Their First Halloween

Holy cow where has the time gone! A year ago I was very early on in my pregnancy, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that we were having twins and now here we are, with two almost five month olds. I have always loved Halloween and I was so excited to be able to celebrate it with my children. Though we may not being doing anything special for Halloween night, we made sure we crammed some fun, festive activities for the month of October.

One of my new favorite places that I am pretty sure we will be making an annual tradition is Sweetfields Farm in Brooksville, FL. I cannot say enough about this place! It had farm animals, lots of pumpkins, fresh apple cider, a corn maze, and so much more. It was definitely a family-friendly activity we could all love. It was even more special because my cousin got to be part of it with us, as she was visiting from Atlanta. While it was hot the day we went, it was definitely worth it! I cannot wait to take the kids as they grow.

Another fun thing we did was attend Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween party and we had a BLAST. Again, it was hot, so we did not do costumes, but instead did fun coordinating Hocus Pocus outfits. We got to take the kids on lots of rides and they had SO MUCH FUN! Next year we will definitely be doing costumes when we go. The other great thing about Mickey’s Not-So-Scary is that it is totally allergy friendly. Since I am breastfeeding my babies, I cannot consume any dairy, tree nuts, or peanuts, or my kids will get very sick. Disney took into account people with allergies and have special options for those, including some of my favorite snacks I frequently buy at Earth Fare.

Overall, it was a great October, but we are very much looking forward to kicking off the Christmas holiday season as it is me and James’s absolute FAVORITE. We hope everyone has a very Happy Halloween!

First Time Sleeping Through the Night!

Last night an absolute miracle happened: both of my twins slept through the night. Amelia has been consistently sleeping through the night for a while, but for Grayson it has been a struggle. He usually wakes up between 2-4 in the morning for a bottle before going back to sleep, but last night after months of trying to figure out what works for us, we finally got both babies to sleep through the night.

When the twins first came home from the hospital we set an alarm and made sure we woke them up every two hours to feed them. At the time I was still struggling with nursing. Amelia had a bad latch and Grayson always fell asleep while nursing, which led to me exclusively pumping so that my babies could have the benefits of breastmilk. Once they were back up to their birth weight, we started spreading out their feedings, first every three hours, then every four. Eventually we started letting them wake up on their own.

No we are at just shy of 5 months. Unfortunately I still have to get up in the middle of the night to pump, but the babies sleeping through the night means my husband is well rested for work, instead of chugging coffee to make it through the day. So here is what works for us and what didn’t:

  1. Feeding right before bed: This is a MUST for our babies. Before we would feed them at a designated time and then put them down by 7. They always woke up within three hours of us putting them down and after  they ate they would then start eating every three hours. Before their last feeding we get them ready for bed by changing their diapers and getting them into their pajamas. Then they get their bottles.

2. A later bed time: When we first started trying to establish a bed time we were        putting them down WAY too early. We have learned a later bed time works better for us. We are now putting them down closer to 9:30, with their last nap being mid afternoon. This morning they woke up 5:30, had a bottle, and went back to sleep until 8:30. I always pump after their feeding, but now I may have to start setting an alarm!

3. Lights stay OFF: In the early days when they woke up to eat we would turn on the lights. This definitely did not help anything. Once the lights were on it woke them up and getting them back down took at least another hour and they did not get back into a deep sleep. Now when we feed we keep the lights off to keep them sleepy. This may be common sense, but for two new parents we had no idea.

4. Diaper changes: We no longer change their diapers right after they eat unless necessary. Regardless of the state of their diaper, we always changed them after they ate, even if there were only two drops of pee. The cold wipes woke them up even more. Now unless their diaper is totally soaked or they have a dirty diaper, we leave them alone and keep them nice and toasty in their pajamas. Mostly now they dream feed due to these steps we follow and then we are able to put them right back down.

I hope this can help any future twin mommies out there. These are ALL things I wish I would have known before. The only other piece of advice I can offer twin mommies is KEEP YOUR BABIES ON THE SAME EATING SCHEDULE. If one wakes up to eat, feed the other one too. This is the single most important rule we follow in our lives with the twins. It may seem annoying or frustrating if one is sound asleep, but trust me it will help so much in the long run! Good luck mama bears!

Meet the Morins

Welcome to our crazy little family. If you would have told me five years ago that I would not only be married, but have two children, I probably would have told you that you were nuts, but here we are and I could not be happier. I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce you to each of us, so you know who I am talking about in these blog posts.

First off I will tell you a little bit about me. My name is Jenn and I am 25. I have lived in Tampa, FL for four and a half years. My parents, me, and my older sister moved down here from Highlands Ranch, CO when we realized we were all ready for a change. We had been Disney World annual passholders for years and found ourselves flying down to Orlando every opportunity we got. We didn’t want to live in the craziness of Orlando and wanted to be near the water, so we ultimately decided on Tampa. My sister would end up going to Miami for work shortly after moving to Florida, but after meeting her husband she has since come back to Tampa. I’m a full-fledged Disney addict and beach lover. I’m passionate about photography, but ultimately I am most passionate about my family.

Shortly after moving here I went out with a guy that a co-worker set me up with. Our third time hanging out he told me he was in love with me, so I quickly joined match.com after being thoroughly traumatized by the experience. It was the best choice I ever made. I only went out with one guy I met on match, which leads me to introducing you to my wonderful husband. James is also 25 and currently serving in the United States Air Force. His sense of humor, ambition, and kindness immediately attracted me to him. Born and raised in Wisconsin, he was an all-American boy and I was instantly crushing HARD. Within two months of dating, he was flying me to Wisconsin to meet his family. By five months of dating we were engaged and now we have been married just shy of three years.

The twins are very much their own people. Grayson is my busy body. He wants to constantly be going. He loves to play, hates naps, and is happiest when we are out an about. He’s our little adventure baby. Amelia is my diva. She prefers to be held and coddled, wanting you to chat with her constantly, babbling back every chance she gets. She is 100% girl. She loves wearing dresses and sparkle always catches her eye. As they are getting older they are starting to play and talk to each other and it is my favorite thing in the world.

So that’s the quick run down on the Morin family. We cannot wait for you guys to get to know us!

Delivering the Twins

Since you’ve heard the story of us finding out we were expecting twins, I figured I should share the story of them making their entrance into the world. I had a long and difficult pregnancy. From being plagued with morning sickness, to living with PUPPS (AKA pregnancy hell) for the last two months of my pregnancy, I was ready to be done. I cleaned my house from top to bottom every day trying to induce labor. It would bring on contractions, but they ultimately always went away. We went on long walks around the mall every night. I ate pineapple. I did everything I could do to safely bring on labor. None of it worked.  For months I had heard from my doctors that twins always come early. I was told to prepare for NICU time. I was told to be ready by 30 weeks, so I was. My babies didn’t get the memo though and at 38 weeks and two days, I went in for my induction.

My husband had to force me to leave for the hospital. I was terrified. I had grown up hearing the story of how my mom was induced with my older sister. She had horrible labor that ultimately ended in her needing an emergency C-section. I tried to mentally prepare myself for the fact that I may need a C-Section. Statistics were against me. Though both babies were head down, that still did not guarantee me a vaginal delivery, something I desperately wanted. My bigger fear was having one twin vaginally and one twin via c-section, something that was a very real possibility if Amelia went into distress.

We got to the hospital at 6:00pm on Tuesday night. The first few hours were just a sitting in a room doing nothing. By 9:00pm they moved us into one of the delivery suites even though I would ultimately need to deliver in the OR just in case. I was only one centimeter dilated. I was having no contractions. It was going to be a long process. The cervix checks were agonizing and I dreaded every time a doctor came in. The first thing they did was insert a foley balloon to help me dilate. I won’t go into too much detail, but it hurt like hell. I ultimately needed pain meds to help me get through it. They knocked me out and the next morning the balloon came out and I was dilated to 4 centimeters.

After that I was hooked up to pitocin for 12 hours and I felt nothing. It didn’t work and didn’t help me dilate at all. They came in later that night to give me the epidural and break Grayson’s water. Getting my epidural was a super easy process. They broke my water and then me and James went to sleep. We both got a full night’s rest, something we would be super grateful for in the next coming days. I woke up around 6 am and felt a ton of pressure. I felt like I was slowly getting to the point of being ready to push. The doctor checked me and I was 8 centimeters dilated. Breaking my water had done its job. By 11:00am I was dilated to ten centimeters and they were wheeling me back to the OR.

The OR had at least 30 people in there, including the two nurses from our first day who we absolutely loved, Ashley and Carolyn. They were the greatest nurses I have ever met and I will forever be so grateful for them. I don’t remember being scared or anxious. I think I was so overwhelmed that I honestly was just numb. They moved me off the bed they wheeled me in on and then it was time. James supported by head while I held on to my legs, pushing as hard as I could. It wasn’t enough. Grayson didn’t want to budge. After using a vacuum and getting an episiotomy, he was finally ready to meet us. After pushing for thirty minutes, Grayson James Morin was born at 11:36AM. I got to hold him for just a moment and then he was taken off with James to be weighed. He was born 7 lbs 11 oz, clearly missing the memo that he was a twin.

I was tired. I wanted a break, but that wasn’t an option. They immediately told me I needed to push again. I kept hearing them say “her heart rate is dropping.” At the time I thought they were talking about Amelia. I now know they were talking about me. Four pushes and eight minutes after Grayson was born, Amelia came out. Weighing 6 lbs, 3 oz, she was significantly smaller. James didn’t even know I was pushing until she was out. I held her in my arms and then I started to not feel right. I felt dizzy and sick. I didn’t feel safe holding my daughter. I felt like I was going to drop her. I had the nurse take her and they started injecting something into my legs while the doctor got both placentas out.

I wasn’t able to nurse the babies for about an hour after delivery. I had lost a lot of blood and had to wait for the injections and anti nausea medication they gave me to work. Finally, I felt better and I was able to hold and nurse both of my beautiful babies. They were beautiful and perfect. I had a long road to recovery ahead of me, but in that moment none of that mattered. The pain was starting to set in, but I had my babies and they were perfect.

The Adventure Begins

I never in a million years thought I would be here writing this. I have always wanted to be a mom. While I always imagined multiple kids, it never came into my mind that I would have two at once. My dad is a twin. He has a twin sister, but for years we heard how “it was a fluke” and there was no way any of us would have twins, but one year ago today I found out it wasn’t a fluke. I was pregnant with twins and I was shocked.

Let me rewind a little bit first. In September 2017, me and my husband decided to start trying for a baby. We were very lucky. By October I was pregnant and we were overjoyed. The first two weeks after I found out I was pregnant I felt fine. I was tired and a little nauseous, but nothing I thought was necessary to worry about. By six weeks that all changed. One night after our weekly game night with friends I woke up incredibly sick. I thought I must have gotten food poisoning or something because it came out of nowhere. To my dismay it wasn’t food poisoning and it didn’t go away.

For three days I could only sleep during the day. Every night, without fail, I would get violently sick. I would lay in bed, watching Rules of Engagement with a cold rag on my head, hurling my guts into the trash can. I was plagued with anxiety attacks. There was nothing left in my stomach and I was mostly throwing up stomach acid. My husband was my rock. He rubbed my back and held my hair, offering me words of encouragement and wiping away my tears. By the third day I hit a wall. I was dizzy and dehydrated. There was no way I could sustain life with how sick I was.

My husband, who is currently serving in the United States Air Force, was able to get me an appointment early in the morning to see a doctor. I threw up twice on the way there. I had black circles under my eyes. I was down 15 pounds. Nothing about the situation was good. People stared at me in the waiting room as I held a bag in my lap, waiting for the next round of sickness to take over. I didn’t throw up. Instead I blacked out.

The doctor was of no use. They recommended over the counter medicine and told me they would only recommend going to the emergency room if I had lost consciousness. We immediately drove to the emergency room at Tampa General Hospital. They got me back into a room immediately. They hooked me up to fluids which helped a little bit. They then gave me anti nausea medication and I started to feel like a person again. The doctor came in and told me they wanted to do an ultrasound just to make sure everything was okay. I was excited and nervous. I was going to get to see my baby!

The ultrasound was miserable. I had to be on my back, something that only made my nausea worse. I couldn’t see the screen and it was miserably cold in the room. It was not at all how I imagined my first ultrasound. The technician didn’t talk. She didn’t tell me how things looked. I started to worry something was wrong. My fears only grew when she left the room “to get a second opinion.”

I looked at my husband and started to cry. I told him my fears. I told him I knew something was wrong with the baby. He was able to see the ultrasound screen during the ultrasound. He said he didn’t think anything was wrong, but he couldn’t tell what he was looking at. He just said he saw “two blinking lights.” When the second ultrasound technician came in, she seemed different than the one before. She was smiling. Surely this was good, right? I will never forget what she said. “Normally we are supposed to wait for the doctor to tell you this, but I just get so excited.” Now I was confused. She pointed to the screen that was now turned towards us. “Here is baby A and here is baby B. You’re having twins!” If there was anything in my stomach, I think I probably would have thrown up. I’m not proud to admit I called her a liar and asked her to check again.

After they wheeled us back to the room we just kept staring at each other and saying “twins.” My husband was over the moon. I was terrified. We called our parents. His parents were excited. Mine were too, but my mom kept saying “oh my god” on a loop for six minutes. My sister was getting married in California in a few weeks and this presented us with a few obstacles.

I’m happy to say the fear did eventually go away. As I write this my twins are napping and I cannot begin to imagine life without them. I am so excited to share our twin journey with all of you and introduce you to Grayson and Amelia, my beautiful babies, the Morin Twins.