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Sunday, April 21, 2013

Life is Good!

It's Sunday morning, the boys are napping and hubby is out doing the grocery shopping.  I'm sitting on the couch relaxing.  I just finished my second cup of coffee and Nico is laying on the floor beside me.  It's not raining and there is a little glimpse of sun every now and then.  The only "must-dos" for the day are cooking, some light cleaning and a walk with the dog and/or family (depending on the rain holding off).  Life is good!

But really, how can the weekend be a bad one when you start it off as I did...Saturday morning, I got up and went about my normal routine and when the boys went for their morning nap, I got showered to go out shopping (for the boys) for the afternoon.  When I got out of the shower, I went through my closet and just for fun, I tried on a pair of the jeans that were at the back of my closet; these were jeans that I didn't figure I'd ever fit into again, but just couldn't throw out.  THEY FIT!!!  And not even the "lay down on the bed, suck your gut in and quickly zipper" kind of fit, they actually fit!  There was nothing that could get me down, it was a good day!

I've always battled with my weight and through the years, I've lost weight and gained it back over and over again.  Gaining a pound or two is enough to start the downward spiral back into overeating and putting off exercise and suddenly the one or two pounds turns into ten.  Since having the boys, I realize that I owe it to myself and them to be healthy and I want to look and feel good.  I now find it easier to eat more sensibly and strangely enough, I actually enjoy exercise (even though I often have to remind myself of this before any activity).  I don't know exactly how much, but I am down somewhere in the vicinity of 30 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight, which I am pretty proud of.  I still have a long way to go, but I feel like I have already come a long way. 

I have lots of love in my life.  I have a great family.  I have everything I need to care for myself and my family.  I have lots of great friends who I know I can count on when it matters.  Life is good!

Friday, April 19, 2013

Challenge Accepted!

I haven't posted in a while as the last week has been a bit hectic.  Last weekend, we agreed to have a nice, relaxing weekend and not do much other than cooking and housework.  It started out great; Friday night we put the boys to bed and we sat down in the dark living room in front of the TV with a glass of wine and enjoyed each other's company and the temporary freedom from the babies.  Saturday was a pretty typical day, with me in the kitchen making baby food at every chance I got and Daddy keeping the boys (and doggy) occupied with baths, walks and his usual silliness.  Since I was in the kitchen all day making baby food, hubby was cooking supper - grilled prime rib steaks and spinach salad - yum!  It was all too perfect - the boys were content and we ate our supper without having to get up from the table once.  Just after supper, I got up from the table and started to clean up the dishes when it hit me...a gallbladder attack :( 

This was my second attack in the past couple months; apparently, they are quite common during and after pregnancy.  When people tell you how bad these attacks feel, you think they are exaggerating; with no exaggeration, child birth feels better!  I ended up going to the ER and coming home with strong meds, but continued to feel awful until Tuesday.  Thankfully, hubby was able to stay home from work on Monday and Tuesday to take care of the kids - I don't know what I would have done without him!  I had an ultrasound on Tuesday which showed that, as suspected, I have gallstones and will most likely need surgery. 

Monday was the start of the "Spring into Action" challenge.  Obviously, with the gallbladder issue, I was in no shape to do any sort of physical activity.  In the past, I would have seized the opportunity and used this as the perfect excuse to pull out of the challenge - this time, I promised myself that I wouldn't.  The challenge is to get at least 30 minutes of activity a day at least 5 days a week, so I told myself that even if I couldn't do anything on Monday and Tuesday, I would get my butt in gear and make up for it starting Wednesday, which I did!  Wednesday, two friends and their kiddies came to visit and we went out for a walk with the kids (and Nico, of course) and enjoyed the beautiful afternoon.  Thursday, I packed the kids and the dog up and we did a trail walk at the park.  The boys slept and Nico and I played Frisbee and she swam until her heart was content!  This evening, Nico and I will go for a walk and I'll get some form of activity in tomorrow and Sunday and then I've met my challenge for week one!  It sometimes seems like such an effort to get out and get moving, but it always feels so good during and after - I always need to remind myself of this!

I need to get up and moving now...the boys are sleeping and the housework isn't doing itself!  Happy Friday to all! 

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

A New Day, A New Challenge!

If there's one thing I've learned since becoming a mother, it is how to second guess every one of my thoughts or actions.  At every stage so far, when I'm trying to establish a system for doing things, I never trust my first instinct.  I read books and search for solutions online or ask other moms and POMBA (Parents of Multiple Births Association) parents what they do before I decide on anything.  Sometimes, being a new mother sounds like being a new employee, doesn't it?  I don't want to make mistakes, I second guess myself and make sure that I am going about things the best possible way to avoid messing up and upsetting my bosses.  No matter if I am happy or sad, cranky or tired, I put on a smiley face and tend to my bosses.  I do whatever my bosses ask, regardless of if I want to or if I have time.  But there are differences between my job as a mother and my day job; my job as a mother is not limited to 40 hours a week, I do not get paid vacations or sick days. In fact, I do not get a pay cheque at all!  I am paid with kisses and hugs and smiles and giggles; no matter how much I second guess myself each day, this is my assurance that I am doing a good job! 

The latest thing to have me second guessing myself is getting out of the house.  It seems pretty simple, but is far more complicated with two babies.  Now it is further complicated because the boys have outgrown their infant car seats (the really portable ones that snap into a stroller or the bases in the van) and are into convertible seats, so now I have to take each of the boys individually to the van or stroller, strap them in and do the whole process again with the second boy.  Sometimes by the time I get to the second boy, the first is impatient and I have to calm a frustrated baby.  So, the thought of getting out of the house these days is quite intimidating and most times, I convince myself to stay home because it is easier. 

Admittedly, the "easy road" is a road that I often choose to take.  This is something that I vow to work on and my first step towards that is committing to a "Spring into Action" challenge.  I have been placed on a team with POMBA and the challenge is for each team member to get at least 30 minutes per day of physical activity at least five days a week.  The challenge starts on Monday, April 15th and lasts six weeks.  In the past, I would have dismissed the challenge before giving it any thought, but I owe it to myself and my family to change my way of thinking (and work on my fitness at the same time).  I will keep you all updated on the challenge throughout the next few weeks....please check in again!

P.S.  Nicholas said "mama" yesterday and now Lucas is saying it today - what a sweet word! :-)

Nicholas (L), Lucas (R)
Photo taken on March 31, 2013

Monday, April 8, 2013

Happy Birthday Mateo!

Today is my nephew, Mateo's, birthday; he is eight.  It is unfathomable that eight years have gone by so quickly!  Mateo is my only sister's son and he is such a sweet, bright, unique boy I was lucky enough to bond with from the day he was born. When I was growing up, I was always unsure as to whether or not I'd want children of my own, but when Mateo was born, I knew that I did.  My sister and her family (as well as my parents) live three hours away in the town that I grew up in.  When Mateo was a baby, I'd go home some weekends and I'd spend most of my time with him - I knew how crazy I was about him when I'd turn down a night of partying with my friends to stay home and cuddle up with him!  At the end of the weekend, when it was time to leave, I'd always end up in tears, missing him as soon as I'd pull out of the driveway, saddened to think about how much he would change before the next time I'd see him.  Eight years later with kids of my own, I still get that feeling when I leave.

I hope you have the best day ever, Bud!  Auntie loves you, xoxoxo



Thursday, April 4, 2013

One + One = Five?!

Our story begins when we got our little black lab puppy just after Christmas 2011.  I thought "why not get a puppy? It's not like we have kids or anything that keeps us terribly busy."  So, while visiting family over the holidays, I picked up our little puppy, Nico.  One week later, on my second day back to work after Christmas vacation, we discovered that I was pregnant! We were quite shocked, but the shock turned to excitement (and a little fear!), thinking of all that was to come. 

Fast forward to April, I was 5 months pregnant and hubby** and I went to the hospital for our first ultrasound which led to more shock and surprise - the ultrasound tech said "there are 2"....meaning twins!  Hubby had been teasing me that we would have twins since we found out that I was expecting, but I never gave it any consideration.  In a few months' time, we would have two babies and a puppy - life would never be the same!  My pregnancy flew by, likely due to the fact that we had two babies to prepare for and a puppy in obedience classes - just a taste of the busy life that would come.

**after being together for almost 7 years, I feel like I have earned the right to call him hubby even though we aren't "technically" married!

On August 13, 2012, after 19 hours in labor (you didn't think you were going to get through this without me mentioning the labor, did you?!) we were blessed with our two boys.  Lucas came first and Nicholas came 50 minutes later (50 minutes = an eternity!).  We don't have much family in town, so thankfully, we had some come from out of town to help us for the first couple weeks, which of course, were a blur.  In fact, it's been a blur since they have arrived!

Lucas and Nicholas are now 7.5 months old and are, thankfully, very happy and healthy.  Each of the boys have developed their own unique personalities - Lucas being the mischievous, smiley boy who likes to snuggle but only on his terms, is very active and seems to have taken on his father's personality.  I expect to see him crawling any day now.  Nicholas is also very happy, but is not in a hurry to do anything - he is very laid back and he is always up for a good snuggle.  Maybe he will surprise me, as he seems to be the one to catch on to things first, but I don't expect to see Nicholas crawl for quite a while!  Admittedly, it seems that Nicholas has inherited my personality!

When I was pregnant, I thought a lot about the negative aspects of having multiples, like how I would take care of two crying babies, how we would be able to afford child care for two children, temper tantrums times two, etc.  Life's biggest change since the boys is having to think every little thing through and plan every little step before we do things, from doing housework (low on the priority list these days), to trips to the grocery store - things that required little to no thought before the babies came along. Another challenge is that I don't have much time to myself for hobbies that I enjoy and date nights with hubby are pretty much a thing of the past, at least for now, but we're making it through!

I won't lie, there have been times when I want to pull my hair out, but they are few and far between.  The frequency of those pull-my-hair-out moments may change once I have two mobile babies getting into everything or two going through the terrible-twos or two teenagers!  But at least once a day, we say how lucky we are and how we wouldn't change a thing.  Just think, we get double the smiles, double the snuggles, double the love!  And every night when we give them their bedtime bottles and they lie limp in our arms, any worries of the day are miles and miles away.

As for Nico, she is about a year and a half and is starting to calm down.  She is so good with the boys; she is protective and takes comfort in lying down beside them as they play (and pull at her ears and tail). We are proud of our fur baby as well and looking back, we wouldn't change a thing!


Nicholas (L), Nico & Lucas (R)
Photo taken January 30, 2013

Time to Start a Blog!

As a mother of infant twins, I don't have much time for the hobbies that I enjoyed in my pre-mom days.  The one hobby that I still make time for is cooking and though I love to cook and be creative in the kitchen, some days it seems like a chore.  The other day, I found myself in a craft store looking at jewelry making supplies to replenish my stock and start something new, but then I thought "when will I really have a chance to complete any of these projects?"  Since naptimes are too short to drag out all the supplies and get anything productive done before the twins wake up, my only free time is after they go to bed at night.  After full days of baby chasing/feeding/changing, making baby food, doing laundry and housework and cooking the adult meals, I really don't have the energy to drag out all the supplies and begin a project (the thought exhausts me, actually!).  Other hobbies that I once enjoyed are scrapbooking and cake decorating and unfortunately, I don't have time for those things either.  So, I ended up walking out of the craft store empty handed, still feeling the need to do something creative; this blog was my solution.

Through pregnancy and since the twins have been born, I have had so many questions at every stage, many of which are not answered by reading books - many of my questions could only be answered by other moms.  Most of the time, I have known the answer to my questions, but just felt the need to hear it from other moms for reassurance.  I am hoping that I can answer some of those questions and provide that reassurance to other moms out there.  I do not claim to be an expert by any means, but I will share my own experiences with my kids and will let you know what I found works and what doesn't work and you can take it with a grain of salt.  What works for one doesn't work for all, but my theory is to gather as much information as you can and use whatever works best for you. 

One of the things I have been most perplexed by so far with my kids is food.  Since introducing solids, I have had a million questions (I'm sure that's not an exaggeration!).  Some of the books that I bought are fantastic, but I still had questions that were not answered, so between talking to my doctor, mom friends, POMBA members (Parents of Multiple Births Association - a MUST for parents of multiples) and just using my own judgement, I have found things that work for us.  I will share recipes and any tips that I can give, as well as books or other resources I have found useful.  Please feel free to add comments providing tips or feedback to any of my posts. 

Because life isn't all about our kids, I will add posts that interest me and may be of interest to others, such as some of my favorite recipes and other random posts.  I hope that you will find something here to interest you.  Keep checking in for updates, I hope to update often!

Thanks for reading!

Daphne