The Truth About Twins

Giving Up On Catching Up...

2009-12-08T22:45:00.001-05:00

Okay, so there is no way on God's green Earth that I'm ever going to catch up all that I have missed blogging...so I'm just going to start from August and our family vacation to OIB.

A trip into DC

2009-06-10T20:06:00.004-05:00

We took a trip into DC right after the holidays. We stopped at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. They have some great kids hands on rooms as well as the new Ocean wing. Best part? all free!

Then we went to check out Eric's new office. The kids really enjoyed seeing where Daddy works. They haven't been to his office since he was @ the National Gallery of Art.

Checking things out in the kids room

Fish tank at the Museum of Natural History

Walking the streets of DC with Daddy

The view of Madame Tousseau's from the office

Sitting in Daddy's chair in his new office

Merry Christmas! (6 months later)

2009-06-10T19:39:00.004-05:00

Better late than never, right? Here are a few pictures from Christmas 2008. It was a hectic time of year as always. We celebrate Christmas not once, but four times!!! First we went out to Lewes, DE to see Mimi, PopPop and my brothers and sister. We then travelled back to VA for Christmas with Omi and the Calsetta clan. The Janson gang came down a few days later, and then a few days after that the Grauso's came for a visit. Needless to say, Jake and Sarah were NEVER bored. Santa was good to us all!

Picture of the cousins (Jake, Anthony, Sarah and Tristan) together for the first time!

Jake and Sarah decorating their Christmas tree with their personal ornaments

The Janson Family (Ashley, Tiffany, Trevor, Sarah, Eric, Jake, Danielle, Jill, Justin, Mike, Rich and Debbie)

Pretty Sarah in her Christmas dress!

Me, Eric and Jake taking a goofy pic.

Our 15th Christmas together!

Apple Picking 2008

2009-05-08T15:53:00.003-05:00

Okay, so I'm WAY behind...like 9 months behind in posts. I'm really going to try and catch up!

In late September, we went w/ our friends Corey and Jen apple picking. We also had the company of Otis and Sarah Jane, Jen & Corey's "babies". They were, I believe, 4 month old english bulldogs. They've gotten much bigger since.

Although it was wet and muddy, and even rained on us, we still managed to pick quite a few apples and have a great time!

Jake especially loved playing with Otis and Sarah Jane, and they loved jumping on him!

The Most Magical Place on Earth!

2008-10-21T22:03:00.002-05:00

Yes, I'm speaking of Disney World. Back in February, Eric and I decided we were going to make our first family trip to Disney. After much research, we booked our entire trip (hotel/airfare/meal reservations, etc.) in April for a trip in September. We went to Disney for 7 days from Sept. 6-13th. We had a lot of firsts that week. It was S&J's first time on an airplane, first time riding on a bus, first time sleeping in a hotel bed for that long a period of time...and of course, their first time in Disney!

We had all of our fun character meals and activities planned ahead of time, so that made things easier. We also had a printed loose itinerary with us. There is so much I could tell about that week, but I'll just give the hightlights:

The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique: If you have a little princess in your life, this is a MUST! It was total worth it. We did the middle of the road package for $55. This included having Sarah's hair done, tiara, rhinestone barrette, make up (and make up kit to take home), nail polish (and 2 bottles to take home) and of course just the whole experience. It made us all tear up a bit. Even Jake had fun watching his sister get all gussied up.

Chef Mickey's: while it is a buffet meal, and lets face it buffet meals are never the best. It is the best bet for meeting all the Mickey and Gang characters. They did a little song and dance every 20 min, plus each character stops at your table one at a time, takes pics and signs autographs.

Fantasmic: This is a great show @ Disney's hollywood studios, based on Mickey's Fantasia. It's very intense, but even my sometimes scardey cats handled it well and had a ball.

Epcot: very underrated by most for kids, but our kids had a blast. It was also a plus because the exhibits and rides are all educational! BONUS! They also have "kidcots" which are little arts and crafts stations in the front areas of epcot and then kidcots in the countries.

I could seriously go on for days about Disney! We stayed at the Contemporary Resort which was very nice. We had a deluxe garden room that was HUGE. The kids slept like rocks b/c of all the running around. We had planned on doing naps everyday, but they were always rarin' to go!

If anyone wants other info or tips for first trips to Disney, just let me know, it's all still fresh in my mind. One extra tip I'll give is to bring some souvenirs with you. I went to the Disney outlet before we left and purchased t-shirts @ 5 dollars a piece and some other little gifts that I knew would be way more expensive at Disney. The kids loved getting a few new prizes and it didn't cost nearly as much.

I'll leave you with our favorite rides/attractions:

Jake: The Buzz Lightyear Ride in Magic Kingdom (we rode it 11 times, but it was really fun!)

Sarah: It's a Small World (seriously?? we rode it 6x!)

Danielle: Turtle Talk with Crush at Epcot

Eric: He's asleep right now, so I'll guess Misson Space in Epcot

Gonna backtrack....

2008-10-18T20:29:00.006-05:00

Once again it's been awhile since I posted. We've done a lot during the last two months, so over the next few posts, I'm going to catch everyone up!

These pics are from an impromptu morning playdate. Our neighbor came over with her 3 year old and 1 year old asking if we wanted to play. The kids were all still in their pj's, but I thought, what the heck?

They had a fun time riding their bikes and playing in the frontyard and cul-de-sac.

Bye Miss Kendall!

2008-08-26T23:52:00.002-05:00

Last week we said good-bye to the best babysitter ever! Miss Kendall! My friend Tammy introduced me to her at the beginning of the summer and right away Jake & Sarah fell in love! They looked forward to having Miss Kendall come over to play and go to the pool, do arts and crafts and read lots of books (not that I don't do this with them everyday, but hey, everyone likes some change :)

Kendall's last day was Friday as she has to go back to college to finish her last year. She may never know how much she helped me this summer and how much we will truly miss her. We are already looking forward to her coming back to visit!

These pics are from last week when Tammy and her twins and me and my twins took Kendall out for dinner and ice cream. What a blast!

A Day At Great Country Farms

2008-08-25T21:29:00.005-05:00

Eric has been on a kick lately where every Sunday, he looks at the "pick of the week" in the Washington Post to see what's going on. Two weekends ago, they had a great "pick"...Great Country Farms (http://www.greatcountryfarms.com/) Just 40 miles from DC, this is a great spot to enjoy beautiful Mother Nature just a short ride from home.

The kids loved every minute of it and so did we. There was a giant "pillow" to bounce on, an animal farm, giant tube slides, mazes and our favorite part, the "Corn Crib". This was a large enclosed area FILLED with dry corn kernels. It was a HUGE sensory table that we all enjoyed. The kids had fun filling up daddy's socks with corn and then spilling it all out. We buried each other and generally just had a good time.

Aunt Jill and cousin Justin joined us to make it a great family outing! We ended the day with the kids taking a ride on the cow train. No, the boys aren't naked, they had just soaked thru their shirts "sifting for gold". :)

The Janson Twins go to Washington, DC!

2008-08-18T20:39:00.017-05:00

Last Thursday, my dear friend, Cyndi and I decided to be VERY brave and travel to Washington DC with our almost 4 1/2 year old twins. That's right, 4 kids, 2 adults...we were out-numbered, but we had a plan!

We met at the Vienna Metro @ 10am, everyone said hello and gave hugs. We boarded the metro for the kids first ever metro ride. After taking a ton of pics on the metro, we got off at the Smithsonian stop and took some more pics in front of the monuments. Before venturing into the Natural History Museum, we decided to give the kids some snacks to hold them over until lunch.

We then went into their first museum, the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. They had a blast. Thankfully there were a lot of "hands on" type things to keep them occupied. They loved the dinosaurs!

Afterwards, we had a picnic lunch on the National Mall, we went on the carousel and then because they were all so well behaved, we ventured into their second museum, the Smithsonian Air & Space museum.

Our final stop for the day was to take pictures in front of fountain at the National Gallery of Art. This spot has special meaning for Cyndi and her husband, and special meaning for the Janson gang. This is where Eric used to work!

All in all it was a fantastic day w/ four fantastic kids!

An artist among us?

2008-08-18T17:34:00.003-05:00

It seems we may have a true artist on our hands. We're not sure where it comes from, as neither Eric nor I can draw more than stick figures. Sarah however is quite good. Even Uncle Mike (the family artist) thinks she's pretty talented for a 4 year old. Check out two of her latest masterpieces! We were SHOCKED when we saw how well she drew the frog.

Who are you voting for?

2008-08-18T17:30:00.002-05:00

At the Arlington County Fair, there were various vendors as well as campaigning politicians. While McCain and Obama weren't there, their volunteers were. We decided to use the kids to show who we are supporting:

The Arlington County Fair

2008-08-18T17:24:00.004-05:00

J&S on the flying fish.
Sarah on the Jet ski
Jake on the Jet Ski

Last weekend Eric and I took the kids to the Arlington County Fair. Unlike the Fairfax County Fair, it was completely free to get in! The only cost was for rides, which wasn't too bad. The kids enjoyed riding all the rides, and having some treats. It was a beautiful day! Enjoy the pictures!

What is it w/ banks and lollipops?

2008-08-18T16:12:00.003-05:00

Okay, so most of us have gone to the drive-thru at banks. We give them our money, they give us a receipt, but why why why must they always ask if the kids want lollipops?? Especially when they see the back windows are rolled down and the kids can hear. What does giving out lollipops have to do with banking? I don't go to the dry cleaners with the kids and get offered a lollipop, nor does this happen at the post office. Do the banks of this country have some sort of deal with Dum Dums or Charms?

I mean, it's a nice gesture, but not all of us want our kids to have lollipops each and everytime we go to the bank. Some of us use these sticky treats on a stick as just that, a treat. What if on the way to the bank they were being hellions, they certainly don't deserve it then. Maybe just a sign saying "hey parents, if you want your kids to have lollipops, just ask". I would much prefer it that way.

Now that being said, why is it that at my bank, the only lollipop color choices are green and blue? I mean, I guess I could just say no thank you ,and move along, but sometimes I'd rather just give into the lollipop rather than listening to the riot that will ensue in the backseat should the kids overhear the teller asking about said lollipops.

So here are two pics from a day I gave in ;)

Great-Grandma Annie Turns 85!

2008-08-08T18:38:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we made a trip up to NJ to celebrate Grandma Annie's 85th birthday. We had a surprise party for her at a local Italian restaurant. No, it's generally not good to surprise an 85 year old, my she's in good health. She was very surprised and it was so much fun to have Jake & Sarah visit with their Great Grandma whom we don't get to see very often. Many of our family who was there had not seen us in almost 2 years, so it was basically a family reunion.

Oh, and the guy holding the kids in all the pics is my little brother, Craig.

Enjoy the pictures!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...Time for Big Kid Beds

2008-08-08T17:46:00.003-05:00

Eric and I have been lucky in sleep. Jake & Sarah have always been decent sleepers. At birth, they shared a crib for 3 months. They shared a room with cribs until almost 4. They shared a room w/ toddler beds until a month ago. We finally decided it was time to buy them big kid beds and give them their own rooms. Jake loves this...Sarah, well, she hasn't slept thru the night since :(

Anway, we did have their bedding handmade by a woman in Michigan. My friend told me about her. Her name is Betsy, and she does great custom made quilts and accessories. We talked via email about the different patterns and once we decided on the perfect pattern, she made each child a quilt, sham, pillowcase, accent pillow and lampshade, all for a price that was way beyond reasonable! I love the fact that Jake & Sarah have one-of-a-kind bedding. It's pretty cool and way more affordable than Pottery Barn Kids.

If anyone is interested, you can check out her website: http://www.littleangelslinens.com/lal/Default.aspx

Oh, we did a typical "girly" theme for Sarah's room and a "surfer dude" room for Jake.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I'll Love Ya Tomorrow...

2008-08-07T20:29:00.002-05:00

"It's only a day away!" These are the words that have been resonating through our house for the last 2 days. On Tuesday, while at Target picking up a birthday gift, I wound up buying more than I had come for. One of these things was the anniversary addition of Annie (only $9 and one of my alltime favorite kid movies!) I intended to hold onto it for the kids to watch when they were a little older. Well, they found it! And I gave in to the whining to "watch this movie please, mommy!" So we watched....and they LOVE it! I must admit that I love that they love it.

I can remember being around 7 or 8 years old and when friend would come over, we'd go down to the basement and act out Annie. My sister and I actually had the soundtrack on a record (yes, seriously, a record). We would sit down there for hours and act it all out. Fighting over who got to be Annie and who had to be Daddy Warbucks. Then we'd go upstairs and torment our parents by making them watch our rendition of "It's a Hard-Knock Life". Ah, the memories!

So just because your kids are only 4, they may love a movie like ANNIE :)

LBI, NJ...Summer '08

2008-08-07T14:45:00.008-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted. This summer has gone by so fast! We've been busy w/ camp, swimming at the pool and of course visiting family and friends. In July, we took a trip to the beach (Long Beach Island, NJ) to visit Grandpa Frank and Grandma Margee. Taking two 4 year olds to the beach is much easier than taking two 1 or 2 year olds. It's definitely getting easier to manage as they get older. The water was WAY to cold to actually swim in. I think the temp was around 62-64 degrees each day.

While in LBI, Sarah & Jake got to see their first play...Snow White! It was a little play done at the SurfLite Theater right in the center of Beach Haven. We also took a trip to Do Me a Flavor for some yummy ice cream. And of course, we went to Fantasy Island so the kids could ride the rides. Unlike their first trip to Fantasy Island in which they screamed and cried on the rides, the LOVED everything this year. They even went on their first roller coaster. Jake loved it, but Sarah said, "I don't like that ride, I won't go on again".

At the end of the night, we stayed for a few minutes to watch a children's DJ. He had the kids singing and dancing to Wiggles, Barney and other fun kid songs. I'm posting a video of the kids doing the chicken dance. It was too funny!

Hope you are all enjoying your summer!

GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!

2008-04-29T21:58:00.004-05:00

That's Right! Jake & Sarah started soccer lessons on Sunday thru the HUGS (Helping Us Grow in Soccer) program (http://www.spisoccer.com/programs/hugs/index_E.html). It's a 5 week program designed to help children learn the fundamentals of soccer in a fun way. The kids were separated by gender (we didn't realize this) and Sarah jumped right in and followed all the directions given by the girl coaches. Jake on the otherhand, was not into it :( He sort of hung around on the sidelines w/ Daddy.

About halfway thru the lesson, Jake started to cheer Sarah on. I noticed another little boy playing with the girls and I asked Jake if he wanted to play with his sister. He said yes! He immediately started to participate and did very well. The girl coaches were great with him. I think he just wanted to be with Sarah. She has always been the more "dominant" twin and he very much looks up to his big sister (by 1 min). He didn't follow her around, but just having her near must have been comforting for him.

We'll see how next week goes!

FCMOM Spring Carnival 2008

2008-04-29T21:51:00.003-05:00

Saturday was the annual FCMOM (Fairfax County Mother's of Multiples) Spring Carnival. As social chair, I was in charge of planning and running this party. It was a great time and the weather even held off for the first 2 hours of the 3 hour party. I was definitely grateful for this!

Jake & Sarah had lots of fun playing the different games, playing on the playground and Sarah even had her face painted. They also had fun paling around with their friends, C&K, another set of twins their age.

My How They've Grown

2008-04-29T21:44:00.002-05:00

Back in the fall, I totally thought I would be able to give my friend one of our Little Tykes Cozy Coupe cars. My sister (Aunt Jeanette) bought J&S their own little cars for Christmas the year they were 20 months old. The kids have loved them ever since. I really thought that by this summer they would've grown out of them and moved on to more "big kid" type outdoor toys. Um....no! Jake especially still loves crusin' around in his super cool cozy coupe. I snapped some pictures the other day and thought it would be fun to do a "that was then, this is now" comparison.

Dinosaur Park Playdate

2008-03-31T20:55:00.002-05:00

Last Tuesday was such a nice sunny day, we thought we'd meet up with Harry, Jack & Cyndi and show our friends the Dinosaur Park (aka, Ashburn Park). The kids had a great time running around and enjoy their friends, the park and the weather. Unfortunately, they didn't wear themselves out enough to nap :(

Playdate Pool Party

2008-03-31T20:48:00.002-05:00

Our great friends, Jack & Harry were visiting last week with their Mom and Dad (who has business in the area). This is a monthy playdate we have with them and we are so thankful for that time with them. The kids are only 8 days apart, so we thought we'd have a party. We met them @ their hotel and had a little pirate pool party. The kids enjoyed exchanging gifts, and of course, SWIMMING! Mostly they like going in the "warm pool" aka, the hot tub ;) Don't worry folks, it's not TOO hot.

Jake & Sarah turn 4!

2008-03-31T18:51:00.009-05:00

Yesterday was Jake & Sarah's 4th birthday. We celebrated by taking them to the Laurie Berkner concert. For those of you who don't know who Laurie Berkner is, she is a great children's singer with some very catchy tunes (http://www.laurieberkner.com/).

I'm posting a clip of J&S dancing at the concert. Also, check out the pics of them just being cute before the concert. Oh, and gotta love Jake aka "flashdance" wearing Sarah's headband LOL.

We spent the weekend visiting with Omi (Eric's mom) and Poppa (Eric's grandpa). We also celebrated our nephew, Justin's 3rd birthday with a great party at his house.

Picking a booster seat

2008-03-09T14:10:00.003-05:00

I had no idea what a huge undertaking it would be to find a car booster seat for my kids. Since 5 months old they have been riding in the Evenflo Triumph Deluxe and have been quite comfortable. Well, I had no clue I'd have tall kids otherwise I would've bought carseats with bigger height limits. The Evenflos we have have a 40 lb and 40 in. weight limit. S is already 42 in. and J is 40 in and therefore we are at or exceeding the height limit. However, they are both still under 35 lbs.

The search began about two months ago...seriously. I first asked for advice/suggestions from the various mom's groups I belong to and from the online parenting boards I belong to. I heard about the Apex, the Costco, the Radians, the Britax. Then I started looking at the different makes and models on-line. I used http://www.car-seat.org/ as a resource for all things carseat. This is a great site giving information on any and all carseats and how they fit in cars.

I had decided the "big kid" seats we would purchase need to be many things including: safe (having passed safety crash tests, etc.), 5 point harness for a high weight (60lbs or above), smaller than the regular carseats, preferably lighter to travel with and comfortable for my children to sit in. Using these guidelines, I narrowed the choices down to the Britax Regent, the Sunshine Kids Radian 65 (or 80) and the Safeguard Go.

Then I went to a local Right Start store and put S, the taller twin into various seats. The Britax Regent was crossed off the list immediately after seeing it. The seat is heavy, bulky, and just flat out enormous. Britax had renamed the seat Regent, the orginal name was the Britax Husky. Neither of my kids can be classified as husky. Then we tried the Safeguard Go and it just wasn't tall enough for S.

Drumroll please.....We have purchased the Sunshine Kids Radian 65. The seats had everything we wanted: great safety ratings, 5 pt. harness to 65 lbs, it folds to 7 inches wide for travel, it is a slender car (you can fit 3 in a back row), and most important, the kids find them to be very comfortable. They are somewhat expensive (not as much as the Britax) and they can be used from infancy on which is another great plus. I wish they had been available when J&S were babies.

Here is the seat: http://smartmomma.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=32_77&products_id=349

As you can see J&S love their seats, and now there is finally enough room for someone to ride in between them in the back seat.

A Hint of Spring

2008-03-04T22:46:00.002-05:00

Yesterday and today have been absolutely beautiful temperature-wise. After ice storms, and temps in the 30's, we have been blessed with two 65 degree days. After naps yesterday we spent 2 hours playing outside with neighborhood friends.

Today, we decided to check out some of the new animals at the farm. We live about 2 miles from Frying Pan Park & Kidwell Farm, the only working farm left in Fairfax County. Spring time always brings new baby animals to the farm. Today we saw some calves, baby sheep (can't remember what they are called) and piglets. Too cute!

After checking on the farm animals, we headed over to the playground. Here are some pics of J&S on the climbing wall as well as pics on the farm. Their little friend A joined us.

Now the beautiful weather seems to be gone. As I type, I'm listening to the downpour of rain :( Oh well, spring will be here soon enough.

When it rains....

2008-03-02T17:54:00.002-05:00

It Pours!

J&S started preschool in September and have been loving every minute of it. They have been blessed with two wonderful, caring teachers that have taught them so much already. What we didn't see coming with preschool was all the illnesses.

Let me give you some background...J&S have been generally healthy kids. About 1x a year, we all get the stomach bug (yuck!), and up until this year, they had each only had 1 ear infection (i believe from the pool). Sure, they've had their share of colds, but nothing more serious.

Since preschool began, J has had a nasty stomach bug that half the class and one teacher got. Somehow me, E and S were spared! They've had too many coughs and runny noses to count. In December, about 10 days before Christmas, they both had ear infections. S ruptured her eardrum and was on breathing treatments for 4 days for wheezing. After a horrible Christmas 2 years ago (horrible b/c the kids were so sick) I vowed that we would keep to ourselves, not go to too many public places, etc, all in hopes to not get sick before the big holiday. Thankfully, by Christmas Eve, everyone was happy and healthy!

Then came the new year :( It is March 2nd, only 2 full months of the year complete and S has already had an ear infection. But compared to J, she was spared. A few weeks ago, J was running a fever and not feeling like himself. The dr. diagnosed him w/ an ear infection (that was a Tuesday). On Friday, we had to take him back to the dr. because he was having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic (no more ceftin based meds for him...see pic). The hives continued about 3x a day for a week which we were warned could happen. The dr. said the ear looked better so we didn't start any new meds. J continuted to be very lethargic and just lay around. His fever was about 102 for days! On Saturday I took him back in and they said his ear was still very much infected and gave us a new med to try. They also said he had some masses of stool in his bowel (the kid's got constipation issues). The NP wanted to see us back on Monday. By Monday, he was still running a fever and it was day 4 of him just laying around (my poor little man). They FINALLY did some blood work and sent us for a chest xray and sure enough, he had pneumonia! It took 4 trips to the doctor and we saw 3 different doctors...no one caught it. They gave him a shot of meds and continued him on the antibiotic for 10 days. He felt better almost immediately.

We had to take him back for a check up and the mass of stool was still there :( So we were told to give him an enema...seriously, not fun! It was horrible and didn't work. We were sent this past Friday for an ultrasound of his organs...all checked out fine. Basically, he's constipated. We started him back up on the miralax and he seems to be doing well. We had weaned him off it 2 months ago and he was doing well. I think all of the antibiotics may have constipated him. Oh, and did I mention that he has yet another double ear infection???? UGH! We now have to take him to see an ENT. Oh, and S has another ear infection too :(

If you made it to the end of this post, bless you! I'm just hoping that next winter isn't as bad and that spring brings some healthy kids! Like a friend said, by Kindergarten they should have immune systems of steel!

I'm adding a pic of J when he was sick :(

Long time no blog

2008-03-02T17:47:00.003-05:00

Once again, I have been the absent minded blogger. We had a great Thanksgiving here in VA with lots of family. Christmas for us, as always was a whirlwind. We had everyone for dinner on Christmas Day, and for 10 straight days we had company! It was fun, but exhausting. I felt like I was running a B&B ;)

Here are some pictures from Christmas. J&S were REALLY into it this year. They love the idea of Santa, but are still too afraid to sit on his lap. We don't push the issue ;)

Summer Vacation - OIB (packing list included)

2007-11-11T08:20:00.000-05:00

In late August, we took the kids for our annual vacation to Ocean Isle Beach, NC. We are very blessed to have a friend who lets us rent her gorgeous beach house for a very reasonable price.

We went down for a whole week, and my father and stepmother joined us.

It's amazing how much more independent they were versus last year. J definitely loves the ocean, he's a crazy man! S loved hanging on the beach collecting seashells and making sandcastles. She also LOVED being buried in the sand.

One evening, we took J&S to Myrtle Beach for dinner and to go to the amusement park. I never thought my kids would be brave when it came to rides, but they begged to go on just about everything!

I'm already looking forward to our beach vacation next year!

Now for the list (keep in mind, J&S still use pack n plays):

2 pack 'n plays

2 pillows

2 blankets

*plus any things the kids "must" sleep with.

1 bag of toys

1 bag of coloring books & crayons

2 bathing suits each

2 beach towels

1 bag of sand toys

1 bag of snacks (i bring some ziploc sandwich bags for goldfish, teddy grahams, etc)

1 monitor (depending on the type of place you are staying)

3-4 outfits (let's face it, if you pack 7 days of outfits, the kids will wind up wearing the same stuff, so why bother!)

jogging stroller

beach umbrella

beach carts

sunscreen

pull-ups

wipes

underwear

swim diapers

straw and sippy cups

Yup, that's it. It still looks like a lot, but really, we've pared down a ton. If you look @ the 6 month list, I don't even know how we unpacked all that stuff!

hope this helps you!

-D

It's been a year...

2007-11-10T23:40:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe it's been over 1 year since I last posted. I'm so sorry for not keeping up with this. I wanted this to be a place where people could go to get advice, see how my family did it with twins, etc. So here we go again...........a quick update:

My DH (darling husband) started a new job last October. We had a fantastic Christmas, J&S really understood what was going on, which made it even more fun.

In March, we celebrated J&S' 3rd birthday with a Dora & Diego fiesta! It was a blast. We had about 12 little ones running around the house. To make it "authentic", we catered with food from Anita's (a mexican restuarant)...we had a taco bar, mini taquitos and mini quesadillas.

The rest of the year went by pretty fast. I'll be making some new posts with more milestones and updates. Enjoy!

-D

Busy with 2 1/2 year old twins!

2006-09-26T20:45:00.000-05:00

I'm so sorry I haven't put up a post in a while. Life has been crazy. We are finally getting over the hump of the terrible two's (I think...I pray). We are currently on vacation in Ocean Isle Beach, NC and are having some beautiful weather. Unlike last year when we were evacuated after 3 days due to hurricane Ophelia. I have realized while packing for our NC vacation each year, the list is becoming shorter the older the twins get! This is such a good thing. If you look @ my packing list for 6 months old vs. 17/18 months old, you'll notice some differences and a shorter list. Wait until I post the list for 2 1/2 year olds...it's hardly anything! It's great. We put the pnp's on the roof along w/ towels/linens and we could see out the back window in the Explorer! That hardly ever happens ;)

Hmm..what else is going on? E (my husband) got a new job, so life is going to change (for the better for the most part). His ours will increase somewhat, but we will be able to breathe more financially. It's going to be a big change for the kids, as they will not really see Dad Mon-Fri each week...and that's sad...made me cry, but I know he'll spend plenty of time with them on the weekend. Even now he only sees them about 1 hour a day during the week.

J started speech therapy 2 weeks ago. He's doing surprisingly well. The therapist is amaze at his attention span. During both sessions he sat w/ her at the kitchen table and followed all of her directions. (I could hardly believe it myself).

Other than that, we are visiting playgrounds, musical shows (like Oh Susannah and Rocknocerus) and doing playdates. And of course, because I love Christmas, I'm already gearing up for the holidays.

What I want to know from the few of you that are reading my blog (thank you by the way). What do you want to read more about? give me some specifics and I'll come up w/ some new posts.

Have a great week!

Schedules & Routines

2006-08-02T17:29:00.000-05:00

One piece of advice I received from my mother (also a M.O.M.), was to get J&S into a routine and on a schedule early. We took her advice and it has worked very well for us.

From the very beginning, we kept them on the same feeding schedule. In the middle of the night, if J got up to eat, S was woken up to eat and vice versa. This went on for a while until we realized that J was able to sleep thru a feeding, therefore sleeping longer at tight (at around 8 weeks).

At 1-2 months old, J&S just seemed to almost naturally fall into the same daytime sleeping pattern. We had the "sleep where they fall" motto then. If they slept in the pnp, swing, blanket on the floor, bouncy, wherever, that is where they stayed to nap. At night, they ALWAYS slept in their crib (which they shared the first 3 1/2 months).

Around 4 months of age, we began putting them down for naps in their cribs. J was great with this. We just laid him down, and that was it, not a peep. S on the other hand, gave us a run for our money. I really didn't think I was going to make it thru naps in the early months, but I survived. S took about 2-3 weeks to get truly transitioned to crib napping.

By 4 months of age, J&S were on the exact same schedule...sleep, bottles, heck they even had their bowel movements at the same time! (TMI, i know). We've kept it this way ever since. At 28 months, they still eat 3 meals a day, 2 snacks, 1 nap, and sleep 12 hours at night, together. Occassionally, S will wake up early from a nap, and of course we have the occassional night when one is up crying for whatever reason. But for the most part, the routine and schedule has remained in place. It has been a lifesaver and has kept both me and my husband sane. We do loosen the reigns a little more these days...we don't HAVE to eat at exactly 5:30...6pm is okay too. And we don't HAVE to get them to bed at exactly 7:00pm.

Honestly though, in the beginning, I was VERY VERY VERY strict about our schedule. If we were invited out, or were thinking about running an errand, if it interfered with the schedule, it just didn't happen. Six months of rigidness was worth it in the end.

Okay....that was a lot of rambling...hope it all made sense!

Beach Packing List (6 month old twins)

2006-07-09T13:27:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd skip ahead a few months and do this post. We took the kids to Ocean Isle Beach, NC when they were 6 months old. We went for about 6 days. It was a 6 hour drive w/out stops, so about 7 hours. They were great in the car. We chose to leave at their bedtime (8pm) and just drive thru the night. Other family members were a few hours ahead of us with their pack n plays, that way they were all set up once we got there.

So here is the list:

Baby and Beach Equipment:
cribs (pnp)
portable high chairs
exersaucer
1 bouncy seat
travel swing
bottles
bottle brush
formula
diapers
wipes
quilts (2) - to put on the floor to play
toy bag
teething rings!
Baby food (veggies, fruit and rice cereal)
Pacifiers
Diaper bag
Sunscreen
Jogging stroller
Bibs (regular and plastic)
Spoons/bowls
Beach tent
Baby pool - we filled it w/ water on the beach
Beach cart
Beach umbrella
Boppy pillows - to chill out and drink their bottles in
blankets

Baby Clothes:
bathing suits
towels (about 4)
washcloths
onsies (5 each)
long sleeve outfits
long pants
hats
socks
sleep sacks
pj’s
coupons for formula (just in case)
**i did bring a pair of shorts or two, but they mostly hung out in onesies.

Sleeping Arrangements...the early days.

2006-07-02T20:35:00.000-05:00

**disclaimer: these are my opinions, they are not the 'right' way or 'wrong' way...just how I did things with my twins.**
That's always everyone's big question...where did/do they sleep? Before I was induced, we had 2 cribs set up and their nursery was ready to go. We knew they wouldn't sleep in separate cribs for awhile, but we set both up anyway.

Many people will use a pack-n-play (pnp) in their master bedroom for the first few weeks and/or months. My mother gave me some advice and, being that I value her opinion greatly and she is the mother of twins herself, I took it! She told me that we should have them sleep in their own room, in their crib (shared) from day 1. That is exactly what we did. We had video monitors set up in the room, so not only could we hear them, we could see them. They were only down the hall, in a very open townhouse that you can hear EVERYTHING. For that reason alone, we didn't bother using the monitor after the first night. The damn thing kept us awake w/ all the static and just normal humming that monitors do.

We ALWAYS heard them. And yes, it wasn't fun getting up every 2-3 hours to feed them, change them, reswaddle them, etc, but I just think that E and I were able to get more sleep than if they had been in our room. From the day I gave birth I suddenly became a light sleeper. I could wake up to the slightest noise. If J&S had been in our room I probably would've been an insomniac.

Now, I know that this is not the "norm" with new babies, let alone first children (child), but it's what worked for us. Most people think it's "strange" or "odd" that we never had the kids regularly sleeping in our room in the beginning. But they slept better and so did we.

We did use a pnp in our family room for "napping" (i use the term loosely at that age as they napped ALL the time)...check out the picture. I think the pacifiers are bigger than them :) That was the only week J ever used the paci...S on the other hand....now that's a different story for another time.

Coming home from the hospital

2006-06-29T17:14:00.000-05:00

My husband and I were very blessed that our twins did not have to spend any extra time in the hospital. We had them on a Tuesday, and came home Friday. I still remember it was April 2nd, and it was a rainy, dreary day. We bundled J&S into their little infant carriers (even @ 6+ lbs, they still looked so tiny) and got ready for their first car ride home. My mom, whom was staying with us for a bit (she came on Monday, left the following Wednesday), drove my truck, I sat shotgun, and my dear, 6'1 husband climbed into the backseat in between the carseats...that was not comfortable for him, but after having a c-section, there was no way I was climbing back there.

We arrived home about 25 minutes later to our townhome and life would never be the same. Within 10 minutes of our arrival, our families that had driven down from NY or flown in from NY started arriving. Oh my gosh, what chaos. And honestly, if I had to do things over, I would make sure that NO ONE was at my home for at least the first week. My mother, fine, mother-in-law, fine...but that is it. At one point, I remember my mom (who was wonderful!) telling us to go take a nap. Well, when you have 9 (yes 9) adults in your home, being noisy, talking loud, how am I supposed to sleep???

Just the stress of being a new mom, getting used to these new additions, figuring things out...I didn't want or need an audience. Admittedly, those first few days home were tough on me emotionally. The idea of twins doesn't really be 'real' until they are there...living, breathing beings that depend souly on you for care and make everything okay.

The sleep deprivation definitely didn't help either. We were told to wake J&S up every 4 hours at night to feed. The great thing was, when we first got home, they were sleeping those 4 hour stretches. As the nights went on with us waking them in 4 hour intervals, they began waking every 2 hours, go figure. Within a few weeks they were on a 3 hour feeding schedule, and that was easier to handle. I nursed the twins simultaneously until they were 3 weeks old...then I just decided I couldn't emotionally and physically handle the demand. Again, nursing any infant (singleton or multiple) is a personal choice.

It was hard, stressful, but also a great experience. Having these two beautiful babies that were created out of love was a joy. We were thrilled to have them home with us, happy and healthy.

So that is my 2 cents on that!

My Sleep "bible"... I mean, guide :)

2006-06-28T22:07:00.000-05:00

Here it is! Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth, MD. If I wasn't married, I would marry Dr. Weissbluth. He is my sleep guru!

My uncle and his wife turned me on to this book. I've heard of "Becoming Babywise" by Ezzo and "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" and of course, "The Ferber Method" or "Ferberizing" (as they say in Meet the Fockers). My uncle's good friend, a medical doctor, recommended this book to him and I'm so grateful he passed this recommendation on.

Now granted, I didn't follow it word for word. I admittedly never read the book cover to cover. I skipped the first chapter which was all statistics on sleep and sleep habits of infants and toddlers, and got right to the good stuff. It shows how to get a baby into a schedule and routine based on the child's natural rhythms. You know, the whole, sleep, eat, wakeful time, sleep, eat, wakeful time, etc. Dr. Weissbluth also stresses that infants should be put to bed sleepy, but not asleep. This was not always possible. I mean, if the kid is out cold, the kid is out cold. But for the most part, we stuck to this. We have never rocked our children to sleep (we have had to get up when they are sick or something is "off" to rock...but I'm talking about to GET them to sleep initially). This helps infants learn to self-soothe and to put themselves to sleep. It may sound "mean" but it's really not...it works!

My son slept thru the night (9 hours) at only 8 weeks old. My daughter took longer, but by 4 months was sleeping 10 + hours a night without waking. Dr. Weissbluth also has some great info on naps and nap schedules. Napping was a little more difficult for S (daughter), than for J. Maybe the boy/girl difference? who knows. To this day, J is still the better sleeper all around.

At around 6 months, my twins were taking 2 - 2 hour naps per day and sleeping 12 hours at night. This type schedule continued until they were 18 months old, at which time they dropped a nap. The transition to one nap a day was not fun, but the "yuckiness" didn't last long. Now at 2 years, 3 months, the sleep almost 12 hours at night and take a 2-3 hour nap each afternoon. It's heaven!

Well, enough babbling...I'll get into more detail about sleep and schedules soon! Hope you enjoy!

PS-Baby 411 gave Dr. Weissbluth an A!

"Must Read" books for MOMs and Mothers

2006-06-25T13:45:00.000-05:00

Let me just say that there are TONS of pregnancy and child rearing books out there. I'm going to just give a little sneakpeak into some of the ones that I enjoyed. Everyone gets "What to Expect..." books, and they are great, but really aren't relative to twins or higher order multiples. In fact, I think there are only a few pages dedicated to twins.

There are tons of books on twins and higher order multiples, but honestly, I just peroused them. I didn't want to be scared by what "could" happen. My fave (being sarcastic) was the one by Jane Seymour...I'm sorry, I just couldn't read it. I didn't want to hear about this hollywood actress and her 10 nannies raising 2 kids. (sorry if i offend)

One caveat about these types of books is that you tend to freak out if your body is "doing or at" the same place the book says it should be. Does that make sense? I learned after a while to just throw the books out the window and do what came naturally. These particular books, I did find 100% worth the purchase and read.

PREGNANCY SUCKS: What to Do When Your Miracle Makes You Miserable
*This book was a no holds barred look into live as a pregnant woman, no matter how many children you are carrying. I loved how honest the author was in reliving her good, bad and funny moments of pregnancy. This is mostly a funny look @ pregnancy, but also has informative, accurate information as well.

BABY BARGAINS:
This is definitely in my top 5 must haves. Baby Bargains is not a read word for word, cover to cover book. It's more of a reference book for all the tools and supplies you will need when you become a parent. The best part is that each item has a list of pros & cons, as well as a rating from A+ to F.

BABY 411:
This was my baby "bible" during their first year. I swear the book has every question and answer you have right there and easy to find. It's not a read word for word book, but rather a Q&A type book. It's split into chapters such as feeding, sleeping, solid foods, first aid, vaccinations, etc. Baby 411 is the ULTIMATE must have! (i think i've bought it for all my pregnant friends...so if you're my friend, and you tell me you're pregant...I'll probably buy it for you ;)

Baby Gear Lists

2006-06-24T13:35:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows that you need tons of stuff when you're having twins or more. Someone (can't remember who) gave me a great list for the "must haves" for twins. I made some adjustments and suggestions. I thought I would share:

Baby Gear/ Furniture
2 Car Seats
2 padded head rests (fits into infant car seats to keep babies' heads from rolling)
1 Stroller (double)
1 Crib (later 2)
1 Crib mattress (later 2)
Diaper bag (backpacks allow for hands to be free)
1 swing (later 2 if they like it -- a portable swing is a great option)
1 bouncy chair (2 later if they both like it)
1 changing table (optional)
1 Front carrier
2 sunshades for car windows (adhesive film-type recommended)

Clothing / Diapering
8-12 receiving blankets (some moms recommend up to 20)
4-6 One-piece outfits
4-6 One-piece pajamas (zippered is easiest to get on and off, buttons are cute but really hard to undo and do up)
4-6 shirts until umbilical cord falls off
4-6 pairs of sock/booties
2-4 Fleece outfits / sweater or jacket: for winter
2-4 bonnets or caps: for summer
2 pairs mittens
Diapers 4-12 packs in various sizes
Wipes
Diaper ointment / powder (pure cornstarch type powder)
Sealable trash can (Diaper pail) Diaper Champ takes regular trash bags

Feeding / Bathing
8-12 Bibs (velcro not tie kind are much easier)
1 Breastpump & breastmilk storage bags
1 Nursing pillow (they make several for nursing twins)
14 Bottles & nipples: For breastfeeding moms, one or two bottles and nipples might be nice to have on hand. Dad can use them to feed your breastmilk to baby if you need to be separated from him/her.
1 Bottle brushMicrowave bottle sterilizer (if bottlefeeding) **I recommend using the sterilizer bags from Medela
1 container for measuring out premeasured formula.
Newborn tub
4 Washcloths
20 burp clothes (clothe diapers work great)
Soaps & Lotions (make sure you read the warnings…some are made for 3mths +)
4 towels (hooded or not)

Sleeping / Safety
2-4 pacifiers (don't get too many, and get different kinds to see what babies prefer)
1 Waterproof crib/mattress liner (2 later)
2 sheet savers ULTIMATE CRIB SHEET(6 eventually)
4-8 Fitted crib sheets
12-20 Receiving blankets (cotton)
2-4 Halo Sleep Sacks (these are great for after the babies are out of swaddling, but need to be warm)
2-4 fleece receiving blankets are also nice
2 baby quilts to lay them on the floor
Baby Monitor ( I highly recommend the video monitors. They are expensive, but worth every penny!)
Smoke alarm / carbon monoxide detector for baby's room
Small lamp or Nightlight for baby's room
First Aid kit
· ky jelly· Pediacare
· Tylenol
· Bandages -- assorted sizes
· Triple antibiotic ointment (small tube)
· Bandage pads (for places that bandages don't fit or areas that are too big for bandages)
· Gauze
· First-aid tape to hold bandage pads and gauze in place
· Cotton swabs -- keep in a small plastic bag to prevent contamination
· Digital thermometer
· Nail clippers
· Tweezers
· Emery boards (great for the sharp edges of the nails)
· Scissors
· Alcohol wipes
· Alcohol
· Nasal aspirator (the hospital will usually send you home with 2)
· Medicine dropper and spoon (Tsp and ML)
· Temperature tester
· Ipecac syrup
· Mylicon drops (non-staining formula) *Walmart has equate gas drops..much cheaper!
· Vaseline
· Saline Spray (for breaking up nasal congestion)
· diaper rash ointment ·
· Sunblock (check with Pedi for safe age to start using it usually after 6 mo.)

For Mom/Miscellaneous
Nursing bras
Breast pads
Breast shields (not everyone will need...consult a lactation consultant)
Cream for NipplesPanty Liners / Pads
1 Camera and lots of film (or a large memory card for digitals)

Extras and for later
1 COOL mist humidifier
1 Pack n' Play (maybe 2 later)
1 rocking chair/recliner1 play mat/arch
1 Mobile (1 while they share a crib, later 2 if they love it)
1 dome playmat (2 later if a big hit) *we only needed 1
1 Exersaucer (2 if a huge hit) *we only needed 1
1 big calendar from an office supply store. Use it to record milestones so that later on if you do a baby book, you'll have all the important dates.

Preparing for the "BIG DAY"

2006-06-23T17:27:00.000-05:00

There are so many things to do before the "big day". I had to pack a bag for the hospital. I actually packed 2 bags. One for labor/delivery and one for the recovery. It seemed that I really didn't need much of what I brought, but it's always better to be prepared. I had nice postpartem/breastfeeding nightgowns, but decided I didn't want them stained, so I just wore the hospital gown. Here is a checklist for your hospital bag (it includes items you will need for your baby/babies):
http://pregnancyandbaby.com/pregnancy/baby/Customized-labor-bag-checklist-234.htm

I used this easy-to-do birth plan creator to make our birth plan. The birth plan is a great thing to have when you get to the hospital. Depending on how you arrive, already in labor or ready to be induced, you may forget certain things that you want done during the birth. Have a plan allows everyone (dr's, nurses, other family) to know what's going on and how YOU want things to flow.
http://pregnancyandbaby.com/pregnancy/baby/Birth-plan-creator-241.htm

Remember to make a list of telephone numbers. I did two lists. One was "important #'s". This included my OBGYN and our pediatrician. The second list had all the telephone numbers (home, cell, work) for our parents, siblings and close friends. We had our close friends spread the word to other friends. Our immediate family spread the word to other family members.

How I became a M.O.M. (Mother of Multiples)

2006-06-23T14:15:00.000-05:00

My HS sweetheart and I were married in January 2001. After 2 1/2 years of marriage we decided to start trying to get pregnant. We were very fortunate that it didn't take long. I found out I was pregnant in August 03, with a due date of April 11, 2004. We were very excited. Then we got the BIG news. My husband and I went in for my 20 week ultrasound. It was our first. That is when we found out we were expecting twins. We also found out that it was a girl and a boy.

After 8 weeks of modified bedrest (just to be cautious...multiples= automatic high risk pregnancy), I was induced on March 30th 2004. Unfortunately or fortunately, not sure which anymore, the twins were born via c-section. S, a baby girl, was born first and weight 6 lbs, 4oz and was 18 inches long. J, our boy, was next weighing in at 6lbs, 11oz and 18 1/4 inches long. We were very thankful that there were no complications, and we all left the hospital 3 days later.

And that is where we began the ride of our lives...

About this blog

2006-06-23T14:09:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to write a blog for a while now, but just didn't know how to get started, or what I wanted the blog to be about. It finally came to me...I spend most of my days now consumed with raising my 2 year old twins, so why not write about my daily trials and tribulations with them? So that is what I'm doing.

This blog will give you the whole truth and nothing but the truth about raising twins and any children (whether singletons or multiples) for that matter. I will not lie, skirt around or sugar coat anything...promise. I think that's what bugs me most. Other mothers and other mothers of multiples are always telling me "it will get EASIER". Don't lie! It never gets easier...it gets better, it gets "different" but never easier. No one said that raising children was easy.

I want this blog to be for new moms, expecting moms and other mothers of multiples. I plan on giving ideas, unsolicited advice ;) , and schedules that have worked for me and my children. I like to think I'm pretty organized and run a smooth house.

Hope you enjoy!!!