"You Just Have to be Really Structured"

I was talking to my brother, Rollie, on the phone a few weeks ago, and something he said to me reminded me that "my way is not the highway". Nothing like a brother to bring my head out of the clouds. The conversation went something like this:

me: There's nothing really new here besides kids, kids, kids. We haven't really had consistent babysitting yet. That will change soon, but the twins were so much work at the beginning; who would we have left all the kids with?

Rollie: Not with me. I wouldn't know what to do with two babies. One baby, I can sit with and find interesting videos to show, but two?

me (laughing): Well, Rollie, what it takes it's a lot of consistency and really sticking to a schedule. With twins, you just have to be really structured.

Rollie: That's funny because I could imagine someone with a different personality saying, "with twins, you just have to be flexible".

My brother is right, and the more I watch my kids grow, the more I realize that some aspects of parenting are really about what works for your family. (Others, however, I think are super important no matter what, but that's for another post.)

When I was pregnant with the boys, I had this idea that I would blog all the time after they were born. Partly, because I have already forgotten so many details from when Cece was a baby. Also because when I was pregnant, I couldn't find any blogs that really shared what mothering twins was like. Now, I know why. Who the heck has time to blog when they are taking care of twins (and a toddler)?

So many things have happened since the boys were born that I'm really hoping to document at some point (for my sake more than anything), but I decided that I just need to write a few things now and then when I have a chance. The rest, hopefully, I'll remember.

Well, I agree with Rollie, and I could probably stand to be a bit more flexible in many areas of life; however, both boys are sleeping through the night--they go to bed at 8pm and most mornings, I wake them up at 8am. Gabe has been doing this for a few weeks, and Alex for about a week. (We were waking Alex up before we went to bed to get one more feeding in him--just because of his size. He probably would have slept all night, but we just want to give the poor guy a chance to catch up with his "big" brother.)

I feel like a different person. After all those weeks of interrupted sleep, to go to bed and not wake up until 7am or even 8am is oh so wonderful.

The boys are amazingly happy (that is when things are "on schedule"--hmmm . . . did I make them that way?). Really. Most days, the don't ever cry. They eat. They smile. They fall asleep while laying peacefully in their beds. Don't get me wrong; it's still a lot of work, but it's easier to get through the days when you have two of the cutest boys in the world smiling at you all the time (Gabe on left; Alex on right)!