Three Months Old

Whew. I cannot believe three months have flown by. It is no longer summer, fall has arrived and it quickly seems like it is going away to make room for old man winter. Despite the pending freezing temperatures that no doubt lie ahead, there are some exciting things going on with #theBrownPack. I absolutely love this next stage of baby life that we are entering and it only continues to get better and better after that. Here are my top 5 takeaways from month three!

Laundry, all day everyday. 

So, about this weather change also comes a change in clothing. Not only are the babies growing at an extremely fast rate, which I for one need them to slow down because that means they are growing up before my eyes and what about all of those adorable clothes that they only got to wear a couple of times?? Summer weather is SO. MUCH. EASIER. when it comes to dressing these sweet little babes. Throw on any stylish or plain onesie and boom you're done. No sweaters, pants, socks, hoodies, jackets, layers...NOTHING. Just one simple piece of clothing and you're done. Maybe add in a bow for Miss Harlow and during those super slobbery days a bandanna bib for both (come on those are just perfect and oh so adorable). At any rate, this clothing change comes with a whole new dynamic when it comes to preparing outfits the night before, getting everyone out of the door in a "timely" manner, having the perfect amount of layering, attempting to match every once in awhile and packing extra clothes in the diaper bag for those messes that are bound to occur...all while keeping the twins looking supafly in stylish 3-6 month old attire. One thing that seems to always, and I mean always to be missing in their wardrobe are socks and let's not even discuss shoes until they are walking. I'm not sure if its my mind pushing out the fact that it is getting colder and I refuse to wear anything but flip flops myself for quite sometime into cold temperatures or that baby socks NEVER seem to stay on their feet but it just doesn't get accomplished. I wrap their little feet in blankets in their car seat, put pants on (pretty much only when we leave the house) and either have long sleeves or a hoodie/sweater under/over short sleeves. The thing that seems to be so tough is deciding how many layers and what pieces to buy that will go with multiple outfits so I am not spending an arm and a leg on clothing that lasts all of 3 months. I find that if I have about 2-3 pairs of pants a black, grey and khaki or jean type pants those can work with just about every single shirt/onesie outfit. This cold weather also means that I have a lot more laundry to do, more layers of clothes means more to wash!

Da BUMBO Makes A Comeback

Just say the word "Bumbo" a couple of times and tell me you're not smiling. Come on do it, see? So fun to say. But what's even better than saying Bumbo? Getting to the point in your babes life where you get to put that sweet little peanut into one and they can hold themselves up like a champ. Now, why does this become a game changer? Let me just tell you. This must have piece of baby furniture (would it be called furniture?) allows your baby to sit upright and gives you some hands free time to play, sing, cook, eat, fold laundry...just about anything that involves doing something on your own or with the baby without having to carry said baby around the house with you. The Bumbo only gets better from here on out until they are on the move and/or can't fit in it anymore. With our other two children we used the tray that is an accessory (yes, an accessory for baby furniture) that attaches right to the Bumbo and used it as a table to put food/snacks, toys, books etc on. Being able to sit the babies in these gives them practice with sitting up, helps with their head control/strength and keeps babies from laying on their backs so much. With all four of our kids I noticed once we were able to sit them in the Bumbo they seemed to feel even more included because they were able to look around and see what everyone was doing. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't let them sit in these for hours and hours by any means. We still spend a lot of time snuggling, practicing tummy time, being carried in the baby carrier, using the swing, rock-n-plays and more. Having two babies at home it is always helpful to have multiple places to spend time together to keep things exciting. And trust me, every day is exciting around here. 

Twins Rule, Double the Drool

Bring on the bandanna bibs! Something has happened in this past month and it has happened in full force. My sweet little twinnies have become drool buckets on the daily. Not only are we combating spit up multiple times a day and hoping to not have to change outfits more than needed but we have now entered the drool phase. This phase, as much as I remember it, will last a LONG time. Enter bandanna bibs. These bibs are so darn cute, come in a variety of patterns, can be snapped together for different sizes and get the job done. When the drool began my mama heart started to ache because I thought for sure any moment I would feel their first tooth poking through. Rhett had his first tooth pop out at 3 months old and boy was he a drooling machine. I am mentally and emotionally preparing myself for that to happen, but every time I check to see if any have popped I find myself relieved to not feel anything. When I first bought these bibs for Rhett (I was not aware of them with Hattie, so she missed out) I only found them at one online boutique. Since then, they are everywhere! I purchased the bulk of ours from Amazon (they had a GREAT deal, check it out here) and  have even seen them being sold at Target, ETSY and other similar stores. My favorites are the ones that can be used for both babies and match multiple outfits of course. Bonus of these bibs? They snap up high enough under their chin to protect their necks and clothing from getting saturated with drool but are not tight around their neck, hence the "bandanna" style. Score!

"I Can Make Your Hands Clap"

No, they aren't clapping their hands yet but they have definitely discovered them by now. These two sweet little babies are constantly putting their hands in their mouth (see #4 about drooling and dreading the first tooth). Other than the pending teeth popping in as to why they always have their hands in their mouth, we are also noticing they are beginning to attempt to grab at objects and hold on to things, as well as opening and closing their hands. They aren't quite shaking, playing or interacting with things they grab but they are definitely working towards that skill. When babies find their hands they are showing signs of learning and as a teacher that gets me pretty excited! I just love watching them look at their hands in complete amaze and wonderment and can't help but to be jealous of that pure calmness and joy they have at something so simple. I think we all should have a little of that in our lives and maybe we do? I think about the goofy grins on my face during episodes of Grey's Anatomy, watching Vince Vaughn in, well anything he is in or when I watch The Notebook. I kinda think their happiness about their hands is similar to mine about Patrick Dempsey, Vince Vaughn and Ryan Gosling....well maybe.

Wearing Your Baby is a Thing

Okay, before I get haters let me just put this out there I LOVE baby carriers and I LOVE putting my babies in them. What I don’t love? Calling it “wearing my baby”. I mean technically that is exactly what you’re doing but I like to just call it “carrying” my baby but often times find myself saying “wearing” when I don’t even want to. Anyway, it is the real deal people. Especially in these months where the baby has good head control, weighs more, wants to be with you more, is awake more, you want to go out and about but still have your hands available and pushing a party barge of a stroller is not always an option. Here’s my problem though. We had one carrier that we used for both Hattie and Rhett. One of our good friends gave us an extra carrier they had so we could have two for the twins. The problem is Matt is not always with us and sometimes even if he is, one of us needs to be available for the older two children without having to keep a baby safe and sound on the front of our body. I have been struggling with the trying to decide if a double baby carrier is something I would get use out of and even know how to put them both in safe and comfortably. Not to mention, a double baby carrier has a lot more straps, is more expensive and there aren’t any in stores available to try on. I ordered one double carrier and when it arrived it was not at all comfortable  and was not what I thought I was ordering from the description….so many straps around my waist. Then, I had to take time out of my crazy, insane busy life to get it returned and hopefully not spend a fortune mailing it back. I have messaged with other twin moms that I know and some I don’t know and the reviews are all over the board. Some of them would not function without a double carrier and others it never was something they needed. I do think I need to make up my mind sooner rather than later if I want to get some actual use out of it. I really think it would be something I would use since we each carry the babies in the single carriers a lot, but also don’t want to be the mom that has so many carriers I could open up my own shop. Or wait, maybe that’s not a bad idea?

Three months have come and gone and we have learned even more about these two sweet twins we have and are excited to continue to learn and watch them grow. Three month milestone pictures are below.