Eating for Three

As I type, I have wet hair, a full belly, and one ear turned towards the nursery as I listen for my angelic little boogers to wake. This is an average day in our new life as parents. I have learned that prioritizing is a must and I have to make the most of each second. Thus, I have a load of laundry in the washer, I have showered for the day (others around me cheer with appreciation), I have consumed breakfast (at 11:30am), and it is time to breathe for a moment.

I like my new life. I love staring down into the eyes of George and Abigail. I like working parttime--I think it makes me a better social worker as I put more of myself into the two workdays and I really get excited to come home to be with the twins. Plus I have to stay on top of my paperwork, which is a good thing. Boomer is adjusting to not being top dog. And I am learning how to manage him, the two always hungry cats, and the babies. Spring will be nice when Boomer can be outside chasing squirrels more.

Breastfeeding is the focus of my every thought. I am so determined to do it (thanks Mom and Dad for those hard-headed genes). As the babies grow, they are eating larger amounts and I am struggling to keep up. I have my dad's bad habit of forgetting to eat, so maintaining 3000 calories a day has been tough. I am now tracking my intake (and beginning to enjoy eating high cal stuff) which has helped in the past few days. I realized that I was barely eating 2000 per day...no wonder George and Abigail were acting hungry after nursing. Part of me is happy to be back to my pre-pregnancy weight--though nothing is in the same place it was to begin and none of my old clothes fit yet. It is tough to switch my mental framework of eating healthy to cramming everything in my mouth I can. Thanks to my dedicated hubby, I have begun using calorieconnect.com, which is a really easy way to track anything in your diet. Eating has to be my focus, just as it is for my babes.

Of course there is absolutely nothing wrong with formula and babies who have it thrive. But I made a commitment to myself and George and Abigail that I would breastfeed as long as I could, and thank goodness I have not had any major hiccups to cause me to think otherwise. Plus, I really enjoy it and love the bonding that occurs between me and each child. It is the most amazing gift of womanhood to be able to birth and nourish my children.