Although people tell me that last year when I was pregnant was my first Mother’s Day, This is my first official Mother’s Day. Motherhood, for me, started the day I finally got to hold my baby boys in my arms, and what a wonderful way to start that new job it was!

Thinking back to my short 6 months of motherhood, I’ve come to some
conclusions. Motherhood is hard, but at the same time the best and most rewarding job I could ever ask for.

I call it a job because that’s just what it is, a job. But it is such a blessing and a praise that I get to do this job every day and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

As with any new job, you learn as you go. When you start out you don’t really know a whole lot but the longer you do it, the more you learn. And, eventually you learn enough to get by, or at least fool people into thinking you know what your doing. Motherhood is one of the only jobs you can be completely clueless for the first 90 days and not get fired!

Here are some of the things I have learned in the last 6 months:

1) sometimes you do what you have to do to get by. That may mean one baby has to cry while you are dealing the other baby.
2) you may not get a shower everyday…and thats ok
3) the way you do something may not be considered the “right” way to do it, but if it works for you and your baby, it’s the right way for you. (unless its dangerous of course)
4) your house probably won’t be as clean as it one was, or cleaned as often…same goes for the lawn, laundry and anything else that need regular maintenance
5) “me” time is pretty much non existent
6) spit up happens, so plan on changing your outfit at least once a day
7) you need to teach your baby to fall asleep on their own, this is a learned skill
8) when babies learn to sit up on their own, you get some of your freedom back
9) squash and carrots stain clothing, bibs, blankets, etc.
10) Biz is great at getting the above out of clothing, as long as it isn’t set
11) always double check to see if there are wipes in the box before you change a dirty diaper
12) always have a burp cloth handy
13) the more you have on your to do list, the shorter nap time will be, and nap time will NEVER be as long as you want it to be.
14) as a parent of multiples, you gain instant “celebrity” status when you are out and about
15) hearing your children laugh is one of the best sounds in the world
16) You can’t get home soon enough from your “real” job
17) babies wake up waaaay too early, but seeing that face smiling back at you when you go in their room makes it all ok
18) sometimes babies get too stimulated with a lot of people or noises around them
19) you need to take time for yourselves, whether it’s 5 mins or 2 hours.
20) If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!

The best part of joining the motherhood club is watching your child learn things. It is a feeling I simply cannot put into words. Watching their face when they realize they can do something or helping them one day and a few days later they are doing it all by themselves. That is one of the best feelings in the world.

I am so thankful I was able to become a mom and that God entrusted these two precious boys to Jonathan and I, without them I would be lost!

I have to say that If it weren’t for my mom’s loving devotion and Godly example in my life, I would be lost. She is the only reason I know what to do and how to be a good mother. She has taught me by example to be loving, nurturing, self-sacrificing and patient. All of which are characteristics and attributes a mother should have.

Happy Mother’s Day Momma!!

My boys were 6 months old yesterday…that’s half of a year! In some ways the time has flown by but in other ways it seems like it’s been a full year. They have grown so much in the last month, not only physically but developmentally too. It has been so fun to watch them grow and develop new skills and abilities.

The boys have started eating solid food and Ian really likes it, Hayden not as much…he’d rather drink his food. They have eaten green beans, squash, carrots (neither of them like carrots) and sweet potatoes. We’re waiting to introduce any sweet foods like bananas, apples, etc for as long as we can because if they are like their momma, they’ll develop a serious sweet tooth! 😉

The older the boys get, the more they notice one another and its funny to watch them interact. Hayden likes to touch Ian and be close to him. He will just put his hand on Ian’s back or arm or whatever, as long as he is touching him he’s ok.

Although now Hayden is being a little more annoying than sweet when he tries to be close to Ian. He likes to try to pull on Ian’s Doc Band and the other day, he actually grabbed Ian’s pacifier out of his mouth and attempted to put it into his mouth – haha. But, being the #1 mom that I am, I didn’t really try to stop him once I saw his hand go towards Ian because I wanted to see what he would do. Hehe and he did just as I thought he would!

They are both sitting up really well these days. Ian has been sitting up about a week or two longer than Hayden and its amazing how much difference you’ll see in their strength in just a weeks time. It is so nice to be able to set them on the floor on a blanket with some toys and you can just sit their with them instead of having to hold them. It’s pretty difficult to sit their with two babies and hold both of them.

Hayden is such an explorer, he loves to see how things work. He can sit there and play with the knob on a drawer or the texture on the walls for 20 minutes and be completely content. He is doing really well at sitting up and loves to sit and play with some toys…as long as you are sitting there with him. He does not like being alone. It’s a good thing he has a built in roommate and playmate! He is coming out of his shell a little and will smile and laugh a lot more now. Hayden rolled over onto his stomach from his back a few weeks ago and sine then there is no keeping him off his stomach to sleep. He rolls all over the crib and absolutely loves to sleep on his tummy. This made Jonathan and I pretty nervous at first, but once they learn to roll over, there really isn’t anything we can do to stop. We were also given a little assurance from the pediatrician who said it was ok for him to sleep on stomach since he is rolling over on his own now. Within 10 seconds of putting him on his back, he rolls over. Hayden also loves to be outside. When he is fussy all we have to do is take him outside and let him sit in the grass or sit in your lap on the porch. Hayden has recently started to “talk” himself to sleep. He will kind of moan, groan, talk, etc when he is sleeping and dozing off. We can always tell when he is about to fall asleep just by listening to him.

Ian is still our comic relief. The other day he entertained us for about 10 minutes when he was laughing at the dog just chewing her rawhide. Not sure what was so funny, but watching him was making us laugh. He get so excited about things, you can hold him and his legs will just kick and jump all over the place. Ian is a big flirt and will smile at you the second you smile at him. Ian loves looking out the car window, when we are in the car, we think he is asleep because he is so quiet, but he’s really wide awake just looking out the window at the world passing by. Ian has become our morning lark and is ready for bed about 6:00 PM, while Hayden is ready to play after his 8:00 PM bottle. Ian’s reflux is still doing great, but the spitting up has definitely showed its ugly face with a vengance. He will spit up, look at us and laugh. Not sure if he laughs because he feels better or if he is laughing at our reaction, but either way, he thinks its pretty funny! It’s not unusual for me and Jonathan to go through 2 or 3 outfits per day each. He absolutely loves the johnny jump up and his little car walker. He can sit in either of those for an hour and be content. He likes to walk all around our kitchen and hallway in the walker.

I still can’t believe they are all mine and that God trusted us to care for and love these two little boys! I cherish every minute I have had with them (yes, even the times I’m up at 3 AM) and can’t wait for another 6 months when we celebrate their 1st birthday.