Slowly

It is not uncommon for people to ask me how we are doing with our little family of adorable dependents.

Depending on the day, I usually say something like, "We're really doing well," or "We're a little tired, but mostly doing well."

Well, its taken me almost three months to determine, but my response should be one word -- slowly.

"How are you doing?"

"Slowly."

At this point in postpartum life, we are doing almost everything for ourselves (our last meal from the church will be delivered tonight -- which has been such an amazing blessing twice a week for February and March -- so then we REALLY will be doing EVERYTHING on our own for awhile).  We are caring for our kiddos, we make it to preschool, dance class, play dates, and on walks, we do our laundry, we care for our animals, we keep the house (sort of) tidy, do the dishes, and more... but we do it all VERY SLOWLY.

Sure, we have the fast moments where Tracey Ann grabs my full cup of coffee and I make a mad dash to try to grab it before it goes all over my computer, our bedroom dresser and floor (luckily, I never get to my coffee while its still hot, so I didn't have to worry about it burning her).  Or, my frantic sprint when Tracey decided to drop a baby doll into the pack and play (so the baby can take a nap) -- where her two siblings are already sound asleep and they probably would not stay sound asleep if a large plastic baby doll landed on their heads.  But, with those very fast exceptions aside, we live life slowly.

We decided to go see our families for Spring Break -- I'm not really sure why, but we are glad we went -- and I am still not fully unpacked nor is all the laundry done from the trip.

I unpack every day... and I do laundry every day... and yet four days later, the task is not yet complete.  The process of going anywhere -- it happens slowly.  A few weeks ago I looked at the clock and decided to plan our departure around Tracey's nap and leave our house 30 minutes before I thought I should leave to be on time, so that Tracey could have a 30 minute nap before the appointment.  Leaving 30 minutes before I planned to leave, I was 2 minutes early to the appointment.  If I had left when I thought I should leave, we would have been so late, we would have missed the appointment.

We really are doing well, and Hubby and I have often said that we just really love our life right now -- toddler and babies and responsibilities and sleeplessness and chaos and all.  But, as well as we're doing... we're doing things slowly.

My Share Of The Blame

Truthfully, taking care of our little crew here does get easier each week -- not by a lot, but it does get easier and runs a little more smoothly.  But, I still am very tired, pretty much every minute of the day.

I have gone through phases in my life where I've enjoyed coffee, but I don't remember there very being a season like this one where I NEED caffeine each day.  Unfortunately, if I don't get it via coffee, I take it via Diet Coke (which is not a habit I want to continue.

But, the truth of the matter is, while my wonderful children are certainly largely responsible for the constant state of tired haze in which I operate, I do have a share of the blame.

So, when the twins have their last feeding of the day (which isn't necessarily their last feeding, but it is the last feeding before their longest stretch of sleep) -- the timing of which varies -- sometimes as early as 8pm, sometimes as late as 11pm, I do not go straight to sleep.  Following that feeding is a special time of the day for Hubby and me where Tracey Ann is asleep and the two of us are just us for an hour or so.  I usually spend that time writing my blog for the next day, Hubby and I usually watch a tv show together, we share some pillow talk, back rubs, or cuddles -- I do not go straight to bed when I could.

Then, when the babies are up for nighttime feedings -- usually two a night (between the 12am-2am window, and between the 4am-6am window), I am not always the best at winding back down to sleep.  First of all, I actually have to stay awake for these feedings because I feed both babies at the same time.  With Tracey Ann, there came a point in our nighttime nursing sessions where I would lay on my side, and and I could continue to snooze while she nursed.  With the twins, I am sitting upright, so when I fall asleep while they're feeding (and I have before) it is very uncomfortable for my neck, and they don't eat as well.

Then, I have learned that I am more irritable when I'm awakened and I've been asleep for five minutes than when I've been asleep for a few hours.  After a feeding, when I put the twins back in their bassinets, I need to wait a few minutes before trying to sleep myself.  If I lay down immediatley and one of them starts to fuss, I am NOT HAPPY to get back up and soothe them.  If I stay awake an extra five minutes watching a tv show or playing on my phone, I am much happier about soothing them back to sleep.

The problem is, once that five minutes passes, and I'm likely in the clear to fall asleep... I am invested in whatever tv show I'm watching and there's "only another ten minutes" or I really think I can pass this level of Candy Crush if I play "just one more time."

Also, occasionally Tracey will need attention when I'm up with the twins.  I'm not sure if she hears them awaken, or if I'm just awake so I hear her stirring, but sometimes soothing her, or changing her diaper delays my getting back to sleep.

And then, once or twice, I've run downstairs for a midnight snack to just take advantage of the absolute quiet of the night and a few minutes to myself, without my responsibilities, to enjoy a bowl of ice cream all by myself.

Yes, I do share the blame in how tired I am.

The Difference

This month we have seen a marked difference in our wonderful twins.  Both babies are really healthy... but Howard is showing up as the big brother -- the BIG BOY brother.

Their size difference is most noticeable when you hold the two of them... or when they are in the bath.  Check out their size difference:

Here is our little Caroline...

  

And here is her healthy big brother.

Easter Picture 2016

Easter Picture 2016

 

He Is Risen!

And the angel answered and said until the women, Fear not yet; for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.  He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.  Come, see the place where the Lord lay.  

Matthew 28:5-6

 

Eight Months...

Remember these pictures of Tracey Ann and her two cousins?

Well here are the same three girls 8 months later... oh, and three more cousins...

 

New Nephew!

Hubby and I have a new nephew!!!

Judah Austin Rodriguez was born yesterday, March 24, at 2:10pm.  

He weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce and measured 20.5 inches long. 

He has two older sisters, and what is crazy is that Hubby and I have been in St. Louis when all of these three nieces and nephew were born.  Hubby's sister, Becky, is really great about not going into labor until we are in town.

This will make the sixth cousin, and second boy on the Miller side of the family... and the oldest cousin is two-and-a-half, so six cousins in just over two and a half years (and another cousin on the way).

Welcome to the family, Judah!  We are so excited to meet you and love you!

The More The Merrier

I guess when Daddy and I were so excited to find out we were having twins, we did a good job of demonstrating to Tracey Ann to be grateful and excited for more members of the family...

Tracey Ann wants to expand our family even more...

One Happy Guy

Here is a picture of our Papa looking like one happy guy...

I should probably add that Papa is a twin, he has a twin sister...

and Howard is wearing a pink hat because our (very few) boy hats were in the wash...

Family Circus

I used to love reading the Family Circus comic in the paper each Sunday and I recently found and "liked" the Family Circus page on Facebook.

I loved this comic as a kid, and I have the sneaking suspicion that I will find a whole new level to the humor as an adult.

This comic made me laugh the other day...

 

Twins -- Two Months

The twins were two months old... three weeks ago.  I am going to get better about these posts, I promise.

For comparison:

Howard at one month

Howard at two months

And Caroline for comparison at one month

And Caroline at two months

Weight: 

At their two month appointments:

Howard was 11 pounds 6 ounces, and

Caroline as 10 pounds even... this girl seems to have a love for even numbers

Length:  

Howard was 22.5 inches at their two month appointment (I think)

Caroline was 22 inches... she has really tried to catch up in height

 

Clothing size: 

Howard has outgrown his newborn sleepers, really fills out his 0-3 month sleepers and is in size 1 diaper.

Caroline still wears newborn sleepers, swims in 0-3 month clothes and wears newborn diapers.

Eating:  

This month we turned the corner and at the beginning of the month we were still nursing the babies separately and providing bottles as supplements (and pumping with every bottle)... and by the end of the month, I was tandem nursing exclusively with NO bottles.  This was a HUGE accomplishment and has enabled everyone to get more sleep!

 

Sleeping:  

 Howard and Caroline sleep in a double bassinet in our bedroom and sleep between two and five hours at a time.  They rarely sleep five hours, but did happen for the first time at 8 weeks -- it, of course, did not happen at night when I was sleeping.

New things/discoveries: 

• Attending dance class with Tracey Ann
• Attending a twin group with a total of three moms, three toddlers, and six baby twins (a total of nine children three and under)
• Visited Daddy at school
• Went for a walk with Mama
• Learned about life without Grammie and Papa (and Mama and Daddy survived)
• Mama getting mastitis
• Tandem feeding and no more bottles
• Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Tommy visited
• Aunt Mandy and Uncle Nick visited
• Had their first baby-sitters outside the family (two middle school students who watch the twins upstairs while Mama teaches a childbirth class downstairs)
• Caroline smiled for the first time
• Showers with Daddy and baths with Tracey Ann 

     

New Accomplishments: 

• Mama and Daddy surviving (and keeping us alive) without Grammie and Papa
• Caroline smiling
• Both babies are working on supporting their head, but Howard is incredibly determined to do it as soon as possible
• Going for a walk with Mama all by herself
• Tandem nursing

Likes: 

• Being held
• Pacifiers
• Nursing
• Eye-contact and funny voices
• Car rides
• Being held cheek-to-cheek while I say "Shhhhh" right in their ear
• Baths and showers

Dislikes:

• Being hungry
• Spitting up
• Getting their finger nails cut

Special Memories:

• Surviving at home without Grammie and Papa and Hubby and I learning what sort of teamwork we need to take care of everyone
• Mama's first walk with all three kids -- and our dog
• The twin play group -- what fun to connect with other mom's of twins during this crazy time
• Hubby coming in when I was so sick with mastitis and just taking charge -- he arranged a cleaning gal to come over and for a baby-sitter to take Tracey Ann because I was so sick
• It is so special when family comes to visit us because we know we are not on the beaten path and they really have to go out of their way to come see us -- my cousin and her husband, Elizabeth and Tommy, and Hubby's brother and his wife, Nick and Mandy, all came to see us this month, which was so wonderful and meant a lot to us

Places They Went:

•  Rifle Middle School
• Twin play group
• Tracey's little dance class
• First walk with Mama
• First trip to the shooting range  

Nicknames:

• Howard
• Buddy
• Doc

• Caroline
• Sweet Caroline
• Sweetheart