You're killin' me, Smalls.

Nugget is 8 weeks, and is giving me a run for my money. All confident statements that I had an "easy baby" are thrown out the window.

SB and BW started going to bed right around 7 pm once we instituted a bedtime routine around 6 weeks.  When they hit 8 weeks, they started sleeping an 8-hour stretch.  That promptly stopped around 4 months and they didn't sleep through the night until 9 or 10 months, but I was really clinging to the 6 and 8 week mark as a time that Nugget would hopefully settle into a more manageable sleep pattern.

In response, she gives me a big, gummy, silent laugh.

Nugget has a definite witching hour.  It starts around 5 or 6 pm, and continues anywhere from 9 to midnight. I've tried to put her to bed anywhere from 6:30 to 7:30, and she persists in staying up until 9 or 10 pm.  I could try for 6 pm, but that's also when, you know, we're trying to feed two toddlers or have some semblance of a family dinner.  Which, 50% of the time, occurs with Nugget attached to my boob nursing.  I start to get touched out at about 8 pm, and it's driving me a tiny bit crazy to not get any baby-free time until, you know, I need to go to sleep to have any chance of functioning the next day. DH always offers to help but I usually turn him down as there is a lot of nursing that happens in between her 5-minute cat naps before her eyes pop wide awake.

I'm trying to track all her sleep time to really try and ensure that she is getting adequate sleep.  It's a little tricky, especially on days that SB and BW are home, too. Since I only have a few weeks of leave left, I'm really hoping we get it figured out soon.

Enjoying summer 2.0

As I write this, I am watching two ponytails bob around the back yard picking clover (we need to spray for weeds and fertilize our lawn, clearly).  It's a rare moment when Nugget is napping so the girls are engaging in "unstructured free play," which gives me a free moment to pull out the laptop on the deck.  I read an article on facebook yesterday about how they are finding that unstructured outdoor play is key for children to get to use their imagination and assist in developing their brain, etc etc.  I think this is one of the great benefits to having twins for your first pregnancy - they have an instant playmate.  They are starting to engage in more pretend play and I enjoy observing from a distance.

This is definitely a benefit to being home on maternity leave and having SB and BW home as well.  I don't feel guilty or like I'm giving up some of our precious non-work time that I get with them to let them run around and explore on their own.  While I still know that being a stay at home mom isn't the best choice for me or my family, I would love to work part time if that was an option.  I suppose it would be with some lifestyle changes, but the availability of part-time jobs in my field where we are located is almost nil.  So, I'll savor what is likely my last maternity leave, which is already passing by much to fast.