Getting to Know You

As Julia and Margaret close in on their one month birthday, I'm beginning to get a glimpse of each girl's personality, and at least some of their individual likes and dislikes. And I would like to think that the girls are becoming more aware of and attached to me. As I spend my days completing endless cycles of diapering, feeding, clothing, swaddling, etc, I often hear the King and I song "Getting to Know You" running over and over in my head...

Getting to know you, 
Getting to know all about you. 
Getting to like you, 
Getting to hope you like me.


It's the perfect soundtrack to my days. :)


Of course, the Julia and Margaret will change as they grow, but for right now here is a little snapshot of each girl...

Julia seems to be our calmer twin. She's quick to go to sleep and will stay conked out for a good bit longer than Margaret. When she is asleep, Julia is content to stay wrapped up in her swaddle, but prefers to have at least one arm out and up by her head. When awake, Julia watches the world around her with a quiet concentration. However, she has a hearty cry and she's not afraid to use it when she feels she's not being paid the attention she wants. Julia is a champion eater, and will sleep through an entire nursing session, not missing a beat (or one drop of milk).

Margaret seems a bit feisty in comparison to Julia. When she is awake, she watches the world around her with a hilarious look of shock and awe fixed on her face. She's very active, moving her arms and legs in completely uncontrolled motions, watching her wayward body parts with great interest and surprise. When asleep, Margaret becomes a little Houdini, capable of breaking any swaddle and wriggling her way to freedom. She seems to prefer sleeping unrestrained, often with her tiny toes sticking out from beneath her blanket. Lately, she's also demonstrated an alarming preference in sleeping position: her head completely covered in her blanket. This is terrifying for me! I'm worried she won't be able to breathe, but Margaret seems unconcerned and no matter how many times I pull the blanket down, it somehow finds its way over her face again within a minute.

You don't have to tell me that this isn't an approved sleeping position, but apparently Margaret doesn't care!

Both girls have reflux, so they prefer to sleep on an incline. But no sleeping spot seems to work every time, so we play musical beds in our house, rotating the girls through a cradle, a swing, and two pack n plays, all set at varying angles.  Regardless of where they sleep though, the girls sound like a herd of goats, bahhing and bleeting their way through a nap. This is yet another reason why I am so thankful for our night nurse. Sleeping soundly with goats is very hard to do.

So far, watching each twin's personality come out has been such a joy. I feel so lucky that I get to marvel at not just one newborn, but two. :)