I'm Baaaaack!

After a long hiatus from the blogosphere, I am back at my computer, ready to record the funny tidbits and trying times that accompany raising the Wonder Twins. In fact, I've made it a belated New Year's resolution to publish a blog at least once a week, with the goal of binding the posts into a book of sorts to give the girls each year at Christmas. In essence, it will be the story of their little lives. And mine.

So much has happened since my last post, which was, in case you didn't notice, last year. I'll try to encapsulate the events I didn't have the time or energy (feeding two babies every 2-3 hours is exhausting!) to write about in the past two months.

We enjoyed a spirited Thanksgiving with family at our house. Thanks to Grandpa Buzz and Grandma Lynn, Geof and I managed to wolf down homemade meals in between crying fits, feeding sessions, pumping and diaper changing. Without their handiwork in the kitchen, we probably never would've eaten more than a handful of chips or a couple of cookies. The grandparents also proved that they were naturals in the nursery, often letting us sleep in while they bottle fed and burped the babies as the sun came up.

The girls' first Christmas was definitely one to remember. They, of course, will not, but that's why we have digital cameras. I'm not sure exactly how many pictures we took that morning, but I can say with certainty that we snapped shots of them wearing their Santa hats with all things Christmas - the stockings handmade by Great-Grandma Becky, the tree, wrapping paper, bows. You name it, we got a shot of it. Their big gifts? Blue boxes bearing banks from Tiffany's, a rain forest-themed play mat and cash for the college fund. Hey, it's never too early to start saving for Harvard!

Geof and I spent New Year's Eve at home with the twins. They went to bed around 10:30 p.m. We went to bed at 11 p.m. At that point, catching a few Zzzzz's was WAY more appealing than watching Ryan Seacrest give the play-by-play of the ball dropping in Times Square. I told Geof I was pretty sure that was the first NYE I'd spent sober and party-free in at least a decade. Man, we're getting old. :)

A week after saying "hello" to 2010, I said "good-bye" to maternity leave and returned to work at the N.C. Department of Transportation. Coming back meant assuming a promotion to Senior Communications Officer, which I had applied for over the summer and secured a few weeks after having the babies.

Being back in the office is definitely a mixed bag. On one hand, I am thrilled to engage in adult conversations on a regular basis and begin working on challenging, new projects once again. But... on the other hand, I miss my little girls. Thankfully, the pace of work is so fast that I don't have time to be sad. I simply look forward to the end of the work day, when I get to pick them up from nursery school and love on them all I want!

Although Geof is not the biggest fan of his weird work schedule at WRAL-TV, it is definitely helping us limit the amount of time the girls have to spend at day care. Geof drops them off on Mondays and Tuesdays at 2:45 p.m. before he heads into work, and I pick them up at 5:30 p.m. when I get off work. On Wednesdays, Geof takes them in at 9:45 a.m., and I pick them up at 5:30 p.m. Geof watches them on Thursdays and Fridays, which are his days off, and I take over on the weekends. It's wacky, but it works for us. We like the nursery school a lot, but I feel MUCH better knowing the girls spend more time at home with one or both of us than they do with strangers. Since being a stay-at-home mom is not an option financially, this is a really good alternative.

So, how are the girls? They're growing like weeds! They both now weigh more than 10 pounds, and they're finally starting to fit into their 0-3 month clothes. In fact, during last week's 3-month check up at the pediatrition's office, we learned that they've closed the prematurity gap and now fall in line with other babies their age on the growth chart! We're so proud of them for getting to be so big and strong!

They're also very close to sleeping through the night (Please, God, let this happen soon) and often shower us with smiles, which we're pretty sure aren't gas-related. We're having so much fun watching them develop little personalities! I savor every minute I get to spend with them, because I know the next time I hold them they'll be just a little bit closer to being "big girls."

The babies are such a blessing. We're so thankful to have them. Despite the early mornings and late nights, we would never want our lives to be any different. The girls are the best things that have ever happened to us, and we can't imagine our family without them!