First Days at Home

I knew that no amount of reading or classes could really prepare us for the realities we'd face as parents of newborn twins. But we've been pretty lucky so far; the boys are really sweet little babies.

We've tried many overnight care arrangements... from taking shifts, each taking one boy for the night, and sleeping in various locations around the house, but what seems to work best so far has been me on a mattress on the floor in their room, snuggled up with both boys (I did a bunch of reading on safe co-sleeping to be sure I'm not putting them at risk). In that arrangement, they'll sleep for 3-4 hours at a time. Steve sleeps in our nearby bedroom with the door open so I can call for reinforcement if needed but he won't be woken up by every little noise they make. He gets up when he hears them stirring to help with feeding, changing and getting us all back to bed. I seem to be able to comfort the boys without fully waking up, which is kinda creepy but definitely useful. I won't say we aren't exhausted, but we're functional... so, good enough.

It occurs to me roughly a dozen times a day how much easier things would be if we only had one of them, but at the same time I really can't imagine not having them both.

Without further ado, a collection of pictures from the boys' first week at home...

Pictures Together

First family portrait (me with Jack the incurable ham, Steve with a sleepy Henry):

The boys cuddle (or try to eat each others' faces - Henry on left, Jack on right):

Jack and Henry sleeping in Steve's lap:

A Closer Look at the Boys

Henry seems somewhat horrified (contemplating his mortality perhaps?) after his first bathing experience:

Henry, chillin':

Henry (so far) is the more relaxed of the two. He eats well, is fairly easily consoled, sleeps better and for longer periods, likes to be held but doesn't demand it, and is generally just more easy going. He has a crooked little smile that we mostly get to see when he's dreaming.

I admit I didn't bond immediately with the boys given the difficulty with pain I was having after delivery, but I recall a specific moment when I was holding Henry a few days after they were born when I was suddenly overcome with emotion and just sat there, tears streaming down my face as I studied the amazing, miniature person in my arms. I love it when either (or both) of the boys is curled up beside me. They're just incredible little guys. I guess I don't completely lack maternal instincts as I'd feared.

Jack, with his narrow features, looking more like a tiny little boy than a baby:

Jack, wary:

Jack is active, very strong for a newborn (he already lifts his head and tries to fling himself from our arms), more challenging to feed and console, and expressive. He makes a variety of different soft sounds and sometimes seems to respond to being talked to. He also makes little sounds when he's being fed that my mom calls his "bottle song." He mimics some facial expressions, like sticking out his tongue (which he once did three times in a row in response to me doing it so I'm pretty confident it's not just my imagination) and smiling. I feel I can see the wheels turning in his tiny little head. 

Jack's digestive system seems a bit less developed than Henry's, leading to more difficulty in feeding and more discomfort for him, resulting in the saddest little wails and scrunched-face flailing. We've been trying different things with his food and seeing some improvement... we'll keep at it to find what works best for him. Jack also suffers from what I saw referred to online as "insistently cuddly infant syndrome," in that he likes to be in constant physical contact with another person. 

Precious One-on-One Time

Me and Jack:

Steve and Henry:

Steve and Jack:

Steve making faces with Henry:

Twin Life

I tandem bottle feed the boys in the middle of the night (while largely asleep myself, an extra level of difficulty... I don't think I realized Steve was taking this picture):

The boys insist on both being in physical contact with me while I work on my e-mail:

The boys make sure Steve never has to watch TV alone:

When they both need to be held at once and mom was sleeping:

Unintentional Yellow Shirt Day for Henry, me and Jack (they already look embarrassed by their mom... as they probably should be):

Well, we all survived week one. A good precedent.