That's A Wrap: Summer 2015

I think it is safe to say we will never have another summer like the summer of 2015.  We rang in the new year knowing that this summer would mark the birth of two more children as well as Reese turning two, but nothing really could have prepared us for all the monumental shifts we experienced in our family. Since my brain exists in a fog these days, I want to recap this for my own records as I will likely never remember it otherwise.

May:  I know May isn't technically summer but in my head it always marks the beginning of summer for me so I'm going with it.  My third trimester was in full swing and I was feeling rough.  This month brought about a slew of contractions and "maybe babies" trips to triage that left us scrambling to get coverage for Reese just in case the babies came. Not fun.  I cut back on work significantly and we celebrated several birthdays in the family. Tom completed his fourth Flying Pig Half Marathon and we were in major twin prep mode.  I didn't know it at the time but my last day of work was May 29th, our fifth wedding anniversary, as I would go into premature labor just a few days later. 

June:  I kicked off the month of June by promptly going into labor at 33 weeks on June 1st.  This earned me a week in the hospital where labor was thankfully stopped and I was sent home on bed rest.  That week was terrible for a myriad of reasons I won't go into but suffice to say the first half of June was brutal waiting for our boys to arrive.  Any mom who has experienced a twin pregnancy knows what I'm talking about!  

On the evening of June 15th I went into labor again and we dutifully headed to triage hoping this was it.  A few hours later in the wee hours of June 16th our sweet little men were born and our family was complete.  Hands down the highlight of the summer!

July:  July marked Tom's return to work and us settling into our new normal.  This month was a blur of the newborn life x2 and if I didn't have the pictures to prove it I'm not sure I would even remember it. This month also marked my first outing with all three children (music class for Reese) and looking back I have no idea what I was thinking taking that on three weeks post-partum! We got by with a lot of help from family (hi mom!) and if it weren't for them I'm not sure I'd be standing today.  Three children under the age of two is no joke and not for the faint of heart. 

We wrapped up the month with our very best girl's second birthday and celebrated with family. 

August:  Things got a little tough this month thanks to some unwelcome colic and other difficult transitions. We powered through and found joy where we could.  I had my first outing away from the babies (a friend's bachelorette) and Tom held down the fort like the champ he is. I became a lot more confident in taking all three children out by myself and we frequented the park, the library, and made our usual Target runs.  I figured out a configuration of baby wearing/toddler hand holding that works for brief trips to the store which I'm pretty proud of :). Overall we enjoyed our time together and just took it one day at a time. 

That's a wrap on an epic and most life changing summer!

W & H// Months 2 & 3!

Months two and three were a bit of a doozy, with some soaring highs and difficult lows. While its been wonderful watching each boy grow and develop their own personalities, it has come with new challenges.  Right around six weeks Henry seemed to develop colicky behavior and things got a little hairy.  There is no worse feeling than seeing your child upset and not being able to fix it.  On most days 3pm seemed to be the magical hour where things would shift and Henry would become upset for seemingly no reason at all.  He would cry on and off (mainly on) until about 9pm when he'd give in and fall asleep.  We tried everything from swaddling, pacifiers, gas drops, swing, probiotics, white noise, lights on, lights off, rocking/swaying...you name it we tried it.  It was frustrating and completely heart breaking and overall hard on everyone.  Mom guilt was the central theme for these months, feeling like I couldn't help Henry and that I wasn't giving William and Reese the attention they needed and deserved.  I spent a lot of energy hoping and praying my little Henry would return to his happy and chill little self, and around 3.5 months he did.  Alas, everyone survived this challenging period and we're all doing just fine!

                         

          

These months were hard but certainly not all bad.  Both boys started really smiling and cooing and interacting with the world around them.  It goes without saying that having twins means a ton more work, but it also means a ton more awesomeness when they are both cooing and laughing at the same time.  It's crazy adorable.  Schedule wise, the boys started going to bed around 9, woke up once overnight to eat and then again around 6/7am before going right back down until their 9am feeding.  There have been a few nights when the boys slept from about 9:30 to 5:00, but those aren't common place.  Since I still have to get up to pump anyway, the overnight feeding(s) really aren't too big of a deal {thank you coffee}Henry and William have been troopers traipsing all over town taking Reese to various activities and continue to be the sweetest little guys. I'm glad I took a lot of pictures during these months because they are proving to be a total blur!

W&H// 4 Months!!

On October 16th my sweet little boys turned 4 months old and dare I say, I'm getting the hang of things a bit more.  As we approached four months I began working on a schedule for them as well as consistent nap and bed time routines. I'm not doing any sort of sleep training at this young age but just trying to get some good sleep habits in place and not royally screw that up like I did with Reese!  The boys continue to be full of joy and follow our voices around the room.  They smile, coo, gurgle and laugh and it really just slays me.  I continue to feed them at the same time and aim to put them down for tandem naps and for now, this has been my life saver.  Now that Henry's colic seems to have subsided (please God keep it that way) things are less stressful and everyone seems to be thriving.  Breastfeeding two babies while taking care of a toddler just didn't work for me so I have chosen to pump exclusively and although it has its challenges, it is working for now.  I try to take it day to day and just keep my eye on the prize.

 

Reese continues to be a phenomenal big sister and for barely being two she is the most helpful and sweet little girl.  Of course we have had our challenges with the big adjustment, but she makes huge strides each month and I'm bursting with pride for her.  I never could have imagined what it would be like to watch your three children play and interact with one another and it is proving to be truly magical.

 

I still have moments every day when I feel overwhelmed or not up to the task of caring for three kids 2 and under, but those moments are becoming fewer and further between and I'm feeling more confident as a mom to such young children.  I'll always wish for more arms and more hours in the day, but until I can make those things happen I will keep doing the best I can.  I feel very lucky to have this time with them and I want to soak it all up...the good, bad, and even the ugly :)

W&H// One Month!

On July 16th the twins turned one month old.  Just like their sister, it is still so crazy to me that we celebrated their one month birthday before their due date! The month was full of visits from family and friends, late nights, early mornings, and more happiness than I could have imagined.

During the first month the boys stayed on a three hour feeding schedule, day and night. After a
successful one month well check we were given the green light to cease waking them every three hours at night.  They still wake roughly every 3-4 hours to eat but go back down easily so I really have no complaints. 

The biggest challenge this far, and one I think I underestimated, is meeting the needs of all three children at once.  This is a huge transition for Reese at not even two years old, so helping her through it while meeting the demands of caring for newborn twins is much harder and more emotional than I ever really thought.  I think I tell myself I'm a terrible mom about 20 times a day, but I'm working on that!  I have faith we'll all get the hang of our new normal and keep reminding myself things are only going to get easier.  

We are soaking up every moment of our last newborn days and although they are exhausting and pass at a neck-breaking pace, things are so much better than we could have imagined. 

TWO

Dear Reese,

So much has changed in the last year and I've watched in awe as you have grown from my little baby to a full fledged little girl.  It is equal parts thrilling and heart breaking.  I suppose I will be saying this for the rest of my life, but I have no idea where the last year has gone.  It feels like I just put you bed on the eve of your first birthday, and here we are celebrating your second birthday!  Just three months after you turned one we found out you would become a big sister to not one but TWO babies.  The next eight months were spent doting on you and spending as much one on one time with you as possible.  You were such a trooper through my pregnancy and took it easy on me as much as I could expect.  

We spent this year playing at the children's museum, hitting up story time at the library, going to our favorite parks, and just enjoying each other.  It has been a fantastic year! 

The weekend before your birthday your dad and I took you to the zoo for a special birthday trip.  You thoroughly enjoyed yourself and particularly loved the giraffes, elephants, and of course, monkeys.

On the day of your birthday you woke up extra early and were greeted with streamers hanging from your bedroom door.  I wish I had a picture of this but sometimes you just have to live in the moment.  Your brothers had just had a feeding and were snoozing so we were able to focus 100% on you. We came downstairs and opened presents and you dug into your birthday donuts.  

You were somewhat lukewarm when it came to presents but you loved the balloons!  We spent the day together and your nana came over to play with us and help get ready for your party.  We had a fun pizza party and opened present and you simply had a blast! 

Watching you grow is one of the greatest privileges of my and your dad's lives and we love you so very, very much.  Happy birthday to my loving, fiery, and amazing little girl.  "You are my sun, my moon, and all of my stars."

Love, 

Mama

William & Henry

William Charles and Henry Paul Shannon joined our family in the early hours of June 16, 2015.  William was born at 1:02am weighing 6lbs. 7oz. and Henry was born at 1:04am weighing 6lbs.  Although the boys were five weeks early and had a brief stint in the NICU, they were home 8 days after birth and are doing exceptionally well.  We are beyond grateful for these precious boys and their health and well being.  Welcome babies!

Reese is 18 Months Old & Some BIG BIG News...

Back on January 29th, Reese turned 18 months old.  I really didn't plan to let four months lapse on here but when you find out you're expecting....TWINS.  Yes, we are expecting twins and I'm currently 23 weeks along.  We found out about a month ago that we are expecting two BOYS and we are crazy excited (and scared shitless...but thrilled).  Life right now is a whirlwind of excitement, planning, stress, and simply trying to soak in every last second of life with just our sweet girl.  I'm not gonna lie, these are big changes and my anxiety is through the roof.  It took a good two months after finding out we were having twins for the thought to even settle.  We will have three children under the age of two.  Three.  I really have no idea how I'm going to handle this but I'm not the first person to do it and at the end of the day, I just can't wait to meet these little boys.

Back to the original gangster...Reese is 18 months!  I am straight up loving this age.  She is so fun and legitimately hilarious.  Since her baby book is still sitting mainly empty, here are her stats so one day I can show her that her mama actually did keep track of this mundane stuff....

Weight: 22 lbs. 12 oz. (52nd percentile)
Height: 32  inches (63rd percentile)
Teeth: 12 and number 13 (a canine) is coming in.

Sleeping: 12 hours at night (approx 7pm-7am). We had a couple of weeks there where she transitioned to one nap a day, but since then it's been all over the place and we're still trying to figure out if she needs one or two naps.  Considering my exhaustion levels right now are bone crushing, I could really use a set nap schedule.  But we'll push through.

Playing:  This winter was simply brutal on a toddler and very pregnant mama, but we pushed through with trips to the Children's Museum, story time at the library, and your basic Target runs.  R has really gotten into coloring and she will spend a considerably long time coloring in her Mickey coloring book.  She continues to love all kinds of music, particularly Tom playing the guitar and the toddler station on Pandora.  R is super into babies right now, which is good timing since she's going to be a big sister in a few months.  Now that we've had a glimpse of spring she is back to playing outside and loving it.  She is still completely infatuated with Lily and loves to chase her around the house with her stroller.

Likes: Library story time (we moved up to the toddler class), playing with other toddlers,  reading books, music, owl straw cup, playing with anything mom or dad has, helping in the kitchen (making food, putting things away, etc), anything having to do with animals (particularly DOGGGGGIES), Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (which she has watched way more of than I'd like thanks to a rough first trimester with the twins and an evil winter) and her beloved snacks.  R really loves doing things for herself but always makes sure to check that mom is close by.  She has also become very interested in my growing belly.  She constantly asks me to lift my shirt up so she can see it, and then gently pats it and waves hi to the babies.  It is about the sweetest thing I've ever seen.  Tom has been taking her out on Saturday afternoons for outings to give me time to rest and her love and adoration for her dad has truly blossomed.  If Reese can't see Tom or isn't sure he is, she will walk around the house beckoning him by shrieking Da?! Da?!  Again...the sweetest thing you've ever seen.

Dislikes:  Car seat (I've just accepted the fact that she hates the car seat...but I'm not willing to face her forward on the off chance that it will improve things.)  diaper changes, being told no and redirected, doctor's appointments, having something taken away from her, mom and dad leaving for work, and generally being told something is off limits. Pretty typical toddler stuff.

Says: Reese really understands so much and can easily follow simple instructions (i.e. please throw that in the garbage, can you hand mommy your milk cup?)  Her recent lingo includes mama, da! (daddy), Yee Yee (Lily), there you go, all done, no, down, oh shoooow (oh shoot), do do (please or do that), hi, and doggy.  I"m sure there are other phrases I'm forgetting but these are the main ones.  She  jibber jabbers all day and I'm excited for the day that she starts to put it all together.

Reese continues to be fiercely independent which, as her mom, I both love and slightly dislike since that means she needs me less and less.  Although I think a small part of me will always be a little sad she isn't a tiny baby anymore, 18+months is totally my jam and I truly love watching her grow and explore.  I'm trying to savor as much one on one time as I can before we get closer to her twin brothers arriving.    I've had a lot of mama guilt about how bringing home TWO siblings at once will effect her.  I wrestle with major, major, guilt about all the changes coming Reese's way, but I keep reminding myself giving her two siblings so close in age are built in playmates for life.   Deep breaths.