Can I possibly be more tired?

Lots of people have said things to us about twins being very hard.

"Oh, that's going to be double trouble!"

"Yikes, you're going to be busy!"

There are a multitude of things they have said to us and it leads us to the conclusion that some people are lame. Now, if you are one of the people who have looked at Eddie and me with sympathy, don't worry! We don't think you are lame! It is the people who are randomly passing us in the store or happen to see us packing the babies into the minivan. If I had a dime for every comment about how hard twins are, I could stay at home until the babies are ready to go to college!

Twins aren't hard, they just require some serious organization and the understanding that if you don't follow your schedule or keep a list of things to accomplish, you will never get anything done. I can get us out of the house on time if I know my "drop-dead" time (aka the absolute last moment I can leave and get to my destination on time).

Now ask me if I can manage to keep to a daily schedule.

NO!

When I first sat down to write this post, I was doing pretty okay. The babies were sleeping most of the day and I did not mind that I was only getting a shower every second or third day. Today, however, I'm starting to get really frustrated. I don't understand why I could teach 80 seventh graders, manage 3 websites, and be crafty, but I can't keep 2 tiny babies and one husband on a schedule! Everyone thinks I am super organized, but I am seriously doubting my abilities.

My Mom called me today and it took all I had not to break down crying and pull out the "Mommy" wail. I have so many things to do and I can't figure out how to get them done. I have thank you cards to write, announcements to send out, Christmas cards to send, a living room to clean, a kitchen that desperately needs to be cleaned, plants dying from lack of water.

What was I thinking?!!! There is no way I am going to be able to work and be a Mommy to twins. I worry all the time about Eddie being at home by himself with them. I also don't know how I am going to get all of my work done and help my babies grow and learn.

Babies are hard work. Even when they are sleeping, you are working: laundry, dishes, vacuuming. Some days I am so worn out, I forget to take a shower! That is so not me! I am a fanatic about a shower every morning. This morning, I realized I was in the same pajamas I put on two days ago.

On top of all this, I can't manage to take pictures of the babies. We bought a video camera and haven't video taped them once! Who can do this? Will it ever get easier?

The thing is, I think this would be just as hard if there were only one baby. The fact that there are 2 doesn't make it twice the work. At least not yet.

I love my babies. I just wish they came with an instruction manual to help me figure out how to do everything AND sleep.

P.S. Ms. Stith: If you read this, I apologize for my lack of writing consistency. I'm surprised I spelled most things correctly.

Baby Announcements

Babies are expensive. Ask anyone who has them and they will tell you that they are watching their pennies. When having to choose between that grande vanilla latte at Starbucks and a fourth of a bag of diapers, the diapers will win every time.

So, when I started looking into baby announcements I tried to find some that were pretty and allowed me to include some photos. I did not have any interest in handwriting announcements (can we say TWO babies?). I found some on the internet that I really liked, but the sticker shock was too much for me: $2.00 per announcement. WHAT?! There was no way I was going to pay that.

So, I fired up Photoshop, got out my cute fonts and the multitude of photos we have taken, and created my own announcement. Here is the result:

Then, I saved it as a jpeg and uploaded it to Walmart Photo Center. Voila! I was able to order my announcement as photos and paid $35.00 for 100 announcements (50 5x7s and 50 4x6s). That's a savings of $165 by making my own.

Can you tell I'm feeling pretty proud of myself?

2 Months Old and Growing

Guess who are two months old! Yep, you guessed it! Luke and Gracie are 2 months old today. This picture is of them on a beautiful quilt made by Auntie Alison (Mommy's friend from work).

Everyone tells you to pay attention and enjoy every moment because they grow SO fast. People do not lie! It seems like I blinked and Gracie isn't a preemie any more. In fact, we took the babies for their 2 month check up and we were stunned to learn that Gracie (who was 3 lbs 7 oz at birth) is now 7 lbs 4 oz and Luke (who was 5 lbs 8 oz at birth) is now 9 lbs 8 oz. Can you believe it? I can! My back is killing me from carrying them around. The Twinsies' pediatrician was so excited that they are growing so well. People in my family say I should patent my breast milk - 4 lbs in 2 months is amazing growth!

Luke is trying desperately to talk. He makes these funny sounds that I think are meant to be cooing, but sound more like someone is pushing on his stomach. He is also trying to laugh, but it is coming out like the laugh of the nerds in the Revenge of the Nerds movie! He loves to lie on the changing table and kick his legs at the sunshine. He gets so excited and smiles like crazy. He is really getting beefy. His hands have always been big, but now he has the belly and legs to match. He has become my buddy - he breastfed from the beginning and we try to breastfeed at as many feedings as we can. He is holding his head up and constantly scares us by throwing his torso around. He has these amazing eyelashes and brown eyes that can melt your heart at a hundred paces.

Gracie has changed so much, I can't believe she is the same baby. Her cheeks have really filled in and she no longer looks like a preemie. She has chunky legs and can really kick when she wants to. She has a heart stopping grin to match the heart stopping scream she lets loose when she feels neglected. She loves to play with her daddy and is already showing signs of having a major crush on him. Eddie loves her right back! She is following Daddy's fingers when he draws designs in the air and smiles at almost everything. I'm having the best time putting hair bows on her, but she doesn't need them. Gracie looks like a girl, whether she is dressed in pink, purple, wearing a headband or naked. Her eyelashes are getting longer and longer. She is definitely her father's daughter.

People like to try to figure out which of us the babies look like. Depending on who it is, some people think Gracie looks like me and Luke looks like Eddie. Others think the opposite. Frankly, other than Luke's hairline and the babies' eyelashes, I don't see either of us in them. Right now, they are their own people. Maybe a couple of years from now, I'll be able to declare that they look like one or both of us. Right now, I don't have a clue.

One thing I can tell you is Eddie and I are completely in love with our babies. With faces like theirs, who wouldn't be?