Mother's Day Thoughts

From the closing lines of Loving the Little Years by Rachel Jankovic: (I know I've said it before, but mommies, you really need to read this book.)

Blessings, like children, are not ethereal and weightless. Sometimes they feel like they come at you like a Kansas hail storm--they might leave a welt! But if you accept your lot and rejoice in your toil, God will give you the kind of overwhelming joy that cannot remember the details. Motherhood is hard work. It is repetitive and often times menial. Accept it. Rejoice in it. This is your toil. Right here. Those are their faces. Enjoy them. The days of your life are supposed to be full of things like this. But joy is not giddy. It is not an emotional rush--it is what happens when you accept your lot and rejoice in your toil. So rejoice in your children. Look them in the eyes and give thanks. You will not even remember the work of all this planting when the harvest of joy overwhelms you.

Being pregnant with the twins (meaning being sick, tired, and/or huge) for much of the past year, I have really struggled to find joy in the hard work of motherhood. So often it just felt like I was managing to stay alive, let alone teach, discipline, or nurture anyone. But after a month of bed rest and the back-and-forth-to-Johnstown NICU time (and the limits these things put on time with my big kids), I am rejoicing in this toil once again. A few years ago I had no children; now I'm a mother of four! Four amazing little souls to love and by God's grace, to help mold into His image. What a privilege.

This little boy seems so grown up these days.
Life with Austin these days is all about making good
choices, thinking of others, respecting Mommy and
Daddy's authority...and lots of playing with cars and trucks.

Miss Independent wants to do everything
herself...and usually manages. She's equally
happy playing cars with her brother or feeding
her new babies. To say she has a mind of her own
is an understatement.

Still getting to know these precious tiny boys. They love
to snuggle. They don't particularly like getting their diapers changed.
They are more alert than our other newborns have
been (not that you can tell from this picture!)  They're thriving on
a steady diet of milk and love.

Swing Batter Batter!

Zach and Austin bought a t-ball set this afternoon. Pretty exciting stuff for a four-year old boy. He seems so big these days! Wasn't he my baby just yesterday?

Gotta love this baby, too. She has just learned to jump and actually leave the floor; I believe this picture was taken as she was demonstrating for Daddy.

Twin Test #1-Fail

Just for fun this morning Zach and I asked Mom to place the twins on the bed out of our eyesight, then we came into the room and attempted to identify them. I had felt like I was starting to notice enough differences that I would have a better than 50% chance of guessing correctly. So we came in and looked...and looked...and they really looked alike. After a few minutes of careful study Zach and I revealed our guesses. We guessed the same. We were both wrong. Oops.

So it's a good thing they haven't outgrown the hospital bracelets yet, huh?  For the record, Joshua is on the left and Jude is on the right.

Under One Roof

Today our family of six is at home together for the first time! The boys made great progress in the last few days and by Tuesday the doctor and nurses were hinting that our homecoming would be today. I stayed overnight at the hospital again Tuesday night so we could make sure they were gaining weight after being breastfed exclusively for 24 hours. Then car seat checks, hearing screenings, some paperwork, and we were on our way by lunchtime today!

On the way to get their pictures taken in the hospital. Joshua
on the left, Jude on the right.

After putting them in their matching outfits, I started getting really nervous about telling the twins apart. When I look at them side by side they seem slightly different to me but I can't really put my finger on how. So if you were to bring me one twin without the other for comparison, I have no confidence that I would know which one he was. I'm sure that will come soon enough but for now...well, thankfully the hospital left an ID bracelet on each baby so we've got cheat sheets, so to speak.

Can YOU tell who's who?

So far the boys have spent their time at home doing everything babies are supposed to do: eat, sleep, poop, snuggle. Joshua and Jude are pretty good breastfeeders for their gestational age (at least according to the NICU nurses) but they do tend to get tired pretty quickly. I worry a lot that they're not eating enough. But the hospital arranges for a home health nurse to visit you, so in addition to our pediatrician visit next Monday we'll have a nurse visit us tomorrow and maybe once over the weekend to weigh them. That's very comforting.

Austin and Esther seem to like their new little brothers, although I see the struggle to get attention beginning already. Sorry kids, this is the new normal. Austin likes holding a baby and Esther really likes their hats. She is just starting to put two words together, so "baby hat" is a phrase we've heard many times today. Cute. :)

Austin holding Jude

Sweet surprise when we got home. Not sure why Austin was grumpy.

Grandma and ... Joshua?

Mommy and ... Jude?

Wide awake Jude, sleepy Joshua

Holding hands. Awwwww.