mom brain really does exist

things nobody told me about the birth experience (or if they did I was too stupid to listen)

1. Water breaking can be the first sign of labor... all of the books and classes said that the birth experience is nothing like the movies and that you will know you are in labor before your water breaks. I was confused and caught off guard when it happened, because I was convinced there would be contractions first (although I'm not really sure what I thought it was... it isn't like I had been experiencing incontinence).

2. You probably will panic a little bit when your water breaks. My doctor had told me that if my water broke at home to get to the hospital asap. We are about a 20 minute drive from the hospital and I was convinced I might have the babies in the car.

3. You will curse the driving skills of whoever is taking you to the hospital- Justin was at work, so my mom had the pleasure of driving me. The roads were a little icy, so she was only able to go 40 on the interstate. I kept on (politely) reminding her that the speed limit is 55.

4. I am a pretty perky person, but there was one nurse I absolutely hated until I had my epidural. She was super friendly and pleasant and asking me all of these important intake questions when all I wanted to do was be left alone. Thankfully I was able to keep my anger inside and was back to my normal self after the epidural.

5. Nurses are sneaky little creatures and will have you convinced that it is only one more push when in reality you have over 2 more hours to go.

6. Pushing really can take 3 hours- don't look at the clock.

7. Operating room tables are really uncomfortable- even with the sweet epidural.

8. With a twin delivery they call in all sorts of helpers- don't be alarmed if you see the person who was assisting with delivery stocking the supply closet the next day.

9. Mesh underwear are disgusting- everyone on the blogosphere raves about them, but I thought they were like wearing an adult diaper... so bring your own undies, preferably in both one and two sizes bigger than your pregnancy (yes pregnancy, not pre-pregnancy) size.

10. IV fluids, blood transfusions, and not being able to get out of bed for 14 hours after birth will make you look like crap... case in point:

Within an hour of Claire's birth... a bit disheveled, but looking pretty good

2 days after the girls were born. Thankfully the puffiness went away- my face looks normal again!

11. Let people take pictures of you- even if you look horrible. You'll want them for the baby book (and changing the color to black and white can hide a multitude of sins!)

momism #374

Never knowing when exactly to brush your teeth. The whole family is operating on a 2-3 hour sleeping and feeding schedule and one of the hardest things is for me to remember to brush my teeth! Do I do it after the 5:00 feeding (I usually have some toast and apple juice) or wait until after the 8:00 when I have a heartier breakfast? I best figure this out soon as I have a dental appointment on the 28th.

what a little turkey

Today Claire decided that she was over waiting for her umbilical cord to fall off... during her diaper change she grabbed it and ripped it off on her own. Audrey's fell off last Saturday, so I suppose she wanted to keep up with her sister.

things learned in our first week of parenthood

-Trust your instincts- some of the advice we received in the hospital seemed incorrect... like newborns can sleep through the night (umm... if you looked at their chart you would see they lost over 10% of their birth weight...I will not let my 5 pounder go more than 3 hours without eating until after her 2 week pediatrician check-up thank you very much) and that formula helps get rid of jaundice faster. We ended up meeting many different nurses during our stints in the hospital and quickly discovered that every person you asked had a different opinion.

-Little girls are capable of projectile peeing.

-Visitors are great- especially if they bring cookies :)

-Whomever coined the phrase "don't cry over spilled milk" never tried to establish breastfeeding.

-Have someone stay with you for the first week- especially if they are willing to do your cooking, cleaning, and laundry (thanks mom- we probably would have starved without you!)

-You will learn to live your life in 2 hour increments in between feedings- when my mom babysat Justin and I bought a cart full of stuff at Target, picked up some preemie clothes for Claire, and stopped at Bed Bath and Beyond for a few essentials- and had 15 minutes to spare between the next feeding.

-Little girls are the best and are even more fun if they come in pairs!

Claire and Audrey are here!

Claire Vivian- Born 2/2 5lbs 9 oz and 18.5 inches

Claire and Audrey

Audrey Irene- Born 2/2 7lbs 7oz 19.5 inches

our very own babies r us

We have set up most of our baby gear and our home is definitely starting to resemble a Babies R Us!

Here is our family room that has part of our baby gear collection (believe it or not we have another bouncer and a rock n play sleeper upstairs). You can see the top of the console table (where the box of kleenex is)... that has drawers that house diapers, portable changing pads, burp cloths, and quilts. I think it will be easiest to do most of the diaper changes upstairs on the changing table, but I like to be prepared! The other side of the family room has another bouncer, and might eventually house the playard.

We used to have a chair where the bassinet is, but moved that to our bedroom so I will have a quiet spot for feedings. 

On the nightstand I have a few burp cloths and a basket for some essentials like lip balm and snacks. I need to add a coaster to the feeding station, but luckily I already own some that will work. We bought this chair a few years ago and I'm so glad that we bought the ottoman! We had debated about it for a while, but decided to go ahead and get it- it will definitely be a great purchase. I'm glad that we are able to repurpose a chair that we already own instead of buying something new- we looked at some of the nice gliders that are meant for nurseries, but they were $600+ and have such a short life span (plus I think our chair is much cuter).

I have shown a picture of the girls' bookshelf before, but their book and toy collection has definitely expanded!

I'm really excited about their bunnies- (the second bunny lives on a floating shelf above the bookshelf) they are very similar to a bunny I received as a gift when my brother was born. I was never a huge stuffed animal person, but I loved my bunny!

We have pretty much everything ready for the girls- the only thing left is some artwork above the changing table, but we're waiting on that- we are thinking we might want to use a photo from their newborn session or some sort of alphabet artwork that incorporates their names.