The Denis Family: And life continues to change...

It feels like it was just yesterday that we were so excited when the kids started sticking their tongues out at us. It was the 1st thing they both did to interact with us (why it couldn't be a smile, I have no idea...). Now they seem to do something new every day.

The great news is that we seem to have truly figured out Emma's eating issues. It turns out that she has developed acid reflux. She started on Zantac last weekend which has helped tremendously. At first, just getting her to take the medicine was quite a trick. We learned that if we stuck a finger in her mouth and held out her cheek while giving her the medicine a little at a time, she would swallow it instead of spitting it out (Thanks Elizabeth for telling us this trick!). Now she is a pro and will just swallow without the use of tricks or diversions tactics. I think that the mint taste has grown on her. They say that it takes a week before you start to see improvements and finally she is back to eating and smiling again! We still have to feed her sitting up and really listen for her cues. I have learned that when she is done eating she is done. If she eats too much then her reflux gets to her so she has learned to let me know when enough is enough.

Emma and Henry have outgrown their twin feeding pillow (EZ2 Nurse Twin Pillow). I would highly recommend this pillow to anyone who has multiples and even to moms with only 1. We still use it when we are feeding just 1 of the kids. It has been great. I find that it is much more comfortable and sturdy than the boppy. Now when I am feeding the kids simultaneously, they eat in their bouncy seats. It is great because they can sit up a little and I can just sit between them and hold their bottles. Although, I think the next thing we need to work on with the kids is patience! When they know that a bottle is coming they don't like to wait!

Henry is still rolling all over the place. He doesn't really like to be on his back anymore so the second that I put him down, he rolls onto his belly. If only he could learn to roll back over again. He has done it a few times, but rarely. I usually have to flip him back over when he gets tired. Then he will rest for about 30 seconds before flipping over again! I caught him the other night after his dream feed trying to flip onto his belly in his crib. Thus far, he stays on his back in the crib. I hear that once he figures out how to roll in the crib, we are going to have to continuously flip him back over when he gets frustrated and can't sleep. Really looking forward to that...

Emma's new favorite toy is her feet. They are always in the air and she loves to play with them. She also loves for anyone else to play with them. And she loves to be naked. I always give her some naked time in the morning before I get her dressed and at night before I put on her pjs. She has really sensitive skin and I find this helps to dry everything out and prevent diaper rash. Anyway, she loves it. She can be absolutely exhausted and crying, but as soon as I strip her down, she is grabbing at her feet and laughing. It's hysterical.

I am truly amazed at how well their hand-eye coordination is these days. They can now reach out a grab things intentionally and if they see a toy that they want, they will reach out/roll over to bring it closer to them. They are even starting to pass things from hand to hand. I think that our next big milestone will be sitting up. Emma is constantly trying to sit up straighter. Anytime I put her in her car seat or bouncy seat, she is not happy with the slight recline. She really wants to sit up straight.

Next week, the twins have their 6 month check-up. I can't wait to see how much they've grown. We will also start solids next week. I am completely petrified. I thought that they were messy now! We are looking for high chairs right now and hopefully I will make a decision before they start eating.