When you are about to have a baby, or when you do have a baby, advice and opinions arrive by the truckload. And for the most part, they're all appreciated.
I think there was one piece of advice we received that honestly scared the poop out of us. Here it is:
"I'm sure either you've been told this or you;'ve already figured it out but things are going to change between you and Lori--some for the best, some things not exactly for the best. Just go in to it expecting some change and know that you'll be in "baby jail" (I had some slightly prozac-ed mom of two explain this to me on a plane one time) for a little while and slowly but surely you'll go from maximum security to minimum secruity to the county lockup to parole."
This made us a little nervous. We sought the advice of another couple, who also knew the couple giving the advice. They said that yes, things change. But you have to start seeing each other and your relationship as a team, and operate that way. They made us feel a little better, but there was still that fear that something about us would change.
Now that we're into it, I'd have to say that there is a bit of a change. The change is that I have realized how much of a great team we are. How lucky I am that Ian is the person I'm sharing this with. How much fun we have (still) laughing at the girls' antics at 3:00 in the morning. How every night before bed, we come up with a new game plan. It's like we have a chalkboard charting our next play in a football game. We strategize and scheme ("so...if you take Jane first and twirl her around 3 times, and I take Sylvie and hop on one leg four times, they'll sleep the full time between feedings").
Our experience so far has been that it's easier than we thought (knock on wood). Ideally, we should be getting around the same amount of sleep--it's just broken up awkwardly into 1 1/2 to 2 hour increments. During the day, the girls sleep wonderfully. And they only do 3 things now--sleep, eat, and poop. So, if they're not eating, they're sleeping. And while they're sleeping, we're cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, Christmas shopping, eating, showering...all the things that our friends told us would be impossible to do.
Maybe it's because they're really good girls. That's my Mom's theory. But I can't help but think it's just a phase they're going through--that they were born so early, they will be sleeping for weeks to come. If we catch them early enough (all the signs of hunger in their sleep), they don't even get to the point of crying.
Another idea which I know to be true is that Ian and I are both home, and we genuinely share in the responsibilities. While Ian tends to be on diaper duty, I'm a one-woman dairy farm (not my favorite, I assure you). We've changed the routine several times, and can actually feed them both, change them, change their clothes, and get them back into the crib within 35 minutes. It used to take an hour to an hour and a half.
The girls do change up their schedule on us, though. We were on a strict 8 am, 11 am, 2 pm, 5 pm, 8 pm, 11 pm, 2 am, 5 am feeding schedule. Right on the nose. But various factors played into the shifts. Two nights ago the schedule shifted to an hour later. Yesterday it adjusted to a half hour earlier than the original schedule. As our pediatrician told us yesterday, the only predictable thing about our babies will be their unpredictability.
Ian's parents have been here since Saturday, and Ian just dropped them off at the airport. It was a great visit, and really nice to have them here. Now we have today to gear up for my Dad's arrival tonight.
It will be funny to return to "normal" after all our guests leave. Our schedules have changed a bit for each round of visitors, and our routine has differed. It's been interesting to see how.
We took the girls back to the pediatrician yesterday. Jane is now 6 lbs 3 oz and Sylvie is 5 lbs 2 oz. We actually have to go back again Monday just for a weight check. She likes them to grow an ounce a day, and the girls fell slightly short of that. Our main task this week is to fatten them up big time. And of course, to give them lots of snuggles.
More later, but love to you all.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment