The Babies' First Birthday Bash

Last weekend I felt like I had just crossed the finish line for the longest race I've ever run.  I'll be honest:  the first year of raising twins was something that scared me when I was pregnant.  Both then and later while we were in the midst of sleepless nights and around the clock feedings, I would tell myself that I just needed to make it to their first birthday and then things would get easier.  Those first few months drug on and on, and then before I realized it, they were six months old, eating solids, and actually interacting with us.  Then before too long, they were nine months old and crawling around and getting into trouble.  And then I blinked, and they were a year old.  What just happened?!  We just survived the most daunting year of our lives is what just happened!  So of course we had to throw a party to celebrate!
So we broke out the decorations, served up the party food and invited all of our family and friends to help us mark this momentous occasion.  

 Those were the only pictures I managed to take during the party.  When it was time for cupcakes (the babies' first taste of sugar), I handed the camera off to Aunt Beth to take some pictures while I was busy with helping the babies and other guests.
What followed should not have been a surprise considering Wren and Judson's voracious appetites, but it was surprising nonetheless.  Now, when Caleb turned one, he sort of licked the icing off his cupcake in spots but he didn't really eat much of it...

Wren and Judson, on the other hand, ate every...last...crumb.  And Aunt Beth took no less than 75 pictures of the scene.  (Thanks, Beth!)  What's funny to me is that you can see all kinds of activity going on and people coming and going while they're eating, and they just kept on truckin'.

 Wren loved it when we all sang Happy Birthday.

 And then the fun really began...

 "Oh, my gosh, Judson!  Have you ever had anything so good?!"

"Don't you even think about touching my cupcake, PeePaw!"

 "Ra Ra, you have got to try this!"

 "Judson, you won't mind if I take just a little piece of yours..."

"I did it!"

 "Are there more where those came from?"

Happy birthday to our cupcake-loving munchkins! 

10 Things I've Learned from the Past Year

The past year has been so many things, including exhausting, joyful, hilarious, humbling, encouraging, and almost everything in between.  And we've survived it! 
One year ago we were bringing Wren and Judson home to begin our life as a family of five. 

 Over the course of the past year, I've learned a few things, about myself, about our family, about life in general, and about our faithful Heavenly Father.  Lest I forget them, here are a few of them (in no particular order):
1.  Our family and friends are amazing.  Even before the babies were born, so many members of our family and friends offered to help however they could.  In those first few days (when I was home with Caleb and Wren and Tony spent most of his time at the hospital with Judson), there were people at our house almost the entire time - watching Caleb, making sure I was ok, and helping with household chores.  I'll never forget how overwhelmed I felt just from having to pump breast milk for Judson.  There just seemed to be no place to do it with everything set up and ready to go.  So my sweet (and organized) dad (probably a little weirded out by just the mention of breast milk), set up a "pumping station" for me to use, complete with all the pump parts, bottles, and cleaning supplies.  Back in the Spring and again recently this fall when we needed to do a lot of yard work, Tony's parents came over and watched the kids all day while we were working outside.  Almost every weekend, my mom has come over to help however she could.  They all put up my Christmas tree for me.  Friends are still occasionally bringing us dinner.  These are just a few examples from the past year of the amazing things our family and friends have done for us.  We're so grateful for all of them.
2.  There is such a thing as love at first sight.  From the first time I laid eyes on Tony, I was certainly smitten with him, but it took a little getting to know him to know that I was in love with him.  Likewise with Caleb and Judson.  I knew that I would come to love them with all my heart (and I definitely did), but it took a little while of getting to know them for my love to grow to its fullest capacity.  Not so with this beautiful golden-haired baby girl...

From the first moment I saw her, I loved her with the fiercest love - with all my being and all my might.  I don't know why it was different.  Maybe it's just something about a bond between mothers and daughters.  Maybe it's just something about baby girls.  Or maybe it's just her. 

 3.  Speaking of matters of the heart...it's definitely true that your heart grows with each child you have.  Your capacity for love and joy, sadness and pain grows exponentially.  The interesting thing about it is that it not only grows in respect to your own children but it also grows for other people.  It seems that the more children I have, the more compassion I have for other people - for other mothers, fathers and children.  I've never felt the happiness and sorrows of other people more so than after having the babies.
4.  You can get more done in an hour and a half than you ever thought possible.  Back before I had any children, I used to think I was so busy.  Now I laugh at that thought.  Somehow I'm always able to manage to find extra time to squeeze just one more thing in (although I really think I am close to my capacity at this point!) or to just become more efficient.  You should see me the hour and a half before the babies wake up and the hour and a half after they go to bed.  I focus like a laser beam and cross things off my to-do list like it's going out of style...usually.  Sometimes I just need to do some yoga or read a book.  So I just add that to my to-do list, and I feel accomplished for the day (and relaxed).
5.  Hospitals are no fun.  We've spent more time in a hospital this year than I care for.  Don't get me wrong - the doctors, nurse and other staff were wonderful, but it was still a hospital.  If I never step foot in another hospital again, that would be ok with me.  Thankfully, our stays in the hospital were relatively short and far between compared to other families and not as long as we thought could be possible when we found out about Judson's heart problems.
6.  Children are resilient.  Would you believe this picture was taken less than 72 hours after Judson's open heart surgery?

 It's amazing to think of all his little body has gone through in his short life and to see how little he's been affected by it.  For the most part, he's doing what any one year old baby should be doing.  We give thanks and glory to God for his provision for our little baby boy.

 7.  There's nothing like the love between siblings.  The first day we brought Wren home, Caleb head-butted her.  That made me a little worried about what sort of relationship they would have.  Despite my concerns, they have in fact become the best of friends.  Caleb can make her laugh like no one else, and he's more gentle and kind to her than anyone.  And he loves to give her kisses.

 He's also become quite fond of Judson.  I have a feeling that those two are going to get into some trouble together when they get older...
For the first few months of their lives, the babies rarely even noticed that there was another baby around.  Not so any more.  They will steal toys from one another.  Or sometimes they play tug-of-war with the toys.  Here lately, one of them (usually Wren) will steal food from the other's tray.  They will even occasionally look one another in the eye and smile or laugh.  We don't know what they're smiling at, but I like to think they have their own secret language.  

8.  No matter how crazy things seem at first, they eventually become routine.  The first months of the babies' lives I desperately wanted some schedule or routine for our family so life wouldn't feel so crazy.  I would post page-long schedules on the refrigerator documenting what every person in our family would be doing at every moment of the day.  I wish I had pictures of them now so I could show you just how laughable they were.  Something (or usually someone) always messed them up.  Over time, however, life has a way of settling into its own routine...even if it's just routine craziness.
9.  Through the grace of God, I am capable of doing so much more than I ever even thought possible.  I think that there's something about giving birth or becoming a mom or becoming a mom to multiple children that makes you realize your full potential.  Or perhaps it reminds you of your shortcomings and makes you care less if you make a fool of yourself.  Who knows?  Either way, this past year, I've been more likely to step out of my comfort zone, to test my limits, and to go after my goals.  Maybe it's because now I have three little sets of eyes watching and learning from me.  I know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and I want them to know and trust in that truth, too.
10.  He will sustain us.  If there's been one guiding principle over the past year, it has definitely been that God will sustain us.  Through the good and the bad times, he has provided for us.  He is, he has been, and he always will be faithful.  May we never forget that.

Me v. The Baby Weight - Part One

It's hard to believe, but my twins are almost a year old!  About this time last year, I was large...and I mean really large.  It was difficult for me to get out of bed, let alone go up the stairs.  I gained a total of 55 pounds over the course of my pregnancy.  My weight gain had been intentional because I knew that the more weight I could gain, especially early on in the pregnancy, the bigger and healthier my babies would be when they were born.  So I ate as much as I could, as often as I could, until my weight was teetering close to the 200 pound mark.  It was a hard job, but someone had to do it.  And it worked.  My pregnancy was perfect, and the babies were born at 38 weeks (considered full term for twins) and at healthy sizes for twins. 

These two were worth each and every last pound that I gained during pregnancy!

All along, as I would take another bite of ice cream, I kept telling myself that the end goal was worth all the extra eating and pounds.  (And it certainly was worth it...just look at those little sweethearts!)  I knew how to get the pounds off, after all.  I knew it would be hard work...and it has been.  In fact, it has been a bit harder than I expected it to be.  The bad news is that it has taken me longer than I hoped, but the good news is that it is steadily moving in the right direction.  Slow and steady wins the race, right?  After almost a year of perseverance, I am now almost back to my pre-pregnancy weight!

I know this is a difficult job for so many women, and I known it's not uncommon for many women to never get back anywhere close to their pre-pregnancy weight.  I don't want you to be one of those women.  I want you to be in the best shape of your life so that you can really and truly enjoy being a mommy to your little munchkin(s).  So I want to share with you what has helped me to keep dropping that baby weight.  Here are some of secrets!

My Numbers

It's about to get real.  I'm about to share with you (and the whole worldwide web) my weight, from before I was pregnant all the way through today.  While I don't generally announce to the world what I weigh, I think it's important for you to see exactly when the pounds started dropping and the rate at which they were dropping (many months, like molasses on a cold day in January).  But before I do that, I must remind you (and myself) that weight is not necessarily a number that should be focused on obsessively.  I usually weigh myself once a week or so, just to make sure nothing strange is going on.  I would much rather focus on inches, how clothes fit, muscle mass, strength, and stamina.  After all, weight is just a number on a scale.  It won't tell a person how many push ups you can do, how fast you can run a mile, how awesome your bow pose looks, how you make other people feel, what great hugs you give, or how much your babies love you.  These items are much more important indicators for how you're doing.  We are more than just a number.  But since there's no way to measure some of these things, we'll stick with weight for now. 

So here we go.  My weight was right at 137 pounds when I found out I was pregnant.  This was a little lower than normal.  140 pounds was probably my normal pre-pregnancy weight.  I started keeping a chart showing how much weight I had gained in order to meet my weight gain goals (that's the first time I had that type of goal!), and then after the babies were born, I kept the chart going to document my weight loss.  By 20 weeks pregnant, I was at 166 pounds (29 pounds gained).  By week 37, I was at 192.8 pounds (55.8 pounds gained).  I probably gained more weight than that, but the babies decided to make their appearance before I got around to weighing myself for week 38. 

The day after the babies were born, my weight was down to 176.4 (the babies account for over 12 pounds of that!).  One week later, I was down to 163.2 pounds.  This is where it got difficult.  My weight teetered right around 160 pounds for the next 15 weeks.  That's almost four months.  During this time, I was working out, nursing, and eating significantly less calories than I was before.  Despite all of that, my weight would not budge (or sometimes it went up a pound!).  I finally broke into the 150s at around 17 weeks postpartum.  Then I was in the 150s for the next five months.  It was difficult and sometimes disheartening, but at least it was gradually (very gradually) dropping.  Here we are at one year out, and the last time I checked my weight, it was at 145.2 pounds.  I have about five pounds to go.

Here's some of what I've learned from the past year.

1.  Keep Nursing.

Before the babies were born, a friend of mine (also pregnant) discussed how everyone talks about how nursing helps you to lose the baby weight, but, in her experience with her other two children, it is actually what slowed the weight loss down.  That made sense to me.  Your body may potentially need those fat stores for milk, so it wants to hold on to it.  This was also my personal experience.  All those months when the scale was immovable was when I was producing the most milk for my babies.  When the babies started eating solids (and therefore started drinking less milk), the weight started dropping at a faster pace.  With all that being said, I still think nursing ultimately helps you to meet your weight loss goals because it uses up your fat stores created during pregnancy, albeit at a slow pace.  It also increases your (and your baby's) immunity, which of course allows you to continue your exercise routine that will lead to weight loss. 

2.  Consistency is Key.

Repeat after me:  Slow and steady wins the race.  Through those four months where my weight hovered at 160 pounds without much budging, I still continued to exercise and eat well.  I did not let the seeming lack of progress be an excuse for giving up.  When my body was ready to start dropping pounds, I already had the routines in place that would allow it to happen in a healthy manner.  Exercise is not something that will transform your body overnight.  It takes time, and it takes effort.  You have to put in that time and effort one workout at a time, but it's the consistency of one workout after another that leads to success.  Don't give up if you don't immediately see results.  Keep striving for your goals, and you will eventually end up where you want to be if you stick to a consistent and healthy exercise and eating plan.

3.  Think Outside the Box.

It's already hard enough to find time to exercise without children.  Throw children into the mix, and it becomes near impossible sometimes.  If you don't have the option of going to a gym where they have childcare available, you can still exercise.  You just have to be a little more creative.  When I miss a workout, I love to use my babies as "weights."  And they love it too.  Hold your baby in front, squat down, and then as you come up raise the baby overhead.  Revel in your baby's joyful squeals.  Do you see what you just did?  That was a squat to an overhead press, which works your quads, hamstrings, glutes, core, shoulders, and triceps.  Do several of those in a row, and I'm sure you'll feel it just like you would if you were doing these at a gym.  Try laying on the ground, holding your baby directly overhead like an airplane (your arms are straight, wrists above shoulders).  Bend your elbows until they are at your sides.  Straighten the arms and press the baby back up.  Do you feel that in your triceps?  Now, carefully roll you and baby up into a sitting position.  Continue down and up, without using momentum.  And there's a roll up, which is great for strengthening the core.  My husband loves to put the babies into their carrier and use the carrier to do bicep curls and rows.  For any exercise, try using the baby instead of a weight (making sure of course that it is safe for baby).  You may be surprised at how much you feel the burn.  Workout - done.  Having fun with baby - done.

Stay tuned for the next two parts in this series where I'll share more of my tips for winning the battle against the baby weight!

Seek and Ye Shall Find

With Wren and Judson being so much more mobile these days, there's no telling what trouble they may find themselves in at any given moment.  We've done the standard "baby-proofing,"  but there's only so much you can plan for. It's not unusual to find them gnawing on some random item they've found in the floor (shoes, coasters, remotes...you name it).  Sometimes this is to our advantage.  For example, after dinner, we just set them in the floor, and off they go cleaning up the food that fell to the floor.  Who needs a vacuum cleaner?  (I'm kidding!...No, I'm not.  We're just killing two birds with one stone - entertaining/feeding the babies and cleaning the floor!  Germs are supposed to be good for their immune systems anyways, right?)  Other times, their propensity to put anything they find in their mouths poses a bit more of a hazard...
You may recall that we recently acquired a little ukulele for Caleb to play as his "guitar." 

He's had a great time with it so far, and so have Wren and Judson, for that matter.  Remarkably, it's remained in tact this entire time...well, almost...
Yesterday, Judson was playing with the guitar while Tony was in the room with him.  We're not really sure how this happened, but somehow, Judson managed to break one of the pegs off of the guitar.  Tony heard what sounded like small pieces of hardware hitting the floor, followed by Judson coughing.  As he came over to the scene of the crime, he sees the guitar in several pieces on the floor, and, guessing that some piece was more than likely in his mouth, he started whacking him on the back, a la the Heimlich Maneuver.  Juddy coughed up one screw and then returned to his normal self.  Relieved, Tony examined the guitar and its pieces more carefully, where he found that there was still one screw missing.  A careful examination of the floor in the living room (and Judson's mouth again) did not turn up the missing screw.  There was only one place that we could think it may have gone...down Judson's esophagus and into his belly.  After a panicked search of our baby books and the internet, we determined that there's not much we can do, and if there are no signs of any digestive problems, there was only one thing to do...wait for it to make its appearance on the other end.
So we were tasked with the unfortunate duty (pun intended) of searching all the dirty diapers until we found the offending screw.  Lucky us! 
About 30 hours (and more dirty diapers than I would like to remember) later, Tony changed the winning diaper and found the shiny metal object!
All's well that ends well.  Tony repaired the guitar (with a new screw), and it's back to playing beautiful music.  Judson was no worse for the wear, and, in case you were wondering, neither was the screw.

Shiny and new.