so far, so good

Last night was our 4th night of sleep training and it was the first night that Dan and I got a full night's sleep without any overnight help. I slept about 10 hours. I went to bed at 8:30 and got up at 6:15!!  Now, it wasn't a night without waking up though.  The girls still wake every now and again and fuss for a few seconds or a few minutes before falling back to sleep. I think in time, that will eventually disappear. And Molly still wakes around 4am and needs to eat. We'll work on giving that up in the next few weeks, but for now, I know she's hungry and it's not a big deal to feed her when I've slept the rest of the night. Actually, Dan fed her this morning, so that's how I got 10 hours of sleep. If I didn't have this pesty cold, I'd feel really good today!

Now, naptime is another story. We'll have to start working on that next. But, I remember with Lucy that naps didn't get better or consistent till around 5-6 months.  And I'm still struggling with putting them in the same room for naps. I know I need to so they'll learn to tune each other out, but they sleep so much better when they're not together. I wish we had one more bedroom.

Good bye paci!

The whole pacifier thing has been a nightmare for us this last month. As the girls got older they started depending on them more and more for sleeping at night. That wouldn't be so bad if they could keep it in their mouths or if they were able to put it back in if it fell out. But, unfortunately, they can't do either, so Dan and I have been up and down countless times during the nights to put that darn paci back in. 

It all came to a head Saturday night when Dan and I were up so many times putting pacifiers in the mouths of 2 little girls that we didn't get more than 1.5 hrs of consecutive sleep. It was a rough night. That next day, Sunday, I told Dan that we needed to do something about the paci and he was in total agreement. We were going to start with Annie because she seemed the least addicted to it and we were going to cut her off cold turkey!  I know, that sounds so harsh, but after almost 4 months of sleepless nights, and the most recent ones only getting worse instead of better,  it was time to do something! 

So, that night we put Annie to bed and we didn't give her the paci. There was crying involved and it was a long night, but Annie was learning to put herself back to sleep instead of relying on the paci to do it for her. Monday night was a litte better...still had some crying but better.  And last night, after a brief struggle to get her to go to bed, she did great all night long. Every once in a while I'd here a little cry, but it never lasted more than a few seconds. She went all night till 5:30am.  I think she's definitely learning and on her way to sleeping all night long!!! HOORAY!!

Now Molly on the other hand. Whew! I was going to let her wait a few more weeks as she just didn't seem to be ready to let go of the paci.  I was going to focus on Annie and get her straightened out and then work with Molly. But...we had a change of plans last night.  I put Molly to bed at 7:50 and within 30 minutes I'd already put the paci back in 2 times. Dan came into help and rocked her and got her settled down and at 9:00 put her in the bassinett in our room. I crawled in bed hoping to get some sleep but 8 minutes later, Molly lost the paci and was awake crying.

That was it for me. I was not going to be up all night putting the paci in her mouth every 10-15 minutes. So, we let her cry. It actually took her less time than Annie before she fell asleep. She woke up a few times throughout the night, but really she didn't do more than fuss. So we let her go. At 5:00am, she started crying and knew she was probably hungry so I fed her and she went right back to sleep for another hour.  Overall, she did much better than I ever expected. I think after a few more nights, both girls will be able to sleep all night without the paci!  I will be doing the happy dance when that happens.

Did I really say that I'm starting to believe I can actually do this?   Maybe that was said a little prematurely. The last few days have been awful.  I'm rethinking my last words of my last post.

almost 4 months of being a Mom of Multiples

Wow, has it really been almost 4 months? In many ways the past 3.5 months have been a blur, speeding by so quickly. But, it has also felt like the longest 3.5 months of my life. 

I really don't know where to even begin. Being a mom of twins + a toddler has been so much more difficult than I even thought it would be.  I knew things would be hard. I knew there would be a time of transition and that we'd all need some time to adjust and figure out what our new normal would be, but I will honestly say that this has been one of the hardest things I've ever done up until this point in my life. Things are getting easier, we are slowly getting into a routine. It really helps everyones moral when the babies sleep better at night. 

The lack of sleep has been the hardest thing to adjust to. With one newborn a parent doesn't get much sleep, but with 2...well, you can imagine.  It takes both Dan and I just to get through a night so neither one of us gets an adequate amount of sleep. It's getting better and occasionally we'll have one baby sleep through the night, but then the other one decides that they're going to be up multiple times. It just feels like we can't catch a break. I will say though, that we've been blessed with amazing friends and family who have come in from time to time and taken care of the babies at night so Dan and I could get a full nights sleep. That has been the greatest blessing and we are so thankful to those who've been willing to help.

As if the lack of sleep isn't bad enough, I truly think I had some Post Partum Depression going on. I remember with my first child that the first 2 weeks I cried alot. I cried about anything and everything. Most the time I was crying about nothing at all. But after those 2 weeks and my hormones calmed down, I was fine. This time though, it lasted longer and it's only been within the last few weeks that I've begun to feel like my old self again.  It's hard to function and want to get out and socialize when you feel like you're going to start sobbing uncontrollably at any minute.  I considered it a good day when I didn't break down. I am thankful I haven't had one of those days in awhile.

And the weather, GEESH! That certainly didn't help my mental state at all.  We've literally been cooped up for 3.5 months. We get to church on Sundays and that's been about it. Lately I've felt a bit braver and we've ventured out a little, but this winter has been so cold and snowy that I haven't wanted to drag 2 babies and a toddler out in it. And don't get me started on the germs. There have been so many "bugs" going around we've also stayed home just so we don't pick anything up.  I try and prevent as many illnesses as I can because 2 sick babies on top of everything else is that last thing my sanity can handle. They already got their first colds at 2 weeks because Lucy shared that with them. That was bad enough.

So, it's been pretty rough around here at times, but there's light at the end of the tunnel. I have started to see that faint flickering light and that's such a relief to me.  Annie and Molly are becoming more sociable and that helps. They smile and coo alot and are more fun to interact with. We are starting to see some personality differences in them and that's fun. So, things are slowly getting better and I'm actually starting to believe that I really can do this. 

I haven't forgotten about blogging. I really want to get back into it, but until these girls are sleeping through the night, it's just not going to happen.  We are tired. Very tired around here. I am hoping that this next month brings us much more sleep.  So, stay tuned. I will be back!

Final countdown

This morning I went in for my last prenatal appointment. They did an amniocentesis to check to make sure the babies' lungs were fully developed.  That whole procedure isn't horrible, but it's really not a pleasant thing to go through.  I got stuck a few times because they have to make sure the needle goes in at just the right place to get the fluid to withdraw. The doctor is guided by the sonographer who is finding the pocket of fluid. Then you have to make sure the baby doesn't move cause you don't want to poke the baby with the needle! Well, the little munchin wasn't cooperating at first and kept getting her toes in the way.

I have gained a total of 41 pounds in this pregnancy by 36 weeks.  That's not bad considering I had gained 38 pounds with Lucy by 39 weeks.

So, tomorrow is the big day!

36 weeks