The fun of getting twins to sleep.

So lately my boys have had a hard time getting to sleep. At first it was because of their teething and they would wake up screaming in pain. Now that they each have two teeth in it's kind of let up on the pain but the night waking habits are still in full swing. Sometimes they'll wake up at 2 in the morning wanting to play other times it's to eat but the last few nights it's been both of them taking turns waking up. Take last night for example. I finally get the boys to bed at 11 pm and go to get myself something to eat before I go to bed myself. I am just finishing eating about 20 minutes later when Xander wakes up. I simply just let him lay there awake because he wants to play and it's not play time. After a few minutes he drifts back to sleep but Thane wakes up fussing. It was maybe one or two cries before he was back asleep but it was enough to wake up Xander again. This time he was awake for hours. I fed him and he started to look drowsy so I laid him down. I thought he was asleep for the night after a few minutes of him breathing deeply with his eyes closed. I went to the bathroom and when I came back he was awake again. He was playing with his feet and babbling and laughing. It took until 1 or 2 in the morning to get him to finally sleep. At which point Thane woke up to eat and fuss until 4 in the morning. After that it took awhile for me to get to sleep because I kept thinking the boys would wake up again every moment so when there was the slightest movement or cry my eyes snapped open to check on them. I miss their nice sleep schedule and hope they go back to it soon. So for now when I hear mothers of one baby complaining about their one baby that doesn't go to sleep until midnight or wakes up during the night I envy them. I still wouldn't trade my boys for one baby though. I couldn't picture my life without both of them here with me. Oh and if there is one thing I have learned about my boys through this whole thing it's that white noise does not work with them at all.
I remember there was a time when I wished they would wake up more because it seemed like they were sleeping 24/7 but now I'm finally getting to know a time where I wish they would sleep a little more because the get so cranky when they don't get enough sleep. I'll add more later but the boys just woke up again.

You're not a good parent if...

So now that I'm a mother I get a lot of unwanted advice on how to do things. Most people are so dead set in their own ways with their kids that they don't seem to realize that every situation, every mother, and every child is different. So here is the advice I've been given in a complete list. In parenthesis is the reason I was given by each person. They don't actually say I'm not a good parent but secretly if you have a set way of doing things and someone else does it differently you think they're weird or dare I say it bad. So I present to you the list that lets you know if you're a bad parent. If you do or have ever done any of these items you're not a good parent or other caregiver:

1. Formula fed a baby (because breast feeding is the only way you're supposed to feed a baby.)
2. Breast fed a baby but supplemented with formula. (because even the smallest bit of formula is poison when given to a baby)
3. Breast fed a baby (apparently it's just wrong to breast feed a baby because breasts are just for the media to use to sell alcohol and cigarettes. And to quote some famous person they're not called breasts but "fun bags")
4. Used disposable diapers (because it's bad for the environment. Not to mention they attract flies.)
5. Used cloth diapers (because they're hard to clean and it's not worth the time reusing them)
6. Let your baby fuss (because they always need something when they fuss)
7. Took care of your baby every time they fuss (because they'll become spoiled)
8. Used Orajel to help with teething. (because it numbs their gums. I kind of thought that was the point...)
9. Decided not to use orajel. (apparently it's now required for every teething baby but I missed the memo...)
10. Started out solids by feeding your baby fruit first. (They won't like veggies after they've had fruit)
11. Started out solids by feeding your baby veggies first. (You're baby will be more likely to try other solids if you start out with a fruit first.)

I could go on and on with this list but I'll just put one last one:

12. You're not a good parent if you do anything differently from other parents or what popular advice has told you to do.


Apparently everything you do makes you a bad parent! I think in today's society everyone thinks they know what's best for your child or children. But in actuality there are many ways to raise a child and I say just go for what works with you and your child. I'll tell you what type of parent I am:
I'm the type of parent who breast feeds and supplements with formula. The type who uses disposable diapers and started of feeding my sons solids before the suggested age. And guess what I started off with veggies but that's not stopping them from liking fruit more or trying new things. I sometimes let my babies fuss because it's what they need to do sometimes. I'm the type of parent who tried Orajel with my sons but found out they hate it more then they do the pain from teething and cry a lot longer when I put it on their gums then if I just rub only my finger on their gums for a little bit.

My conclusion forget being a bad parent and be a good one by finding out what works for you and your child/children.