One Month

We made it!

I'm not going to lie. There were days (many of them) where I didn't think we would make it.

But I kept telling myself, if Kate Gosselin and the Octomom can do it, then surely there's a good chance I can do it too!

We have not done it alone. There have been so many people who have loved our family through this transition. It has been amazing - and humbling - to watch God orchestrate the masses to come help and encourage us. It's a reminder to me, an admitted control freak, that God sees each of our needs, big and small, and employs His unlimited resources to timely meet them.

Our Aunt Jenn stayed at our house during the week of the twins' birth to take care of Eveley and Caleb. Trust me. That is a HUGE job.

Then my sister Carrianna changed her plans so she could stay with me in the hospital. She took such great care of me and the babies, and she made that 4-day stay tons of fun too.

My mom stayed with us for 2 weeks. She did laundry, kept the house clean, cooked, played doll house with Eveley, chased Caleb, cleaned out my refrigerator (which had not been done since Caleb was born...when she cleaned it out then...), changed a bazillion diapers, helped with the twin's night feedings, and took care of me. Then she took Caleb and Eveley back to Tennessee for a week to help us ease into this new phase.

My dad made 2 roadtrips to our house, lived alone for 2 weeks while my mom was with us, and gave the kids the time of their lives in Tennessee, letting Caleb ride on the tractor, lawn mower, and in the back of his truck!

The birth of the twins has required everyone in the family to sacrifice and adjust. After Caleb and Eveley returned from Tennessee last weekend, we hunkered down and took this challenge head on. But it required a ton of energy - both physical and mental -to take care of everyone. My precious husband is even splitting the night shift with me so I am not completely exhausted.

By mid-week, Bob and I felt like we were at the end of our rope.

{This is where God steps in, again.}

Our dear friends showed up on our porch one evening with a bag of popsicles. He took Caleb and Eveley outside to play, and she held the babies while Bob and I were able to eat dinner together AND TALK! Then they brought in the older 2, bathed them, and put them in bed. The twins were ready to eat and go to bed themselves. It was a perfect gift of love at the perfect time! {And they came back two nights later to do it again!}

My church family and MOPS sisters signed up to provide us with meals through mid-July! Friends and neighbors are running errands for me and scheduling regular play dates for my older 2.

There are no words to tell you how blessed we feel to have these people in our lives.

I can only pray that God pours out an extra special blessing on each of them and that I will be sensitive to love others in their time of need, just as others have done for us!