5 things I've learned about raising twinfants

I thought it would be fun to share some things we've learned along the way. No matter what stage you are at, there are at least 5 things your babies have taught you already!

1. It's okay to wear spit-up on your shirt, as long as you can handle the smell.
2. Wearing a bib does not mean food will make it onto the bib.
3. Getting up to feed them every 3 hours doesn't seem too bad until you get used to them sleeping for 5.
4. Bottles are a pain to clean no matter what brand you buy (and at least one will always leak).
5. It is not necessary to snap all three snaps on a onesie, only the outside two.

 

1. We will sleep longer when we want too, and nothing you can do will make us, so just get used to no sleep Mom!

2. You can only force that bottle in our mouth for so long. At some point we will clamp it shut or do raspberries so we don't have to eat. If we get hungry we'll just wake you up in the middle of the night, no worries.

3. Get used to rotating us around the room, cuz as soon as i'm happy in the jumper my brother will be screaming to get out of the bouncy seat. It's that twin thing, we want to make sure you get your workout.

4. Why do you still swaddle me. I'm nearly 20 lbs and can break out of it. When are you gonna learn!

5. I know you want me to sit through baby einstein so you can get something done, but how long do you want me to watch puppets and spinning toys, really?

 

Oh this is funny.

1. I know that you and dad like your "alone" time, but I heard dad say "it'll only take a minute," I thought he meant 1 minute until my bottle! So I screamed until he brought my bottle.

2. Mommy, I know you like to put us in cute outfits- but when are you going to learn that the cuter the outift, the more I'm going to throw up on it.

3. I really hate when you talk to me with that annoying little baby voice, and no, I'm never going to grow up to be a millionaire and support you.

4. Pick a formula and STICK with it mom, did you ever think that changing formula so many times would upset my stomach? So stop taking me to the doctor and just pick a formula and I will get better.

5. I don't like bath time. The toys in my bath tub are horrible, I want to play with paint or something, not learning toys.

 

1. Every baby is different and our dh and I know our babies best - I remember this whenever someone gives me advice.
2. Help is only helpful if it doesn't make me have to redo all the work (ie. putting dirty dishes away from the dishwasher and putting them in the wrong places is not helpful).
3. Nothing makes me feel quite as good as seeing my babies smile.
4. My "special place" to go in my mind when things are uncomfortable (like a dentist appointment) used to be a tropical isle or a forest, but it's now thinking of my babies smile.
5. I don't mind that I don't have the time for a haircut or mani-pedi if it means missing out on some special moments with my boys.

 

I'm still learning here...
1) Anything drive-thru is a blessing... drive-thru food(Wendy's), drive-thru convienence store, drive-thru car wash, drive-thru dunkin'donuts!
2) Nap when they nap doesn't work when they nap at different times.
3) Assembly line baths are great & I never knew how much I would actually use my maternity bathing suit.
4) Exact same outfits & other gifts can be good. Especially when it's the lovey.
5) There is never such thing as a day without laundry being washed.

 

FUN!

1.) I will get through this.
2.) I will get through this.
3.) I will get through this.
4.) I will get through this.
5.) I will get through this.

LOL!!

Okay, for real...

1.) Four treks up and down the stairs = ten minutes on the elliptical.
2.) They are everything I ever dreamed of and so much more.
3.) Who knew that I'd have to buy stock in laundry detergent just to recoup money spent!!
4.) I'm going to have buff arm muscles from carrying around two carriers.
5.) It's oh so important to have a routine and you're even luckier if they follow it!

 

1)Fingerfood snacks (Puffs, Wagonwheels, cheerios) are THE BEST to have on hand if you want us to be happy in our high chairs, strollers, etc... they might help prevent a potential meltdown and keep us busy!
2)You can give us those yummy graham cracker snacks but don't be mad at us if we decide to crawl on your cute green capri pants and wipe our mouths on them and leave cruddy stains behind!
3)We love bathtime...we can cry beforehand, cry after, but in that bath (at least at this stage) we are SOOO happy!
4)When we cry, DISTRACT us with a new toy or object...nine times out of 10 we're over whatever caused us to cry!
5)When you are being a silly Mommy we LOVE it! Unless we're super grumpy.

 

1) You must be directly in front of us, in our line of vison, speaking and using eye contact if you want us to be happy. Period. Shouting "Oooo, you're alright, I'll be right thereeeeee!" from the toilet isn't gonna cut it. Ever.

2)The dishwasher breaking down is a certified reason for crying like a baby and maybe having a drink in the middle of the day. It means you have to wash battles by hand.

3)Vaccines bother you way more than they do us.

4)Yes, we know. Our dear brother "never did this!" and "He was such and EASY baby!". We get it. You say it 50 times a day. Tough. We're girls, we were early and we're different people. You ain't seen nothin' yet.

5) We hate the way Grandad holds us, and we know you can't tell him or he'll get his feelings hurt.


6)
When we smile at you, you won't care about any of the above.

 

QUOTE(Kaie05 @ Apr 22 2009, 05:58 PM) [snapback]1284007[/snapback]
Oh this is funny.

1. I know that you and dad like your "alone" time, but I heard dad say "it'll only take a minute," I thought he meant 1 minute until my bottle! So I screamed until he brought my bottle.

2. Mommy, I know you like to put us in cute outfits- but when are you going to learn that the cuter the outift, the more I'm going to throw up on it.


1) You must be directly in front of us, in our line of vison, speaking and using eye contact if you want us to be happy. Period. Shouting "Oooo, you're alright, I'll be right thereeeeee!" from the toilet isn't gonna cut it. Ever.

Oh my gosh these are sooo true. I think these are imprinted when they are born.lol

 

1. We know you had planned to tandem nurse - we have other plans.

2. Nighttime is for playtime, and a great game is wapping my finally-sleeping brother.

3. Forget economies of scale - we'll demand different diapers, clothes, nipple types, formula, etc.

4. The only thing we won't do at the same time is sleep. Everything else - crying, demanding food, spitting-up - we'll do in concert.

5. We don't care that you have a helper. Only you do things the way we're used to. If you leave us with them, we'll sleep like angels anyway and your helper will wonder what the fuss was about.

 

1. They will never remember what I did to survive the First Year.
2. Leaving them alone for a bit to learn how to play together is okay. I dont have to be their sole source of entertainment all day long.
3. Whenever you think things are getting easier, they do something the switch it up on you again.
4. Going through the drive thru for coffee or food is okay. Even if you are getting them a donut so that you can have some peace and quiet.
5. Begging them to eat doesnt get anyone anywhere. Learning to leave it up to them to decide how much they are going to eat makes everyone happier.

 

:lol:

QUOTE(Kaie05 @ Apr 22 2009, 12:58 PM) [snapback]1284007[/snapback]
Oh this is funny.

1. I know that you and dad like your "alone" time, but I heard dad say "it'll only take a minute," I thought he meant 1 minute until my bottle! So I screamed until he brought my bottle.

2. Mommy, I know you like to put us in cute outfits- but when are you going to learn that the cuter the outift, the more I'm going to throw up on it.

3. I really hate when you talk to me with that annoying little baby voice, and no, I'm never going to grow up to be a millionaire and support you.

4. Pick a formula and STICK with it mom, did you ever think that changing formula so many times would upset my stomach? So stop taking me to the doctor and just pick a formula and I will get better.

5. I don't like bath time. The toys in my bath tub are horrible, I want to play with paint or something, not learning toys.

 

1. Carrying 20 pound babies in their infant car seats does wonders for your arms.
2. It's okay to go to work with spit up on your shirt as long as everyone you work with just thinks you spilled some creamer on your shirt.
3. Matching outfits make it easier to get everyone ready in the morning, even if they end up in totally different clothes by noon.
4. Spending a half hour walking in the sunshine does wonders for a mommy's outlook on life and the fresh air helps the babies sleep better.
5. Using the next bigger size diaper at night so that they don't wake up screaming 2 hours before they usually do just because they are wet does not make you a bad mommy.

 

1. Patience, patience and more patience.
2. I have muscles in my arms for the first time!
3. It´s OK to leave them to cry for 5 or 10 mins whilst I collect myself.
4. I appreciate my free time even more now.
5. If I can handle two babies, I can handle anything!

 

This is soooo awesome.... im gunna go, even though im still learning

1) If you don't feed them when they ready right then and there, they are going to scream like they was physically hurt!!
2) I don't need a shower on any sort of reasonable frequency.
3) My dishwasher leaves a nasty residue on my bottles, so hand washing bottles has become a necessary evil.. one that DH doesn't understand why i hate it soo much or what the big deal is
4) Even if you know they need to burp, and you desperately want them to, they won't do it some days.. Which means as soon as you take the bib off they are going to spit up all over their cute outfit!
5) When they smile it absolutely melts my heart and makes me so happy, and that everything else worth while..

 

Great thread!

1. One smile/giggle makes up for any amount of trouble they caused during the day.
2. Sometimes Mommy needs a time out too (I actually close my eyes and count to 10 and then I'm ready to deal with the crisis).
3. Even little things can make a baby super happy (have you stopped to watch the leaves on the trees blow in the wind- its facinating)
4. The sleepless nights won't last forever.
5. Soon those tiny babies will be big kids and you'll wonder how time goes so fast.

 

Tooo Funny........

1. Its ok to drive all the way to work and realize.......my shirt is inside out and change it at the stop light with a truck next to you
2. Its really funny when they realize there is ONE of you and TWO of them.
3. Your not crazy when you wake up in the morning (1st 3 months) and forget if you fed them and go out to the kitchen to count the bottles LOL........ oh those first months!!
4. " Listen everyone.....when you see me come into the store with two in a buggy and pulling a buggy behind me......please know Im on a mission, stop the questions and get out of my way!!!"
5. Hearing them in the morning babbling at each other and smiling is SOOOOOOOO worth it!!!!

 

1) it is somehow possible to be absolutely convinced of your child's perfection while worrying that he's not hitting milestones.
2) even though you're still getting more sleep each night than you did during the first 2 months, the 4 month sleep regression is far more agonizing.
3) OMG, it really DOES get easier after 6 months. :yahoo:
4) nothing is more aggravating than a doctor with no children reminding you to "make time to take care of yourself."
5) you always thought you knew what happiness was until these two little people came along and showed you that you really had no idea before now.

 

My turn.

1) I never knew I could love two little people sooooo much.

2) Boppy pillows are God's gift to all parents of twins.

3) "Better you than me" is a compliment apparently

4) The best sound in the world is to wake up to my two boys babbling to each other in the nursery

5) I have no long term memory for the bad stuff. Not even a year later and I barely remember the 2 months in the hospital (monoamniotic twins monitoring) or the sleepless nights of the first 5 months.

 

1. The floor is clean enough.
2. There is no such thing as a baby fully dressed in perfectly clean clothes, so don't even bother.
3. Yes, I do have eyes in the back of my head.
4. As they get bigger, your arms get stronger.
5. Crawling is great, walking is even better, talking is better yet, but independence is highly overrated.

 

1) There is nothing more precious in the world, than a sleeping baby. x2 when it's twins. Priceless when it's at the same time!!

2) There is nothing worse in the world than a dr who thinks you are just another "newbie parent" x2, when in fact you have 2 older kids and DO know the difference between baby spit up and vomitting! @@

3) Seeing my older kids interact with my twins makes the years of fertility treatments seem a thing of the past.

4) Sleep is totally overrated!

5) 2 times the food + 2 times the diapers + 2 times the screaming = 2 times the smiles and 2 times the giggles and 2 times the love!!

 

1. a shower alone is but a dream
2. Yah ( i had to walk away for about 2 hours) never expect to finish a task you start that day
3. What one has the other wants
4. There are four truths to life - death, taxes, laundry and dishes

 

I've learned
- That I am not as patient or as compassionate as I thought I would be with my children - in fact I am not at all the mother I envisioned but I still think we are doing a pretty darn good job!
- That parents truly do have "blinders" and your kids, to you, really are the cutest, smartest, most precious babies ever to live
- That the hassle of getting two babies in and out of carseats and in and out of the car and stroller is often worth it!
- That I am so blessed to have a wonderful husband to help me raise these munchkins and that they are really lucky to have such a loving and involved mom AND dad
- That ear infections, and colds, and stomach bugs, and asthma are much worse when they happen to your babies than to you

 

1. hot food is over-rated. :lol:
2. my needs always come last, but that is OK. :umm:
3. I don't hear my children cry at night like I thought I would. I can sleep through it for a while. :huh:
4. I don't feel like I deserve the admiration I get when strangers find out I have twins. I just do what has to be done and I love my kids! :itwins:
5. I adore being a part of the twin community. :grouphug:

 

Wow! This is so fun!! Great lessons ladies!

Me next! Me next!

1- Snap outfits together. That way when you pull one onesie out of the drawer you've pulled out two!

2- It's ok for your drawer to be a laundry basket.

3- FlyLady is a godsend. Flylady.com

4- Instead of worrying about every little mile stone, nap, feeding, it's better to just enjoy your babies. It really is ok to do that.

5- Never make plans. As soon as you do there's a poopy diaper ready to change your plans. (Only one if you're lucky.)

 

QUOTE
2) There is nothing worse in the world than a dr who thinks you are just another "newbie parent" x2, when in fact you have 2 older kids and DO know the difference between baby spit up and vomitting! @@

OK!!!! Can I get an AYYYYMENNNNN!!!!!! Preach it my sista!


QUOTE
1- Snap outfits together. That way when you pull one onesie out of the drawer you've pulled out two

That
Is
Bloody
Genius.
Why have I never thought of that. You are a Goddess, Vivian!

 

hmmm...let's see...

1 -- you will never sleep again...nope, not ever. so stop dreaming about it.
2 -- washing your hair is a luxury, and doesn't need to be done every day.
3 -- some days it's ok to have a drink...for breakfast.
4 -- hearing them laugh is the best sound on earth.
5 -- you will never stop worrying about them.

 

1. Realising that given half a chance, she would eat his smelly dirty nappy!!
2. How great it is to watch them smiling and giggling at each other
3. There are not enough hours in the day
4. However tired, stressed you are, however much you think 'I can't do this', you can and you will find the energy from somewhere
5. Realise that you can not wear your hair long and down if you don't want two babies dangling from it

 

QUOTE(texas beth @ Apr 24 2009, 06:46 AM) [snapback]1286617[/snapback]
hmmm...let's see...

3 -- some days it's ok to have a drink...for breakfast.


Heck Yes, or drink throughout the day lol.

 

Ok my turn
1. People who take double carts at walmart for their ONE child should be shot.
2. It's ok to say "shut up" over and over while they're crying at night, as long as you do it in a nice voice... they won't remember.
3. YOu will miss the baby stage at some point... it's like parenting amnesia, you forget the bad stuff and just want your little drooling butterballs back.
4. It won't kill your child to prop a bottle once in a while.
5. You will make a list of about fifty smarmy comebacks to the "are they twins?" question before they turn 1.

 

These are all sooo true and funny...

1. I can't wait to get away from them for a while...As soon as I leave I wonder what they are doing and want to come back.

2. Once it gets easier....It gets harder again and things are going nothing like I planed when I was pregnant. Twins are hell for an anal person LOL

3. They get board with one thing before I can think of another, and I find myself staring at them when they are crying sometimes at a loss for what to do next. Than I have to yell at myself to snap out of it and do something LOL

4. Nothing is more interesting than what brother has even if he has a shoe and I have a top of the line toy with all the bells and whistles.

5. You can't wait for the next milestone and one morning you wake up and it seems like over night they mastered it and you wonder why you were worried in the first place. Everything they do make mommy so proud and their smiles melt my heart.

 

im still new at this, but....

1. i used to think about how i would never have a moment alone again. Now i cant stand it when i am away from them long enough to snag a box of cheez-its from the kitchen.

2. Becoming thier mother has made me super fiercely protective of them. Even the cat might get growled at if she gets too close. lol

3. i secretly love the fact that they dont want to be away from me when they sleep. i will happily give up half of my half of the bed every night just to get the chance to lay there with them and watch them dream.

4. The world does not come to an end when you wake up to find that when you changed them at 4am, you only actually re-diapered one of them, and the other was left going commando and he took full advantage of it. lol

5. i cannot imagine being more in love with anyone ( besides my DH ) than i am with these two precious bundles. i am in awe of everything about them, from thier perfect little toes to the way they cause my heart to melt when they watch me while they are nursing.


Kenneth-8lbs 4oz
Ian-6lbs 14oz
Born 4-20 at 38.2

 

QUOTE(indisbelief @ Apr 25 2009, 11:25 AM) [snapback]1288102[/snapback]
3. i secretly love the fact that they dont want to be away from me when they sleep. i will happily give up half of my half of the bed every night just to get the chance to lay there with them and watch them dream.


This is one of my fave things! Nothing is sweeter than two sleeping babies!

 

I'm past this, but still remember...
1. A clean house is highly overrated.
2. If they are not crying, they are happy. No need to check!
3. NO singleton parent will ever understand. In fact until he has gone to Walmart with all 4 kids, DH doesn't even get it!
4. Putting my hair in a pony tail EVERY day IS a hairstyle.
5. If I don't stink, I don't shower.