Life & Times of S & D: The Fourth Trimester

We are near the end of Max and Noah's first 3 months, this period which is sometimes referred to as the fourth trimester. It's hard to believe that it's gone by so quickly in a lot of ways. Ama was here for 5 weeks to help and it was wonderful to have her here. I was really anxious about her departure, wondering how we were going to survive without here. It's been 4 weeks and we are managing better than I thought. The key is efficiency. Making the most out of nap times by making food, eating, getting ready for the next pumping session, dishes, laundry, etc. The only reason I'm able to function is because I'm actually getting some sleep. And Max and Noah are much better sleepers than Leo was at this age (knock on wood they continue to be good sleepers!). We have settled into a routine that works for us. I'm thankful that Dave can bottle feed them at night so I can get some rest.

Leo is in full time day care for now. It was hard for me to make that decision because I wanted to be able to spend time with him in Mondays and Fridays. But it's just not possible for me to take care of all 3 boys right now. It makes me sad but he gets to play with other kids all week and he loves Dana. She takes great care of him. On the weekends, I try to spend as much time with him as possible. On Saturday mornings we go grocery shopping. And to the pool on Sunday mornings. He's been learning how to be more independent which is great.

I've been getting cabin fever. Trying to get out of the house with these guys is such a production. Especially if their schedules are off. It's not really worth it at this point. We have to time it right after a meal. Make sure they are well burped. Get them in their car seats. Then one of them always has to burp again. If not both. Get the gear into the car. Get the babies into the car. By the time we get out for a 20 min walk, it's time to head home for the next meal - don't want to get stuck in the car for that!! The logistics are so much harder with two infants. Now that winter is here and the snow looks like it's ready to stay for a while, it makes it easier to be stuck inside. Once they don't have to eat as often I'll start taking them to the gym so I can walk some laps with them in the stroller.

We did manage to go out on a day trip to Denali Park while Ama was here. It was quite the production. We didn't get out of the house until noon and didn't get back until after midnight. We had to stop about every 3 hours to feed Max and Noah, and let Leo out to stretch his legs. I also pumped in the car. Was it worth it? Yes, it was wonderful to get out and do something. And the fall colors were almost at their peak in the park.

On a different note, Leo still talks about Emma. Sometimes when we bring her up in comversation he will look for her in the part of the house where she used to sleep. It breaks my heart every time. He tell us that his dog's name is Emma and he pets her. He tells us that he missed her. :( When we read books with dogs in them he'll name them Emma. He knows she's not coming home but is confused about where she is so we told her that she's in doggy heaven where old dogs go but can't come back. I've been avoiding using the word 'dead' because I don't want to scare him. I tell him that I miss Emma, too and he gives me a hug and tells me that he will take care of me and not to be sad. Some day we'll get another dog but probably not for a while!

Here's a photo dump from the past couple months.