Today is the babies' due date

It's hard to believe that today is the babies' actual due date...and they will be a month old tomorrow! Oh, how much we have learned about them this month. I can summarize it pretty well with a baby quiz. Hint: there is a pattern to the answers.

Which baby sleeps like an angel?
Which baby sleeps like he/she is slaying dragons and is so noisy that the babies have already had to be moved to their nursery without the monitor on and with the door closed in order for only the "real" cries to be heard?

Which baby will eat any formula without problem?
Which baby has led us to try 4 formulas, gas drops, and two nipples in the course of 3 weeks to alleviate post-feeding craziness?

Which baby consistently eats the same amount?
Which baby has an appetite that sings wildly between 2 and 6 ounces, leading that baby to wake up too early (after a 2 ounce feeding) or not want to eat at the next feeding at all (after a 6 ounce feeding)?

Which baby likes to be occasionally held, but after a while really enjoys just being peacefully placed in his/her crib to drift off to sweet sleep on his/her own?
Which baby requires extended burping, swinging, pacifiers, tons of holding, a specific type of swaddling and a feeding...and only when the stars are aligned...in order to go to sleep?

If you answered Kenna to all the first questions and Nathan to all the second questions, you are correct! Kenna is pretty much the easiest imaginable baby, and Nathan is pretty much the most difficult imaginable baby. I think the most difficult thing is the sleep issue. He absolutely is incapable of going to sleep on his own. Ever. I desperately want them to get to 3 months old so we can do sleep training (it's too early now - they aren't "trainable" yet). That's been the hardest thing for me - not being able to really work on making progress in difficult areas, because it's pretty much universally agreed that in the first three months you can't train them. I'm a person who needs a plan; I see a problem, I will find a solution. I see Nathan needs to learn to sleep on his own, I want to do all the recommended techniques to get him there. But, I can't yet. It makes you feel like you are just treading water. The only progress I feel we are making is time toward that 3 month point. Oh, March, how you look like a wonderful month. :) (And yes I know that it won't be a magical day on their 3 month birthday where they are suddenly trainable - but I know I can start working on it then!)

The good thing is, we have learned a lot about their cries and cues and I feel more confident that I know what is going on at a given time. We know their patterns for the most part. I'm sure that will continue getting easier too. Nathan had a couple of weeks of extreme gas pain and agitation at times so we have been trying different formulas and think we have found one that works pretty well for him in the last 3 days. Now he is "just" fussy but not in pain. A step forward. J is still pumping, but we mix with formula to have enough for them. Nathan is eating about 36 ounces per day now and Kenna about 32!

B goes back to work tomorrow and I'm a bit nervous about that. Right now, when one of us just can't manage Nathan anymore, the other is sane enough to jump in. But as of Sunday, B will be doing his 9p-3a shift at night and it's all me the rest of the time. We are going to try this for a couple of weeks to see if B will survive doing his night shift and still be able to function at work. If he can't, we may look into some nightime help.

Feeding every 3 hours is going really well for the most part. Only occasionally do we get off schedule. But of the 3 hours, about 1.5 hours is spent feeding, diapering and getting back to sleep so there isn't much time in between cycles left over. I'm very excited to move to a 4 hour schedule when that becomes possible. Kenna I think is ready to eat every 4 hours already because we usually have to wake her to eat, but Nathan definitely needs his 3 hour feedings (even though he eats a ton!).

Amazingly, I don't feel completely exhausted physically. I just feel drained energy wise from the never ending 3 hour cycles. Just when I feel like I get to relax I look at the clock and have about 15 minutes until the next feeding. I'm always surprised - like, it can't possibly be time for them to eat again?! lol

We did get out the other day for the first time with them. We took them to an open air mall (to avoid indoor germs) and went to our favorite restaurant. Then we got ice cream and walked around. It was so great to feel like we weren't homebound anymore! I loved just cruising around with them, getting to spend time with them while getting time to be out of the house. There were a lot of onlookers. People think you can't hear them, which is so amusing. We were just sitting with the double stroller and people would walk by and say, "Oh my gosh, twins" or "ooohhhh twins" or "oh wow, twins" (in a tone of "I can't even imagine what that would be like"). A guy actually asked us, "how crazy is YOUR life?" lol

So, that's the first month. I'm really looking forward to when we get to enjoy them all day and enjoy sleep all night. :) That's fair, right?