When Everyone is Sick

We have had the most sickness in this house we've had since our marriage. I can't think of a time that both my husband and I were sick.

Thankfully, today is beautiful out, so the boys and I can open up the apartment to let in some fresh air, and get out of the germ-infested rooms.

It was just a cold, but having both me and my husband sick made for some low-key days. It is hard enough to get everything done with the boys and walk away feeling like I got to interact with them. We read together, play games (they love peek-a-boo now!), sing, and work on rolling over several times a day. In addition to this, I also do laundry every other day, which includes our labor-intensive cloth diapers, keep the place picked up (a task in itself), take care of the cat (except the litter box--that's Craig's job), go for walks almost daily, nurse the boys several times a day, knit and crochet orders for my Etsy shop, teach private lessons, grocery shop and cook a majority of the time.

I know it was just for a couple of days, and I was sick and barely functioning, but it felt like I was doing the boys a disservice by not being as playful and fun. Add to the sickness that I couldn't fall asleep several nights in a row, and I was downright lethargic. We did only the bare minimum and I felt terrible for being sick, and for not being able to play with them as normal.

I am a fairly healthy person and tend to not get sick very often, if ever. I guess it never occurred to me that this could happen after the boys were born, and we weren't very prepared for it. Thankfully, aside from a few extra sneezes, the boys seem unaffected by our colds, and hopefully will continue to be. We felt much better over the weekend, and Craig even went back to work today, so hopefully this is all behind us.

No more red noses and scratchy throats!

Today's encouraging verse: Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. Psalm 145:3-4

Train Up a Child...

My husband and I are not rich by any means. In fact, we've each made some very dumb decisions when it comes to money. Those stories are for another blog, for another day. One thing we've been very diligent about since we got married is living within our means. I am proud to say that we have not purchased one dollar on credit since the day we got married, and probably, since before we were engaged. We have worked hard over the last 2 and a half years to save and pay for what we have, and God has blessed us immensely with many generous gifts in the meantime. I truly believe this is a result of how we have turned our lives around and become good stewards of what He has given us.

When I was making terrible money mistakes, I heard of this Dave Ramsey guy, whom most of you probably know of. I was immediately inspired by all of the debt-free screams on his radio show, and listened to it almost daily, as I was working part-time at the time. I have wanted to go through his Financial Peace University ever since, but couldn't afford it at the time, and when I got married, my hubby couldn't see the point of "paying for common sense."

Persistence pays off, because just recently, I caught a great deal on Dave's CD's and we were able to listen to FPU at home. We learned about all of Dave's principles, from saving, to purchasing, investing, and insurances. My favorite lesson from the entire series is his lesson on giving, which wraps up the class.

The thing that hit me the hardest about that lesson is being able to pass on a legacy of not only zero debt, but a spirit of giving to our children. We are not all the way through the Baby Steps, but we are working our way through one day at a time. I am excited to be able to start our sons' lives by showing them a life without payments and being able to give to others. This is the best thing I can think of to be able to do for them, apart from helping them to know God.

Today's encouraging verse: Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it. The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. Proverbs 22:6-7

20 weeks old!

One of my favorite things about my children is the noises they each make. While being a twin mom has its challenges, I think one of the greatest rewards is hearing your children "talk" with and entertain each other.

I wish I could record all of the wonderful sounds that come from these boys' lips, but they are, at the time, very sporadic and spontaneous, and therefore hard to capture. Suffice it to say that both of my boys should be great vocalists (which makes their mommy very proud!) based on the vocalises they do every day. L'aig is great at getting up into his falsetto, and Bl'aig loves to sputter around on his lower tones.

We are going through bibs like crazy due to the amount of saliva dripping down their chests, and the bubbles are wonderful additions to the sounds and gurgles they make. I love listening to them coo and tell us stories, as their eyes light up when they realize that we are communicating back with them by listening and responding. One day soon, they'll be speaking to us in words and sharing ideas with us!

I try to spend as much face-to-face time with each of them as possible, but, as you can probably imagine, it is hard to do with 2 mini people. Hopefully they'll be able to communicate well enough with each other that neither one of them feels neglected by me. We are all doing the best we can.

Today's encouraging verse: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. " Luke 21:33

L;aig's wide smile, usually accompanied by a squeal

Bl'aig celebrating St. Pat's with us

Playtime!

We are finally getting to the point where we have a pretty good routine. I've been waking up in the mornings, nursing both boys, reading to them, playing games and singing songs, and then they both generally fall asleep pretty quickly. This has worked well for us since about the middle of January, which is pretty cool!

One thing that we've been able to incorporate the last few days is some playtime, mixed with a little tummy time, our least favorite activity of the day. We have the jungle gym mat shown here that the boys have only recently not minded being laid on for longer than a few minutes. During that time, up until recently, we've had to sit there and entertain them, or, at least, convince them not to cry. And forget tummy time. That's the worst!

Saturday morning, we left Bl'aig on the mat for nearly an hour after his brother had fallen asleep in the other room, and he cooed and laughed and loved nearly ever minute of it! We were thrilled!! Since then, we've tried just setting the boys on it (face up) and letting them gawk at the colors and toys. Occasionally, I'll flip one of them over and rub his back while he's on his tummy, which is getting less disagreeable. After they've cried sufficiently and lifted their heads a few times, I'll flip them back over (I only flip one at a time!) and they are pretty much distracted from their discomfort by the colorful things.

This new discovery is so liberating! They aren't crying to be held at all times, I'm not constantly trying to get them to nap so I can get things done, and they are learning before my eyes! I had them both on the mat for over an hour and a half yesterday (L'aig did 2 hours!) and they both were purposefully using their arms and hands to grab things, reaching across their bodies (I think I'm going to have at least one lefty), and bringing things with accuracy to their mouths. It was so cool to watch! I was even able to fix dinner while they entertained themselves.

It is amazing to watch their growth and development every day. I can't believe how much they are changing on a daily basis. I wonder what the next month will hold for us?

Today's verse: This is the day that the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it! Psalm 118:24

4 Months and Counting!

I don't know how best to explain how quickly and how slowly the last 4 months have simultaneously gone by.

On the one hand, I feel like I've been nursing, changing, bathing, watching, and caring for these little men FOREVER. I've been at home with them every day (except when I had that major abdominal surgery...) since they were born. There are hours that feel like they'll never end, let alone days when I can't wait for my hubby to walk through the door to give me some relief.

On the other hand, it's only been four months and they've grown and learned and developed SO much in that time. I remember being in the hospital, thinking we were in no way qualified to bring these boys home and care for them. They were so small and fragile, and I was so afraid that they might even just slip through my fingers. Now they laugh, smile, play, and hold "conversations" with us on a regular basis, and each of them has so much personality.

While staying home with them full-time, I get to see how much they can do, and it is obvious to me with whom I am playing. Sometimes I get frustrated with friends and family who can't even tell them apart, until I realize they've only seen the boys a few times. What really gets me is when people are holding the boys and they expect them to just fall asleep or snuggle in their arms, because that's all they think babies are capable of. I just want to tell them that my boys can do so much more, try interacting with them a little!

They really are so much fun, and while not every day is easy (like today: we got shots this morning), every day has something good in it.

I'm sure the next few days will pass quickly, leaving me wondering what happened to the last week already, but I hope we're able to slow down and enjoy the moments as they pass. Until next time...

Today's verse: "Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matthew 6:34

My favorite 4 month old boys