Summmmmmer!

It's finally summer break.....Bobby was amazing these last two weeks and now it's my turn. Day one and I am freaking exhausted. I over did it today admittedly. We switched rooms for Jake and the girls so I have been anxious to paint and get the girls' room in order. Especially because it is getting harder to have them sleep and nap together because they wake each other up constantly. The sooner I get their room done, the sooner they will (hopefully) sleep better. Yesterday Jake and I went to Michaels and Home Depot for nearly everything that I had left to get. I also got a sample of blue paint for Jake's room because I am also painting his room and painting a big Bronco head on his wall too. I know-I'm ambitious!

Because I finally had a day off I started off the day early in the morning with crafts for the girls' room. I am super excited to share everything I have been working on when I reveal the final project. I also painted one wall and the ceiling just like Jake had in his room before. I am loving it but forgot just how much work it is to paint. I love painting itself but I hate the clean up. And it's also a bit tricky to try to start a big project with a 3 1/2 year old and two 3 month olds. Nap time was not nearly long enough. At one point Avery was in the hall while Brooklynn was sleeping in our room and Jake was banging on his wall because he hadn't gone to sleep yet. Remind me to get help when I decide to paint the rest of their room. When Jake got up I thought I could trust him not to touch the paint-afterall I HAD picked up everything off the floor, but of course he touched the wall in HIS room around the corner (after I told him not to a million times) and came to me with blue fingers. I even made an effort to paint high enough so that I could see what the color would look like and so that he couldn't touch it. He amazes me with his size. All is well though....blue fingers were the only tragedy.

Tomorrow I am going up to Fort Collins. It seems like a ways to go for help but it is so nice to get out of the house AND get help....and most selfishly, to see my mom. :) I have a couple more things to buy for the girls room and it is so much better to go to Target with an extra set of hands. Wednesday Jake is going to Kristie's house and I am looking forward to only having 2 people to take care of. Jake isn't a lot of work-he is just another mess-making machine. This morning when I was crafting away he was such a good little boy-he was just reading through all of his books in his room for an hour. I just love how much he adores books--and how well he entertains himself.

Wednesday I am going with Heather and Bre to Swedish for a breastfeeding class. It is free and it is held every Wednesday (part of why I have Jake going to Kristie's house on Wednesdays). I am anxious to talk to a lactation consultant about what is going on with Avery--she is refusing to breastfeed most of the time now, and to see how much they weigh. It will be 13 days since they were last weighed. Avery was 9 pounds 13 ounces (she had her diaper on though) and Brooklynn was 7 pounds 6 ounces (no diaper) on May 24th. I am so proud of myself for being able to pump and feed them exclusively. It's pretty amazing to me that I can feed two babies and I struggled so much feeding one when I had Jake. They have never been given any formula-other than neosure being added for extra calories-or donor milk and I am so extremely proud of myself. Not that formula is bad...I just know that if I even give myself that option I won't be as committed to breastfeeding/pumping and I don't even want to think about how expensive it is to buy formula for twins. YYYIIIIIKKKKEEEESSSSS! This is by far the biggest challenge of having twins and it is so.much.work. It is a huge commitment and takes up tons of time. I try to breastfeed at least one of them most of the time during the day when I am home, I bottle feed at least one of them, and then I pump. By the time this is all said and done I do it again 2 hours later. Brooklynn has been freaking out when I have been feeding her (she is typically the twin that I feed most of the time) and she is hardly eating 14 ounces total a day. She has plenty of wet diaper and is alert and awake and smiling so I guess she is getting what she needs for her size-and her pediatrician assured is she was doing fine. I'm almost at 14 weeks of feeding them only breast milk and still going strong. I have over 400 ounces frozen too. That blows my mind!

I'd say my first day of summer break has worked out pretty well-but I know they won't all be this productive!

Beautiful Brooklynn

Avery

Sleeping Brooklynn-who LOVES her paci. 

I ventured out on Saturday morning while Bobby was working on the canal....I think I went a little too far. Everyone was crying by the time we got home including me. It was hot and nasty but I got a great picture!

13 weeks old!