Dear 26 year old self,

Just a few notes to think on…
That pain in your lower back will go away in about a week after you bring the kids home…..listen to your mom and nap when they sleep. Yes it will be weird to strap them into car seats and carry them out of the hospital. Nobody will stop you…. they are officially your children and are living outside of your body now. Extremely hard for both you and your hubby to believe….I know. The next three months ++++ will be filled with fogginess as you try to get them to sleep through the night and you become a wee bit successful around the 3rd month because they go to bed around 11 for the night and they will sleep until about 5:30 which you consider a very large victory. You all will have lots of help from your mom and mother in law and for that you are blessed.

They will start to consume every thought that you have and you’ll try your darndest to balance being a mom at home… trying to keep yourself mentally stable… doing the laundry…figuring out dinner……shower occasionally …feeding them every two to three hours. You’ll wonder if they’re eating enough…wondering if they’re sleeping right….wondering what they’re thinking…. what they’re feeling… why they’re crying….why they’re smiling. They will consume you. But in a very good way. There will be some really great days….and equally as many really long crappy days. But take heart because the good really does outweigh the bad. Try your darndest to soak in every moment. Call her peanut it will stick with her for a long time and call him bear because even when he’s 16 he still enjoys that name.

Try not to worry too much about if he’s forming enough words properly or that she seems much shyer than the other kids…. they figure it out and you’re so proud when they do. Have confidence in yourself because even though these are your first kids your gut mothering instinct is almost always right. Allow yourself to fail on days when things are not going your way….there’s always a glass of wine at the end of the day…before you get up and start it all again….

xo

Happy 16th to our babies….we sure are proud of you;)