::Designer Mommy, I am not

So today marks my babies 20 week birthday, and it also marks the day that I have decided to begin the process of weaning myself off of pumping. 5 months strong, and I'm to the point where I'm worn out with the process. One good thing is that I've got about 2 or 3 months worth of breast milk stored in my freezer, so I figure they'll get a few more months of BM, which leaves only a few months after that of formula.

I have to admit, though, I've got this underlying sense of guilt for not being a SuperMom and pumping for them till they are at least a year old. I feel like there's so much pressure on moms these days (just like myself) who are shunned or thought less of because they don't breastfeed their babies for 2+ years, or cause they don't cloth diaper and co-sleep, or whatever is en vogue to do as a parent. I'm not saying that these aren't great things, but I personally don't cloth diaper my twins (gasp, I know!) and I don't appreciate feeling like I'm thought of as a bad mother because I choose to do or to not do something. I call this designer parenting. It's like having the latest and greatest handbag. I'm no fashionista, so I shouldn't waste my time or energy worrying about what others think, but there's so much caddiness in the Mommy World that I can't help but wonder what the other moms think when they see my babies drinking from a bottle. Do they judge me? Do they assume that they are exclusively formula fed? Even if they are, who cares?!?! I'm a big believer in that moms, Dads and families should do what's best for them, rather than what's thought of as "in style".

Maybe this is just a silly complex that I have, but I dislike the feelings that I get when I'm around other mothers who do or don't do certain things. We are all doing the best we can as parents to our babies. I'm not sure how you may feel, but I know I'm fearful of all things related to my kids cause I don't want to hurt them, traumatized them, injure them, or scar them for life as it is, and this is one more thing I *don't* need to worry about. If your intentions are good and pure, that should be all that's expected of you. Moms and Dads shouldn't be guilted into to doing anything, or made to feel less of a person for the decisions they make (so long as they are taking the best care they can of their children).

So, here I am, weaning myself off of pumping, using disposable diapers on my babies, driving a giant SUV that doesn't get fabulous gas mileage, oh yeah, AND I started my babies on oatmeal on their 20 week birthday. Judge me all you want, designer moms, but I'm confident in my decisions as a parent and I'm pretty sure my babies will be okay.

Thanks for listening! ;)

::It's Friday, Friday, Friday

Thank goodness the weekend is finally here. I SO look forward to having my hubsicle home with the kiddos and I for two straight days. It's crazy how much I miss him during the week, and since it seems as though everything we do is baby-centered, it's nice to be a family on the weekends and do things together...

These past few days, I've been working on trying to get the boys to nap during the day in their rooms in their cribs rather than on the living room couch. Two reasons: 1. Because they are almost to the point where they're gonna roll off the couch, and 2. I need the time that they nap to get all of my crap done. How am I supposed to unload the dishwasher, vacuum, fold laundry, etc with two sleeping babes on the couch?? Fact is that I don't get much of anything done during the day as it is, so it'd be nice for my house to not looks like a *total* disaster when my husband gets home. There's no sleeping going on over here, so I might as well try to catch up with house stuff.

Speaking of never sleeping, when does this get easier?!?! Omg...

All I want is for the boys to sleep a solid 6 hours in between feedings, and since they are almost 5 months old, I don't think that's too much to ask. We're still doing the every 3 hours thing, and it's literally killing us! Ugh! They did start on oatmeal, and I'm finally weaning off of breastfeeding, so hopefully we'll get some relief soon. I just feel so unhealthy, & I know it's cause I never get any rest. Bodies need sleep & rest in order to function, and I'm not getting any of that. Therefore, I can't function... :(

Well, nothing too exciting going on over in my neck of the woods. Happy 4th of July to you all!