Classically Eclectic

Full disclosure- if you’re coming here to actually learn something about being a mom, you better just keep on moving through the www because you’re certainly not going to find anything useful here!  I’m not even going to pretend that I know how to be a good mom yet,  but I have made a few observations about motherhood along the way.

I no longer have time to get cute with my blog posts, so we’ll keep things pithy and get right to it. There are babies to tend to, you see. If I leave them unattended for more than 2.5 seconds, this is what happens:

1. Celebrate the small wins; ignore everything else. Around 3.5 months of age I ventured out of the house all by myself with Charlie and Sloane. We had to go Target, Fresh Market, and the butcher. This may sound like no big deal to you, but if you have kids (and especially if you have twin babies) you know this is huge. Did I mention I don’t yet drive an SUV, so as you mommas are visualizing me taking two carseats out of the car, putting them in a stroller, taking them out of the stroller, and putting them back in the car (8 lifts per baby), add to that the fact that I have to load the stroller in the trunk of a car each time. Good times. Anyway, the very first time I set out for this little adventure I had made all my lists (yes, I needed a list), packed my diaper bag to the brim, fed the little Franks nice, big bottles, and headed out. Two hours later we made it back without a single peep! They slept the entire time. I felt like I could conquer the world. Seriously. I was literally running around the family room doing a happy dance when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and realized, to my horror, that I had been running around town with my pants on inside out. I stopped doing the happy dance for just a minute, but then I decided that it was still warranted. I had just dragged two very tiny babies in and out of stores, bought groceries, and made it home safely. Who cares if everyone I encountered saw what size of yoga pants I wear? Celebrate the small wins. Ignore the fact that your pants may or may not be inside out.

2. (More of an observation) Being a mom makes you fearless. Just the other night I was sitting on the floor next to Sloane folding laundry while she was grabbing links in her baby gym when I noticed a spider crawling across her stomach. Without a millisecond hesitation I grabbed the wretched thing and before I could even register what I was doing I had smashed it between my fingers. As much as I hate to admit it (because it’s such a cliche), I am terrified of spiders. I can tell you with complete certainty that if I saw one crawling on my husband I would run the other way screaming (sorry, Mr. Frankel). The whole “momma Bear” phrase is no joke. Mess with my children, and things will get ugly- as in smashed spider legs on my fingers yucky.

3. Do what YOU think is right. This is the closest thing to real advice that you’ll get from me. If I’ve learned anything since I’ve become a mom it’s that there is more than one way to raise your children. There. Is. No. Right. Way. People get uneasy when they someone else doing it differently- especially if they feel their parenting methods are being challenged in some way. All I can tell you is that if other moms love their children even half as much as I love mine, then there is nothing to question. We each do what we think is best for our families, and we base those decisions off of the information we have- most of which is probably gut instinct. Do what you think is right, and don’t apologize for it.

I actually do have more to say on this topic, but I have bottles to wash, and itty bitty jammies to fold. Sound glamourous? Perhaps not, but I can promise you there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing.

:: All images via Instagram. Username kelkru. ::

I know I haven’t had my little gremlins home for very long, but I was still able to use a lot of our baby gear in the NICU. There are definitely other items I’ve grown to love, but these are my favorites, my must-haves thus far.

1. Arm’s Reach Co-sleeper- This pack and play has a higher weight capacity than most, which means it can accommodate twins. We have it pushed up against our bed so that I can keep an eye on our littles, and it’s so convenient when they wake up for feedings. It’s also very plain, which is a big plus in my book!!

2. Aden + Anais swaddle blankets- These are huge and breathable. Most importantly, they are gorgeous colors!!!!! We used these as bedding during our NICU stay; as silly as it sounds it really helped brighten our moods to have the kiddos decked out in cute outfits and blankets!

3. Aden + Anais easy swaddlers- These little sleep sacks make swaddling easy! Plus, they close with snaps- NOT velcro. We have some of the sleep sacks that have velcro, and while they work, they are such a pain (and tear everything up in the laundry if you accidentally forget to separate them)!

4. Polarn O. Pyret Bodysuit- Some of the best quality bodysuits I’ve come across. I bought a few things during their winter clearance sale and love it all! Side-snap onesies are a MUST if you have a baby in the NICU that’s attached to lots of cords, etc.

5. Polarn O. Pyret Socks- These socks are adorable, and they stay on better than any other brand I’ve tried! I like to pull them up and make them into little knee socks- one of the many reasons why Charlie and Sloane will hate me one day…

6. Dr. Brown special edition Pink and Blue bottles- Charlie and Sloane love the Dr. Brown bottles, but I know that all babies are different when it comes to bottle preferences. I love the fact that these come in pink and blue. This is especially helpful with twins. I make 4 bottles up at once for each of them and have them ready to go when the meltdowns start. Charlie typically takes 30-40 ml more than Sloane does, so the different colored bottles come in handy!

7. Angelcare Bath Support- These kids are so squirmy! During bath time they kick the squirming up a notch. Scary stuff! The bath support keeps them in place. We use it in our actual bath tub. It’s also very affordable. I wish it came in other colors, but that’s the only complaint I have!

8. Mustela PhysiObebe- We bathe the little Franks at night, but I like to use this 1-2 times during the day- especially first thing in the morning to clean up any spilled milk on their faces/chins. I use a cotton ball to apply it; no rinsing is required.

9. & 10. 4moms Mamaroo- I really can’t say enough good things about this. It’s stylish and super functional. You can hook your iPhone or any other gadget to it to play music. It has five different motions. It’s lightweight. Both of our kiddos love it. God bless the Mamaroo!!!

Like I said, I’m no expert, but if you have twins (or preemies), these have been a few of my favorites so far!

We’re starting week 7 of our NICU journey, and in that time I’ve confirmed once and for all that I hate roller coasters- both those of the literal AND figurative variety.

In the last seven weeks we’ve celebrated Christmas:

and New Year’s:

and even Charlie and Sloane’s one-month birthday. 

 I’ve learned an entirely new definition for the word “patience”. Leaving your children behind each night is the most unnatural feeling I have ever experienced. I get SO excited to bring home their dirty laundry because I feel like I’m doing “real mom” stuff as opposed to the part-time mommy gig I’m doing now.

When I was pregnant I used to get so annoyed when people would say, “Twins?! Better sleep now because you won’t be sleeping again for a long time”. But now all I want to do is be so tired from lack of sleep that I think I might die. I want to be peed on and have spit-up on my shirt. I want my house to smell so badly of dirty diapers that I’m embarrassed for anyone to visit. I want to hold our babies without cords attached to them.

I know this day will come eventually, but in the meantime I’m thankful for the friends I’ve made, all the knowledge I have gained, and the fact that I got to meet Charlie and Sloane 10 weeks earlier than most parents get to meet their babies.

The last seven weeks have been amazing and heartbreaking all at once, and when all of this is over I’m going to have a massive bloody mary (with bacon, bleu cheese stuffed olives, and celery) and vow to never [voluntarily] step foot on another roller coaster again!!

We made it through 28 weeks!  This was my best attempt at a smile. Time is D-R-A-G-G-I-N-G along at a snail’s pace. I’m beginning to understand why they call the second trimester the honeymoon. It’s as if someone flipped a switch once I reached the third trimester. I promised myself at the beginning of this pregnancy that I would be positive and not complain (except to my husband and a few family members) if I was having a rough time. All I will say is that it is getting increasingly hard to keep that promise!!!!!

Highlights of 28 weeks:

-I failed my one-hour glucose screening by 3 points. WHAT? I’ve always been the girl with low BP, low blood sugar, low tolerance for alcohol and annoying people, etc. You get the idea. For anyone out there who hasn’t taken the one-hour test, I will tell you that I didn’t think it was that bad. By the way everyone talked I was convinced that for the first time during my pregnancy I would vomit and start foaming at the mouth or something. Not the case. I would not, however, ever consume that sugary drink by choice.

Given that my one-hour experience was not so bad I went into the three-hour test with a positive attitude. I was wrong. It was awful. The drink is the same size (8-10 oz maybe?? I don’t really know), but this time it was packed with 100 GRAMS of SUGAR!!!! Anyone that knows me well knows that I choose my carbs extremely carefully because I try to maintain a low-carb diet as much as possible, so psychologically it REALLY bothered me to ingest 100 grams of sugar on a beverage that tasted TERRIBLE. The aftermath was worse. I felt like I was in some type of diabetic coma- not that I actually know what one feels like.

The good news to come out of all this is that I do NOT have gestational diabetes- not by a long shot. I was on the lowest end of the range for all four blood draws. I blame the initial failure on the fact that I didn’t take the first test until 2 PM and a very good friend (who shall remain nameless, but you know who you are!) happened to stop by with a delivery of boneless wings a few hours before my screening. I only ate a few, but I knew it was a mistake! I’ll be force-feeding her cupcakes before her sugar test the next time she’s pregnant.

-I’ve been receiving lots of TV and book recommendations from people given that I’m on bed rest. Two people suggested that I would love American Horror Story, so I decided to start watching it over Thanksgiving break. I watched the entire first season in two days, and it’s true, I loved it. BUT if you are pregnant with TWINS and happen to have an overactive imagination (as I do) I would wait to watch this until AFTER you give birth. I’ll leave it at that for anyone who may watch the show in the future. For those of you that have seen the first season, you know what I’m talking about!!!!

-The little Franks are doing well. Apparently, little “Frank” is an appropriate name for our daughter at least because within the last week she’s decided to be breech- FRANK breech to be exact (think of the pike diving position). It sounds terribly uncomfortable to me, but what do I know. The doctor told us that she still has time to move back to a head-down position, but with twins it’s less likely because she’s running out of room. Speaking of room, things are getting cramped around here. My poor little man’s head is wedged between the uterine wall and his sister’s bum. Awkward. If my stomach looks different to you in this week’s photo vs. last week it’s because of her shift in position. I freaked out at first because my stomach looked a lot smaller from the side (first time in my life I’ve ever freaked out about that!), but I’m still measuring the same- just carrying them a little differently now.

I’m off to my first of two doctor’s appointments this week. Have a great day!

I think I’m on version 274 of the nursery design board. I shared my initial version here.  It won’t be changing too much at this point- especially because we’ve ordered all of the big items, so if anything only a few of the accessories will be different.

I chose to not go with any themes, and I tried to use items that would work for boys or girls while not seeming too babyish. This way if I tire of the lamps, rug, chest, pillows, etc. I can just move them to other parts of the house. I REALLY love how it’s coming along. We (meaning Christopher and my father-in-law) still have to hang pictures and install the blinds. Other than that the room is nearly finished, which makes me feel much more at ease about being horizontal until further notice!

I’ll try to update this post with a list of all the sources soon, but as you can see that will take quite a bit of work!