Sunday, September 18, 2011

Homecoming

I cannot believe we've been here a month now. And, on top of that, my girls are 6 months old today. I can't believe how much our lives have changed in the past 6 months. Really, we've had two of the biggest life changes one could have, at the same time. It's no wonder I can't sleep!

All in all, things are going well. We've pretty much settled into the house and it's definitely feeling like home. I think our routine is pretty well established. Keller is doing MUCH better in school. He's made some friends and seems really happy and excited about being there. That has been a relief.

The girls are doing so well. They're babbling, rolling around, almost sitting up without support and desperately trying to crawl. They want to move so badly. Honestly, I'm really not ready for them to crawl! If I could have things stay the same for just a week or two without anymore change, I will be very happy. But that's not going to happen!

My parents are coming this week for Keller's birthday. It will be so nice to have them here. Even though we just saw them a few weeks ago, it feels like it's been forever. I just feel so far away from everyone. The time difference is really hard to get used to as well. I always forget that we're 3 hours behind and then can't call anyone because it's too late on the east coast. Sigh.

Let's just hope we continue to find our way here!

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Roller Coaster

This week definitely had its ups and downs. On the up side, Keller is doing MUCH better in school. He's made new friends and is feeling a lot more comfortable. I spoke with his teacher and he's initiating things during lunch and recess and is doing extremely well. He seems much happier when I pick him up and really has his confidence back. He starts flag football after school on Monday, and I know that will help. I think life in California is suiting Keller extremely well.

I, on the other hand, am having a hard time. I don't know why, exactly. I just can't get my groove. I haven't been sleeping and that's really taken a toll on me. I was dealing with a cold or allergies or something, and then some fun stomach issues, this week and that didn't make things any better. But now that Keller is settling in a little better, I'm hoping that reduced stress will help me too.

I have been doing a lot of reflection and thinking about my life situation and why I'm having a hard time here. Aside from my day-to-day life being so different here, I'm still adjusting to being a mom of 3. I have to keep reminding myself of that. We have infants now, not just one but two, and that changes everything. All the time. I can't just go for a run, and I can't just go meet friends for lunch. I have to plan things out pretty strategically to get things done. John and I were talking about that just last night. With twins, you have a lot of advanced planning before you can really do anything. For now, there's not a lot of spontaneity in life. I'm not complaining, it's just a shift from how things were before the babies arrived. And that makes it hard to really get out and meet new people. So I'm just trying to remind myself that I need to give myself a break. I had a really great network back in Maryland. Between my professional and personal lives, I was part of a great community. Now I have to build that community again. That is what is hard. I am working on building the professional community in between naps, school pick up, unpacking, etc., and it's tough. And I'm trying to build my personal community in between all of that! Needless to say, it hasn't been easy. But I need to remember that, though it will take time and it will be a while before we feel really connected to things here, it will happen. We have a great family and we're living in a great area, and we'll find our place here before long.

I am trying as best I can right now. There's a fun run at a local store here that I've joined. It's the flagship store for Running Skirts, and the girls there are a lot of fun. I've only been able to make 1 run so far since I've been here, but another time I was at the store, someone was getting ready to run so I tagged along with her. That was fun too. With 3 kids and only 1 car, getting there has proven difficult. But the important thing is that I'm trying :)

I also joined the moms of multiples group here. I'm hosting my first playgroup on Monday. I think that will definitely help. Not to knock moms of singletons, as I am one myself, but moms with only one baby at a time just don't get how different having twins is and all that's involved. It's not just about doing everything times 2, there's more to it than that and it gets very overwhelming. So getting to know some other moms with twins will be really great.

And in a couple of weeks my parents come for Keller's birthday! It will be great to see them and I think that will definitely help lift my spirits. No matter how old I am, I will always need my mom and dad!!