A few weeks ago (ok – actually almost three weeks ago now), our twins turned 6 months old. Since it was also the day after their Daddy’s 30th birthday, we didn’t really have a huge fanfare for them in celebration. Yet I’ve found myself celebrating various milestones and achievements – mostly along the lines of, “Yes! We all made it through half of a year!” So as I’ve had various thoughts flit through my head, I wanted to share a few of the things I’ve learned in six months, both humorous and heart-rending:

I’ve learned …

• that I can survive on MUCH less sleep than I ever thought possible
• how to cut a baby’s finger nails without cutting their fingers
• changing diapers in the middle of the night is rarely worth the wake-up – that’s why “dry max” was invented. we often push the 12-hour limits unless it’s of the smelly category (thankfully the girls usually save those for the day)
• hearing my babies’ cries can induce my own tears or anger, depending on the moment
• how heart-wrenching “crying it out” can feel
• the twins are more likely to synch their schedules together than to synch their schedules to my plans for them
• our twins’ average length for a nap is 45 minutes
• it is so tempting to compare my babies/parenting to others and feel either self-righteous or self-condemned
• guilt is part and parcel of being a mom: whether you feel guilty for how you feed them, whether you co-sleep or not, whether you work or not, for wanting time alone and then when you are alone for being apart from them …
• I will only take the girls out shopping with me if I am ready to answer, “so … are they twins?” and the ensuing questions, “are they identical or fraternal? … do they have the same personalities? … how do you tell them apart? … ” etc.
• they love music, dancing, and clapping
• Lucia and Alethia have very different personalities which require different care and nurture
• feeding solids really doesn’t help babies sleep through the night
• feeding solids is REALLY messy
• the church nursery is a wonderful way to care for families (they had their first experience there last Wednesday during our weekly women’s Bible study)
• a double ear infection means a cranky baby who has a difficult time sleeping & eating
• trust my instincts – so glad I took Alethia to the doctor to get diagnosed with her double ear infection the day I did
• I cannot be a good mother without my amazing, supportive husband alongside me and being such a great father
• we need our community to raise these girls
• there is nothing better than my baby’s smile at me
• I can choose to get things done during a day or to be present with and attentive towards my babies – usually not both (at least not well)
• babies get cold quickly!
• parenting is impossible without God’s daily and moment-by-moment grace (which often includes sending help just when we need it)
• it’s 10:30 pm and I really should have gotten to bed an hour ago – because the girls will be waking up at 6:30 am regardless of when I go to bed … so off to bed I go!