that first night we were up all night with Camp.  Asher literally slept for 13 or 14 hours, but we were up I think 11 times with Camp.  And staying in basically someone else’s home is difficult when you are up all hours of the night.  Going downstairs to make bottles, trying not to wake your neighbors (who by the way happened to be our good friends! more on that in a min)
but it was exhausting.

I remember a few days before we left for Addis asking Stephen what he thought it would be like to have them home.  
He then proceeded to give me a very realistic list of the day to day as mom and dad, and I told him that sounded terrible and I did not sign up for that and I was scared out of my mind.  
true.

so when we had a dreamy day with the babies that was JUST LIKE what I always daydreamed of, reality set in that night.  the first 24 hours.

I remember just saying so much the first few weeks that, ” parenting is no joke”.  and it IS no joke.  it’s hard work yall.  and when you are starting to parent a child that you haven’t spent entirely too much time with yet, it’s like starting with a newborn.  getting to know them and knowing what soothes them helps.  and I look back now (after christmas) and it’s like I didn’t even know them yet.  I had no clue what I was doing (not that I do now!).  I’m laughing just thinking about it.  I mean, we didn’t take any actual baby food.  we just gave them formula the whole time & then some baby food when we could snatch it from our friend Jason.  oh well, you live and you learn.

but jason!