The Milsteds

Over the past few months, I have noticed certain things have become easier to do. It use to take us a solid three hours to get everything together, and everybody ready to leave the house. Now it's closer to an hour and a half. Feeding the girls on my own is easier, and we have found a routine that works for us. I feel slightly more confidant handling the 'mom' role. All too often I feel like I am not doing enough as a mother. I don't have the perfectly cleaned house, I'm not graceful when doing daily tasks with the girls, and I leave the house looking a hot mess 90% of the time. However, there are some days I rock the twin life and motherhood. We leave the house and I look slightly put together, we arrive to places on time, and I have a nice home-cooked meal on the stove. Those are the days that I feel like supermom, but those days are few and far between. It's okay. It's okay not to be supermom. Social Media can kill one's self confidence. I pe...

When you become a mother a million things change. You adjusting to taking care of a tiny, helpless human being. You are trying to configure a schedule and rhythm that works for your family. As I was trying to figure motherhood, I found that I was neglecting myself. How am I suppose to do the best for my children, if I am not doing the best for myself? I knew the moment I found out I was pregnant, my priorities changed. The blurry little blobs on my sonogram would forever be on the top of my list. I would need to take care of myself for the next several months. When my girls made their entrance, I was relying on my body to feed them, it was again one of my top priorities. As the days became weeks. I lost myself, I was learning who I was as a mother, but I struggled to recognize myself. I am trying to take advantage of naps and bedtime to make sure I am taking care of myself. I try to make sure I take that time to work out, paint my nails, or write. At least once a week I work to h...

Left to right: Alexis and Olivia at 24 days old.  Here is a list of 5 things that I use to handle motherhood. Learn to be patience. It takes an incredible amount of patience to raise tiny little human  beings. I wished I was able to practice my patience more before my twins arrived. Take the help . If someone offers to cook a meal or do a chore for you, let them. It makes your life a little bit more manageable. Have a routine. Whether it is baby led, or a routine you build around your schedule, you need one. It will help keep you level headed.  Have a hobby. This may sound like an odd, but it's crucial for you to find a way to relieve the stress. So, find a hobby, crafting, baking, games or working out.  Communication. Make sure you and your partner are on the same page. Speak up if you need help, and be aware of your partners needs. There have been times when I have asked my husband to take over. We are a team, and working togethe...

The diaper bag is essential. However, knowing what to pack in your diaper bag can be a challenge. It took me a couple of trips to figure our what i really needed for my twins. I also decided to stop carrying a purse when I am out with the girls, so I to make sure I had room for mommy essentials. With twins I will be carrying double the amount, but thankfully I found an adorable, and roomy diaper bag. Let's first start with my bag. It's the Oh Joy! Tote diaper bag. I ordered it off target.com (my favorite place.) I found that it fits everything. I can carry it on my shoulder or or as a cross body, this comes in handy when I am running errands alone. Diaper Bag items: Diapers-I usually carry around 6-8 diapers with me. Diaper cream-We use good ole Desitin. Wipes-Pampers or Huggies. 4 sets of clothes-2 extra outfits for each baby. If I know we will be gone for 6+ hours I'll pack each girl and additional outfit.  Socks!-Each girl has a pair of socks. Plastic Bag-th...

My hospital stay and delivery, were slightly unique. My water ruptured at 34 weeks, I was admitted to one hospital and then transferred. Once I was transferred I labored for 36 hours before it all ended in an unplanned c-section. Here is a list of 5 things I think every mommy or mommy-to-be should have with them during their stay. Sugar free gum. This was wonderful, I wasn't able to leave my bed once they put my epidural in, so having the gum to help me stay fresh was so nice.  Make up wipes. This would have been a life saver. I went into labor with a full face of make up, (that wasn't planned) after awhile it was making my eyes water. The wipes would have made it a breeze to clean my face. Chapstick. Trust me, this is a MUST. Extension cord. This was incredibly helpful. All the hospital plugs are not in convenient places. Having the extension cord helped me be able to keep my phone charged and, close by. Pen and notepad.  This was great to have to take do...

Alexis The NICU is a stressful place to be, and being a twin mom I knew that my girls had a higher chance of needing additional care. My girls arrived at 34 weeks, and did required the care of the Neonatal Unit. It was scary and intimidating, but here are some steps to help survive the NICU. Take care of yourself.  I know it's hard to think of yourself right after you bring a tiny helpless human into the world, but they have professionals taking care of them. Make sure you are eating, keeping hydrated and sleeping when you can. The twins are my first children, so I didn't have children at home that I needed to take care of, I was able to go home every evening and rest. My husband also made sure I left the NICU to get meals, and take a break from the hospital atmosphere. This was essential, I knew that once they were home they would only have Jake and I to relay on.  Take "Home" with you.  Make things more comfortable. I brought our boppy pillows w...

Life with twins is hectic. The only thing that keeps me sane is our routine. With the girls only being 3 months old we are still working on perfecting our routine. Our night time routine is down pat. We start our night off with a feeding. The girls take 4-6 ounces every 3 hours. We then do story time. The girls need to be kept up right for 15-20 minutes after their feedings. This is due to their reflux Alexis at 2 months old Next is bath time. Not only does this help clean the girls up from their day, and of spit up, it also helps calm them down. We use the Aveeno Baby Calming Comfort Bath, once out of the bath we moisturize with coconut oil, and get dressed in our pajamas. Once we swaddle their girls and place them in their crib, they will sleep for 4.5 hours. I usually do a one dream feeding, and they wake up for an early morning feeding. The time the go to bed is led by them. They don't have a set nap schedule yet, so their bed time is anywhere in between 8-...