Sant Jordi!!!

Ahir vam celebrar el dia de Sant Jordi anant a la biblioteca i vam agafar llibres per tothom. Ara comencen a estar bastant interessats en llibres, i de vegades fins i tot ens demanen que els llegim un conte. L’Owen va donar-me no una rosa pero flors del nostre jardi.

Bon dia de Sant Jordi!!!

Yesterday we celebrated Sant Jordi’s day going to the library and getting books for everyone. Now they are starting to show more interest in books and sometimes they ask us to read them a story. Owen didn’t gave a rose (that is the tradition) but gave me beautiful flowers from our garden.

Happy Sant Jordi day!!!

Here is some info from Wikipedia about Sant Jordi day: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_George%27s_Day

Catalonia

Book’s day in Catalonia

Roses stall, with Catalan flag

Sant Jordi’s cake, in Catalonia

La Diada de Sant Jordi, also known as el dia de la rosa (The Day of the Rose) or el dia del llibre (The Day of the Book) is a Catalan holiday celebrated on April 23 similar to St. Valentine’s Day with some unique twists that show the ancient practice of this day. The main event is the exchange of gifts between sweethearts, loved ones and respected ones. Historically, men gave women roses, and women gave men a book to celebrate the occasion—”a rose for love and a book forever.” In modern times, the mutual exchange of books is customary. Roses have been associated with this day since medieval times, but the giving of books is a more recent tradition. In 1923, a bookseller started to promote the holiday as a way to honour the nearly simultaneous deaths of Miguel Cervantes and William Shakespeare on April 23, 1616. Barcelona is the publishing capital in both Catalan and Spanish and this heady one-two punch of love and literacy was quickly adopted.

On Barcelona’s most visited street, La Rambla, and all over Catalonia, thousands of stands of roses and makeshift bookstalls are hastily set up for the occasion. By the end of the day, some four million roses and 800,000 books would have been purchased in the name of love. You will be hard-pressed to find a woman without a rose in hand, and half of the total yearly book sales in Catalonia take place on this occasion.

The sardana, the national dance of Catalonia, will be performed throughout the day in the Plaça Sant Jaume. And many book stores and cafes host readings by noted authors (look out for 24-hour marathon readings of Cervantes’ “Don Quixote“). And there will be a variety of street performers and musicians on hand to add a romantic ambience to nearly every public square and plaza.

Additionally, April 23 is one day of the year when the Palau de la Generalitat, Barcelona’s principal government building, is open to the public. Inside this Gothic architectural masterpiece you’ll see huge displays of roses created to honour Saint George.

Catalonia has exported this tradition of the book and the rose to the rest of the world. In 1995, the UNESCO adopted April 23 as World Book and Copyright Day.

New rocker!

We finally got a new rocker. It is the Sleepytime from Nurseryworks. I love it, it’s nice and comfy. I originally wanted a more “calm” color, but we found an offer for it at half the price, so this is the color we chose (lime) I actually like it now. And the boys like it too

Ergo carriers

This is a carrier that we have been using that we love. It is really good for my back, it looks great, and you can put the baby in the front, back or side, at different ages. The babies can look around when we go for walks, and we can carry them while we prepare food or do other things. They are so comfy in it that it is our best tool to put them to sleep. Highly recommended!

Aquest es un “carrier”que hem estat utilitzant ultimament que ens encanta. Va molt be per la meva esquena i pots posar els nens a davant, darrera o al costat, a diferents edats. Els nens poden mirar al voltant quan anem a fer caminades i els podem portar a sobre mentre preparem menjar o fem altres coses. Ells hi estan molt comodes, es la millor manera de posar-los a dormir. Molt recomanat!

http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/

Toys we like

We recently got a few new toys for the boys. We really like the toys from this company: Plan Toys. They are environmentally friendly, really good looking, made out of wood, and have no toxic paints… And the boys seem to like them too.

Here is a few words from their website:

Plan Creations Co. Ltd, founded in 1981 is the manufacturer and distributor of educational wooden toys under the brand ‘PlanToys’. Our company creates toys that inspire imagination along with being environmentally responsible and maintaining good values. With PlanToys’ innovation and quality, our toys have been welcomed into the hearts of many children around the world. We do our best to make a positive impact on all areas such as the nature or the working environment. In every stage of production, from selecting materials to making the toys, we aim to satisfy all parties rather than targeting only business gains.

PlanToys selects environmentally-friendly materials:

* Preservative-Free Rubber wood
PlanToys is the first and only manufacturer to use chemical-free wood taken from rubber trees that no longer provides latex. Most of the rubber trees that stop producing latex are 25 years old and would be cut down and burnt to make weak quality coal that is ecologically harmful. PlanToys has raised the value of rubber wood to its highest and helped sustain a healthy ecosystem.

* E0 (Non-Formaldehyde Glue)
PlanToys realizes the harm of Formaldehyde glue often found in wooden toys. We are the first to come up with special materials and process to remove the glue from our wood. This is for the safety of all children which is PlanToy’s top concern.

* Water Based Color
PlanToys uses non-toxic and environmentally-friendly colors that are safe for children of all ages, including those under 3 years old.

* Recyclable PackageThe increasing waste level around the world is damaging the environment and deteriorating ours and the future generation’s quality of life. That is why PlanToys chooses to use recyclable packages that can be re-used to help reduce waste.

PlanToys’ products are produced under environmentally responsible conditions:
PlanToys received ISO 9001 (Quality Management) in every of our production stage simply because we care–from choosing chemical-free preservatives to maintain the wood to wood conversion, detailing, erasing edges, and assembling products according to the required standards. We apply non-toxic colors that are harmless to children’s health and wellbeing. Before the production is complete, all PlanToys pass quality standard check before being packaged and delivered.PlanToys has recently been certified with ISO 14001 (Environmental Management). This reflects the company’s determination in managing safe and ecologically-aware productions and activities. PlanToys recognizes the importance of our employees and our society.

Social Contribution
PlanToys is encouraging the building of a supportive environment by establishing institutions and organizations that promote learning and the development of children.

“Commando crawling”

Marta (my sister) liked the concept “commando crawling”. I’ve done a little more research on crawling, and here is what I found. (by the way, Finian today started doing the “crab crawl”, funny…). Also I attached a video of a baby “commando crawling”.

La Marta (la meva germana) va trobar gracios el concepte “commando crawling”. He fet una mica de recerca sobre el caminar de 4 grapes i aqui hi ha el que he trobat. (per cert, el Finian avui ha comencat a fer el “gateig de cranc”, gracios…) Tambe hi he afegit un video d’un nen fent el “commando crawling”.

Crawling is defined as any form of prone progression — any way of moving in which the tummy is toward the floor. In fact, in one of her many studies on crawling babies, Karen Adolph, PhD, associate professor of psychology at New York University, observed 25 unique combinations of body parts used to propel a baby forward. The most common styles are:

• The belly crawl (also known as the commando crawl)
• The classic crawl (baby alternates arms and legs, getting the arm on one side to hit the floor at the same time as the leg on the opposite side)

About half of babies begin crawling by keeping their tummy against the floor as they move. Belly creepers usually begin crawling earlier than four-on-the-floor crawlers because they don’t get up on their hands and knees, which requires greater strength and balance. Some babies use belly crawling as their only method of crawling until they learn to walk; other babies shift to the classic crawl before they start walking.

Here are some other, less popular crawling methods:

• The bear crawl (baby walks on all fours, arms and legs unbent)
• The crab crawl (baby pushes with arms instead of pulls — which has the unintended, and frustrating, consequence of sending baby backward)
• The leapfrog crawl (baby makes a bridge with her arms and legs and then thrusts forward)
• The roll (some babies get so good at rolling that it becomes their primary way to get around)

http://www.parents.com/baby/development/physical/6-cute-types-of-baby-crawls/

Roomba!

Ara fara uns 4 mesos que ens vam comprar una roomba, que es un robot que escombra el terra per ell sol. Es fantastic! Recomanat per a pares de bessons (o gent que no tingui temps ni ganes d’escombrar).

About 4 months ago we bought a roomba, which is a robot that vacuums by itself. It’s fenomenal! I recommend it to all the parents of twins (or all those who don’t have time or don’t like to vacuum).

4 months!!! que fem ara?

El Teo i el Finian ja tenen 4 mesos! Llistat de coses que fan:

-mengen cada 2-3 hores durant el dia, 4-5 hores a la nit (algna vegada 7 hores!)

-tenen forca amb les mans, pero encara no agafen coses

-aixequen el cap i somriuen quan estan de panxa avall
-segueixen amb la mirada
-tots dos somriuen molt, i comencen a riure amb soroll
-ulls de color gris, i cabell entre castany i ros, amb reflexes vermells (?)
-pesen uns 14 pounds
-no els agrada dormir de panxa amunt, i dormen amb nosaltres al llit

-el Finian es posa dret durant varis segons si l’aguantem. El Teo tot just comenca a fer-ho

-fan sorolls com ara: Uuuuu, aaaa, eeee, aug, aguuu!

-El Finian pot estar em posicio asseguda durant una estona si l’ajudem una mica.

-s’han mirat l’un a l’altre algunes vegades, i s’han somrigut

-babegen que dona gust…

Today Teo and Finian are 4 months old!! List of things they do:

-they eat every 3-2 hours, 4-5 hours at night (a few times they”ve done 7 hours!)-They have strength on their hands, but not enough so they could hang themselves
-Lift their head up if their are laying on their tommy and smile at you
-Follow objects with the eyes
-They both smile a lot at people, and they are starting to make a few laughing sounds
-grey eyes, brown/light hair with red highlights
-weight: around 14 pounds
-they don’t like to sleep facing up, and are sleeping every night in our bed.

-Finian stands up by himself for a few seconds and with us supporting. Teo just started doing it now.

-They make noises like: uuuuuu, aaaaa, eeee, augh, aguuuu.!!!

-Finian can be on a sitting position for a little bit if we support him

-They look at each other sometimes and they have smiled at each other a few times

-they drool…so much…

Doctor’s visit

El dilluns vam anar al metge. Com que teniem el cotxe al taller (tota una historia) hi vam haver d’anar caminant. Per sort no es massa lluny de casa (uns 20 minuts) pero per mala sort teniem visita a les 15h, en un dels dies mes calurosos de la temporada. Pero tots vam sobreviure…

Tots dos nens estan molt be i van creixent molt be i aixo fa que els pares estiguin molt contents. Afegire les noves dades de pes i alcada a la taula.

On monday we went to the doctor. Since we had the car being fixed (a whole story in itself…) we had to go to the doctor’s office walking. Luckly it isn’t too far (20 min) but bad luck, we had the visit at 3pm on one of the hottest days of the year. But we all survived…

Both boys are doing very well, and growing very well, which makes the parents very happy. I’ll add the new numbers on weight and height to the table.

Natural twin and triplets birth

Un video maco de veure. Als Estats Units, l’embaras de besson esta considerat d’alt risc i la majoria de parts es fan per cesaria. Jo vaig tenir un part natural amb anestesia. El Finian va ser el primer i va sortir de cap per avall, i el Teo va venir despres, peus avall, ajudat per les mans de la metge. A molts hospitals aixo hauria acabat en cesaria pero una de les raons per les quals vam escollir UCSF va ser per la seva experiencia en aquest tipus de parts(“breech extraction”). Va ser increible.

Nice video to watch. In the United States a twin pregnancy is considered high risk, and the majority of the deliveries end up in C-section. I had a natural delivery with medication. Finian came first, head down and Teo came second feet first, helped by our doctors hands. In most of the hospitals this would have end up with a C-section but one of the reasons why we chose UCSF was for their experience on this kind of deliveries (breech extraction). It was incredible.

4 weeks old (GA)!!!

El Finian i el Teo avui han fet 4 setmanes (corretgides)!!!. Que vol dir aixo? En realitat fa 11 setmanes que han nascut, pero en quant al seu desenvolupament, tenen 4 setmanes. En teoria, si haguessin nascut el dia que els tocava (27 d’abril), tindrien 4 setmanes, i aixi es com ho mirem quan anem al metge o llegim llibres sobre que els tocaria fer a cada mes. Aqui hi ha una explicacio de com funciona l”edat gestacional” (GA)

Finian and Teo are 4 weeks old (GA)!!! What does that mean? Trully, it’s been 11 weeks since they were born, but developmentally they are 4 weeks old. In theory, if they had been born on their due date (April 27), they would be 4 weeks old, and this is how we look at it when we go to the doctor or look at books about what they are suposed to be doing each month. Here is an explanation of how the Gestational Age (GA) works:

Assessment of growth, feeding skills, and development should be based on a corrected age for preterm infants. Use of the actual date of birth to calculate age will lead to inappropriate assessment and advice.

Basics

* A full term pregnancy is estimated to be 40 weeks from the mother’s last menstrual period.
* The Corrected age (CA) otherwise known as Gestationally Corrected Age (GCA) or sometimes just Gestational Age (GA) is based on the age the child would be if the pregnancy had actually gone to term.
* Chronological age (CH) is a term that is used to indicate the age from the actual day the child was born.
* An accurate EDC (expected date of confinement) corrected age is calculated by using that date as a birth date. For example an infant with an EDC of March 1, who was born on January 1, will have a corrected age of 3 months on June 1.

Calculating Corrected Age (CA) from Chronological Age (CH)

CA = CH – # weeks or months premature

Example:

* Baby J was born at 28 weeks gestation
* He was 12 weeks premature (40 weeks – 28 weeks = 12 weeks = 3 months)
* Today it is 6 months past the day he was actually born (6 months CH)
* CA = 6 months – 3 months
* Baby J is 3 months corrected age

* Finian and Teo were born at 33 weeks gestation
* They were 7 weeks premature (40 weeks – 33 weeks = 7 weeks)
* Today they are 11 weeks past the day he was actually born (11 weeks CH)
* CA = 11 weeks – 7 weeks
* Finian and Teo are 4 weeks corrected age

Feeding positions

Ultimament al Finian i el Teo els costa mes menjar junts, a la vegada. He estat buscant per internet i a llibres de casa diferents maneres de donar-los el pit. Fascinant…

Lately Finian and Teo have a harder time eating together, at the same time. I’ve been looking on the internet and books at home different ways to breastfeed them. Fascinating..

Combination Cradle and Football Hold:

Sit up straight. Hold one baby in the cradle hold. The other baby is in the football hold with his head on his sibling’s (the other twin) abdomen. Putting pillows under your elbows and under the babies makes this easier. This position is the most unnoticeable when you are nursing outside the home. It is also one of the easiest to learn especially if one or both babies has trouble latching on to the breast.

Cross cradle:

Sit up straight. Both babies are in the cradle hold but they are crossed in your lap. One baby’s body is pressed against you, the other baby’s body is pressed against his sibling. Their heads are in the crooks of your arms. A pillow under your elbow helps to support the lower baby.

This position could also be used outside the home without pillows if you hold your hands together to support your babies weight. But it is more tiring without pillows.

Parallel: Sit up Straight.

The babies’ bodies extend in the same direction. One baby is in the cradle hold with his head in the crook of your arm and his body across your lap. The other baby’s body extends off your lap in the same direction as the other twin’s body. Your hand and arm support his head. Put pillows under your elbows and on your lap to make this position more comfortable.

Double football hold:

Sit up Straight. Both babies are in the football hold, lying on firm pillows at your sides. The higher the pillows, the easier this position is on your back. It may also be more comfortable if you prop your feet on a footstool, chair, or low table. This position is especially comfortable if you had a cesarean delivery because the babies’ weight does not rest on your incision.

Dunstan Baby Language

Between 0-3 months, infants make what Dunstan calls sound reflexes. According to Dunstan, we all have reflexes, like sneezes, hiccups, and burps, that all have a recognizable pattern when sound is added to the reflex. There are other reflexes that all babies experience, and when sound is added to these, a distinct, preemptive “cry” will occur before the infant breaks into what Dunstan calls the hysterical cry. Dunstan claims that these preemptive cries can indicate what the infant requires (e.g., food, comfort, sleep, etc.), and they escalate to the hysterical cry if they are not answered. As the infant matures past 3 months in vocalization, the sound reflexes become replaced with more elaborate babbling.

According to Dunstan, the five universal words (or sound reflexes) used by infants are:

Neh-I’m hungry – An infant uses the sound reflex “Neh” to communicate their hunger. The sound is produced when the sucking reflex is triggered, and the tongue is pushed up on the roof of the mouth.

Owh-I’m sleepy – An infant uses the sound reflex “Owh” to communicate that they are tired. The sound is produced much like an audible yawn.

Heh-I’m experiencing discomfort – An infant uses the sound reflex “Heh” to communicate stress, discomfort, or perhaps that they need a fresh diaper. The sound is produced by a response to a skin reflex, such as feeling sweat or itchiness in the bum.

Eairh-I have lower gas – An infant uses the sound reflex “Eairh” to communicate they have flatulence or an upset stomach. The sound is produced when trapped air from a belch that is unable to release and travels to the stomach where the muscles of the intestine tighten to force the air bubble out. Often, this sound will indicate that a bowel movement is in progress, and the infant will bend its knees, bringing the legs toward the torso. This leg movement assists in the ongoing process.

Eh-I need to burp – An infant uses the sound reflex “Eh” to communicate that they need to be burped. The sound is produced when a large bubble of trapped air is caught in the chest, and the reflex is trying to release this out of the mouth.

http://www.dunstanbaby.com/

Twins, explanation

Finian and Teo are monochorionic, diamniotic:

Most pregnancies result in one baby. In about 1 in 80 pregnancies, twins are conceived.
This can occur in one of two ways.

The more common way (2/3’s of cases) is for the two different sperm to fertilize two different eggs resulting in what is called a dizygotic (DZ) twin gestation. These twins are often called fraternal twins. In this type of twinning each twin has its own sac of amniotic fluid and its own placenta (afterbirth). Dizygotic twins have two sets of membranes surrounding their amniotic fluid sacs (one inner amnion layer and one outer chorion layer) and therefore they are known as diamniotic, dichorionic.

In about 1/3 of twin pregnancies, one sperm fertilizes one egg but this splits into two embryos resulting in what is known as monozygotic (MZ) twins. These twins are often referred to as identical twins since they have the same genetic material. Approximately 1/3 of MZ twins look just like fraternal twins on prenatal ultrasound since there are two separate amniotic sacs and two separate placentas. However in 2/3’s of identical twins, each twin has its own amniotic sac but the twins share a common placenta. This type of MZ twinning is called monochorionic, diamniotic since there is an inner layer surrounding the amniotic sac of each twin but there is only one common outer layer (chorion) surrounding both of the sacs. This type of twinning occurs in approximately one in 360 pregnancies. Monochorionic twins are at higher risk for complications since they share a common placenta.

Less than 1% of identical twins (about 1 in 2,400 pregnancies) will have one amniotic sac and one placenta for both twins. This type of twinning is referred to as monchorionic, monoamniotic twinning. These twins are at very high risk for loss of the pregnancy due to entangled umbilical cords.