Around the Fire, In the Oven, and Eight New Teeth

I am generally insisting that twins are not nearly twice as hard as having one baby.  Maybe they're akin to having one tricky baby, but twice?  No way.  Well, this past week I learned that having two teething twins is definitely twice as hard.  More than twice as hard, because there's no way you can hold two miserable babies constantly, or sooth them the way you want to.  Whew, that was quite a week.  To say I was relieved to wake up to two cheery twins with a grand total of eight two year molars between the two of them yesterday morning (no wonder they were grumpy!  That's a lot of work!) is an understatement.  I was jubilant!

Last week in the midst of "the teething week" I would get pretty out of ideas by the end of the afternoon, and found that starting a fire in the fireplace worked wonders to calm the big kids, the babies, and myself.  Of course it meant that I had to sit down from whatever I was doing, but generally that was exactly what I needed to do.  We read a lot of books.  The babies have grown to love books, and they are in the right house for that particular hobby, with two parents and three older siblings who share their interest.

Dinners have been quick, simple, and generally separated into elements.  Grilled salmon, a loaf of buttered bread, and steamed green beans.  Chicken, broccoli, and rice.  Whenever I cook like this out of necessity, I am reminded that simple food is delicious, and the children love it.

Going into the weekend, I was feeling burned out  Where sometimes my instinct, as an introvert, is to use a moment like this to retreat and spend time entirely by myself, instead I spent the weekend intentionally seeking out opportunities to be with each of the three older kids.  A trip to a friend's house, a morning running errands, a coffee date, going swimming at the rec center.  Nothing exceptional, but I made a point of being present and connected with each of them, which is something that can fall by the wayside when I'm really busy with the babies.  It was one of my favorite weekends in recent memory, and it reminded me that quality one on one time is something that renews and energizes me.

And with that, I am off to do some Valentine's Day work!  Just a week and a half away, and I have a lot of pom poms to make.