Ethan celebrated his 4th birthday last week.
On the same day Calin and Teagan turned 5 months old.
Since I've only been posting pictures and haven't been very good about writing on the blog lately, I'll take a few minutes out of my sleep time to summarize the past few months.
Are we sleeping?
YES! Calin and Teagan have been sleeping 9-10 hours through the night for almost 2 months now. They have their last bed-time bottle just before 9pm and they usually wake up between 6-7am. These days we try to give them their pacifiers if they wake up before 6:30 and it will get us another 20-30 minutes of sleep.
They each have their own crib as they move around a lot in their sleep now. For the past week or two we've had to respond to crying in the middle of the night because one or both of their heads are smashed into the crib rails. (No, we don't have bumpers in the cribs because they are no longer considered safe)
And, we have all 3 kids sleeping in one room. :) It's actually working out really well. Ethan absolutely loves having the babies in his room. Amazingly, they all sleep through any crying, fussing or talking.
So, sleep is fabulous and we're glad to be back.
How is the big brother?
Ethan loves his babies and shows them off to everyone. He is so proud of them and loves to give them hugs and kisses. Now that the babes are becoming more active Ethan engages them in play and gives them toys. When I pick Ethan up from camp (which has been a lifesaver- 3 mornings a week for the entire summer) he yells for all his friends to come see his babies. He is the sweetest big brother.
How do we get around?
Having a older child has forced me to get out of the house daily and lead a normal life as if I weren't toting around two car seats. It would be very easy to slip into a bad habit of staying indoors because "it's too difficult to do things with twins."
Nope, I go everywhere everyday. Today we went to Costco after I picked Ethan up from camp. I found that the easiest way to shop is with one baby in the Baby Bjorn and one in the car seat on the shopping cart. Ethan usually walks or hangs/rides on the side of the cart. This way Teagan and Calin can look at each other and I actually have room in my cart for shopping! For the first couple months I just put all my items in the basket of the double stroller, but that was a pain and I could never buy any large items (like paper towels or toilet paper). So, this new system works well...until they grow out of their infant car seats.
Overall, I've put myself in the mindset that getting out with twins and a 4 year old is a piece of cake. And if it all goes to hell then we drop the cart and run for the nearest exit (which hasn't happened yet, but I have had to purchase pacifiers at the store multiple times because I forgot to pack any).
How are mom and dad doing?
Nick and I are handling the chaos very well. Life is busy and every day is physically and emotionally demanding but we find time to relax at the end of the day and even get away on dates with help from our parents. Date nights are a must! Having family nearby is an absolute must with twins!
We're headed up to the cabin again this weekend to celebrate our anniversary and Nick's parents will be watching the kids on Saturday so we can go out and celebrate.
Ok, I can't cut into my sleep much more. I love getting 8 hours of sleep again! And yes, we still drink mochas every morning. :)
