Let's Get Something Done.. or NOT

I took a nap with the babies the other day and woke up all discombobulated and confused. In the first place; I am not used to napping during the day, I have been trying to Get Something Done when they are asleep; and in to second place, I shifted positions in my sleep, and when I awoke there was a little plush ducky, with a bell in his tummy, ogling me, eyeball to eyeball. I was so startled I actually jumped.

It was very nice, to get 45 minutes in the middle of the day, and I hope I can get the boys to make a habit of this. We nursed until they were milk-drunk and bloated , my piggy baby’s belly was spilling over the top of his diaper, as appealing as C-cup in a push-up bra on a Saturday night. They were so asleep, I got them off the lap onto the bed. I had curled up next to Twin A and nursed him a little more when he stirred. But my Twin B, who came home at 4 and a half pounds, and is now a full two pounds heavier than his brother, (guess who is the bulgy one?) slept like a hibernating frog in the cozy mud of a pond. In other words, he didn’t budge for over an hour. Therefore, I slept.

What do you do when you have some time without a baby attached? Do you Get Something Done, or do you sleep? I have heard the advice – nap when Baby naps. I have also heard – when Baby naps, you can GSD. For me, it depends on the day of the week, the time of day, and whether I think they’ll sleep without me. It doesn't depend on whether or not I want the nap - I always need to sleep. A friend of mine, whose “nugget” was a month old a few days ago (you know who you are) generally opts for the GSD thing. My sister, Queen of the Blog and Ruler of New Jersey, always Gets Something Done. One of my SIL does the nap thing, but she’s a big sleeper as a rule. I have heard from her siblings that if she didn’t get 9 hours plus as a teenager she would take a big, bloody, bite-sized chunk out of the unlucky sibling who was sent to get her up in time for breakfast.

My DH tries to let me rest a little in the morning before he heads to the office; he’ll play with the frisky baby and I’ll nurse the sleepy baby. He definitely wants me to rest, as much as I can. The babies are often awake and asleep at opposite times like that. (When I shared this tidbit I got to hear, from friends and family – “get them on the same schedule!” (So I can Get Something Done…right?) Well, number one; they are twins, not trains, so they aren’t on a schedule thank you, and number two – you try to get a non sleepy baby “down”. If they aren’t ready, it ain’t happening.) On a given morning I will be nursing one in bed and from the Romper Room (which was the dining room until we pushed the chairs and table against a wall, fastened the china cabinets shut with rubber bands and put down an old duvet and the Tiny Love floor gym. ) I’ll hear – “Dadadadadada-hic-dadadadadada-hic-dadada. Giggle giggle – hiccup! Yahyahyahyahyah – hic!” Twin A still hiccups – he started at 6 months in utero and hasn’t let up yet. It’s very sweet.

So, I’ll settle the sleepy one down in the bedroom and come downstairs and see my DH holding the baby’s hands and helping him prance around, high kicking like a Lipizzaner stallion at show time. Then he’ll see me, and look out – attack mama! Nursing time! Yummy Yummy! How could I ignore that happy, eager face? How could I turn my back and try to Get Something Done? My midwife, the one who didn’t notice I had pre-eclampsia, thereby almost killing me and my twins (I mean come on, she should have taken a urine sample every visit, instead of just once sometime in July, and instead of lecturing me on eating too much (!!?) when I gained 30 pounds in a month, she should have thought – Gee! What’s wrong here? If I hadn’t taken myself to the hospital that Tuesday morning, and walked upstairs (I know, here I was with a BP of 140’s over 120’s and I’m driving and walking up stairs…) I could be cuddling two babies 6 feet under right now) anyway, that mid-wife called me the other day to ask how we were doing and How are They Sleeping for You? I said – “They nurse to sleep and nap on my lap and sleep in my bed.” She replied – “Oh, you’ve got to stop that. You need time for yourself.” While I wholeheartedly agree (see all previous blog postings) I didn’t think she was in any position to tell me ANYTHING. So I told her – “Ya know, I will not look back on his continental shelf shattering experience and say to myself – Gosh I should have held them and snuggled with them less.” She was quiet at that.

Okay, I’ve figured it out. For me, it’s better to hang out, to nurse, to play and to just be than to make myself nutty trying to get something done. Maybe I’ll give myself a manicure in time for their third birthday…or maybe not…Mothers of Toddlers - do three year olds let you get anything done any more than infants? Who is cracking up out there?