"This too shall pass ..."
That is a phrase that can mean SO much with just four small words.
With any parent experiencing a newborn baby knows that it is hard. Having two at the same time is like "oh my goodness, how will I ever get through this?" ... "This too shall pass".
I like to think Walker and William were not that difficult as newborns (for twins). But then again, that was 2 years ago. I could by chance forgetting all about that. Maybe I was fortunate too, in that poor William, he was a little bit more difficult than Walker was. He was more fussy, harder to get to sleep, more difficult to feed, gassy, and experienced a little bit of constipation in the beginning. Walker, he was chill as can be as a newborn. Really only cried when he was hungry and would take a bottle like a champ (and it started to show as the months passed on). So I am more than confidant that it helped that one of the itty bitty guys was a little bit "easier" than the other. So often though, I felt like I had to show William a little bit more attention than I showed Walker because that is what he needed. And as they have grown, you can still see that in both of them. Walker is really independent and likes to do his own thing, and he is fine with playing alone. William, he needs somebody by his side. So I guess he's lucky that he has a twin brother and a best friend for life (at least I like to think of it that way, and I'm sure he does too). There are many times where we are telling William "just give your brother a little space."
I like to think Walker and William were not that difficult as newborns (for twins). But then again, that was 2 years ago. I could by chance forgetting all about that. Maybe I was fortunate too, in that poor William, he was a little bit more difficult than Walker was. He was more fussy, harder to get to sleep, more difficult to feed, gassy, and experienced a little bit of constipation in the beginning. Walker, he was chill as can be as a newborn. Really only cried when he was hungry and would take a bottle like a champ (and it started to show as the months passed on). So I am more than confidant that it helped that one of the itty bitty guys was a little bit "easier" than the other. So often though, I felt like I had to show William a little bit more attention than I showed Walker because that is what he needed. And as they have grown, you can still see that in both of them. Walker is really independent and likes to do his own thing, and he is fine with playing alone. William, he needs somebody by his side. So I guess he's lucky that he has a twin brother and a best friend for life (at least I like to think of it that way, and I'm sure he does too). There are many times where we are telling William "just give your brother a little space."
Matt and I would often talk about how we couldn't wait for the boys to get older. When they were really small it was "it will be nice when they can hold their own bottles" or "I can't wait when they can sit up un assisted ... crawl ... walk" then it was "It will be easier when they don't need bottles all the time" then it turned into "I can't wait for when they can eat table food by themselves and we won't have to feed them". When really we needed to say "It's important to cherish EVERY minute. Even the tough", because they don't stay young, and they get older everyday. It's really something that's kind of sad to think about. I think sometimes (especially when they were smaller) how they will never be this young again. Because everyday, they are getting older.
So when you think "This too shall pass" it is true, but you will never get that time back. But at least you will have the memories to hang on to. I love looking back at old picture and videos of the boys. And it's amazing how I don't think about the rough part of the newborn stage. I think about how cute and tiny they were and honestly how I wish I could hold them again at that size (which is more than likely the reasoning behind parents having "baby fever"). But one of the thoughts that crossed my mind of when they were that small was imagining how they would be at two. It's a cycle of thoughts.
Parents of Twins:
When you are a parent of twins, you become part of this "community" and it's really awesome. You can meet a complete stranger and if they are parents of twins, it's like you have been long lost friends and you can talk and compare your twins for the longest time. And it's nice to hear the same great stories and/or struggles and realize how normal it all is.
And it's funny ... We treat getting through the first year as an extreme accomplishment for us parents.
One of the biggest things that helped me get through the tough newborn stage, was talking to another Mom of twins who had her twins 5 weeks before I did. And then I felt like I was returning the favor when I had a Mom talk to me about her struggles when she had her set of twins 2 months after I had mine. It helps. Support is important. Advise from somebody else who has been there is some of the biggest help I could have ever imagined. And it felt good to help another Mom with my advise and/or experiences as well. I love being part of the "twin community".
Just remember ... Hold onto every minute. Even the hard.
You'll never get it back.
So when you think "This too shall pass" it is true, but you will never get that time back. But at least you will have the memories to hang on to. I love looking back at old picture and videos of the boys. And it's amazing how I don't think about the rough part of the newborn stage. I think about how cute and tiny they were and honestly how I wish I could hold them again at that size (which is more than likely the reasoning behind parents having "baby fever"). But one of the thoughts that crossed my mind of when they were that small was imagining how they would be at two. It's a cycle of thoughts.
Parents of Twins:
When you are a parent of twins, you become part of this "community" and it's really awesome. You can meet a complete stranger and if they are parents of twins, it's like you have been long lost friends and you can talk and compare your twins for the longest time. And it's nice to hear the same great stories and/or struggles and realize how normal it all is.
And it's funny ... We treat getting through the first year as an extreme accomplishment for us parents.
One of the biggest things that helped me get through the tough newborn stage, was talking to another Mom of twins who had her twins 5 weeks before I did. And then I felt like I was returning the favor when I had a Mom talk to me about her struggles when she had her set of twins 2 months after I had mine. It helps. Support is important. Advise from somebody else who has been there is some of the biggest help I could have ever imagined. And it felt good to help another Mom with my advise and/or experiences as well. I love being part of the "twin community".
Just remember ... Hold onto every minute. Even the hard.
You'll never get it back.
“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever. So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”
2 Corinthians 4: 17-18
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