My Worst Day as a Mom So Far...

Seriously…

Today has been my worst day as a mom since I became one.  That that is saying a lot since I really didn't know what I was doing in the beginning.

It started out like a normal day.  Up at the crack of dawn.  Bottles fed.  Daddy plays with the boys before leaving for work.  Me still in my pajamas.  David leaves.

But then he comes back in.  "Our recycling is ALL OVER the neighborhood.  And I have a meeting this morning."

Super.

So the boys and I throw on our hoodies, strap in the stroller, and start picking up our stuff.  Our recycling bin was two houses down, so we started there, and filled it up on the way back.  This happened to be the day that we had the MOST recycling ever, so it was a big job. I had just finally cleaned out the garage of the cardboard boxes that held their 2 cribs, dresser, double stroller, 2 umbrella strollers, 2 pack 'n plays, and their exersaucer.  So yeah.  On top of our regular recycling, we had a lot of cardboard.   And regardless of how nice I asked, the boys were not doing their part to clean it up.  (hee hee!)  And MAN!  You realize how much formula you go through in two weeks when you are picking up the Similac containers throughout your neighbors' yards.

So we came back in and it was nap time.  The boys went down great, and I hopped in the shower.  Here is a snapshot of their cuteness :)

Kyrie on the left…. Kingston on the right…  Cute shirts courtesy  of my friend Bekah at Saying Yes to Adoption

While showering, I was thinking about what good little nappers they were, and how lucky I was that they were so happy and adjusting so well.  Then 30 minutes into their nap, they were both up.

What the?!

They wouldn't go back to sleep no matter what I tried, so we quit that and went downstairs to play.

Except they were being SO weird!  They were all whiney and cry-face and needy and had to be touching me but didn't want to be held and it was very unlike them.  They only acted that way when they were hungry and it wasn't really time for their bottle yet.

But whatever. I made the bottles early.  And as I made them, I realized the thing that explained it all.

In the craziness of recycling clean up, I had forgotten to feed the boys their breakfast.  Nice.  So they woke up and were crabby because they were hungry.   (Somehow throughout the craziness of the morning I did not forget to eat my OWN breakfast.  Hmmm….)


Obviously I fed them.

On with the day…

We had to swing by David's work to drop something off, and then we came back home.  I noticed the garbage and recycling had now been picked up, so I decided to bring in the recycling bin.  It was windy, after all, and I didn't need to chase that thing down again.

I left the boys in their carseats in the car because that was easier than bringing them in the house and wondering what they were up to while I brought in the trash can.  Out I go.  Trash can and recycling bin in the garage.  Go to get a baby and…

Boom.

That is the sound of my heart hitting the garage floor as I realize I locked the boys in the car.

Yes, that is right.  Worst mom of the year.  My purse with the keys and cell phone in it is in the drivers seat.  I do not remember locking the door.  Why would I do that?  We're in the garage at OUR house.  But obviously I did.

Like a moron.

So I panic, because who wouldn't with these two sweet faces looking back at you through a locked car door?

I KNOW the only spare is on David's key ring.  But I circle through the house a quick sec just in case (not opening any drawers, mind you.  Because I know they aren't there.  But still.  I run through.)

Then I think about the house phone I was supposed to call and have hooked up for moments just as these (because, remember, the cell phone is locked in the car with the boys).  But I haven't done it yet.  Because why not throw in another failure to my day?

So I run to the neighbor's house to use the phone - all while watching my garage like a hawk in case a burglar comes who can break into locked cars and steal babies.  

Nobody home.

Run to the house on the other side.

Nobody home.  

Okay, seriously?    NEITHER of these women work (at least I don't think so…), and NEITHER of them have children at home right now.  Where could they possibly be?  (Insert comment about people that actually have a life and are not just sitting at home waiting for me to need them here.)

Then I see an innocent man accross the street mowing his lawn.  So I sprint over there in my cute little boots with heels (YES, I wore heels to visit my husband at work.  Because where else can I wear those cute things these days?)

I got up to the man…. and bear with  me… the tears came.  And I couldnt' get my words out.  I ran up, he shut off the mower, and I did that gasping cry thing where you can't talk.  Awesome.   "Can…. (gasp)…. I…. (gasp)…. use… (gasp)… your (gasp).. phone…(gasp) babies… (gasp)… locked… (gasp) in car…  

Well he was awesome.  He got his phone very quickly, and ran to my house with me.  David didn't answer his phone, but I (not embarrassingly at all) cried on the phone to his secretary and asked her to send him home because I locked the boys in the car.  She was very sweet.  And did just that.

Lucky for me, David only works 5 minutes away.  He was home soon (my friendly neighbor waited with me the whole time) and he unlocked the car.  I scooped up Kyrie and David got Kingston and I cried and told them how sorry I was.

And those little boys giggled at me.  

Not funny boys.  

And my husband laughed.  And said, "Why did your Mama lock you in the car?"

Um.  

Number 1.  This is not at all the reaction I expected from my super over-protective Dad type husband.

and

Number 2.  Really?  This is not a funny moment to me. Not. At. All.  Hence the tears.

And then he pointed out that I was having a pretty bad day if I forgot to feed them breakfast and then locked them in the car.

Thanks for your spot on observations darling.

Jet Planes...

Look what I found on our computer :)  This is on our way home from Ethiopia with the boys.  I can't believe how calm and collected we look!   This is not how I felt I looked, but it was just a small glimpse into the longest plane ride of my life… so I guess anyone could look calm for a minute :)

Also - Kingston is sleeping and Kyrie is happy with a bottle, so that helps :)

Sleeping Babies

I pretty much think sleeping babies are the cutest thing ever. 

And the biggest problem with that is once they are sleeping, I want nothing more than to scoop them up and cuddle them to pieces.  

So for whatever reason, I've been taking their pictures when they sleep.  Okay.  I know the reason.  Its because they are so flipping adorable.  

And they sleep in the cutest little positions.  Kingston often scoots himself right into the corner with his little booty in the air which I think is so cute ;)  And Kyrie usually falls asleep and doesn't move all night.  And he always wants his taggie blanket.  

Oh how my heart just swoons for these boys.  They have me wrapped around their fingers, even in their sleep!!

So here are some pictures to enjoy :)  They are dark.  Sorry.  Didn't want to risk waking them with a flash.

They used to ONLY sleep in these bouncy seats.  But they were getting a little too big...

Kingston  - booty in the air.  Love it!!

My Kyrie

Do you see those thighs? LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Kingston in the corner

Next time I'll post pictures of them awake so you can enjoy their sweet little personalities in still form. I never stop being amazed at how much I love these two.

They are the most amazing blessing from God.  Love you Kingston and Kyrie!!

AKA… Mommy

Mommy Knows Best

So in January I was feeding the boys puffs.  You know, the cereal type food that pretty much dissolves in their mouths?

And Dave freaked out.  "What are you doing?!  They are going to choke!  The container says 'crawler' and they are NOT crawling."

Well, mommy knows best and I said I KNEW it was fine.  But we had a doctor's appointment that week and I said I would wait to feed them any more puffs until I talked to the doctor.

So obviously, as I knew he would, the doctor said that the 'crawler' thing was a guideline, and many children crawl by this age (and it was FINE that our boys weren't yet) but they could eat the puffs and other solids.  He gave me the okay to explore with foods a little.

So the next week I was feeding the boys some puffs, and I added in those cheese puff sized things that are flavored like veggies and maple and stuff like that.  Bigger than puffs, but also very dissolvable.

and Dave freaked out. "What are you doing?! They are going to choke! They aren't ready for those things yet!"

Well… as you know… I'm the mommy.  I'm home with them all day.  I KNOW its fine.  So I said, "its fine.  Look, Kingston loves it." And Kingston did.  He was digging those things.  Handling them like a pro.  Then I took one and offered it to Kyrie.

He opened his mouth.

I delicately put it in.

He started to chomp.

And then he gagged and threw up his lunch.

Apparently he wasn't quite ready for those.

Funny Story...

Okay - so seriously - being the mom to twin boys is BUSY!!

Add to that the fact that they have been battling an intestinal parasite and don't like to sleep for more than 1 consecutive hour at night, and I am left with NO spare time. If I can gather a minute while the boys are napping… I am napping too.

Seriously.

So anyway… I think they MIGHT be kicking this thing (after the 100th round of antibiotics…)

And for 2 nights I've gotten some REAL sleep!  AHH!!  Keep it up boys!  Mommy LOVES sleep!

So I'll do my best to start writing again.

Because this life with twins is amazing and silly and frustrating and I'd like to share more of it with whoever would like to read it :)

I have 5 minutes left before I need to take my turn with bedtime shift… (Kyrie will NOT fall asleep tonight…) so here is a funny story from my day.

SCENE:  Children get off the school bus as I walk with my boys in the stroller.  Beautiful day.

Boy 1: Are they twins?
Me: Yes.
Boy 1 (screaming): TWIIIIIIINS!!!!!
Boy 1 (calmly): Why don't they have matching clothes on?
Me: Well, twins don't always have to match.
Boy 1: Oh. You mean so you can tell them apart?
Me: Yeah, I guess that helps.
Boy 2: If you would have just named them the same thing you wouldn't have to worry about it.
Me: Hmm… I didn't think of that.

Boy 1 and Boy 2 walk away shaking their heads at me.

END SCENE.

What I know about Motherhood

Okay.  I have had my boys home for a little over two months now.  Please take a moment to enjoy their ridiculous cuteness. 

Thank you to ML Photography!  We LOVE our photos!!!

So when it comes to motherhood, I pretty much know it all.  This is for sure your one stop answer to all motherhood questions.    AND... your welcome.

Let me just start by telling you some tidbits I have learned about motherhood. Specifically, mothering my twin boys. Just to wet your whistle for what is to come on this here little blog of answers to life's maternal mysteries.

#1 The most frustrating thing I have encountered thus far is a child that will not sleep. (Wait for it... this isn't the frustrating part yet - even though I just said it was.  Bear with me...)  You rock him, and sing to him, and turn out the lights in the bathroom and turn on the fan, and rock some more, and change the song you're singing and rock and rock and rock.  And the child babbles and coos and talks.  Or sometimes cries.  Then you've reached the point where your arms are going to fall off, so you ask your husband to try, and the moment your child touches his arms, he's OUT. COLD.

Not cool dad.  Not cool.

#2  Upon becoming a mother, many things changed for me.  I used to be somebody that required 8 hours of sleep to function properly.  Without it, I talked like a sailor, grew a 5 o'clock shadow, and could only open my eyes half way.  Now, I log about 4 and 1/2 hours total when you add up the 20 minute cat naps I get between Kingston and Kyrie waking, and I am ROCKING my days.  Or... at least my children are fed and happy, and I am loving my life.  No facial hair or cursing involved.   Usually. 

#3  Mothers don't shower as much as we should.  Or at least when I do shower, I don't dry my hair and I sometimes just put on clean pajamas.

I know.  You are judging me.  I get it.  I was going to be that mom who is always wearing heels and has perfect hair.  I really was.  But I have TWINS people.  And why put on the lip gloss when its just going to get all over my boys' faces throughout the day?  Oh, and then there is the fact that I don't leave the house.  When I'm back at work, I'll become presentable.  Until then, I'll parent in the comfort of my sweatpants.

#4   Babies have more wipes available to them than necessary.  In my home right now there are regular baby wipes, boogie wipes, hand and face wipes, pacifier wipes, toy wipes and clorox wipes.  I'm not kidding.  I have all those wipes.  Do I NEED them all?  No.  I could survive with just the baby wipes and clorox wipes.  The rest are just different scents and sensitivities.  But you can't say I'm not prepared. :) If there is something to be wiped - I'm all over it.


#5  The most rewarding moments come when you least expect them. Kingston reaching his hand up to my face as he falls asleep to make sure I'm there.  The sound of cries stopping because I've picked up my boy and he knows its me.  Snuggling in bed with a baby that can't sleep unless he's touching me.  And then there are the times when I think, I wish I could have you forever.  And then I remember that they ARE mine forever.  I'm their mommy and I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

What else could I possibly need to know about motherhood?  :)

Baby Crack

No, I'm not talking about baby booty crack - which is a worldwide phenomenon for newborn pictures across the country.

I am also a fan of that kind of baby crack.  Nothing cuter than a pair of baby buns.  Or 2 pairs!

But that is not what I'm talking about today.

Baby Crack.

As in, what my child fiends for, gets the jitters over, and is addicted to.  It causes tantrums when taken away, and just the sight of it causes Kingston to whine and thrust his body towards it.

It looks like this:

Yes, that's right.  The dinosaur ball popper is our baby crack.

I'm not sure why its so desirable and fun.  I just know that it is the best toy in my children's eyes.  It plays music and sends balls flying in the air.  The balls are the perfect size for little Stefanich boy hands and mouths.

I didn't even bust it out until recently, because it requires 3 C batteries, and we just didn't have those lying around the house.  And C batteries are more expensive than you would think.  But when I finally bit the bullet and bought them, my boys were addicted.

Addicted to baby crack.

Ignore the background mess please.  There MIGHT be a pillow and blanket on the couch where I napped.  Don't judge.

It started out as just a bedroom toy.  But then we realized its power.  I went in nursery one day with Kingston in my arms.  He spotted the popper under a little coffee table.

And lost his mind.  He was trying to get out of my arms and was whining and crying and acting quite out of the ordinary.  I thought it was weird.  But moved on with the day.

Then a couple days later, David had a late meeting at work, and I had to bathe and put the boys to bed on my own.  While I bathed Kyrie, I put Kingston in front of the popper to play in the bathroom.  He was thrilled.  Once Kyrie was done and in his jammies, I tried to trade babies.  When Kyrie started to play with the popper, Kingston LOST.  HIS.  MIND.

He could not forget about that thing, and fought me about getting in the tub - which he USUALLY LOVES.  So weird.

I have to distract these boys when I put it away.  I have to HIDE it.  And then do a song and dance so they forgot how cool the popper was and move on to the next thing.

Here it is in action.  It doesn't even need to be playing music for them to love it.

Hence the name Baby Crack.

Now when they are crabby or fussy - We bust out the baby crack.

Need to take a shower?  Baby Crack.

Want to eat dinner?  Baby Crack.

Want to see pure joy in the faces of my boys?  Baby Crack.

I'm only hoping that silly ball popper holds its magical power for awhile.

Do your kids have baby crack?  What does the trick for your little ones?  I'd love to know!

 

The Dreaded Plane Ride

This plane ride was hanging over our heads the WHOLE week.

I was so nervous about this.  Because we were running a man to man defense and I knew there would be NO down time.  None.  Because how could there be?  "Here Dave, hold both babies while I catch some Z's.  I'll get you back next plane ride.  Thanks."

And then there is the whole topic of these babies don't really know or trust us yet. So they might just cry the whole 24 hour trip.  This was my fear.  And it was gripping my heart and I felt a bit of a panic attack coming on every time I thought about it.

While at the same time, just wanting to get on the plane and get home.  Oh, the dilemma.

We got to the airport and were hoping for seats with a bassinet.  Its was the ONLY way we'd get any kind of break on the plane.  We asked for one when we checked in.  The language barrier made me feel like the guy sort of ignored that little request.  But there was no telling.

We weren't sure if he hooked us up, or did not, but we were hoping and wishing and praying.

Then we went into this little restaurant/cafe thing and got some less than fabulous pizza and waters.  We fed the boys and sat down for the long haul.

But then something smelled not so right.  Yep.  One of my little man had a serious issue in his going home clothes.

How lovely.

So I trucked it on over to the bathroom to change him.

Have I mentioned how adorable my boys are?  Well, they are SO flippin' cute.  Its almost an issue because when your child has a blow out diaper, and you are a new mom with little experience cleaning up that much mess, you suddenly get an audience.

REALLY?  You think I want you to watch me do this?  Maybe oggle my baby once we're all cleaned up, okay?  Thanks.

So I'm at the baby changing station and these two lovely Ethiopian ladies who work at the airport are watching me and talking to Kingston (I think it was Kingston, but I honestly don't remember anymore…).  They are talking in another language and I can only imagine what they are saying as I peel away the onsie and throw it away, bathe my child with baby wipes, and attempt to find some new jammies in my bag.  All while leaving a hand on the child so he does not roll off the table thing and gagging from what I can only describe as a horrendous sight and smell.

It was not my best moment.   And I'm so thrilled I got to share it with two strangers who talked about me in a language I did not understand.

Oh.  And have you tried washing your hands with an infant in your arms?  Its tricky.  Its a one hand at a time kind of deal.  I mastered it by the time we got home.

So then it was time to go through the next part of security.  Where there are no bathrooms, or places to buy water, or garbage cans even.  So we waited as long as we could, just in case Kyrie wanted to replay his brothers shining moment in the bathroom.

We got to go through the line a little faster because we had two babies.  Or because I had crazy eyes after no sleep and twin babies.  Who knows.

We got up to the next ticket booth by our gate and asked again about bassinet seats.

The lady looked at us like we'd lost our minds and said, "not anymore."

Um?  Like we were supposed to come here 2 hours ago with NO supplies and/or bathroom?  Can't you make an exception for us?  LOOK AT US!  We're losing our minds and we have two babies.  Count them.  TWO!

But I didn't say that.  I choked back my tears of despair and found a seat.

And that is when Kingston threw up his whole bottle on David.  ALL over David.  Because he was "wearing" him in an ergo carrier.  And it wasn't spit up.  It was projectile formula vomit.

Have I mentioned to you yet that there were no bathrooms in this area?  Yeah, he was stuck in that nasty shirt for the next couple hours because its not exactly culturally appropriate to whip off your shirt for a clean one.

We were in rough shape, and we hadn't even gotten on the plane yet.

---------------------------------------

Finally it was time to board.  We got to board in the first group - again because of the babies.  Which we wouldn't have realized if a nice lady hadn't told us to check the color on our ticket because we had children.  This made me very happy.  Thank you nice lady.

We had purchased three seats so that we would have the whole row to ourselves.  Plus, who wants to sit by the couple with twin babies?

David changed his shirt, and I changed some diapers before we left.  The hardest part about that was the Kingston out of nowhere had this diaper rash that was ridiculous.  Like raw, and bleeding bottom.  Poor guy!!  So he screamed every time I changed his diaper.  Which I'm pretty sure the whole plane could hear.

Sorry, friends on the plane.

Besides that, the boys did FAN TAS TIC!  They really surprised us.  They slept well on the plane, and we were able to sleep with them in our arms.  They ate well, spit up minimally, and were happy to be carried around the plane and look at people from time to time.

Daddy and Kyrie

Me and Kingston

Check the usage of the neck pillows and plane pillows.  Genius.

Doesn't that child look so comfortable?

The plane...

It was hard to eat with a baby on your lap, but we made it work.  And all the people around us were so distracted by the cuteness of our babies that they didn't mind the two 5 minute periods where there was some inconsolable crying.  And it was really no more than that!  We felt so lucky to have the nice people around us  :)

Except for the interesting pair behind us.  They were the type that called the flight attendant 100 times for extra crackers with their meal, more salad dressing, another 'cheese' thingy, more coke, another cup with ice, more ice please, and another blanket.  We had 2 babies with us and required less attention.  Oh - and the one time Kyrie was crying as we landed in Rome to refuel (and he cried because he had to be buckled in and couldn't move) the woman behind us sat with her blanket over her head, and her hands over her ears (over the blanket).  It was a little dramatic for 5 minutes of crying.  But whatever :)  I actually didn't even feel worried about what she thought.  I giggled at her ridiculousness.

We were told we had a direct flight to Grand Rapids.  But that was a big fat lie.  Or a trick I should say.  Because a direct flight is NOT the same thing as a nonstop flight (says the man at the check in desk Washington D.C. before I boarded a flight to Chicago.)  Little did he know that I had just got out of the immigration line with a child that smelled like something toxic.  Because one blow out on a trip is just not enough.  And as I tearfully asked him if there was a sooner flight so we wouldn't have an 8 hour layover in D.C. Kyrie realized he was overdue for his bottle.  And I sat on the floor right there to feed him because my arms had zero strength to hold him and do it.

And that lovely man got us on an earlier flight.  NOT a nonstop flight.  And NOT a direct flight either (which by the way - means you go to Chicago, switch planes a quick sec, and THEN go to GR.)

But a regular flight where you switch planes and go to GR.  Which sounded mysteriously like that direct flight he told me about, but whatever.

When we got to the gate, the nicest airline lady EVER came over and talked to me about the boys.  She has twins to and she just went on and on about how I could do it, and it would be hard, but hang in there, and take time for my husband, and all sorts of good things like that.  She was lovely.  Just lovely.

Then we flew to Chicago, and sprinted with 2 babies to the next gate.  Like a fool, I decided not to put Kyrie in the Moby wrap.  Because I thought the gate would be very, very close (like in that direct flight situation.)  But silly me, it was NOT a direct flight, and our gate was in a whole different terminal and I didn't realize it until I had already committed to not using the Moby, and we didn't want to stop to put it on because we were afraid we would miss our connecting flight, and my arms were BURNING and I complained the whole way about how I couldn't make it another second.

But I did make it, surprising us all.

And we got on the smallest plane in the history of the world and flew to GR.  The boys slept that whole plane ride.

And……  EXHALE……  WE WERE HOME!!!!

We had planned on having our families and friends at the airport to greet us.  But that was when we thought we were getting to GR in the evening.  Since we took the earlier flight (which we were SO thankful for) we got in to Grand Rapids while most people were still at work.

But our parents were there, and my best friend and her husband were there too.  And it was wonderful.

Here we come….

My mom meeting her grandson for the first time!

Now I feel like I need to include a disclaimer here.  I was in a weird state at this point.  I was SO tired.  And emotional.  And I hadn't looked in a mirror since before we left Ethiopia (apparently motherhood does that to you) and I may have been a bit delirious.

And it was cold in Michigan.

So I might have been that crazy mom who changed her children's diapers and clothes in the middle of the airport.  But in my defense, there was NOBODY there when I started, and about 100 planes got in while I was in the midst of it.

Sorry boys.

Mommy Kisses

Cute hat and WHOA mom's teeth.

SO happy my boys are home!!

NOT in love with the carseats

Me in the backseat - between the boys.

We were on our way home!  And so happy about it!!

We had been so great about bottles and feeding the whole plane ride.  Because that is what responsible parents do.

But, like an IDIOT, I wasn't thinking about the drive home.  Its only about a 40 minute drive, so I just wasn't thinking about if it fell over a feeding time.

Well, it did.

And I had no water for the bottles.

MOM FAIL.

So now they are in these carseats which probably feel like a death trap to them, and they are hungry.  And crying.  And there is horrible traffic.

So we pull over to get some water.  David runs in to buy water.

Its cold.

FREEZING cold.

And I tried to warm it up, but how?  So obviously the boys screamed and wouldn't drink the bottles.  I cannot blame them.

MOM FAIL again.

It was the worst car ride of my life.  And it went in slow motion.  But they both cried themselves to sleep (sorry boys!) and we made it home.  They woke up soon after we got home, and were all smiles, so I think they forgave and forgot my mom fails.

It has been so wonderful to be home with these boys.  We are slowly trying to get into a routine, and trying to sleep longer at night :)

I'm excited to start writing about my experiences as a mom.  This is a whole different world :)  These boys have brought out a whole new me.  Its a lot of fun, and I'm excited to share more of our amazing journey as a family with you!!

Bringing our boys Home

I'm embarrassed to say that I hardly took any pictures of our second trip.  The only thing I can tell you is that when you have twins, and there are two parents, you each ALWAYS have a baby in your arms.  Especially with our boys.  They did not want to be put down on a strange hard floor, with strange smells, and strange new toys and strange everything.  So I held a baby most of the time and rarely held my camera.  

I also wish I could tell you more about our second trip.  With the first trip, I broke it down, day by day.  but you see…. on that trip, I came back to the hotel room with just David each night and typed it up as we went.  

This time, there was NO down time to type and reflect.  Just time to hold babies, rock, panic, and rock babies some more.  

Its a blur really.  

A total blur. 

I feel like we were completely unprepared for how this trip would be.  Which is ridiculous because we had been preparing for this trip FOR EVER.

We got to Ethiopia in the morning, but our schedule didn't have us going to the orphanage until the next day.  We were jet lagged, but anxious to see the boys so we called Wass and he came to get us.  We got to spend the morning with the boys, and after that we went back to the hotel without them to sleep.  We were exhausted, and needed a good night's rest.  We slept all afternoon, woke up for dinner, and went back to sleep until morning.

The next day was our "gotcha day".  We drove to Hannah's Hope knowing we'd get to take our boys with us this time!  One of the other families (all of which were on their first trip to meet their children - and all of which were WONDERFUL) took video and pictures of this beautiful moment.  And its a good thing because I can't really remember how it went.  If I can figure out how to post those, I'll do it.  

And this is where it gets blurry.  

Seriously.

The rest of the trip all blends together, and went in SLOW MOTION.  I remember just wanting to be HOME with these little guys.  It was so tough being in a foreign country without our "own" baby stuff like bumbos and boppys and exersaucers and things like that.  

They didn't sleep. 

At all.

And David got sick.  

Nice.  

I'm thinking it was the jet lag, and the lack of sleep.  

Oh.  And we sort of forgot to eat on occasion.  

So we were in rough shape, trying to care for these perfect little beings, who deserved WAY better than two inexperienced brand new parents.

Our boys really hated our hotel room.  I sort of did too, so I can't blame them.  We were apart from the rest of the hotel building.  And it was quiet there.  Under most circumstances, that would be lovely.  But these little guys were used to the hustle and bustle of a very busy orphanage, where there were tons of other children, babies, special mothers, toys, and things to watch.  It was much more entertaining there than it was with us.

So we spent much of our time in a "banquet hall" in the hotel.  It was at the bottom of a stairwell that got a good amount of traffic, so it provided some much needed background noise and people watching for our boys.  But it was also pretty low key, so we could have time with our boys without feeling like we were put on display.

Oh.  And we could nap.

We were honestly just trying to survive the next couple days with very little sleep, two brand new babies, and each other.

We SO VERY MUCH wanted to be home with them, and feel like ourselves again.  (Little did we know - we would NEVER feel like "ourselves" again!  )

The boys did a pretty good job adjusting to life with 2 first time parents, and life in a hotel.  They ate a TON, which was probably very soothing for them.  They also refused to sleep.  Ever.

We were a little worried about that, but the director at the orphanage said not to worry, and they would sleep eventually.

So not true.

They slept in very small bursts throughout the night, and didn't nap during the day.  Which meant we didn't sleep either.

 Let me tell you… I was a vision.

We finally reached Thursday.  Departure day.  Its funny, because that day dragged on the most.  We didn't leave the hotel until the evening, but were ready to leave by 8:00am.  I'm pretty sure I looked at the clock every 5 minutes and willed it to be time to leave.

The silver lining of this trip is obvious.

These two little sweet hearts made all the sleepless nights and sickness worth it.  They were SO loved by all the hotel staff, and everyone that saw them.  Oh, and by us too :)  You cannot look at these boys and not think they are adorable.  And the best part was knowing that they were OURS.  To have forever.

We get to raise these boys.  And love them and cuddle them and teach them about the world.

So worth it.

SO SO worth it :)

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And right now its 2:40am.  We've been up for an hour and these two little guys are WIDE awake.  I just might blog about our plane trip home tonight too!

Two Weeks Home

Okay - first of all.

MY BOYS ARE NAPPING RIGHT NOW!!

At the same time.

This just doesn't happen, and it does beautiful things for my sanity.

I really LOVE blogging about this whole adoption process, but there is just NO time with two 8 month old boys at home.  Yes - today is their "8-month" birthday!  Happy Birthday babies!!

I can't believe we've been home for two weeks already.  Its such a busy whirlwind, and I'm pretty sure my house will never ever be clean again.  Its impossible to clean.  Or even pick up for that matter.  The second I put toys away, somebody is awake and needs some toys.  Once I put some bottles away, somebody needs one.

But honestly, I NEVER put bottles away.  They rotate from being dirty to being clean.  Then they sit on the counter until I need them again.  Which is pretty frequently.

These boys are the light of my life.  They are so smiley and giggly and SO easy to love.  They think I am hilarious, and I've been waiting for this kind of audience for a while now…

Motherhood is ridiculous.  It never stops.  These boys love to be held, so my arms are constantly sore.  These are no light weight newborns.  So watch out.  This summer it'll be "suns out, guns out" for me.  And they are filled with squeals, and cries and laughs and grunts.  They are hilarious.

And their personalities are amazing.  Kyrie is very strong willed.  When he wants food, he wants it NOW.  And he lets you know it.  He wakes up at 3:00am and just wants to hang out for an hour.  He laughs when I change his diaper, and loves squeaky toys more than anything.   He is also SO close to sitting by himself.  And his cheeks are so chubby and kissable I can't even stand it.

Kingston is such a lover.  Once he is asleep, he doesn't like to be put down.  With his eyes closed, he'll reach his hand up to touch my face.  Just to  make sure I'm still there.  And as much as I am tired and want to put him down in his crib, my heart melts and I hold him.  He makes the sucking motion with his mouth even after his bottle is gone, and its so cute.  He LOVES to kick his legs and splash in the bath.  He hates when I have to clean his runny nose.  And he has rolled over three times.  Not on purpose, but amazing none the less.

Everyone has always talked about how their sweet Ethiopian children are always freezing in the winter, and need to be bundled up.  But not our boys.  They are HOT little people.  The first time I bundled them up in these cute little fleece pants and vest.  No coat, but there is this snuggly thing on their car seats.  They screamed and cried and I couldn't figure out why.  When we got home, and I took them out of their seats, they were SO sweaty.  They stopped crying once I stripped them down to a clean onesie.  Now I took out the snuggly thing and don't put them in fleece and they are much happier.

Okay - I have maybe 10 minutes left before somebody wakes up, so I'm going to post some pictures and try to eat something.

Snuggling with Kingston

Dave loves to prop them on the couch because they look like little men

Happy boys playing in the morning

Already basketball fans

Apparently the picture isn't complete unless there are a pair of Jordan's in it.

Have a WONDERFUL Christmas everyone!  I have the best gifts ever already :)

Our Boys are HOME!!!

Okay - so we've been home since Friday night.  I KNOW that I need to blog about our trip and our amazing experiences with these sweet little boys so far.

But let me tell you friends.  Twin 7 month olds are a LOT of work!!  And there is very little sleep involved in this work!

Not that I didn't expect this…  But I literally have NO time to explore my creative juices and share with you the awesomeness of all we've been through in the last couple weeks.  Right now Kingston is wide awake at 6:00am.  I know. Not that bad.  But I've literally tried to type this small paragraph 3 times while playing with him.  He wants my full attention, and I cannot blame him, because I am a lot of fun.

Meanwhile, Kyrie is still sleeping.  Because that little turkey woke up at 3:00am and wanted to play for a couple hours.   WHAT?!

Oh yeah, and did I tell you our boys' names?  (Some of you smart little sleuths have already figured it out in this post….)

Kingston Paulos Wayne and Kyrie Weldemichael!  Right now they pretty much go by Paulos and Welde because that is what they know (their Ethiopian names).  But we're slowly calling them Kingston Paulos and Kyrie Welde.

Anyway - as a quick recap as to what I've been up to - there have been a billion diaper changes, one doctor's appointment equipped with a nebulizer prescription, too many diaper blow outs to count, lots of grunting, cooing, crying, and giggling (by the boys AND us), car seat melt downs, and chunky thighs stuck in bumbos.

I WILL be writing about our trip and our first days home.  What I can remember of them.  Because right now my life is a whirlwind.  I cannot even remember the last time I ate a meal, let alone what happened yesterday.

Also - here are some pictures of my ridiculously beautiful boys :)

Kyrie Weldemichael

Kingston Paulos Wayne

I'm so sorry for the choppiness and un literary genius that this post is.  Someday we'll be on a schedule here where little boys nap for more than 30 minutes :)  And where I shower and eat regularly.  Maybe then I'll be able to express myself better too :)