Are they twins??

Question:
Are they twins?
This question is fun for about 1 week after you give birth.  Then it gets old.  So old, that I no longer use my double stroller to go shopping anymore.  If I do, I would never get out of store! (Cute old grandpas who grab my babies' toes are the exception.  I will stop for them any day.)

Answer:
Hmmm.. Let me see...two babies in a grocery cart.  Same age.  Same size.  Exact same outfit.

No, I found this other one in the dairy isle and I thought I would take it home with me.

Oy Ve!

The Ultimate Question: How to Schedule Two Babies

I think the greatest worry to a parent of twins is how to get and keep them on the same schedule. I have had a few days where the day or night schedules were totally off. Let's just say that that it was not a pretty sight. The one rule that has always held true for me is that you can not stall a hungry baby to wait for the other twin to want to eat. If one babe is hungry, then the other one must eat too. If the second baby is asleep you wake him/her up. Even if the second baby just takes a nibble that is OK. Over time they learn the routine and become synchronized.

Cruel you say?? No! Here is the hidden benefit no one mentions. Your babes get so used to being roused from sleep, that it doesn't bother them. This means that taking them from the car, waking them up to transport them home from a friends house late at night, etc. is a piece of cake. I think too, that by dictating a schedule for them, they also learn to follow all (ok, most...) of your requests and cues.

I once feared that I was preventing them from learning to sleep through the night. What if one baby was ready for it? What if they were each ready to get up just once, but at different times? So, I tried just feeding them individually at night (around 8 months) to see what would happen. Hell on earth. Enough said.

The last piece of advice, stick to it! From day one, or any time they get off schedule, stick to your guns. It may take a few days or a few weeks, but it will be worth it. For your sanity’s sake and that of your family – don’t give up. Synchronized twins = One Happy Rested Mama!

Where to Begin...Power to the Pacifier!

Let's just say I am a little obsessed with binkies. Anyone who chooses not to use them must be insane. My sister-in-law recently had a baby and asked when mine first started using pacifiers. Being that the first month after the twins were born is a total blur; I just looked through my pictures and had the answer. My twins started using their binkies at two weeks, and were addicted by two months. I swear that the binkies are why they are happy little boys who hardly ever cry. Do I worry about still using them? No. They only use them now at nine months when they are tired or cranky. They can go the whole day without putting one in their mouths. However, if binkies abound, and are in easy reach, they will use them more.

I love Soothies. I decided to use these because they are shaped like a nipple and will fall out of their mouths once they are asleep. At first, they needed the binkies to go to sleep. Then over time, because they fell out, they started to spit them out once they were about to crash out. The other binkies that are shaped to fit the mouth are more likely to remain in their mouths as they sleep. I would think that would lead to a more intense addiction.

Looking back at my pictures it is funny to see how these binkies look when they first used them. I think they took up half of their faces! It is no surprise that the main image on this blog is of Carter and Gerrit sucking away on their little binks.

Juggling Twins - I Can Do It!

Since having twins, I have looked for web sites and blogs that could help me navigate the world of raising twins. I found that too many sites refer to having twins as chaos, insanity, etc., as if raising twins is some crazy nightmare experience that one has to survive.

So, I decided to create a blog that is focused on just offering the tips and advice that has worked for me. I won’t post about the events of my day. Frankly, it's just not that interesting. Instead, I will post about the things I can’t live without, how I have handled specific events, etc.. I will also ask for your advice – hey we’re not all perfect! (Did I mention that I can take two 9 month olds out shopping, eat in a restaurant and drive ½ hour each way without much trouble? I must be doing something right…)

People often make comments to me that my life must be so hard, double the trouble, blah – blah – blah. My response is always that I don’t know any different. It just is what it is, and I love it. It is my life. It is not insane. It is just a little more of a juggling act.

A little bit about me...

I guess you could say we are a family built through science.  I used to work in the Biotechnology field, but left it to stay home and raise organic vegetables and start a family.  Raising the veggies was the easy part.  Having children ... not so easy.  After years of dissapointment, and a bit too much poking and proding by doctors, we finally did it.  In Vitro Fertilization was the answer for us.  Sometimes I look at my boys, and I hear that song, "wierd science.." running through my head.  In a way, it couldn't be more perfect.  Thank goodness for modern medicine.  Now, let the real fun begin!