6 Months - Solids!

SO much has happened in the past couple months and there are TRULY not enough hours in the day.  The twins have been trying to "hop" (can't crawl yet) and they just started eating solids a couple days ago.  I've decided to make all of their solid food rather than buying it at the store.  It's going to be a big commitment, but I hope to stick to it!  It's not that commercial baby food is necessarily bad, it's just that homemade baby food is more fresh and I know exactly what goes into it.  To start off, I'm feeding them brown rice cereal.  So easy to make!  The first time they weren't so sure about it, but the second time, they actually open their mouths eagerly... even though 90% of it spills out since they don't know to close their mouths!

If you're interested in making baby cereal, brown rice is a great first choice since it's more nutritious than white rice (wholesomebabyfood.com).  

1. Grind the rice so it's a fine powder.

2.  Store in an airtight container until you're ready to use it.

3.  Boil 1 cup of water and add 1/4 c. rice powder gradually, stirring constantly.

4.  Simmer for 10 minutes, while stirring.  

5.  Add formula or breast milk to desired consistency.  

Since I like to make it fresh, I usually just boil about 1/2 c. water and add a few tablespoons of rice powder.  I was told by the doctor to keep doing this for about a month, and if they still spit out most of it, add a little fruit to it to sweeten the rice up!

My mom got me some Gerber BPA free baby spoons that are great.  They're rubber coated and small enough to fit in their mouths.

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They also have been chewing on everything!  Sometimes I feel like I have two new puppies!!  I am happy to say that they are now able to say mom!  Well, technically it's "mom" in korean... eomma, or oma.  So everytime they cry, I always hear "eommmmmaaaaaaa"!

We put Leo in the Pampers diaper box.



I went to grab a diaper for 2 seconds and Max was already trying to get away.



Leo... and cartoon Leo



Their favorite toy right now is probably this elephant.  It plays a melody if you press it and it's the only thing that will stop them from crying!  I found Max asleep like this hugging the elephant :)



Max, again, sleeping and smiling... must be dreaming about an unlimited supply of milk to drink!



Max was hiding behind this blanket.  Looked like a ninja baby ready to attack!



Max (left), Leo (right)



They are starting to fall asleep on their backs more now.  Leo passed out in a mound of blankets.



Whenever we feed them, they insist on holding the bottle.  See below for example :



Leo was jealous watching Max hold the bottle all by himself.



Leo sucking his thumb.  Two brothers looking at each other.



Max fell asleep after I put him in his bear coat.  They no longer fit into these coats, unfortunately.  So sad.



I caught Max attacking/playing with Leo!

SQUAWKING BABIES, PASSED OUT BABIES

The twins are officially going through a growth spurt.  They are now 4 1/2 months!  It's amazing how their milk intake can double so quickly.  Max has finally hit the 13 pounds mark and Leo is just slightly under by a few ounces.  They're still sucking their fingers ...24/7.  Even when we feed them the bottle, they manage to find a way to stick a finger in the side of their mouth and suck it at the same time.  That usually slows the feeding process down by at least a few minutes.  


Here's Leo in the swing sucking like crazy on his one finger.  He's a finger sucker, not a thumb sucker.

Their feet and hands are getting so big.  I had to take a picture of them so I don't forget that they were once this size.  They always look like little angels once they fall asleep

The twins have been crying and squawking and yelling like crazy since this past weekend.  I heard around four months babies start becoming more aware of their vocal chords and like to play around with them, especially when they figure out that it gets your attention a lot quicker!!  

My husband and I definitely agree that it's AT LEAST 10 TIMES worse than just crying.  It's a piercing yelling noise that's so sharp.  Sometimes I think that they just like to make that noise... 

Also, they're teething, which has resulted in double the amount of drool all day.  Feeding them has become a serious procedure since they are crying a lot more now.  But it's reassuring to always read from other moms that it will pass, even though it may seem like forever.  

Well, now they cry and have become 50 times more active, they pass out right by the time we actually manage to feed them.  Unfortunately, their naps only last 20 minutes.  Here's Leo... passed out and snoring halfway through the feeding.  Whenever I see them like this, it makes all the crying and stress-inflicted events totally worth it.  :)

 

Teething

Our twins started teething at the 3 month mark.  It started out with a cold and runny nose.  Then a couple days after, the drooling and massive sucking of fingers started.  We figured they were teething, or at least their mouths were starting to prepare for teeth, because they started crying more and got small fevers.  Even feeding them was a task.  I would wake up throughout the night hearing them cry for a short period.  When they would cry, I would offer them my finger to suck on for comfort, but instead they'd gnaw and chew on it for a half hour straight!  I'd try to take my finger out, but the crying would start again.  When they'd resume chewing on it, they'd coo and smile because it must have felt good.
























I researched teething online just to make sure that's what it was, and I also talked to our nurse.  They were definitely teething, and I was told it starts as early as 3 months.  BUT they won't get their teeth until probably 6 months or even a year later.

Well, just when you think you surpassed one challenge, another arises.  The twins drool constantly... all day and all night.  So I usually keep a bib on them to catch the drool and keep their clothes dry.

Usually they'll suck their fingers so hard at night, it wakes me up.  During their awake time, I sometimes give them a pacifier to calm down the crying.  I don't do it all the time, but every now and then I'll use it.

Teething is a widely debatable topic with parents and doctors.  Every parent experiences a different process and symptoms with their little ones.  This is just what we experienced recently.

Best thing to do is comfort them and be patient.  Like everything else, it will pass.

Possible Signs of TEETHING:

• Drooling
• Sucking fingers
• Biting/gnawing
• Rubbing cheeks
• Small fevers
• Cold/runny nose
• Diarrhea
• Difficulty feeding
• Not sleeping as much through the night
• Crying more than usual (ours cried excessively at night once teething began)

So if any of the above ring a bell, you can probably be assured that your baby is teething.  It can even start as early as 2 months, although rare.  However, remember that if a fever lasts longer than a day or two, call your doctor.  Or if something just doesn't seem right, call your doctor.  Better to be safe than sorry.  

I have also read that if the cry/scream more than usual and nothing works, not even walking around with them and bouncing them up and down, then it might be teething.  This was the case with us as well.  It was probably the worst night so far.

Here's what's working for us:

• Bibs
• Pacifiers
• Fingers for them to gnaw on :)
• Clean clothes to replace drooled-on clothes
• and a BIG bottle of patience... teething is a painful, and sometimes long, process... especially when it's your first set of teeth!  Those pearly whites can be sharp!!

And remember, as painful as it is for you to deal with this right now (crying, can't feed them, spit everywhere, stress...), it's probably 10 times more painful for them.  Fortunately, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. :)

(I will update this article as they get older and their teeth.)