Mom of 3!

I decided not to write a one month blog because I was busy taking care of three kids. And let's just face it, all Scarlett and Shayla did at that point was eat, sleep, and poop. So instead, I'll share my experience of going from no kids to three kids in 8 months. 

Kinsey was a very easy baby. She stayed close to me at all times which was perfectly fine as an only child, but once she started walking she became little miss independent. It's actually worked out quite nicely. She plays by herself so well, occasionally bugging the babies. She just loves them and can't wait for them to be big enough to play with her. She also likes to do everything they do. 

Posing in the basket after seeing Shayla in there. 

Because we're moving to Utah in a couple months, Scarlett and Shayla have been sleeping in their pack n' play, our bed, and the couch. Shayla goes to sleep on her own most of the time, but lately Scarlett has required some cuddle time before she sleeps. That's why we end up taking them into the bed with us. The three of us have been sleeping downstairs lately so Daddy can get some sleep in preparation for his Board Exams. 

Kinsey is a very light sleeper, but these two can sleep through all her noise and occasional tantrums.

Their bed in the daytime

Eric gets exhausted taking care of the babies...

so I take care of all the night feedings. I average 4-5 hours of sleep a night and take a nap or two (aka pass out) throughout the day and evening to catch up on sleep. Because I don't have three arms, we've perfected the bottle prop. Shayla eats like this perfectly, but Scarlett tends to knock the bottle away so she needs more attention. I do a mixture of nursing, bottle feeding, and pumping all day and night. It's taken over my life, but the older they get the further apart feedings become. 

Eric has had to step up a lot. He puts Kinsey to bed almost every night and helps out with the babies when he's home on a break and in the evenings. 

Walking at the zoo

Sometimes they sleep like a dead person so I feel their chests to make sure they are breathing. Thankfully they always are! :)

Shayla 

Kinsey feels entitled to all of Scarlett and Shayla's things, but she has a field day if they touch her stuff. They are not allowed to use Kinsey's sunglasses, blankets, or anything. But sometimes she plays with her toys right in front of their faces. I think it's her way of playing with them. 

The name Shayla just struck me as being more relaxed and go with the flow. This is why I named her Shayla; she is just as relaxed as she was when I was pregnant. The first time I saw them moving on the 20 week ultrasound, Scarlett was kicking Shayla in the head and Shayla was just taking it! She has been true to her name and is by far my easiest baby. She is so content all the time and is happy to just lay down by herself without a pacifier. I try to make it a point to cuddle her when Scarlett is quiet because Scarlett gets a lot more attention with her demanding ways. 

Scarlett is also true to her name--my spitfire. I've wanted to name her Scarlett ever since I saw her kicking Shayla. I knew she would be my little stinker. Her personality actually reminds me of Kinsey. Kinsey has always known exactly what she wants and I think Scarlett will be the same way. Her cries have escalated to screaming at the top of her lungs in a very high pitch. I'm thankful that she always cries for a reason though, mostly because she's hungry or needs to burp. 

The babies are on an on-demand schedule and sleep on and off throughout the day. Kinsey takes one big nap after lunch, and when it's nice outside we take her on a walk or to the park. She has been loving these moments outside after a long and boring winter of me being pregnant and us staying indoors! 

Kinsey blowing bubbles with Grandma

Shayla lost the rest of her umbilical cord when she was 4 weeks old. She loved her first bath and is a little more fussy since but still enjoys it enough. 

Scarlett lost her cord completely at two weeks old. She screamed through her entire first bath but is slowly starting to like baths a little more. You can really see their size difference in these bath pics!

Eric's always thought Scarlett looks more like me and Shayla looks more like him. Here we are with our twinners!

Whenever the whole family goes somewhere, THIS is how it's done! At least until Kinsey can keep up with us and won't run in the other direction. Thank goodness for the Snap 'n Go stroller!!

Eric's mom has been a heaven sent!! She stayed with us for the first 5 weeks and took care of all of Kinsey's needs so I could really focus on learning how to care for Scarlett and Shayla. Little by little I added a few more household tasks to my duties, but I could not have transitioned so easily without her!

Eric's dad also came for a visit. This picture cracks me up because it's the exact look on his face when he held Scarlett for the first time. He couldn't believe how tiny she was!

Ultimately, being a mom to 3 kids under the age of 2 has been better than what most people would expect! My kids are pretty straight forward and I can usually tell what they want in order to keep them happy. 

It doesn't hurt that Kinsey is a gentle child and really good to her little sisters! 

Yes, I could always use a little more sleep but I make it a point to not complain about it (except maybe to Eric). That's exactly what being a new mom is and that's exactly what I expected. I can honestly say I never minded getting up in the middle of the night with Kinsey and I don't mind it with these two cuties either. 

Sorry it's upside down :)

It's the mornings that I don't want to wake up for!! Haha. 

The size of Kinsey's doll!

All of my babies are getting big so fast I'm just trying to eat it all up!! I love my little family of five and would definitely do it all over again.