We are going out to the farm for the weekend.  I am probably going to have to spend the entire day getting ready to go.  Who knew how much work it would be to take 8-week-old twins for a 2-night stay at their grandparents’ house?!?

Eric is really excited about going “out home”.   Except for a whirlwind overnight stay at Christmas, we haven’t been to the farm since October.  He’s really missed being there, I think.  I don’t mind going at all.  And of course, there are LOTS of people who want to hold babies out there, too.  So I get a 3-day break!

The babies are currently sleeping in their cribs.  I have tried to be better about putting them down there when they get sleepy.  It’s been hit or miss.  They do well in the morning, but get worse and worse about sleeping in the cribs as the day goes on.  And at night, they downright refuse to fall asleep sometimes (as Alex did last night).  Crazy babies!

Yesterday, my friends were here for a few hours.  It was a great visit.  They are some of my favorite people in the entire world, and I don’t get to connect with them nearly often enough!

I actually got out of the house for an hour or so last night.  I went to CVS.  Oh well…it was just me, singing loudly along with the radio and taking my time.  Whatever works!

I should go be productive or something.  Maybe shower while the babies sleep.  Maybe something else.  We shall see…happy Friday!

So the babies slept for 5 hours and 3 hours between feedings last night.  Crazy!

They are still sleeping (another 3 hour stretch), though they are stirring as I type this.  (I’m typing really fast!)

So far, I’ve pumped, exercised, showered, had breakfast, dried my hair, and put the mail out.  I could get used to this!

Sometime today, I’m going to see one of my best friends from college days and her family.  They’re in town from Denver because his sister is being inducted into CU’s Athletic Hall of Fame this weekend.  I am SUPER excited to see them. 

As for yesterday, having Eric home was a huge help.  He actually worked from home for most of the afternoon, but it was great to have someone else there to rock a baby when he/she fussed.  And because he was home, I got the nursery cleaned up, swapped out (newborn clothes) and restocked with 0-3 clothes.  And I did 3-4 loads of laundry.  WooHoo!

Okay, I’d better go before the babies wake up completely.  Happy Thursday!

At least so far…

The morning seemed to start out like yesterday – much fussing.  But things have gone better.  The babies have even been awake and alert at times without crying.  And I talked to my mom, who had the day off work, for a long time this morning.  And Eric came home from work early (power outage knocked out his machine for the day).  So now I can even get to the laundry/projects that I’ve been trying for 3 days to finish.  Yay!

Oh…and a funny thing about yesterday…

The babies cried all day until about 4:00 when they fell asleep in their swings.  Eric got home before they were awake again, and I told him how rough the day had been.  He was ready to help, so I handed him Erin when she was done eating.  And she smiled at him.  In fact, they stopped crying for the rest of the night.

I have no idea why.

The babies have cried/fussed all day.  Unless they were eating or sleeping.  Or unless I was holding them. 

Unfortunately, there’s only one of me to hold them. 

Needless to day, it’s been a long day.

when the babies will feel like real little people and not “high-maintenance pets”. 

I could vent about all the things that did not go so well last night.  I could say (or blog, actually) out loud all the not-so-nice thoughts that I’ve been allowing way too much priority.  But I doubt that will be edifying (to you or me).  Nor will it help my attitude.  So instead, inspired by Jess, I’m going to list all the things that are good about life these days.  Here goes…

• My babies are healthy and happy.  The Little Man is working on smiling at us.  omg – love that!  Little Miss is quite the entertainer with her facial expressions.  And she’s starting to roll onto her side from her back.  So fun!
• Both babies are currently hanging out in their bouncy seats, entertaining themselves for a few minutes.  Thus, I have time to post.  Yippee!
• My husband is a marvelous father.  He doesn’t do everything as I would, and I struggle to have a good attitude towards him sometimes.  But I am so thankful that he’s here and helpful.  This wouldn’t be do-able without him.
• Yesterday, I got to hang out with my dad and grandparents so they could see the babies.  It was fun.
• My dad is doing SOOOO much better.  He’s still in pain, and he’s got a long way to go, but his progress is just amazing to watch.  And the home nurses and physical therapists really like coming to work with him.  They say he’s a lot more fun than their other patients right now!
• While I was at my parents’ house, we watched Get Smart.  Seriously, one of the funniest movies around.  And my dad hadn’t seen it, so he laughed and giggled and generally enjoyed it.  It was good medicine for him.  And it was good for me to hear him laugh that hard.  It’s been a while since he’s felt good enough to do that.
• My body is really recovering well from a twin pregnancy and the c-section.  We’re 7 weeks into this adventure, and I’m about 10 lbs. from my pre-pregnancy weight.  Yay for breastfeeding twins!  Unfortunately, I don’t have much to wear these days.  I need some new clothes that fit my new-mom body.
• My MIL is coming out today.  She wants to help some way, by which she means do a chore around the house for me.  But honestly, I don’t have that much for her to do.  Instead I may just have her watch the babies while I either nap or make a quick shopping trip to try and find some non-maternity clothes that will fit me right now.   We shall see which wins out!
• As hard as having twins is (and it is very hard), I have had so much encouragement and helpful advice from family, friends, and all you Xanga ladies.  Thanks.  I appreciate you more than I can say.
• And finally, Jesus loves me.  Despite the lack of QT I’ve spent with him in recent days and despite all the sinful attitudes of my heart, he really and truly loves me with a love that never fails.  It is enough for today.  It is enough for tonight when the babies aren’t sleeping.  It is enough.  He is enough.  “The Lord is my Shepherd.  I have everything I need” (NLT).  

Happy Thursday!

1.  I actually watched the inauguration.  I never do.  But then again, I have typically been at work on Inauguration Day.  That might explain it.

2.  I was annoyed repeatedly today by one thing.  The talking heads from the media kept calling it an “historical” day.  It is not an “historical” day.  It was an historic day.  Call me a word nazi, if you want, but it still bugged me every time…

3. Another thing that bugs me…the huge display of bikinis in Target right now.  Seriously.  It’s JANUARY.  And it FREAKIN’ COLD.  Who wants to buy a bikini right now?!? 

Okay, that’s all of my ranting for the day.

We’re doing okay here.  It’s been a rough couple of nights.  I think we’re regressing.  At 7 weeks old, my children seem to be having more difficulty eating and sleeping, instead of less.  Eric asked me today when we might expect them to start eating at 3-4 hours regularly.  Anytime, I thought.  But mine are still inclined to eat every 2-2.5 hours.  They can go 3-4 hours, but they often don’t.   And I’m getting tired.  Actually we both are.  I need a good night’s sleep.  Maybe tonight…maybe…

Tomorrow, we’re heading to C-ville for a quick visit again.  It should be a good day. 

We had our 1-month well visit yesterday at the pediatrician.  I actually got us there and back all by myself!  I was very proud of myself, needless to say.  

Anyway, here’s the word:

• Their hip ultrasounds came back just fine.  Their hips are not flawed.
• The pediatrician said they look wonderful.  *sigh of relief*
• They are, in fact, ginormous now.  Erin weighs 7-15 and is 19.5 inches long.  Alex is 7-14 and is 20 inches long.  (I guess that means Alex really IS getting too long for some of his sleepers!)
• We talked about their eating habits and how to deal with reflux, if that’s what is causing their sleeping issues.  He said Erin’s tendency to cross her eyes isn’t a problem until 4 months. 
• I really like our pediatrician!  He answered all my questions. He’s very calm and low-key.  And he has a sense of humor.  Lovely!

Last night was a little better.  They went right to sleep after each feeding.  Unfortunately, I still didn’t get much sleep because I didn’t get to bed as early as I should have.  *sigh*  Someday, I’ll be not-tired again, right?

So I guess that’s about all…happy Friday (and weekend) to everyone!

Just a few quick things…

• My dad got home from the hospital last night.  Thanks for your prayers.  If you think of it, please continue to pray for my parents as they figure out how to function at home with just the two of them.  My mom is a bit nervous about being in charge, about watching Dad be in so much pain, and about the possibility that Dad might fall.  And Dad still hurts quite a bit!
• The babies had to have ultrasounds done on their hips on Monday.  Since they were both breech, they wanted to check their hips to see if they have or may develop hip displasia. It’s most common in breech girls, but they checked them both just to be sure. I haven’t heard any results from it, but our one-month checkup is tomorrow, so I’ll ask about it then.
• I’m pretty sure that our babies are starting to outgrow some of their newborn clothes.  The onesies are getting tighter, and it’s harder to get their feet out of zip-up sleepers.  Of course, we still have lots of newborn outfits they’re not yet big enough to wear, but still…it’s crazy to see how big they’re getting.
• There are new pictures on Eric’s website, if you’d like to see some of the crazy faces my babies make!
• We’ve had some rough nights this week.  And a couple of bad ones.  Erin doesn’t seem to want to sleep in her crib at night.  We tried putting a pillow under her mattress to lift her head last night, since she sleeps okay when she’s sitting up.  It did help some.  But she’s definitely more of a night owl than her brother…which is bad for mommy and daddy’s sleep needs!

Okay, I think that’s all the news.  Back to babies…

Would you say a quick prayer for my dad?  His surgery went well, but his pain tolerance is not very high.  And he is struggling to stay ahead of the pain.  He gets nauseated and his blood pressure drops, making him dizzy.  Today he was having trouble just functioning, much less doing the necessary therapy.  He was originally supposed to go home tomorrow, but it’s looking now more like Tuesday at the earliest. 

None of this is unusual with a double knee replacement, but it’s hard for my mom to watch.  And it’s really hard on him.  So if you would say a quick prayer for his pain relief and quick recovery, I’d appreciate it.  Thanks!