Then the year was over and I was a moment farther from the whole ordeal. Healthy but still healing. Happily exhausted and still needing the occasional moment to cry. The boys were born and suddenly life sped up at an alarming rate, there are not enough moments in the day to feel like every one of the kids is getting all the attention they deserve but we are embracing our lives with 3 under the age of three. As every person says when they see us coming, "You've sure got your hands full!"
Here's a typical daily schedule:
7:00am - Lachlan & Bennett wake up (usually Bennett first), change their diapers & outfits, bring them downstairs to the living room, remove their helmets, wash/air dry helmets & baby's heads / bath time if needed, make 2 bottles, prep feeding area (two bouncer chairs with a pillow for sitting on the floor between them)
7:30am - Juniper wakes up, change diaper (potty training... we'll get there) and outfit change, breakfast downstairs
8:30am - Boys are hungry (8oz bottles of formula)
9:00am - Bennett & Lachlan nap, Juniper and I play. Right now she is really into paints, play dough, the marble drop tubes & the train set.
10:30/11am - Boys wake up, time to get all the kids & Barley ready to go for a walk
11:00am - Walk with Juniper in the Ergo backpack, boys in the double side-by-side stroller & Barley on leash, usually 2-3 miles & Juniper walks the waterfront as we search for puddles to stomp in, takes about an hour
12:30pm - Lunch for Juniper, Bennett & Lachlan at home
1:30pm - Universal Nap Time (ie. Mom's time to clean-up morning's adventures / garden time / free time)
3:00pm - Bennett & Lachlan wake up, playtime downstairs
3:30pm - Boys are hungry (8oz bottles)
4:15pm - Juniper wakes up, snack time / playtime
4:30pm - Boys are ready for round two (8oz bottles)
5:15pm - Bedtime for Bennett & Lachlan
6:00pm - Dinner for Juniper
7:15pm - Bedtime for Juniper
11:00pm - One last bottle for the boys so they will sleep until the morning (8oz formula with rice cereal)
The boys are 7 months old weighing about 21 lbs each. Growing faster than Juniper with no sign of slowing down. We are going through one of those large tubs of formula every 2 days, good thing Costco sells it by the case. I wish I could say that these past 7 months were a blur of love and cuddling but the reality is that it has been appointment after appointment, specialist after specialist. Well baby visits lead to physical therapy for the boys to correct Torticollis & Plagiocephaly. Torticollis is what happens when one of the neck muscles isn't developing the same way as the rest of the muscles. We noticed that the boys were always looking right and rarely made even an attempt to look the other way. Plagiocephaly means that the baby's head is misshapen, they aren't sure what causes it but it is more common in twins and babies that have NICU time. The fix is a cranial band (helmet) that they have to wear 23 hours a day. It is formed to their head and helps correct the shape of the head as the plates of the skull slowly grow into place. Bennett & Lachlan both get to have them. They are wearing them 23 hours a day and are expected to have to wear them 4.5-5 months. The orthotist will rescan their heads at various intervals to check their progress. These helmets are gross. You thought cradle cap was bad... well how about we throw a helmet on top of all that new hair and changing scalp. So much fun... ; )
Juniper's vocabulary blows me away every day. Acts like she's two, talks like she's 4. Two is a tough age for her but she loves spending the day painting, doing puzzles, playing with play dough and with the water table on the back deck. Usually once a week or so we pack up and go on a day adventure with Oma to the movies or to a new place to walk around, or just to shop. On the weekends you can usually find us over at Oma & Opa's house for dinner. We LOVE having them so close. Oma comes over in the mornings some days to help me get the day started so that I can get a chance to shower or do a quick run to the store without the kids.
Physically I am making a lot of progress. I very rarely have a pain from my c-section scar area anymore. I weigh 178 now, 39 lbs lighter than the day I delivered the twins. No real surprise there though. Once I could stand again and move around I didn't want to stop. The kids keep me constantly on the move, usually hitting 6,000 steps by noon.
I have to admit that I have been wanting to blog again for a long time, I sat down at my computer about a half dozen times over the past 3 months but I was having flashbacks each time I looked at the text box on Blogger. I have dreams where I wake up in that hospital room, fully convinced that I've dreamed "home" up. Good news, though. I'm not. I'm home and it is wonderful but I am human and I still struggle a little each day.
I've been pursuing small chunks of "me time" each week. My focus has been on finding balance again. When so much of your day is focused on the kids it is tough to remember to take a second for yourself. I found a yoga studio that I love and I am able to go to classes 2-3 times a week. This has done wonders in helping me learn how this body works again. It wasn't until just last week that I finally felt that my spine was aligned again. Yoga classes and massage have helped me find those vulnerable spots and I'm working to strengthen the areas around them. So far so good. One day at a time.
The holidays were wonderful and I am so glad we spent so much time with family. I took a job Stage Managing the production of Beauty & the Beast downtown Portland at the Newmark Theatre. 12 show run, closed on Christmas Eve, I had a BLAST! Back in my favorite theatre with my favorite crew, my buddy A, stage managing and killing it. This show was enormous with non-stop light cues, sound cues, shifts,
pyrotechnics, flying dancers, a turntable with lift, a rose that dropped petals on
cue, 2 fog machines, a motorized castle and pallet units. Greg brought Juniper to one of our Saturday matinee performances so she could see her first live musical. She loved it and no one was surprised in the least. I also got the chance to have Oma, Opa, Grandpa, & Grandma come sit with me in the booth, watching me call the show. They each had a blast and it was great getting to show them what I LOVE to do. The production went incredibly well, selling out most matinees in the 800 seat house. The crew were exceptional as always and we were all in tears at the end of that last performance. An experience I won't soon forget.
Back to stay-at-home-Mom life for the next couple months. I'll be working for Portland Opera in the Spring and I am looking forward it. We're also working on figuring out how to get everyone across country this coming summer so we can catch up with my East Coast & Lake family. I'll keep you posted on that one. I'm not ready to tackle that one yet.
Let's fill this New Year with gratitude for what we've been thru, grace in the present moment & hope for all that lies ahead.
With Love,
Whitney