More bullets

-- Nursing. It's going... well, not horribly, I suppose. We have greatly reduced the supplementation, the twins are only getting an ounce or two extra before bed. They are epic diaper fillers with awesome weight gain (they were each up 10 ounces in 6 days at their last check-up, the pediatrician wanted at least an ounce a day), and really we could stop that little bit of formula altogether without harm to them. But not without harm to me, as the twins are impossible to soothe at that time of day otherwise -- and my supply as well as my sanity are at their lowest to survive it. Nursing newborn twins can really take a toll, let me tell you. I am hopeful that eventually we'll get rid of the supplementing altogether. In the meantime, I'm just trying to stay zen as we figure all this out. And with the appropriate amounts of under-eye concealer and ice cream sandwiches, I actually appear successful at that.

-- Sleeping. This is going horribly. My bed, once a comfortable prison of endless crappy television viewing, now teases me with its crisp white sheets and unfulfilled promise of rest and relaxation. I snuggle under the covers at the end of the day, let out a giant sigh of exhaustion, and drift off into a blissful sleep... that lasts no more than 60 minutes at a time. Basically I am awake for one hour, feeding both the kiddos and changing their diapers, and then I am asleep for one hour until the next cry starts the cycle again. And that's the best case scenario, if they go back to sleep after eating and don't want to stay awake and play for several hours, which happens as well. Some twin mommies have recommended sleeping in shifts with DH to get a longer stretch, but I don't see how that would be much help while breastfeeding. If the boys didn't wake me with a loud cry every couple of hours, my girls would anyway. And because of my supply issues, I'm not able to pump in advance so anyone else can feed them. As I wait for things to improve, I'll just stick to complaining and groggily threatening to give the babies away to the circus in the middle of the night (or so DH told me in the morning). But the kicker? I'm still watching tons of crappy TV while I nurse throughout the wee hours of the morning. Much to my own surprise, I'm a big Bret Michaels fan now. Be careful, those shows can wear you down.

-- The mall. It's as incredible as I remember it, after all these months. Hallelujah.

-- DH. I didn't mention this last time, but when the twins were 8 days old, DH developed two stress fractures in his right foot. He has been in an air cast ever since with instructions to take it easy, lest he develop a full-blown broken foot. Good timing, no? This leaves me 95% responsible for night duty, considering I'm the only one of us who can lactate or walk. He swears he doesn't know how it happened, but I'm not sure why the hammer was on the kitchen counter the morning after it developed. Well played, DH. Well played.

-- Twins. When Bean was a newborn, it was difficult for me to enjoy it because of all my new mommy anxiety. After finding out we were pregnant again, I was looking forward to feeling more confident with my baby and (hopefully) having a better time of it. Then came the news that it was twins. I was disappointed thinking that I would once again be overwhelmed (for a different reason this time) and would miss out on early bonding again. I am surprised to say that hasn't happened. Although having twins is much (much, much, much) more difficult than a singleton, I am enjoying it quite a bit. Because I am nursing for what feels like 22 hours out of the day, I get plenty of one-on-one time to stare lovingly at each twin. And they are so adorable together, smacking each other with uncontrolled limbs and trying to suck on the other's elbow. When we go out with our double infant stroller, we are swarmed by women who are biologically compelled to ooooh and awwww. I kinda feel like Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan with the paparazzi constantly following me. Without the head shaving and crotch flashing, of course.

-- Bean. He continues to be a rockstar with the babies. When he's tired, he does have flashes of jealousy (wanting me or my Mom to put down a baby to snuggle with him), and he did cry when we wouldn't let him climb in the infant swing earlier today. But overall, he continues to amaze us with his sweetness. This kid is pure gold. And he does the dishes. No you can't have him.


-- Pictures. Only slightly lower on the list of Difficult Things to Do with Twins beneath "sleeping" and "breastfeeding" is "getting a good picture of both of them." They can't even crawl out of the shot yet and I still had to fight the urge to drown myself in Puget Sound while trying to get a decent picture for their birth announcement. DH found the outtakes quite hilarious, and perhaps he is right. Now that I finally got one that I deemed acceptable (not posted here, watch your mail!) I suppose I can laugh about it too.