Double Trouble

[kholtan]

Kim~ I hear ya on the SIDS! I never even thought about strangulation but my crib mattress is so snug on the sides I can hardly get the sheets on and off. Did you do the crib bumper? My kids sleep up against theirs and I can't imagine not having one since they use it for comfort. I did sew mine and they aren't the huge fluffy kind so I felt better about that but I didn't have the heart to take them out????
Nice surprise day at home for ya! YEAH! We haven't left the house yet since I am not even showered yet! I think my kids are ready to go to one nap a day now and this morning they were on full speed ahead and way to crazy to let me get ready with them awake! DH would be mortified if he were here seeing me in jammies at 1pm! Although DH would be so jelous of all your new snow!!!

Twin mommy~ Wow! A date!!! Scopes aren't as bad as they sound. I hope it goes well for you guys. You can get so much info from one it's amazing!

[buckeyegal]

K---we didn't do bumpers, even though I wanted to. They look so snug and cute! But, from all my reading, everything said not to get them. So, I didn't. My kids have been fine without them....they don't know the difference. But, then again, our nursery isn't as cute as I want it! Oh well!

[tolbee]

Hi Liz -- I did not think of back development, either, but I went with a mattress that is about $100 with my first-born. The second matterss, we got it for free from a friend. I wanted to make sure that it's waterproof and hypoallrgic. The babies' daiper may leak or they often spit up I wanted to make sure that it's easy to clean. For daipers, we liked Pampers swaddlers when they were little. I bought a packet of P size and then quickly moved on to NB, which they didn't stay on that long, either. We now use Haggies or Costco brand depending if they are on sale or not. We mostly use Costco and the way they have the band around the back area prevents the soft stool from leaking up, so we've been happy with it. Pampers is the softest but it is pricy... Good luck! Good on you for researching.

Bigred -- I agree with other ladies. We need more of you around. After having children, especially twins, it takes a great teamwork to manage day to day activities so it's so good that you contribute a lot already to the household chores. And you sound like a type of Daddy that likes to be hands on. That's great! My husband is also very helpful although he is not an initiator. He's happy to do things if I ask him.

Suga -- Good luck with decreasing the formula quantity at night. If I were you, I might wait until the weekend because that way you could nap if the babies do get up more often. Maybe~ Your babies are five month already. Cannot believe it. Good luck with the Reflux doctor. Hope your little girlies behave during the trip!

Sarahalf -- I've already found out that we are having a girl! So excited about that. I was saying we do not care as long as the baby is healthy but I was secretly hoping for a girl. Wow your 11 week olds sleep 6 to 7 hour straight? That is great! The twins never slept with us but once we moved our first-born to his own room, we all slept much better. I think as for transitioning to their cribs, that I think will go pretty smooth considering their age.

Kimberly -- You need your rest so mindless TV watching is very good for you! How are you feeling? Do you feel pregnant yet? I feel very pregnant. Can you belive it I am going into my third trimester next week~! I am starting to panic a bit. A lot of changes will take place this year like Sean starting pre-school etc.. and prospect of me leaving the workforce world. I feel nervous about all those changes but I am excited at the same time.

Kim -- being a teacher you probably have the best immune system amongst us. Hang in there! Hope you are back to your old self!

Well, I bette run now.

Take care!

Kimi

[kholtan]

Kimi~ Are you leaving your job for good once #4 gets here? I put my business on the back burner and let's face it. . . it's in the freezer at this point! My jobs are just too demanding with little ones and once I start a finish I can't just leave in case I'm needed. It' a bummer because we really miss my income but on the other hand I love being with the kids. I bet you hardly even look pg yet! I don't feel too pg but I am beginning to show now. My clothes are too small for sure. Seems as if those extra lbs. I added before getting pg are coming in to haunt me!
I just started looking into schools yesterday. Do you have the Challenger program there? I am really leaning toward traditional education right now. KIm~ what are your thoughts? After our new baby is born I would like the kids to go 2-3 mornings a week somewhere just for fun and new activites. It will also give me time with the baby. I'm a bit nervous about how the babies will do with a new baby here? Jelous or not???

Kim~ I bet your nursery is adorable! Will you be seperating the kids anytime soon? Mine will either be eventually a boys or girls room where the office is now. It's where the office will go that leaves us stumped!

[tolbee]

Hi Kimberley -- I think enrolling twins into school is a good idea. Last summer, I tried keeping Sean with me and the twins but he was not as happy as he was, not having a life outside home with his little friends. Ever since he went back to his daycare, he's happier. It's really hard to meet the needs of the infants while trying to keep the toddler busy and happy. I went out almost every morning, but then the twins miss napping and then here comes the feeding time etc... and it was really hard. At his daycare, they do crafts, music and story time everyday and he just loves it so much. I have not heard of Challengers around here.

Yeah, I am considering leaving work once #4 arrives. It just doesn't make sense anymore to work with four very young children. I will be exhausted anyway, but trying to focus on work and also home would be too much for me. I went back to work this time around because while being pregnant, I thought it would be easier for me to sit and work instead of chasing around three little ones by myself. Without my income, we would not be able to pay our nanny and Sean's daycare.

Sean went through a very tough time when we brought the twins home. He would not nap and refused to go to sleep by himself. Mike had to sleep with him for a while. He is still very jealous of the twins but he's getting better. He has issues with sharing toys and we are working on it with time outs. I think the twins are too young for them to fully understand how their life changed, so I am hoping they won't react as strongly as Sean did to the new baby! My friend's little daughter actually was very nice to the new baby and did not have any change in behavior, so I guess it really depends on your babies' personality.

A lot to think about!!

Kimi

[buckeyegal]

Kholtan--I feel ya on the space issue....I think we both have similar sized houses, right? I can't imagine 3 kids in our house! Plus, the 4th kid--the dog, of course! Do you have any room in your basement for an office? We haven't separated our kiddos yet, and have no immediate plans to, as of yet. The kids do great at night, although we do separate them at naptime. But, that's not a big deal because Braeden naps in our room. Once they move to toddler beds, Braeden can just nap in our bed instead of the pack n play. If we do end up separating them, then we'll lose our office too. Which, would be a big problem---because DH runs a business out of our home!? We have started looking at bigger houses, and it is a good time to buy right now. BUT, we want to save a bit more $$$ before making that plunge. So, it might be another year or so before we do the move. We want our next house to be THE house, you know?

As for the twins and the new baby, I imagine they'll have some issues (as any baby would, right?) But, since they're still pretty young, they'll just learn to share with the new baby like they do with their twin. You can always hope, right? I think the school idea is great. My kiddos have only gone to their new daycare 2 times so far, but they love it! Especially in the winter, it gives them a great outlet and a chance to get away from mommy! Plus, you'll need that one-on-one time with the new baby. Good luck with whatever you decide. I'm not familiar with the challenger program you're talking about. What is that?

More snow is headed our way. I might get a 2nd day off work! I hope!

[kholtan]

Kim~ Sapce!!! Oh my, we could use one more room! We actually have 1850 feet but it's poorly arranged. Very small bedrooms and little storage. I wish we had a basement but those are pretty rare here in Idaho since there is such a high water table. Do you have a basement? It would be hard to find what we have here again. We have acreage in town with 1900 square feet of shop space and the ability to store all our company trailers and heavy equipment. The acreage alone would cost us more now and we wouldn't even get a house with it.
Since we run a business out of our home as well, office space is vital but we will have to figure something out. I don't mind the babies sharing a room. They sleep well together even at nap time but I can't imagine three in there? I'm not too woried about it now but I would like to know what direction we are headed so I can take my time planning the change.
Tradition education concentrates heavily on memorizing and public speaking. They start early and get our early and all parents MUST be involved. It's very challenging and the teach to the highest level in the class but also put no limits on how much you can learn in that year. It's better than I am describing, sorry. Most children continue on into the IB programs from elementary level. It's not for everyone but the families that I know that have children in it RAVE about it and cannot believe how much their children can learn. I'll find the local site and post it. There are programs like it everywhere with different names.

Emeregency. . .. gotta go!

[kb2131]

hey ladies! i've posted on here a few times but have a question for you all since you are the experienced
we are 15 weeks pregnant with twins-first pregnancy. is it normal to have aches/pains in abdominal area this early on? they come and go very quickly-i would not describe them as sharp but they are always on the right side and sort of bothersome. I have no spotting and our last US showed 2 babies with great heartrates! i put a call into my OB today just to get her opinion but wanted to see what you ladies thought. most of my friends carried singletons and it's hard because i have twins and i hear the pregnancy can be much different. did you ladies feel the twin pregnancy was different in terms of more pain/aches/symptoms?
thanks for any input!

[buckeyegal]

If I remember right...those could be round ligament pains, possibly? Your body is stretching to make room for those bambinos....but, better safe than sorry. Check with your doc!

[kholtan]

Kb2131~ My vote is also round ligament pains. That's the more commo at this stage. However, I was riddled with Braxton hicks from abou the 4th month on and then I had contactions on and off often as well. I ended up in full blown labor with contractions every minute at 32 weeks so be careful and consult your OB. On this pregnancy now, my OB is much more careful with me knowing that I went into labor so early last time. Also, if they do get sharp it can be signs of a planta abrubtion so always keep your OB informed. An extra call is always worth the time. Also, twins were my first pg and to be honest so far there is no difference for me. I was perhaps more tired but with IVF the progesterone has a sedative effect so that is probably what initially made me more tired.

Kimi~ I just cannot imagine you working with 4! The loss of income is hard though. Can't lie about that! It's just hard to not have that extra money whenever I want something and to have to ask for cash! Although there is no comparison to be able to take care of my own kids for me. It's not for everyone but I love it. How old was Sean when the twin were born? It may be harder for singleton as well since they only know about undivided attention and twins haven't a clue what that is!

Have a great day~

[TwinMommy]

Hello Hello! I am writing this on our new computer! I finally had to give in and let the husband go and get one. We had a virus on our other and it started to eat everything and not let us do anything! We could not get rid of it whatsoever! It has such a huge screen that came with it which I just think is odd...why do you need a TV screen for a computer? lol.

The girls slept till 3:30AM! They did this night before last as well. So, no more 2:30AM! So moving on up?? Dare I say seeing the light at the end of the tunnel here soon? I was feeding Kenzie and Brooke woke up screaming but she literally fell back asleep in 2 minutes. So I was going to let her sleep then Kenzie decided to start talking and woke up Brooke again...so...I am thinking if I could only separate them we would go longer at night cause I could let them talk/cry it out at night.

Kb2131 I also think it is round ligament pain. If it does not go away after a few days/week I would ask the doctor. However, I was put on bed rest at 20 weeks with contractions...

[kholtan]

TwinMommy~ WHOOHOO! for you! Anew computer and ssome extra sleep. You are a new woman today!

If anyone wants to look at that schooling I mentioned the website is www.challengerschool.com. The more I research them the more excited I am getting! Then again I haven't had anyone tell me what they think that could be negative so. . . .Honest opinions would be super appreciated. It's early, I know, but I feel like early learning is so important. TEll me what you guys think.

[buckeyegal]

K--checked out the site....it looks nice, but, to be honest, it didn't really tell me much (as an educator--it was more PR for perspective parents, you know?). I'm sure I'm being picky, though...It looks like it's only on the west coast, so I have never heard of it. How pricey is it? When would you start your kiddos there? Pre-school, Kindergarten, or earlier? I would talk to people whose kids actually go there. SEe what they think. They'll be your best guide as to what to do. Good luck!

[TwinMommy]

Kholtan: As an elementary school teacher I have heard about this program before. They only have it on the West Coast though which is sad as I hear it works wonders. I think it is private though correct? I say go for it! It sounds like a great program and I have not ever heard anything negative about it.

[tolbee]

Suga -- have you decided to separate your twins or not? I think once you separate them it may be hard to put them back together. My twins sleep separately and I am to this date afraid of putting them back together. I was forced out of my office to make a room for my growing family. I now work from my basement family room!

Kimberlry -- They don't have one in WA I like innovative schools that focus on activities that actually have kids get involved in their own learning. I am still looking for school for Sean at this point. To be fair for the other three, we'll probably have to go public all the way but luckily the public schools in my area are one of the top rated ones in the nation. I have an appt with montesori school this Monday to take a tour. For preschool we'll have to pay around $300 for public anyway so I have several options to consider.

I will be entering my third trimester next week! Aggah!! where did the time go? It's getting a little uncomfortable and it would be nice to be not pregnant anymore, but not looking forward to the awkward period of post c-section and the still pregnant look to follow for many months! Well, I think I will stretch my legs while my babies nap.

Take care!!
Kimi