Spring Break is so close I can taste it! Many of you might have plans to go to the happiest place on Earth... Disneyland! As an annual passholder I thought I would give you some tips, or things that work for me, while at Disneyland. It can be tough to navigate if you aren't there once a week (covers eyes in embarrassment) so I'm here to answer any questions!

1.Bring snacks: Of course you could eat a corn dog every time you get hungry but that might add up quickly...and your pants might not fit by the end of the day. ;)

2. Never buy clothing there: Because Target, Gap, Old Navy all sell clothing with Disney characters on them. Save some bucks and buy before you go. Better yet, get matching shirts for the whole family so you can spot each other quickly (plus twinning is winning!).

3. Bring an extra cell phone battery: with all the pictures you will be taking and all the Instagram stories you will be adding you will need some extra juice!

4. Take advantage of shows: Shows are typically a win because they don't get as crowded as the rides. I love Mickey's Map, Fantasy Faire, and the Soundsational parade! Oh, and there is a park in Toon Town for active toddlers to get their wiggles out. The twins love it!

5. Rides for adults and babies: You might think you won't enjoy the rides because you will be stuck on the carousel all day. Wrong! Babies can go on Toy Story Mania, Buzz Lightyear, Pirates of the Carribbean, the jungle cruise, Haunted Mansion, Tea cups, and MUCH MORE! Get excited!

6. Bring pjs: We always pack pj's (Mickey ones of course!) and change the kids before putting them in their car seats on the way home. Avoid that carseat-to-bed transfer mishap like that!

7. Bring a massive stroller: Honestly I will probably be bringing a stroller long past the time the twins don't need it anymore. We put so. much. stuff. in there it's embarrassing. Yes, you have to walk and not ride the tram but you will need to burn the extra calories anyway from all the corn dogs you will ingest!

8. Layer clothing: T-shirts are great for the day but it tends to get cold at night!

9. Disneyland wait time app: This allows you to see how long the wait for a ride is without walking all the way over to the ride. win-win-win!

10. Go during the week: If possible go during the week.. it's way less crowded and you will have a much better time! 

Hope this helps and feel free to comment with questions!

Blair has had a great first week of school (minus the 100+ degree weather) and I'm so proud of her. She decided that she wants to be a hair stylist when she grows up instead of a butterfly in the Disneyland parade. Once I told her that the people in the parade don't actually live at Disneyland she was horrified and decided a hair stylist would be a better choice. That girl.

So far she loves her teacher and hasn't had any melt downs at school. I love hearing about her day and who "stayed on green" and who had to "clip down." She gives me a very precise report on who did what and it cracks me up. She's been singing songs that she's learning and teaching the babies all sorts of new things.

I can't wait to watch you grow this year, Blair, but please slow down!

This sure was the joke of all jokes trying to get these two to take a decent 10 month picture (see below). The pictures do describe them well though! They are on the move big time and it's only a matter of days before we need to put up the baby gates on the stairs again...

Everly
All of the sudden you have 2 teeth! You have been teething like mad and it breaks my Mama heart. You are tolerating standing now (you initially refused to do it) but aren't pulling to stand yet. You are my feisty one and always trying to grab and eat the dirt out of our potted plants. Or pull the wine bottles off the bar cart. Your favorite thing to do is crawl around the house and chase your big sister. You still wear some size 0-3 month clothes (what?!) and are my tiny nugget. You love the bath and hanging out in the pool. You are saying "that" and sometimes "Dada." You don't cry anymore when we drop you off in the nursery at church! We found out you are terrified of balloons. You love to examine everything with your index finger.

Calvin
Still no teeth for you but I'm sure they will pop up any week now. You are pulling up to stand on everything and it's so stinking cute...until you fall and hit your head on the tile. :( When you are sad you lay down with your head on the floor and your bum in the air and cry. It's incredibly pathetic and incredibly cute. You are saying "Mama" now and it is music to my ears. You sign for "more" when you eat. The way you slowly clasp your hands together for the sign is just adorable. You are a bottomless pit and want to eat everyone's food. You steal toys from your sister and then when she cries about it you start crying. You love facing outward when I hold you so you can see the world around you. You love crawling around the house and watching your biggest big sister. No more tears in the nursery for you either!

We love you two SO much!

I'm overwhelmed by and undeserving of His goodness. Never in a million years did I think that I wouldn't have enough arms to hold all my babies. I tear up just looking at this picture. For all the mamas in waiting or those who have lost their mama I know that today is hard. Not a Mother's Day will ever go by that I won't think of your hearts and how much they ache. Praying that you find comfort in Him. His plan is worth waiting for!

A "big number with a three in it" Hahahah sounds like 23 to me! 

Thankful for my babies and loved spending time with them over the weekend. We took an impromptu trip to the beach and grabbed coffee and lunch (because what else is there?). The weather was lovely and the company was pretty good too. ;)

I thought I would update this since having Blair (it's about time!). Having a baby can be so overwhelming so I thought that making a list of my favorite registry must-haves could help alleviate some of the stress of trying to figure out what the best products are. These are things that have helped us. Some items are worth the extra money in my opinion. Some items aren't chic (ahem, that ugly baby swing) but they really get the job done better than their expensive/attractive rival (the Mamaroo). I hope you find this helpful!

Sound Machine

Teether

Teether

Swaddle

Monitor 

Swing

Nursing Pillow

Breast Pump

Diaper Bag

Wrap Carrier

Ergonomic Baby Carrier

Swaddle Blanket

Swaddle Blanket 

Swaddle Blanket 

Bib/Burp Cloth

Jogging Stroller

City Stroller

Self Rocking Cradle

Hook on High Chair

Baby Book

Squeezie Maker

Bottle

Nursing Cover/Carseat Cover/ Shopping Cart Cover

What are some items that you loved? Tell me below!

The Bible verse my mom chose for me is Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." I love when I see it at random times...on coffee mugs, in a sermon, on a postcard etc. It brings me peace and reminds me to delight in Him first and that my desires will shift to be more like His.

Matt and I chose life verses for each of our kids and I thought it would be fun to share them here with you.

Blair: Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. When Blair was born we struggled with having peace while she was in the NICU. This verse brought us so much comfort in a time of uncertainty and I hope it does the same for her.

Everly: Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. Everly's verse is a daily reminder of how I want to be...joyful, patient, and faithful. I pray she leans on this when she experiences a season of waiting like I did. This verse encouraged me to turn from my anger, doubt, and fear and to instead rest in him who loves me.

Calvin: Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. We chose this verse specifically because of what it took to bring him into this world. We had to be confident in the Lord and turst in him even when things seemed hopeless. We want Cal to always remember that his hope remains in Jesus. We pray that he remains faithful even when his circumstances are hard. God always has a plan for us even though we don't always understand it. He is good all the time and cares for his children so much! 

I wanted to take some time to share/document how we feed our twins. I'm always interested in hearing other people's stories about what worked for them and I like to share my story in hopes that it could help other mamas out.

All photos by Jen Wertman Photography

For the first 3-4 months I was feeding the twins my own breast milk. They were super tiny and not gaining weight (hello, they had to share!) so the doctor suggested supplementing them with formula. At the time my best friend happened to have a HUGE stash of  breast milk in her freezer since her baby refused to take a bottle and she only took one side at a time. She gave it all to me and I began giving the twins 2 ounces of extra breast milk before bed at night.

As the months went on she wasn't pumping as much and it was looking like we were going to need to start supplementing them with formula. This time around I told myself that I would do the best I could but if I needed to use formula it wouldn't be the end of the world. I was not that open minded with Blair. As it turned out I found another friend who was able to give me a TON of her breast milk and to this day we still supplement with both mamas milk! Talk about bosom buddies... ;)

Fast forward to now and the twins currently take 3 ounces of breast milk in a bottle (from my friends) at their 11:30 and 3:30 feedings and four ounces at their bedtime feeding. We make sure to give them the bottle before they breast feed from me so that they end their feeding session on me feeling full and satisfied. My lactation consultant said they will associate a fully belly with mama and this will prevent them from refusing to nurse and only bottle feeding. During their first feed of the day (7:30 am) they don't need a supplement because I'm so full from not nursing overnight. Each baby takes 10 ounces a day...20 total (on top of what I provide them). It's a miracle that we've been able to find friends who can, and are willing to, pump this much extra for us!

At this point I'm riding the gravy milk train as far as it will take me. I was hoping the twins could be solely on breast milk for six months and here they are still on breast milk at seven months! I'm thankful for this but not obsessing over when/if it will end. No matter what the twins will get fed whether it be from me, friends, formula or solids. I'm doing what works for us, and this set up happens to be best for our situation with twins.

It takes a village to raise kids and apparently 3 mamas to feed 2 babies. ;)

Last week Cool Mama sent me one of their nursing tops and I can't believe I've been functioning without them! The fabric is super soft made from bamboo and the cut of the shirt is very flattering. The sleeve is a bit longer to hide my not-so-toned arms and it's very blousy around the mid section which always helps.

And the best part is that you can wear these while pregnant AND breast feeding! A second bonus for me is that I can nurse both babies at the same time without needing a nursing cover. This solves so many problems! I seriously can't wait to order more of these tops...they have dresses too!

And yes I do see the humor in the following pictures...those are the babies' heads, I swear! Ha ha!

Easy side slit allows baby to get to the good stuff. 

Chatting with Everly while Cal finishes up

Please like Cool Mama on Facebook and use the code "CoolMamaUSA" to get 10% off!

Head on over to their Etsy store and shop HERE . :)
Happy shopping!

*This post contains some nursing photos...if this makes you uneasy I'm warning you now. ;)


As a second time mom I knew things would be different (hello I had twins!) this time around but I wasn't sure how. Obviously twins are a whole new territory that I had no idea about but I was thankful to have already had one baby under my belt. My first born would at least prepare me for half the work, right?!

latching Everly for the first time

 Ha ha. Having twins is way more than twice the work of one baby. There is no break even if you have another adult around at all times. I am always in charge of at least one baby.

This time around I told myself while I was pregnant that my expectations were going to be a lot lower. I promised I would be much more type B and less anxious about everything. I told myself that I would take nursing one month at a time and if my body couldn't keep up with feeding two babies  I wasn't going to freak out over giving them formula. I'm trying to be gracious with myself. In the past I would have thought that if I had to do formula I was somehow failing my babies. Now I know I'm not. I am determined to do what is best for them and if that means they need more nutrition in the way of formula then that's ok!

latching right after birth

So far I have been blessed to produce enough milk to sustain them but I have a feeling my days are numbered. I already supplement them before bed with my best friend's breast milk. Aren't bosom buddies great?! There are so many types of formula on the market but since I already love The Honest Company products I plan on starting there. The Honest Company takes a best-for-baby approach and has developed a line of premium feeding solutions with organic, non-GMO and other high quality ingredients for various types of situations, including both breast and formula feeding.

As a side note I thought that I would have huge fabulous boobs while nursing twins. Nope. I mean it seems so unfair! I'm nursing two kids! I was hoping to at least get a D cup out of this for a few months. Sigh. Maybe in another life.

those tan lines though...

Currently the twins nurse every three hours during the day (7am, 10am, 1pm, 4 pm, 7pm) and once at 4 am overnight. 

If you are a mom-to-be then I suggest checking out The Honest Company Feeding page for some great information. 

As another side note I have several videos on my phone of them nursing. I never want to forget how cute they are when they do it and their sweet little noises! I'll spare you those. ;) 

Over the weekend I had a break down. While twin life is amazing in some ways it is also hard. Very hard.  And even though this time around my sob fests are fewer and more far between (thanks placenta pills!) M knew it would be good for me to get out of the house. 

At first he suggested a pedicure but then we thought that some time spent with just me and Blair would be good for both of us. I've been wanting to have special one-on-one time with her since many people have suggested it to make her transition easier. Turns out they were right...it really meant a lot to her. And OMG taking one 4.5 year old out to breakfast is LOVELY. I almost forgot how fun my pre-schooler was. Lately I feel like all I do is discipline her. "Shhh, no stomping! You'll wake the babies!" Or, "Stop shouting! You'll scare the babies!" And, "Be patient! I'm feeding the babies!" :( 

When we were at breakfast I didn't have to tell her to "stop" once. We went to a real restaurant, ate french toast and an omelet, and colored in her Finding Dory book. It was good for both of our souls. 

Our conversation flowed from talking about what she wants for Christmas (an RV for her Barbies), to the boy in her class named Patrick who she wants to marry, and how when she's older she wants to have three kids but only one at a time. ;) She truly is a precious sweet girl and I can see how dates like this are important for us. 

When it comes to taking the twins out I'm all about convenience and products that help me while we're out and about. Last weekend M and I headed to Sprouts and brought our Binxy Baby grocery store hammocks along. I picked up some essentials... sparkling pumpkin cider, pumpkin flavored pancakes, and Nummy Bears (if you haven't tried them you must!). 

These mini baby hammocks fit in most shopping carts whether you are at Target, the grocery store, or Babies R Us. ;) If your little nugget is happy in their car seat this hammock can support up to fifty pounds of baby/car seat weight too! Binxy Baby recommends that once your babe can sit up that you transition them out of the hammock. 

The twins enjoyed checking out all the lights in the ceiling at the grocery store and all the other shoppers enjoyed checking them out in their hammocks. :) And while they did enjoy their Binxy Baby at this age (8 weeks) I can see them loving it even more as they get older and have more awake time. The Binxy Baby will be especially useful when I have Blair with me at the store too since she will be sitting in the cart. 

If you are thinking about getting your own Binxy Baby or giving one as a gift to a Mama-to-be then click HERE!