I needed one reason to leave work 10 min early today. God gave me two! Look @ these handsome men sleepin' in the kitchen while Laura is making dinner. That's the life. If their future wives wonder why they need spaghetti-scented candles at bedtime... I have an idea :-P
- dad
My boys will be seven weeks old tomorrow! I can't believe how quickly time is flying. Max and Miles were baptized this past Sunday the 27th, and it was just beautiful. More on that later.
The boys are each about ten pounds now, even heavier than I estimated! Miles looks smaller but was a little heavier on the scale. We call him "the squeaky wheel, "as he is almost always making noise and usually has a nipple in his mouth to keep him quiet. Max is a little more subdued and patient, so I'm guessing that's why he's a little lighter.
I am nursing them about 12-18 times daily (combined) and supplementing as needed. I estimate they receive about 4-6 ounces of formula each per day. They are both sleeping with us and nursing on demand, so they usually have a couple of ounces first thing in the morning when the well is completely dry, an ounce or so while I'm fixing dinner and a few ounces just before bed to fill them a little. I'm fully aware of the supply and demand concept and while my supply will certainly support their demands, I cannot possibly explain how difficult it is nursing newborn twins. The formula isn't for growth so much as a break for Mama's very, very sore body. It is so nice to be able to give them a bottle after sitting on the couch ALL day and alternating babies and breasts. My current breastfeeding goal is 3 months, and then I hope to get to 6 months. I am sick right now and am taking sudafed, so it's important that I nurse them even more to keep my supply solid. Needless to say, increasing our breastfeeding doesn't help me get better any faster! I'm pretty tired and depleted right now, but so happy that nursing is going so well.
The boys are waking twice a night lately, which is fine. They're usually up for the morning around 5, so Andrew and I are adjusting our schedule accordingly! This time passes quickly, so we're making do. I usually have an opportunity to naptime during the day, so Andrew tries to seek refuge elsewhere at night to get a solid block of sleep while I nurse them through the wee hours, and then joins us between four and six am to help with the last of the wakings. It's working okay. On the nights where the boys fall asleep well in their cribs, Andrew and I try to fall asleep together for the first few hours. It's hit or miss, but it'll be over before we know it!
You have got to be kidding me. There was more, but my phone crashed and I lost it. I will never figure out this whole technology thing.
Monday is our seventh wedding anniversary. Say Wha?! I know. I remember our wedding like it was yesterday and now we're halfway across the country with five kids and a dog.
I was just 22 and I was sure he was going to change his mind once he came to his senses. I was shaking and nervous until the minute he put that ring on my finger, terrified that he'd figure out that I really didn't deserve him. I still don't. He is so wildly amazing, and I still can't believe he can love a selfish, simple girl like me. He is the most caring and generous person I've ever met, and I am so blessed to have him at my side.
The minute he slipped that ring on my finger and said, "I do," my life fell into place. I am no longer me, but the glorious piece of a beautiful puzzle. What God has joined is so perfect and full of grace. This earthly mission Andrew and I share is touched by the hands of God in each kiss, laugh, word and deed. We have been blessed immensely, and each passing day is such a joy with him at my side. And what a treasure to know this at such a young age and so early in our lives together.
I don't know what the next 60 years hold, and I don't know how long Andrew and I have on this earth together. I do know that in the short time we've been married, we've shared more joy together than any two people deserve. I'm certain that a lifetime with Andrew will bring more joy and blessings than this girl could ever imagine.
Put a hat on claire.
Fed her some chips.
Cleaned the bottom of a pan.
Shined my sink
Nursed a baby. Well, two.
Cuddled a toddler.
Put babies down for Phase One of our night.
Tomorrow I'm going to publish a photo essay of a grocery shopping trip. Epic.
Baths. I loathe bathing children. They're slippery and screaming and then they get out and they're squirming all over and bawling because you're combing their hair...ugh. Baths.
So today we're all sick and I'm aware that everyone will need to be in bed early. Nap time was just not good, so everyone will be going to bed by 7. Once dinner is started, 7 comes so quickly that I thought I'd bathe them when Lucy got off the bus.
I have bathed all 5 of them once before. It's not difficult, really, but it's a little back-breaking, especially when you're already feeling poorly.
Here's how it went.
"Girls! Get naked! Everybody in the tub!"
:::screams of joy::: bathtub crayons! soap! nudity! all of our favorite things at once!
I put one diapered boy on the floor of the bathroom and started the tub running. Lucy and Molly jump in, and I take Claire's diaper off. She pees on the rug, narrowly missing her brother's head. Whoopsie! Claire goes into the tub. I trek back for diapered boy number two and set him safely out of the way of the pee-puddle. I decide that Lucy and Molly are just not as dirty as I thought and they can just play. Claire has orange marker up her arms, across her right cheek and near her hairline. Claire will need to be washed.
The boys are crying and Lucy is complaining about recess. "Recess was horrible today! Owen chased me all over and called me names!" Owen. Whomever this child is, he drives me nuts by association. "So what names did he call you?" Lucy is near tears. "Baby Chicken Wing!" HAHAHAHAHAHA. I can't help myself. I put on my sympathetic face and laugh hysterically on the inside.
Interesting. While typing this I learned that "get down" also means "get up" in Claire's toddler-talk.
So Owen has gained a little admiration in my book. Baby Chicken Wing.
I take Max's diaper off and put him on Lucy's legs in the tub. It's the perfect solution. Lucy holds him down while I soap and rinse his little slippery-piglet body. Max is out of the tub in 45 seconds flat. I drop him into his crib wrapped in his towel and run back to do Miles. I leave their pacis on the floor of the bathroom, planning to throw them in the dishwasher later. Claire sees them and JUMPS out of the tub, flopping her belly over the side peguin-style. PACIS! She grabs them, pops one in her mouth and runs out the bathroom door before I can stop her. I decide that she's probably clean enough to ignore. What's a little leftover Crayola marker in the scheme of things?
Yes, bathtime is usually more organized when Daddy is running the show. He works a tad more deftly and doesn't make the children scream when he washes their hair. I'm the dresser and hair-brusher. Today was a perfect example of the wise decision-making behind that one.
