Double Trouble

[DianeC]

Hi all

I have posted some recent photos of Harry and Bronte on photobucket and have looked at all your photos as well - my have they all grown and so beautiful!!!!

Promise to pop in more often

Di

[sameera]

buckeyegal - Thank you so very much for taking time and responding to my message. I know it will be hectic and what not but like you said things will work out!

I just wasn't sure if i should quit work or not..because i want to be able to help my dh financially - i dont want him to be the ONLY one stressing about financial stuff or anything else..

But my paycheck would totally go to the daycare if i did work so i dunno if it's best for me to quit or not.. i just haven't made that decision.

I do want to breastfeed and it was different with my daughter but with two I wasn't sure if my body will be able to produce enough for the babies or what not..

but you seem to have a lucky schedule and seems to be a super mom handling everything! amazing

Thanks again for all the information.

Sameera

[sugabeanzs]

Sameera: I too had that decision to make about work. Since it is twins and an infant child care is like 600-700 a child my whole pay check would go to day care as well. Thus, I will not be going back to work in the fall. I am a teacher so I will take a few years off and go back eventually. Just gotta keep up the certification. My husband is still in school and working so it is hard financially. We have great family that I know would be there to help us if we need it but it is not easy with gas and food costs going up up up.

We have to buy a new car sometime soon. My husband has a F150 (bad gas mileage and does not fit family) and I have a Honda Civic which is OLD. So, we are thinking of trading in both cars and getting just one since I will not be working...any ideas ladies?

[buckeyegal]

Sugabeanz....no car advice here. We're driving two old cars ourselves (one also being a civic)...I'd love to get a new one....but with prices on everything going up, we just can't do it right now. Just one thing about one car--will you be able to get out/about when DH is at work? I know a gal who is literally TRAPPED in her house every day because they only have one car. She's about to lose it....poor thing is stuck at home with two kids--she can't go to playdates, the grocery, anything....just something to think about.

DI!!!!!!!! Yeah yeah yeah! I'm so glad to see you back! I thought maybe you'd forgotten about your old friends over here. Haven't heard from you since your big move! How's the new house? How did the kids handle the move! I'm so glad you checked in---Happy Birthday to us this weekend! Our party is on Saturday (the 14th). It's mostly family and a few close friends--only about 25 people. Plenty for sure. OMG--Harry and Bronte have grown up so much! Harry's really got blonde hair, doesn't he? They're too flippin' cute! Yeah to Harry for walking! So Bronte's cautious? My two don't know what that means. Braeden isn't walking yet either, but he's content crawling everywhere. I hope you have a great party on Saturday! Pop in more often now. We missed you!


I'm running ragged over here right now. Trying to clean, get food ready, etc. for the party--hard to do with two toddlers. Luckily my dad is coming over to help with the kids tomorrow, so I should get something done! We got our 1 year photos taken today. I'll try to post some soon on the bucket. THey turned out really cute. On a bad note, I'm SICK! I got a nasty sinus infection, so I'm all drugged up. Hoping to kick it by Saturday.....praying that E and B don't get it....argghhhh!

Hope the rest of you are well.

[kimberli]

Hi Ladies,
Sugabeanz- ARe you stateside? IF so see if you have a Carmax anywhere near you. They sell used cars thave have been thouroughly inspected and come with warrantees. Plus the sticker price is the price. No haggling. I was looking online the other day at them b/c we are eventually going to need something bigger like a minivan and I was curious as to how much they costed. I was surprised to find low mileage ones for about 15,000 or so. I bought my chevy cavalier there 7 years ago and had a very pleasant experience.
Sameera- I've decided to stay home as well. I am a special ed teacher aide and my paycheck would basically go to childcare and I'd rather be the one raising my kids then someone else. I figure by the time they are 4 they'll go to preschool and then once in kindergarten I'll go back to work.
I have my c-section Friday. Wish me luck and give me any advice you can think of. I'll try to post as soon as I can although it may be awhile.
Kimberli

[Sarah V]

Buckeyegal I hope you have a great party and Kimberli HOW exciting, all the very best with the c-section I am sure it will be great
Girls I am very interested in the car and work talk. I only got a new job in November (which I love) and will not make it to my 1 yr anniversary, that means I only get 6 months maternity leave (12 wks paid for) I cant imagine wanting or even being able to go back to a full time job after only 6months, so I hope I can get some contract or part time work through my employer later on.
We also need to buy a new car, I bought a 2 door sporty coupe at Christmas time that I love but it so needs to be sold..... argghh

I had a question, and it has probably been asked before but I would apprecaite your perspectives (well those that are already twin moms).
Breastfeeding. This is the only thing about having twins that I think will be hard. I am keen to exclusively BF though and have been doing some reading and have ordered the Mothering Multiples book from my local library.
From what I have read it is possible to exclusively BF but it in many instances the babies weight may be compromised for some time. Now I know all the benefits and would really like to do this but I dont want to be so bloody minded about BF that I forget the bigger picture.

How have you mommies found it ? Have you bottle, BF or managed a combo between the two. I also dont want to overplan myself into a corner either... and will have to wait and see but it would be nice to hear your experiences?

[sameera]

Thank you ladies you guys are such a great help!!

Yeah, I think i am gonna stay at home and we will just have to some how manage for a little while till the babies are older.

Kim - Good luck with your C-Section - hope all goes well and you get your healthy babies do keep us updated whenever you can.

Sameera

[buckeyegal]

Kimberli--good luck tomorrow! Wow--you've made it past 37 weeks. That's INCREDIBLE!!!! You'll probably be busy for a while but check in with us when you can. We LOVE to hear about all the new babies!Your babies birthday will be one day before mine!

SarahV--wow--we american mommies are jealous of the maternity leaves you gals get! That's really an awesome deal. I would have normally just gotten 6 weeks paid, but since I'm a teacher, I got to wait until school was back in session, so I got 10. Even that was a stretch. As for the bfing issue, I think you're smart to get the Mothering Multiples book. I've heard (now--not when I needed it!) that it's a good one. I believe it was written by a woman who lives about an hour away from me! I actually spoke to her on the phone once---very nice...she's all about bfing though, so I hope she doesn't put too much pressure on you. I think that we've all done so many different ways of feeding--and you know what?---our babies are all healthy and doing great. So, no matter what you end up doing, keep that in mind. I wanted to exclusively bf, but my babies were under 6 pounds so their pedi made me supplement with bottles. Now, I probably could have fought back, but I just wanted them to be healthy, kwim? I did the combo of bfing and bottles for about 8 weeks. (I found the combo method to be VERY time consuming....frustrating for sure) Then I tried to exclusively bf. But then I had to go back to work....so then it was bottles. It worked for us, and to be honest, my boobies felt a ton better once I weaned them at 12 weeks! Ironically enough, they started filling out a lot more then too. Feeding was DEFINITELY the hardest part for me, but for others, it hasn't been so bad. It will work itself out somehow for you! Good luck!

kholtan--I posted our most recent pics on the bucket! We got our ONE YEAR pics taken yesterday....Braeden fell in love with our photog, so he was all smiles!

[kholtan]

Wow! Mommies have been busy around here! So many things to go over!

First of all. . .Welcome back Diane! Your babies are soooo sweet. They look the most alike for b/g twins out of all the b/g sets for sure. Seems like they really grew since we saw them last. Fill us all in whenever you get a minute to do so. I was so happy to see you again and I'm anxious to here how the move went ect. . .

Kimberli~ Congrats to you and dh! you must be excited beyond words right now just waiting. You have done so well and must pat yourself on the back for sure. These first days will breeze by but just try to take it all in slowly and enjoy meeting your babies. Take lots of pictures and set objects next to them that you can compare to later to see how small they were. I only did that once but wish I had done it more. Those first few weeks were the sweetest time of my entire life and I just cannot say enough how amazing it will be to fall in love with two new people tomorrow. So happy for you! Report back when you can! We love new baby pics!
As far as cars go. . .We have a Chevy Tahoe that I got last year and love it. We opted for the bucket seats in the center and it makes the car seats so easy to move around in there. My Land Cruiser took a digger so I spontaniously bought the Tahoe and love it. It' harder to get the kids in and out now because it site pretty high but doable. At least I don't drive DH's jacked up Ford F250. That thing is rediculous to load the children into! Since I stay home as well, loading the back of the Tahoe is super easy and I can get a ton of stuff in there even with strollers.

SarahV~ Wow 6 months! That's great! I know it seems early but by then you can have a plan of attack already figured out and you don't have to rush. Good luck no matter what you do. Like I said about the car thing. . .I'm a new fan of the Tahoe. Not to mention, it has a million bells and whistles that are super fun to play with!
At 9.5 months I am still exclusively breastfeeding my twins so it is very doable. I took a class at the hospital on breastfeeding multiples and found out that it's not only possible but many people do it successfully. Going into it I had the mind set that I would not fail at this. Some moms simply wanted to try it or do it as long as they could and were really relaxed about the idea of how long. My thinking was that I had a main goal of 18 months and baby steps along the way. Since I knew I wanted to be successful with it I just kept tyring different things until I found my own stride. My babies were 34 weeks and only 4+ lbs. but they started nursing from day one and although I had to pump while they learned and feed in a gavage tube what time they wouldn't nurse I just kept going. When my nipples were cracked and bleeding I just kept in mind that it will pass. My babies are small but so are their father and I. They have always had enough to eat and there are many ways you will know this. Mine would stop eating when they wanted to because they did it under 30 minutes. They always continuously swallowed and I could see milk in their mouth around the lips. Plus, they have always been on a steady curve upwards with no huge jumps and my Pediatrician says that is what we want.
Pumping sucked! I hated it and at 2 months I quit because I wasn't happy with all the work it took. Pumps also never worked for me and I found that the easiest thing for me was exclusively bfeeding. Of course, the dilemma to this is that mine do not take bottles but we have never needed one yet and they drink from cups now anyway. YEAH! I loved it and still do. It ahs been worth every single second of work and the benefits far outway anything else for me. Having said that, I would not have thought of myself as a failure if it didn't work. It's work at first but for me it was all worth it. The double pillow is also a must! Good luck!

Kim~ OMG! Adorable and look at that svelt mommy! You look so thin! Good job! I must be packing on your lost weight. Yeah! Have you been avoiding the storms? Hope the weather for your party turns out nice. Pics of course! I'm trying to nurse Bodie while I type and he keeps kicking the keyboard and laughing! Little devil! Good luck on the party.

Sameera~ Have your pains gone away? I hope you are feeling better. AS far as the first year, well we are 9.5 months into and so far so good. We have managed with no help at all ever and have loved it that way. My personality is better for that and although you will have to get a routine of your own you can certainly do it and with happiness. I know it sounds cliche' to say but we just never entertained the idea of not succeeding on our own. We were both very optimistic and tried not to get overwhelmed. It wasn't always effortless but we seriously had the best time together doing it. Dh was great with the babies but had no time off since we own the business so that left me, me, or me. Breastfeeding made it easier for me. The hastle of bottles and cleaning the pump was too mcuh so I 86'ed it. It will come to you and just have faith that you can do it. We are all here to ask a million questions along the way!

I better run since I think I have written a novel! Whooops! We are headed to the Oregon Coast i the morning and I haven't packed a thing. Have a great weekend everyone!

K

[buckeyegal]

Ooh, to you new mommies! Kholtan just reminded me of something....

My girlfriends got us a HUGE panda bear when the babies were born (panda bears were a thing with my sorority). Every month, I have taken a pic of each baby with the panda. Now, I have a cute album for each baby showing how they've grown. It's so precious to see how they've grown....I'll have the books out at our party.

Kholtan--have fun at the coast! I hope the babies like boating! Yes, we've avoided the MAJOR storms, but I'm sick of hearing thunder and tornado sirens for sure. We've had a couple of close calls, but Thank goodness we've missed them. Party is saturday! Rain in the morning, but it's supposed to be clear in the afternoon! Yeah!

[kholtan]

Kim~That is an adorable idea about the panda bear. Should have thought of that about 9 months ago! Never too late!
This weekend at the coast the babies won't have to go near a boat. We are riding our stand-up jet skis in the surf. It's insane fun but not baby friendly. The nice part is that they can have their blanket of toys and all the stuff they play with out on the beach and I can take them for walks in the stroller. They love the sound of the ocean so hopefully naptime continues on as normal. We are having some BBQ's with friends at the beach and at the beach house so hopefully it will be a very relaxing time and a mcuh needed break.
Hope there are no sirens at your b-day party. Stay safe! I jsut keep hearing about more and more storms every day. Did you see the house get washed away on the Today show the other day? SCARY!!!!!!! Can't imagine loosing everything.

Since I have absolutely nothing done I better run!

Happy Birthday to Braeden and Ellie!!!!!

[sugabeanzs]

Hello ladies! Lots of posts to look through!

Buckeye: I like the idea as well. We have a giant Eeyore that we are probably going to do that with. Our cars just are so old and the engine in my civic was HORRIBLE so it was time.

Kim: Good luck with your Csection!!!

SarahV: We ended up getting a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Used 2005 with only 13,000 miles on it. Nice, leather seats, sun roof, automatic everything, etc. The people before had a dog so there are a few scratches but most should buff out.

Kimberli: Yes we have carmax, none near us but I did look online. THanks. But we found a GREAT deal at a dealership. I looked at comparable models and years on carmax and we got a better deal through the dealership! So woohoo!!

Is this normal? INSOMNIA! I literally get like 4-6 hours a day and just can not sleep! So annoying!

[sameera]

Kholtan - you are so postivie and have such a amazing attitude! Yes, I know i'm stressing and worrying myself thinking about how we are going to manage now but I am sure when they are here - it will just come naturally and all will work out

Yes, my pains are gone now - so wierd though! I don't feel that pressure anymore.. I did call my OB about being dizzy and lightheaded and she said it's common in pregnancy and not to worry about it. Just to drink lots of fluids and such..

But I do drink like tons and tons of water!! that's why I have to go to restroom like ever 15-20 mins!

Oh well - currently the headaches are the worse - I get these severe headaches and usually i could lay down for few minutes and take a nap - they are gone. But i dont have that luxury of doing that at work - so that kinda sucks...

Kim - Good Luck with your C-Section! and Happy Birthday to your babies!!!

My DH wants to get a Van and I don't want van - I told him I could go with Chrysler Pacifica LOL but he keep saying I need to get off my high horse and just get a van - I don't even know what I want anymore..

I have to get babies room ready too!!

How's everyone else doing?
Sameera

[buckeyegal]

Just popped in to see if there was any new baby news! I hope Kimi is doing okay....

Di--how was the birthday? I hope your two had a great day! I just can't believe how different our lives are from one year ago....wow!

Our party went great! The kids were in great moods, Braeden loved his cake--Ellie not so much. They got some fun outdoor gear to play with, so we should have a LOT of fun this summer! I got all misty eyed just thinking about a year ago..... While I LOVE this stage in my babies' lives, I do miss those early days (minus the sore nips and the sleep deprivation of course!)

Kholtan---hope your trip went well! We leave for Lake Erie on Wednesday. WE'll be there for a week. Can't wait!

[tolbee]

Hello All!
Sorry to be MIA... I am sooo busy ever since DH went back to work. When they are napping, I run around the house like a mad woman trying to do laundry, preparing dinner, washing bottles etc... By the time DH comes home, I am pooped out. But then my twins are extremely wiggly eaters and I am the only one who can successfully feed them. So, my DH cannot help much in terms of feeding, which sucks bad for me! But all is well. My DS has gotten used to having the babies around and it's so cute they smile at each other now.

Kim, Happy Birthday to Ellie and Braeden!!! Cannot belive your twins are 1 already. So quick. Mine are 4 months now. They are over 15 pounds (Noah's almost 17lbs) and growing very quickly. They are big babies considering I am 5'4". My DH's 6'2" so they took after him.

Kimberley - how was Oregon? We plan to find a cute little beach town on the coast over there and go back every summer. That would be a fun family tradition to start. Are you enjoying the warm weather this week?

Well, I hear Alyson making noise now and I must go. Congratulations to new Mommies to be and hope all goes well for you all. The first few months can be challanging but then you find an amazing love and power to care for your little ones. You will find a system that works for you pretty quickly.

Take care!!

Kimi