Every Single Month

Survival Mode. That’s the keyword to understanding the hurricane that Month 3 brought in. You girls are life changers for sure! The day you two turned 2 months, daddy took 77 people to high school camp for a week. Even though daddy was so excited to take them, he missed you girls so much! Mommy was smart…she packed up her things and you three moved into nana and grandpa’s for the week. That was huge! It’s almost as if they’ve raised girls before! Hehe. You girls experienced a bunch of firsts this month. First doctor visit, first vaccines (boy, those are fun to watch), first Father’s Day, first Independence Day, first time seeing your Arizona family, first time meeting some of daddy’s youth group, first family date (to IKEA nonetheless, but it counts), Gracen smiled on purpose for the first time (Gwen, your’s is coming soon), and one more first. But before I can explain, I must backtrack.

So….the NICU showed us this amazing twin secret called…THE SCHEDULE. We live and die by The Schedule. It’s the only way to not pull our hair out. The Schedule consists of diapering and feeding both of you at the same time precisely every 3 hours. It’s beautiful really. Mommy and daddy spend a good 30 minutes diapering, feeding, singing, and playing with you, and then you girls chill for three hours while mommy and daddy clean, catch up on a nap, organize, and prepare for the next round. Daddy typically does the 11pm (and the 2am feedings when he doesn’t work), and mommy takes the ones where daddy is working. It’s been so fun and busy all at the same time!

But…enter that other first I was talking about. It was inevitable, we knew it was coming but wasn’t sure when. Last night, right before you turned 3 month, you girls BROKE the schedule. For some reason, Gracen wasn’t hungry, and Gwen was but didn’t want to eat. Kicking and screaming took on a literal meaning. Thus, July 15, 2013 will forever be known as “The Longest Night”. Daddy fed you just fine at 11pm, and instead of falling asleep, it was cry, cry, cry from there! Daddy called for back up, mommy came and we watched an old Macgyver episode at 1am for some background noise, even though we couldn’t hear anything about the screams! You weren’t supposed to eat until 2am, and when we finally got to 2am, you girls weren’t hungry! I wish I could tell you what happened from 2-5am, but it’s a blur. After finally getting you girls to sleep, mommy and daddy passed out. Girls…do us a favor, let’s stick to the schedule.

We love you girls so much! Gwen, your facial expressions crack us up! Gracen, you make the cutest sounds ever! Even you’re the same age, you girls are so unique and precious. Even though we’ve gone through “The Longest Night”, we are so in love. Thanks for bringing us joy, we’re so blessed to be your parents. We were reminded this month of what a dear friend told us. Babies are “Long Days, Short Years”. We cherish these long nights, really. – ONE TIRED (BUT GRATEFUL) DAD

* And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. (Col. 3:15)  *