A (Rare) Two-for-One Special

I’m not sure how the cost of having twins versus two singletons would compare across a twenty-two year span (factoring in the present value of money and a compound savings rate, of course)…

…but buying two pack-n-plays, two cribs, double the diapers, double the milk, double the shoes – not spread out over any span of time – sure makes it seem like multiples cost more.

Of course there are those precious economies of scale that never cease to delight me, most often found in the produce aisle. My girls split a banana every morning, and they often share oranges, and apples, and pears.

I’ve often pondered about feeding one child…either Mommy would up her fruit intake considerably, or I guess we’d stick to a lot of collectives (like grapes and berries) or things that save well (like melon and pineapple). [Do such ponderings mean I need a hobby???]

Twins also provide for the optimal utilization of bucket swings at the park, at least up to a certain age. One smaller baby would get so easily lost in one of those swings, I imagine…but back-to-back with her twin sister, our girls are snug as a bug (also resulting in one of my very favorite twin pics!).



This week I was overjoyed to realize another (rare) two-for-one special.

We made our semi-annual trip to buy shoes for the girls. They’ve consistently been a half-size off from each other, but they’ve been growing at least a size every six months.

This go-round, though, they both only grew a half size…SO…we only had to buy one new pair!

Having “fairness” issues like I do, though, I immediately started to feel a little guilty…but even my guilty side loves a bargain.

I bought the same style of new shoes for Baby A as the girls have been wearing, so she and her sister will still match. I’m thinking a pair of new shoelaces for Baby B, and no one will be the wiser.

Cha-ching!!!

Fab 5 Friday...and ME!

Hubby has been on Spring Break this week, which is pretty fabulous in itself! We’ve jam-packed the week with numerous appointments and some fabulous family fun…I can’t believe it’s Friday already!

1) The weather has been pretty nice this week. The girls and I have gotten out for walks almost every day…AND Daddy has been waiting for us at home to help unbuckle strollers and take off shoes.

2) We went on a 170-mile round trip shopping adventure on Tuesday, and the girls did GREAT!!! It wasn’t exactly relaxing, but got all our errands accomplished with very minimal fuss, and I dare say we all had a pretty great time!

3) I carried Baby B to the dermatologist on Wednesday, as she’s really been struggling with dry skin. I was SO proud of her…her chin quivered a couple of times, but she didn’t cry even once! (That's a HUGE improvement over any doctor visit she's had in the past year, at least!!!)

4) When we were leaving the dermatologist’s office, I told B that she had been such a big girl that she deserved a lollipop from the basket on the reception counter (her first). She immediately said, “And Sissy!” (I love how the girls always look out for each other.)

When we got to the car, I unwrapped the lollipop, intending to let B have a couple of licks, like an ice cream cone. Instead she popped it right in her mouth, like she knew just what to do. I let her enjoy it for a minute or so before I told her we needed to go (and I ate the rest of it...hee hee).

I forgot about the second lollipop in my bag until we were putting the girls to bed that night. Out of nowhere, B exclaimed, “I had a lollipop!” I couldn’t help but laugh at my blabbermouth…and then I changed the subject quickly before I had to explain why we wouldn’t be sharing the other one before bedtime.

5) During our bedtime routine earlier in the week, Baby A began a little soliloquy. “I love you, Mommy…I love you, Daddy…I love you, Sissy…I love you, Sasha.” And then she finished it off by saying, “I am happy.” Melt.my.heart.

And what did I do for ME this week???

As part of my resolution to start dressing more nicely in and around the house, I spent some time…ALONE…shopping this week. I shopped for me, and only me. I can’t remember the last time I went to the mall and didn’t so much as browse through one of the children’s stores!

My shopping trip was rather fruitful. I scored three pairs of casual Capri pants, a couple of new sweaters, and several sundresses. I certainly wasn’t shopping for sundresses, but I couldn’t resist. I don’t expect to be wearing them around the house exactly, but they’ll be great for casual family dinners and jaunts to the yogurt shop this summer.

I think I’m standing up straighter already!

The Art of Subtlety is Lost on Two-Year Olds

Over the past week, the girls have made a couple of observations about their dear ol’ mama that have been less-than-subtle.

Certainly I appreciate their attention to detail, and their interest in my every nook and cranny…but geez, girls, cut your mama a little slack!

I had on my first pair of shorts for this spring. Baby B was checking them out, along with every bump and bruise and freckle on my legs. She made her way to my knees and said, “Mommy knee have crumbs!” I’m pretty sure she was telling me I needed to shave!

A day or so later, Baby A was crawling on top of me on the couch. She reached down my v-neck t-shirt to inspect my bra. “It’s fluffy,” she declared. Why yes, honey, Mommy’s bra is “fluffy”. Thank you for noticing.

Of course I couldn’t help but laugh…although there may have been a tiny little piece of me that wanted to cry, knowing I have years of brutal honesty ahead of me.

Oh, well, the girls’ new phrase, “Mommy cute!” every time they see me in a change of clothes will cure a world of hurt for a long time.

A Question I CAN Answer

So I’m not really sure when having children really gets “easier”…but I can definitively say that it just keeps getting more fun!

In the throes of those newborn days, my neighbor – whose daughter is two years older than the girls – told me, “Once they start sleeping through the night, it will get easier…and then it starts to get fun. And the older they get, the more fun it is.”

For me the “fun” first started when the girls began to really laugh. There is so much joy in a chubby baby’s laughter, and I had such a fun time figuring out new triggers to fill the house with their raspy chuckles and high-pitched squeals.

And then the girls started to play with toys. Finally, I thought, something to “do” other than read and sing! (Don’t get me wrong…I love to read and sing…but so many days I’d feel like my vocal chords were just going to wilt!) The girls would squirm all around the floor and grasp and teethe on plastic cups and balls. It was such simple fun, and I remember thinking, “Wow, my neighbor wasn’t kidding!”

And as the girls got more mobile, they began to play more and more.

And then they started communicating. It was fascinating to me – and so rewarding – to watch them put new baby signs into use. And it was so incredibly fun! This leant us a whole new world…looking out the window and signing bird, squirrel, airplane…going on walks and signing dog, cat, and car…and reading books together, pointing and signing the pictures on the pages.

The girls’ breakthrough in sign language was followed pretty quickly by them beginning to say words, and I thought that was the most awesome stage of all…to pick up when they began to say a new word, and see the joy on their faces when we understood them.

As their communication skills evolved, the girls began to employ their imaginations…and how much FUN is it to pretend to eat their “choc-it chip” cookies, drink their lemonade, and go shopping (in the den) for pineapple??? It’s just amazing to me to watch the evolution of the scenarios they invent and the new uses for toys they create…I never know what they’ll come up with next.

These days, the girls love to read and dance and sing and play. It’s so much fun for us to take them to dinner once a week, or for a frozen yogurt treat on Sunday afternoon…to walk a couple of blocks, hand-in-hand in the neighborhood, or take them to run free on the soccer fields…to build the highest tower of blocks ever known in our den, or to see them “squish” their hands in finger paint.

The girls laugh at us, at themselves, and at each other (which is perhaps the most.precious.thing.EVER.), and we in turn laugh at them.

Every month or so I have found myself thinking, “Yes, THIS is my favorite age.” And I tell my neighbor almost every time I see her how she was so right.

I do chuckle to myself from time to time, though, wondering how long this trend will continue.

In some far corner of my mind, I’m mentally preparing myself for the Law of Diminishing Returns to kick in at some point…as I’ve rarely heard anyone say, “Oh yes, the preteen years are just a blast!” :)

When Does It Get Easier???

I don’t think I’ll ever forget slipping away for a quick lunch with one of my best friends when the girls were about six weeks old. Over chips and dip and salsa I just cried to her…I was really struggling with breastfeeding, and bottle-feeding, and formula, and rice cereal…I remember feeling so helpless, like no one could give me an answer to help me navigate my way.

She listened intently, nodding her head and telling me she understood my frustration. But she didn’t have any answers for me. Maybe because I was so hopeful she’d at least have some suggestions, her “I know you’ll figure it out,” frankly felt a bit unsympathetic.

She moved on to describe a challenge she was facing, whether to let her then-nine-year old son give a Valentine’s Day card to a girl that said, “I like you.”

Her story made me laugh, and got my mind off of my woes for a few minutes, but I couldn’t help feeling it was insignificant to something so critical as providing sustenance to my children.

Several months later, I revisited that lunchtime conversation in my mind (and later laughed about it with my girlfriend). It occurred to me that she may have been ultimately saying something I’m coming to realize myself…

“It doesn’t get easier; it just gets different.”

The first couple of months after the girls were born were hands down the hardest months of my life.

I was trying so hard to figure out so many things, things I had no experience with…and times two, at that. At the time I didn’t personally know anyone who had twins, so I found myself feeling doubly alone [no pun intended].

Things started to level out a bit when the girls were about three months old and started sleeping through the night. That’s definitely when “things got easier”. I’ve since said a hundred times, I can do ANYTHING on a full night’s sleep!!!

Twenty-seven months in, I can say that often, when something gets easier, a new something rears its head as a challenge.

The girls began to take sippy cups = YEA! But they started to walk (also YEA!), but that meant I had two babies running in different directions.

The girls learned to feed themselves = YEA! But that meant I lost control of the spoon and found myself with much more mess to clean.

The girls are talking more and more = YEA! But they’re also challenging their mama’s authority from time to time.

While many things have gotten easier, it seems the challenges are often more complex…leaving me to occasionally think those newborn diaper blow-outs weren’t so bad!

Yes, it’s always something…and my guess is I’ll feel that way for the rest of the girls’ lives to some degree…

…but that’s what keeps me gainfully employed as a parent, and that’s just what I signed up for!

Anniversary of a Milestone Week

Hubby’s Spring Break starts today. Can I get a HALLELUJAH?!!!!!!!!!!

We don’t have any big plans, but we’re hoping to do a few fun things in and around town.

I was just thinking back to this week last year, when we had the same game plan…no big plans…but I remember that week as being full of so many fun milestones.

We took the girls shopping for their first pair of shoes.

While we were at the mall, we fed the girls lunch in a restaurant for the first time, off the menu. We were so awkward, carrying their high chairs in with us! I also had a bag of food to supplement what we ordered, including two avocados…can you say messy?!!! The girls were still taking bottles, too, so I had to heat those in cups of hot water.

And when we got home with our shoes, of course we had to take the girls for their first walk in the neighborhood, hand in hand. I remember they were a little freaked out over the feel of grass under their feet, but they were otherwise so proud of themselves, and we of them!

That week we also transitioned the girls from their carriers to full-size [rear-facing] car seats. I know that is so much more comfortable for them, but sometimes I STILL miss the convenience of loading up those carriers in the comfort of my kitchen and swinging them over my arm.

Later that week, we took the girls for their very first taste of ice cream at a local dairy barn. It was met with mixed reviews…I think they wanted to like it, but my guess is that the cold was too much for them.

Time is such a funny creature. In some ways these events seem like eons ago (bottles???)…but in other ways, I can remember like yesterday the girls at once wanting and not wanting that ice cream.

This week, we’ll make our bi-annual shopping trip for new shoes. I’m certain we’ll buy something very similar to the girls’ first two pairs – basic lace-up tennis shoes. At 27 months, Baby A still can’t be trusted with Velcro for more than a moment.

While we’re shopping, we’ll have a nice lunch, but the only “supplement” I’ll be packing is some fresh fruit to round out the girls’ meal.

Weather permitting (PLEEEEEEEEASE!!!), we’ll spend some nice time together outdoors. The grass doesn’t intimidate the girls anymore, though. In fact, they love to RUN on it (especially if there’s a soccer ball in sight!).

We’ll load the girls in their still-rear-facing car seats for an anniversary trip to the dairy barn. They’ve decided they’re rather fond of ice cream (!!!), and I’ll bet they’ll be all about seeing the cows this year.

And what other milestones might we cross this week? Well, we’re planning to shop for a swing set for the backyard!

We’re looking forward to a fun, family-focused week. I can’t begin to imagine what Spring Break will hold for us next year…only time will tell!

Fab 5 Friday...and ME!

Lots of fabulousness going on at our house this week!

1) I let the girls finger paint on Thursday, even using three different colors of paint. We talked about the “rules” beforehand…your hands touch ONLY your paper, nothing else. I was so proud of the girls for following directions! They had a great time, and I didn't even break a sweat!

2) We were rushing on Thursday night to get the girls’ baths, as they were very tired. Baby B took her bath first, so her hair had a chance to air dry. I was worried that Baby A’s hair would still be wet at bedtime, though. I asked if she wanted to try Mommy’s hairdryer, and she said she did. She giggled when I blew air on her hand, and then she sat so still – for a good five minutes – while I dried her hair a bit. I can’t get over what a big girl she was!

3) I don’t know what the context was, but I heard Baby B say to her sister while they were playing this week, “Bless your heart!” Now that’s my Southern girl!

4) Baby B told me she found a “hair” in the den. I went to take it from her, and realized it was one of the cat’s whiskers. I told the girls what it was, and I let them feel it against their hands. Baby A got a worried look on her face. “Mommy, go put it back!” Put it back where? I asked her. “On Sasha’s face!”

5) There is a mention of jelly beans in one of the girls books. To date they didn’t know what that was. (When I was sneaking some jelly beans from the pantry a couple of weeks ago, one of them asked me what I was eating. “Beans,” I told them without hesitation.) I bought some jelly beans [I am addicted!] at the grocery this week. I decided to let the girls try one. I cut a nice red one in half…and then I decided to cut it again, afraid of a choking hazard. So my girls have each had ¼ of a jelly bean. They ate it very tentatively, but their faces were soon beaming. Baby B got a wistful look on her face and said, “Like a cookie!” Hahaha!!! Hey, don’t get too attached, kiddos…the rest of that bag is for Mommy!

And what did I do for ME this week (besides indulge in jelly beans!)???

In keeping with my hobos-no-more vow, I finally invested in some nicer bags. To date, I’ve shuffled around a number of different bags…usually a diaper bag and one or two smaller black canvas bags. One canvas bag usually contained a subset of the diaper bag, and one served as our “restaurant” bag, holding our high chair covers and wipes. It was a tawdry assortment.

I am now the proud owner of a larger utility bag with all sorts of great pockets, an insulated medium-sized bag, and a purse…which all match each other AND happen to coordinate with my diaper bag!

The bags are floral- and paisley-type prints, and I somehow feel like that puts me in a different “mom” category…like I’m somehow now – finally – a Stay-at-Home-Mom. But hey, they look great in the back of my mid-size SUV! Hahaha!!!