Getting Out...

So, my mom is staying with us for a month to help with the babies....thank goodness, it's been SO wonderful! We've taken them out a few times to run some errands and man ,oh, man....I seriously don't know how I will do this on my own!! Does anyone else feel this way???!! It's SO hard. Not only are the car seats heavy and really hard to get into the car but then getting the snap n go out of the car and the car seats into them is very hard on me as well. Now, I know I'm not a total wimp here....I used to be really into weight lifting and was quite strong before but wow....my body hurts!

I also find it VERY difficult to shop with the snap n go stroller....getting through tight spaces is virtually impossible and I can't IMAGINE how I will do it when they move to the BOB side by side stroller....no WAY it will fit through the tight aisles in clothing stores!!! How do you all do it??? And by yourself for that matter???
Oh and if another person tells me I have my hands full....I'm going to SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

QUOTE(melissak @ Jan 31 2008, 01:20 PM) [snapback]598981[/snapback]
Oh and if another person tells me I have my hands full....I'm going to SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


:lol: Next time just do it! Their expression will be priceless! :huh:

:hug99: It does get easier. It took me a good three to four months before I was really feeling like myself, and had all my strength back. Plus, now you are probably exhausted from being up with the little ones. :hug99: Yes, it is a big pain to go to clothing stores with the strollers we need, but I just tend to avoid them. So we are at the grocery store ALOT, and the mall is pretty good too. You are doing great! Just don't push yourself if you are feeling tired. :hug99:

 

I promise it will get MUCH easier/better. My mom helped a ton at first and i was TERRIFIED that someday I'd have to do this on my own. But I did and you will - i promise. you'll get the hang of it. Mine are 8 months and it's flown by but I feel a ton more confident. There's a light down there.

 

It took so much longer for me to heal than I anticipated. I had a c-section but was on bedrest for 10 weeks before that, and my body was totally shot.. not to mention what sleep deprivation does to you. But I promise it will get easier. You'll build those muscles from hauling the infant seats and you'll start to think the double sng is so light and manuverable (sp?). I didn't start taking the girls out by myself until they were 6 weeks old and we didn't get into a good 'rhythm' for going shopping until like 10-12 weeks. Now I have my routine down and its no big deal. I also have the strongest arm muscles I've ever had! My back hurts a lot though and I do have a weird tingling in my shoulder blades, but I try not to think about it. I also go to stores where I know I'll fit... and the ones that have nice wide automatic doors. GL and hang in there.

 

Around 2.5 months, I made a point of leaving the house every day as a mental health measure for myself, and found that 'practicing' really helped. I started with walks anyplace I could think of and threw in a couple of experimental shopping trips just to figure out what we could do easily and what we couldn't.

REAL grocery shopping I learned had to be done alone, with the kids asleep (a key reason for the early bedtime) or with DH. For some reason DH never got it that it would be easier for all of us if HE went shopping, but that's another post. Clothes shopping for myself could be done if I was really really fast and shopped at a department store. I have not yet been able to shop for the babies except once at Macy's, because I haven't found other baby clothing stores around here that we can fit into. Hurrah for generous Aunties and hand-me-downs.

You'll start to feel back to normal yourself in a few more weeks, really!

 

I find that i fit pretty much anywhere with my front/back and side by side. I have not had problems yet... I am not a homebody so i get out once a day even if its for a car ride. The more you go out the easier it will get.. I have Arms of STEEL now!!!! and it is hard to lift babies in and out of the car.. But its harder to get the front/back stroller out..It weight like 60lbs all by itself.. Thats why i go the side by side.. and I LOVE IT!

I also hate it when people say "yopu got your hands full" It drives me nuts because they only see the twins not my 4 year old. What would they say then??

 

QUOTE(AshleyLD @ Jan 31 2008, 01:45 PM) [snapback]599033[/snapback]
I also hate it when people say "yopu got your hands full" It drives me nuts because they only see the twins not my 4 year old. What would they say then??



oh thats easy they say: "OH! and are you the big sister?!" "Well at least you have a litte helper" at which point I try to smile and nod and get away before I lose my patience.

sorry for going OT but I live this everytime we go out.

 

QUOTE(melissak @ Jan 31 2008, 11:20 AM) [snapback]598981[/snapback]
I also find it VERY difficult to shop with the snap n go stroller....getting through tight spaces is virtually impossible and I can't IMAGINE how I will do it when they move to the BOB side by side stroller....no WAY it will fit through the tight aisles in clothing stores!!! How do you all do it??? And by yourself for that matter???
Oh and if another person tells me I have my hands full....I'm going to SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I take my combi on most trips, but when I take my BOB and I go to stores like Gymboree or Childrens Place I do not worry about knocking things over, they are the ones who make those aisles that small!!!! I cannot imagine taking them shopping for myself, they couldn't go in a dressing room!!!

And the hands full comment, I don't even hear it anymore...its thru one ear and out the other.

 

QUOTE(excitedk @ Feb 1 2008, 01:47 AM) [snapback]599742[/snapback]
I do not worry about knocking things over, they are the ones who make those aisles that small!!!!


:rotflmbo: My thoughts exactly!

It truly gets easier as you get used to the routine. As long as I have a routine to use as a guide, I do pretty well. I hate being at home everyday so we usually venture out everyday (except in this really cold weather since I'm the one out in it the longest!). When the twins were newborns and I would go somewhere with my DH, I would have him sit in the car while I got everyone loaded or unloaded. That way I got into practice, but had help if I trully needed it. Hang in there!

I use my back to back stroller for trips into stores or confined places, my side-by-side for trips outside.

 

You will get used to it don't worry! I have managed the grocery store and Costco a couple of times alone, but it is no easy feat to steer the stroller and pull a cart.

It's funny, I often go out with them (the mall usually) if I need a pick-me-up because strangers always seem so friendly and the twins lately have taken to "flirting" w/ people, and talking to each other, which is entertaining for me and anyone else nearby!

I do have to be careful in the narrow aisles now though, because both of them grab at things...I swear Donovan has ripped a tag or two off en route! haha

 

QUOTE(melissak @ Jan 31 2008, 11:20 AM) [snapback]598981[/snapback]
So, my mom is staying with us for a month to help with the babies....thank goodness, it's been SO wonderful! We've taken them out a few times to run some errands and man ,oh, man....I seriously don't know how I will do this on my own!! Does anyone else feel this way???!! It's SO hard. Not only are the car seats heavy and really hard to get into the car but then getting the snap n go out of the car and the car seats into them is very hard on me as well. Now, I know I'm not a total wimp here....I used to be really into weight lifting and was quite strong before but wow....my body hurts!

I also find it VERY difficult to shop with the snap n go stroller....getting through tight spaces is virtually impossible and I can't IMAGINE how I will do it when they move to the BOB side by side stroller....no WAY it will fit through the tight aisles in clothing stores!!! How do you all do it??? And by yourself for that matter???
Oh and if another person tells me I have my hands full....I'm going to SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I soooo know how you feel! At first it seemed imposible, and then eventually, taking them out and strolling them around was the only time they would stop crying. So I had lots of practice, when it was warm I would take them for walks, now that its so cold we go to the mall, or wallmart... anywhere wide enough for the stoller. They just love it, and I am reminded just how lucky I am, when I watch all the people cue over my little girls. They are nine months old now, and wow its alot easier than before, only way more heavy lifting, I certainly cant carry both car seats like I used to!
Just be patient, and remember to take a deap breath in the midst of it all.. and you'll do just fine.

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I made a point of taking them out every day the last week my mom was in town. Every day, she helped me less so I could ease into it. The more you go out, the easier it is.

I'm sick of the "hands full" comment too and now just retort "in the best way possible" and walk away. I shop at our Super Walmart and am able to do food shopping and other item shopping all in one stop. Our problem is that it takes a extra 10-20 mins to shop due to people stopping and gawking or asking a zillion questions. I now no longer make eye contact.

A tip for a quick grocery trip...park near a cart and put one baby in the snuggly/Born/etc and one carrier in the cart facing you. As you pick up what you need, no one notices you have twins until they pass you and its too late to say anything to you. You also don't have to deal with the stroller!

Good luck and don't worry, you'll be a pro next month!

 

yeah, i tried to get out to wegmans (a grocery store) a couple weeks ago- put one in the front the other in the cart- where do the groceries go? I ended up leaving- it is almost impossible. i might try one in the bjorn and the other in the cart- it's just such a spectacle and everyone is staring!!!

 

Honestly, my version of "going out" has changed a lot. I realized within the first few months with Evan and James that we weren't going to be jetting off to the mall for the afternoon. If you have one baby, mobility is easier and if one baby gets fussy at the mall or grocery store you just pop him/her in a carrier on your chest or carry him/her in your arms. You can stop and nurse/bottle feed as required on any old mall bench. But TWO babies is a whole different ball game. When two babies are tired/hungry/fussy it's a horrible, helpless feeling to be just ONE mom who can't seem to make anyone happy without all of the props and tricks available at home. So, Evan and James and I take a lot of walks around our neighbourhood (we go at least once a day), we visit a friend with twin boys every couple of weeks (since she has twins too, she's completely set up and she's ultra understanding), and we save our special trips to the mall for the weekends when my husband is available to help. If I need to go grocery shopping, I usually do it in the evening after the boys go down to bed, or I do little trips throughout the week to the store near my house. I'm pretty happy with this arrangement - it allows me to keep my sanity! Of course I'm a little jealous of singleton moms who can hang out at the mall, meet their friends for Starbuck's, grocery shop at the drop of a hat, take their child to a play group but I console myself by remember that they are only greeted by ONE smiling face in the morning...I'm way luckier in that respect!

 

I usually put my items on the rack below the cart. If I have too many items for that, I've pulled another cart along with us. I also always park by the grocery carts so I don't have to get my stroller out. I put one baby in the seat part, the other goes in the back. I have also noticed people working in the stores offering to help me a lot. They'll take things up front for me or offer to get my groceries to the car. I occasionally do take them up on it.

 

QUOTE(excitedk @ Jan 31 2008, 08:47 PM) [snapback]599742[/snapback]
I take my combi on most trips, but when I take my BOB and I go to stores like Gymboree or Childrens Place I do not worry about knocking things over, they are the ones who make those aisles that small!!!!


This is what I don't get - those stores are for children's clothes! How do they NOT know that people are going to be in there with strollers??? Sorry to be off topic, but this has bugged me ever since I had my singleton! It's hard to get a regular stroller through some of those places.

To the OP, yes, it does get easier. I second the idea of wearing one and putting the other in the cart. I've done that several times at Target and it works well.

 

A tip for a quick grocery trip...park near a cart and put one baby in the snuggly/Born/etc and one carrier in the cart facing you. As you pick up what you need, no one notices you have twins until they pass you and its too late to say anything to you. You also don't have to deal with the stroller!

Do you live somewhere warm? I've thought of this, but I live in the Northeast and I don't know how to get one out and into the bjorn without exposing him/her to the cold. If you live somewhere cold, how do you do it. (If you live somewhere warm, you are lucky!)

 

they are right - it gets easier. you just have to DO IT and keep doing it and before you know it you'll be a pro and confident to boot. as far as not being able to fit stroller into certain stores - you learn to live with it. You save those outings for when you can get DH to watch the kids or get a sitter.... it's an adjustment. Oh, and there is always online shopping! good luck girlie....

 

I only go out if it ABSOLUTELY necessary. I went down the street last week and it was MAYHEM. I'm pushing the pram with one baby in my arms and the looks I get from people! sometimes its sympathy but others just curiosity.
Frankly I get sick of being a public spectacle. I get sooooooooooo frazzled when they both get upset that I come home and bawl my eyes out. it's horrible.
I really hate being housebound though.
I also get annoyed and jealous of ppl with singletons. Life would be so much easier with one baby. Guess I just have to tough it out because this is the hand I have been dealt.

So basically i hear you on the - 'this is impossible' thing. And I dont go out often by myself at all.

 

It happened one day when they were about a month and a half old. On a whim, I decided to run to Target to get a few things - it went well and it broke the ice and I feel comfortable taking them out alone now. I haven't done grocery shopping, because like others, I don't know where I'd put the strollers! I have a duoglider and it's pretty easy to set up and maneuver through stores. Sometimes I don't use the stroller and put one in the top of the shopping basket and the other in the actual basket - we get less attention that way because most people don't notice the baby in the basket unless he's making a fuss. It helps that the boys are still at an age where they can sleep anywhere. They are almost always sleeping when we're out running errands.

I also never go anywhere with them alone close to a feeding time! I have no idea how I'd handle that. My hubby and I have gotten really good at taking them out together. If we know we have several places to go and will take a few hours, we time it so that we end up at a restaurant for their feeding time. That way we can sit down to give them their bottles and we get a meal out of the house.

 

I hear you also. It is so hard. I loved going on outings with my other boys before the twins were born. We'd jet off anywhere, meet anyone anywhere, etc... Now I have the twins (10 months, but still in the double snap and go because I'm hoping to use it until it warms up), and a 23 month old and a 3.5 year old. Basically, its impossible, unless I am meeting a friend who only has one older kid... Then I feel like such a burden... I haven't actually gone anywhere entirely by myself with all 4 (aside from church) yet.

But get this, DH has! He thinks its easier to get out, even to Walmart or something, than to stay home with them all. I personally thinks he LOVES all the attention and googling he gets for being Super Dad.

 

I completely know how you feel, you are not a whimp! I never really got the hang of it. My body was so shot after I had them after weeks of being completely immobile before having them and then a c-section that took forever for me to heal from. Not to mention I was 80 lbs heavier than normal so just getting them out of the house period, let alone going anywhere just exhausted me. Now that I have lost all that baby weight I feel like my old self and the little things don't wear me out as much. I have never really seen a need to go "shopping" with my boys. I go grocery shopping when DH gets home and if I want to go shopping for myself I make a day of it for MYSELF and get a coffee and enjoy my time away, while DH stays at home with the babies. If I do take them to Target or something it usually isn't to actually get much accomplished it's more just to get out. Like I said now that I physically have my strength back it is a lot easier to just throw them in thier carseats, the stroller is already in the truck and I pack a diaper bag with some emergency clothes and diapers. When they get a little older it isn't as critical if you are a little late on a feeding. When they are that little you pretty much have to stop whatever you are doing and feed them, which to me was a little unnerving if I was by myslef. So I more addapted to getting things done when I had somebody to watch them than to actually taking them out all the time. Getting them out of the house does naturally become easier as they get older.

 

I guess i really am an odd one i dont really find it all that hard to get out. Sometimes its frustrating....but i dont find it well awful. Matter of fact i try to get out with them as much as possible just to have air.

 

Luckily I have a lot of family around. When I go out (I'm a SAHM) I go by myself. I need the mental relief.