Emma and Dylan’s first Christmas Eve

Emma and Dylan got into the spirit of Christmas in the video below. It is as though Emma knew the camera was rolling. Luckily I took this video before we started opening gifts. For some or other reason they got very scared when the wrapping paper made a noise. So shortly after this video was taken they were both in tears and we had to abandon Christmas Eve and rather focus on their Dinner. We bought two feeding chairs with the money that Mommy and Daddy gave the kids for Christmas. Emma and Dylan had their first meal for Christmas Eve in their feeding chairs. It went very well. See the anticipation below.

See more Christmas photos on Flickr by clicking this link

Christmas Holidays

Holiday time has arrived. I have taken leave and am spending lots of time with the babies. Lots has happened since their first swim. Eating of solids has really gone very quickly. Emma now eats more than Dylan. She also burns more energy as she is more active. They have both now moved to a three meal a day eating programme. In the morning they both have rice cereal, now 4 table spoons full. Lunch is still Butternut or like vegetables. Dylan has turned out to be a bit of a fussy vegetable eater. He did not want to eat his carrots that Mommy made specially for him. In the evening he now eats fruit. He took a bit of time to get used to his banana but is now enjoying it a lot. Emma has maize cereal for dinner. She is now over her reflux problems and is taking very well to the solids. They have now started to struggle a bit with constipation, but we have some medication for them if it gets really bad.

We have taken them swimming a couple more times. They last a little longer in the water now before they get cold. Emma has started to kick the water when you hold her on her back. Both of them enjoy their swimming a lot.

As you can see in the pictures they are very keen to lie on their stomachs these days. Dylan is at the moment starting to become more active. He is about a month behind Emma in the active stakes but is catching up quickly.

Our original night nurse finished her contract with us on the 15 December. We had found a new one who started with us. She irritated us so much that we only had her for 1 night.

BIG NEWS: Dylan now sleeps through.

On the night we got the new nurse Dylan slept from 7 o’clock in the evening till 5 o’clock the next morning. With this development we decided that we would try to get by without a night nurse during the week. It has been quite heavy going, but we are enjoying it tremendously, to be able to interact more with the babies. Dylan still sleeps through every night so far. Emma wakes up every night still at 2:40 in the morning. We are hoping she will soon sleep through too. That will make life a lot simpler. We are still keeping our night nurse for the weekends for now.

This week was the first time that Dylan actually lost a very small amount of weight and Emma put on a little. Dylan is still just over 10kg and Emma is at 8kg.

See more pictures on Flickr by clicking this link.

Below is the Teddy bear sign that Anina made for the babies room door.

First Swim

Dylan and Emma are rapidly heading for seven months. This Saturday they will turn seven months. It has been an eventful time and they have really been growing nicely.

Dylan is still the rice cereal king. He has progressed to pumpkin for lunch and still manages cereal, 8 teaspoons full, for breakfast and dinner. He is really starting to eat three real meals a day. Emma’s solids are also starting to improve. She has caught on to eating. She has about 5 teaspoons of cereal in the morning and has also taken well to pumpkin. We have both of them back on regular NanHA formula. The runny tummies are thankfully a thing of the past. Emma took long to recover. Dylan’s tummy has been fine for quite some time already.

Wolfi came to visit last weekend and the weekend before, on his second trip to South Africa this year. He stayed with us for two nights the first weekend and the day on Saturday this last weekend. Anina had bought Emma and Dylan bathing suites, so Wolfi and I introduced Emma and Dylan to the pool. They took to it like a duck to water. No crying just lots of interest. The pool was nice and warm at 28 Degree Celsius. Emma however started shivering quite soon so I took her out. Dylan still waded a bit with Wolfi and then he too had to end his first swim. They enjoy their bathing so we where quite confident that they would like the pool.

Weights:

Dylan: almost 10 kg and Emma: heading for 8 kg

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Emma and Dylan in the pool

Emma eating Pumpkin

Emma and Dylan now over 6 months

No posts for a while since my Netbook is in for repairs. I finally loaded the blogging software on my desktop.

At six months we started feeding Dylan and Emma Purity rice cereal. Dylan has taken to his cereal really well. It’s as though he always knew how to eat cereal. The more we make the more he eats. This has been a general pattern with him in any case when it came to food. He still loves to drink his bottle as well. Emma is not so enamoured with her sold food options. She struggles a bit with the idea that she must swallow the food. Her favourite is to put her hand in her mouth when she has a full mouthfull and smear's it everywhere. She does manage two tea spoons of rice cereal though. Her reflux is getting better but she is still on medication for this.

The kids are growing very cute. They are not crawling yet. Both are much better at controlling their heads. Dylan can sit for some time by himself, Emma is still not too big on sitting. She prefers standing with some support. In fact she loves to stand. It produces a happy smile every time (see in the picture below).

Here are some new pictures:

Dylan and Emma’s Christening

November 8, 2009 was the day of Dylan and Emma’s Christening. Anina went to a lot of trouble to make sure that it was really a day for all attending to remember, and it was. Henk, my nephew, stayed over with us from Saturday. We all got up really early on Sunday morning as their was lots to do. We had made special arrangements with Monica, our usual Sunday night nurse to accompany us for the day.

While the weather forecast predicted rain, it turned out to be a bright sunny day without a cloud in the sky. The Christening was held at the St Peter’s by the Lake Lutheran church overlooking Zoo lake. It’s a nice small church with a lovely atmosphere. Dylan and Emma where extremely well behaved and clearly sensed the occasion that was happening. For those who were not able to attend, or who want to see the Christening again, see the YouTube video below. After the service we took some photos and finished off with some tea on the deck overlooking the lake.

After that it was off to the Westcliff Hotel. We had arranged for some snacks and drinks to be severed as lunch only started at 11:30. We had booked a day room in the hotel close to the restaurant, so that Dylan and Emma could be looked after. They took well to their first stay in a hotel room, even if it was only for a couple of hours. Eventually the venue was ready. As always with the Westcliff Hotel the food was magnificent. I gave a short speech and then it was time for the main course. Dylan did not sleep and so after finishing his bottle he came to mingle with the guests at his party. He loved all the attention and had a great time. Emma slept most of the afternoon. She had to be woken up eventually. When she did join she was attached to my lap and didn’t want to move much. She was very proud of the bracelet that her god mother, Udette, gave her. She wore it very proudly as you can see in the picture below. All to soon the day was over. I believe a great time was had by all.

Click this link for some Christening Photos

More will be added as we get them.

Video of the Christening:

 

Christening Pictures:

Dylan’s turn at the Doctor

Last week Dylan developed some diarrhoea so he got to go to the doctor too. It was not a full afternoon long visit like Emma’s visit the previous week. He has now been put on different milk; Lactose free formula. He also developed some pretty nasty nappy rash. We have special cream we need to put on alternating with nappy rash cream.

At long last Emma is getting over her reflux. What an absolute pleasure when on Sunday at 17:00 in the afternoon, she gulped down her entire bottle without screaming once. We hope it lasts and are very relieved as this was getting very tiring, and must have been really unpleasant for her.

Anina has been buying Christening outfits for Emma and Dylan. Dylan has such big feet that it has been very difficult to find shoes that will fit him. Eventually he is going to wear size 3 (for 1 year old babies). He has really turned into a big boy.

Stats:

Dylan: 9 kg     Emma: 7 kg

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Emma reversing:

5 Months already

Well we sailed through the 5 month mark. Last week was party time again with my boss and a work friend both turning 50. We went for what we hoped would be a quiet Sunday afternoon at the Vaal river. Emma had other ideas. She was a complete angel the whole Sunday morning at home but as we got out the car when we arrived she screamed her head off. Sadly she didn’t stop for most of the afternoon.

On Monday Anina took Emma to the doctor. We had run out of medicine so it was time to see him again. She thought it would be a quick visit. However the doctor wanted to take X-rays and samples. Sadly Emma does not wee or poo on demand. She can with the best of them but not on demand. After carrying Emma around at the hospital for the whole afternoon, Anina came home exhausted. It took until the next day to get a stool sample and even longer for wee. Emma is on new medication which is working well for her. She is much calmer now when she feeds.

This weekend is quiet for a change. Today it is raining and we don’t really plan to go anywhere tomorrow.

Stats update:

Dylan: 8.950 kg Emma: 7.010 kg

This week Emma has gained 200g after losing weight last week. Well done.

Emma learns to wriggle

Emma has learnt how to move around a little. We first noticed this when one day she was lying sideways in her bed when she had been put down in the normal orientation. She lies in a wedge so this was even more impressive.

Play times are becoming more fun as Emma and Dylan start to interact more with each other. They can play for longer now without becoming cranky.

Stats:

Dylan: 8.5 kg  Emma: 6.9 kg

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Here is a video of Emma showing how to crawl backwards on your back:

Dylan and Emma posing:

Emma rattle skills

At the party two weeks ago one of the other little kids that was there came over and gave Emma her rattle toy when she was crying. Since she liked playing with it, we decided to get her one of her own. She has taken to rattle playing quite enthusiastically. At the same time Anina also bought her a wrist chicken. It is like a wrist watch that has a chicken attached to it with a bell inside. Emma loves to chew on chicken and wave her arm around to hear chicken’s bell. Dylan does not yet have much rattle interest or skill.

Here are two videos of rattle play.

Emma demonstrating how to change the rattle from her left to her right hand:

Emma playing wildly with the rattle. This is her favorite:

Party time

Last week Dylan and Emma went to their first garden party. It was a farewell party for my colleagues at work and was held at another colleagues house. Emma and Dylan were well behaved and enjoyed looking at all people.

On Sunday we went to the Botanical gardens in Roodepoort. It was a really nice afternoon. Dylan was a little cranky over lunch but we managed to eat in the restaurant. After that we took a walk and found a patch of lawn to feed Emma her bottle and already it was time to come home.

Tomorrow it’s off to the pediatrician for their regular checkup.

Stats:

Dylan: 8.3 kg Emma: 6.5 kg

Dylan is starting to outgrow his clothes at a rapid rate. He is now wearing 6 – 12 month vests.

Below are pictures of Dylan and Emma in their party outfits exactly on day they were 4 months old:

4 Months old today!

In general things are getting back to normal again. Anina is getting stronger but is still very tired towards the end of the day.

We took Emma to the Pediatrician again this week. She still struggles with reflux but now he points out that she also has colic. This would explain why cry’s all the time during crank hour which last from 4pm till 6:30pm. This has been going on for at least the last month if not longer. During that time nothing will console her.

9 September was not a good day for the kids stuff. Their one baby monitor broke and had to be repaired. Anina was playing piano for Dylan while he was in his swing chair. Next thing there was a bit of a bang, the swing chair gave a jerk, and stopped working. The motor still ran but swing chair didn’t swing anymore. I took it back to the shop yesterday. They will try to fix it but I don’t see much hope for that. It was only 1 month old. It was the 9 day of the 9th month in 2009.

Below is another video and nice pics:

Play time

Anina is back home since Monday and feeling much better. She is still a little weak from her long stay in hospital but has recovered remarkably well.

Emma and Dylan are now each in their own cot. Emma was too long to share the single cot with Dylan anymore, so we had to move the second cot into their room. They now look rather lost, each in their own big cot. The new layout is working well.

Stats from today’s weighing:

Dylan: 7.5 kg; Emma: 6.43 kg

Below is nice video of Anina playing “Elle” with the kids. There is also a video Emma almost smiling while lying in her bed. She normally radiates with joy and smiles in the morning, but not when the camera is out.

Mom in Hospital

It’s been a rough two weeks. Not for Emma and Dylan they have been growing and developing really well.

Stats:

Dylan: 7.1 kg; Emma: 6.1 kg

Emma is now getting too long for her cot. We need to bring down the second cot into the baby room. It’s going to be tight but it will work.

The illnesses started off two weeks ago with me developing a serious throat infection. It was extremely sore every breath I took. It has taken me until this last weekend to really recover.

Anina had a mild flu when I had my throat infection. However, she got really sick last Sunday. She eventually landed up in the 24 hour Emergency rooms at Sandton Clinic where they tried very hard to get her blood pressure up as it was dangerously low. Eventually she was admitted and was placed under careful surveillance. By early on Monday morning (5am) her condition had deteriorated and her heart rate had become irregular. The doctor took drastic action and injected her with adrenaline to get her heart going properly again. She landed up ICU for two days as a result. Only after the second day did they actually identify what was wrong with her. It’s called Clostridium difficile. She got this from the antibiotics that were prescribed for the flu. It’s when the wrong pro-biotics get killed off by the antibiotic and others run riot, and riot they did. While Anina got out of ICU by Wednesday morning the illness was still far from over. She started to finally improve on the weekend after many set backs and much frustration. Today, Monday, she was discharged, still feeling rather lousy, but absolutely overjoyed to see Emma and Dylan. She missed a whole week of their development which was very hard. Here’s to a full speedy recovery.

These pictures were especially taken for Anina so that she could see how they babies were growing while she was in hospital:

Emma awake and asleep:

3 Months old tomorrow

Tomorrow the twins are 3 months old. No post last week as I was in Durban. Anina looked after the kids herself the whole Sunday. Durban was nice and warm after it rained the day I arrived.

Over the weekend Wolfi came to stay with us. He got to meet Emma and Dylan first hand. He was great with them. They especially liked his train to Durban comforting maneuver.

Update on the stats. There is no stopping them.

Dylan: 6.155 kg

Emma: 5.450 kg

See more pictures on Flickr by clicking this link

Emma showing how the new swing chair works:

More pictures of the twins in their best outfits for their Uncle:

Wolfi came to visit:

Video of Emma and Dylan

This week we finally have some new video footage of Emma and Dylan. We had them on their play mat on Sunday afternoon and they performed. I managed to capture Dylan doing his roll over move. It’s pretty impressive.

Stats update:

Dylan now weighs 5.35 kg and Emma 5.02 kg. He’s onto nappy size 3 and she still manages with nappy size 2.

Dylan’s trick:

Emma relaxing:

First pair of Shoes:

Big growth week

Dylan put on half a kilogram this week. He has started feeding larger portions and is at last starting to sleep a little longer in between feeds. He has learnt a new party trick. He can now roll over from his tummy onto his back. We don’t have it on video yet. When we do I will post it here. Dylan went for two visits to the local GP this week. First was for an eye infection which he got an anti-biotic ointment for. Second he developed a rash. This turned out to be harmless.

Pictures this week are only of Emma:

9 weeks today

We sailed through the 2 months mark on the weekend. Today we saw the pediatrician for the second time since the the twins came out of hospital. He was very impressed with their progress. Dylan now weights 4.7 kg and Emma 4.5kg. According to the doctor’s charts Dylan now has a normal weight for a 2 month old baby. They also got another array of vaccinations. We left the rooms allot poorer since the vaccinations were very expensive. They both got to swallow a couple of mouth full's of gel and then each got a jab in each thigh. They screamed blue murder.

See more pics of the Twins by clicking this link

Who is that in the mirror:

Anina with the twins:

Nanny Crisis

We ran into some trouble with our hired help recently. Our night nurse announced that she was going to Cape Town for a two week assignment and our day nurse got sick. The night nurse however managed to find us a replacement who is standing in for her at the moment, however we thought the day nurse would be coming back any day. So Anina has been on full day duty for the last two weeks which has been really hectic. Last week the day nurse announced she was not coming back. So today Anina interviewed new potential candidates. Our chosen one, Jane, is starting tomorrow. We all hope she will work out well.

The kids went for their first outing to the shops on Saturday. We did this in style and went to Sandton City. Dylan slept most of the time and Emma was awake in pieces. We had lunch during which both kids slept very well even though there was lots of hustle and bustle around them.

We finally managed to find a shop that sells baby scales (Italian made in China) so that now we can weight the kids our selves. Today Dylan weighed 4.24 kg and Emma 4.27 kg. The scale is accurate to 10g. This is way more accurate than trying to use the bathroom scale. According to the bathroom scale they already weighed 4.5kg last week.

Some more pics mainly of Emma this time:

Everyone ready for the shops:

Twins first outing in their pram

Well the pram has already been gathering dust for a couple of months now. So on Sunday we decided to see how our extremely expensive ultra-lightweight pram works. In one word, superb. With Sunday being a nice warm winters afternoon, we decided after lunch to load up the kids and take them for a drive around the complex. We loaded them up without any problems. Then we walked once round the complex. Emma who was awake at the start of the exercise fell asleep soon into the outing. We figured the kids were really up to this so we ventured out onto the public road and went for a decent walk around the neighborhood. The pram with it’s pneumatic tyres can handle any offroad situation with ease and on the tar is super smooth. By the time we got back we did another round around the complex just for good measure and then put the kids to bed. Dylan slept through the entire outing so he does not know much about the outside world yet.

For more pics click here

Emma at the back:

Dylan in front:

On the road:

1 Month already

Friday 12 June and the twins are already 1 month old. They went on their first outing out the house on Wednesday to the Pediatrician. He was very happy with their progress. Emma now weighs 3.2 kg and Dylan 2.9 kg.

It was our second weekend with the twins although it felt like they have been home for ages. We are getting to know them well now and those daily trips to the hospital are becoming a distant memory apart from the charges from the hospital are still being captured on our medical aid. Fortunately the medical aid is covering the hospital expenses.

Today was the first day that at least one of the twins was awake enough to play. So we rolled out their play area. Watch the video. Dylan was convinced he could do push ups and crawl and was rather frustrated with himself for his own performance. Emma was so excited she could not bring herself to waking up.

More Flickr Pictures Click here

Anina with the Dylan and Emma: 1 month

Playtime Video:

First week at home

Tomorrow it is 1 week that both Twins have been home. It has taken us some time to get used to the new full house. Two new children, a day Nanny and a night Nurse. We are all still getting used to the changes. Emma and Dylan have been feeding well and hence have been growing quite a bit. The weekend was our first time looking after the twins Solo. It went ok but was very tiring. I bathed both Dylan and Emma on Saturday. We have been learning how to look after the children and they have been sleeping allot. That is basically all they do apart from cry to be fed. Tomorrow we are going on our first outing to the Pediatrician. We will see how that goes.

We haven’t had much time to take any pictures since we have been home and running around. At least we don’t need to drive to hospital every night anymore. Today we finally took some new pictures:

Twins Home coming

Well yesterday turned out to be the big day for Dylan. After meeting with Dr Greeff in the morning it was agreed that Dylan could come home. We first fed, bathed and then fed ourselves before the momentous drive home. He slept through it all and for the rest of the afternoon. The night nurse came to look after him for the night. All in the house slept well. Dylan was very restless and hungry this morning. Took the whole morning to settle down. Now is fast asleep again.

Emma’s big day come today. After one lonely night in the hospital she was also given the all clear. She is sucking much better now. The Nanny started today as well so we now have household staff of three. We still are coming to grips with that together with the two new little ones. They are currently both sound asleep.

Stats update:

Emma: 2.6 kg

Dylan: 2.4 kg

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Dylan at home:

Anina Feeding Dylan at home in our new feeding chair sponsored by Mom and Dad: