Our Twin Newborn Essentials

^Yes, Everett's missing a sock.  I'm just keeping it real people.

I had a hard time trying to figure out what we would need when I was pregnant, so I'm writing my own list of things we loved using for our newborn twins.  Most of these things will be helpful if you only have one baby as well, but you won't need double.

1. Aden & Anais swaddle blankets
These blankets are one of our most-used items.   We use them for swaddling, keeping babies warm when they're a little cold, and as a nursing cover.  I love how light-weight they are, because then your babies don't get overheated while swaddled.  They also make a less-strange nursing cover than those giant aprons in my opinion.  I was gifted two sets of four at one of my baby showers and I am so grateful!  I think that is the minimum amount you'd want to get for twins if you plan on using them for swaddling. 

2. Swing/Mamaroo
With twins, it's super nice to have two swings.  We borrowed a nice swing from my sister in law (similar here.)  It was so nice that we didn't have to get two.  For our second swing, we decided to buy a Mamaroo.  I was lucky and was able to try it before we bought it because our NICU had one.  It was nice to have two different kinds of swings, because sometimes one baby would prefer one over the other.

3. Bottle sterilizer 
We were given some microwave sterilizing bags from the NICU, but those were time consuming and a little annoying to use.  We bought the Munchkin Steam Guard Electric Sterilizer and love it!  You can fit tons of bottles in it at once.  All you have to do it pour a little water in and push the button, and when you come back needing a bottle they're waiting for you clean and happy.  If bottles can be happy, that is.  Even though we only do one bottle a day now, I still love using my bottle sterilizer.  I put my pump parts in there to sterilize them as well!

4. Lots and lots of diapers
I know this should go without saying, but seriously, stock up on those diapers.  We decided to cloth diaper, so we bought 24 OsoCozy Prefolds in Infant size and used a few Thirsties size 1 diaper covers
because those were small enough for our little 6 pound babies.  If you're going with disposables, I've heard great things about the Amazon Mom diaper program, so check it out.

5. Like a million pacifiers
But really, it's nice to have a bunch of these because they tend to disappear.  We have six Soothies that we got from the NICU.  Whenever anything hits the floor at the hospital they have to get rid of it, but we were able to take them home and clean them and make a binkie stockpile.  And do you know how many binkies we can usually find at once?  Two.  Out of six.  So yeah, I highly suggest loading up on binkies.

6. Stroller that accepts two carseats
This is a biggie.  You do not want to have to pull two babies out of their carseats every time you go somewhere.  We have the Baby Trend Double Snap N Go because we have Baby Trend carseats.  These kind of strollers are nice because they don't take up too much room in your trunk (we have a Prius for goodness sakes) and are easy to use. 

7. Boppy Pillows
Having two Boppies is nice, having one is pretty much necessary.  I am still using my Boppy for nursing when I'm at home.  Having two means you can prop both of your babies up using them when they get to the stage where they can't sit up but hate laying flat on their backs.  They're good for propping up reflux-y babies too (preemies are very prone to reflux.)  They make tummy time more enjoyable for babies who don't like laying flat on their stomachs.  They can even be useful for propping up both babies while you bottle-feed them simultaneously. 

8. Playmat
I held out buying one of these because I thought they were expensive, but when I found a great deal on one I gave in, and I am so glad I did!  It is so nice to help keep one baby entertained for the 10-15 minutes I need to take care of the other baby.  It's much better than having to let one cry while feeding/changing/whatever the other one.  We have the Fisher Price 1-2-3 Musical Gym which is apparently discontinued.  But for a similar one click here.

What are your newborn essentials? (twins or not)

Jensen & Everett are 6 Months! The Half-Year Update

Jensen and Everett have officially been a part of our family for half a year!  It's crazy how the time has gone by so fast yet somehow so slow at the same time.

Their adjusted age is around 3 2/3 months.  They are just over 12 pounds now, so they've quadrupled their birth weights!

Jensen:

• Has started reaching for things.  It's so fun to watch him concentrate on things and try to get his hands to grab them.  
• Loves to stand (with me balancing him of course.)
• Giggles and laughs when daddy tickles him.
• Is a decorated warrior at nap-fighting.
• Figured out how to suck his thumb.
• Refuses to stay on his belly for more than a few seconds before he flips over. 
• Will 'walk' if you move him around when his feet are touching the ground.
• Sometimes raises an eyebrow when he looks at us.

Everett:

• Sticks his tongue out all. the. time.
• Has a sweet 'shy smile' where he smiles at you then looks away bashfully.  It's adorable.
• Is working on his reaching/grabbing skills too.  He hasn't got it down yet like Jensen but he's getting there.
• Likes to 'jump' while being held.
• Rolled over!  He only did it once, and I haven't been able to get him to replicate it yet, but it happened.
• Likes listening to "Yellow Submarine."  Sometimes it's the only thing that can get him to stop crying.

Both of them:

• Have a preference for mommy and daddy.
• Hold their heads up like champs.
• Love interacting with people and getting attention.
• Are still eating every 2 hrs except for the first stretch of the night which is usually around 4-5 hours.  I spend like 1/4-1/3 of my waking hours just nursing.  It's fine.
• Rub their hands together like they're evil geniuses plotting something.
• Are the most adorable things I have ever seen.

This past month we were finally able to have their baby blessing.  For those of you not familiar with an LDS baby blessing, it's somewhat similar to a Christening in that the babies are given their names in the records of our Church.  Side note: getting outfits for them was the most stressful thing ever and I was so lucky we had anything for them at all.  First, I ordered some and they came and were ginormous.  Then, I sent those back and ordered other ones with 3 day shipping so it could be there on time.  I ordered them Monday.  UPS forgot our package at their facility three times at two different centers and so it didn't come until Saturday night!  I was about ready to murder someone if it didn't come in time.  But it did, and we didn't have to bless them in plain white onesies.  Hurray.

 

One of me and my dear cousin Haley thrown in for good measure.

We took the babies swimming!  It was so much fun.  Everett thought it was kinda cool to chill in the water.  Jensen didn't really like it though.  But they sure looked cute in their swimsuits!

 

Pruney feet :)

I love it when Everett makes that face

More fun pictures:

Everett chillin'

Jensen & daddy

Jensen ate too much

When you can't find your binky...

Ev's famous tongue

This photo has officially been named "Cutest Picture of 2015"

Everett likes the camera

Getting shave ice on Pioneer Day

All ready for church

Jensen

"Hi brother!"

Everett at church

Poor Ev

Everett snuggling his elephant

Everett sneaking a peek at the tv.  Naughty naughty.

Jensen: "'sup?"

J is happy

Jensen holding his bottle like a big boy

Grandpa and his little mini-clone, Everett.

We should probably do something to celebrate their half-birthday tonight, but instead we're having some friends over.  J & E will enjoy getting attention though. :)

How I Keep Track of My Clothing: An App for the OCD Fashionista

If you know me, it's no secret that I'm obsessed with clothes.  I carefully organize and re-organize my closet regularly.  Everything is hung by type and then by color in a beautiful rainbow.  All of my drawers are full of neatly-folded items.  I wish I could say the rest of my house was this well-kept.  When I lived in Hawaii, I wanted to keep track of how often I was wearing my swimsuits so I felt less guilty about having so many.  I found an app in the app store called Stylitics (now called ClosetSpace.)  I loved what it did, and eventually I added all of my clothes to it.  I find it super helpful when you need to purge your closet too, because you actually know how often you wear each piece.  Here's how ClosetSpace works:

You take a picture of each item of clothing you have and add in whatever information you want
(price, color, pattern, size, etc.)  I know this is tedious, but it's worth it to have all that information at your fingertips. 

Every day you add what you wore to the calendar.

 

Each time you input an item, it updates the stats so you know how many times it's been worn, how much it cost per wear, what outfits you have worn it in, and more.

You can filter your items by color, brand, pattern, and a whole bunch of other categories.

You can even archive items you don't want to show up on your page but also don't want to have to input again later (such as maternity clothes or seasonal items.)  There are other functionalities (is that a word?) that I haven't even used yet.  You can also access everything on your computer if you'd prefer that over an app.

So now you know the extent of my obsession when it comes to clothes.  Most of you will probably think I'm nuts, and you're probably right.  But if you're just as insane as I am, let's be ClosetSpace buddies.  :)

Oh, and did I mention it's free?