They can both sit up unsupported now. Not for long periods of time yet but for a few minutes. They crack each other up now. They are in a phase right now where they loooove to feel things. They scratch the wall next tot he changing table. They rub my necklace while I’m BFing them. They grab their penises during diaper changes and bath time!

I’ve been putting oatmeal in their bedtime bottles for a few weeks now, but they started carrots on the 1st. Not a big hit so far. We’ll try again tonight.

Man, I love these little dudes so freaking much. And I’m totally biased, but they super cute. Like really cute. Adorable.

But seriously? Babies are mini time warps! Yesterday I messed up their morning nap because I had no idea so much time had passed. Next thing I knew, I had two whiny babies on my hands. I tried story time, I tried changing diapers, I tried singing. And then I realized I HAD MISSED THEIR NAP TIME! We were having so much fun that I wasn’t keeping an eye on the clock. I don’t keep them on a super rigid schedule but you definitely pay for it when their routines gets messed up. After two nights of STTN* I was punished for messing up nap time with an evening of several wake ups. Oh well. We’ll get them back on track today.

Hope you’re all gearing up to have a wonderful holiday. I hope to get back into my reading/commenting/blogging again very soon. Xoxo!

* Baby A has been sleeping through the night for a while now but Baby B still likes to wake up. I like to think he just misses me so he likes to wake up make sure I’m still there. Hopefully that pattern is changing.

In the early days, I was so obsessed with making sure I was making enough milk. I was counting diapers and reassuring myself things were fine. My babies were fed and were gaining well. At their 2 month check-up, the doctor suggested supplementing with a couple additional ounces a day to help with their weight gain. It was then that I decided to begin supplementing with a bit of formula. I was preparing to go back to work so I figured it made sense to give them a tiny bit of formula so I could use what I pumped to build up a freezer stash for when I returned to work.

The decision to supplement with formula wasn’t made lightly. I did everything in my power to increase my supply from day 1. I pumped after every feeding. I power pumped. I nursed on demand. I took fenugreek (another story for another blog post). I ate oatmeal. I rested and drank lots of water. I took tinctures. I tried lactation cookies.

At first I gave them an ounce or two of formula in the morning and evening. As they grew, my supply just couldn’t keep up. I started offering formula after additional feedings here or there. During all of this, I was coming to terms that what I had hoped just wouldn’t be possible. I was not making enough milk and my babies were hungry. I tried everything under the sun (as described above) and nothing helped. I was nursing for an hour sometimes every hour or so. It was so challenging for me emotionally. I wanted to EBF through 6 months so badly. (I know some would say supplementing with formula was the start of my problems, but I really truly tried everything even before I started supplementing to increase my supply. The supplementing was inevitable.)

And here we are today. I am still nursing! I would be nursing for every feeding except I went back to work. So they get 3 bottles while I’m away — one of breast milk and two of formula. I pump 3 times a day while at work (4 if I can swing it). If they wake up at night (sleeping is an entirely different blog post), I just nurse — no bottles. I still have a freezer stash.

And you know what? I’m fine with it today. I’m disappointed we have to supplement, but I’ve truly come to terms with it. I am now just thrilled that they can still get the benefits of breast milk. I’m actually quite proud of myself. I hope to continue this until 6 months. That’s my goal. It may change, but for now that’s my focus. Nursing + bottles isn’t easy, but I’m willing to do what I have to do for my babies.

I am, however, so so so so so so so glad I continued to breastfeed and didn’t give up and switch to formula full time. I think that would have been a million times more difficult for me. The fact that I’ve continued to BF while supplementing will only make it that much easier when it’s time to pull the nursing plug for good.

I also realized that I’m addicted to breast feeding. I love it so much. No one could have explained to me what this would be like. I love the experience of bonding with my babies. It didn’t feel like this in the beginning because I was so busy figuring things out and worrying about being a new mom and making sure they were eating enough. But now that I have my confidence, I can truly relax and enjoy this time. I hope 6 months takes it’s time getting here. Oh geesh, that’s only 7 weeks away.

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!

It’s weird having an employee in your home though. I don’t really consider her an employee (although that’s what she is), I think of her more as a family member. She is a baby nurse and she has 20 years of experience with twins and triplets. She couldn’t be more perfect.

I had her start 2 weeks prior to me going back to work so we could be home together. I was able to observe her with the boys and she could pick up their routine from me. The second week I made appointments every day so I had to force myself to leave her alone with the boys for an hour or two. I got my hair done, nails done, first postpartum bikini wax, and I went shopping. By the end of the week, I was a brand new woman and I was getting comfortable leaving the boys with our nanny.

The babies really love her. She’s great with them and you can tell she’s already attached. It’s super cute. We’ve all handled the transition very well.

And how could I? There’s no way I could have imagined how awesome my life would be right now. I never would have been able to picture my sons’ beautiful faces or funny smiles. Or how handsome my husband looks while holding one of his sons. Or how my apartment would have burp cloths and blankets and colorful toys strewn about. Or how spit up spots would be on the couch and on the floor.

My handsome little men are 4 months (as of a few days ago)! We have their 4-month check up on Monday. I’ll update then! I have many more updates in the works, too.

Hoping those of you still waiting for your miracles get to reflect back on IF with a little snugglebunny in your arms soon.

And one year later, they are beautiful, funny, happy, babbling, drooling, hand-chewing little boys who are 3 days shy of their 4 month birthday. Thank you tiny babies for making my life so amazing. Mama loves you more than words can convey.

And I did pretty much embrace this next phase of my life. IF was a distant memory. My pregnancy was a positive experience and I refused to live in fear. My babies were carried full term and came home from the hospital with me. Motherhood has been easier than I was expecting. The new phase of my life has been (and is) awesome. IF rarely crossed my mind except when reading about your experiences.

And then I went back to work. I walk the same path that I did after doctor appointments and negative betas. I rush up flights of subway stairs that I carefully climbed after failed embryo transfers. I see the same strollers in the park that made me sadly aware of my empty womb. I see the same trees from which I watched leaves fall and new leaves sprout for too many seasons when I seemed to be stuck in the same season.

Because of these things, now that I’ve returned to work I can’t help but be reminded of my struggle every day. It’s humbled me. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t say in disbelief: I have two babies. Me. Me! I have TWO babies! And now I am constantly reminded of how hard it was to bring them into this world and I love them even more because of it. But when will it stop seeming so surprising? When they can sit up on their own? When they can talk? When they can walk? When they turn as many months we spent TTC (34 months to be exact)?

Maybe it will always seem surprising. If I am reminded of this gift for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t mind a single bit. I am so lucky. And I don’t say this to come off as a braggart. I truly am so very lucky.

Wednesday, 7/13
I blogged about feeling strange. I knew things were changing but I thought this was probably very early stages of labor and that we’d probably be having babies within a week, as in next week sometime. I was still working from home so that helped keep me distracted.

A big storm blew in that afternoon and we saw a double rainbow! A sign? I guess it was! The full moon was going to be Friday so I was hoping the gravitational pull would do it’s thang.

Thursday, 7/14
I felt pretty much the same. I was uncomfortable. Laying down didn’t feel good. Sitting up didn’t feel good. Walking didn’t feel good. Only being on all fours gave me some relief. When I woke up I felt like it would be a good idea if I got ready. I took a shower, got dressed, put on make up. I also decided to strip our bed and start doing laundry. Work proved to be a good distraction again. I ate a bit of lunch but didn’t have much of an appetite. I took a work call around 5:15pm. I was sitting on the couch and I started to feel like I was peeing so I ran to the restroom (while still on the phone). I sit down to pee and quickly realize I can’t control it and there’s so much and I swear I didn’t have to pee that badly. I look down and see blood. I quickly end the call and call out to my husband who just so happened to be working from home that day (thank god!). I’ve never called him into the bathroom while “peeing” so he was a little taken aback I think. There was still a steady flow of bloody fluid. I was standing up at this point FREAKING OUT. Then my husband was also freaking out.

We expected the process to go: lose mucus plug, slight water leakage that I confuse with urine, contractions start and begin to get closer together, hubby comforts me through the beginning stages of labor — all previous things potentially taking place over days — we have a champagne toast to our babies, hail a cab NOT during rush hour, arrive at the hospital, labor, push, meet babies.

Instead we have a few signs things are progressing and then suddenly a huge gushing, bloody water breaking (all over the bathroom), no contractions, and all during RUSH HOUR. I call my doctor at 5:40pm. He doesn’t return my call until 5:50. In the meantime, I call my MIL who reassured me that blood is normal (I did NOT expect my water breaking to be bloody) and suggested we head to the hospital. My doc (Dr. Salt – not his real name) calls and tells me to head to the hospital. Our hospital bag is packed except for the last minute things which my husband is frantically trying to finish. He won’t let me get up (by now I’m sitting on plastic with a huge pad on the couch) so I’m directing from the couch. Finally we have our shit together, our apartment is a disaster (bed is still torn apart, bathroom looks like a murder scene, remnants of lunch are still out since I picked at it all afternoon), but we manage to slow our roll for long enough to toast our babies. We are bawling happy huge tears by this point, kissing. (Damn, I love that man.)

We head outside (I’m sooo thankful I got prettied up! I managed to get NO bloody stuff on my cute dress I was wearing!) and hubby has me sit on a bench outside while he goes to hail a cab. It’s a beautiful day and I enjoy the fresh air. I’ll admit, I was worried about finding a cab during rush hour. It’s particularly hard during this time anywhere in the city but compound that with cabs changing over (so lots of off duty cabs) and the fact that we live near a very busy intersection that is always a clusterfuck. My husband was about to pull someone out of a cab and tell them that’s their good deed for the day when an off duty cabby stopped and asked where we were heading. He couldn’t turn us down even though the hospital was very far in the opposite direction of where he was heading.

Once we’re in the cab, we’re finally exhaling, joking and laughing, and I’m still not contracting. We arrive at the hospital, and the security guard makes everyone waiting for elevators step aside, he puts us in our own, holds everyone else back and sends us to our floor. Now that’s service! I’m not surprised. I mean, I was HUGE (47″ around with my ute all the way up to just below my breasts). No one wanted babies in the lobby. We check in and Dr. B stops by as everyone had heard twins were on the way. We were excited because we wanted Dr. B to deliver us but quickly realized his shift was over and he was on his way out. We got moved into triage and I was instructed to pee in a cup and get changed. Peeing was impossible because I was still leaking a lot of bloody fluid.

After I got hooked up the monitors, you could tell I was contracting but I still couldn’t feel a thing. About 7pm, Dr. Salt came to check on me and I was dilated to 1cm and fully effaced. I was moved to a labor room which was much more comfortable. A bit later a resident came by to do my epidural. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but I asked for an attending. The attending came in and did his thing. I’m glad I asked for him because my epidural was a bit challenging — I mean, hey! It’s hard to curl up in a ball when you have a huge ball on your front and can barely breathe! I requested it be set on the lowest possible setting so I could feel the contractions. Eventually, at my doc’s urging, I did end up pushing the button a few times later in the evening.

My husband and I tried to catch some zzz’s.

Friday, 7/15 – BIRTH DAY!!! (and full moon!)

Around 3am, Dr. S checked me again. I was 4cm dilated. I knew this could go on for a while yet but I also knew you can go from 5 to 10cm rather quickly. Contractions were getting more intense but not really closer together. Dr. S came again to check me around 7am and I was fully dilated!!! I think he was in total shock because Dr. S doesn’t usually do deliveries any more and I think a vaginal twin delivery was daunting to him. He’s the older guy in the practice and he was filling in for one of the regular doctor’s who was on vacation. He said I had to wait to start pushing because the floor was in the middle of a shift change and we had to wait for the new nurses to arrive.

Pretty soon, in walks Dr. B. Dr. S was waiting to be relieved! Hahaha. We scared him. He’s practically retired so delivering twins was not his cup of tea. Dr. B was who we wanted anyway, so win-win. I started to push. After an hour or so, my contractions weren’t getting closer than 4 minutes apart so Pitocin was ordered. Man, did that really increase the back labor! Finally, contractions were getting closer and my hard work was starting to pay off rather than push, make progress, then baby retracts because of the length between contractions. To help keep me motivated, the nurse got a mirror so I could see Baby A making progress. So awesome, by the way!!! I reached down and felt the baby’s head, which was so so cool! Finally A’s head was crowning and we were moved into the OR.

Once we were in the OR, things moved very quickly. There were probably 10 people in there besides my husband and I: my doctor and nurse, surgeons in case of emergency c-section, pediatrics teams for each of the babies, anesthesiologist. Once everyone was ready, I said “Let’s have some babies!” which elicited a round of laughter from everyone. It was go time. I pushed maybe three times and out Baby A came! IT’S A BOY! He was placed on my chest and my husband and I both cried. He was crying and wriggling around and oh so cute! And his face and head was all squished from delivery! Poor little guy! He was whisked away to get cleaned up while we focused on Baby B.

All of the sudden I feel something very strange in my abdomen and I realize that Dr. B has his entire arm inside my uterus. I feel tugging and pulling and it was not comfortable. One or two pushes later and I look down and see feet, legs and another penis coming out! ANOTHER BOY!!! Baby B was born three minutes after Baby A. B was placed on my chest and he looked so scary because he was covered in vernix and blood since he didn’t have to go through the birthing process. He wasn’t crying yet but he was moving, which was reassuring. Since he didn’t have to go through labor, his entrance into the world was probably a big surprise to him. Here he was minding his own business, swimming around in his amniotic fluid. Then the next second, he loses his water, gets manhandled and is pulled into a cold room with bright lights. Poor guy! They whisked him away too, and within seconds he was crying, too.

I was a joyful, crying mess. The love I felt for my husband at this moment is indescribable. We looked at each other and said “We did it!”. My husband went back and forth between checking on the babies, and checking on me unti I told him to stay with the babies! I’ll be fine!

I could hear my boys crying from across the room. What a beautiful, long awaited sound. Baby A got a 9/9 on his apgar and Baby B got a 8/9. Both got 9/9 on the second apagar. Both babies weighed exactly the same at 5lb15oz. A was 19 1/2″ and B was 19 3/4″.

I delivered the placentas and then I realized the doctor was spending a lot of time doing something down there, so I asked if I tore and he said I got a second degree tear but only after Baby B. Darn it! Oh well, it was totally worth it.

Once the babies and I were cleaned up, they brought me the babies to hold as we headed to recovery. I was so weak, I couldn’t hold them! I had to ask the nurses to take them. It broke my heart, but it was the right thing to do. They were put in a bassinet and we were wheeled to recovery. Because I had GD, the babies’ blood sugar had to be constantly monitored. Baby A’s was low so we had to supplement with formula right off the bat. I insisted we cup feed to avoid nipple confusion since I was set on a successful breastfeeding experience. I did try to nurse them for a minute, but obviously my drops of colostrum wasn’t going to make up for a bit of formula. I was fine with it. After about half an hour, the babies had to be taken to the well baby nursery as protocol. I could get them back as soon as I got to my postpartum room.

Recovery took way longer than I expected because I was having pulse issues. I guess my pulse was faster than they would have liked and they wanted to keep a close eye on me. Finally, I got to go to my room. My husband got us a nice private room with a view of Central Park. It was a perfect place to be reunited with my family. Happy birth day, my sweet baby boys!

The doctor later explained to me that Baby B was coming out hands first and he had to go in, break B’s water, turn him around and deliver breech. And he had to do it quickly before my cervix started closing so we could avoid another laboring session. Can you imagine? What if I would have had to move back to the labor room to labor down for B? I guess it can happen. Crazy! I guess that or an emergency c-section. Both situations I would have wanted to avoid, so thankfully I did. I am SO glad I got the epidural because the whole arm in vag slash breech delivery thing would have been pretty brutal.

Whew! That was long! If you made it this far, I should buy you a drink or seven. Haha.

The rest of my parents visit went well. Our dinner date was fantastic and I appreciated the time alone with my husband, and my parents enjoyed themselves as well. Thanks for giving me the kick in the butt I needed, because I almost didn’t go. My mom has been fine since. Until yesterday. But, I won’t bore you with her latest batch of crazies. Let’s just say I refuse to text message with her any more. She’s too passive aggressive.

On to the good stuff! My babies are in the DOUBLE DIGITS now!!! Woohoo!

Here are some highlights from the past few weeks:

• One of my guys (PB) likes to constantly be held and will only nap if he’s touching me. I find it super sweet that he’s a momma’s boy. I can sometimes get him to nap on his own, but it’s a lot of work to get him down.
• The boys are getting super good at holding up their heads! At 10 weeks I tried out their Bumbo seats and they did such a good job! They almost look like little boys instead of babies!
• They’re “talking” more and more and “telling stories.” It’s so cute! They totally converse with you! And during all the talking, there are tons of smiles, too.
• When we go on walks, I love watching them absorb their surroundings. They’re learning so much!
• They love story time. They stay pretty engaged when you’re reading, but I’m not too sure they’re looking at the book much. They’re really into my facial expressions though.
• There have been some flips from tummy to back during tummy time, but it always seemed like an accident but no more. They both hate tummy time, PB especially. I just got them an activity mat so hopefully it might help make tummy time more enjoyable for them.
• I weighed the babies earlier this week and HR is 11 pounds and PB is 10.5 pounds, both up from 8.6 pounds at 2 months (~9 weeks). We don’t see the pedi again until 4 months (~17 weeks).
• I’m coming to terms with the supplemental bottles of formula I’m giving them each day. It’s ridiculous that I’m even struggling with this. I mean, they’re nursing for EVERY feeding so they’re still getting plenty of BM but the little extra will help them grow to be strong little men! Besides, they get frustrated during the day and in the evening because my supply is naturally lower then. Their diaper output has always been fine, but it’s nice to be able to offer them a little extra to help keep them happy. Plus, I’m able to build up my stash. Win-win. So I just need to relax. It’s challenging when you don’t meet your own expectations and I never like to lose, so I’m hard on myself.
• I love breastfeeding. I will be so sad the day we stop. I am hoping to make it to 6 months (mid-January). I love they way they throw their arms around my boobs. I love feeling their little hands wiggling around. I adore their little pink faces after they’re done eating. It’s such a special bond and I’m so glad I stuck with it.
• We’re all moved into our new place. It’s a fantastic apartment. Brand new so I didn’t have to worry about disinfecting other people’s germs out of it. The neighborhood is perfect, too. There are so many other families, so rather than feeling like a burden around a bunch of single people, we fit right in – double stroller and all! My husband pointed out that this is the place where these guys are gonna say their first words and take their first steps. How fun!
• We started interviewing nannies. I think I found “the one.” I could tell when I spoke to her on the phone. We already met her in person and I really adored her and she was great with the babies. She has 20 years experience and tons of experience with twins and triplets. We’re meeting with another candidate tomorrow morning but I’m still thinking this first one is our nanny.
• I’ll start back at work half time from home two weeks from Monday. I wanted to ease into it. I go back full time in the flesh the week of 11/7. OMG! I will leave my babies during the day! I have enjoyed every single minute with them. I am so glad I went it alone and didn’t have help. I now know exactly what my nanny will be going through every day and I will respect her even more. I am going to miss them SO much but I’m also very excited to be working again. I love my job and my salary is a nice plus, too. Having a job like I do makes me feel good about myself: happy, successful and accomplished. Having a mommy who’s fulfilled in every area of her life can only be better for my boys. If I hated my job, I’d probably stay home.

I feel badly about always posting about my mom, but please know that what I post is only the tip of the iceberg. My husband is the kindest, sweetest person who sees the good in everyone and even he has really had it with her (trust me, he’s not one to lose patience like that). She’s a very complicated person with some serious issues. She is in need of professional help from all sorts of medical professionals, but she will never admit that.

She is really great at making big deals out of small things as a way to mask how she’s really feeling about something bigger. When she used to do these types of things to me when I was younger, I would get caught up in her web because I couldn’t understand why she was making a big deal out of this small thing. I would get super frustrated because all of these extra emotions that have nothing to do with what you think the issue is are clouding what’s going on and before you know it, you’re confused what the issue was to begin with. A lot of what she gets upset about has to do with her idea of what should happen isn’t aligning with reality.

Like when I got married. She always imagined we’d hold hands and skip around while we looked at invitations and dresses and menus and flowers. In reality, I was working full time and in grad school at night so in my free time I made quick decisions on my own so we could get married in 5 months. She picked these little fights with me and at the time I couldn’t figure out what the heck the problem was. Looking back, she was mad that her idea of wedding planning with her daughter didn’t line up with reality. Instead of adjusting her ideas, she became irrational. Now the same thing is happening now that I’m a mom. She’s always had these ideas of what it would be like to go through pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood with her daughter and that’s not lining up with reality. (Like she’s mad she wasn’t in the delivery room with me when a) she wasn’t invited and b) it wouldn’t have been allowed even if I wanted her to be there.) When her ideas don’t equal reality, she can’t really roll with things.

On top of that, she vacillates between saying/doing something totally crazy and unreasonable to pretending nothing happened. For example, last time we were home (it was a surprise visit since we were escaping the hurricane) she was thankful that we were nearby and safe, and hoped we’d stop by for a visit. Of course we would, I told her! She said that they’d make any day work that worked for us. I suggested Monday or Tuesday. She said I could pick. I picked Monday. The next thing I know she’s freaking out that I ruined her plans and that Monday is inconvenient for her. (There were many more weird/crazy things she pulled out of the woodwork, but only makes this example more complicated). I’m thinking to myself What plans? You told me to pick the day!. I just called my dad and we worked out a day/time and I ignored my mom’s craziness. It was fine and we pretended she never had the meltdown. She does things like this all the time.

The weirdest part (or maybe the saddest) is that we don’t really have a relationship and we never have. I don’t think she knows how to have relationships with people. She’s very surface level. She has a very high wall up. She’s very lonely and has no close friends (but she used to; it’s sad). I’ve come to terms that that’s my mother and I shouldn’t expect anything more, but that’s why when she gets all bent out of shape because her romantic ideas of how her relationship should be with her daughter, I have a hard time going along. I want a mom that’s more than that, but that’s just not how she is. I know she is the way she is because of how she was raised, but I wish she could see that if she worked through her issues she could make her life better which would make her relationships better.

On that note, I think I’ll try to refrain talking about her here from now on, but I can’t promise. She has caused me a lot of stress in the two short months my boys have been in this world and I’m sure there’s more to come and this is where I vent.

No seriously, I need your advice.

My parents arrived yesterday. All was going well until this morning. Well, actually last night my mom was acting weird but we chalked it up to her taking her “dinner time medicine” which I think includes Xanax. My dad called this morning to say they wouldn’t be coming over. My husband commented about something yesterday that made them feel unwelcome.

The comment my dad was referring to had nothing to do with my parents. Yesterday my mom asked my husband when we’d be going to visit our new niece or nephew due to be born next month, to which my husband rightfully replied “We’ll go when we’re invited.”. Which is true! I mean, why would we go when we weren’t welcome? My mom’s response was, “You don’t need an invite! You just go!”. End of discussion.

Fast forward to today and it makes sense why she was being weird last night. She made that conversation yesterday about her. She feels that they invited themselves to come visit (the did – both times since the babies were born) and suddenly they don’t want to intrude so they’re giving us our space and refusing to come over today. Plus, my dad said they felt they were in the way. REALLY?! That’s because there are boxes everywhere because WE’RE MOVING IN LESS THAN A WEEK. And the comment my husband made HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU ANYWAY.

When my dad called this morning, I told him that they’re being ridiculous. I mean, yeah, it’s bad timing on their part but whatever – they’re here and that’s that. If we really thought it would be that big of a deal, we would have said they shouldn’t come. My dad finally called back and they want to come over after all.

So that’s the latest stupid issue (I seriously cannot take much more of this), but my real question is… My parents offered to babysit so we could go out to dinner. God forbid they find out my ILs already did this for us, but that’s a separate issue. My husband and I decided to make dinner reservations for tonight. I haven’t told my parents this yet and now I’m rethinking it. It would be a treat for them to babysit and I’m not sure I want them to have that opportunity any more based on their ridiculous behavior this morning. What would you do?

I don’t do it all night – just for the feedings when I’m really tired.

It also lets me nap during the day! I despise the breast feeding pillow sometimes because the babies snooze while they’re eating but I can’t really. Tandem feeding without the pillow allows me to feed in a reclining position so we can all nap. So awesome!

My mom bent over backwards to make sure I understood the value of sleep gowns before the babies were born. So much so that she bought FOURTEEN of them. She was confident from experience (30+ years ago) that sleep gown are the best things ever for nighttime changes. She must have talked to me about them at least 20 times before they were born.

Once the babies were here, we tried them out. My personal opinion: they suck. I hate them! My guys sleep swaddled so I dress them in a onesie underneath and they’re super toasty. A onesie is super easy to unsnap for a quick change. I’ve found the gowns to be rather annoying. It actually takes longer to change them when they’re wearing a stupid gown which just pisses them off. They’ve only worn them a few times but I’m donating them in the move. Hopefully someone else will find them useful.

P.S. They’ve both gained almost a pound in the last week!