2013 - where has the time gone?

I can't believe it's been a year since I last posted.  Twins are doing great and we have settled into our new home and community.

In the past year, we've been through 3 nannies, 1 daycare, 2 AuPairs and 1 Pre School.  Phew.  (And I changed jobs)

We had a great nanny for a short time, but she quit unexpectedly and we enrolled the kids in daycare, with a part-time nanny helping out.  Daycare was too expensive ($2500/month) so we decided on an AuPair.  We thought that was going well, until the baby gym the kids attend on Tues & Thurs called me to me to say that they witnessed her being rough with my son. Turns out, she was not only rough, she was spanking him and dragging him along the floor and booting him with her foot! Now, I know he's in his terrible two's, but seriously???  Holy shit - I went crazy.  I called the AuPair agency and they picked her up right away and sent her back home to Slovakia and revoked her Visa.   There was a period of 2 months there where we searched for and matched with a new AuPair, and there was lots of crying and soul-searching.  A temporary nanny from an agency was brought in and the kids were also enrolled in a part-time Pre-School Mon-Fri. Truth is, we can't afford for me to be a SAHM, as much as I'd like to.  Our debt is too high and we have enormous child support payments ($4,650/month) for his other children for another 3.5 years.  I'm happy to say that we found a wonderful AuPair from Brazil and the children now have a wonderful schedule - preschool Mon-Fri 9-11:30 and a loving AuPair to care for them until Mom and Dad get home from work. 

Kids are doing great and we dropped bottles cold turkey last summer - without a peep! 

Next challenge:  getting M out of our bed and into a big girl bed.  Hopefully by her 3rd birthday in July. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!!

Happy New Year everyone!