The joy Jensen & Ari bring never ceases to amaze me! It is like the world got brighter when they arrived. This week – Tuesday to be exact (12/15) – both girls started smiling. I mean, real, voluntary, responding to the sound of my voice, smiles. It melted my heart the first time I saw it and every smile since. I cry every time I see them!
Don’t get me wrong. Parenting twins (or even a singleton, I imagine) is not all pink elephants and lemonade. It is hard, hard work! It is harder than anything I’ve ever done. Today, after returning from "playgroup" where the girls made new friends with other babies in the neighborhood, Jensen was fussy all afternoon. Finally, at 4:30 I’d had enough and had to escape for 15 minutes to Walgreens. Walgreens, of all places! When we envision our lives with babies, we never quite imagine the awake-every-hour-from-midnight-to-6am-hold-my-eyes-open-with-toothpicks-walk-into-walls-speak-incomplete-sentences-argue-with-spouse-due-to-lack-of-sleep complexities.
That said, I don’t think we ever really grasp, pre-baby, how incredibly wonderful being a parent is. And, not until we have children, do we really appreciate our parents fully. I am a crier – everyone knows that – but I cry even more now when I look at my precious baby girls, think of the friends they will make, the experiences they will have, the new USA they live in (where they, as minorities, will never know a time when minorities couldn’t achieve the highest position in the land).
I return to work in 2 weeks. I really don’t think I could stay home full-time. I don’t think I would be a good Shay (and, therefore, a good mom) if I did. We found out yesterday that Bryan has to travel to CA the week that I return to work. It is going to be a very emotional and physically draining week and definitely not the best time for him to be in another time zone. Thankfully, my mom is local now and will be spending the week with me.
If I don’t get another chance to blog before Christmas, and let’s face it, I won’t…a very merry Christmas to all. I am thankful for you!
1 comment:
shay, i love reading your blog. it makes me feel like i'm experiencing it right near you, despite our long distance. and this particular entry made me cry too.
Post a Comment