Post Partum: Random Ramblings of a Sleep Deprived Mother

7 weeks ago I delivered our second set of twins - my favorite day in 2014, for sure. But, for the past 7 weeks, I've had broken sleep throughout the night. My body has been going through this process of regulating my hormones. I packed our house in boxes while recovering from a C-section. Then, I drove 3 days straight with 5 small children/babies, without switching drivers. (Jason drove the moving truck.) Then I unpacked all of those boxes and organized them in our new home. My husband left town for 2 weeks to finish up some work in Texas.

Needless to say, folks, I'm NOT running on all cylinders these days. I'm tired. And when I'm tired, I think crazy things. Here are a few of my random thoughts about post-partum....

1.  So, like all mothers to newborns, I wake up several times throughout the night to feed my cute
     little babies. It's easy to fall asleep during those midnight/3am/6am feedings, so to keep things   
     interesting, the babies and I compete in the.....BABY OLYMPICS! Henry & Abigail compete
     against each other in several different events. 

•  First, we see who can drink his/her entire bottle first. Abigail almost always wins at this event - she's a fast drinker, while Henry takes his time & enjoys his bottle. 
• Then we have the burping event - Henry is definitely the champion. He is the first to burp and earns extra points by burping several times, followed by spit-up. Abigail is much more of a lady and will often skip this event. 
• As the mother, I compete against myself to see how fast I can feed, change & swaddle the babies. I started out at 45 minutes, but over time, we have widdled our best time down to 32 minutes "per feeding. 

2.  We always read about "What not to ask/say to a pregnant woman."  BUT, I argue that it's even  
     MORE important to think about "What not to ask/say to a POST-PARTUM woman."  She is now
     being woken up every 2-3 hours at night, getting peed on during diaper changes, and doesn't even
     get a thank you from her cute little babe. Not to mention, this mother is still wearing her
     maternity clothes for weeks/months after baby is born and her hormones are still adjusting.         
     So, she's exhausted, fat & hormonal. You better walk on eggshells, my friend. Here are a few   
     comments I received soon after giving birth.

• "Are you sure there isn't another baby in there?" (From a nurse in the hospital, 1 day after I deliver twins....are you KIDDIN' me?!!)
• "So, when will your baby bump go away?" (From one of Jason's employees - no wonder he is still single!!)

3.   "I split my stitches!"....it's not a joke. The first week of recovery, I couldn't cough, sneeze or    
       laugh without having to hold my stomach and try to choke it down. It hurt like no other and I   
       honestly worried that my incision would pop/rip/tear. 

4.   Since becoming pregnant with our second set of twins, I feel like a celebrity. When we made      
      our FB announcement, I received several friend requests from complete strangers who just
      wanted to follow my pregnancy/baby updates. And then when we delivered the babies...same
      thing...everyone's best friend's - little sister's - cousin's - roommate wants to be my FB friend.
      Sorry, I decline those requests and like to keep my life somewhat private. And THEN...we can't
      go out in public without lots of stares/whispers/questions and of course we have people actually
      counting my children. Can't a girl take her 5 small children to Sam's club without being a
      spectacle?? (yeah, probably not, huh?)

5.  And I'd like to finish off my ramblings on a more serious note. I have a some good family friends
     who have 14 children in their family (THREE sets of twins!!) I asked the mother for her advice
     and I would count her very wise.

"Dana, you will do great. You have done this before and the second time around is easier than the first! Especially right now, don't be afraid to operate on the principle of "selected neglect." This means to only do the most important things and don't worry about the things which are not so important. Just try to enjoy every moment because they grow up way too fast. Also, let others help you with meals, cleaning, shopping, chauffeuring, or caring for your older children. It will be a blessing to those who help and you will make precious friends through that service.. Most important, I have realized over the years that the greatest gift I have ever given my children is their brothers and sisters. It is important to remember that on those sleepless nights!"

And to finish off with some highlight PHOTOS from July!!

4th of July outfits

Handsome Henry at 1 week old.

Pretty Girl at 1 week old

Miles & me at the pool

Big Twins & Little Twins

Grandma Hall came to visit!

A&J roasting marshmallows!