Enter the Newborn(s)
This may be your first time through mommy-hood or you might be a veteran but either way, no matter who you are, newborns will take you down with no mercy! They may seem like sweet, little, innocent beings filled with rays of sunshine after they are born, so cuddly, but bring them home and all bets are off for the next 3 months! (Ok, really the next YEAR but I'll try not to make those of you who haven't had a newborn yet run for the high hills!) And try TWO newborns at once! ....ill get to that more later.
In any case, newborn season ain't no joke. It's boot camp. Your goal is to come out alive. I've never been to boot camp, but I'm willing to put my money on it. And though this is my third go-around at this season, you'd think I'd have it together and skate on through....well you'd be wrong! The biggest weapon newborns have against us during this season is sleep deprevation. Because this is the tool our sweet, little offspring use that wipes "newborn season" out of our memory with a quick blur, to which we look back and say, "that wasn't so bad!" To which we procreate again and BAM back to newborn season where we say, "Gah! I totally forgot about this! How do I DO THIS?!" And repeat.
Been There Done That....I Think
So here I am, kid #3 & #4 (yes we had twins!). I've done newborn season but not with two at once. If you had been a fly on the wall our first night home you probably would have laughed at us and thought, "They must be first time parents!" Except that we've done this TWICE before. We put our two older kids to bed, then struggled the whole night trying to figure out how to sleep, where to sleep and who holds which baby because we forgot to put up any 'baby holding' contraption, like a swing or bouncy seat. This was not working. We somehow stumbled through our first week home. And yes, we finally managed to get our swings up (even though our boys decided they didn't like their swings 3 weeks in....just like a newborn right??)!
But now, here we are, 8 weeks later and it's a bit (seriously, just a bit) more smooth. I remember now that, in my experience, it's not worth the mental and emotional stress trying to figure out newborns. They are a whole different animal! Believe me, your 3 week old will seem very different by month 4 or 5. You won't even believe it's the same child! And so my advice is that newborns are like surfing....just ride the wave and you'll make it to shore!
Riding the Wave
So this is how I, personally, ride my "motherhood wave" these days. I realize, and believe, there is no narrow road (or wave if you will) to mothering. You HAVE to do what works for you! No two women, children or families are the same and neither are their journeys through life. We all need different things. So with that being said, here are some of my new life's adventures that might serve up a bit of laughter for your day! It does for me anyway....!
Twins
Ok, so at this point my entire life is consumed by feeding people. No seriously. Feeding people with my body, making food in the kitchen to feed people or making food to feed myself. And because I spend a majority of my time feeding the twins on the couch all day long, I recently experienced an a-typical day and found myself posting this success on my multiples mommy group Facebook page:
"Twins are 4 weeks old (EBF) and yesterday I accomplished: unloading and loading dishwasher, cutting up a whole pineapple and putting dinner (pre made by a friend!) in the oven...and still kept all 4 children alive! I know you all understand. #Twinning"
Or this:
"While my hubby and I were watching a documentary on sea lions: "After nursing their pups for an extended amount of time, the moms leave them behind in search of food" You got that right!! I hear ya girl, it's rough." #Truth #NursingLikeTheAnimalKingdom"
And then eventually I graduated to this:
"Anyone else carry their Breastfriend nursing pillow around the house when your twins fall asleep, doing miscellaneous activities (such as wiping your older childrens' bottoms, getting more coffee, etc)?? No? Just me? .....nurse on...."
These are all real posts! This is real life with twins.
This is my nursing pillow: 
The last post inspired a mom to comment that not only does she do exactly what I do (walking around the house with the pillow) but that she has fantasized about how wonderful it would be if there was a way to attach suspenders! Ha! That sounds genius to me and made me think of this:
*Note: No babies have been or will be injured in the "carrying of the nursing pillow". This activity only happens when no other options are available. Precaution is always observed.*
Here's a few things I have found different (and quite honestly hallarious!) on this new go-around during this season having a 5 year old, 2.5 year old and newborn twins:
• There will always be someone who's unhappy
• Peeing more than 2x in a 24-hour period is a win
• Remembering to use the bathroom is even better
• Doing things one-handed is a dream
• Taking for granted the ease of nursing 1 baby in public
• Babywearing is a must
• Lazy Boy recliner was one of the best purchases we have EVER made! Without it, I would not sleep. At all.
• Finding out I can prepare meals, wipe bottoms and a few other small tasks, all the while carrying my nursing pillow (yes I'm sure it's not the best idea, but without this magical power my children would never leave the toilet and starve all day!)
• Never underestimate the hunger of a twin-nursing mama (No really, eating is my job at this point)
Being In The Moment
Yes, I've listed many funny things about this time in my life. And the honest truth is that I try not to take too much too seriously. I want to enjoy this time. Trust me, I have hard days when I can't wait until my older girls go to bed or I'm maxed out on being touched for the day by 10:30a. It's not all roses. But I'm choosing to see these moments as God's grace, His little blessings for our family. I love all of my children! It's crazy that this is how He intended our family to unfold.
As a mom of 4, my goal each day is to help everyone survive, including myself,....literally, if everyone is breathing by the time Joel gets home it's a huge SUCCESS! But I also want to spend at least a few intentional minutes with each child (even both newborns!). For my 5-year old this may look like playing a game with her while I nurse the twins, with my 2.5 year old this may look like giving her extra snuggles and kisses. For the boys it's taking moments getting to know their coos and smiles separately and learning their different personality traits.
Our boys are gifts. And I'm learning more about each of them every day. I forgot how satisfying a newborn's smile and coo are! I take every opportunity I can to get Benjamin and Caleb to smile. I love it! That moment makes all that I'm doing for them worth it. Watching our girls love their brothers and have such mothering tendencies towards them is so wonderful. There is so much love in our house that it is spilling out all over the place. We actually have to tame it! It's a beautiful thing.
I am continually amazed that I'm a twin mom. Wow. I mean, I know I went through the entire 9 months, felt them kicking, delivered them, nourish them daily and still....I'm blown away that we were blessed with two! It's truly humbling. Scary at times when I think of raising two of the SAME age at the SAME time, but I can see the endless provision God will and has already provided.
God is so AWESOME isn't He?! Praising Him moment by moment in this crazy mess that we get to partake in called Life.
