A minor miracle happened in the Oakley household this afternoon. And I know that this might not be a big deal to most people, but it is a big deal to me, because this hardly ever happens. Both boys took a nap at the same time today! For two hours! Two!
Of course, at the time, I didn't know that their nap would be so long, so I started reading and then I cuddled with my awesome hubby before he went to work. And then, as Paul was getting ready to go for work, I decided to lay down for five minutes until the boys woke up, praying that they would sleep until 4. Well, they surpassed that, and slept until 4:20, giving me an hour nap. And I tell you, a nap never felt so good. (Well, that's not entirely true- it felt better during their first few months, but let's not revisit that time.)
Glorious nap! I wish two hour naps happened at the same time for both boys every day!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Exercise
I hate to exercise. Hate it, hate it! However, I made a commitment to myself that I would walk every day this summer except for Sundays and days that it was raining all day. I thought that would be pretty doable, since I am now a stay at home mom.
Matthew absolutely LOVES walks. I think they may be his favorite part of the day. You should see him, sitting tall, holding onto the tray in front of him and looking around eagerly the entire time. He is so cute. Andrew is more like me- he would prefer to play inside. But he doesn't mind them unless the sun is in his eyes, and he refuses to wear his sunglasses for more than five minutes- believe me, I try everyday to keep those sunglasses on his face to protect his little eyes, especially since he has the colobama, which causes severe light sensitivity.
Due to Andrew's eye condition, we go early in the morning before it is too bright outside and stick to the route with a lot of shade. Due to these precautions, Andrew also enjoys our walks. They both love to sit up front, so they take turns, and since we go six days a week, they each get three rides in the front each.
We have quite the system going. They wake up bright and early at 6am every morning. So I nurse them, change them, get dressed, and we go for our walk, which usually takes 45 minutes. The exercise is good for us. The boys have a better day with it, and I, well, I guess I do too. You see, exercise releases endorphins, and endorphins make us happy. And the sun does something to improve mood too. Which has really helped my latest depression (about a month ago, right before I started this exercise regiment).
However, despite all the healthy benefits of exercising and how good I have felt lately, I must tell you, I was ecstatic when it was raining this morning! I was nearly jumping up and down. And then the afternoon hit and that stupid sun came back out. So, reluctantly, dutifully, I loaded the boys in the stroller and went for our walk. I guess I feel good about it. But I kept my goal so far- we have walked every day except Sundays. I'm so glad tomorrow is Sunday and I get a true break, from walking at least. You don't get much of a break when you have twins!
Have I mentioned how much I hate exercising?
Matthew absolutely LOVES walks. I think they may be his favorite part of the day. You should see him, sitting tall, holding onto the tray in front of him and looking around eagerly the entire time. He is so cute. Andrew is more like me- he would prefer to play inside. But he doesn't mind them unless the sun is in his eyes, and he refuses to wear his sunglasses for more than five minutes- believe me, I try everyday to keep those sunglasses on his face to protect his little eyes, especially since he has the colobama, which causes severe light sensitivity.
Due to Andrew's eye condition, we go early in the morning before it is too bright outside and stick to the route with a lot of shade. Due to these precautions, Andrew also enjoys our walks. They both love to sit up front, so they take turns, and since we go six days a week, they each get three rides in the front each.
We have quite the system going. They wake up bright and early at 6am every morning. So I nurse them, change them, get dressed, and we go for our walk, which usually takes 45 minutes. The exercise is good for us. The boys have a better day with it, and I, well, I guess I do too. You see, exercise releases endorphins, and endorphins make us happy. And the sun does something to improve mood too. Which has really helped my latest depression (about a month ago, right before I started this exercise regiment).
However, despite all the healthy benefits of exercising and how good I have felt lately, I must tell you, I was ecstatic when it was raining this morning! I was nearly jumping up and down. And then the afternoon hit and that stupid sun came back out. So, reluctantly, dutifully, I loaded the boys in the stroller and went for our walk. I guess I feel good about it. But I kept my goal so far- we have walked every day except Sundays. I'm so glad tomorrow is Sunday and I get a true break, from walking at least. You don't get much of a break when you have twins!
Have I mentioned how much I hate exercising?
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Laundry
I feel like I am losing the battle with my laundry. There is so much of it and I feel like I am never able to gain any headway. Ever since I can remember, I have always been very on top of my laundry. I would do it one day a week from start to finish. I would wash it, dry it, fold it, and put it away all in the same day. I had such a feeling of accomplishment!
Now, I am constantly doing laundry. One day, I might wash and dry it, the next day fold it, and the following day put it away. That is a good sequence for me. Usually, I wait a few days to fold it, another few days to put it away, and the only reason I put it away is because I need the basket to do yet another load of laundry. Of course, that is only one load, so I am doing this everyday, or every other day, because I can't seem to get more than one or two loads in a day. And part of the reason I only do one load at a time is because there is clean laundry in the other baskets that need to be folded and/or put away.
Gone are the days when everything was clean and put away in the same day. Hello to my current days of never ending laundry. And although I felt better about the laundry back then, I love my life more now as a whole!
Now, I am constantly doing laundry. One day, I might wash and dry it, the next day fold it, and the following day put it away. That is a good sequence for me. Usually, I wait a few days to fold it, another few days to put it away, and the only reason I put it away is because I need the basket to do yet another load of laundry. Of course, that is only one load, so I am doing this everyday, or every other day, because I can't seem to get more than one or two loads in a day. And part of the reason I only do one load at a time is because there is clean laundry in the other baskets that need to be folded and/or put away.
Gone are the days when everything was clean and put away in the same day. Hello to my current days of never ending laundry. And although I felt better about the laundry back then, I love my life more now as a whole!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Cuddling and sleep
I have been searching my memory and I don't think that I have slept a whole night through since before I got pregnant. There may have been a night or two in the second trimester when I was fortunate enough to get a whole night in, but other than that, not so much.
If I let myself, I can get pretty down and annoyed with how little sleep I get, or frustrated with the broken up sleep. Andrew does really well. He sleeps through the night, usually 10-11 hours without interruption, with the exception of if he doesn't feel well, teething, and when we separated the twins and put them in their own bed.
But Matthew... *Sigh* Matthew struggles with sleep. He goes to bed a lot easier, but he still wakes up through the night. Lately, he has only been getting up once or twice through the night unless his braces rub a sore on his feet. I can handle that one or two times. And the nights where he is up 6 times get to me, but those are the nights when his feet hurt, so I can cut him a break with that.
Although I get annoyed when I have to get up and nurse him, I also savor these times, because we get some good cuddle sessions in. Well, he is asleep, so he is mostly sleeping on my shoulder. Which I love! It is rare that I get some good cuddling in with Matthew because he is so energetic and wanting to play as soon as he is done eating, that I am actually OK with those night wakings. Because after all, he is only little once, and these days are so short. They are sweet times, albeit exhausting times. And even though I get up reluctantly, I end up rejoicing and thanking God for my little miracles. And usually stay in there room rocking and cuddling with Matthew longer than necessary because there is nothing better than having my babies sleeping in my arms, smelling the top of their sweet heads, and listening to their even breathing as they sleep.
If I let myself, I can get pretty down and annoyed with how little sleep I get, or frustrated with the broken up sleep. Andrew does really well. He sleeps through the night, usually 10-11 hours without interruption, with the exception of if he doesn't feel well, teething, and when we separated the twins and put them in their own bed.
But Matthew... *Sigh* Matthew struggles with sleep. He goes to bed a lot easier, but he still wakes up through the night. Lately, he has only been getting up once or twice through the night unless his braces rub a sore on his feet. I can handle that one or two times. And the nights where he is up 6 times get to me, but those are the nights when his feet hurt, so I can cut him a break with that.
Although I get annoyed when I have to get up and nurse him, I also savor these times, because we get some good cuddle sessions in. Well, he is asleep, so he is mostly sleeping on my shoulder. Which I love! It is rare that I get some good cuddling in with Matthew because he is so energetic and wanting to play as soon as he is done eating, that I am actually OK with those night wakings. Because after all, he is only little once, and these days are so short. They are sweet times, albeit exhausting times. And even though I get up reluctantly, I end up rejoicing and thanking God for my little miracles. And usually stay in there room rocking and cuddling with Matthew longer than necessary because there is nothing better than having my babies sleeping in my arms, smelling the top of their sweet heads, and listening to their even breathing as they sleep.
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