Step by Step Parenting

My last first week of law school is DONE!

Honestly, what a relief. I was dreading the start of my final semester, but thankfully, it hasn’t been too bad. It was good to see so many of my friends at school again, and I am loving the subjects that I’m studying this term. I’ve even found that I’m enjoying studying again!

The law firm I’ve been at since the end of March is also keeping me on part-time this semester, and going into the office every few days has been the perfect escape. I love the work I am doing, I love the office vibes and environment, and I love getting to help clients. Plus, it’s been so helpful to apply what I’ve learned in the classroom to real world legal situations these past several months, as it helps me understand a lot of the concepts better. I was supposed to stay at the firm until the end of the semester, but at the end of this week, my boss offered me a position to stay until I get my bar results (at least!!!), so I am super excited about that! By the time I get my results, I will have been at the same firm for a whole year, which is kind of crazy!

It was a still a pretty rough adjustment, though. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my long days at school, with my first class starting around 8:00am and my last class getting done at 3:30pm. I commute around 45 minutes to and from school every day, so I have to leave at 7:00am and don’t get home until 4:30pm. Since Kevin works from 4:00pm until 11:00pm, I often wouldn’t see him for days at a time. Coming home to an empty house — no big kids and no Kevin — is really hard. This upcoming week, the big kids are back, so although I’ll be less lonely in the evenings, it also means earlier mornings and later afternoons as I have to drive kids where they need to be while still making it to school myself. I’m holding out hope that maybe it won’t be as bad as I’m fearing!

I made the decision to quit baby-led weaning (BLW) this week. I did BLW with my first daughter, and she loved it, but the twins just aren’t taking to it as well. I was already a little on the fence about it this time around, just because we’re so busy and I was struggling to make it work around our crazy schedule. When I had Eloisa, I was a stay-at-home mom, so the thought of prepping meals for my six-month-old didn’t bother me. If anything, it was a great way to pass the time. But with the twins, it always felt like an afterthought.

Not to mention, Evelyn especially just doesn’t seem to like it. I know gagging and pulling faces are normal (and funny!) but after feeling like I needed to perform the Heimlich for the third time this week, I said, “Yup, we’re done!” I switched to purées after that, and both the babies and I have been a lot happier.

The twins had their six-month check up on Monday, and they are doing great! They both shot up on the growth charts, which was such a relief to hear. We’ve never been worried, but of course it was wonderful to learn that they are truly thriving. Emersyn continues to practice sitting up all by herself, and she’s also taken to bear crawling, and Evelyn recently started trying to sit up, too. They’ve also both started to get more hair, and we can’t wait to see what color it turns out to be! Sometimes it looks blonde, other times it looks brown, and other times, it looks red, so we’ll see. My husband has auburn, reddish hair and was blonde as a kid, whereas I’m a brunette, so it really could go either way.

On Friday and Saturday, Sara came to visit, and it was so, so nice to see her again. She moved to a tiny town around four hours away for her new job once she graduated PT school, and even though it’s only been two weeks, we’ve missed each other tons. It was so fun to hang out in real life again, and of course, Ginger and Willie were thrilled to be reunited. Kevin and I are taking the twins out to visit Sara for my fall break in a couple of months, and I can’t wait to explore her new home. Plus, the babies will get to see the beach for the first time!

At the end of the week, I’m tired, but proud of how Kevin and I pulled through another tough week. The reality is, as I prepare for graduation and the bar, there’s lots of tough weeks ahead. But through it all, we are a team, and there’s no one else I’d rather be on this journey with. I’m a little nervous for how this week will go, just between the three older kids two different school schedules and my law school schedule, but I know that we’ll make it to next Sunday one way or another. Stay tuned!