Despite the fact that walking anywhere with a double stroller, in which sit a black child and a white child, nets us stares, I delight in pushing the Tank. This massive hunk of plastic usually contains an organized and well-stocked diaper bag for two (except last night when we forgot the bib and burp cloth) in addition to our beautiful children – the embodiment of my hopes and dreams that were dashed by infertility. That nightmare is behind us by a few years, but within that time we’ve created the most amazing little family – and as I not-so-gracefully maneuver this bus through the world, I revel in our joy and craziness. It helps that both kids love movement, so when the stroller’s on the go they’re on their best behavior.

Double the diapers, bottles, baths, spitups, yelling, naps, and snuggles means our new pace is frenetic. When home alone with the twosome, a parent never stops moving: a binkie here, a cracker there, dirty diapers and hungry mouths that magically line up every time. Fortunately, the naps seem to be synching up too. It helps that Remy never wakes up.

Today we took Tess to therapy: PT and OT, where we met the second therapist. Apparently, Tess is rocking fine motor, and tested at 9 months (her adjusted age). She favors activities that only require one hand, so we’re working on balancing that out. Our little foodie uses two hands for eating though, so we’re supposed to use mealtimes as a warmup for two-handed exercises! Color me entertained. As for her gross motor, she went up to 7-8 month status – a significant improvement! I can’t say we were shocked, because we had to set up her giant play yard to contain the now-speedy 1 year-old who’s taken over our house.

All of that to say today was awesome. The whole staff oohed and ahed over sleepy Remy, and we enjoyed the odd feeling of being at therapy as a whole family! This was a variation on yesterday’s pediatrician appointment, where Tess got shots and Remy got the once-over. Apparently he does not have a milk allergy – he just eats too fast. So now we’re racing him to see who can control his pace. Sadly, he’s still winning most of the time – but we’ll figure it out! In our 1-1 parenting, Dave took Remy for a blood draw while I ran to the grocery with Tess for prune juice and plain corn syrup (two preemies, both with constipation issues. Aren’t we lucky?). We met up to walk the Tank home, and as crazy as this all left us, we felt great. We’re bonding as a family – all of us. Trust me; it’s just what the doctor ordered!

The homemade meals are cooked, the laundry’s done and put away, the babies are tucked in, and we’re hunkered down to watch a tv show and sleep. We may not be masters of this routine yet, but we’re catching on. Tomorrow we’re meeting with our homestudy person, in case life was getting dull.