Another Day in the Life

...of A Single Mom to Twin Babies.

Sunday, November 13th

6:00 AM:  Awakened by chatter on baby monitor.  Times two. Go downstairs, pour morning bottles. Make coffee!
6:05 AM:  Into the nursery to greet two happy babies standing up in their cribs.  Morning bottles, playtime with Mommy.  Music on.  The Dynamo practices taking a few steps, the babies fight over toys and argue with Mommy about who gets to turn the light switches on and off.  Throw load of laundry in the wash.
7:30 AM:  Breakfast!  Babies in high chairs.  The Dynamo feeds himself Cheerios while I feed Sweet Potato oatmeal mixed with applesauce and vitamin drops.  Then switch.  Five tablespoons cereal each.  They split a small banana, feeding themselves and dropping some on the floor.
7:50 AM:  Clean faces and hands and put babies back in playroom.  Clean up kitchen.
8:00 AM:  Set up baby monitor in bathroom and take a shower! Babies play together while I shower, get dressed and blow dry my hair.
8:30 AM:  More playtime with Mommy.
9:00 AM:  Nap time in cribs! I eat breakfast. Switch laundry.  Straighten playroom.  Sweep floor.
10:30 AM:  Babies awake!  Mid-morning bottles.
10:45 AM:  Change babies out of pjs.  Coats, socks and shoes on.  Load them in the car and head to the park less than 5 minutes away. (Thank goodness the only thing they want to do right now is swing which I can manage on my own.  Once they want to do the slides or climb or go in two different directions, going solo will be a challenge! Maybe I need those backpack leash things. Thoughts?)

Take these pictures:






12:10 PM:  Out of swings, into stroller, into car.  Tears. Times two.  They don't want to leave.
12:30 PM:  Home, out of coats and shoes, into highchairs.  Lunch!  They split a jelly sandwich on wheat toast, diced pears and some goldfish crackers.  They feed themselves.
12:50 PM:  Babies back in playroom. Clean kitchen. Switch laundry. Read emails and blog posts. Pay some bills online.
1:10 PM:  Join the babies in the playroom. Work on colors and shapes.  Attempt to read to them while Sweet Potato fights me for the book.
2:30 PM:  Nap time!  Fold laundry. Order two of these for the twins for Christmas.  (Hey the trailer was included!)  Change light bulb outside on garage.
3:50 PM:  Babies awake!  Feed them some baby yogurt.  Into coats, socks and shoes for a ride in the wagon around the block.  Sweet Potato points up at the trees and slurs his excitement.  Both babies try to touch the wheels as the wagon is moving.
5:30 PM:  Dinner!  Macaroni and cheese, peas and carrots, Gerber Graduates lil crunchies.
6:00 PM:  Bath time!  Sweet Potato goes into the walker in the doorway to the bathroom while I bathe the Dynamo in a tub just like this one (awesome by the way).  I pull Sweet Potato and the walker into the nursery while carrying a toweled up Dynamo.  PJs for the Dynamo, onto the floor, Sweet Potato out of the walker, onto the floor, Dynamo IN the walker, Sweet Potato crawls to the bathroom as I pull the Dynamo and the walker there (the walker doesn't move well on the hallway carpet).  Sweet Potato has bath and into PJs!  (Did you follow all that?  It's as crazy as it sounds but it works!) 
6:50 PM:  More playtime in the playroom.  I put away toys they are not using and restock diapers, and wipes. I have quick dinner.
7:15 PM:  Evening bottles.  Babies in bouncy seats watching Baby Einstein DVD.  Lights down.
7:30 PM:  Take the Dynamo up, brush teeth!, into the crib.  He fusses waiting for his brother.
7:35 PM:  Sweet Potato's turn, brush teeth, into crib.  Fill nursery humidifier with water.  Kiss the babies good night through the crib slats.
7:45 PM:  Wash bottles, baby dishes, clean-up kitchen for sitter coming tomorrow.  Clean blueberry baby yogurt off wall (how did that get there?).
8:30 PM:  Go to bed!  Catch up on news, blogs, FB on smartphone.
9:00 PM:  Sleep, glorious sleep!

Not a peep until about 6 AM the next day.  Awakened by chatter on baby monitor.  Times two.  :)

What a difference six months make.  To see what I mean, check out my last Day in The Life Post.

A Walk Before Bedtime

Breaking Up With A Blogger

I'm sure we've all done it - broken up with a blogger.  You find someone online, a connection is made, you add them to your reader and can't wait to read their next post.  You comment on their posts often sharing your excitement over their good news or offering support if the news isn't so good.  You're there with an ear, some advice and how you handled the same thing they are going through or might handle it if you haven't been in their shoes before.  You do this for a long time, years maybe, and then realize your online friend never comments on your posts.  In fact, you're pretty sure they never even read your blog.

At what point do you walk away?

Maybe you've added a comment and asked the writer a question.  Something quick for her to answer - an explanation of an abbreviation from her post for example.  And she doesn't add another comment.  And she writes a new post and never answers your question there either.  Eh - no big deal.  An oversight.

Then there's the blogger who invites comments or emails that require her to respond.  Perhaps she talks about this awesome recipe and tells her readers to leave a comment if they'd like her to email it to them.  And you do.  And she doesn't.  I guess she didn't mean you.  She meant her other followers.

Do you stop reading then?

When I was in the thick of TTC, I followed a blogger who was years ahead of me with mostly heartache.  Like many of us, she was hit with disappointment and challenges left and right.  I followed her through some life changes like a move across the country, supported her when she had unfavorable comments on a post, emailed (and was granted) a password request when she went private.  And then somewhere between my second and third miscarriage, I unsubscribed.  It felt like a completely one-sided relationship.  Not once did she comment on a post of mine.  When I needed it most, not one 'thinking of you' from her.  It shouldn't matter.  I was fortunate enough to have so many online friends who did comment.  But the next update from her in my reader?  It stung a little bit.

Like many relationships where I feel slighted, I look to myself.  Am I there for my readers like I should be?  Am I doing enough?  There are many times when I comment in my head when I read a post but don't take the time to type it.  I tell myself I'll do it later.  And then I don't.  I feel guilty about that.  But to never comment?  After months or years of support given to me?  No, I wouldn't do that.

Note to Self - Post More Often

I think I have said this before.  I need to post more often because once I do, whatever issue I'm complaining about at the time, is better.  Yesterday?  Napper Champions.  Two naps, both babies, at the same time, in the AM and in the PM.  It helps that my babysitter ROCKS.  And it helps that it was nice enough for them to get some outside time.

Thank you so much for your supportive comments!  To answer Gwinne's question, I have tried adjusting the time both earlier and later.  I learned early on (during the Witching Hour Phase), that if I miss the window for the Dynamo, it's extra difficult for him to fall asleep.  This is true for naps too although he's not as fussy as he was back then.

We have good nap days and not so good nap days.  More importantly for Mama (and it's all about Mama), we have pretty good nights. 

In other news, the Dynamo took nine steps last night by himself.  NINE.  Eeeeek!

Nap Monsters

Naptime has had a good run. There have been several months of at the same time, in the cribs, both babies, napping. That time apparently is over. Morning naps are still pretty okay but afternoon naps? Fogettaboutit. Especially the Dynamo. Perhaps the transition is to one nap a day, you say? Well I’d buy that if they actually slept longer than an hour and fifteen minutes in the morning. And while they do not wake the other up at night (and thankfully do not wake up too much at night anymore as it is), they do tend to wake the other during the day. I tried, very unsuccessfully I might add, to separate them for naps. I set up the Pack-N-Play in my room for the Dynamo and put Sweet Potato in his crib in the nursery. Epic fail. I knew it wouldn’t work before I even tried it.

Oh well. It was nice while it lasted….

Dyn-O-Mite!

My little non-trick-or-treat-ers....