2 Months!

I never knew that time could pass by so quickly.  The twins are 2 months old today.  We are starting to develop a routine, which makes days much easier to navigate.  Life is easier when you know what to expect!

Miss Molly:
You weigh just under 8 lbs and are still firmly in newborn clothes.  Most of your adorable 0-3 month stuff just swallows you, little girl!  You've certainly come a long way from your scrawny 4lb 13oz self, but next to Jack you seem so tiny.  Nap is still a four letter word.  You fight sleep more than any baby I've ever known!  Just when we think you might be out, those big blue eyes pop open and you just stare at us.  Thankfully, bedtime is usually another story- once you are fed and zipped into your Woombie, we lay you in your NapNanny and you will sleep for 4-6 hours.  Mommy loves watching you sleep because you make the funniest faces!

Jackson Man:
You're such a chunk with the chubbiest squishable cheeks!  At almost 10 lbs, you are running away from your little sister.  You look like such a little man sometimes.  I am completely in love with your seriousness-  you are definitely your mother's child!  Every now and then you'll give your Daddy a big smile, but you save them for really special occasions (like playing airplane!).  The colic seems to be getting a little better every week, but evenings are still really hard.  Between 5-9pm most nights, you and Molly both cry for at least 1-2 hours and it breaks my heart.  When it's time for bed, I am just as worn out from your screaming as you are!  

Happy 2 Month Birthday, little ones.  It has been the craziest, most amazing two months of my life.

In which I discuss my boobs.

If you are pregnant and have sweet visions of forging this amazing, pain-free bond while nourishing your tiny little infant, stop reading here. You've been warned!

As I mentioned here, nursing didn't really work out for us. It just wasn't in the cards. So, for the past 8 weeks, I have spent at least 4 hours per day hooked up to a milking machine to provide breast milk for Molly and Jack.  I am pumping 8 times per day for 30 minutes each time.  Trust me- all this suction is NOT natural, and it does a number on your nipples. They crack and blister, and generally look nothing like the ones you remember from your pre-pumping days. It's really gross and it hurts.  I spent a stupid amount of money on tubes of lanolin, prescription creams, and different sized flanges in an attempt to lessen the pain of pumping, which brings me to the point of this post. I have found a fabulous product that actually works, and that I wish I'd had from day one.

Pumpin Pals flanges are freaking amazing.  They look a little wonky- kind of like Shrek's ears, right?  But trust me.  These ripply pieces of plastic have single-handedly saved my pumping sanity.  The angle of the flanges lets me relax and sit back a bit, which isn't possible with the Medela flanges I was using.  Even better?  Three days after the switch, the cracks that plagued me for 8 weeks were completely healed and my nipples weren't killing me.  I could hold Molly and Jack without wanting to scream!  I debated the purchase for several weeks, because I couldn't justify spending even more money trying to make my milk-gathering mission less painful.  My only regret now is that I didn't buy them sooner.  Combined with my Simple Wishes Hands-Free Pumping Bra,  I'm in pumping nirvana  Woot woot!!

Things I've learned...

The last 6 weeks have taught me so much.  I've helped raise 2 younger brothers, 4 nieces and 2 nephews.  However, when the child in question is yours, all bets are off.  Suddenly, you become the most ignorant person alive.  Here are a few things I desperately wish people would have told me before the babies arrived.

1.  You will cry a LOT at first, and wonder what the heck you've gotten yourself into.  It's normal, but you feel like complete crap when these things creep into your head.  The first few days/weeks are really, really, really hard, so go easy on yourself.  If I'd known these feelings were normal, I'd have talked to someone about them instead of feeling ashamed.  These passing thoughts do not make you a terrible mother.  They make you human, albeit a thoroughly stressed out and overwhelmed human.

2.  You can accomplish much more than you ever thought possible-  things like hauling two 6 week old babies to 4 different stores in less than 2 hours because there are things that you cannot do without (like dog food, perhaps?).  It is also totally possible to push a stroller and pull a shopping cart at the same time.  Note that I didn't say fun, easy or enjoyable, but it is definitely possible. 

3.  No one is as hard on you as you are on yourself.  Whether you have issues with breastfeeding, or colic, or you're just not sure how to do this whole "raising a kid" thing, you'll figure it out.  No one will judge or second-guess your decisions more harshly than you will, but if your baby is fed, changed and loved, then you're doing it right. 

4.  It is so important to maintain a connection with your significant other.  Taking care of children is stressful and time-consuming, and it is so easy to neglect the relationship that brought your babies into being.  A hug and an "I love you" goes a long way when you are both frazzled, exhausted and snippy!

5.  What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.  Literally.  I'm going to have killer legs from all of the squats and lunges I do on a daily basis and the babies aren't even mobile yet.  I have spent more time on the floor of my living room in the past 6 weeks than in the 6 years we've lived in this house!  Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure I'm also going to need knee replacements from the aforementioned exercise.

Any more tips or pieces of sage wisdom you'd like to share before I figure it out for myself (and wonder why you didn't tell me in advance)?