Two Months (or 8 Weeks...)

My wife had placed Luke in the crib, sandwiched in between his two sleeping brothers, and had tiptoed out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

Almost before she was out of the room, the screaming began. It had quickly dawned on the boys that although the room was cool and quiet and dark, they were no longer swaying in a swing, or in their mother's arms.

So they let loose with their indescribable wailing - something akin to the scream a hawk makes, only over and over again at the tops of their lungs, until they're almost out of breath. After nearly an hour, the screaming stopped. They had worn down. They were learning to put themselves to sleep.

Except for one last whimper.

Allison, who has turned out to be perhaps the most helpful 8 year old in history, heard that last cry as she was walking down the hall to her room. Ever the dutiful assistant, she opened the door, turned on the light, and began vigorously shaking a baby rattle about five inches above Luke's face - a technique she had learned to help soothe the babies during the day.

And then the full-throated screaming began again.

The boys are a little more than two months old now. And it's not that I haven't wanted to write more frequently. It's just that every time I have a free moment to think about posting an update, I realize that's a moment of quiet that can be used for sleep. So I run to the couch, flop down, and fail to get any rest because I lie there anticipating the next request for help - either in English from the girls, or in Hawk from the boys.

In these two months, the boys' faces have rounded out, and they have more than doubled their weight. Our pediatrician told us that when babies get to be about 10 pounds, they are capable of sleeping through the night without waking up to eat. And thus, the daytime force feeding has begun.

The idea is that if we feed them a bit more often during the day, they won't need to wake up to replenish at night. And by putting them to bed (in the dark, behind a closed door in our bedroom) in the evening, they'll learn to put themselves to sleep.

Which they did, in fact, do. We are hopeful that we'll begin to get more done during the day, and in the evening, as they settle into a routine and learn to rest without coaxing. And my wife and I are hopeful that we'll begin treating each other like the best friends we are once we begin to get some sleep. Once we begin to recognize each other again through the darkness, and the bleary eyes, and the screaming chaos that our house has become in the last two months.

Correspondents on a triplets blog that my wife participates in assure us that this is the toughest part. We're in the trenches, they say, and if we can just hold on for a few more weeks, life should begin to return to normal.

Our boys are really beautiful. And their personalities are clearly beginning to emerge. I think we can hold on.

If we can just keep the helpers away.