Day 7...there are no coincidences...

My mother often says ... "there are very few coincidences in life".  In other words - timing is everything. Most often God is near and providing for us .. we just have to pick up on His wisdom.

In line with this idea .... I was "up north" staying with my aunt and uncle while daddy was deer hunting last fall.  The girls were less than 2 months old.  By this point - I was dog tired...as in the kind of tired that is - well - indescribable, really.  I was getting by - but was having a hard time seeing beyond the tip of my nose at that point.  It seemed like this new sleep deprived state was here to stay and I would never feel rested again.

We were very fortunate to have tremendous family support when the girls were born.  Daddy helped as much as humanly possible with working his typical 100 hours week.  But it still felt as though the the world was crumbling down on top of me, most days.

Prior to our trip up north I had "web surfed" the idea of bringing in a night nurse to help us through those tough nights.  But - let's face it ... those services are super expensive and not in the budget.  I came across one agency in our area that looked really promising.  We talked about it ... but put the ka-bosh to it almost immediately when we learned the cost.

Back to our trip up north -- my mom, aunt and I (along with the babes) headed out to do some walking around and shopping.  As we strolled around I was in a complete fog.  Just going through the motions and focusing on the next feedings, etc.  We turned the corner and ran smack dab into a women who said ... "Twins"??  "Oh", she said ... "I have twins, too".  "And...they are 14".  She was very kind and encouraging.  She told us a little bit about her kiddos....and before we parted she said one simple thing that stuck to me like glue ............ "WHATEVER the cost.............HIRE HELP"!!  She went onto to say that money is only money and that she became so run down caring for her newborn twins that she was sick for almost an entire year. It hit me smack dab between the eye balls and I ran with it. 

Fast forward to a few weeks later .... the hubs and I decided to bring in an overnight doula ... once or maybe twice a week for extra support.  Please note - this would not have been possible had it not been for many financial contributions from some family members.  I won't get into naming names - but you know who you are and I am as grateful today as I was back then and forever will be. My HEART explodes with gratitude!!

We contacted the service I found weeks earlier and without any hesitation we just clicked with Anne!! Our special friend and savior ... who seemed to have perfect timing in our family.

Anne came into our home and supported us.  She helped us to get the babies on a more manageable sleeping schedule.  She fed them during the night.  She cleaned...did laundry...and made healthy snacks for me to eat the next day.  She was gentle in her approach and offered support without judgement.  She has such a calming presence, too.  The babies didn't know her from anyone, but they fell fast asleep in her arms when she held them during the night.  It might seem hard to imagine - that we could trust someone with our babies in our home, but we never doubted her.  All I can say is there are very special people called by God to do this work - and she is absolutely one of them.  When she walked through our day on night #1 - my husband I and I just felt at peace.  It is priceless support that I would highly recommend to families with newborn babies and especially multiples.  The advice I got on that warm November daylast fall - "Get help because money is only money" --- wasn't a coincidence.  That I know for sure.

With love,
Cuz I'm the mama!