Bullet Points

• The beautiful thing about bullet points is that I can write a whole post and not have to worry about transitions between paragraphs.  Because there are no paragraphs; there are only bullet points.
• I think we’re getting close to social smiles from the boys.  They look at me sometimes and I think they might do it!  Joanna is so ready; she asks me when they are going to social smile.
• I started the last couple of days putting the boys to bed in their crib, together, awake, and letting them fuss a little to get to sleep.  So far, it’s working well.  Thomas for sure needed to be able to soothe himself to sleep.  He was very hard to soothe in my arms.  They don’t seem to bother each other, and they keep each other company.  The pic below is from yesterday afternoon.  Last night was their first night to sleep in there, and they did so well.  I certainly slept better without them close to me.  :)  I hear every little noise them make when they’re in our room, even when they don’t need me.  With our door and their door open, I can hear just fine when they cry and need to eat. (And then I can wake up Matt to go get them for me.)  :)

• These days I find myself having enough energy to get the basics done, but not much left over.  Sleep is getting better and better all the time, but I am still dragging for sure!  I will go to the ObGyn for my 6 week postpartum check next week, and I’m going to ask her to order blood work to check my thyroid and iron levels.  If they’re wonky, that will be pretty easy to fix I think!  I know I also should incorporate some physical activity into my life and make sure I’m bulking on good foods.  So that’s the plan.  :)
• Joanna and I are keeping up with school.  It’s nothing super fantastic, but she’s staying on top of the basics and hopefully getting a little enrichment here and there.  Even though I’m not worried about it, I am curious as to how she compares academically to the “typical” first grader or where the state of Texas says a first grader should be.  I’m soooo not basing our homeschool plan on that, but it does cross my mind.  I may look in to having her tested at the end of our school year (just out of curiosity!)  Right now she’s outside looking at the sky and feeling the front come in.  I love that we can spend more time outside when it’s beautiful.  Math will be here in the summer when it’s nine million degrees outside!
• I haven’t been taking many pictures lately.  I still love taking them of course, but it just seems like an ordeal to try (especially of the boys).  It’s so dim inside this time of year, and I find myself struggling with having enough light to take pictures how I like to.  And I notice that I never like taking pictures when the house is messy.  And it is always messy, that’s for sure.  It is evidence of some sweet kiddos full of imagination though, so I can’t really complain.  :)
• I swaddle to boys to sleep, and it really helps them.  I never used the swaddle blankets much with my older three, but these boys would have trouble sleeping unswaddled.  They really flail around, and with them in the same bed, would likely hit their brother in addition to their self.  (I think that sentence was extremely poor grammar, but I can’t bring myself to care enough to fix it.)
• I am so thankful God has surrounded us with amazing people to help us during this crazy transition to a family of FIVE!  So many wonderful people have brought food of all yummy kinds.  Others have helped with any number of my kiddos is so many ways.  And I know we have been covered in prayer from so many.  It is such a blessing to us, even if I don’t reach out and thank each one of you individually.
• I bought a little live tree in a pot at the grocery store last weekend, and it added a little festive to the living room.  Then my step-father sent over a poinsettia and live wreath, so my mantle looks so much more Christmas-y!  I’m planning to get up in the attic this weekend and find a few things to bring down.  I’m definitely not going all out to decorate, but I’d like to have our Little People nativity, the stockings, and maybe something else I come across.  I hope to replace all our stockings with sweet coordinating ones eventually, but we will likely use what we have this year.  I’m not much in shopping mode lately.  :)  And I’m picky.
• The next couple of things are probably oversharing, but I find it unlikely anyone is still reading anyway.
• I have noticed that Thomas and Michael’s poop are different consistencies.  Thomas’ is much drier and more on the yellow-green side.  Michael’s is very wet and more yellow-brown.  I know that’s gross, but I find it interesting and I want to record it here!
• I am so looking forward to being able to attend to some personal needs.  Nothing that personal, but I really need a haircut and some clothes/shoes that fit.  These kinds of personal tasks are logistically very difficult though, so I continue to put them off.  In a magical world, I would love for someone to come to my house and cut my hair.  It is so wild and crazy.  I kind of want to wait before I buy any shoes to see if my own shoes will ever fit again, but I know I would enjoy the season oh so much more with a pair of closed toe black shoes and some tall brown boots.  Just sayin.’  :)  Also… jeans!  I want some jeans!!  That’s all; rant over now.  Except that I also really need some bras that fit.  Talk about logistically difficult.  End overshare.
• And here I am bragging on the boys’ sleeping, and somebody won’t.  Ha!  I was done writing anyway.