November

It was so nice having both babies home because we no longer had to drive back and forth to different hospitals. We started getting less sleep, but at least we had the babies with us. Having twins is a lot more complicated than having one baby. First of all, nursing is tricky all together. It's hard to make sure both babies will have enough to eat at the time they are hungry. Luckily we had a lot of extra milk stored up from when Spencer was in the hospital since he couldn't really eat for two and a half weeks. Unfortunately, the supply was not endless as it seemed at first, and now we have only a few bottles we are guarding for emergencies. I have had to figure out how to nurse Ethan and pump out a bottle for Spencer. Spencer is now getting better at nursing, but at first he had to have bottles because we had to add formula to the pumped milk to give him extra calories. These extra calories are supposed to help him grow faster, and he does seem to be growing. Anyway, so far it is still working, but there are days when we barely seem to have enough to feed the growing boys. Along with feeding, there is the night thing. Jeff has been really good about getting up with the babies at night. I couldn't do it without him. We both take one baby each night to feed. It's kind of funny because when one baby starts crying, we both lay there hoping it isn't the one we are in charge of. Poor Jeff was really tired the first couple of weeks. I was tired too, but I've been through it before with other babies, and this was the first time he's had to get up at night. He seems to have adjusted pretty well to it now. He's a trooper. Besides feedings, there are also diapers to change, and babies to comfort. At first it seemed like there was never a point in the day when both babies were quietly sleeping. Someone was always fussing. It's getting better as they grow, but poor Parker and Carter have had to watch a lot of TV lately. They don't seem to mind though, and I actually think they are learning something. Hooray for PBS! Anyway, we are adjusting and loving the boys. The kids are especially enjoying having two babies. There is always someone to hold whether they like it or not. Most of the time the older kids enjoy helping with and feeding the babies. Parker has even gotten good at giving Spencer a bottle. I am so lucky to have such great kids. They really are wonderful.