When do things get less chaotic?

For those of you with twins plus other kids.........does it ever get less chaotic? I feel greatly outnumbered. The house is a disaster. There are piles of laundry. I feel like I'm busy all day but get nothing done. My DH is very active and an equal participant. My older DS is a terrific helper. He holds the babies and helps feed them. It just seems like the work required to keep us going is so challenging. And I'm supposed to go back to work in 3 weeks. I know I'll get thru it but when does it get better or is this what it is going to be like with 4 kids.........please be honest.........I want some realistic expectations.

The babies still are not on a consistent schedule. We're working on it. Sleeping is still not going the best. DH and I are splitting the night. He sleeps 9pm to 3am and I sleep 3am to 9am.

Thanks!

 

:hug: I don't have an older DC, but I can tell you in the last couple of months things have calmed down around here, and my girls will be 16 months old next week. I am finally able to make some progress on the housework and get things accomplished during the day.

I am glad that you have an active DH, that makes things a lot easier! I hope it gets better for you soon!! :hug:

 

I'd say that it got more manageable/predictable/had time to take a few deep breaths by about 3-4 months. It was soooo hard for me, but I really had to learn to get things like cleaning, cooking, etc. go out the window for alittle while. I also had to learn to accept help whenever it was available (I'm usually super-control freak). We only have three kids, but I've noticed that as my oldest son gets a little more involved/active w/ helping or interacting w/ the babies it seems to help, too. When the twins started to really respond (smile, laugh, crawl) to him, it made a huge difference because we were all really laughing and enjoying eachother. Remember that you are in "survival mode" right now and as they start sleeping longer stretches it will help a bunch. It just takes time....I never thought I'd be saying all this when I was in your shoes and now I feel like the year has gone by too fast.

I think splitting nights is a really great idea right now. I did not do this w/ my DH, we both got up all the time and the nights were really rough. At least you are getting those hours of much needed sleep. Keep checking in on Twinstuff - it really helped me get through the first few months!!! We've been there and we're here for you!!!

Congratulations on your babies!!! Take care, Erin

 

I know exactly what you are saying. My twins make 5 kids for me, and I felt like everything just fell apart. I do 19 loads of laundry a week, and if I don't do at least two a day, I am burried. It took me quite a few months though to be able to do the two loads (at least) without fail. I must admit, they often sit in piles for days (hey, at least they are folded!), waiting to be put away. I found that wrinkle release spray really helps for that too. If my clothes get wrinkled b/c I couldn't hang them up right away, I spray them and they are perfect!

I try to stay on top of the house, but like Erin said, you just have to let some things go. After they are a few months old, it will get easier. My house isn't as organized as I would like, but it usually looks pretty clean these days.

I also agree that you and dh should split feedings at night. I didn't want to do that at first, but it helped to get the extra sleep. You will surely need it if you are going back to work!

Hang in there, and hopefully it'll help to know we understand! Lisa

 

For me once they could entertain themselves for a bit and I could get some stuff done around the house I felt like I was making progress. Or that I could take some extra time and "play" with my older DD while they were taking a nap. My boys are a little over 2 and DD is a little over 4 and I would say that by 18 months things have gotten much better around here.

 

Thanks ladies for the encouragement........it really helps!

 

My boys are 3 months old & I can finally breathe. It's still crazy, but I at least know now that I can handle the craziness.

 

Every month gets easier and easier. I'd say around 6 months it got a lot easier. Once they are sitting up and can play by themselves, it's wonderful.