In Which I Will Provide A Lengthy Random Update

It is Sunday afternoon, a time created for napping. But one of the little people in our house has decided hanging with mom is more fun than rest. So here he is at the moment...
...and I'm awake with him. Everyone else is asleep, except Shane who has gone to get started on things for Ignite and possibly my dad, who is laying down in the living room with a football game on. But that's ok, Simeon, I like hanging out with you, too.
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This weekend was the Marigold Festival in Pekin, where Shane grew up. It was nice to be right here and get to go to the parade and join in the festivities without driving for 6 hours. Silas had never been to a parade before. And poor thing, when Shane told him on the way there that he would get some candy, we figured out that he didn't know what candy was. So I told him he would probably get a lollipop. He has had one of those before. Sigh. I'm sure Simeon and Lieren will know about candy before they're 2.
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Thankfully, some of the paraders did throw lollipops...
The babies pretty much slept through it all...

After the parade, we headed over to let Silas play in the park area. There was lots to see and do, but the highlights were the petting zoo...



...and playing with friend Ava...

Shane and I have always loved this park. Really, there are not many other small towns that have such a great place to play. We were so excited about it that we took our family there one of the first Fridays we were here. My parents sat with the babies while we took Silas for a paddle boat ride on the Lagoon. Now whenever we drive into Pekin Silas asks about the park and the "dragon boat"...

After we had played and eaten, and Silas was about ready for a nap, we walked through Art in the Park, the Marigold Festival craft fair. I was only on the lookout for our friend Susan's booth. She makes hairbows and I have been wanting to get some new ones for Lieren. It was so cute to put a new one on our baby girl this morning and see her smile when I told her how pretty she looked. I love having a girl...

Other random updates include...

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1. Simeon has moved up to size 2 diapers! He is just about 12 pounds so the 2s fit. I know he could keep wearing 1s but I probably have enough for Lieren to keep wearing them till she is ready for 2s (she is right about 10 pounds). And I have a ton of 2s that I stocked up on so don't want to buy any more 1s.

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2. We still haven't decided about a house to buy but our landlord has offered for us to stay a few more months if we need it. We are thankful to have more time to make the wisest housing decision we can.

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3. I am very much craving a big piece of chocolate cake. After several weeks of no dairy or caffeine, I still want it. Maybe after several months of not having it, I will get used to it and never go back. Yeah, I know. Wishful thinking.

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4. Have I mentioned how much we love our church? I know it is just like the Lord to give good gifts to His children, but we are more than blessed to be here.

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5. Silas got a Mickey stuffed animal recently from Shane's Aunt Donna. Along with Lion, who was purchased at the zoo by my father, Mickey has become one of Silas' favorites. The best part? Silas calls him "Pickey Mouse."

Sim

Simeon, it is interesting how one incident can change our perspective. Last night Lieren woke first for your middle of the night feeding, which is entirely rare. I gave her a paci and looked over at you. You had a hard day yesterday so I was surprised you had slept so long without waking. You were very still and I couldn't tell that you were breathing. In what was probably a response due more to my lack of sleep than anything, I yanked you out of bed and yelled at Daddy to wake up. You slowly awoke and began to stretch. I think I roused you out of the deepest sleep of your life. If you never sleep well again, I will always blame myself for scaring you out of good sleep.

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It was earlier than I would have liked, but I was more than thankful to feed you and your sister at 3:30 in the morning. The past few weeks have been hard with you not feeling well and not sleeping well. But I would take that any day over the thought of you not being part of our lives.

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You are our passionate little man. You have high highs and low lows; you are either VERY HUNGRY! or VERY HAPPY! or VERY UNCOMFORTABLE! or VERY CONTENT! It reminds me of your namesake in Luke 2, who waited his whole life to meet the Messiah. When he laid eyes on baby Jesus, he proclaimed that the purpose of his life had been fulfilled. He had no other reason to live than to seek the Lord. Our prayer is that your passion will always be seeking the Lord and His glory.

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We headed to a GI specialist last week to see if there was anything else we could do to help your tummy feel better. Seems as though we are doing all we can. We think that you have a negative reaction to milk protein as well as having reflux. So you are on meds and I am not eating any dairy. If you ever question my love for you, just know that I am giving up chocolate, cheese, milk, and creams for you. That's sacrifice.

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We love you, Sim. We love the passion you bring to life and cannot wait to see how the Lord shapes and molds it to use you for the Kingdom.

Morning Diapers

Lieren-girl

Baby girl, did you know that there was a day when I thought I only wanted boy babies? When I found out we were having a girl, I almost did not know what to think. But you have changed all that. Just two months with you have made me more than grateful that the Lord decided to grace me with a daughter.

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We are completely outnumbered, you and I. Between Daddy, brothers, and the dogs, it is 5 to 2 in their favor. We will have to look out for one another.

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You are one of the most pleasant babies I have ever met. You love being held, but are content to sit in a swing, watching the world go by. You let us know you are ready for a nap with a short fuss followed by the prompt closing of your eyes. You are dramatic when taking your pacifier or a bottle; if you don't want it, you make a terrible face and act like you are gagging. I can't help but laugh.

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You sleep like a dream. Now if you could only teach your brother to do the same...

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I thank the Lord over and over for how peaceful you are. You wait patiently to eat when I am calming Simeon. You lay next to me with a slight whimper, chewing on your fists, reminding me that you are ready whenever I am. And you usually just look at me and smile when he flings a fist or a foot in your direction. I'm sure you'll remind him of that many times in the days to come.

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Before I even met you, this song always made me think of you. It is my prayer that there will never be anyone else for you but Jesus. And that the goal of your life will be to bring Him praise.

Precious Lieren-girl, I am so glad that God chose you for our family. You have brought a flurry of pink and ribbons, butterflies, flowers and tulle to this family otherwise dominated by blue and trucks and basketballs and dirt and rocks. And I couldn't be happier. I cannot wait to see what the days to come will hold for you. You are a great delight to us.

On Nursing Twins, Sleep Camp, and Finding Freedom

I was a sleep fanatic with Silas. His personality lends itself to being a good sleeper, but I sure did all I could to foster good sleep. I have been so different with Simeon and Lieren. But our entire situation has been different so far: two babies, moving, babes still rooming-in with mom and dad at 9 weeks...

I have been lax about their daytime naps, too. So this week we're starting Sleep Camp. I had several Sleep Camps with Silas whenever I felt that we were getting too far out of routine and needed to get ourselves back in order and sleeping well. He always did great and began sleeping better within a day or two of strict naptimes, bedtimes, and extended sleep. We will see how my current little ones do. We're not far enough in for me to make a call on how they will respond.

We started yesterday afternoon, took a break this morning for a trip to the zoo, and have picked it right back up this afternoon. Lieren gets a star all around so far. Simeon needs a bit more coddling and attention in the Falling Asleep In Bed By Yourself category. He did make me proud in Extended Nighttime Sleep last night, though, which gets him bonus points.

A lot of people have asked how I keep routine nursing twins. Well, I just feed them at the same time no matter what. When one wakes to eat, I feed the other as well. I just couldn't feed them separately. It would be all I did all day long.

Simeon's tummy issues have made me be less strict on his sleep. I've allowed lots of sleep in swings and in arms. It has also made nursing the two together a strain at times (imagine trying to get one hungry baby set up to eat while the other screams at the top of his lungs for minutes on end and you'll get the picture).

When the babies turned 8 weeks I decided it was time for some freedom. I nursed Simeon and Lieren exclusively for 2 months. Silas went way longer than that. But every situation is different and I had to let something go to keep being a good mom for all the children. So now I'm giving the babies a bottle at their evening 7/7:30ish feeding. It's that crazy post-dinner, everyone-is-tired-and-needs-a-bath time of day. It is so nice to get to sit and chat with the family as we do bottles or spend time with Silas while others feed. And I'm supplementing at that feeding with formula as I need to, which has brought quite a bit of freedom in itself.

After feeling spread so thin the past few weeks, it has been refreshing to let some things go that will not matter in the long run. The Lord has been gracious to give us unforgettable gifts in this season and I'm grateful for the freedom to enjoy it.

But Still Blessed

Silas First Verse from Brittany Drury on Vimeo.

Yes, I am spread thin. But there are still countless moments during the day that remind me how blessed we are. What a treasure to capture on video the first verse Silas is memorizing. Nana just introduced it to him on Friday and he already can say most of it himself.

Ephesians 6:1 "Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right."

Spread Thin

A friend of mine sent me a note a few days ago. It was especially sweet and encouraging. At the end she mentioned that she was sure these were days where I felt "spread thin".
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That's exactly right.
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We have been here almost 2 weeks. We are feeling temporarily settled in this house, but haven't done too much about all the boxes in the garage and basement since we anticipate moving again soon. We are endlessly wondering where something is packed, going from garage to basement, and looking through random boxes till we find what we need. So while the house is great for us and we are very thankful that this is our home for now, it is draining not to feel at "home".

Did I ever say two babies were not any harder than one? I must have been in the blissful adrenaline-packed newborn days, safely at home with everything where I could find it, and not traveling cross-country. I'll just say that the move has taught me that three are much harder than one. I don't know what it's like to just have two children but having a total of three is way more work than just having our Silas was. Fulfilling, yes, but still very tiring.



Simeon and Lieren are growing too quickly for my taste. Simeon is already 10 pounds. I found out how big he is because we had to make an unplanned visit to the doctor this week. Simeon has been having some tummy issues and the medicine he was on was not helping. So I had to pick a new pediatrician (so hard because I LOVED our Dr. Joe back in Louisville!) and take him in. I'm praying that what he is on now will help the poor thing. I just want him to feel better. Simeon feeling poorly has meant less sleep and more emotional strain on me.

I am thankful that all three children are happy overall. Silas is adjusting to life here wonderfully. He is loving the new neighborhood and has had some fun visitors when friends from the church have come over to visit and bring meals. But making sure his transition goes well takes work (we've been determined to keep him entertained, attended to, loved, and in routine). And with baby siblings, that can be exhausting.

So the next time we decide to have twins and a 2 year old, I think we shouldn't plan on moving when they're so little. I'll have to talk to the Lord about that one. Ha! This was all His doing, His plan, and is working out His purposes. I sure don't understand it, but anticipate He wants to do great things if He is going to these lengths to time all this as He did.

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I am spread thin. And I often find myself saying "grace" to myself over again. The children need grace and so do I. Thankfully when I am at the end of myself, Grace is sufficient..
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"My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness."

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,

so that Christ's power may rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12:9.

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And moments when I'm having little conversations with Silas or gazing at the babes or seeing where the Lord has brought us to join in ministry or listening to Shane teach or spending time with my parents, I am convinced it is all worth it. Difficult and spreading me very thin, but well worth it.

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And not only worth it, but very much all about Him. We sang this song on Sunday and I have been thinking about it all week. When nursing, diapering, playing, singing, snacking, walking, bathing, resting, hoping for rest, and feeling well beyond myself, He is still our everything.