August 31, 2008, at 7:36 pm | 
I am going to have to start doing finger exercises. Or maybe hand-eye coordination routines (I’m sure Jim would be thrilled if I started playing the Nintendo Wii with him for that purpose!). Judging by the girls’ insistent, indignant cries, my hands are not nearly quick enough – doing anything. I can’t diaper them fast enough, bathe them fast enough, and especially dress them fast enough. My inexperienced fingers stumble over those infernal little snaps as if I were attempting a vastly complicated piano performance. There must be a stopwatch in their minds that starts ticking the minute they reach consciousness, and if I am unable to complete the desired task within thirty seconds, their internal alarm sounds and they start singing like a tea kettle. A very loud, furious, tea kettle. But I must say, I am so thankful that the Lord has given us babies that are consolable. They may put up an awful fuss when they’re unhappy, and when mom’s manual dexterity is compromised, but they quiet right down to angelic silence as soon as they get what they want – which is usually just to be cuddled. And we’re more than happy to oblige!
August 31, 2008, at 4:45 am |
August 26, 2008, at 10:16 pm | A few nights ago, we endured our first night that was sleepless of our own doing, rather than the girls’. Around midnight on Sunday, Susanna started acting out of sorts and we noticed her cry was hoarse and weak. Without going into details, her “output†also significantly changed and we knew she wasn’t feeling well. I was worried enough to have her sleep in a car carrier in our room, and of course I hurried to respond to her every sigh and snort. Poor thing – I probably deprived her of sleep by my constant checking to make sure she was still breathing We made it through the night, no thanks to my ramped-up worrying. The pediatrician wonders whether she’s developing food allergies, so he’s having me abstain from, well, anything that tastes good! I have to cut out all dairy products, nuts, and eggs, and see how she responds. Changing my diet so drastically has proven much more difficult than I anticipated. I haven’t been able to go on a comprehensive grocery run recently, so the pantry contents are even more ill-suited for this diet than they otherwise would have been. Sacrificing my beloved ice cream is rough, but if it makes Susanna feel better, it’s worth it (at least, that’s what I keep telling myself!).
Here are a few pictures that made me happy. I hope they bring a smile to your face as well!
 
 
 
August 25, 2008, at 10:19 am |
August 23, 2008, at 10:22 am |
Sigh. Judging by last night’s sleepless results, I’m on to the next variable. And I had such high hopes! I never was very good at science.
August 22, 2008, at 8:38 pm | 
Yesterday, I told my cousin that mothering feels like a science experiment. I keep tampering with the variables in an effort to produce the desired result. Right now, my desired result is a good night’s sleep, interrupted only for feedings every three hours. I’m trying to figure out how to encourage the girls to sleep between feedings and not vociferously and adamantly declare that they are on the brink of starvation merely one hour after a feeding. I am currently working on altering the variable of how much time the girls are awake during the day. I figure if they’re exhausted by the time I want to go to bed, maybe they will want to go to bed as well. So today, I poked and prodded the girls awake after their feedings and tried to entertain them during their alert times with books, photo sessions, tummy time on a blanket, and impromptu, rambling monologues where I listed everyone in their family who loved them (quite a lengthy list, I’m happy to say!). Unfortunately, their alert times often deteriorated into screams of protest that I would dare interrupt their precious sleep. I was reminded of the wisdom of the adage to let sleeping babes lie! We’ll see how successful this newest installment of my science experiment will be. If several days of forced interaction during the daytime doesn’t produce longer stretches of sleep at night, I’ll have to come up with a new variable to attack. I’m certainly open to suggestions!
I had a wonderful visit with my aunt Maureen and my cousin Sarah the past few days. They were in New York on business, and I was so pleased that they made the effort to meet Rebecca and Susanna. I have to say that the girls were quite content to be held and cuddled by these new family members. And I was quite content to let others ooh and ahh over our precious bundles of joy! Oh, and I have to share the beautiful gift that Sarah made for the girls. She is a very talented knitter, and she created two beautiful sweaters for them. Can you see the detail that went into these works of art? I’m very impressed, and very flattered that she put so much effort into them. Thank you, Sarah!
August 20, 2008, at 11:27 pm |
These girls certainly don’t need any lessons in grandparent manipulation! Jim’s parents watched the girls this evening for a few hours while Jim and I went out to dinner with my aunt and cousin who are visiting from out of state, and the girls have my in-laws thoroughly convinced that they are incapable of any condition other than that of perfect contentment. The girls barely fussed at all for the several hours they stayed at their grandparents’ home. Of course, within minutes of their return to our house, Rebecca decided it was time to uncork. But she managed to hold it in until my aunt and cousin left, so her angelic facade remains intact. I don’t think anyone will believe me when I tell them tomorrow that Rebecca’s shrieking reached a high note that nearly left me deaf in one ear! But I’ll forgive the girls’ nocturnal fussiness, because they were so good for their relatives. My aunt and cousin held them for an hour, and the girls did nothing but make darling faces and allow everyone to play with their little hands and feet in the midst of their deep sleep. They did their parents proud. I’d rather have them be perfect for their extended family, and little monsters for me, than the other way around…although someone may have to remind me of this preference when I’m bleary-eyed at 3 a.m.!
On another proud note, the girls had a weight check at the pediatrician today, and Rebecca has broken the five pound mark! She’s now 5 lbs 4 oz, and Susanna is closing the gap at 4 lbs 13 oz. Our little preemies are growing up!
August 19, 2008, at 7:07 pm |
Maybe I should have held off writing such an optimistic post yesterday until after I had endured my first grandmotherless night. I think my children have morphed into vampires when I wasn’t looking! These kiddos sleep beautifully all day long, and must reach their necessary sleep quota sometime around 10pm, because after that, they would much rather be social than sleep. Socializing would be fine with me if it could be done in coos and sighs and other peaceful noises; however, the girls have apparently deemed me hard-of-hearing, because they would much rather squeal at the top of their evidently well-developed lungs. I’m looking forward to the days when their nighttime activities can be directed at entertaining each other, rather than deciding they need to involve a third party!
August 18, 2008, at 9:59 pm |
August 18, 2008, at 9:55 pm |
I’ve nearly survived my first day home alone with the girls. My mom flew back to CA this morning, leaving me a bit bewildered but determined not to despair! The day has actually gone beautifully. The girls have eaten well, slept fairly well, and given me loads of opportunities to gush over their unbelievable cuteness. This was really the first day that I’ve felt like a real-live mom. Before, with my mom here and offering much-needed assistance, I guess I felt more like a daughter who happened to have daughters of her own. But although it’s nerve-wracking not to have my mom an arms-length away, it’s satisfying to be able to handle situations myself. Thankfully, no “situations” arose today that exceeded my capabilities. Of course, I still displayed my mothering naïveté in several ways. I managed to nearly flood a counter top with water when I turned on the tap and then promptly forgot about the running water while I was responding to what I considered to be an urgent “help-me-NOW!” cry (thankfully, everyone was fine). I later ran at break-neck speed into the living room where the girls were sleeping when I heard an unidentifiable thud in their vicinity (again, thankfully, everyone was fine). This mothering gig is already giving me gray hairs, along with a messier home and severely diminished personal hygiene habits!
I just wanted to publicly express how thankful I am that my mom was able to come out and spend three weeks with Jim and I, navigating the NICU world for us, teaching us the intricacies of pre-term infant care, helping with cleaning, cooking and organizing, and just loving the babies as only a grandmother can. Mom, I miss you already!
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ABOUT US I'm blessed to be saved by the grace of God, loved by my wonderful husband Jim, and embraced by my twin girls, Rebecca Faith and Susanna Joy and my sons Jimmy and Danny. I started this blog in May 2008 when I was hospitalized for pre-term labor at 24 weeks gestation. The Lord allowed me to keep the girls inside until they were 34 weeks along, and on July 27th, Rebecca made her debut, followed by Susanna, five minutes later, on July 28th. We ecstatically welcomed Jimmy into our lives on April 25th, 2011, and Danny on August 31, 2012. This blog has been a personal journal of faith and motherhood and the only way I can remember which child did what and when. Thanks for stopping by to share in my Faith and Joy! Feel free to e-mail me at: [email protected]. |
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