Our New "Normal"

It's about time for an update, wouldn't you say?

Even though I made it to 33 weeks and 5 days, my last post was at the 24 week mark, about six months ago. Mostly because I got too tired to do much besides eat and nap (seriously though), and partly because my pregnancy was so smooth there really was nothing to report. I did update a bit on instagram just so people knew I was alive, though ;)

Anyway, it's been 4.5 months since we had our babies so I figured it would be good to start taking time to blog again since it's kind of the only journaling I do. I try to write a little bit at night between settling babies during my shift. I've written our 'birth story" (if you can even really call it that ha), a bit about their milk allergy, how my last few months went before delivery, and tried to remember what I could of the first few months up to this point.

And when I say "shift" I'm referring to the system Dillon and I worked out so that we could each get a chunk of sleep each night. Basically, Dillon goes to bed (or should but never does :/) at 9 pm then gets up at 3 am, and I stay awake and take care of the babies from 9 pm to 3 am then get to sleep until 9 am. In the early days we were feeding them every three hours even through the night so I would feed them at 9 and midnight and Dillon would feed them at 3 am and 6 am. Now they aren't quite so needy ;) but they still need a decent amount of settling. I dream of the nights when they sleep more soundly and for longer.

As of now, our babies are 18 weeks. They eat 4-4.5 ounces and sleep from 9pm (I know, super late bedtime, we're working on it) to 1am (due to needing to do their tongue tie stretches), then until 5am and then until 8 when we start the day, then eat every three hours again. They don't sleep super well, waking every hour or so, which means we are still doing our night time shifts to keep them settled, but hope that once Lydia's tongue tie is taken care of and her stretches are over we can get the babies sleeping longer and maybe we can finally sleep in the same room again at the same time!

They are usually awake by 7-7:30 but Lydia can usually sleep until 8 (at least that's what Dillon tells me since he's with them then. Ashlee, the girl we hired, shows up at 8 and for the last little while has been letting me sleep in until the 11 am feed. It's been great because my body kind of gave up a few weeks ago. She is so wonderful and we don't know what we'd do without her. We love her and the babies love her!

Though Lydia was the first to sort of laugh (and hasn't since), Quin has outright laughed two times and Beck laughed for the first time at Ashlee last week (she was singing a song to him and he loved it--he loves being sung to. But she got his first smile, too, so I think he just loves Ashlee ;)), and has a few more times since. He has also found his voice and has started making the softest little vowel sounds which are so cute. And Quin keeps squealing and talking most of the time. Silly little Lydia is just a grunter but she has started smiling with her entire face and it is so adorable.

All these little laughs and smiles have made my heart explode in a way I've never experienced before. Iv'e heard many a baby laugh, but there's something about your own baby laughing that is just the best thing in the world. And for those who know me and my crying habits (seriously, 3-4 times a year), you'll be surprised to know that I totally cried happy tears as I was getting Quin to laugh.

We really love these babies and are just so glad they are finally here with us, growing and learning and making us happy! Now if they could only sleep more/better ;)