Mom is in her element
The girls
View from Mohawk State Park
Angie tries on Jim’s motorcycle for size
Susanna says, “Enough pictures already!”
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We had a wonderful visit with my mom and sister, who flew out from California. The girls were so thrilled with their company that they picked this weekend to start smiling and cooing. It warmed my heart! Here are a few pictures from our time together. I’ll post more soon! I have got to start budgeting more time for grocery shopping than I used to in my pre-twin days. I don’t need much more time to deal with fussy kids or to maneuver the double-stroller or even to hulk the car seats in and out of the car. The extra time is necessary to accommodate the onlookers and well-wishers we encounter in the store! Don’t get me wrong – I truly appreciate the compliments and smiles we receive. It’s just that when I’m trying to time my shopping excursions between feedings, and because I have to allow for significant travel time as we live quite a ways from the nearest supermarket, I am crunched for time in the actual store. Today, I brought Jim’s grandmother with me so she could push the stroller while I zoomed between the aisles with the shopping cart. Susanna was wide awake and attracting all sorts of affectionate exclamations from passersby. However, her happy alert phase was short-lived and soon she was starting to fuss. Unfortunately, Nana kept stopping the stroller to allow curious onlookers a glimpse of the girls, and Susanna interpreted the cessation of motion as an invitation to howl. It’s not easy to select the appropriate cut of pork while listening to my child squeal like a stuck pig! I’m thankful that she ended up falling asleep and we were able to exit the store with our purchases as well as our sanity! Here are a few pictures of the girls on our new play mat:
Being a parent has caused me to appreciate many things that I previously took for granted. Today, I came up with yet one more, albeit a silly one: I am thankful I can blow my own nose. The girls have had stuffy noses the past few days, and I’ve had to continually suction out their nostrils with a bulb syringe. The poor girls sniff and snort away, miserably unable to clear their own noses and forced to either wait for a sneeze or for me to swoop in and do it for them. I’m so grateful that I can just grab a tissue for myself and go to town! Okay, on to more pleasant topics. I had a wonderful visit from my dear college friend , Molly. It was so wonderful to spend time with her! Our talks were a bit more harried than they used to be, since there were two more voices to integrate into the conversation, but it was marvelous just the same. We drove down to the nearest little shopping center and took a stroller ride through the tree-lined streets. Molly remarked that being in public with the twins was a bit like being in a parade – we attracted lots of attention from people stopping and ooh-ing and aw-ing, waving and staring. And we loved every minute of it! This evening, I sat down with the girls on my lap because they were both rather fussy. Soon, Susanna quieted down and Rebecca ramped up her volume level. I then noticed that Susanna had put her arm on Rebecca’s shoulder, in what I interpreted to be a “there, there – don’t cry!” maneuver. Of course, it could also have been a “hey sis, get outta my way” shove, but I’d rather conclude that the girls are displaying early signs of consoling each other. It didn’t take too much imagination to interpret Susanna’s next move, though. You can see from this last picture, she was telling me: “I’m so hungry, I’ll even eat my sister’s head!” Last night, it happened just like my mom said it would. I woke up from a deep sleep, my eyes fluttered open, and although it was still dark outside, I felt an unusual sensation: I was somewhat rested. I looked at the clock, squinted, and then looked again. It read 4 a.m. That meant it had been six hours since their last feeding. And just as mom predicted, I was nervous. Not long ago, Mom had told me the story of when my sister first slept through the night. It happened to be on Mother’s Day, and my mom woke up with a start, realizing she hadn’t heard Angie all night. She was seized with fear and ran downstairs, muttering all the way, “Don’t you dare die on me, especially not on Mother’s Day!†Of course, Angie was sleeping soundly and Mom had a wonderful Mother’s Day, partly because she had had a long-awaited full night’s sleep. When Mom first relayed this story to me, I had internally scoffed and thought to myself, “What a worry-wart! When my kids first sleep through the night, I’m not going to feel anything other than elation!†Wrong. Sorry, Mom. Once I had finally done the math in my head that the girls had gone six hours since their last feeding (such early-morning computations are quite difficult for me. Even when rested, I find it challenging to even do addition and subtraction before the sun is up!), I jumped out of bed and rushed into the nursery, my heart racing. I knew the odds of something tragic happening to both of them in the middle of the night were slim, but nonetheless, I approached the crib with trepidation. I peeked over the edge and rejoiced to hear the sounds of little baby breaths. In fact, it was only a minute later that the girls started to stir, and I happily scooped them up. For once, they were more bleary-eyed than me! Who knows how long it will be before they go another six hours at night. But I will thank the Lord for this instance and acknowledge that I was reminded of three vital truths:
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