Making time to rest

I am one of those people who just can't sit still. The second I settle myself down on the sofa, I spot dust under the coffee table, or remember that there's washing to be hung out, or decide that the mantelpiece needs restyling. But I absolutely love craft projects so for Christmas this year I asked for something to do that would make me sit still and rest. Granny Jill came up with the perfect solution - this amazing Kiss tapestry from Emily Peacock. I'm already addicted, although I think it's going to take me many, many, many hours to finish! Once it's done you can use it as a wall hanging, frame it, or turn it into a cushion. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with it - at the moment a cushion is the front runner, as I think it'll go perfectly with my LOVE cushion on the red sofa in the snug.

A grown-up playmat

I've been looking for a large activity mat for E and A, as in the last couple of days A has seemed to really enjoy lying on his back and having a good kick around. I popped him on a pillow on the floor of the kitchen yesterday evening and it stopped his witching hour (post 4pm) screaming for a while and I even got some smiles out of him (he's been smiling so much more this week).

Having failed to find a mat that I really liked, I thought about buying a rug instead, but decided that it would just get covered in baby sick and would get ruined. Then I came up with the idea of using a bedspread. Cath Kidston immediately sprung to mind and once I'd checked that their bedspreads are machine-washable I was totally sold on the idea. It'll work as a large playmat when A and E are babies, but will still have a use once they've grown up a bit. I think it's a great solution, and I've already had E and A playing on it this evening.

Hairdryer heaven

I was out of ideas and at the end of my tether this morning with both babies crying. It was raining hard, my back was hurting too much to lug the car seats around and my hair was still wet from my shower. Then I remembered the magic effect of the hairdryer. I sat on the bed with a baby lying on either side of me and dried my hair. They stopped crying immediately and E even fell asleep. Now all I need to know is how long can a hairdryer run for before it explodes?

We've seen the light(s)

E and A are both so mesmerised by any bright lights, that we decided to get some Christmas fairy lights down from the loft a little bit early and they've become our new toy. I feel a bit of an idiot waving fairy lights around, but it definitely seems to calm them, so I'll stick with it. It won't be too long before the Christmas decorations are up, and there'll be fairy lights all over the house, so maybe we won't have any tears at all from E and A. Ha! A likely story! My friend Clare showed me these gorgeous fairy lights from  Mamas & Papas, so I may have to order them for Christmas.

When you're breastfeeding it's really important to keep hydrated, and if you're like me, you get really really thirsty when the babies are feeding. To keep water near me without having to hold a bottle or glass I have a 'hydration pack' (available from Blacks), normally used by hikers, skiers, cyclists etc. You can just suck the water through the hose - I hang my pack on our bedstead, but you can just have it sitting on the seat next to you.

Being stuck in the house with two babies screaming at once is not fun. This morning I decided to try to distract myself by playing music. E and A have previously shown a liking for Nat King Cole so I had that playing downstairs when they were having their morning scream, and it was Sting & The Police in the nursery. I do think the music calmed them slightly, and my crazy dancing even shocked A into silence at one point!

Can you breastfeed twins?

I was thinking about yesterday's post about feeding, and figured, although I'm no expert, it would be handy to share my experiences of breastfeeding twins. For me, breastfeeding was one of the things that I never questioned I would do when I became a mum, but this assumption was challenged when I discovered I was expecting twins. One question I have always been asked - both when I was pregnant and now that the babies have arrived - was "can you breastfeed twins"?

Goodbye to feeding woes?

We had a second visit from our trusty breastfeeding counsellor, Sofie, yesterday to chat through the feeding problems I've been having with A and E recently (about ten minutes into the feed they both go ballistic - screaming, scratching and wriggling - and it's really upsetting to see them get so distressed). After having a look at me feeding, she thinks that the problem may be that the babies are happy with the milk flow when they're guzzling the foremilk, but the flow slows down when they reach the hindmilk and this makes them impatient and frustrated. But they both have great feeding techniques and my milk flow is generally really good, so they should be getting a good helping of milk in the ten minutes that they feed well. As soon as they kick off, I will now offer them a top-up bottle of expressed milk (when I have had time to express!) to make sure that they have had their fill.

The other suggestion Sofie had was to try feeding the twins every three and half hours, instead of three hourly. This should mean they will go for it more when feeding, and it also gives me slightly longer for my milk supply to replenish itself. We started doing this today and we've had to use some distraction methods (out walking with the carriers, out in the pushchair etc) but all in all it's been a success. I'm not sure whether Young Daddy and I are feeling so confident about the night feeds though - E can definitely make it longer than three hours but A is a hungry monster so we'll see if he can make it through....

Sleep time tip

A great piece of advice was given to me at the twin antenatal class Young Daddy and I attended. A mum of eight-month-old twins popped along and recommended these bundler-style sleepsuits (this one's from John Lewis). There are no poppers to fiddle with in the night - you simply pull up the elasticated bottom to change a nappy. And if you're super-quick hopefully your little one won't even wake up (unlikely, I know!)