Flashback Friday: Lana and Jackson's First Week Home

Lana and Jackson are turning two this month. It's hard to believe that it's been two years since they were born! When we found out we were having twins I was scared to death. I knew having a 4 year old, a 20 month old and two newborns was going to be hard. Looking back I think in a lot of ways it was a lot harder than I had expected, but in other ways it has been a lot easier. We have definitely faced many challenges, but it's funny how the bad moments are quickly forgotten and all you're left with are the precious memories you want to cherish. I probably wasn't always the best mom. Exhaustion certainly got the best of me on many occasions, but I think my kids will be left will happy memories from their childhoods. At least I hope so.

That first week the twins were home was much easier than I had expected. They slept a lot and our two older boys seemed to have adjusted well. It turns out that it was just a honeymoon period, but at the time it just seemed magical. I was so grateful to have two healthy babies who were born past 38 weeks and were both over 6 pounds. Our first baby had to spend 4 days in the NICU after he was born so we knew what to expect if one or both of the twins needed extra care, but when neither of them had to spend any time in the NICU we were shocked. I think we were still in a daze as we left the hospital with TWO babies.

Trying to balance the needs of four kids who were at three very different stages in their development turned out to be my biggest challenge the last two years. Just trying to make sure everyone got enough "Mommy Time" made my head spin. Nathan and Tate both had to grow-up a lot faster than they should have at that age, becoming more self-reliant than the average 4 and (almost) 2 year-olds. Looking back on the pictures from that first week I am struck with how little Tate was. Compared to the twins he seemed so big. We still call the twins "the babies," but they're already four months older than what Tate was when they were born!

I don't know what I'd do without my little guys! I'm beyond grateful that they arrived healthy and that they have stayed healthy. Looking back I remember how slow each day went by, it seemed to take an eternity to get to bedtime. But as I look back I'm simply amazed at how fast two years have flown by! I just hope the next 16 don't go that fast!