Dear Lady At The Dollar Store With Two Kids Under Two And Many Pregnancy Tests In Her Cart,
Real funny!!!
Love,
Oh wait... that was me...
(It's just for piece of mind, people)
8/25/10
8/21/10
It Makes Sense.
In case anyone is actually reading this blog, I think the lack of posting should be a pretty good indicator of my free time. Currently babies are 8 months and just about 22 months. One crawls and screeches while the other runs too fast and complains. Even though the house looks like a tornado hit it 100% of the time, I have been taking pride in my new found stacking laundry to the ceiling ability, remembering to feed everyone every day, and the fact that we have made zero ER visits. Life is chaos, but it is good chaos. Exhausting chaos. If I could just teach them to sleep at night...
6/17/10
Turning The Corner
Let's not lie, having two kids is hard. Having a new baby is hard. And having two very small people close together is hard. But a couple of days ago I realized something... I have turned the corner.
I suppose it started about when Sammy was 4 months and began to consolidate her naps into a more regular routine. The increased predictability allowed me to plan when I could do certain things (shop, shower, clean, etc.) And now that she is 6 months we seem to have settled into an even more predictable schedule of sorts.
The rest of the equation is kind of like this:
Reasonable Predictability+Slightly Better Night Time Sleeping+Body Healed From Birth+Exercising+Sammy's Ability To Self-Entertain Better+Harmon & Sammy Entertaining Each Other+Misc.= Feeling pretty in control of my life with two small people.
And it's a good feeling.
I suppose it started about when Sammy was 4 months and began to consolidate her naps into a more regular routine. The increased predictability allowed me to plan when I could do certain things (shop, shower, clean, etc.) And now that she is 6 months we seem to have settled into an even more predictable schedule of sorts.
The rest of the equation is kind of like this:
Reasonable Predictability+Slightly Better Night Time Sleeping+Body Healed From Birth+Exercising+Sammy's Ability To Self-Entertain Better+Harmon & Sammy Entertaining Each Other+Misc.= Feeling pretty in control of my life with two small people.
And it's a good feeling.
5/21/10
The Bedtime Blessing
It seems I am neglecting this blog. Blame it on the children.
Lately said children have given me a most wonderful gift at bedtime. They have been going to sleep in the same room at the same time from wide awake to fast asleep. Without me being in the room. I don't know how this magically happened, but it did. Sammy often goes to sleep an hour or so before Harmon, but will often get woken up in the process of putting Harmon to sleep. A week or two ago was the first time that when I put him down and she was awake and I just left (to both of them complaining) instead of taking her out with me to put her down in the other room. As soon as I shut the door (assuming I would be coming back to actual crying in a minute) the complaining stopped. And there was no more noise until several hours later when Sammy needed a snack.
I still don't want to jinx it, but I will say I am VERY happy with the current situation and hope it continues. My landlord just woke my baby up. The end.
Lately said children have given me a most wonderful gift at bedtime. They have been going to sleep in the same room at the same time from wide awake to fast asleep. Without me being in the room. I don't know how this magically happened, but it did. Sammy often goes to sleep an hour or so before Harmon, but will often get woken up in the process of putting Harmon to sleep. A week or two ago was the first time that when I put him down and she was awake and I just left (to both of them complaining) instead of taking her out with me to put her down in the other room. As soon as I shut the door (assuming I would be coming back to actual crying in a minute) the complaining stopped. And there was no more noise until several hours later when Sammy needed a snack.
I still don't want to jinx it, but I will say I am VERY happy with the current situation and hope it continues. My landlord just woke my baby up. The end.
4/21/10
The Diaper Problem
This is so ridiculous, but as Sammy has moved up a diaper size her diapers are harder to distinguish from Harmon's just by glancing at them. And if you have a helper who likes to take all diapers out of any container they may be put in, you will then have a jumble of diapers of various sizes which then require opening the tab to see what size they are. This is not a task I wish upon anyone. After lamenting my fate of always having to figure out which diaper is which when it is urgently needed I came up with the best solution I could think of: my old friend sharpie. Now when I open a pack of diapers I take a few minutes to pull them all out, mark them with the appropriate 'H' or 'S' and feel like a genius.
4/14/10
Harmon's Sixth Sense
Is knowing the exact moment in which I am 30 seconds away from finishing nursing the baby and about to put her into her crib ultra-drowsy. He will ALWAYS come wandering in and for some reason my almost 18-month-old doesn't understand "shhhhhh baby peanut is sleeping!" Or maybe he does, because he will then knock on the door, bang toys together, and talk as loud as he can.
Man I love that stinker. Even if his sister would get more sleep if he would quit it.
Man I love that stinker. Even if his sister would get more sleep if he would quit it.
4/6/10
I'm Dying, or Sleep PLEASE!
So, the cribs in the same room idea was good. It turns out I sleep a lot better with no babies making little (or big) noises in my ear. What is not so good is that my children hate sleeping. Luckily they have been pretty good about not waking each other up, but perhaps that is in part because I go running in at the slightest noise to keep whoever is the noise producer quiet. Which is approximately EVERY HOUR.
Somehow my babies come out sleeping well enough, and by months have learned that waking up every hour is the best idea in the world. I think Harmon was at 2-3 hours by 4 months and waited until 6 months to do the hourly thing. Sammy is so advanced. I realize that Sammy is suffering teething pains, but most of the time she just wants a little snack and to be put back to sleep. The times when Sammy has been sleeping 2 or more hours, Harmon favors us with a teeth pain induced waking, or perhaps just an "it's-5am-I-want-to-be-cuddled-and-rocked-while-you-stand-up-don't-you-even-think-about-sitting-or-laying-down" waking which we enjoy so much.
All this sleep deprivation leads me to say awful things to my kind husband who asks yesterday morning: "what can I do to help?" My reply? "Don't get me pregnant ever again!"
But seriously. One baby is ridiculous if you like sleep. Two babies? I think I may die.
4/1/10
The Same Room Experiment
Since Sammy had decided to start waking up every hour for fun I decided it was time to start the kids sleeping in the same room earlier than I had planned. She had been sleeping in our room in a co-sleeper, but it seemed being so close to me made her want to wake up and play/eat every hour or so. Which of course left me feeling like death all day every day.
So, two days ago we set up crib #2, and last night I put her to sleep in Harmon's room. It went like this:
7:30 feed Sammy and put her down in her crib, turn on sound machine
8:00 read books with Harmon in our room, bring him into his room to sing and sleep
1:30 Sammy wakes up, feed her for 15 min
3:30 Sammy wakes up, feed her for 15 min (panic that this is going to be the pattern for the rest of the night)
6:30 Harmon wakes up, turn off sound machine
6:31 Sammy wakes up
Although this was only night #1, it went WAY better than expected. I slept 3 1/2 hours in a row and got 8 hours total. It was amazing. I can only pray that it continues.
So, two days ago we set up crib #2, and last night I put her to sleep in Harmon's room. It went like this:
7:30 feed Sammy and put her down in her crib, turn on sound machine
8:00 read books with Harmon in our room, bring him into his room to sing and sleep
1:30 Sammy wakes up, feed her for 15 min
3:30 Sammy wakes up, feed her for 15 min (panic that this is going to be the pattern for the rest of the night)
6:30 Harmon wakes up, turn off sound machine
6:31 Sammy wakes up
Although this was only night #1, it went WAY better than expected. I slept 3 1/2 hours in a row and got 8 hours total. It was amazing. I can only pray that it continues.
3/22/10
Teething x2
Dear Parents of Twins: how on earth do you survive? Harmon is getting all four painful I teeth, and Sammy is working on (at least) her bottom front two. They get up alternately about every hour all night long. Seriously. Not cool.
3/5/10
Double Stroller Mistake
The mistake was not bringing it to go shopping at the outlets. I thought: oh, I will put one child in the single stroller, and the other in the pack. Also the aisles are so narrow, our doublewide won't fit. [it will, just not on busy days when there are 100 people. today was not a busy day.]
With Harmon in the pack on back and Sammy in the stroller we make it through one store, sort of. Sammy screamed most of the time, and Harmon tried to dive from the pack whenever a rack was within his reach.
Then it was back to the car to feed Sammy and switch the setup. Round two was Harmon in the stroller. I may or may not have given him a lollipop. Ok, I did. But it was only a dum dum. Sammy in the pack, screaming bloody murder. We make it to zero stores.
Take Sammy out of the pack, hold her under my arm. Crying stops. We make it to two stores. I should point out that these are quick trips, under 5 min apiece.
In the next store they have adorable coats for Harmon for $12.99, but only in 18 months, not 2T. Maybe I will just try it on him? [This move cost me the game.] I take him out of the stroller and set him free for a minute while I put Sammy into the stroller. She screams. I try on the coat. Oh it is ever so cute but will only fit for a little bit... I decide it's a no-go. Pick up Harmon (who begins to scream) and push Sammy (who is screaming) towards the door. Receive sympathetic looks from all. Shopping over. Kids: 1 Mom: 0
On the plus side, at least I didn't spend too much money?
With Harmon in the pack on back and Sammy in the stroller we make it through one store, sort of. Sammy screamed most of the time, and Harmon tried to dive from the pack whenever a rack was within his reach.
Then it was back to the car to feed Sammy and switch the setup. Round two was Harmon in the stroller. I may or may not have given him a lollipop. Ok, I did. But it was only a dum dum. Sammy in the pack, screaming bloody murder. We make it to zero stores.
Take Sammy out of the pack, hold her under my arm. Crying stops. We make it to two stores. I should point out that these are quick trips, under 5 min apiece.
In the next store they have adorable coats for Harmon for $12.99, but only in 18 months, not 2T. Maybe I will just try it on him? [This move cost me the game.] I take him out of the stroller and set him free for a minute while I put Sammy into the stroller. She screams. I try on the coat. Oh it is ever so cute but will only fit for a little bit... I decide it's a no-go. Pick up Harmon (who begins to scream) and push Sammy (who is screaming) towards the door. Receive sympathetic looks from all. Shopping over. Kids: 1 Mom: 0
On the plus side, at least I didn't spend too much money?
3/4/10
The First Official Bad Day
Today we all cried at the same time. It was awful. But then we all got better. And it's sunny, so maybe it's not a bad day after all. Two sick babies is pretty junky though. I don't recommend it.
2/26/10
Yes, Please!!!
Sammy is quite taken with her older brother in the last week or so. So much that she will watch him play, and when he is gone from her limited eyesight she cries.
Also Harmon seems to be quite fond of his little sister as well. He brings the pacifier when she cries, gives her [not very] gentle pats to make her happy, rocks her in her car seat, and gives her many wet smooches.
Please please please please let it continue in such a fashion.
Also Harmon seems to be quite fond of his little sister as well. He brings the pacifier when she cries, gives her [not very] gentle pats to make her happy, rocks her in her car seat, and gives her many wet smooches.
Please please please please let it continue in such a fashion.
2/25/10
Age Difference?
Ages 2 months and 16 months:
Lady at Costco: "Are they twins?" [Seriously?]
Lady at Group Health who was taking her two kids aged 2 yrs and 4 months to get shots: "How do you manage?" [Uh, just like you?]
Lady at Walmart: "So, is he 2 yet?" "Not yet." "How old is she?" "Two months." "Oh, so they are close!" "Yep."
I love it.
Lady at Costco: "Are they twins?" [Seriously?]
Lady at Group Health who was taking her two kids aged 2 yrs and 4 months to get shots: "How do you manage?" [Uh, just like you?]
Lady at Walmart: "So, is he 2 yet?" "Not yet." "How old is she?" "Two months." "Oh, so they are close!" "Yep."
I love it.
2/12/10
Playdate = Exhaustion
When I think about playgroups and playdates I think about before I had Sammy. I think about sitting around with other moms chatting, playing with our kids, and making sure they don't die or break anything. It seems so enjoyable and... dare I say... recharging.
I don't know why I had any reason to think that yesterday's playgroup would be easy. First, I have the first and third youngest children in the group. Second, I have a two month old who cries. A lot. I thought I could alleviate this problem by driving around a bit before the playgroup and put Sammy to sleep. Not so. Third, Harmon is into everything. EVERYTHING. Non-stop. And he likes to step (stomp) on other kids and steal their toys. This requires a lot of vigilance obviously.
So, at yesterday's valentine's day playgroup party, I managed to get one of the best workouts of my life. Sammy cried the first 45min (or more?) so I bounced and rocked and did squats while my legs burned. And after that when she finally fell asleep, I couldn't put her down. Meanwhile Harmon wanted to do everything: climb the stairs, play in the toilet, pull the books off the shelf, steal toys, etc. I think I would do better as an octopus.
When I write it down, it seems so mild, but really, although I enjoyed seeing some other moms and Harmon enjoyed playing, it was exhausting. The good news? We all came home and took a long nap together. Oh, and we ate a lot of cookies.
I don't know why I had any reason to think that yesterday's playgroup would be easy. First, I have the first and third youngest children in the group. Second, I have a two month old who cries. A lot. I thought I could alleviate this problem by driving around a bit before the playgroup and put Sammy to sleep. Not so. Third, Harmon is into everything. EVERYTHING. Non-stop. And he likes to step (stomp) on other kids and steal their toys. This requires a lot of vigilance obviously.
So, at yesterday's valentine's day playgroup party, I managed to get one of the best workouts of my life. Sammy cried the first 45min (or more?) so I bounced and rocked and did squats while my legs burned. And after that when she finally fell asleep, I couldn't put her down. Meanwhile Harmon wanted to do everything: climb the stairs, play in the toilet, pull the books off the shelf, steal toys, etc. I think I would do better as an octopus.
When I write it down, it seems so mild, but really, although I enjoyed seeing some other moms and Harmon enjoyed playing, it was exhausting. The good news? We all came home and took a long nap together. Oh, and we ate a lot of cookies.
1/22/10
The First Month
Everyone who has kids close together likes to tell me that "things will get better!" I take this to mean that it's ridiculously difficult at first, and progressively gets easier as you adapt/become better at managing two, and that as your kids become more self-sufficient it's easier as well. I really hope that's true, because it seems a bit too easy right now.
Don't get me wrong. It's hard. Like the times when both babies are crying. Or not napping. Or waking each other up. But it's a lot easier than I imagined it would be. As I tell most everyone, I imagined extreme ultimate chaos, and anything below that is a welcome surprise. So, pretty much I will declare it a bad day based on these conditions all occurring at the same time: 1. Sammy is crying 2. Harmon is crying 3. I am crying. Thus far we have managed only two crying at the same time, not all three of us, though we have come close. Most of the crying is done by the kids, but I've done my fair share but that's probably mostly because I'm a wussy baby by nature.
Probably much of my success in not feeling like a complete failure comes from Sammy liking to sleep in the car (and subsequently in the grocery store) Aaron being home between jobs a fair amount, and my mom coming over to provide adult conversation on a weekly basis.
The biggest problem besides both of the babies needing something at the same time is my lack of sleep. This is a combination problem: I hate going to bed and stay up too late (yeah, 11pm is pretty late, I know) and the kids have a magical talent of never napping at the same time.
So all in all, it's been a great and pretty easy first month. Now get back to me when I have two babies that can crawl/run/move in different directions. I imagine that will be pretty ridiculous.
Don't get me wrong. It's hard. Like the times when both babies are crying. Or not napping. Or waking each other up. But it's a lot easier than I imagined it would be. As I tell most everyone, I imagined extreme ultimate chaos, and anything below that is a welcome surprise. So, pretty much I will declare it a bad day based on these conditions all occurring at the same time: 1. Sammy is crying 2. Harmon is crying 3. I am crying. Thus far we have managed only two crying at the same time, not all three of us, though we have come close. Most of the crying is done by the kids, but I've done my fair share but that's probably mostly because I'm a wussy baby by nature.
Probably much of my success in not feeling like a complete failure comes from Sammy liking to sleep in the car (and subsequently in the grocery store) Aaron being home between jobs a fair amount, and my mom coming over to provide adult conversation on a weekly basis.
The biggest problem besides both of the babies needing something at the same time is my lack of sleep. This is a combination problem: I hate going to bed and stay up too late (yeah, 11pm is pretty late, I know) and the kids have a magical talent of never napping at the same time.
So all in all, it's been a great and pretty easy first month. Now get back to me when I have two babies that can crawl/run/move in different directions. I imagine that will be pretty ridiculous.
Car Trip
Because Aaron is starting a new job on Monday, we decided last week that we would take a trip to Montana to visit his family. We then were stuck with the decision of how to get there. Options included train (24ish hours), car (8hrs without kids), flying (1.5hrs in the air). Of course these options were not only factors of time, but of money too. Aaron managed to buy himself a truck and so we decided that was the way to go. But I was scared. Real scared.
But as it turns out, I had nothing to be afraid of (this time). Baby Peanut slept pretty much the whole time both ways. There were a few peeps and crying, but mostly silence from her end. Harmon was an angel. Going over he napped pretty well, and was content to play with toys and chat with us. Near the end of the trip when we had to turn around to go rescue Aaron's parents traveling the opposite direction I knew it was time to bust out the DVD player. I mean come on, he had been in the car for over 8 hours at that point, it was totally justified. (I am really only trying to convince myself it's ok.) Going home was a bit more difficult, but he was still practically perfect. This time aided by juice boxes and candy and about 45 minutes before home a DVD.
So, in sum: 1 month old baby plus almost 15 month old baby plus bribery and stopping a bunch = good car trip. I really should call it great, as it was about 100 times better than expected, but I don't like riding in the car that much either, so we'll just call it good for now.
But as it turns out, I had nothing to be afraid of (this time). Baby Peanut slept pretty much the whole time both ways. There were a few peeps and crying, but mostly silence from her end. Harmon was an angel. Going over he napped pretty well, and was content to play with toys and chat with us. Near the end of the trip when we had to turn around to go rescue Aaron's parents traveling the opposite direction I knew it was time to bust out the DVD player. I mean come on, he had been in the car for over 8 hours at that point, it was totally justified. (I am really only trying to convince myself it's ok.) Going home was a bit more difficult, but he was still practically perfect. This time aided by juice boxes and candy and about 45 minutes before home a DVD.
So, in sum: 1 month old baby plus almost 15 month old baby plus bribery and stopping a bunch = good car trip. I really should call it great, as it was about 100 times better than expected, but I don't like riding in the car that much either, so we'll just call it good for now.
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