Just the two of us

This past week has flown by so quickly, just as the ones before it.  I find it so amazing how fast days/weeks/months go by now that I have children.  I heard this so frequently before giving birth "they grow up so quickly," but I just didn't think much of it.  The quote holds its meaning, children really do grow before your eyes.  I feel like I can just blink and I will have one year olds before I know it.  The time I have with the boys couldn't be more precious.  They turned 5 months old Friday, I just cant believe it.  Their personalities are really shining through, and those baby smiles and laughs, I cant get enough!

This week has been full of many firsts for us.  The boys had their first taste of rice cereal.  They hated it.  Our pediatrician told us at their 4 month wellness visit to go ahead and start solids.  I did feel it was still a bit early, so I waited a few more weeks.  We tried another trial of the cereal this morning and the boys did do much better.  This will be a learning experience for them and myself.  I use to think I wouldn't have time to make my own baby food.  When others asked I would always respond with "I dont have extra time to do that!"  After talking to other mommy friends and reading the book "Super Baby Food" (which I highly recommend)  I have decided to go for it.  Next weekend I plan on making sweet potatoes for the boys.  The process is actually a lot easier than I first thought, and way healthier for the babies. Dont get me wrong, I will probably eventually buy some form of baby food in the future, but for now I will make my own.

The boys are really close to being able to sit up on their own.  They had their first ride in the stroller sitting in the "big boy seats." (typical stroller seats)  They absolutely loved it.  They love being outside and taking in the new sights and sounds.  Friday we walked to the train station to pick up my husband, Jeff.  The boys were awake and smiling the whole time.

I have a twin mom friend who introduced me to the idea of mommy/baby dates.  Her twins, now 4 years old, get to go out on dates with their mom, just the two of them.  This special one on one time is so important, especially with multiples.  It is so hard to give complete attention to each twin when there is only one of you.  I can already tell at their young age how they start to compete for my attention, and will sometimes fuss when one twin sees me hold the other.  This has been an obstacle I have faced since the twins were born.  I always feel guilty when I'm feeding one, and the other is crying just wanting me to hold him.  Today I was able to spend one on one time with Owen while Jeff took Liam with him to the store.  Owen was so happy and interactive.  We played and laughed the whole time.  The quality of time outweighs the amount of time.  Even though we were only by ourselves for 15 minutes, the one on one interaction we had was priceless.  I was able to give my full attention to just Owen and Jeff was able to give his full attention to Liam.  This is a concept I will continue for as long as the boys want to go on dates with mommy.   : )

I hope you all had a great week!

-Ashley

My Story

I have had many requests on social media to start a blog.  I contemplated the thought for a while, wondering if I would even have time to write about my life.  I figured I would give it a try!  My life the last 5 months has been a far cry from crazy, I have had many emotional ups and downs.  My husband and I had identical twin boys November 22, 2015.  My birth story is one that labor and delivery nurses cringe about, or so Im told.  Both boys were head down at induction, which myself and my MD were very pleased about.  Almost 20 hours after induction I had Liam vaginally.  Owen had other plans.  After 5 hours of pushing, internal rotation times two, and different bed positions, Owen was delivered via C-section.  Recovery was far from easy, but we were all safe and healthy. Liam and Owen are the light of our lives.  When we brought them home from the hospital we had no idea what we were doing, first time parents, or what our future would hold.  The boys, thankfully, were born at term for twins (37 weeks) and didn't require any time in the NICU.  Praise God both boys were happy and healthy, weighing over 5lbs a piece!  The first 3 months were such a blur for us.  I never knew, prior to kids, what extreme exhaustion was.  Days were rough, nights were worse.  The boys didn't sleep longer than an hour at a time most nights, always wanting to eat.  Breastfeeding was becoming a battle I thought I was going to lose and felt day after day I wanted to give up on.  I just felt it would be so much easier to go heat up some formula.  With the support of my husband, and lactation consultants I pushed through the first couple days and myself, and the boys, finally got a hang of it.  The boys, now 5 months old, are still exclusively breast fed and Im so happy with my decision to fight through the frustrations during the first week.  I work as a nurse, and am blessed to only have to work one day a week.  My husband's mom stays home with the boys that one day I work. Going back to work was so emotional, I cried a couple times.  I couldn't help but feel guilty that I wasn't the one caring for my sons.  It took a couple shift for me to become comfortable with it and now look at it as a "mommy break,"  which I feel is very important for parents.

This is the start of my story becoming a twin mom.  Hopefully I can get a hang of this blog thing!  I hope I can encourage at least one mom/dad through my posts!  Take care and God Bless!

-Ashley