A Road Well Traveled: The highs and lows... What our week looked like

All days are hard but some days are really hard. Not sleeping is something that I just can't get used to. When I get sleep, I feel on top of the world and when I don't, I'm not sure how I will make it through my day.

Monday I went to school, officially resigned, and cleaned out my classrooms. I wanted to get it all done in one day so that I wouldn't have to think about going back later in the summer.

Tuesday I had my adventure to IKEA. I went to get that picture frame that I wrote about yesterday.

Wednesday was hands down the most challenging day as a mom that I have had so far. Generally on Wednesdays Brian doesn't have class until 6:30 and he leaves around 4:30/5:00. I wake him up in the morning around 6-7 a.m. and put him on baby duty and I go to sleep for 3-4 solid hours. BUT, this week he had a doctor's appointment at 9:00 a.m. and had to leave by 8:00. That meant I didn't get really any sleep . Some nights are better than others, but the boys didn't sleep well that night. I don't remember how many times they were up, but I pretty much didn't sleep at all. To top it off, my back was killing me! I guess I am out of shape, because pushing a stroller and carrying a baby around IKEA all day Tues killed my body.

So Wednesday I was exhausted from the start. Brian went to his appointment, came back and I immediately went grocery shopping. We were completely out of food, and we shop on Wednesdays because its double ad day at one of the stores we frequent. When I got home, I put away the groceries, fed Oliver (he threw up on me) fed Elliott (he threw up on me too.) Great. Earlier in the day I had tried to BF the boys and was unsuccessful. They cried and cried and cried afterwards and just wanted their bottles. It just breaks my heart actually. A little bit later, I took Char into her room to change her diaper (she had poop) and she wuld just NOT lay down for me to change her. I lost it. Completely lost it. I started bawling my eyes out because I had no idea what else to do. The girls were super feisty that day and wouldn't listen to me either. They threw every last toy around the living room, dumped out the dog food- you name it! Brian was in our room doing homework and must have heard me crying. I understand that his homework/school stuff is important, but so is my sanity. He came out and said something like, "You need a nap." and I was thinking, "DUH!" While I was crying my eyes out, Charlotte patted me on the back. She finally let me change her diaper and then gave me the biggest hug ever and wiped the tears from my face. She has such a sweet heart. The kids don't understand that mom's tired and I need to remember that. We all have our good days and our bad, and that was not a great day. Yes, I know, I signed up for this, and most days I can handle it. That day- I just couldn't! Lately there has been a witching hour between 7-9pm too. The boys eat and eat and eat and eat! Sometimes up to NINE ounces before bed, and then they are out. That night, Oliver wasn't hungry, wasn't wet, didn't want to be held- nothing. So, I gave him a paci and he calmed down instantly. I didn't know what else to do! I hate pacis and had never used one before, but I just couldn't take it and had to give in. It was the best thing for all of us.

Thursday I woke up a new person. I slept long and hard that night. It was a good thing, too, because we had lots to do. We started out our day by going to a twin playgroup. It is usually Friday from 1-3, but got moved to Thursday from 11:30-1 because they closed early for the holiday. The girls usually nap from 11-1, but I wanted to go, so we did! And it was okay. Their schedule is flexible and I am glad for that. I met another twin mom there that also has 3ish month old twins. There were 5 moms there and 12 babies/toddlers!

We left the playgroup a little late and were driving away at about 2:20. I pumped in the car on the way. I found an actual outlet in my van, so I don't even have to use the battery pack all the time! We then had to go to a picnic with people from Brian's department. The girls slept maybe 30 minutes in the car. We got there, got out, and the kids got passed around for a while. It was nice that I actually had some time to eat! YES! The girls were SO tired, but didn't stop moving. We got home about 7pm, took them inside, changed diapers, and put them straight to bed. They slept until 8am! They usually get at least 3 hours of naps and only had 30 minutes. It wasn't good, but we all survived!

Friday Brian didn't have class like he usually does... it was postponed until next Friday so he was home all day. It was so nice! I got the chore chart done and a few other things around the house. I'm really serious about this de-cluttering thing. I just can't take all the crap in my house anymore. But, like someone said, it didn't take a day to get that way, so I shouldn't expect it to take a day to fix it. Its going to get taken care of over time.

We all need some time to ourselves, so Saturday Brian went and hung out with his friends all day. He went to a Magic tournament and then out to watch the UFC fights. Generally the rule is that if he's going to be gone all day, he needs to find someone to come over and help me. He was gone from about 8:00am until about 11pm. I can handle things for most of the day, but 15 hours is asking a lot. Our friend Sherrie and her girls came over around 11:30 a.m. She is such a great friend and her daughters are great helpers. They play with the girls, dog, feed babies, change diapers, you name it. They are also helping with the garden. She doesn't have any space in her yard for a garden, and I don't have a lot of time to tend mine so we decided to do one together. She said she would come over and help weed, water, etc. and then take home some of the veggies. Works for me! I love home grown veggies. Saves a trip to the store too!

Anyways, they ended up staying until about 9:30pm. It was so great to have help all day. I got the coat closet cleaned out and put some comic book boxes in there that were taking up space in my living room. I got rid of a few pairs of boots that I didn't wear and an extra shoe rack that was stored in there. It was great to have a 4:4 ratio for a day. Seems like even 4 big people are not enough for 4 little people some days. Makes me wonder how I do it all day when its just me! I guess you just do what you have to do.

Today, Sunday, has been pretty chill so far. I got up, helped with breakfast (Brian cooked) played outside with the girls for a while, played with all 4 in the living room for a while, then put the girls down for a nap, fed the boys, and put them down for a nap. Currently, everyone is still sleeping- hence me having time to write this uber long blog post. When the girls take their morning nap, I usually get at least an hour of baby-free time. I love my babies dearly, but do need a break every day too. If I was smart I would be taking a shower, doing a load of laundry, or something productive but I today I didn't. Rest is important too!