I have found in the past few months that I really like to write my thoughts out, especially if I have decisions to make or a lot of thoughts running through my head. For some reason, seeing it in front of me makes it easier to handle and decipher through.
According to my wonderful doctor, I'm supposed to be making myself rest a little more these days. If you didn't see my facebook post, Matt and I are expecting TWINS! It has been about 48 hours since we found out, and I am pretty sure that I have run the gamut of emotions since then! This pregnancy came as a surprise, and the surprise doubled! It will still be a little while before we find out "for sure" if they are identical, fraternal, etc. All that to say, I'm exhausted and the doc says I need to listen to my body... so maybe I can convince myself that blogging is a productive use of my "rest" time, while the kiddos are awake.
Let's face it though, this will probably take me awhile, I mean who can sit still with a 13.5 month old and a 2.5 year old running around. There is constant movement and excitement in my house, and most days, I absolutely love it! This is a rare occasion where I am sitting on the couch with the computer and the girls are sitting next to me playing and reading on their own. Lately, as Katelynn has been able to do more on their own, the girls have been playing more together and it is hysterical! I'm sure my instagram and facebook pals are tired of seeing me fill up their feeds with pictures of my kids, but I love them, so yeah... deal with it!
I have made a lot of discoveries about myself in the past few months as Katelynn has really become mobile and independent. First of all that "independent" word is kind of entertaining. Yes, she can do things on her own, and she definitely wants to! But that doesn't mean she doesn't need me, or that I don't need to keep an eye on her. I can already see shenanigans that are thought out by her sister and executed by the small follower. I have found that the most dangerous parts of my day are the few seconds I take to run to the bathroom. I know that I am in trouble when they don't follow me into the bathroom because they have found something that is worth their while to get into! Megan's favorite thing to do is to run in the second bathroom and try to get into my make up. I don't wear make up all that often, but when I do... I tend to forget to put it away, especially if I'm in a hurry to get out the door. Apparently mascara is the coolest thing EVER! And after you smudge it on your eyes, when you hear mom flush and head your way, you plant it into the waiting hands of your little sister!
Another thing I have learned about myself, is that although I am quite organized, I am a messy organizational freak! (If that's possible!) After receiving the news about our twins, I realized that I am really going to have to make myself pick up after myself. Yes, I realize that most folks learn this earlier in life... but I haven't. I have a place for everything, I love organization. I get super excited if I'm at the store and there is a sale on caddies or storage bins, and if they are cutesy, oh man, that will really get me excited. Unfortunately, my apparent organizational gene, doesn't kick in until the end of the day. Messes don't really bother me until the end of the day. I guess I figure if I am picking up behind little ones, who are learning to clean, why bother until the end? It's just going to get messed up again! But I must start making myself pick up little things (like the mascara) and do it ASAP so that this place doesn't become a loony bin! Megan actually does pick up her toys when she is done, somehow I managed to get that into her ... although the child just hates messes. I think she came by it naturally. If you know Matt, he is the epitome of "a place for everything and everything in its place." Where as Katelynn is my child (in so many ways!) and will pick up, but she will destroy everything else in the process! I guess it's time to find the happy medium since we will go from a family of 4 to a family of 6 before the end of the year!
Without as much detail, motherhood in the last year has taught me a lot of lessons. The first "duh" moment is realizing that children are very different. Megan was the easiest child in the world. She is still very even tempered, goes with the flow, and listens very very well. She is a breeze most days. That made our decision to have a second child, close behind very easy. Katelynn has taught me so many lessons. I love my red-headed wonder, but to be honest, she was a handful from day 1! (Matt started calling her "Mayhem" after the All-state commercials, she is always into something! The name has kind of stuck) She was crazy in-utero, so I should have expected a spunky child. She is beautiful but definitely has her opinions. She has been short tempered since we first laid eyes on her (apparently she gets that from her red hair and her mother!) Katelynn was colicky and had reflux. We dealt with constant crying and spit up for the first 8 months of her life. It was very trying, and I'm not going to lie, I didn't always handle it well. However, it has been really neat to watch her over the past few months as she is learning to listen and take directions. She has a cute little personality but it's crazy how different the two of the girls react to things. I love both of my girls, but we definitely have a night and a day!
I have also learned humility. Not everything has to be perfect, and if you expect it to be, you will only disappoint yourself. Not that you shouldn't aim for having things a certain way, being flexible is essential. Being a perfectionist, that is a tough pill to swallow. It is really hard to accept and ask for help sometimes, but it's something I'm learning and working on.
Patience is something I am learning. I will probably never be able to say that I have mastered patience, but I am taking life one day at a time, and learning that with patience comes forgiveness. I do have to ask my 2 year for forgiveness sometimes when momma loses her temper. And hopefully my red headed wonder, the 13 month old that has quick temper like her mother, will pick up on these habits that I wish I had learned earlier. And the whole forgivness thing? Christ tells me that I am to forgive so that I can receive it in return. True forgiveness I have been learning from other areas in my life than motherhood, which I will NOT get into here. But it has to be modeled for my kids, for them to learn.
Just as an update to the passing of almost a year since I last posted an entry (because clearly this hasn't been long enough of a post of my ramblings), here are where the girls are these days.
Megan is 2.5. She is a great helper with her sister, and loves to play with Katelynn. She is definitely the diva in the household. She hates messes and loves to twirl and dance (and a full skirt or dress makes that even more fantastic)! I am thinking we will enroll her in ballet for her age when she turns three in the fall. She loves to play outside, but she isn't a daredevil like her sister. She weighs in at 28 pounds (which she has weighed for at least a year) and is healthy.
Katelynn is 13 months old and is a blur of constant motion. She laughs a lot these days and has just decided that she would walk. (She has been able to walk for months but refused to do it on her own) She likes to do whatever she sees her big sis doing and learns things very quickly. She still takes 2 naps a day, however I think we are about to lose the morning one as she seems to be in a growth spurt and I think she will give it up after the stress of growing passes. Megan and Katelynn both nap at the same time in the afternoon. Katelynn is a climber. We always called Megan our little monkey, but her "monkey" skills pale in comparison to her climbing counterpart. Katelynn used to weigh 25 pounds, but since she has become mobile she has lost a lot of weight. The doctors are concerned about it, but I am not. I am keeping a food log to take to her next appointment. She eats almost constantly, and large amounts of food. She loves veggies, so I don't think that she is really packing in the calories in a huge amount, but when you are constantly moving, you are burning those calories! She is getting taller, so according to her main doctor, it's not "a huge problem" because she is getting taller, but she has lost weight. She also was very sick for about two weeks last month. It's nothing for Katelynn to eat more than me at a meal lately (growth spurt) but I am also not able to eat a whole lot lately. ;) She was down to 19.5 pounds and now since feeling well, she is back to 21 pounds. She will gain it, if she wasn't eating it would be another story.
Sorry this was so long! But my girls were playing well and I needed to get myself back into the swing, since I was "resting" -- now some dishes and laundry are beckoning and I love having that stuff done early in the day, especially on a Friday, so that we can start our weekend relaxing.
This peaceful moment has ended and the girls are trying to scale the walls and the dog crate! Hope you have a great weekend and hopefully I will try to update before another year passes!
No comments:
Post a Comment