albert could put Laia more comfortably and eventually she calmed down and fell asleep. Around the time she fell asleep, Liva woke up. She was awake the entire flight while Laia slept the whole time. But there were no problems, we were picked up at the airport by my sister-in-law and arrived at my parent's house fine.
These days we've just been enjoying the snow, and being together as a family. My parents took care of the girls one afternoon while Albert and I went to Elsinore, this weekend my parents are in Hamburg and we're enjoying being just the 4 of us here.
It's so sweet seeing how the girls are bonding with Albert, now that he is home all the time and has time to play with them. They love being with him, just now when Liva woke up from her nap I was sitting with her while Albert was next to us making funny faces at her. Liva reached out her arms towards her daddy and smiled big-time when he took her. They have been playing for the past 20 minutes, and Liva loves it.
It's great having all this time together as a family, and for me and Albert to have time for each other.
I have to work a bit every day, I'm doing a translation. But it's OK, I work in the evenings after the girls are in bed, and only a few hours. The rest of the time I spend with my family, probably the best family in the world!
The trip here went fine, when we finally got to go on Monday. We were standing in the check-in line at the airport, when the check-in lady from the business counter came and said she recognized us from Saturday, she'd check us in at the business counter since there was nobody there. That was really nice of her! We got on the plane without problems, Liva fell asleep before take-off, Laia was awake. They had put us in different rows since it's not allowed to have 2 babies in the same row - safety regulations... But we were told they'd try to put us together, though the plane was quite full. Laia started getting restless and crying. As mentioned before, Albert doesn't have much patience when they cry and he gets annoyed. The girls notice this, and cry more. So the first 10 minutes in the plane were a bit of a disaster. But the stewards managed to find a way to get the 4 of us sitting together in 1 row with nobody else, Albert could put Laia more comfortably and eventually she calmed down and fell asleep. Around the time she fell asleep, Liva woke up. She was awake the entire flight while Laia slept the whole time. But there were no problems, we were picked up at the airport by my sister-in-law and arrived at my parent's house fine.
These days we've just been enjoying the snow, and being together as a family. My parents took care of the girls one afternoon while Albert and I went to Elsinore, this weekend my parents are in Hamburg and we're enjoying being just the 4 of us here.
It's so sweet seeing how the girls are bonding with Albert, now that he is home all the time and has time to play with them. They love being with him, just now when Liva woke up from her nap I was sitting with her while Albert was next to us making funny faces at her. Liva reached out her arms towards her daddy and smiled big-time when he took her. They have been playing for the past 20 minutes, and Liva loves it.
It's great having all this time together as a family, and for me and Albert to have time for each other.
I have to work a bit every day, I'm doing a translation. But it's OK, I work in the evenings after the girls are in bed, and only a few hours. The rest of the time I spend with my family, probably the best family in the world!
5 MONTHS+ - 5 Dec. 2010
We're still in Barcelona.... The Spanish aircontrollers decided to go on an illegal, unwarned strike Friday evening, completely stopping all airtraffic over the Spanish Peninsula. We called the phonenumber provided on the news and were told everything would be OK for Saturday, no worries. We were up until past midnight packing and getting the house ready for us being gone for almost 1 month, we got up at 5:30 Saturday morning, my mother-in-law came over at 7 to be with the girls and say goodbye for a month, and at 7:45 we got in the taxi to the airport. I had checked Spanairs website before leaving, everything was fine with our flight. We had seen on the news that there were lines of up to 100m. at the airport, so we wanted to get there early. The Spanair line to Copenhagen consisted of 3 people, so 30 minutes after arriving we were checked in and past the security control - 2.5 hours before the plane was scheduled to leave. No planes were taking off or landing, but people were optimistic and the mood at the airport was fine. We walked around looking at shops (spent way too much money on things we don't need, as you tend to do when you kill time shopping...), had a coffee, fed the girls who then slept on a bench for about 30 minutes. Eventually the information was that our plane would take off at noon, 1 hour delayed. There was no gate yet, so we walked around some more. Around 11 there was a gate number with the information that boarding time was 11:25. Shortly after there were calls for planes taking off, people at the airport started cheering and clapping. But then things stopped.... 2 planes took off, next thing we know is that all planes for the day are cancelled - including ours. We were told to leave the airport immediately, meaning dragging all our carry-on stuff down to the luggage-claim, finding our 2 huge, heavy suitcases and going back into the check-in area. It looked like something from a 3rd world country; people everywhere, luggage all over the place, chaos, people crying, yelling, sleeping, eating... The line to Spanair was horrifically long, so we decided to go home and call them instead of wasting more time at the airport.
We now have a new flight tomorrow, same time. The aircontrollers are back at work, but it's still chaos since all the people whose flights were cancelled Friday and Saturday had to be rescheduled. We are lucky that we're going for a month, 2-3 days more or less wont make a huge difference, though it's a shame. Dec 6 & 8 are holidays here, loads of people were taking a mini-break for 5 days, which has been ruined by the aircontrollers' illegal strike. But we get another weekend here in Barcelona, my mother-in-law gets another day with the girls, and tomorrow we'll start our vacation - again. We're so lucky that the girls are so good, a day like yesterday is no problem with 2 smiling little angels. We're not at all worried about travelling with them tomorrow, even if the plane will be delayed.
We now have a new flight tomorrow, same time. The aircontrollers are back at work, but it's still chaos since all the people whose flights were cancelled Friday and Saturday had to be rescheduled. We are lucky that we're going for a month, 2-3 days more or less wont make a huge difference, though it's a shame. Dec 6 & 8 are holidays here, loads of people were taking a mini-break for 5 days, which has been ruined by the aircontrollers' illegal strike. But we get another weekend here in Barcelona, my mother-in-law gets another day with the girls, and tomorrow we'll start our vacation - again. We're so lucky that the girls are so good, a day like yesterday is no problem with 2 smiling little angels. We're not at all worried about travelling with them tomorrow, even if the plane will be delayed.
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| Barcelona airport 4 Dec. 2010 |
5 MONTHS+ - 3 Dec. 2010
Liva has started yelling - it has been going on for about 1 week now, and it's driving me nuts!! At first it was cute - she had just discovered she could make really loud sounds, and thought it was fun. Laia had her yelling-phase about 1 month ago, it lasted less than a week and she only yelled a few times a day. Liva yells and yells and yells.... Regardless of whether she's happy, angry, hungry, tired, playing, bored, etc, etc, etc. She just yells..... I've tried loads to make her stop - putting my hand over her mouth makes her laugh and yell even louder. Squirting water on her - like we do with the cats when we have to teach them they're doing something they shouldn't be doing - makes her laugh and eventually yell. This morning I "slapped" her with one finger on her mouth and cheek. She was surprised and didn't know whether to cry or laugh - in the end she chose to smile... And then yell some more.
Just to set one thing clear - I would NEVER slap my children! I use only one finger, and I don't touch her very hard. Liva is a very nervous girl, and needs quiet and tranquility around her. She can't handle loud noises and she's very easily shocked/surprised. The doctor told us that her unwillingness to sleep but sleeping like a baby (excuse the pun) when she finally sleeps is a typical sign that she's a nervous girl. She needs to feel safe, know what's going on and what will happen next. For this reason having a schedule is very important for her. And for this reason I had hoped that the element of surprise in "slapping" her with one finger would help her understand not to yell. But so far it hasn't worked...
Laia just woke up and is sitting on my lap, smiling like a little angel. Time to stop and go enjoy my girl, wait for Liva to wake up, and feed them their fruit. Then start packing and getting everything ready for tomorrow - we're off to Denmark for 4 full weeks, all 4 of us!! It's the first time the four of us get vacation-time together, and we're soooooo looking forward to it. We'll be staying with my parents which means help with the girls, which means time for Albert and me to relax and spend some time with each other. I'm sure it'll be the best December ever! :)
Just to set one thing clear - I would NEVER slap my children! I use only one finger, and I don't touch her very hard. Liva is a very nervous girl, and needs quiet and tranquility around her. She can't handle loud noises and she's very easily shocked/surprised. The doctor told us that her unwillingness to sleep but sleeping like a baby (excuse the pun) when she finally sleeps is a typical sign that she's a nervous girl. She needs to feel safe, know what's going on and what will happen next. For this reason having a schedule is very important for her. And for this reason I had hoped that the element of surprise in "slapping" her with one finger would help her understand not to yell. But so far it hasn't worked...
Laia just woke up and is sitting on my lap, smiling like a little angel. Time to stop and go enjoy my girl, wait for Liva to wake up, and feed them their fruit. Then start packing and getting everything ready for tomorrow - we're off to Denmark for 4 full weeks, all 4 of us!! It's the first time the four of us get vacation-time together, and we're soooooo looking forward to it. We'll be staying with my parents which means help with the girls, which means time for Albert and me to relax and spend some time with each other. I'm sure it'll be the best December ever! :)
5 MONTHS+ - 1 Dec. 2010
There's blended fruit all over Liva, Laia, me and half the couch.... The pediatrician told us we could give them blended apples, pears and bananas with the juice of an orange when they were 5 months old. Today was the first attempt. I had put it in bottles with the hole made bigger, Laia did great and Liva, well......
When they got the first taste in their mouth, they both made a funny face. Laia started laughing, grabbed for the bottle with her little hands, placed it in her mouth and sucked almost 200 ml og blended fruit, until there was no more left. Liva gave it a second try, made another face and looked at me as if asking what in the world I was giving her. We kept trying for a while, but when Laia was half way through her bottle, Liva had eaten about 10 ml. I tried spoon feeding her, that worked for a while. When it stopped working, I went back to the bottle. Then back to the spoon. By this time Laia was done, watching her sister being fed and saying Mm Mm Mm Mm, which means "more" "more" "more" "more". I gave her a couple of spoonfulls and she was happy, but I didn't want to give her too much since it was the first time and she had already gulped down all hers. Eventually Liva had eaten about 2/3 and was crying - I don't want her associating eating fruit with something bad, so I decided to stop. Laia was still saying Mm Mm Mm, but she'll have to wait until tomorrow.
While I was feeding them we got a new addition to our family - my sister-in-law here in Barcelona had a little baby girl! :) Liva & Laia now have 5 cousins, Albert's brother's 3 children here in Barcelona Martí (4), Guillem (1½) and Berta (a few hours), and my brother's 2 children in Denmark Freja (4) and Simon (2). It'll be loads of fun when they're a bit older and can play together.
When they got the first taste in their mouth, they both made a funny face. Laia started laughing, grabbed for the bottle with her little hands, placed it in her mouth and sucked almost 200 ml og blended fruit, until there was no more left. Liva gave it a second try, made another face and looked at me as if asking what in the world I was giving her. We kept trying for a while, but when Laia was half way through her bottle, Liva had eaten about 10 ml. I tried spoon feeding her, that worked for a while. When it stopped working, I went back to the bottle. Then back to the spoon. By this time Laia was done, watching her sister being fed and saying Mm Mm Mm Mm, which means "more" "more" "more" "more". I gave her a couple of spoonfulls and she was happy, but I didn't want to give her too much since it was the first time and she had already gulped down all hers. Eventually Liva had eaten about 2/3 and was crying - I don't want her associating eating fruit with something bad, so I decided to stop. Laia was still saying Mm Mm Mm, but she'll have to wait until tomorrow.
While I was feeding them we got a new addition to our family - my sister-in-law here in Barcelona had a little baby girl! :) Liva & Laia now have 5 cousins, Albert's brother's 3 children here in Barcelona Martí (4), Guillem (1½) and Berta (a few hours), and my brother's 2 children in Denmark Freja (4) and Simon (2). It'll be loads of fun when they're a bit older and can play together.
5 MONTHS - 29 Nov. 2010
Wow, how time still flies, I can't believe Liva & Laia are already 5 months old! And they are such sweet girls!! They laugh loads, Liva still struggles a bit with laughing out loud and normally ends up squealing with delight instead. They are extremely ticklish so it's easy to make them laugh.
Laia can turn over from her back to her belly, and no longer enjoys laying on her back - she wants to be on her belly all the time now. If it was up to her, she'd be sitting and standing but though she's clearly eager she can't do either without help. Neither can Liva. Liva loves grabbing things - she can pick up fallen things, and takes anything we offer her without problems.
Eating with a spoon is going OK, I've been "cheating" a lot and have been bottle-feeding them instead. It's just too difficult when I have to spoon feed both of them on my own. Yesterday Albert spoon-fed Liva while I cheated and bottle-fed Laia. But when she realized her sister was eating with a spoon, she refused to take the bottle and did great with a spoon. Actually, she normally always does great - Liva was the first to learn, but somehow forgot again. Laia took a bit longer, but now that she's learned it she's really good at eating with a spoon.
They make loads of sounds, even say real words such as "hej", "hola", "ja" and "Laia" (we are aware that they have no idea what they're saying!), and have recently started talking a bit with each other - they will mimick each other's sounds or take turns making sounds. They have also started smiling when they look at each other, but clearly still don't quite know what to do with this other person who's always there.
They also smile when they look at us, it's a wonderful feeling! When they sit on our laps with their backs to us, they turn up their heads and smile at our face. They smile and giggle when we kiss them, and half open their mouth when trying to return the kisses.
Laia loves Tatanka and he loves her! Liva doesn't care much for the cats, Tomahawk doesn't care much for the girls.
I'm also doing good, I've completely recovered by now - except for my body. I'm sooooooooooooooooooo fed up with being "fat". I know I'm not fat as such, but I'm fat compared to how I like to be. I still can't fit my regular pants and only wear skirts or maternity pants, it's sad! One day I managed to squeeze myself into my normal pants, and though I thought I had managed to hide my bulging stomach, Albert looked at me with panick written all over his face and asked whether I was pregnant again. Great, I haven't tried to wear my normal pants since!! And I refuse to buy new pants just because I'm too fat to wear the ones I have.
But when I look at our girls I don't regret for 1 second having gone through all this! They are such sweet girls and both Albert and I love them with all our heart!!
Laia can turn over from her back to her belly, and no longer enjoys laying on her back - she wants to be on her belly all the time now. If it was up to her, she'd be sitting and standing but though she's clearly eager she can't do either without help. Neither can Liva. Liva loves grabbing things - she can pick up fallen things, and takes anything we offer her without problems.
Eating with a spoon is going OK, I've been "cheating" a lot and have been bottle-feeding them instead. It's just too difficult when I have to spoon feed both of them on my own. Yesterday Albert spoon-fed Liva while I cheated and bottle-fed Laia. But when she realized her sister was eating with a spoon, she refused to take the bottle and did great with a spoon. Actually, she normally always does great - Liva was the first to learn, but somehow forgot again. Laia took a bit longer, but now that she's learned it she's really good at eating with a spoon.
They make loads of sounds, even say real words such as "hej", "hola", "ja" and "Laia" (we are aware that they have no idea what they're saying!), and have recently started talking a bit with each other - they will mimick each other's sounds or take turns making sounds. They have also started smiling when they look at each other, but clearly still don't quite know what to do with this other person who's always there.
They also smile when they look at us, it's a wonderful feeling! When they sit on our laps with their backs to us, they turn up their heads and smile at our face. They smile and giggle when we kiss them, and half open their mouth when trying to return the kisses.
Laia loves Tatanka and he loves her! Liva doesn't care much for the cats, Tomahawk doesn't care much for the girls.
I'm also doing good, I've completely recovered by now - except for my body. I'm sooooooooooooooooooo fed up with being "fat". I know I'm not fat as such, but I'm fat compared to how I like to be. I still can't fit my regular pants and only wear skirts or maternity pants, it's sad! One day I managed to squeeze myself into my normal pants, and though I thought I had managed to hide my bulging stomach, Albert looked at me with panick written all over his face and asked whether I was pregnant again. Great, I haven't tried to wear my normal pants since!! And I refuse to buy new pants just because I'm too fat to wear the ones I have.
But when I look at our girls I don't regret for 1 second having gone through all this! They are such sweet girls and both Albert and I love them with all our heart!!
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| Liva & Laia |
ALMOST 5 MONTHS - 28 Nov. 2010
A wonderful, wonderful weekend is coming to an end! On Fridays Albert finishes work early, this Friday the four of us went to a mall when he came home. After a while there we went home, fed the girls, bathed them, put them to bed, lit candles in the whole apartment and had a wonderful, quiet evening together.
Saturday morning we moved the girls' bed out of our bedroom into their own room. From now on they sleep in their own room, but for now still in the same bed. They're almost too big to share a bed, but since they'll have to share in December in Denmark we'll wait until January with putting them in seperate beds.
We then went to a Christmas bazaar at the Scandinavian club where we hung up a sign that we are looking for somebody to take care of the girls a few hours a week from January, hopefully we'll get some replies on that. After the bazaar we went to Rabassa, a shop with everything you could wish for for your baby in top quality. Since I know the owners quite well, we get "VIP" service and prices. We bought some things for the girls, went for coffee and a sandwich, and walked around Barcelona. Liva & Laia were in baby carriers on our bellies, dressed in a suit that made them look like polar bears. Everybody looked at them, many people made comments. I'm used to it and manage to ignore most of the looks and comments, but Albert isn't used to it at all and was chocked at the behavior of people - it seriously feels like we are aliens or something straight out of a circus!! But at least all the looks and comments are always positive, and we bring a smile to most people's faces, so it's OK.
Saturday afternoon my mother-in-law came over to take care of Liva & Laia while Albert cleaned the apartment and I cooked a 3-course meal. We had a friend over for dinner, and it was nice though it got quite late. I have no idea what we would have done without my mother-in-law and our dishwasher! :)
Sunday morning Albert went to vote for the Catalan parliament, buy bread, and get me a coffee. Around noon my father-in-law came over for lunch and in the afternoon my mother-in-law, brother-in-law and his children all came over for coffee and cake. My sister-in-law is majorly pregnant and due in 5 days, so she stayed at home. It was a nice afternoon, Liva & Laia were so sweet and happy and charmed everybody. When everybody had left we cleaned up a bit, thanked god for the dishwasher once again, fed the girls, put them to bed and collapsed on the couch. Now I'll go get my massage from Albert, relax in front of the TV with my wonderful husband for a while, and go to bed. I will cuddle Albert as much as I can, and tell him how wonderful he is!! And tomorrow our little girls will be 5 months old....
Saturday morning we moved the girls' bed out of our bedroom into their own room. From now on they sleep in their own room, but for now still in the same bed. They're almost too big to share a bed, but since they'll have to share in December in Denmark we'll wait until January with putting them in seperate beds.
We then went to a Christmas bazaar at the Scandinavian club where we hung up a sign that we are looking for somebody to take care of the girls a few hours a week from January, hopefully we'll get some replies on that. After the bazaar we went to Rabassa, a shop with everything you could wish for for your baby in top quality. Since I know the owners quite well, we get "VIP" service and prices. We bought some things for the girls, went for coffee and a sandwich, and walked around Barcelona. Liva & Laia were in baby carriers on our bellies, dressed in a suit that made them look like polar bears. Everybody looked at them, many people made comments. I'm used to it and manage to ignore most of the looks and comments, but Albert isn't used to it at all and was chocked at the behavior of people - it seriously feels like we are aliens or something straight out of a circus!! But at least all the looks and comments are always positive, and we bring a smile to most people's faces, so it's OK.
Saturday afternoon my mother-in-law came over to take care of Liva & Laia while Albert cleaned the apartment and I cooked a 3-course meal. We had a friend over for dinner, and it was nice though it got quite late. I have no idea what we would have done without my mother-in-law and our dishwasher! :)
Sunday morning Albert went to vote for the Catalan parliament, buy bread, and get me a coffee. Around noon my father-in-law came over for lunch and in the afternoon my mother-in-law, brother-in-law and his children all came over for coffee and cake. My sister-in-law is majorly pregnant and due in 5 days, so she stayed at home. It was a nice afternoon, Liva & Laia were so sweet and happy and charmed everybody. When everybody had left we cleaned up a bit, thanked god for the dishwasher once again, fed the girls, put them to bed and collapsed on the couch. Now I'll go get my massage from Albert, relax in front of the TV with my wonderful husband for a while, and go to bed. I will cuddle Albert as much as I can, and tell him how wonderful he is!! And tomorrow our little girls will be 5 months old....
ALMOST 5 MONTHS - 26 Nov. 2010
Laia rolled over from her back to her tummy today!! They have both been rolling over from tummy to back for a while, but never the other way. I wasn't even expecting it, they were on their playmat and Laia grabbed hold of one of the dangling toys. Next thing I know she had rolled over using the toy to help her. I praised her bigtime, then put her back on her tummy - she tried rolling over without the help of the toy but couldn't do it, so I helped a bit. She clearly enjoyed it, and got really mad when I put her back on her belly. I helped her roll over again, and she stayed on her belly for a really long time. Clever girl! :)
21 WEEKS - 24 Nov. 2010
AAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I CAN'T TAKE ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The girls just don't stop crying!! They are whiny all morning coz they're tired, I put them to bed and they start kicking their legs, waving their arms and screaming hysterically. It happened 3 times yesterday, they'd scream hysterically for about 5minutes until they eventually passed out. At the moment they've been screaming for about 15 minutes, when I go into their room it just gets worse. I refuse to take them out of bed again, they are sooooo tired and shouldn't learn that they'll get their way by screaming.
The hardest part is that it's been like this for 3 days now, and I'm alone with them all the time. Albert has more important things to do - Monday he called me from work to let me know he'd be home late, he had to get his hair cut. Great, I get to feed 2 crying girls who are still struggeling with learning how to eat with a spoon. Yesterday I fed them on my own as well, though after 25 minutes I gave up with the spoon and poured the porridge into bottles.
And anyways, Albert doesn't want to have anything to do with the girls when they are like this because "I can't stand babies when they act like that". Well, neither can I but somebody has to deal with them. That someone then turns out to be me... The other day Albert told me that taking care of the girls is my job, that's why I get paid for being at home with them. This is the lowest salary I've ever earned in my life - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with hardly any help - and no holidays!!
I hope this stops soon and that it's only because Laia has a cold and she works up Liva too with her crying. Thank god we're going to Denmark in 10 days and my parents will be there to help. I really don't know what to do anymore. And just to point out how bad it is, both girls have been crying all the time while I've been writing this, and are still crying... I'll go in there now and try to calm them down a bit, but I am so losing my patience with them that I'm not sure I can calm them down........
The hardest part is that it's been like this for 3 days now, and I'm alone with them all the time. Albert has more important things to do - Monday he called me from work to let me know he'd be home late, he had to get his hair cut. Great, I get to feed 2 crying girls who are still struggeling with learning how to eat with a spoon. Yesterday I fed them on my own as well, though after 25 minutes I gave up with the spoon and poured the porridge into bottles.
And anyways, Albert doesn't want to have anything to do with the girls when they are like this because "I can't stand babies when they act like that". Well, neither can I but somebody has to deal with them. That someone then turns out to be me... The other day Albert told me that taking care of the girls is my job, that's why I get paid for being at home with them. This is the lowest salary I've ever earned in my life - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with hardly any help - and no holidays!!
I hope this stops soon and that it's only because Laia has a cold and she works up Liva too with her crying. Thank god we're going to Denmark in 10 days and my parents will be there to help. I really don't know what to do anymore. And just to point out how bad it is, both girls have been crying all the time while I've been writing this, and are still crying... I'll go in there now and try to calm them down a bit, but I am so losing my patience with them that I'm not sure I can calm them down........
21 WEEKS - 23 Nov. 2010
Laia is fine. She had a regular cold and fever, no big deal. Liva woke up while they were at the ER and wouldn't go back to sleep, I guess she couldn't sleep without her sister. They've never slept apart before... Laia had a fever on and off all day yesterday and no fever today. She's been quite whiny, though, and it's starting to get to me. This afternoon Liva started getting whiny too, so I had two crying girls most of the afternoon. It drives me nuts, we're really soooo lucky that they are normally easy, happy, good girls, coz I would NEVER have survived 2 crying girls!
Today I had a meeting with my boss, from January I start working again. We agreed that I'll work 15 hours/week all from home! :) Beside that I've taken on some classes, and I have translation projects coming in. So basically I can be at home with the girls during the day and work in the evenings and at weekends when Albert is home. In September they'll start in day care, then I'll go back to work for real - though not full-time, I don't want my kids in an institution for 8-9 hours/day! This was just the solution we had hoped for, so we are of course happy!
Today I had a meeting with my boss, from January I start working again. We agreed that I'll work 15 hours/week all from home! :) Beside that I've taken on some classes, and I have translation projects coming in. So basically I can be at home with the girls during the day and work in the evenings and at weekends when Albert is home. In September they'll start in day care, then I'll go back to work for real - though not full-time, I don't want my kids in an institution for 8-9 hours/day! This was just the solution we had hoped for, so we are of course happy!
ALMOST 21 WEEKS - 21 Nov. 2010
We have a sick child!! Poor Laia has a temperature of 38.2, Albert is at the ER with her now.
It started yesterday, we noticed she was quite hot and sleepy, so we took her temperature. It was at 37.4. An hour or so later we took it again, 37.6. When she reached 37.8 we called the doctor - we've never had a sick child before, neither of us knew what to do... It was Saturday so we couldn't get a hold of our regular pediatrician, we had to call the emergency doctor. She recommended some medication which Albert went out to buy, and we've been giving it to her over the past 24 hours. She seems OK, she's hot and sleeps a lot, but she eats fine and smiles, even laughs sometimes.
Before putting the girls to bed today, I took Laia's temeprature again, 38.2.... Albert panicks quicker than me, he wanted to take her to the ER straight away. I said it would probably be better for her to sleep. But 3 hours later she woke up and was whimpering. After an hour of trying to calm her - her temperature was at 37.9 - Albert called the emergency doctors again. They said to take her to the ER, because having a fever for 24 hours when she's been taking medication which should reduce it, is not a good sign. Of course we didn't want to wake up Liva, poor girl, so Albert is at the ER with Laia while I'm at home. Though I'm sure she's OK and that it's "just" a regular flu, I can't help worrying. My poor baby!!!!
It started yesterday, we noticed she was quite hot and sleepy, so we took her temperature. It was at 37.4. An hour or so later we took it again, 37.6. When she reached 37.8 we called the doctor - we've never had a sick child before, neither of us knew what to do... It was Saturday so we couldn't get a hold of our regular pediatrician, we had to call the emergency doctor. She recommended some medication which Albert went out to buy, and we've been giving it to her over the past 24 hours. She seems OK, she's hot and sleeps a lot, but she eats fine and smiles, even laughs sometimes.
Before putting the girls to bed today, I took Laia's temeprature again, 38.2.... Albert panicks quicker than me, he wanted to take her to the ER straight away. I said it would probably be better for her to sleep. But 3 hours later she woke up and was whimpering. After an hour of trying to calm her - her temperature was at 37.9 - Albert called the emergency doctors again. They said to take her to the ER, because having a fever for 24 hours when she's been taking medication which should reduce it, is not a good sign. Of course we didn't want to wake up Liva, poor girl, so Albert is at the ER with Laia while I'm at home. Though I'm sure she's OK and that it's "just" a regular flu, I can't help worrying. My poor baby!!!!
ALMOST 20 WEEKS - 14 Nov. 2010
All week we've been feeding the girls porridge, on Friday I started using only a spoon, no more bottles. They're doing OK, Liva is quite good and eats most of what she's given. Laia struggles and spits out about as much as she manages to swallow. But it seems to work quite well, they eat around 18:00-18:15 (by then they're so hungry and tired we can't keep them waiting any longer), and are put to bed about 1 hour later. They still wake up early mornings and want a bottle, anytime between 5:00 and 6:00. When they wake up at 5:00 they eat and go back to sleep, when they wake up 5:30 or later they don't go back to sleep... So I definitely prefer feeding them at 5:00 and sleeping another couple of hours. Hopefully we can soon feed them at 19:00 instead if 18-ish like now, then they should be able to sleep through the night.
Today I went walking in the park with the girls, and saw loads of pregnant ladies or ladies breastfeeding their baby. And it made me realize how happy I am that those times are over for me! I absolutely hated being pregnant!! I felt sick for 9 months, didn't feel like eating most things, and most things I felt like eating I wasn't allowed to eat. My belly was huge and constantly in the way, I couldn't sleep at night, I could hardly walk towards the end, I didn't leave the house for almost 2 months.
Though I enjoyed breastfeeding - the almost 4 months it lasted - I am just so happy that the girls are older now. They are so much fun to be around now, they laugh when we play with them or tickle them, they look into ours eyes and smile, they make face expressions, they mimick our sounds and expressions, they cry when I get mad at them (doesn't happen often, but happens), they are just loads of fun now. They can almost sit up, they are much easier to dress and undress because they "help" - bend their arms and legs etc. I really don't miss the time when they were jsut small babies, eating, sleeping and pooping all the time. I love them more and more every day, and the way they look at Albert and me and smile makes me believe that they know who we are, and that they love us, too. They are my little miracles!! :)
Today I went walking in the park with the girls, and saw loads of pregnant ladies or ladies breastfeeding their baby. And it made me realize how happy I am that those times are over for me! I absolutely hated being pregnant!! I felt sick for 9 months, didn't feel like eating most things, and most things I felt like eating I wasn't allowed to eat. My belly was huge and constantly in the way, I couldn't sleep at night, I could hardly walk towards the end, I didn't leave the house for almost 2 months.
Though I enjoyed breastfeeding - the almost 4 months it lasted - I am just so happy that the girls are older now. They are so much fun to be around now, they laugh when we play with them or tickle them, they look into ours eyes and smile, they make face expressions, they mimick our sounds and expressions, they cry when I get mad at them (doesn't happen often, but happens), they are just loads of fun now. They can almost sit up, they are much easier to dress and undress because they "help" - bend their arms and legs etc. I really don't miss the time when they were jsut small babies, eating, sleeping and pooping all the time. I love them more and more every day, and the way they look at Albert and me and smile makes me believe that they know who we are, and that they love us, too. They are my little miracles!! :)
19 WEEKS - 9 Nov. 2010
So, we gave the girls porridge last night. What a laugh!! They had barely slept all day, fell asleep around 17:00 and were woken up 18:15. That's the time they're normally put to bed, so they were completely confused. They hadn't eaten since 14:30, and when they finally got to eat it was a whole new thing. At first we tried with spoons, but that was really difficult for them. Since they were so hungry and so tired, we decided to put the porridge in a bottle and let them drink it. That worked quite well, they seemed to like it. Afterwards, around 19:30, we put the girls to bed. When we went to bed, we didn't wake them up - how weird, first time in more than 4 months that we didn't have to feed the girls before going to bed. They slept until 4:15 this morning, ate a regular bottle and slept until 7:15. Wow, I hadn't expected it to work!!:)
Today Albert came home from work late, so I had to feed them on my own. After trying various options, I eventually ended up giving Liva a new bottle especially for porridge which I bought earlier today, and Laia another bottle which we made yesterday, where we cut the whole quite big. It took me 1 hour to feed them 120 ml.... By the time I was done, Albert was home. We put on their pyjamas and put them to bed at 19:30, they went straight to sleep. It'll be interesting to see how long they sleep tonight.
The best part about not having to feed them at midnight is that I can go to bed whenever I want! Going to bed early was pretty pointless when I had to wake up around midnight anyway, but now I can go to bed whenever and just sleep. Nice!! So I'll go and have Albert give me the massage he's promised me, and then go to bed.
Today Albert came home from work late, so I had to feed them on my own. After trying various options, I eventually ended up giving Liva a new bottle especially for porridge which I bought earlier today, and Laia another bottle which we made yesterday, where we cut the whole quite big. It took me 1 hour to feed them 120 ml.... By the time I was done, Albert was home. We put on their pyjamas and put them to bed at 19:30, they went straight to sleep. It'll be interesting to see how long they sleep tonight.
The best part about not having to feed them at midnight is that I can go to bed whenever I want! Going to bed early was pretty pointless when I had to wake up around midnight anyway, but now I can go to bed whenever and just sleep. Nice!! So I'll go and have Albert give me the massage he's promised me, and then go to bed.
ALMOST 19 WEEKS - 8 Nov. 2010
Another doctor's appointment today. The girls are just as they are supposed to be, the doctor was very impressed at their size. And she said they were beautiful, sweet, happy and healthy - just like 2 little princesses. We were sooo proud! :)
Liva weighs 6750 gr. and is 65 cm tall, Laia weighs 6440 gr and is 64 cm tall.
We get to start with porridge today, but we have to change their entire schedule. After the clock changed, the girls have been going to sleep around 18:30 every day. We still wake them up around midnight to feed them, and they sleep until around 5, eat and sleep until about 7:30. Now we have to give them porridge around 19:00 and let them sleep through the night. Supposedly they'll sleep until the following morning. Hmmmm, we'll see about that....
Liva weighs 6750 gr. and is 65 cm tall, Laia weighs 6440 gr and is 64 cm tall.
We get to start with porridge today, but we have to change their entire schedule. After the clock changed, the girls have been going to sleep around 18:30 every day. We still wake them up around midnight to feed them, and they sleep until around 5, eat and sleep until about 7:30. Now we have to give them porridge around 19:00 and let them sleep through the night. Supposedly they'll sleep until the following morning. Hmmmm, we'll see about that....
ALMOST 19 WEEKS - 7 Nov. 2010
Today is Albert's birthday and we've spent the whole weekend celebrating! Well, kind of... Friday afternoon we all 4 went out after Albert came home from work. The girls hadn't been out all day since there were people here building up cupboards in our livingroom, something we've been dreaming about the entire year we've lived here.
Saturday morning Iaia came to take care of the girls while Albert and I went to the center. We did some shopping, then went to the Boqueria and bought a huge, expensive steak. Before leaving home, Albert had taken our bed apart and we had thrown it away since we've bought a new one. They called while we were in the center that they were coming to put it up. We rushed home, and by the time we got there, the new bed was already broken... The people who were supposed to put it up broke the head board - and no, it's not from Ikea..... They asked us if we wanted it anyway, which of course we didn't, and without the headboard they couldn't put up the bed. So we're now sleeping on our madras on the floor, fun....
Saturday evening, after putting the girls to bed, we cooked the steak from the boqueria along with salad, bread and a great wine. What a dinner! :)
This morning, after giving Albert his presents, we went out on the street - the Pope is in Barcelona and since he passed right by our house we couldn't really miss it... I'm not catholic and neither of us is religious, but seeing the Pope when he passes right by the house is a must. Afterwards we bought breakfast to take home, had a super relaxing day until the afternoon. We took the girls out for a walk, then went to my brother-in-law's house where there was a small family celebration for Albert. Then home, bathe the girls, put them to bed and wait for my mother-in-law. When she came over we went out for sushi. Poor woman, all she seems to do lately is babysit her grandchildren. But she says she enjoys it, we're assuming she's telling the truth.
Saturday morning Iaia came to take care of the girls while Albert and I went to the center. We did some shopping, then went to the Boqueria and bought a huge, expensive steak. Before leaving home, Albert had taken our bed apart and we had thrown it away since we've bought a new one. They called while we were in the center that they were coming to put it up. We rushed home, and by the time we got there, the new bed was already broken... The people who were supposed to put it up broke the head board - and no, it's not from Ikea..... They asked us if we wanted it anyway, which of course we didn't, and without the headboard they couldn't put up the bed. So we're now sleeping on our madras on the floor, fun....
Saturday evening, after putting the girls to bed, we cooked the steak from the boqueria along with salad, bread and a great wine. What a dinner! :)
This morning, after giving Albert his presents, we went out on the street - the Pope is in Barcelona and since he passed right by our house we couldn't really miss it... I'm not catholic and neither of us is religious, but seeing the Pope when he passes right by the house is a must. Afterwards we bought breakfast to take home, had a super relaxing day until the afternoon. We took the girls out for a walk, then went to my brother-in-law's house where there was a small family celebration for Albert. Then home, bathe the girls, put them to bed and wait for my mother-in-law. When she came over we went out for sushi. Poor woman, all she seems to do lately is babysit her grandchildren. But she says she enjoys it, we're assuming she's telling the truth.
18 WEEKS - 1 Nov. 2010
A 3-day weekend is coming to an end, and it's been a lovely 3 days! Saturday morning we took the girls to a playground for the first time. Since Laia loves "playing wild", and Liva is starting to quite enjoy it too, we decided to try the swings with them. We had expected Laia to love it and Liva to be a bit more hesitant, we were wrong! Liva laughed and laughed whereas Laia wasn't sure whether she should laugh or cry - we took her out of the swing before she could make up her mind. Since they're only 4 months old, we didn't stay long at the playground, and we didn't try out any of the other things there. We'll wait another few months before we do it again.
Today we went into town, and I wanted to have lunch. Most of the places we wanted to go to we couldn't get into with the stroller, so in the end we went to a Sirian restaurant - great food!! Just as we entered the restaurant, the girls woke up, and Albert was sure we should forget all about going in. But I convinced him to give it a try, and see how the girls would behave. Normally they are good girls, we had food for them, and there's no reason why they should cause any trouble. On the other hand, if they get bored they can be quite embarrasing... But they were sooooo good, we were so proud of them. They ate (well, drank, they still only get milk), and for the rest of the time they sat quietly in their stroller. Liva was tired and was half asleep most of the time, Laia was in a great mood and sat giggeling to herself. When we touched her or talked to her she laughed and laughed. For being only 4 months old, they are such good girls! We have really been very, very lucky!!
They sleep really well now, have been doing so for about 6 weeks. We put them to bed around 19:00 and they go straight to sleep, no problems at all. Laia sometimes wakes up, but all she wants is her dummy and a kiss, then she'll go right back to sleep. At midnight we feed them and then they sleep until 6-ish. Well, not today since the time has changed and we're now on wintertime. They woke up at 4:15 and wanted food, and instead of sleeping until 8:00 like they normally do, they of course woke up at 7:00. It has been a loooooong day today, that 1 hour changes our whole schedule, and it just makes the day seem much longer. So, I'm off to bed and hope the girls will sleep longer tomorrow!
Today we went into town, and I wanted to have lunch. Most of the places we wanted to go to we couldn't get into with the stroller, so in the end we went to a Sirian restaurant - great food!! Just as we entered the restaurant, the girls woke up, and Albert was sure we should forget all about going in. But I convinced him to give it a try, and see how the girls would behave. Normally they are good girls, we had food for them, and there's no reason why they should cause any trouble. On the other hand, if they get bored they can be quite embarrasing... But they were sooooo good, we were so proud of them. They ate (well, drank, they still only get milk), and for the rest of the time they sat quietly in their stroller. Liva was tired and was half asleep most of the time, Laia was in a great mood and sat giggeling to herself. When we touched her or talked to her she laughed and laughed. For being only 4 months old, they are such good girls! We have really been very, very lucky!!
They sleep really well now, have been doing so for about 6 weeks. We put them to bed around 19:00 and they go straight to sleep, no problems at all. Laia sometimes wakes up, but all she wants is her dummy and a kiss, then she'll go right back to sleep. At midnight we feed them and then they sleep until 6-ish. Well, not today since the time has changed and we're now on wintertime. They woke up at 4:15 and wanted food, and instead of sleeping until 8:00 like they normally do, they of course woke up at 7:00. It has been a loooooong day today, that 1 hour changes our whole schedule, and it just makes the day seem much longer. So, I'm off to bed and hope the girls will sleep longer tomorrow!
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