First week home update

Okay… so Marge is bugging me for updates so now that I have a second to catch my breath, here is a little about what we’ve been up to the last week.  This is sure to be scattered as my mind is slowly leaving me!

Zoey and Stella came home last Thursday night and the fun began.  The rest is a blur…

Just kidding!  But, we have been honing our sense of humor with these new additions.  Life is truly crazier and, as it turns out, more funny, than anything that someone could make up!  We are trying hard to laugh when we feel like crying, but I still cry a lot!  It is so overwhelming at times.

The tough things have been just trying to meet everyone’s needs while trying to get some sleep and take it easy so I can still heal.  Obviously, feeding them takes a lot of time since they eat about every 3-4 hrs.  However, we’ve been able to keep them on the same schedule, eating at the same time or one right after the other.  Stella is learning slower how to eat, so I worry about her, but I am hopeful she’ll pick up.  I am even learning to nurse them simultaneously, which I am now convinced should be an olympic event!  It boils down to the fact that the only way to conserve time is to try to cut the feeding time in half.  When we feed them one at a time it takes well over an hour start to finish… then we start again in two hours or so.

They are still confusing night with day and are fussier at night, but the other night we topped them off with an extra bottle before bed to help them settle down as well as put them in the same crib at night.  We were told to keep them in separate cribs when we are sleeping, but I swear they sleep better when they are at least in the same crib, even if at different ends!  We may put their cribs right next to each other so they can see each other but not be in the same crib.  Anyway, some nights are better than others, last night we slept great from about 10:30-1am and then the rest of the night was full of toddler temper tantrums and off and on baby crying tag teaming us!  That was tough.  We managed to squeeze in a small nap this morning for an hour or so before they woke up from napping to catch up a little.  I am hoping tonight is better!

Its amazing how different the girls are too.

Zoey was the first born and is definitely more of an eater and settles down better.  She eats faster and better than Stella and doesn’t need much from us in the way of soothing.  Stella is definitely more needy and has more trouble eating (which could be leading to her being fussier!).  She is learning slower how to eat well and is hungry more often, leading me to feed her in between their regular feedings a few times.  She also falls asleep more often while eating only to wake up 15 min. later screaming.  There have even been a few times when she would only settle down if I let her fall asleep on me in bed.  Not a good trend to be setting, but hey, whatever works at this point!  AND, they definitely look different, thank goodness!  Stella is rounder and Zoey is longer and taller.  So incredible- definitely fraternal.

Lucy is really the hard part since she is an active toddler having lots of “toddler” moments lately.  She is needing lots of extra reassurance and meltdowns are frequent.  On top of it, she’s been sick pretty much since I got home from the hospital off and on with fever, not eating and generally not being herself.  A few days ago she came down with a rash and we found out that she has roseola.  Ugh.  Its hard enough keeping up with her when she is her normal happy self, but its so hard to watch and deal with when you have 2 more babies on your plate to tend to.  I feel so bad for her.  So many changes for her and then this on top of it.  Thankfully the rash is much improved today.  She is resilient and I know she’ll make it through, even if not gracefully.  Hey, we don’t remember our siblings coming along at this close an age right?

I am healing slower than I thought I would, but I guess this is normal for having two different deliveries and being in labor or almost 24 hrs.  It doesn’t take much for me to have “done too much” and be paying for it.  Its very frustrating after being laid up since May to not be back to my normal self.  I swear since I was pregnant with Lucy the physical challenges haven’t stopped.  I can’t wait to just be myself and have my own body & energy back someday (hopefully soon)!  The incredible news is that I have lost almost 30 lbs. since I had the babies!  Its so amazing what your body can do!

Jason is doing amazingly well with all of this and I swear he has not sat down in weeks.  I don’t know how he keeps going in all of this and he has yet to break a sweat or get frustrated.  Now that is amazing to me.  I guess we don’t have a choice- just keep going!

My parents come out to help us for the next 3 weeks while Jason returns to work next week and Lucy’s last day of daycare is Friday (tomorrow).  Then, after that, I am on my own with the 3 of them!  YIKES!  I have no idea how I’ll do it or if we will all be sane and happy after this year.  Thinking about 3 weeks from now is possibly the most overwhelming, anxiety inducing thought I have constantly running in my head!

However, before I end this I need to brag about the small successes we’ve had lately!  On the second day they were home we all got somewhere on time (BIG DEAL!).  I gave them both baths back to back and fed them today and Jason gave Lucy a bath (while she screamed the whole time) tonight after that.  Fit all 3 of them in a 2 seater stroller (2 babies in the back with seat reclined) and after sweating it out getting everyone buckled in, took a 5 min. walk before it started down pouring tonight!  Feeding them at the same time.  Feeding one and soothing the other with my foot on the bouncy chair.  Jason, Lucy and I have sat down for dinner together each night since I have come home (thanks to all the food everyone has brought us!).  Holding, carrying and picking up two babies at once (sounds scary, but I’ve gotten good!).  I can also change them next to each other since they are both small enough to fit on the changing table together!

I am very humbled by this experience and I think its a good reality check to appreciate the small things in life & try to gain some perspective on what really matters…  more to come…