Weekend Adventures

I am a day behind in my blogging, please forgive me and let me relay our weekend run down:

This weekend was the first time Tony and I have had both kids with no help overnight; it’s been crazy and we’ve had our fair share of screaming moments (both the kids screaming, and us wanting to scream in return), but we also have had our fair share of laughter and sweet moments with the kids this weekend. I wouldn’t trade it.

Saturday:

The kids were 3 months old on Saturday. We celebrated with: a trip to the gym to watch the Open WOD, naps for everyone, and pictures in the “feeding chair”. I hope that I will get better with the pictures as the months go by; we are so thankful to have both the kids home so we could get a picture of them together to mark their three months.

Sunday:

We celebrated Easter today by loading up the truck and heading over to my mom and dad’s. We were the Collett circus: two kids in the back with a dog in the middle, and bags and packs galore. We had fun spending time with our family and seeing everyone, eating lots of great food, and celebrating Easter. Enough with the talk, here are some pictures of our adventure.  Happy Easter, everyone!

Cousins

Friday was a very exciting day at the Collett house because Jack and Harper got to meet their cousins, Wyatt and Sloane, and their Aunt Kerry and Uncle Eric. The Sandbergs drove in from Houston, picked up dinner, and then spent time holding babies, visiting, and reminding Tony and I how quickly the infant stage really does pass.

Both Wyatt (a month shy of 7) and Sloane (4) were anxious to hold their new cousins and introduce themselves. Wyatt was a big helper entertaining Jack while we ate dinner; he sang to him and talked to him, and Jack just stared at Wyatt. Sloane was all about Harper. She declared that she would hold Harper by herself and no one needed to help her. Sloane also asked if she could take Harper home with her; I’m sure she’d be ready to bring her right back when Harper started crying in the middle of the night.  Overall, the visit went great and we can’t wait to see more of the cousins at Easter dinner.

We also had Jack’s swallow test and found out the results immediately. Poor little guy, like his sister, was aspirating his milk, which means he was getting milk into his lungs when he ate anything. His aspirations, unlike Harper’s, were silent- he didn’t scream or try to pull away from the bottle. So, now Jack is also on thickened formula, the same recipe as sister. This means a couple of things for our household. First, it means that we no longer need to color code our bottle system, which will save in time and confusion. It also means that I can wean myself off the pump and go through our overflowing deep freeze and decide how much breast milk I want to keep to have later to mix with cereal, when they start eating that, and how much I want to go ahead and donate now.  Since I will no longer be pumping, it also means I can start getting a little more sleep, eat more of what I want to, and Tony will no longer have to make fortified bottles every night. So, while I’m sad that I won’t get to nurse anymore, Jack seems much happier (and screams much less when burping) and our household benefits as well, so we will chalk it up to good overall and move on.

The last thing that we embarked upon last night was our first night alone with the twins. We spent nights alone with Jack, but Debbie was here when Harper got home, and my mom has been here since Debbie left. Last night was okay, but not great. We each logged a total of 6-7 hours of sleep- but only 2-3 hours at a time. We will see how today goes.  I’ll leave you with one last picture of Harper and Jack from Friday afternoon. I think Jack has finally learned how to keep his sister quiet…

Working Mom

The twins now officially have a “working mom” (who was too tired to blog last night). I made it through my first day back and live to tell the tale. It actually wasn’t too bad; my colleagues brought treats to share in the office, a little welcome back party of sorts, and the kids signed a welcome back banner for me. I was surprised how excited the kids were to see me; one senior came by and said she heard I was back because everyone was Tweeting about me. We shall see how long this honeymoon lasts.

While Tony and I were at work, the kids got to stay home and play. Our nanny, Durinda, was here right on time and my mom stayed today also so she could help with the transition. Mom said Durinda was great with the kids and the kids, in turn, were good for her. They got to take turns in the bouncy chairs, swing, and hammock, and mom even snapped this very sweet picture of the two of them hanging out in Harper’s crib.  The twins also got a visit from their Pop who came by and had lunch, and then cuddled with some sleepy babies- we call it putting the “sleeper hold” on them. Pop is great at getting his grandkids to calm down when they’re tired and fighting sleep.

 

We are lucky enough to have some great neighbors who brought by dinner so Tony didn’t have to cook and we spent the evening visiting with my parents and watching some college basketball. Jack picked one spot, his hammock, and slept there most of the evening; meanwhile, Miss Harper played musical chairs and would sit any place we put her, but only for 45 minutes or so and then she would demand a change of scenery- this should be fun to deal with as she gets bigger.  We did get a very cute picture of her snuggling with her brother’s “lovey”, the frog. My dad handed it to her when she was fussing and that thing kept her busy for 30 minutes.

In other news, Jack’s swallow study is at 10:30 this morning- I hope to have some answers to his horrible reflux by lunch- fingers crossed. We could all hear it coming up last night after he ate, and the poor guy, couldn't get comfortable to sleep. This is starting to impact him in more ways than one and I want to get him any relief I can. I will keep everyone posted with the results.

We're Gonna' Miss This- Vol. 2

As I sit at the kitchen table typing the blog, I can hear Tony in the babies’ room moving the antique rocker back and forth in rhythm. He’s got a little girl in a pink sleep sack curdled up on his shoulder; she’s great at playing possum and then popping those eyes open as soon as her head hits the mattress. Everyone has taken a shift rocking and soothing tonight in an effort to get those kiddos to sleep. It just seems that all they want to do is snuggle and cuddle, and to be honest, if I could go to work with both of them strapped to me, I would.

Then I think, in a few months, they’ll be too big to scoop them both up at the same time, and in the blink of an eye, I will be asking them to come and sit on my lap and give me a hug and they will be the ones too preoccupied to rush to my side. I know that day will come far sooner than I am prepared for. So, to get us through this clingy baby phase, I remind Tony that one day his little girl won’t fit snuggled up on his shoulder- a sad reality.

In the mean time, Mom and I had a productive day working in the nursery and getting things ready for the big day tomorrow. I was lucky enough to get to take breaks from my work to feed and love on the kiddos- note the picture of my lunch date today. She was very serious about talking to me and to her Nana while we were eating.

I also had a little helper while I sorted laundry and hung baby clothes; note her protector lying on the floor. Abby has been great about tolerating the crying and the new smells and the people who come by to see the babies and not her. She’s such a good big sister that we take her for granted, so a big shout out to Abigail and her calm demeanor around the kiddos.

I sign off tonight to hop in bed early so I can make it out the door in the morning and back to reality. If you are a prayerful person, I would appreciate a quick prayer for our family tomorrow; thank you in advance.

Two Days and Counting

I know that I shouldn’t be focusing on myself in this blog; I know that this blog is about the kids and the milestones that they are meeting. However, I can’t help but be consumed by the fact that I’m headed back to work on Thursday. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sitting around crying thinking about work- I like my job and love the people I work with- but I am reminded at every turn that I only have one “tomorrow” before I will occupy my days with big kids and won’t have time to organize the nursery, or write thank you notes, or play with kiddos.  So, in that spirit, I’ve been trying to cram in everything that I think needs to be done before time runs out.

Mom and I spent the morning feeding kids, sanitizing bottles, going through my work clothes to find things I can actually wear, organizing the kids’ closet, and visiting with friends who stopped by. Amidst all of this, Mom decided to walk Abby and I was left with both kiddos- one of whom wanted to be held, both of whom were awake- and I had a panic feeling that I wouldn’t get done all of my “to-do’s”. When this feeling struck me, this feeling that I wasn’t being a productive mother because I was holding one baby and talking to the other instead of folding laundry, I was taken aback. I had to step outside of myself and give myself a swift kick in the rear. How in the world would I be an unproductive mother by spending time with my kids?  I promptly took advantage of the half hour or so that I had and below is the picture of what we did with our time and also my picture of the day.

I realized in that moment that I’m not going to be a June Cleaver mom. My house will probably always have some sort of clutter, and I’m sure I’ll have two or three things going on, but never quite finished, and I certainly won’t run the vacuum everyday or meet Tony at the back door in a freshly pressed dress with dinner on the table (ha ha).  Very few things could’ve torn me away from my kiddos and our book today- a memory that I will treasure and certainly never regret abandoning my chores to make. So, as I head back to work, I hope I remember that even the grading and reading and things I always made a priority the last few years, even those can and will wait. I would rather fill my evenings with Horton Hears a Who and baby yawns and, yes, even crying. I hope for a lifetime of moments that tear me away from the things I “should do”, and instead leave me with memories far more satisfying than a stack of folded towels or a spotless kitchen island.  

Times, They Are A Changing

What a difference a week makes. This time last week, Tony was off work, Debbie was here, and we were learning how to adjust to a house with both a little boy and a little girl.

Fast forward one week: Tony is back to work, Tony’s mom has gone home and my mom is here now, Harper has been home 11 days, our nanny, Durinda, is coming this week, and I’m going back to work on Thursday.  Times, they are a changing.

Durinda came this morning; she’s met both of the kids, but needed to get a tour of the new bottle system, and I needed help juggling two kids during the day. We are so lucky and so blessed to have someone who cares so much about our kiddos and who is so patient and understanding of the twins and their needs. Durinda was undaunted when one baby would cry while she was trying to tend to the other one. Jack got all worked up because he wanted to eat “right now” and we weren’t moving fast enough for him and Harper, poor thing, had a vomiting experience while I was showing Durinda the particulars of her eating schedule- these events didn’t scare Durinda away. I know she’s going to be a great asset to our household, and while going back to work is overwhelming for me, it’s much easier knowing I’m leaving my precious babies in such capable hands.

With both Tony and I working this week, we’ve also had a change in our overnight schedule. While Debbie was here, it made the most sense for everyone to take a shift with both babies, thus ensuring each person got some sleep. My mom is with us this week to help ensure both Tony and I get some sleep so we can function outside the house. To try and accomplish this, we have split the babies up- Mom has Jack, and Tony and I have Harper. The thought is that you get up with the baby you’re assigned to and sleep when they sleep. I am grateful to my mom for taking on this challenge. We will see how this experiment works. Tony and I are hoping this is a step in the right direction so one day, we can wrangle both kiddos overnight by ourselves.

Picture of the “day” (actually night), goes to Harper showing off her new sleeping location- the pack and play in our room (as opposed to the snuggle chair in the living room). This seems to be a hit- we shall see.

We're Gonna' Miss This- Vol. 1

The twins are twelve weeks old today- wow, yes, twelve weeks. Where does the time go? I found myself looking through all of the pictures of the twins today- from the moment they took their first breaths, the day they were granted permission to wear clothes, when they first saw each other, their first baths, their last day on oxygen, the last moment spent inside the confines of the NICU. Twelve weeks and I can't believe how much they've changed already. I'm so thankful for the pictures we have, because I don't want to forget a single moment of it- even the bad days I want to remember because they remind me how lucky I really am.

I heard a song in the car today that talked about different phases of life and the chorus promised, "you're going to miss this; you're going to want this back. You're going to wish these days hadn't gone by so fast..." I can't help but feel that way already and I'm only a few weeks into this whole parenting thing.  So, with the thought in mind that one day my children will no longer fit on my lap, and won't smell of baby lotion, and fall asleep in my arms- so sad, with those things in mind I decided to chronicle some things that I never want to forget.

Today I'll focus on Jack, my little man, and two great pictures, both very important to me for different reasons. The first picture is of Jack sitting in "his chair" (borrowed from the Sterlings- shout out), and he has scooted down almost to the point of falling out, thrown off his blanket, and somehow managed to get his burp rag on his head- what a mess, but the look on his face is adorable and makes me want to scoop him up and laugh with him. He always brings a smile to my face.


The second picture speaks for itself. These are my favorite moments of the day; when he's too big to hold and cuddle, this is what I will miss the most.  Grow up, grow big and strong, but don't be in too much of a hurry, my Little Man; don't be in too much of a hurry.