Dear Boys: You’re Two!

Posted in Davis, Twins, Whitaker by Liz

Whitaker & Davis:

Yesterday was your second birthday! I really can’t believe how quickly time is passing by. It feels like just yesterday you were teeny tiny preemies keeping me up all night and now you’re strong, robust two year olds.

I’ve had several people ask me if I’m happy the “hardest” years of having twins are over. I have to laugh and tell them that actually having twin two year olds so far has been the most difficult! You two are so curious, rambunctious and strong that you keep Daddy and I on our toes.

It seems like just as we’re settling into a good routine, you two find a way to cause some new form of ruckus. For example, this weekend Whitaker figured out how to escape the back yard by climbing under a gap in the fence and Davis sleuthed how to unzip the sleep sack, remove his pants and diaper and leave us a “surprise” in the crib.

I used to roll my eyes when people said boys are more physical than girls, but I’ve learned that’s definitely true when it comes to you two! Today we lowered both your cribs all the way to the floor in hopes it would keep you from climbing out. Nope, you both figured out how to lift your bodies up and over in one minute flat. So now, at just two years old, you’re in toddler beds (pray for us!!!).

When you’re not giving us grey hair, you two spoil us with snuggles, smiles and the sweet sounds of “MaMA! (said in an Italian accent) and DADA.” Before I had you, my friends who had boys told me to get ready for more mommy love. That is definitely true in our house! While you adore your daddy, you save your biggest smiles and hugs for mommy. you both love to sit on my lap or have me tote you around. I am usually happy to oblige.

Here is a little bit about each of you individually:

Davis:

– You are obsessed with all things “choo choo!” Daddy and I built you a train table for your birthday and you will sit and push the little trains around endlessly. Also any time a train goes by our house you stop whatever you’re doing, get everyone’s attention, point outside and say ‘choo choo choo!!!!’

– I see a sweet, gentle soul inside you. You don’t usually react when another child takes your toy, or your brother bowls you over. You just look curiously and move on to the next thing.

– You tend to be more quiet than Lila or Whitaker. I think maybe you have a bit of that Batman-men introspection. I know you can talk, because I’ve heard you say a lot, but in general you prefer to stay quiet.

– The 0ther thing you are absolutely obsessed with is golf. The only time you get truly angry is when we tell you it’s time to put the golf stuff away. Daddy is really hoping you turn out to be his golfing buddy in life.

Whitaker:

– You are one strong dude! I don’t know how you got to be so strong, but it’s not unusual to see you do a complete sit up when laying flat, pull your entire body up with just your arms or lift a basket filled with heavy blocks. I can see you being our future athlete.

– There’s no doubt that you are a momma’s boy right now. When I come to you in the morning your whole face lights up and you run over for me to immediately pick you up. It is THE BEST way to start my day!

– My other favorite time with you is at bedtime. I rock you and your brother and you will lay your head on my shoulder, suck your thumb and bunch up my shirt into your hand. I usually leave with a giant pool of Whit drool on my chest, but I love this special time with you.

– Lately you’ve been talking more and more. The main thing you like to say is “YEAH!” and “NuhUH” when I ask you a question. It is really helpful to finally know what you want, and I can tell you feel less frustrated too. Here are some of the other things you say lately:

“I wan wok” (I want to go on a walk
“I want cheechos” (cheerios)
“Watch choo choo” (I want to watch Thomas the train)
“Da too!” (Davis too)
“Is Lala” (It’s Lila)

Being a mother of twins is such a special experience. Watching you both grow and develop in your own unique ways makes the process somehow super fulfilling. It’s also amazing to see your close bond in action. You seriously are never apart, and if you ARE, it usually results in both of you asking for the other. I can’t imaging how cool it would be to have a built in best friend for life. I hope you always stay close.

When I think back on our path to becoming twin parents, I feel in my heart that you two were always meant for us. For whatever reason you were supposed to experience life together and in our family. When I look at you it feels like I finally have an answer as to why our journey to have you was what it was. If that makes sense. :) You were destined for us.

I am looking forward to having two two year olds – despite the energy I know it will require. I can’t wait to get to know your little voices, personalities and spirits better. It’s going to be so fun to see who you both become.

Love you both forever!!

Ma-MA

9May2017

Happy First Birthday, Whitaker and Davis!!

Posted in Davis, Twins, Whitaker by Liz

Our sweet boys turn one year old today! It’s hard to believe just a year ago they came into the world as teeny preemies born six weeks early. I made this video looking back on their first year.

I’ll never forget their birth story. It was the most physically difficult day of my life, but the most joyous emotionally. After miscarriage, infertility and a hard pregnancy, my boys were here and healthy! The first time I held them it felt like after almost three years I could finally exhale.

This year has been a lot of work, no doubt, but I loved it all. The hard moments caring for two infants plus a four year old paled in comparison to the dark moments we faced trying to conceive them and then carrying them for nine months. There’s definitely something to be said about the hard times making you appreciate the good even more.

It also helps that these boys are FANTASTIC babies. Seriously, we got so lucky with these two. They are two of the most laid back, happy, curious, content babies I’ve ever been around. We had their first birthday party this weekend and everyone was amazed at how chill they were (even when mommy dresses them up and there’s 40 people in their house!).

Most of the time these boys pal around together, crawling side by side from one room to another getting into trouble. Some of their favorites are pulling down the curtain in our TV room, dumping the entire bucket of lego jrs onto the floor, pushing kitchen chairs around and standing at the gate trying to shake it open. I love that already they are inseparable.

Let’s hold hands, brother #batmantwins #twins #twinboys #twinmom #meltsmyheart #babyboy #10monthsold

A post shared by Liz Batman (@elizbatman) on Mar 26, 2017 at 6:54am PDT

On their own, they have very distinct personalities. Davis, despite being the smaller one, absolutely houses food at meal time. You can’t put food in front of this kid fast enough and usually he’s two handed shoveling it in. Meal time is definitely Davis’ favorite time!

How big is Davis?! #sobig #davisray #11monthsold #sweetboy A post shared by Liz Batman (@elizbatman) on May 4, 2017 at 5:19pm PDT

I think Davis enjoyed his cake! #davisray #firstbirthday #cakesmash #cincodemayoparty

A post shared by Liz Batman (@elizbatman) on May 6, 2017 at 11:21am PDT

Davis is super smiley and saves his biggest smiles for his sister. He loves to cuddle (I finally got a cuddler!!) and will nuzzle into my neck before bed while sucking his thumb. He’s a curious little cat and loves to go off and investigate the toys, turning each one over in his hand, banging it on the ground or chewing on it (always chewing!). Whitaker is a total boy in the sense that he is very physical, loud and silly. Wherever there is a loud BANG, you know Whitaker is nearby. He loves his bottle and is usually happy to let his brother steal food off his tray. While he’s not a cuddler, Whit is the most content when he’s being toted around on someone’s hip. He gets this hilariously smug look on his face like “heh heh I’m being carried and you’re not!”

Whit has taken to grunting when he wants something, like our attention, his bottle or a toy. His laugh cracks me up. It’s this deep, cackle like you’d hear on an old man. The quickest way to get a smile or laugh out of him is to pretend to bite his belly. I absolutely love this kids personality.

This boy has the gruntiess laugh. I just love it! #whitakerJohn #babylaughs #myheart

A post shared by Liz Batman (@elizbatman) on Nov 16, 2016 at 5:34pm PST

Being a twin mom is seriously so amazing. I’m glad I get to experience this unique version of motherhood. I’ve become a much more relaxed mother since having twins. When you have two infants, you just have to let go of little worries like schedules, routines, milestones etc. Since my time is filled to the brim caring for these children, I’ve learned to savor moments and to be more present when it matters. I like this version of myself as a mom very much.

The first year with twins is absolutely insane, but also incredibly fulfilling. I thank God every day for blessing us with these two souls. I know how lucky I am to be their mother and I can’t wait to see who they become.

Happy birthday boys! Mommy, Daddy and Lila love you so much. Thank you for bringing so much joy, laughter and peace to our family.

12Feb2017

Life In the Fast Lane

Posted in Davis, Lila, Liz's Life, Twins, Whitaker by Liz

Oh me, oh my. It’s been far too long since I’ve sat down to blog. It seems life is moving so quickly and each moment of my day is filled to the brim with caring for babies, giving Lila my attention, working, exercising and trying my best to be a present wife, friend, daughter and sister.

Sadly, time for blogging has been hard to come by.

Beyond being busy busy, life has been really good lately. Our boys are now nine months old (!!!) and getting cuter and cuter by the day. They’re crawling all over the house, eating solids like bottomless pits and letting their personalities show.

Davis may win the award for World’s Happiest Baby. The dude seriously just smiles all day long, giggles when you just look in his direction and seems to absolutely love life.

A great example of how chill Davis is happened today. We drove 3 hours home from visiting Luke’s parents and unbeknowngst to any of us, Davis was sitting on top of five of Lila’s mini, plastic My Little Ponies the whole time. You never would have known little plastic toys were digging into his back based on how quiet and happy he was!

Whitaker in contrast is a little beef ball. If he does not like something, he will LET YOU KNOW IT! He exudes personality and goes from giggling, to yelling, to crying and back to giggling all within minutes. He’s very physical and is usually crawling into every nook and cranny of our first floor just checking things out.

Whit is a serious little baby and you can tell he’s thinking, thinking, thinking constantly. He’s also very vocal and is always blabbering to us. He is judicious with his smiles, so when you get one, you know it’s really special.

The boys are starting to show that special twin bond. Just recently they’ve started smiling and giggling at each other. They still mostly play next to each other, but occasionally I’ll see them playing together – usually in the form of crawling on top of each other, pulling each other’s hair, or stealing a toy.

Lila seems to be maturing so much these days. She’s morphing into a little girl and I couldn’t be prouder of her.

I was worried how things would go once the boys were here and my time was split into thirds when she was used to having it all for 3.5 years. If anything, I think this change has been very positive for her.

She’s learned to entertain herself, be more patient if I’m busy and become very self-sufficient. The other day I was so impressed when she saw I was busy with the boys and got her art cart out to do art on her own for an hour.

She’s gotten really into playing make believe and every day for our “play time together” we play barbies. I’m usually the little girl and she’s the mommy or babysitter. We play out little storylines that usually seem to intersect with what’s actually happening in her life. It’s a special time for the two of us and I love getting a glimpse into how she perceives her world.

Almost every day we play barbies together while I pump. I love hearing her made up songs and little storylines. #lilakate #barbies #4yearsold #mommyandme #mybestbud #pretendplay

A video posted by Liz Batman (@elizbatman) on Dec 23, 2016 at 6:58pm PST

We’ve been fortunate enough to find two great babysitters who watch the kids two afternoons a week while I work, and for date nights. Those first six months with the twins were all-consuming, so it feels good to get some time away to focus on my career and time with my main squeeze.

I’m not going to lie, there are times when I feel like our life is so hectic and chaotic I’m not sure how we get through the day. On the good days, when everything goes according to plan, I catch myself thinking “twins are not so hard!”

But when one gets sick, or Luke has to travel, or things get out of whack, I can feel like a chicken with it’s head cut off. Like I’m just running around attending to someone’s needs every minute of the day. On those days I’ve found some good ice cream and talking with Luke about our life brings my perspective back in line.

Life certainly is an adventure with these kids. It’s hilarious, frustrating, joyous, difficult, unrelenting and satisfying all at once. Through the ups, downs and very full days, I take solace knowing that being their mother is exactly what I’m meant to be.

10Nov2016

We Survived 6 Months!

Posted in Davis, Lila, Twins, Whitaker by Liz

When I was pregnant and met other twin moms, they mostly said the same thing, “Get through the first six months and it gets much easier.” Well I’m excited to say that the boys are officially six months old and we’re all still kicking!

These past six months have been some of the craziest I’ve ever experienced. It started with a hospital stay for me due to preeclampsia, the boys being born six weeks premature and a month long NICU stay. Flash forward to today, and we have two healthy, thriving boys, a content and curious almost-four-year-old and a lot more sleep all around.

Here are some six month stats for the boys:

Whitaker has always been the bigger of the two, and now weighs in at 15 lbs 2 oz or 14th percentile. He is 26.7 inches tall or 58th percentile. For a preemie, it’s great that he’s even on the scale, let alone above 50th percentile. He eats a TON. The boy will put down 7-8 ounces like it’s nothing. He just started eating solid food and is loving it so far.

His play routine involves:

1. playing with a toy on his back for a few minutes

2. Rolling to his stomach

3. Realizing he still cannot figure out how to roll back

4. Screaming in frustration until I put him in “baby time out,” which is his rock n play with a toy

When he’s not locked into this routine, Whit tends to be a very happy, smiley and grunty baby. Yes, grunty. This boy is always sniffing and snuffing and generally making monster-like noises. He’s our little meatball.

Davis is our small guy. He’s just 13 lbs 4 oz or 1st percentile for weight. For height he is 25.3 inches or 8th percentile. If he was my first baby I may be worried about his size, but Lila was exactly the same. In fact, even being a full term baby, Lila weighed less than a pound more than Davis at six months. Now she’s 97th percentile for height! Besides, they say preemies typically don’t “catch up” to the scale until age 2.

Davis continues to be going for the world record for the World’s Easiest Baby. This boy is all sweetness and happiness and ease. He flashes me the biggest smiles and full on belly laughs at just about anything – especially his sister.

Davis thinks his big sister is HILARIOUS! #davisray #lilakate #siblinglove

A video posted by Liz Batman (@elizbatman) on Nov 9, 2016 at 1:57pm PST

Davis rolls both ways, likes playing with toys and going for walks. Mostly this guy likes just about anything you throw at him. The only times he gets upset is when his brother rolls on top of him, or his bottle gets temporarily “borrowed” to calm his hungry (loud) brother first. :)

One the biggest challenges and victories for me these past six months has been my journey breastfeeding twins. Since the boys were in the NICU at first, they were exclusively on bottles. I started off exclusively pumping and thankfully had a great supply.

I worked my butt off those first 12 weeks to transition the boys from bottles to nursing. It took a lot of practice, five trips to a lactation consultant, lip tie revision for both boys, a bout of mastitis and a LOT of frustration, but we finally got there. I had a lot of support from my sister who pushed me to keep trying in the early days when I wanted to give up.

Now both boys do a mixture of bottle feeding and nursing depending on the day. They have been exclusively on my breastmilk since they were three days old. Producing enough milk for twins (60 ounces a day!) is a pretty crazy undertaking for my body, so I’m proud to have accomplished this goal. I couldn’t have done it without the support of Luke who always helped me make it a priority to pump or nurse.

The boys are both sleeping from about 8pm – 6:45 am, which has drastically improved the quality of our lives. I don’t do well being sleep deprived. It took my body quite awhile to learn how to sleep longer than a few hours at a time once they slept through, but I’m finally starting to know what feeling rested is like again.

People often ask me if having twins is totally crazy. I tell them yes, and no. There are moments where everything is chaos and I feel like we live in the circus, but there are also moments where I feel like we manage very well and that having twins isn’t THAT much more work than having one baby. It helps a lot to have a very involved partner and supportive friends and family.

At the end of the day I wouldn’t have life any other way. Raising twins is such a unique experience and a total blessing. These boys are the perfect complement to our family.

A Batty Life

Finding My Way Through this Crazy World

Category Archives: Twins

Dear Boys: You’re Two!

Happy First Birthday, Whitaker and Davis!!

Life In the Fast Lane

We Survived 6 Months!