9pm: I walk in the door from work. "We need to get this show on the road!" Mylin is finally asleep, and it's time to start the babies night time routine. I tandem feed them. Daniel runs our old, rotting, stranger/inanimate object aggressive, blind dog out to go to the bathroom. He hurries back to help burp one of the twins and speed along the process. This is usually the point where he starts to get a little frantic, stating "Even if I get to bed 10 minutes from now and the babies sleep through the night I'll only get 6 hours of sleep. I then get the bathtub ready with the perfect temp water and bathe each baby separately. Daniel grabs the first clean baby and I begin the next. It's a well oiled machine at this point. We slather them down with lotion and butt paste before applying a fresh diaper and clean jammies. We're praying for a good stretch of sleep tonight. Meanwhile, there are 2 bottles warming with milk I've pumped and stored in the fridge. We do bottles so that they have a way to take both their vitamins and their probiotics. At this point Lakyn pretty much refuses to do the last feeding of the night unless it is from a bottle. We each feed and burp a baby.
10:30pm: The babies have cluster fed. (Thank God for tandem feeding!)We've bathed them and hopefully we are all ready for bed. Oh, except me of course. This is my last pumping session of the day. It always puts me in bed at least a good 20 minutes behind everyone else by the time everything is stored and cleaned. That's if both babes agreed it was time for bed. Tonight though Lakyn is fussing and busting out of her swaddle, which makes her cry even more. Those crazy flailing baby arms really muster up some screams! Luckily it doesn't last more than a half hour.
1am: Mylin has awoke from a dream and is screaming "Mama!!! Mommy!!!" over and over at the top of her lungs. Sadly, I have learned if I want her to go back to sleep or get any sleep myself, I have to ignore it. She'll eventually put herself back to bed. Tonight she screams for 45 minutes.
2:30am: Babies first feeding and bootie change of the new day. (It is always, without fail, Eisley who wakes up for a feeding. We really think Lakyn would sleep through the entire night given the chance, but are too afraid to test that hypothesis. With our luck, Lakyn would wake up hungry as soon as we fall asleep after tending to Eisley.) I get the ginormous pillow as Daniel gets up, turns off the fan, and un-swaddles the babies (if there is anything left of the swaddle at this point, from all the fussing). He then hands me babies as we both struggle to stay awake. Lakyn is in such a deep sleep I have to jiggle her and sometimes even wipe her face down with a cold cloth to wake her. Once the first baby is done eating I usually have to wake Daniel, so that he can start the burping process. Then it's bootie changes, swaddles, and back to bed.
These days we get pretty lucky and can land ourselves back in bed within a half hour. That is, as long as both babies are easily lulled back to sleep.
4am: Daniel's Alarm goes off. He gets ready, kisses me good-bye, and I'm on my own.
5am: Another feeding and bootie change.
This feeding usually lasts longer and I always have to stay up to pump. I am lucky if I can hop into bed after 45min-1hour. That is a rarity though. Since the babies have been born Mylin has been waking during the 6 o'clock hour, rather than her normal 7:30am.
6:15am: "Mama! I awake! Mama!!!! Come ge' me. Mommyyyyy! Mama! MAMA!!!" The little monster is awake for the day. Eye yey eye.
6:30am: After a giving myself a pep talk and rising to my feet I finally release Mylin :) She tells me good morning and gives me a tight squeeze. She tells me she's peed and needs a bootie change. Without fail, once the bootie change is done, she declares she is "hungary!" I give her fresh berries and yogurt just in time for....
7am: Screaming babies!!! They're hungry again. Yes. Again. I set one baby on the bed, strap on my ginormous pillow, pick up the other baby, and take her to the bed. Tandem feeding is such a time saver, but proves tricky when home alone. In the middle of feeding the babies I hear, "Mama! I'm done!!! Want down, Mama! Down! Mama!" I finish feeding the babies and change them. I then clean up My, who has been eating breakfast alone at the kitchen table :( There is yogurt all over the wall, table, and booster. As I hear fussing babies, in need of pacifiers, I ponder when I'll get the chance to clean that up. I put the babies in their swings, start the mobiles, give them their pacifiers, and start a show for Mylin.
8am: I get to eat! (if I'm lucky of course) I try to enjoy as Mylin is begging at the gate between the kitchen and living room "Mama, play toys wis me? Wanna play toys wis me?" When that doesn't get me moving right away she begins to torture the babies; she squeezes their hands, scratches them, or pushes the swings far too fast if I don't catch her first. "Mama I scratching the babies!" (Oh awesome, My so glad! NOT!) I know she will be better behaved if I get her out of the house, and it's with this in mind I decide to prepare to take all 3 girls to the park... ALONE. I pack up the diaper bag making sure it's properly stocked, which is quite the task in itself. Attempting to get Mylin ready is always a good time... insert sarcasm here. She is totally picky about everything she wears all the way down to which flip flops. Considering we have now entered the terrible 2's this whole process is never complete without an on the floor, screaming, kicking, crying, pounding over the top fit! The cherry on top is when she gets up to go to the mirror and see what her little drama queen face looks like as she forces tears down her face. (This girl is an actress in the making!) I then have to get the girls changed according to the weather.
9am: Guess what time it is!!! Oh, yeah, the twins are hungry again. I position the 2 bouncers on either side of a blanket I have tripple folded on the floor, against the couch. The babies are screaming and their faces are turning to the likeness of a plum. I put each baby in a bouncer, only to have them freak out so bad they nearly slide out. Now to find that huge pillow again! I strap it on and sit on my folded blanket. This is where you have to be strategic. I grab the least fussy baby and place them on the pillow. Turning that hip towards the ceiling, I attempt to grab the fussiest baby and get her on the pillow. (Thank God for Mother's of Multiples blogs! If it weren't for time saving strategies like these I might go crazy!!) Once they are eating it's a blur of talking Mylin down from climbing the entertainment center, the table, the window sill, and well just about anything a little monkey can climb. She then states, frustrated and ready to go, "Mama, we go to park? Put baby down! We go to park!" I finish feeding the babies and change them.
9:45am: Finally ready to head out the door. I strategically place the twins inside the MobyWrap. Then I fight Mylin who doesn't want to put her kiddie leash on (It's the only way I can safely get to the stroller with all 3) and OHHHH whatta ya know! Now she doesn't want to go to the park?! Oh to be 2! I force her to put the puppy back pack on (it's the leash) and remind her she'll love it once we are there. Finally out of our door, but more fun awaits. We live on the "3rd" (which is really the 4th) floor of a walk up. Mylin quickly says "Mama, I carry you!" To which I reply, "That's sweet you're going to carry me?" She corrects herself and says "You carry me!" I remind her that with the babies in the pack that's impossible and since she is now a big girl she is perfectly capable of doing it on her own while holding the railing. WE FINALLY MAKE IT OUTSIDE!!!!! I put Mylin in her seat at the front of our bulldozer of a stroller and release her from the leash. Then I carefully take the babies out of the pack and get them settled into the stroller. The fresh air revives me and usually makes the struggle of leaving the apartment seem pretty worth it. The first thing we do (to help me survive the remainder of the day) is head to Starbucks to see Papa. Many comments and stares about the stroller and the babes await us inside. It's worth it though. I know what awaits me. A venti, iced, soy, half caf, half pump, caramel macchiatto is my poison of choice! YUM! We say "hello" to our friends (Papa's co-workers) and make jokes about my exhaustion and the happenings of the morning. Ok, let's do this! My grabs a banana and we're off.
10:30am: The park!!!! The smile and excitement on Mylin's face makes me so happy! She starts bouncing in her kangaroo seat of the triple stroller as we reach the gate. I try to get her out as soon as possible, both before she bounces the seat right onto the babes or spontaneously combusts! :) Yay! I'm semi-free! She's a happy girl. I find a shady spot near where My is playing to park the stroller and allow the babies a nice little nap. The recent heat wave keeps them napping a little longer, so I can run around with My a little bit. It gives her that one on one time she's been craving.
11:30am: A park feeding. I find a discrete shady area and hide out with my nursing cover. I pray both babies don't get hungry at the same time. It's definitely happened before. Nothing like trying not to draw attention to yourself while feeding one baby beneath a nursing cover and having another one scream her little lungs out inconsolably! There's no way to tandem feed two babies that are too young to hold their head up without that darn pillow, so one just has to scream it out. I then have to burp and change each baby separately as well. Being outside makes the process seem a little less overwhelming, since I too am distracted by the beautiful weather and all the action around us. I try to distract My by bribing her with food or money for the ice-cream man while I feed the baby, to keep her close. Before totally cleaning up I change Mylin's big ol' bootie. (I'm so over changing her gross diapers and am really trying to potty train her since at this point her diapers are the size of depends. This has only resulted in me cleaning up poop and pee on the hard wood floors. As if I needed something else to add to my daily madness.) Then it's a packed lunch and back to park play.
12:50pm: Wrap it up! Mylin is at this point exhausted and the babies are getting fussy for yet another feeding! Thank God that by the time we get home, Papa will also be getting home. He helps me unload everyone, handing me a twin for each arm and he carries My. When we get up stairs he sets me up with the babies and the ginormo pillow, and their screaming subsides as they eat once again. Daniel or I then tuck My in for her afternoon nap. The next few hours are a rush to do whatever needs done as the little fire-breathing toddler slumbers. Daniel takes the rotten, attention deprived dog on her only lengthy walk of the day. He dodges other dogs and people that our dog desires to snack upon all while trying to keep his shoulder and wrist in socket. He literally never comes back from a walk unhurt by this dog. I try to quick shower. When I'm done he quickly showers in attempt to wake back up and do homework. He's a full-time student and since today is my day off, he has to get as much class work done as possible to keep up! This leaves no break from the insanity for either of us. It also leaves no "just us" time. We long for the day we get either or both.
(This is the point in the day where if I had to go to work, Daniel would then take over. When I have been at work it's been for 9 to 12 hour days, both to play catch-up from maternity leave and make money to support the fam. This leaves Daniel alone with all 3 babies in a blur of heating bottles, feeding babies, changing babies, chasing Mylin, feeding Mylin, attempting to read an assignment, and starting the previous all over again. This twin stuff is serious business.)
3pm: Crying... not newborn. Mylin is awake again. She's also re-energized. Be ready for a tornado! A mass of toys is brought into the living room surrounding the pre-existing baby gear. If you're claustrophobic at all, this image may be too much to handle. Now the newborn cries begin. They're hungry once more and you have to dodge a sea of My Little Ponies and Disney Princesses to reach them. As I once again begin to feed the babies, My begs for a Princess movie. I have an internal struggle with myself over wether I should not allow her to watch anymore tv, or to go the easy route and give in. At this point in life, I usually give in to the easy route. I put the twins down. Mylin watches her show just as the twins begin to cry. This time it's not for any paticular reason, but they are both crying. How do you choose which baby to console and which baby to allow to cry longer until you've settled the first down? This always makes me want to cry. I want to be able to help both equally at the same time, all the time. Since they can't hold up their own heads and its impossible to hold them simultaneously when they are this upset, I'm forced to choose one. I try to decide either who I haven't held as much on this particular day or who will more quickly be pacified. I settle them down and it isn't long before they are crying again. They are hungry this time. Once they are done eating I lay them on their play matts in attempt to keep them awake for a portion of the day and warrant ourselves some extra sleep in the latter hours of the night.
5pm: What's for dinner? It's at around this time we have to start putting together what will nutritionally sustain the members of our family who have teeth. We are so thankful for Chicago Dream Dinners. The simplicity of the food is the only reason we have food on the table many nights. As I begin to cook, Eisley is screaming. She's farting a ton and you can tell she's in pain. She hasn't pooped in over a week, and is totally constipated. I ask Daniel to pause from homework to bicycle her legs and calm her. (The doctor is still undecided on exactly what is causing her constipation. Especially because it is supposed to be near impossible for strictly breast fed babies to become constipated.)
6:30pm: Dinner. We strip My down to her diaper. (She is a terribly messy eater and this not only saves her clothes but also ensures we don't struggle to keep food out of her hair as pull her shirt over head.) We strap her in her booster seat and serve her first. She is usually pretty cranky at this point, so the sooner she eats the better. Daniel wraps up his last thoughts on the assignment he is attempting to work on and joins us in the kitchen. I have both of our plates served and sitting at the table. Daniel prays a prayer of thanks to the Lord for our beautiful family and the meal he has provided us. Amen. I take the first bite... and que the duet of baby screams. Without fail, they are ALWAYS hungry when I begin to eat. I quickly down just a few more bites to keep me from getting jittery and tend to the ladies, feeding burping, and changing them.
7:15pm: Bath time. Daniel gets Mylin in the bath. She pretends to swim, lying on her belly in the water. It's a fight to get her to wash her hair. She plays with her Ariel dolls and does her best (very loud) Ariel singing voice impression. (This always makes me smile, because I used to do the same thing when I was little.) I sneak away from the babies and finish my dinner.
7:45pm: Bed Time for My. Mylin picks out her Princess jammies and runs out to the living room to give the babies and I our smootches. This is the time of night that the babies begin to cluster feed, so I'll be tied down for awhile from this point on. "Love you Mama, love you so much. Sweet dreams." It's one of those moments you wish you could bask in for awhile <3 Daniel takes her to brush her teeth before tucking her in. Once she is in bed she milks him for every bedtime story he's worth. "Nother book, Papa? Cat 'n Hat? Cat 'n Hat?" Daniel promises her there will be more stories tomorrow, says a goodnight prayer, and gives her a goodnight kiss. "Night Papa nighhhttt." She covers her eyes with her fave snuggy toy "bananas" the monkey blankie she's had since she was 4 months old.
8:30pm: Daniel states it's time to get the show on the road. We look around at our city dump of a house feeling utterly defeated by yet another hand full of tasks added to those from the days before that we simply do NOT have the time to complete. We're only able to bask in the terribleness of our house's triumph over us for a moment if want to go to sleep sometime tonight. If we're lucky a load of dishes is going in the dish washer and Mylin's spot at the table is clean.
9pm: Repeat previous 9pm activities. It starts all over again.
If there is one thing that every twin book, class, or parent told us, it's that you can't do it without help. We are. Yes it's not perfect. Our house is a nightmare, but it's the one thing that's really had to take a back seat. Our kids are fed, bathed, and changed. Money enough to pay bills is coming in through our jobs. Daniel is still passing in all of his classes. We're doing it.
God has deeply blessed us and I wouldn't change what he has given us for anything. I know it's because of him we make through each day. It's because of your prayers and support we have made it to this point. This is hard. No one said it would be easy. I know there will be a day we look back on this and miss it in some way, shape or form. For now we are surviving and trying to enjoy those moments we get to just hold any of our 3 ladies and love on them. Those moments are sporadic, but oh how sweet they are.
