Things I wish I knew the first year...

1. No matter what you think at the time - no matter how sleep-deprived and crazy you feel - this time honestly does go so fast. You will miss it sooner than you think.
2. Colic is not the end of the world - hold that dear baby while he cries.
3. First smiles are the best. There is pure happiness in that baby's gummy grin.
4. Babies love to stare and stare into your eyes. Don't be too tired or too busy to let him.
5. The terrible twos are not so terrible - so quit worrying about it and enjoy the moment!

What are yours?

 

A 16 mo olds messy diaper is alot worse and I'm sure it only keeps on getting worse! God knows how to break you in gently and he's definitely got a sense of humor!
Great thread. Thanks

 

It really doesn't matter if that load of laundry doesn't get done today, or there's a few dishes in the sink.....this day you'll never get again with your babies.

 

If you think taking care of two infants is hard, wait until you have two screaming, running, demanding toddlers!

 

They cry when you leave to JUST GO TO THE BATHROOM because they love you and miss you.

 

Don't sweat the small stuff sometimes babies are just slow reaching milestones.

You really don't need 8 hours to survive.

If your tired sleep while they do cause they aren't going to sleep later.

The simplest thing make the best toys.

It's okay for the living room to look like a toy store

 

Remember to take moments to just hold and look at them.

If you want to go get them from the other room-do it is your schedule too.

Eventually they will learn to sleep.

Sometimes if one gets off schedule, it is nice to spend the time with just the one while the other is sleeping-and do not feel guilty.

Breath-the chaos should be "normal" for a while.

Livingroom as a toystore? My whole house feels like a toys store-only the ones you go to after a really big sale where lots of kids come through.

Oh well, currently we are hearing things out of their mouths that we did not expect to hear for a couple of years. so, appreciate the baby sounds and smells. Soon they will smell of play and peanut butter. which is not too bad either

Oh-Yes you can do this, you will do great and even when you make "mistakes" they still love you-why? Because yuo are the MOM!

 

Mine are four already-a GOLDEN AGE for me, I am sooo loving this age. I freely admit that I don't miss the colic or long for the sleepless insanely busy infant days...so here is my advice from a bit of a different perspective.

1. Don't beat yourself up for not treasuring the moment when your house is a mess, you are unshowered, exhausted and trying to comfort two crying babies. As time fades, you will remember the smiles and the firsts most prominently...and you'll feel like a supermom for weathering the difficult times.
2. Take help whenever it is offered--because as much as you really do have to let things slide sometimes, you'll feel so grateful and pampered when your laundry is done (by your MIL), or your best friend brings you a lasagna.
3. If you have a partner, make sure there is a good division of labour, in household chores and in caring for the children. Share the work and the love.

 

Even though you think you will remember exactly when they first smiled, rolled over, etc. write it down on a calendar or something. I am so shocked and sad that I can't remember the date that they did all these things, but I guess I was more tired than I thought!!!

 

Sing as much as possible - anything you say can be put to music. They love being sung to. Even if it's about how we're changing stinky pants or eating peas.

Cribs make great cages when you need to vacuum or shower or anything like that and want a safe place for kids to play. Stick them together, toss in a couple toys, and be sure to peek in with peekaboos every few minutes. They don't even notice that you're being productive.

Retired church ladies love to help out, but you need to let them know. Once they know, help arrives all over the place. Thank God for grandmas.

 

The experts aren't really experts, even the ones who have twins themselves

You can't force a short napper to become a long napper, and don't believe anyone who says you can

Pediatricians give great medical advice, not necessarily great parenting advice

If you have identicals (or even just same sex twins, early on) caption their photos with names ASAP so you aren't playing guessing games later