Apparently Mondays and I have not been getting along lately. Yesterday I braved the doctor's office with all four children. One might think that I would know better, but one would be wrong. I really thought it would be okay, even though I forgot to bring extra technology for the girls. Many moments of the two hour extravaganza were okay, but there were some glaring exceptions.
I arrived early on account of coming straight there from exercise class and planning to feed the babies in the waiting room. They called us back almost immediately, so I was stuck feeding the babies in a "treatment room" that had no books or other distractions. For a while, I thought we might be that cute family with well-mannered children, but then, while the girls were playing, things changed.
I heard a blood-curdling shriek and knew what had happened. Bella had bit Lily, and left a rather horrendous looking mark. Bella has fangs and has no compunction in using them. And I was trapped. There were nurses all around, who thankfully were very sympathetic, but I couldn't very well spank Bella right there in the middle of everything. So I settled for a stern talk which had no effect whatsoever on the smirking Bella. Awesome.
Once the babies had been weighed and measured - Violet is 6 lbs 11 oz and William is 8 lbs 2 oz, Praise King Jesus - we headed into the regular room, which thankfully had lots of books and distractions. The upside of this whole visit is that I got nothing but great news about the twins.
Are they growing? Yes - William is on the growth chart and Violet is almost there! They are doing so well.
Can I change from the most primo liquid gold formula that we are on to one that costs slightly less but is just as good for them? Yes! And, here are 8 sample cans for you to take with you. Oh, and the nurse will fill out paperwork since you have multiples so that the formula company will send another case to your house.
They still have thrush, because I am terrible at swabbing each of their mouths every 8 hours. What should we do? Yes, that medicine is a pain. Let me prescribe something better that is less work and will knock it out. You don't have time for that other stuff.
Baby boy has a tiny bit of baby acne - is there anything I should do? Get some 1% Hydrocortisone Cream, and it should clear right up based on what I can see.
We are going to Kansas and Colorado this week - any issues that we should be aware of? Nope - they should do great. But really - are you taking them all?
Baby boy has a leaky eye sometimes - is that normal? Yes - just massage the tear duct with clean hands, and that will help clear it, and he will grow out of it.
Seriously, it was amazing. Good news on every front, and we continue to praise the Lord for the undeserved grace that we receive through William and Violet. Here's what it looked like to have all the kids hanging out waiting for the doctor.
Even with all the good news, there was still some bad that followed. We headed to the pharmacy that is in the same building, but you have to go outside and up a hill to get to it. I decided that would be quicker than heading to a whole different place, and the weather was nice.
We got into the pharmacy, and everyone in there,
and I do mean everyone, made a fuss over us. They were all incredibly kind, but it can be a bit overwhelming to answer all the questions while trying to make sure the Lily and Bella do not wreck any havoc and comforting William who was still upset about his Hep B shot. After what felt like an eternity, but what was in reality about 10 minutes, our prescription of much better thrush medicine was ready.
As I was paying, I didn't realize that Bella was trying to shut the heavy front door and was close to slamming her fingers in it. The staff all noticed, since we were the starring act of the moment, and they were yelling and running toward her to make sure her fingers didn't get smashed. This alarmed Bella so much, that she began wailing and insisting on being carried. And, if Bella wants to be carried, there is no reasoning with her, and she will. not. walk. She will lay on the floor instead.
So, I headed out the door, with Bella clinging to my back, pushing the double stroller around the whole building to get back to the car. That was a low point. I'm sure anyone who saw me thought I was out of my mind or that I would be soon, if I wasn't already.
The afternoon held such joys a playing referee during "nap time" and forgetting to go to Lily's gymnastics class. All in all, not a great day.
But, then dinner arrived brought by a friend, and talking helped. And another friend dropped something else off, so there was more chatting. Amazing how chatting with friends helps make light of the hard things.
Last night brought the usual of sitting near sleeping babies who like to hold hands and cuddle one another - that will melt your heart.
It brought mixing formula and making bottles, but this time, I started mixing in the new, slightly less expensive formula. Hooray!
It brought listening to Lily and Bella talk and laugh and play after bedtime and a discussion between John and I about needing to be more intentional and helping set better bedtime ground rules so that instead of tired, cranky girls, we have well-rested, sweet girls. They can be so sweet.
This morning is what really turned the case of the Mondays around. First of all - it is Tuesday. That is always a step in the right direction. Secondly, I woke up at 8 a.m. to John telling me that the babies were fed with their diapers changed, and that Lily and Bella were just getting up. Bella got into bed and gave me lots of good morning kisses, and Lily told me about how she had slept soooo long. Then, the babysitter arrived, and I left the kiddos in great hands doing fun things like sidewalk chalk and bubbles while I headed off for a hair trim and some shopping. I even managed to get some coordinating twin clothes for our trip. Score.
I said it last Friday in the
Reality Check post, but in reality, things are very, very good here. So good that I feel I should pinch myself to make sure it is all real. God's overwhelming faithfulness and goodness in the face of things that could have gone very differently is amazing. And, I am glad that I had a morning away - it sure helped banish that terrible Monday afterglow.
