Thursday, May 22, 2014

Day In The Life: 3 Months

Our "Day in the Life" series continues with Nicole's three-month-old twins (and their two-year-old brother)! 

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My husband, Louis and I married on 10/10/10. Our friends would have described us as a fun, spontaneous couple, living in a high-rise. Originally, we had planned to wait for several years to start a family; however, we found out we were pregnant only a few months after our wedding. Tatum, our first son, was welcomed into the world on January 14, 2012. Life was perfect! We had everything we wanted. Before he turned 18 months, Tatum had already flown on an airplane 26 times. Looking back, it was so easy!

In June of 2013, I had a funny feeling that I was pregnant again. After several positive tests, it was confirmed…baby #2 was on the way. We went into our first appointment confident that we already knew the drill, since it felt like it was just yesterday when we were there. To our surprise, we were about to find out I was incubating TWINS!

On January 3rd, at 12:02 a.m., I gave birth to baby A, Camden Louis Baca at 5 pounds 15 ounces and baby B, Cassidy Nicole Baca came 4 minutes later at 12:06 a.m. weighing 5 pounds 11 ounces. At 36 weeks and 1 day, I was able to vaginally deliver both twins.


So fast forward to 3 months old:


I have been blessed with being able to produce enough milk to exclusively breast feed both twins. Our nursing schedule has been so smooth.  As for sleeping, both twins still sleep in their rock-n-play located in our bedroom. At week 4, we tried to put them in their cribs at night, but it only took one night to realize we didn’t have enough leg muscle to go up and down the stairs 20 times per night. Needless to say, we are going to try the transition again in 2 weeks.

I was told about the book Babywise while pregnant with the twins and after reading the book I knew I had to commit to the schedule from day one. Although I don’t follow it verbatim, it has served as a great guide. My husband doesn’t get home until later in the evening, so we are an hour different than Babywise says, so he can spend time with the twins.

Here’s an example of what an average day in the Baca Household looks like:

3:30AM: Camden wakes up crying in his rock and play in our bedroom. After changing his diaper, I feed him on the left breast and pump on my right. I usually get about 5 ounces. This goes immediately into the freezer and becomes our milk stash for the times I have to be away. (Cassidy is still sleeping)

4:00AM: I lay Camden back in his rock-n-play to go back to sleep.

8:00AM: Like clockwork, both babies wake up. I change their diapers and lay them on their TWIN Z pillow on our bed.



8:10AM: Tatum usually is up by now, and I’ll go upstairs and get him out of bed.

8:12AM: I prepare Tatum’s morning milk in his cup, along with a banana, and my coffee.

8:20AM: Tatum goes to the restroom and I’ll change him into his boxers for the day.

8:25AM: Both twins are ready to eat. Tatum eats on the bed while I nurse the twins. I nurse them at the same time for about 15 minutes.

8:40AM: I will change the twins into their clothes for the day.

8:50AM: Both twins will do tummy time while Tatum reads to them or plays a game in front of them. This is when I reflect on the good ‘ole times while I enjoy my coffee (without which, I couldn’t get through the day).



9:00AM: Both twins start to get tired, so I place them back in their rock-n-play, located in our bedroom. I put their pacifiers in and turn the sound machine on ocean, and we leave the room.


9:05AM: I take Tatum to the kitchen and prepare breakfast for him and me.

9:15AM: Tatum and I enjoy a sometimes peaceful breakfast together.

9:30AM: I take Tatum into the bathroom for his bath. We do bath in the morning so he gets more time with daddy at night to play. The bath is right in front of the shower so I get to shower and I am able to watch him. Of course I don’t take my eyes off of him and I can jump out of he were to go under the water.


9:45-11AM: This is Tatum and my one and one time to read, learn, play, and just interact together. I focus on him the entire time so he feels he is getting the attention he needs and deserves. The twins stay asleep this whole time.

11:00AM: Camden and Cassidy wake up crying for milk.

11:01AM: I nurse both twins at the same time for about 15 minutes. We have a Nabi Jr, which is like an Ipad, but has so many learning games so Tatum will play on puzzles or work on counting at this time.


11:15AM: I change both diapers.

11:20AM: At this point of the day, we go into our playroom. I will put the babies in their Bumbos to interact with us. We will read, sing, and play.



12:00PM: The twins are ready for their second nap of the day.

12:01PM: It pains me to say this, but Camden is the cry baby and Cassidy is near perfect (just like her momma). If I was guaranteed that all of our babies would be like Cassidy, I would have ten more kids.

12:10PM: Camden finally falls asleep after a couple minutes of me rocking him in the rock-n-play.


12:10-2PM: Both twins nap.

12:10PM: I make lunch for Tatum and me.

12:30PM: It is Tatum’s nap time. I have him go to the restroom and put a diaper on him since he can’t make it through a nap dry yet.

12:35PM: Tatum and I read a book then it’s off to bed.

12:40PM-2PM: This is ME time- I will lay out, look on the internet, watch one of my girly shows etc. I do whatever the heck I want…in the confines of a corner so I don’t wake any of the kiddos up.

2PM: Tatum wakes up from his nap.

2:02PM: Both twins wake from their nap.

2:03PM: I nurse both of the twins at the same time for about 15 minutes.

2:20PM: I change both of their diapers.

2:25PM: I put both the twins on their TWIN Z pillow on our bed (the twins don’t roll over yet). While I pack the diaper bag, have Tatum go to the bathroom, get Tatum ready to go with a snack etc.


2:45PM: I load the twins in their car seats and Tatum in his car seat.

3:00PM: All four of us are off to the store. This is the twins nap time so they will sleep while I shop. It usually takes about an hour to get everything we need and most of the time it’s to Target to get diapers and groceries. I put the twins’ car seats in one cart and Tatum in the front of another cart that I load the groceries into. Yes, I look like a hot mess, but we get through it. If we don’t go to the store, then we go on a walk.


4:00PM: We get home. I will place the babies in the house while they are still in their car seats since they will stay asleep for another hour. This is my time to unload the groceries and put them away. I will have Tatum help me.

5:00PM: Both twins wake up from their nap. This is the last feeding before daddy comes home.

5:01PM: Both twins nurse for about 15 minutes.

5:20PM: I change both babies’ diapers.

5:25PM: I put Mickey Mouse clubhouse on in the living room for Tatum and the twins in their bumbos on the kitchen counter so I can cook dinner. On days I don’t cook, I give the twins a bath at this time instead of cooking and daddy will cook or bring food home.


6:00PM: DADDY IS HOME!! Our favorite part of the day!

6:10PM: We all sit down for dinner. The twins will be in their bumbos located on the dining table.

6:30PM: We lay the twins down for their shortest and last nap of the day.

6:35PM: My husband and I both go outside with Tatum and we play. We really try to give Tatum all of our attention. Sometimes I will let Tatum and daddy play while I come inside and clean up from dinner.

7:30: The twins wake up so we will all play together as a family.

8:00PM: Our bedtime routine begins. I change one twin while daddy changes the other. We will put them into their PJs, unless it was bath night, in which case, they will already be in their PJs.

8:10PM: I nurse both the babies at the same time for about 15 minutes. Daddy has Tatum go to the bathroom, brush his teeth, and get in his PJs. They read a book or two, and then he will give Tatum a word of the week to spell.

8:30PM: Tatum is fast asleep.

8:31PM: I place the twins in their rock-n-plays located in our bedroom. We put their pacis in, turn the sound machine on, and kiss them good night! :)

8:35PM: One twin will typically fuss for a few minutes so we will just rock their rock-n-play until both are fast asleep.

8PM-11PM: Louis and I enjoy time together as a couple!

11PM: Louis and I go to bed and then I will be up at 3:30am with Camden. Cassidy sleeps through the night and has since 6 weeks old. This is what a day in our house looks like. It typically stays on this exact schedule for the most part. I’m not perfect, but this is my life and I love every bit of it.

Some advice to parents of a toddler and three month old twins:

1. Keep the twins on the same schedule!
There will not be enough time in the day to get everything done and keep up with a toddler if they are not on the exact same schedule. Try your best to be constant and the babies will just go with it. Now there are days when they want to feed more often, but try to get it back to your set schedule.

2. Have your toddler nap time be in sync with the twins’ nap!
This will give you a little time to yourself to get whatever you need to done. I find it important to have some peace and quiet. I swear this is what keeps me sane!

3. Try to get out of the house!
Yes, it is hard and way easier said than done, but getting out with all of the kids is a must. Being stuck to the house gives everyone cabin fever, so just getting out for a little bit a day will put everyone into a better mood.

4. Take pictures and record videos!
This month they have started to smile a lot, coo, and really notice each other. So be sure to take tons of pictures and videos. Pictures last a lifetime! Tatum’s first year of life went by so fast. It is great to have all of their “firsts” documented.

5. Try to connect with your spouse!
With a toddler and three month old twins, there is just always something going on. Try to enjoy some time with your husband when the kids all are in bed. This will keep you connected as you go on to the next day.

6. Get your sex life back to where it was before!
As you know being pregnant with twins, there was rarely ever a time you felt the energy or sex drive. Now that is has been three months, it’s time to get back into it. Our husbands have been so patient in waiting that it is good for you to feel that connection again.

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Thanks so much, Nicole! If you have any questions, CLICK HERE to email her.  And follow along for more updates from Nicole on Instagram (@nicoleannbaca).

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Don't forget to enter our Rockin' A B Designs Bib Giveaway!  Contest ends tomorrow at midnight!

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4 comments:

  1. Wow you sound so organized! Everything seems to flow. The grocery shopping with 2 carts sounds like a site to see :)

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  2. You are super mom! Things were still so hard for me at 3 months and I just had twins - no toddler! Mine didn't start taking naps on more of a schedule until around 4 months but it got so much better when they did. Congrats on making it look easy!

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  3. This was such an encouragement to read! It sounds manageable. I can do this.

    Also, what stroller is that??

    ReplyDelete