"How do you do it?"

I'm surprised at how many people have asked me that. I end each day with a living room that looks like it exploded baby products, an aching back, an empty stomach and an incredible desire to sleep. :)
I have a friend, who I greatly admire, who has newborn twins and a son younger than Andrew. When her twins were one month old, her husband left for the middle east. Granted, Josh is gone a lot, but when he's here, he's a HUGE help so I really can't complain.
I have another friend, who I also admire, that has twins about a year older than Andrew. They are autistic as well as their 3 siblings (2 younger, one older). Her husband is away with the military as well. My girls are healthy and seem to be making great strides so I can't complain about that either.
I also have a housekeeper that comes 3 times a week (and a 4th time if Josh is away) who helps me with the girls and cleans the house. Josh finds my need to tidy up before she comes amusing. I don't want her to think I'm a total slob! :)
I wish I could hold them both when I feed them. Usually my hands are full with the bottles. I'm working on teaching them to hold their own bottles. If they master that then I can at least hold one and hold the next one at the next feeding.
I wish I could give them more individual attention, but they don't really seem deprived of attention so I guess it's ok. :) It simply feels like I feed them, change them play with them briefly and put them to bed. I keep reminding myself to enjoy these moments because the toddler years are not too far away!
I wish I had a one story house. :) I go up and down the stairs at least 20 times (NOT an exageration) a day. If I drop a few pounds that would be ok. :)
I keep track of each girls' feeding (how many ounces) and sleeping (how long) so I can make sure they get enough, etc. Today it really came in handy when my brain seemed to stop functioning and the girls were screaming instead of sleeping. I looked at the chart and realizd that I had not fed them! Sometimes it gets so crazy in this house that I don't know which way is up!
So, how do I do it? I just do the best I can and hope they won't be on Dr. Phil complaining about me when they are older. :) :) :) Seriously, you let the little things go and keep pressing forward. It helps to know (from experience with Andrew) that they will become more independent as time goes on and that will make the daily routines a little easier.
A lot of people have asked how Andrew's handling it all. He's doing great! He really enjoys being the big brother. I thought there would be some jealousy issues but so far he seems to be quite happy.
Oreo, on the other hand, is not so thrilled! He feels the need to claim my lap as much as possible and look at the girls disapprovingly. He isn't cruel to the girls at all. In fact, he's quite scared of them and doesn't get too close because the girls' arms and legs are always moving and he doesn't want to be hit! After they go to bed each night he comes to me on the couch and does some major cuddling. Honestly, by that time (usually 7pm but it feels like midnight) I welcome the stress relief petting a cat can bring!
Despite all of this, I am incredibly happy and wouldn't trade any of this for the world! :)
--Rachel