You are looking at one stressed out woman.
We went to a multiples class when I was pregnant, I had mentors through a local mom-of-triplets club, etc. We were given oodles of much-needed advice from these oh-so-wise parents, and we continue to benefit from much of their information to this day.
The first two months with the babies are a blur. We were going on 2-3 hours of sleep, barely having enough time to go to the bathroom much less eat a good meal...those were crazy times. We asked some of the other parents of multiples, "Does it get easier?" They would give us a knowing smile and say, "Not easier, just different."
We were very lucky in that our babies started sleeping through the night at a very early age. AR was sleeping 8-hour nights by 9 weeks, SA & SJ by 12 weeks, and they were all sleeping 12-hour nights by 4 months. Once we hit that 4-month mark it was heaven. I'm sure people got sick of hearing us talk about how easy our three babies were, but in looking back to what we'd come from, it WAS!
Don't get me wrong, NOTHING can compare to what we went through those first two months. I don't think anyone truly knows sleep deprivation until they have a baby...or three. But...I'm surely not singing about how easy things are now. I now know what that little grin was about when we asked that question...will it get easier? I wouldn't say it's easier, but it is most-definitely...different.
As I've said repeatedly, I hate to complain. I love my babies with all my heart. I'm a woman who rarely...okay, I wouldn't say rarely, but let's just say I didn't show emotion as much before. Now I can just look at my babies and cry because I'm so damn happy. But, I'm tired as hell!
They're all in every direction...all at once. They now know how to get out of their bouncy seats, so we can't even "tie them down" anymore. This is what's coming out of my mouth all day:
Stop that!
Get that out of your mouth!
Get back here!
NO!
Stop (chewing on her foot)!
Let go (of his hair)!
NO!
Stop it!
Let go!
You're gonna.....OUCH! Too late.
Don't do that!
NO!
Let go (of that poopy diaper)!
Let go (of your penis)!
Stop (poking him in the eye)!
Let go (of her face)!
Gimme that!
Stop jumping!
RD...help!
I MEAN it...I'll be RIGHT back!
NO!
Please Lord, help me.
I could go on and on...but you get the point. I am just exhausted.
The other day I asked RD, "I'm so exhausted all the time. What do you think I should do? (thinking there's some miracle cure! ha!) What's wrong with me?"
RD, "What's wrong with you? Them (pointing to the babies)."
Me, "Yea. (Knowing he was right...nothing more to it.)"
We talk about how it will be easier when they're walking and can follow, talking and can tell us what is wrong....but it won't be easier, b/c what's "hard" will be something else. It's never easier, just different.
I was so grateful to my mentors when I was pregnant. These women had been through exactly what I we went through, and answered all my, sometimes whacky and crazy, questions. I wanted to be able to help someone as I had been helped, so I am now a mentor to a woman who is 29 weeks pregnant with triplets. I invited her to our house to come and get a peek into what is an average day with three (wonderful) babies. :)
She was looking on and asking a lot of questions, one of which was, "I keep hearing we're not going to get any sleep. Everyone keeps saying how crazy it's going to be...feeding babies...getting no sleep...does it get easier?"
Me: Once you hit the 3- or 4-month mark things will get much easier...then...I don't know about easier, but it's just...different. Grin
