Well we've survived half a year with our little Irish Twins - hurrah!
Quite fittingly, I did an interview last week with Mother & Baby magazine about what it's like to have two babies in one year - they wanted the article to focus on the positive, and it was nice to do that, but I wanted to write about it all in a bit more detail here on my blog...because let's be honest, as lovely as some parts of it are...others are downright bloody hellish at times!
I remember back when I first found out that I was expecting Sailor, in my panicked state I found myself frantically searching for as many real life accounts of women having Irish twins as I could find - I stumbled across a couple of blogs about it, and it was a huge reassurance to me to be able to read realistic accounts of real mothers in this situation and how they were coping.
I didn't want to read only the positive parts, I wanted to know everything I was about to face...I wanted to feel prepared...and I was so thankful to those bloggers for being so honest yet comforting about it all.
And I promised myself then that I would do the same - just incase anybody else out there ever finds themselves suddenly pregnant with a newborn and feeling panicked too - incase they stumble across this blog and want to know how it all went down.
So that's what I'm doing.
I shared my experience of finding out we were having irish twins and the first few months of their life a while back, but today I'm going to tell you how things are going now that we're 6 months in.
I'm assuming (please correct me if I'm wrong here) that the first year of this is going to be the toughest when it comes to the babies.
Although I'm sure that facing two lots of terrible twos and threenagers all at once is going to be no picnic either, I still think that the logistical struggles of 2 babies at once is what's going to be the biggest obstacle in all of this.
So let's break it down...what have been our biggest struggles so far?
*Two babies crying at once - There is no doubt about it, this is when it's at its worst and when your stress levels will be the highest.
When both babies need you at the same time, when they're both crying at the top of their lungs (and in my case, my 3 year old is often joining in too), when something is wrong and they both want their mama - and you have to make a choice.
You have to decide which of them needs your attention most urgently and which of them has to wait a little while. It's a horrible situation to be in, and I don't think I've ever felt quite so stressed as I do when trying to calm down one upset baby whilst the other one is still screaming loudly. But you get there, eventually.
*Teething - As our babies are 10 months apart, we have faced a few occasions when both of them are teething at the same time.
And it's no fun for anybody.
One baby would wake in pain in the night, and you'd just about settle him back down to sleep when suddenly the other one would wake up screaming in agony too...and then the first baby is woken up by his cries...and then you have two grouchy, upset, pained babies both needing you at once...Not a fun experience.
*Working To Pay Pampers - Yep, one thing I didn't think about when expecting Sailor was just how much money we were going to end up spending on nappies.
When Sailor first arrived, Tyne was still 2 and not yet potty trained - and so we were paying out for 3 lots of nappies all at once - that got expensive quickly! We soon got him through potty training if only to save a few pounds!
Of course you could argue that cloth nappies would be cheaper, but the laundry is already climbing the walls in our house and falling last on the list of Things To Do and so that just really would not work for us. Eventually we got wise, and made the switch to Lidl nappies...70% cheaper, what were we thinking paying for premium brands for so long?! The lower cost ones are exactly the same!
*Everything but the kitchen sink - I know that people with more than one child often joke about needing everything but the kitchen sink when they leave the house, but seriously - with two babies at once, you really do!
I had to invest the largest changing bag I could find, and everytime we go out I feel like I'm getting a work out in just from lifting it up...it takes two arms I swear!
Between two changes of clothes, two lots of nappies, two or three lots of bottles and snacks depending on how long we'll be out for, two lots of dummies and spares, two comfort blankets - it gets pretty heavy pretty fast!
*Trolley Troubles - Again, something I didn't think about when pregnant - but trolleys are simply not designed to hold more than two children - so when you have irish twins plus a toddler to take shopping with you, you are pretty much buggered.
The trolley, of course, has to be occupied by the least confident walkers so the babies get their places in it every time...but that means a 3 year old on the loose, and trying to steer that trolley containing your two babies and keep hold of the hand of an escape artist 3 year old all at once is like mission impossible.
Thank god for online deliveries.
So yes, it's fair to say that it hasn't been the most straight forward 6 months of our lives...but of course, you take the rough with the smooth and in all honesty - I wouldn't change the experience for anything.
I know it's a cliche, but I'm sorry...it's also true!
Yes some days its hard, sometimes it even seems impossible and you wonder how you're going to get through the day, but it is truly worth it to see those two babies start to recognize each other and bond with each other.
Noah, the oldest of the two, is already so very protective over his baby brother - he can almost say his name, he loves to give him kisses and walks over to him to give him a cuddle all the time without us prompting him - and Sailor, the youngest, just adores the attention from his big brother. He smiles at Noah as soon as he sees him, and tries to give him big sloppy kisses.
They are just adorable together, and I can already tell that they will be so close as they grow up.
I'm sure they'll make lots of mischief for their mama together, but I still can't wait to see it.
Irish twins certainly are a handful and a half, but they are also the biggest blessing.
If you enjoy my blog, please consider following me on Bloglovin'
