got twins?!

I've only been a mommy of multiples for 5 months, now, but there are a few things that I have learned along the way and I know that a lot of them pertain to twins, but a few of them are universal, so I thought I'd share them with you all:
1) the verse in Proverbs that says, "when you are sad no one else feels the pain; when you are happy no one else can really feel the joy" (vs. 14:10) is absolutely true with twins! So many people have said, "wow, what a blessing" or "I always wanted twins" or "you're so lucky" or "I hope/wish/pray that I can have twins" and we always sort of smile and chuckle to ourselves, because although these girls have been the biggest blessing in our lives- no one else can share in the pain and the sorrow and the tired nights and the exhausted days- just as no one else gets to truly enjoy all the special things that we get to because of the twins!
2) nursing twins is hard work! It may look easy now and I may say it's easy, now, but it is exhausting work and a job that I definitely saw with rose colored glasses before I took it on! Just the sheer amount of "work" it takes for a body to produce enough milk for two babies is enough to exhaust you- not to mention all the time and energy it takes to just get two babies ready to nurse and keep two babies on the same schedule and deal with them growing and the milk not being there or being there too much. Just the sheer exhaustion and the time commitment have been the worst part for me. (although, those first 2 months of nursing were absolutely the worst and not fun at all!)
3)sometimes, actually most times, big blessings are also accompanied by huge costs! Maysen and Maelle are huge blessings and something that both Korey and I are so proud of, but having them has been one of the most taxing things to ever happen to either of us. It has taxed my friendships and broken a few of them; it has taxed our marriage and thankfully made it stronger and better; it has taxed our relationship with our families and brought us closer to some and farther from others; it has taxed our family and given Hailey and Jackson plenty of lessons in patience and learning to get their love and hugs from each other. It has cost us a lot to do our best to raise these girls in the last 5 months
4)carrying twins to 37 weeks and delivering them vaginally is still something that I consider one of the biggest accomplishments of my life, but that's nothing compared to caring for them and their brother and sister day in and day out! I thought "house arrest" was hard...but, being stuck at home with 4 kids, 2 of which have the flu, and are throwing up and pooping all over the place makes that look like a cake walk! I really thought bed rest was so irritating and it was difficult to watch the laundry pile up and Korey work so hard to keep everything running smoothly...but, that is peanuts compared to what it feels like to watch the laundry pile up, the cobwebs form before your eyes, the windows accumulate more and more fingerprints, the toilet look grimier and grimier and know that there is absolutely nothing you can do about it because you simply do not have time!
5)twins do really entertain themselves and play together (once they figure out where the other one is) and that makes life so much nicer and easier, but they still want their momma and daddy time and still whine and cry if they haven't gotten enough attention and snuggles for the day!
6)showering every day and by yourself is truly a luxury and one that this mom does not take lightly or for granted, anymore!
7)having a lap-full of baby is truly an amazing and blessed thing. It's so sweet to sit and snuggle with both of my girls at the same time, so sweet to see them snuggle together and soooo sweet to watch them suck on each other's hands or faces! they do have a love for each other and a relationship that the rest of us will never understand. I just consider myself blessed to be able to watch it blossom and unfold as the years progress!
8)Korey and I both know that these twins are gifts from the Lord and huge blessings for our lives and for Hailey and Jackson's lives, but mostly I think that Maysen and Maelle are blessed to have been born twins and get that wonderful and special privilege of growing up with your best friend- right next to you and I hope and pray that they love every minute of it!! These two little girls were given a gift that the rest of us can only marvel and wonder at. I'm so glad God gave me the blessing of being their mommy!!