Learning the Ropes

I've been writing this post in my head for the past week or so, but all free time so far has been spent snuggling my girls. {I'm trying to make up for all the lost time in the NICU!}

Having both girls home is amazing & oh so tiring! Twins are no joke! Having Maddie home before Amelia was a piece of cake compared to double trouble.  But honestly, the NICU got them on a great schedule & we have been able to stick to it pretty well.

The girls are still napping a lot, as they still haven't even met their real due date {May 24}. Nighttime is pretty similar to day time. Most of the time they make it to their next scheduled feeding, but even now and then someone {mainly Maddie} will get to sneak into bed for a little snack.

Dave & I certainly have different parenting styles & we are still working out the kinks. As expected, I'm hovering over the babies constantly, checking if they are breathing, & always looking for a cuddle. I'm up at every cry, wanting to comfort the babies the best that I can. Dave obviously has profound hearing loss at night, because he can sleep through any wail, no matter what the decibel.  So I'd say we are both falling into our stereotypical roles as parents.

Amelia has been settling in really well. She still snoozes a lot, but will certainly let you know when she is hungry. She is still on the diuretic for her PDA Valve, however, at her first appointment with our Pediatrician, he couldn't even pick up her murmur with his stethoscope. We have a follow up visit with the Cardiologist at the end of the month, and hopefully it will be closed.

Maddie on the other hand has completely made herself at home. She is more alert than Amelia & loves to play, or scream, either one works just fine. This is truly my child. The girls have been having a blast sitting on their play mat together.  All the fun parts on the mat aren't even glanced at, instead they intently study each other, & then promptly bat one another in the face.

We have made a few trips out here & there. The girls are always a hit. Well, more like a novelty, because of their size. We have lots of "tiny, small, new baby" comments, which I instantly have to defend. "Well they are actually almost 2 months old, but born premature." Small & tiny comments hit hard to a preemie mom.  On the flip side, there have been several moms who have in turn shared their story about their premature infants. I chatted with a lady at Costco about her 24 weeker, who is now a healthy 11 year old.  Same with the lady at the post office, who had her twins at 27 weeks, & are now giant 15 year olds. I love these stories. Keep them coming.

We celebrated Mother's Day by stuffing our face with delicious food & I enjoyed the flowers given to me by my husband & parents.  I can't say I had a relaxing day off, maybe those come in the next few years, but at least the day was enjoyable.

So all in all we are happy to have everyone home! We are grateful for all the support from our family & friends. Thank you so much!!

Rebecca