I feel as though we have turned a corner in the last two weeks or so.

The first 2 months postpartum are already a blur and have been for some time- including the NICU stay and those first few weeks at home with a three-hour round the clock feeding schedule and just Craig and I.

The following 8 months are less of a blur, but none-the-less just as busy, even without feedings every 3-hours. Days at home solo were very testing and often hard to appreciate, just because they were exactly that, HARD. Some days I felt robbed of the fact that singleton parents get to sit still and snuggle their babies upon occasion. It’s okay for baby to nap on them, all snuggled up and happy, but not me. It was rare to sit still that long, and definitely never happened when one had the girls solo. Even sitting down to relax for 10 minutes here and there was rare. I think I can count on one hand how many times anyone took a full nap on me, to this day! I remember sitting in the nursery with Harper one day because she was fussy and wouldn’t nap in her crib, probably when she was around 7 or 8 months old, and thinking “wow, this feels weird” because I had a napping baby on me (Craig had the other two) and did my best to appreciate the moment. I look back and can’t quite seem to grasp how I survived the days when Craig was at work, and still managed to “play dress up”, do cute photos, and even leave the house!

It’s only in the last several weeks that the girls are finally becoming more self-sufficient; i.e. they now hold their bottles like pros, continue to enjoy their jumpers, love baby food time and also find great entertainment in their toys for periods of time.

It is a relief. Why? Because it is amazing to have small moments of relaxation after close to none for almost a year. We only survived this far based on taking life day by day. Specifically for me, I kept my purview very close to real time, as to not think how many more days or months we had to continue down a cycle of one hard task or another, over and over again each day to keep our little ones fed, happy, and thriving.

As a teenager I used to wonder how adults could go to work every day for years and not get caught in that mundane repeat of daily life. Once I began that cycle myself, I learned to not dwell on the repeats or worry about those things, but to take each day at a time. A Monday would eventually be Tuesday, which is eventually Friday, and then the weekend! It definitely helped me move forward over time, and is exactly how I continue to live- day by day, watching each milestone as they come, getting up and going to work so I can get home and be around what really matters!

The girls are also starting to interact with each other more. Since around mid-January they have really discovered their connection and are starting to embrace it. When one tumbles or bumps their head (or face plants lol), the other two are very concerned. This can include sympathy crying, which is not helpful from the parental perspective, or small gestures such as reaching out for their pained sister or gently touching their face.

It’s exciting to see them interact together. The other day Harper and Emerie had a cute moment, full of eye contact and giggles. Sometimes they snuggle against each other, not “too” close, but enough to be touching. It’s very sweet.

Valentine’s Day came this week and the girls didn’t not quite cooperate on photos. Because they are starting to be more mobile and always reaching for something or shifting around, it is much harder to get a clear photo with all three smiling! But they, of course, had their cute, matching heart dresses that I managed to save from all the baby food mess.

In true Valentine’s Day colors, we tested out raspberries. It’s pretty cute: they are a little more sour than everyone was used to.

Harper had a tooth break through in holiday celebration. She did not appreciate that at all…

While folding laundry last night I caught Emerie lifting herself up to the basket, completely unassisted (and on the edge of the bed!). Harper pulls herself up unassisted quite well now. Reagan now knows how to backward scoot on her belly and is getting rather skilled at moving across the living room without actually crawling.

I know there are more corners to turn in the next few months (and years). For now, the journey is getting a little more manageable from a parental standpoint. Let me enjoy my bliss until they are fully mobile and additional chaos ensues! Now we just need to find time to fully baby proof the house…because real crawling is just around the corner.