Mad About Multiples!

Double Click Tuesdays: College Bound

While some of our kids celebrate their first 100 days of school, Theresa D. has her 11-month-olds on the collegete track. Here Sydney and Zachary are touring college campuses--for their cousin.

 

This is an original post to Mad About Multiples and is part of the Double Click Tuesdays photo series.

Cloth Diapers? With Twins? You CAN do it.

 

Stella (pushing) is sporting the classic cloth diapered bum look.

By Valerie Terry

Our hard-working New and Expecting Parents organizers are hosting an upcoming parent meeting about Going Green with Baby(s). They are going to showcase several green diaper options, including cloth. I've met several MOM's who expressed an interest in cloth diapering but were put off by the perceived work of covering two sweet (stinky, messy, constantly wet) bums with cloth. I thought I would share my experience with two (and at one point THREE) children in cloth diapers. If you're looking at diapers (and anyone who's expecting twins, or has infants is looking at diapers) I highly encourage you to attend the next NEP meeting and think about giving cloth a chance.

 

It's pretty amazing to me how far diapering has come. In my baby-hood, moms didn't have much of a choice. It was cloth, rubber pants and washing you own. When disposables became a real option, I understand why just about every mom made the switch. I think my brother, born 4 years after I was was the last of my siblings to use cloth. Both of my sisters were in disposables, because they were easier (and finally worked) as opposed to cloth.

But as things stand now, everything old is new again, and with 30+ years worth of plastic diapers piling up in landfills, and the stronger and stronger chemicals used in disposables the modern mom is looking back to cloth as an improved option. And today's diaper aren't your grandmas. With easy to use options like pocket diapers and all-in-ones and inexpensive options such as easy-to-home wash diapers and cute breatheable covers cloth has made a viable comeback in many households. Not to mention that we are lucky enough to live in a diaper service area--and that there are also compostable and flushable diapers on the market now.

No matter how diapers change, what's inside stays the same...

 

So with al of these options avaiable to modern parents, how does one family choose? Especially when expecting twins?

My decison to go with cloth started with my first pregnancy. I had quit my job and gone back to school while pregnant--giving me an unhealthly amount of time to agonize over every baby-related decision. I actually set up a spread-sheet of sorts (check out this wonderful cost chart of all diapering options) running the costs of disposable vs. the array of cloth options. I was looking at cost and ease of use. Ultimately cloth won out on the cost end. The average baby will go through about 6,000 dipers in the fisrt two years of life. With disposables costing and average of .25 a piece, you're looking at roughly $1,500 in diaper costs alone. Per child. A very reasonable basic cloth system can be purchased for about $300. Of course, cloth diapers are bought up front, where disposables are a weekly or monthly purchase. Many parents balk at the "cost" of cloth, while not totaling up the weekly cost of each disposable package they buy. Now one can spend a whole lot more than $300 buying cloth--but you'd still be hard pressed to reach the total cost of disposable diapering over the years of use. And--cloth can be used with more than one child. Or in my case, with three children.

Double Click Tuesdays: Snow Bound

It's been such a mild winter, it's hard to remember there is snow to be found! Kayla and Emily are lucky enough to have found some Heavenly snow with dad Dave R.

Perfect for two winter-time angels. Thanks to mom Sandra R. for sharing.

 

 This is an original post to Mad About Multiples and is part of the Double Click Tuesdays photo series.

Taking a Trip? Will Have Fever.

*This is a sponsored post. At the end, you'll find an invitation link to an upcoming talk about children's health and fever related information by Dr. Meg Meeker, hosted by Vicks. The stories, however, are all to true and any opinions are the authors own.*

By Valerie Terry

It never fails. After a week of planning, packing and getting ready to go, it always seems like one of my girls will get sick just as soon as we leave our house on a trip. And when one falls, it's pretty much guaranteed that the other two are soon to follow.

The first, and by far greatest, example is the stomach virus that ripped through us while on a "girls only" road trip. Starting with 10 month old Elise and touching everyone in our wake with a serious internal shaking mess of illness I remember desperately raiding the health isle at a Wal-Mart in Washington because I didn't bring a thermometer (or any thing else illness related for that matter). Oi.

Then there was the time we escaped to Hawaii--before the little girls turned 2 and we would have to purchase airfare for 5--and the morning we were to leave we pulled two warm-with-fever 18 month olds out of bed and onto an airplane. I'd have to say, the flight was quite easy as they just wanted to snuggle and sleep. But when the fever reappeared in big sister on the road to Hana, it was not quite so fun. Once again, we had to use our best judgement and old fashioned forehead feeling to tell how she was doing.

So it should come as no surprise, to me at least, when over Christmas time I picked up Elise (who is usually "patient zero") and felt the tell-tale whole body warmth of a fever. We were visiting Grandma and Grandpa in Idaho and of course our new-weeks old cousin and her big brother had just arrived for their visit as well. This time I had at least brought some children's ibuprofen, but once again I was left without a thermometer. I like knowing how high a fever is. I like being able to track the progress. I try not to go over board with fever suppressant because I know a fever is a natural germ killer. But when the numbers creep up, I also like to be able to give my little ones some comfort.

Now Grandma had a thermometer. And old-fashioned mercury filled glass thermometer. And Elise would have none of it. She screamed and would not close her mouth, she flailed about and wouldn't let it get placed under her arm. And I wasn't even going to try the third option with a hysterical 3-year-old. At home, we have a temporal thermometer. I love it. It's an easy swipe across the forehead and you're done. Even the faster digital thermometers can't compare for ease of use. But I don't remember to throw it into a suitcase when we leave the house. Doh. So we just watched her, let her rest, and kept her away from the baby. I'm lucky that with my girls we have never experienced a febrile seasure.

It looks like I need to start packing up a better health kit.

And good thing for me there is an opportunity coming up on Thursday February, 2 to listen to Dr. Meg Meeker speak on how to help keep your kids healthy during cold and flu season. Including all about fever and taking your child's temperature. Advice I think I might need. You're invited, too. Click on the invitation link below if you're interested for full details on attending the luncheon talk.

You're invited to a Winter Warm up with Dr. Meg Meeker--Hosted by Vicks

In the spirit of full disclosure: Mad About Multiples was contacted to help spread the word about the Winter Warm Up series of talks by Dr. Meg Meeker. The event is sponsored by Vicks, the maker of a new behind-the-ear thermometer and other health related aids. The talk is open to local San Francisco Bay Area bloggers and their non-blogging guests by RSVP. Please RSVP through the above link if interested. Mad About Multiples is not hosting the event and has no other connection to Dr. Meeker or Vicks.

 

Two Parent Participation Preschools? Call me crazy.

We're taking one from the archives today, as mom Amy M. talks about having her twins in two preschools. Don't forget to join us tonight at the Cambrain Library for a parent panel discussion about all kinds of preschool options. Everyone is welcome!

~The Mad About Multiples Team

I am one of the few crazy people who signed up at two parent participation schools.  Both kids in both schools.  Yes, I know.  CRAZY.  Let me explain.

My kids (and I) were in the Together Time program at Explorer Preschool and one of the added bonuses (which I didn't initially realize) is that we had priority placement in the 2's class.  Yippee!  At the same time, I felt responsible for checking out other programs and schools in the area and had always heard rave reviews for the Los Gatos Saratoga Observation Nursery School (aka the Mountain School) so we attended the family open house and submitted an application.

This is where I should insert my rant:  it truly annoyed me to be making pre-school decisions for my children when they were ~20 months old.  Both Explorer and Mountain School are difficult to get in to for the 3's class (I was told 'virtually impossible' at Mountain School) so I felt like wherever we ended up for our 2's class would most likely be where the kids would be going to pre-school for the next 3 years.  I abhor the rat race mentality and here I was, embarking down a road that felt very, very rat-race-ish.  Mostly, I felt like I had so much more to learn about each of my children's very different personalities and learning styles and it was difficult to make a decision for them.  What kind of environment would they best thrive in?  

Double Click Tuesdays: Brotherly Love

 

 

Between all the sibling squabbling that comes with having more than one kid of the same age, are the moments that make you go "awww". Mom Jessica caught a sweet moment where Jesse (25 months) is feeding little brother Jackson (25 months). Thanks for sharing the sharing!

 

This is an original post to Mad About Multiples and is part of the Double Click Tuesdays photo series.

 

Double Click Tuesdays: Waiting For Santa

One last look back at the holidays as 11 month old Zachary (left) Sydney (right) wait for their first visit from Santa.

Thanks to mom Theresa D. for sharing her cuties. I hope Santa was good to them all.

 This is an original post to Mad About Multiples and is part of the Double Click Tuesdays photo series.

Double Click Tuesdays: Meeting Santa

Didn't get what you wanted this year from Santa?  After this photo shoot with Santa (at the Gemini Crickets Holiday cookie exchange), 2-1/2 year old Sam and Alex were pretty sure they didn't want Santa to come to their house on Christmas, presents or not!

Double Click Tuesdays: 'Crime Scene' Photo of the Day Twins Discovered How to Climb Out of Their Cribs

*names have been changed to protect the guilty (but adorable)

What happened here?  Was it a localized tornado?  A wild animal attack?  No, Dear Readers, it was two angelic 2-year-old girls, hereafter referred to as "Dis" and "Aster". 

On the morning of the incident, "Daddy" sent "Mommy" a link to a video of a baby monitor capturing a pair of twins climbing out of their crib.  Daddy thought it was funny, since his twin girls always slept securely in their cribs.  Mommy recalls thinking at the time, "Thank god we don't have that problem."  Little did she know what awaited her that very afternoon.

Naptime had seemed to go well.  Yet, when Mommy opened the door, she was stunned to see this --

Our perpetrators, Dis and Aster, had figured out how to escape their cribs. Using their newly discovered climbing skills, Dis and Aster had then scaled the changing table and opened the closet door - its latch unbabyproofed since it had appeared unreachable.  The intrepid duo then pulled every item of clothing out of the closet, every piece of tissue paper out of the box, every baby wipe out of the containers, and every single diaper out of the bag.

One can only imagine the smiles that must have been on those cherubic faces as they reveled in their new freedom.  Yet, even in their glee, they managed to stay quiet enough not to alert Mommy! 

 

TM or not TM: My Battle with Media-tie-ins and Trademarked Stuff

by Rebekah Jensen

Before any of us had kids, we all had things we were sure we would never do as parents.  We all had plans about discipline, education, and what sort of baby products we would buy.  Then, as we all know, those intentions ran smack up against the reality of actually raising a child.  We have to pick our battles very carefully, and I wanted to write about one battle that I’m – for good or ill – still trying to fight. 

Anyone who goes shopping with me will find that I’m anti-trademark.  By ‘anti-trademark’ I mean I don’t like to wear things with brand names plastered across them, or buy dishware from Martha Stewart Living™ and eat food with Twilight™ characters on it.  I am less likely to pick up a breakfast cereal when it has a celebrity on it.  I have brand loyalty, but to quality brands, not gimmicky ones.  If Spiderman™ is on a chocolate bar, I wonder if the company took shortcuts on quality, since the wrapper would sell the bar.  I don’t like being manipulated and advertising is all about manipulation – “Don’t Think, Just Buy!”

There’s the issue of quality, but a lot of it comes down to this – Why should I pay money to advertise someone else’s stuff?  I’ve never understood buying a shirt that says Hollister™, a hat that says Nike™, or sunglasses that have someone’s logo in patterns on the frames.  I’ll wear a t-shirt with someone’s name on it if I specifically want to support them, such as San Francisco Giants™ or Prius™.   I also think that if you buy into a brand, especially if you really go hog wild on a brand, you can’t help but buy into that company’s philosophy and world view.  I’d like to develop my own world view, thank you. 

Double Click Tuesdays: Everyone Loves a Holiday Parade!

 

Here are some of Gemini Crickets families who participated in the 2010 Los Gatos Holiday Parade. Lizzie's boys, William and Ronan at right, look strinkingly handsome in their caps and warm pea coats.

 

This is an original post to Mad About Multiples.

My (Multiple) Birthday Party Dilemma(s)

I love planning birthday parties – from the conception of the theme to the actually day when I get to see my ideas come to life and the resulting joy on my girls’ faces.  When I put together a party, I get to access the creative parts of my brain (which has mostly withered away by now from lack of use) and embrace the challenge of designing décor and favors, decorating cupcakes and making  piñatas on my tiny budget.  I take a sense of pride in bestowing my children with a special day, that is both personal and memorable, and I like to think that the festivities I plan are much like the parties of my childhood, the kind my mother planned for me.  But oh, how some things have changed and I’ve recently been wishing to go back to  the days when childrens' birthday parties were simpler. Much simpler…

 

As a kid of the 70s, I can remember my mom with her bouffant hair and marigold-floral mini-dress, arranging seating for musical chairs and taping up a poster for pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey and  games, and back then, there was usually a  single winner <gasp> who would receive a small prize.  I’m ashamed to admit that I avoid having games where there is one clear winner because I can’t stand the thought of children (primarily my own) disappointed and crying because THEY  didn’t win and THEY didn’t get a prize. (This explains why I’m such a fan of piñatas. Everyone’s a winner!) And I recall most parties being drop off with the general rule that only as many kids as was the age of the birthday child were to be invited. (5 year old kid = 5 guests. Easy.) But these days, it seems like most moms and/or dads and/or siblings come along, which involves a whole ‘nother level of preparation in terms of space, food, etc.  

 

Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE being able to socialize with other parents, who are usually my friends anyway who bring their kids, but what this phenomena can equate to is that a birthday party intended for 10 children now has a guest list of 30, maybe even 40, in a twin/multiples situation! Yikes!  And I’m not going to even touch on the issue of goodie bags (aka - loads of ABSOLUTELY TREASURED plastic junk strewn everywhere and for me to step on while walking through a dark bedroom) or the question of how many gifts and to whom/from whom when going to a twins/triplets party with your twins/triplets!

 

And here’s where my *real* dilemma begins. Although my kids LOVE to attend parties at bouncy places and kiddie gyms,  I prefer to have parties in our backyard, or better yet, at the park, so that 20 kids can freely run and play and make a mess in a public sandbox.  Most importantly, this means I don’t have to crisis clean my house beforehand, nor do I need to reconstruct my house afterwards. And I get to save about $350+ in party place fees.  This has worked out wonderfully for my older singleton’s birthday in late May, however, my twin daughters’ have a December birthday. It’s cold and wet in California in the winter. (And to make things even sadder, their birthday is four days before Christmas.  Poor kids.)  So this year, I was worried that I actually may have no choice but to pay for a VENUE to hold the party because our circle of friends has grown immensely (for which I am extremely grateful) and all the little kiddies (much less their accompanying parents + siblings) won’t even come close to fitting inside our little tract house.  

 

And to further complicate things, my girls have requested a full blown pinked-out princess tea party. (theme-wise is going to be blast to plan - I’m going the non-Disney route, too.  Imagine the possibilities! Pink sparkles! Little finger sandwiches on tiered trays! Fancy dresses!)  Because then, my *seriously real* dilemma of planning a guest list sets in…and I develop hives. Is it really ok to only invite want-to-be princesses (as in “no boys”, although I truly have no problem with boys in drag)? What if the girls are one half of boy-girl twin siblings- invite only the female half? Will brother even want to go? Will mom be ticked-off that she’s now in the position of having to explain to one child why some people are invited to parties and others aren't?  And what if we have attended a friends’ birthday party in the past,  isn’t it wrong NOT to reciprocate with an invitation, which seems downright evil to me? What if the uninvited guests are my friends’ kids to whom I have an attachment, but my children do not? 

 

These are the questions that keep me up at 2am.  No. Really. When did birthday parties become so complicated?

 

And so,  I did the unthinkable. I threw my fears and social obligations out the window and let the girls decide.  And they did not chose to invite the children they see a couple of times a year at large group gatherings. Their chose *their* friends – three each, to be exact and are girls mostly from preschool, with whom they actually play. And all I can hope is that *my* friends will understand and forgive me.  And that I don’t get an ulcer worrying that they will all hold grudges and that my children will be excluded from all other friends’ future birthday festivities because of my unconscionable party planning decisions this year. Unless…maybe the weather in December won’t be so bad after all. Perhaps I *could* also host a big park playdate. With cupcakes and balloons, at least...

 

Double Click Tuesdays: Playing Doctor

It's that time of year--colds, coughs and runny noses abound. Good thing Dr. Cole is on the case for brother Hunter. Mom Melinda G. had to share her boys having fun with dad's REAL stethoscope. Looks like Hunter's in good hands...or not, considering he's looking for a second opinion on Web MD.

 

 This is an original post to Mad About Multiples and is part of the Double Click Tuesdays photo series.

Math Challenged

by Kathleen

When the IVF doctor suggested genetic counseling, you might think we’d be concerned for the rates of cancer, diabetes, or stroke in our families.  Not so.  Instead, our greatest fear was that we were going to pass on our left-brained challenges in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math.   My husband and I wondered if it was fair to bring our twins into the 21st century without any promising family history in these areas.  My husband is dyslexic, likes ceramics, and teaches Foreign Language.  I'm a liberal studies/drama/political science wonk who finally passed High School Geometry on my 3rd attempt.   Seriously, it's bad – on the math section of the SAT, I even got the example question wrong. 

Realizing the math deficiency we were passing on to our kids, we decided we had to give them every advantage possible.  We purchased 'must have' math toys starting with the black-n-white geometric crib mobile and continuing all the way through Legos two years later.  All in the hope that our kids would use their natural curiosity to explore math concepts and build the left-brain synapses that hadn’t gotten wired in their parents.   Now here's the part where I tell you how successful I was and how my kids are able to do the Rubik’s Cube at age 2! Unfortunately, I think the only ones benefiting from my math-anxiety-fueled purchases are Amazon, Lakeshore, and Montessori.

In nearly every room of our house, there are puzzles, Duplos, Legos, counting/sorting toys, and patterned blocks - all neatly assembled and collecting dust.  When 2 ½ year old Maximo and Sophia play with them, it's usually in ways that the toy designers never intended.  I doubt my kids are strengthening their analytical and reasoning skills when they dump over puzzles and use the pieces like ninja throwing stars.  Or when they use Duplos and Legos to decorate play dough and make colorful dinosaur food.

All of my playgroup mothers assure me that they will come around and not to worry.  Yet at the same time, they are giving me their knob-puzzles since their kids have moved on to the 3-D ones. I already feel that my kids are on the wrong side of the educational divide and I'm not sure how their ability to memorize all the lyrics to Oliver and Sound of Music will help them bridge that divide.  I've decided that my only hope is to download every Schoolhouse Rock math and science song in order to build upon their musical base.  Maybe there's an immersion school whose students sing all of the content material? I may need to look into starting this type of charter school by the time my kids reach kindergarten.  Otherwise, I think my entire college fund will be spent at Kumon learning centers.  Sigh.

Reluctant Fruit: Getting twin toddlers into their Halloween costumes

by Rebekah

People seemed to enjoy my post about trying to get my boys into their Christmas Card outfits last year, so I thought I'd post about my even less successful attempts at Halloween.

It was well into November and our 2-1/2 year old boys had yet to put on their Halloween costumes.  The whole family had been sick as dogs for the weeks around Halloween, so we hadn’t gone anywhere or done anything.

I had come up with what I thought was a very clever costume idea and my sister had made it reality.  Alex was to be an apple and Sam an orange – a play on the way people are always comparing twins when it’s really like comparing apples and oranges.  Also, Alex really loves apple juice and Sam orange juice.  However, I knew that they wouldn’t go for the stuffed round ball-type of fruit costumes.  I got a set of red clothes and a set of orange clothes (though it was actually very difficult to find orange pants) and my sister added the gloves, foam fruit and adorable hats.  My sister had intended the foam fruit to be worn like sandwich boards, but I decided just to attach the fruit to the front and back of the sweatshirts.

When Halloween passed by, I figured we’d just get the kids in the costumes and take pictures, to try to salvage some Halloween festivity.  Attempt #1 was the weekend after Halloween.  The boys refused to even consider putting on the costumes.  My husband and my usual methods of getting the kids to do things completely failed.  Since we were all still a little sick, we gave up for the weekend.

Double Click Tuesday: Twins on balance bikes

Two sets of 2-1/2 year old twins have fun on their balance bikes at a park.  One twins' mom cheers them while another films. A third twins mom plans to get in on the fun next time.

That's one great thing about playdates - Kids sometimes have a toy that takes some effort to start, like a balance bike, so they never really use it.  At a playdate, they can see a friend using it and get interested in trying.  With twin club playdates, you're twice as likely to get someone who's already excited about that unused toy!

Double Click Tuesday: Nourishment

November is all about family. Especially feeding our families in both body and soul. Our double click post for today comes from a mom who understands that other multiple parents will really get what's happening here.

 

Thank you for sharing such a wonderful, personal photograph. And what a way to kick off November.

Double Click Tuesday: Cheep! Cheep!

Feeling like a mama hen always counting her chicks is nothing new to mothers of multiples. Here Amy M. takes it a step further by dressing (then) 6 month old Annalise and Zayn as chicks for their first Halloween. And nothing could be sweeter. Peep!

 This is an original post to Mad About Multiples and is part of the Double Click Tuesdays photo series.

Double Click Tuesday: Tigger & Pooh

MOM Elisabeth K. had no trouble decideding which brother would be Tigger and which would be Pooh. Even at one their personalities shone through. Eric bounced around, happy as anything, just like Tigger, while Mark was a little more deliberate and content.

Thanks for sharing such a fun Halloween memory!

 

This is an original post to Mad About Multiples and is part of the Double Click Tuesdays photo series.

Travelling With Twins? Start ‘Em Young, I Say!

This post was originally published by MommyTwinGirls on July 9, 2008

Travel. With twins. An overwhelming thought if you sit down to think about it…especially at an early age. Think of all that gear you have to bring with you now in your car. Now imagine lugging all that stuff onto an airplane. It’s downright exhausting just thinking about it. But you know what? It’s not that bad. And it’s not all that different. We’ve been travelling long distances with our twin girls since they were 2 ½ months old. Their first trip was to San Diego. Yes, we drove (gas wasn’t as much of a hindrance 4 years ago as it is now). Caveat – our kids *loved* sleeping in the car…in fact, they still do (luckily)…a big, big advantage…and a major requirement for a relatively peaceful drive for 9 to 10 hours from the Bay Area…oh yea, and toys. We realized that the immobile phase was great for travelling. We did it again a few months later…and a few months later after that.

Our big trip was to the homeland (Norway) to visit my husband’s side of the family. It would be the girls’ first introduction to their aunts, uncles and cousins (grandparents visited on their first birthday). The girls were 17 months old. And toddling. Everywhere. Sitting down was not an option…unless it was on the floor where they could examine seat legs, airplane magazines and their toes. Ugh! I don’t have to tell you how dirty the airplane carpets were are. We walked around the plane once with them wearing socks…the bottoms of those socks turned an ugly gray after a single lap. I finally placed an airplane blanket on the floor for them to sit on and play. I didn’t want to think too hard about the carpet…I just needed a little peace.

Double Click Tuesday: Babies' First Pumpkin Patch

MOM Valerie T. had the excuse of a big sister in order to catch this photo of her twins sleeping in a Snap 'n' Go at 4 weeks of age in a pumpking patch. Her love of fall and pumpkins had *nothing* to do with it.

This is an original post to Mad About Multiples and is part of the Double Click Tuesdays photo series.

How to Get Your Mommy and Daddy to Sleep through the Night

by Alex and Sam Jensen (as told to Mommy, Rebekah Jensen)

Hey fellow babies, have your Mommy and Daddy gone through a huge amount of effort to get you to sleep through the night but done nothing for their own sleep?  Do you wake up in the morning, ready to take on the world, and they’re grouchy and groggy?  Do they run out of energy just when the baby swing hits the perfect rhythm?  Do they cut your stroller walks short or give you canned mushy peas when you want fresh mushy peas?  They probably need more sleep!   That’s not news for any baby, parents always seem too tired, but maybe they don’t realize that there’s more that they can do for their own sleep other than just ‘more hours in the day’.

Yes, it would be a great help if you don’t wake up screaming five times a night, though a baby’s gotta do that sometimes.  However, if you’re doing your part and sleeping quietly (or at least kicking the wall quietly) and they’re still sleepless zombies, here are some suggestions for you to pass on to your loving parents:

1.   Make sleep a priority.  We know that Mommy and Daddy are desperate for some ‘me’ time after you go off to bed, but staying up late to post adorable photos of you on Facebook might be good for Mommy’s FB friends, but not her.  Same with Daddy's online Poker.  They need their rest to have energy for you!  
   
2.  Schedule the Mommy and Daddy drinks.  Mommy loves her special Mommy drink, aka coffee, but unless Mommy has an unusually high tolerance for caffeine, no coffee for about 6 hours before she plans to try to sleep.  The special Daddy’s drink of Coke should be treated the same.  As for Uncle Bernard’s special drink, beer?  A few beers or glasses of wine can help sleep, but more than that can actually make Uncle Bernard more awake – either when he drinks them or in the middle of the night when the drinks wear off.    
3. Watch quiet (or no) TV before bed.  Some babies suggest no TV at all for parents before bed, but we think that calm TV can help sleep.  So Mommy and Daddy could watch napping sports (i.e. baseball and golf) or Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood before turning off their light, but no exciting shows like Thomas & Friends or Road Construction Ahead.    
4.  Keep light usage at night to the minimum.  Lights are really pretty to stare at, but lights also affect internal sleep cues, so Mommy and Daddy’s room should be as dark as possible.  Maybe they should have a set of blackout curtains for their room as well as yours, or have lights on timers that go off after they’re asleep.  If Mommy needs to come check on you in the middle of the night, she shouldn’t turn on the big, bright hall light, and disrupt her (and Daddy’s) sleep cycle.  Line the hallway with Mickey Mouse nightlights instead. 
   
5. Get plenty of exercise and sunlight during the day.  Those stroller walks and park visits aren’t just for you, fellow babies.  Mommy and Daddy need to get lots of bright sunshine as well, to help them be more awake during the day and sleep better at night.  Exercise also helps them sleep more deeply, so keep your parents running all day!
6. Don’t exercise too close to bedtime.  We babies know that Daddy loves to come home after work and play great games that involve lots of giggles, running around, and kicking Daddy in the kidneys.  But we also know how hard it is to settle afterwards – you might need an hour of banging your head against the crib just to get to sleep.  In the same way, Mommy and Daddy should stop riding their funny go-nowhere bikes three to four hours before their bedtime.
7. Avoid work-related or other stressful communications too close to bedtime.  Before bedtime, Mommy should skip reading emails from her grouchy boss and Daddy should skip researching all the ways that babies can injure themselves with blankets.  They should try to avoid anything that they are going to lay in bed awake and worry about.  Instead, fellow babies, suggest they end their day with some hilarious Sesame Street skits or anything from that literary great, Sandra Boynton.  Hopefully that will give them happy hippo dreams. 
8. Make the bedroom the most comfortable place they can imagine.  Mommy and Daddy probably spent a ton of money on your crib and matching furniture, while they’re still sleeping on a bed that’s older than Blue’s Clues.  They got a quilted soy- and latex-free crib mattress with wool innersprings for you, and their mattress looks like the dog’s double-bowl.  They picked out the most adorable zoo animal sheets for you in super-soft organic cotton, and their sheets are scratchy polyester.  They make sure that your room is the perfect temperature and noise level, and their room is hot and the neighbor’s dog barks all night.  Getting the idea?   Their bed should be a haven, with soft bedding, well-designed mattresses, pleasant breezes and snuggly blankets.  That way when you go sleep with them in the middle of the night, it’ll be nice and comfy.

Okay, fellow babies, go out and get Mommy and Daddy to sleep through the night!

 

P.S.  Our favorite grownup book about sleep is The Promise of Sleep: A Pioneer in Sleep Medicine Explores the Vital Connection Between Health, Happiness, and a Good Night's Sleep by William C. Dement and Christopher Vaughan.  It’s engrossing and enlightening, and after you’re done reading it, you can use it as a booster chair.

Double Click Tuesday: Welcome Fall!

Ben and Jon show us how to welcome back fall in style. Thanks to Kate G. for sharing this perfect moment.

 

This is an original post to Mad About Multiples and is part of the Double Click Tuesdays photo series.

Double Click Tuesday: Choo Much Fun!

Bad puns aside, what kid doesn't love a Cozy Coupe car? Push 'em, line 'em up, suds 'em or drive 'em - these cars are endless fun as 27-month-olds Ronan (front) and William demonstrate.

Thank you Lizzy for this fun photo of your boys.

 

This is an original post to Mad About Multiples and is part of the Double Click Tuesdays photo series.

Moms Are Talking With Stacy Dolan

Watch "A Day in the Life of a Mom" featuring our own triplet + 1 MOM Stacy Dolan. She wrangles 3 1/2 year-old triplet boys and their 8 year-old brother with grace. Way to go, Stacy. And thanks to Moms Are Talking TV  for sharing their show with us.

 

Double Click Tuesday: Capturing the Moment

We love how so many parents choose to capture their ever growing multiples in the same setting over time. It gives an amazing perspective of how fast they change. MOM Solange I shares three pictures of her girls, Lulu and Bibi, at 4, 8 and 15 months of age on the same couch:

Of course, she notes how much easier it was to photograph them when they weren't so mobile!
 

 

This is an original post to Mad About Multiples and is part of the Double Click Tuesdays photo series.

Preschool Pangs: End of pre-preschool friendships?

By Kathleen

As September is upon us I'm having mixed feelings about the beginning of preschool. Not for my children, although the cost of preschool times two gives me pause, rather it's the reality that our 2009 Gemini Cricket group is dividing from each other based on their zip codes. Unlike the Las Madres group that is based on your neighborhood, Gemini Crickets asks only that your group form based on the months your child was born. Even that 'barrier to entry' is malleable as we have expanded upon the contours of what a winter/spring baby really is.

For my group, Jan-June 2009, the result has been a wonderfully diverse group of women who come to the Friday playgroups from  Menlo Park, Saratoga, Sunnyvale, Willow Glen,  South San Jose, and East San Jose. There's little chance we would have crossed paths in any parallel universe except for the fact we all have twins. The enrichment goes far beyond getting to know fabulous parks in other neighborhoods. Rather, it has been so liberating to meet women who think differently, live differently, and have such varied personal stories and histories from my own. The past two years of meeting almost every Friday and sharing our trials, tips, laughter, tears, and bottles of wine has carried me through what we all know is a time of no sleep, no sex, and even those days of no showers. The 'sorority' feel of our group is second only to the fondness our kids have for their friends who they greet and say farewell to with kisses and hugs. 

I'm trying to anticipate and prepare for the next few weeks when our group's first year of preschool is pulling our group into five different schools with just as many altering schedules.  Hope runs high as we've all pledged to continue our playgroup and more importantly our mom's night outs.   The elephant in the room is that we all know this is just the beginning as we stratify even more when kindergarten and elementary school is upon us and we insulate ourselves in our niche neighborhoods and new support networks.  I'm so grateful that our group has met from when our kids were six months old till now and has a solid foundation that won't let the fact we're in separate preschools keep us from continuing our playgroup. It may morph into something new and different but heck, what are twin moms if not flexible?

However, there is a part of me that reverts back to the girl in the 6th grade who is losing her friends to the private middle school and hearing my mom's reassurance as she sings the  Girl Scout song 'Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold'. God, this is getting pathetic, time to call my Gemini Cricket crew and plan our next Moms Night Out!

 

This is an original post to Mad About Multiples.

BACK TO SCHOOL? BACK TO THE MUSEUMS!!!

 

This post was origanally published on Sepember 20, 2009 to Mad About Multiples.

By Nora Kim

I think I was one of the last moms to join our playgroup - so my kids are just a couple months younger than most of the other kids.  I thought we would all be on similar school schedules, but turns out those few months made a big difference, as we have January birthdays.  This Fall we looked on wistfully as most of our playmates started Kindergarten, while we still had one more year of preschool.  We sighed, and then started planning some Fall outings.

I don't like summer crowds (maybe because we have lost our kids so many times??)  But, in general, I stay away from any place where I may have to smell be with lots of other people - museums, zoos, amusement parks.  (We are the family that visited Disneyland in January during a rainstorm!)  I haven't made the pilgrimage to the SF Academy of Sciences, and I have even avoided the new Seahorse exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

 

 

But with almost everyone back in school, I decided to venture out into the world again.  I really wanted to camp with the boys at New Brighton Beach, but getting reservations there is like trying to get into French Laundry.  But lo and behold, we were suddenly able to get a premium site on the bluffs overlooking the ocean on a late August Sunday night.  I booked the site, and we enjoyed a huge campsite on the bluffs with no neighbors on either side of us for the bargain price of $35.   "Wow!" my husband and I thought.  "This is really great."

I'm Not a Twin...

 By Valerie Terry

I have fraternal girl twins. One who looks very much like her older sister, small in stature with brown hair and bright blue eyes. One who is tall, blond, and story-book fair. Standing all in a line they look like like little steps, each girl about 2 inches shorter than the next. But the age difference is 2 years, then 3 minutes.

Strangers are always commenting (in the way people do when they see my craziness coming at them, all twirly skirts and sparkle shoes) that I "had them pretty close together" and are a bit surprised when they surmise that Stella and Elise are, indeed, twins. "But they don't look alike" is often the next comment to which I shrug and bite my tongue on the high school biology lesson that seems to always want to come out.

But I can't help but wonder, living in the appearance obsessed culture that we do, how hearing over and over how they can't be what they indeed *are* because they don't look alike is going to effect them. Will they compare themselves to their twin and find something lacking because they are not the same? Or will they revel in the happy accident of birth that gave them a sister so close in age, even if they can't swap wardrobes?

I know all twin moms have to struggle with the idea of "twin" and "appearance". The word twin seems to be synonymous with identical for many people. I met a mom with boy/girl fraternal twins and after chatting for a bit she showed me their picture. "Oh!" I exclaimed, "Are they identical?" She looked like she was going to hit me, then remembered that she was talking to a twin mom and burst out laughing, "You have no idea how often I have to answer that question for real." And as silly as it seems, I did have an idea.

One recent Saturday I took Stella out alone with me. We went to the grocery store, puttered in the craft store and headed for home. Cruising down the main road through our neighborhood shopping district, I noted two little girls out with their dad. Dressed alike and cute as could be, I pointed them out to Stella: "Look at those two girls! They're twins! Like you!"

She looked out her window, then back to me. Her face was solemn. "I'm not a twin." She paused, looked at the girls again, looked back to me and said, "I'm a sister." Then she smiled. And in that brief moment Stella found the perfect answer for our family. More than anything else that the world might expect her to be, she is a sister.

 

This is an original post to Mad About Multiples.

 

Double Click Tuesday: Little Mermaids

2.5 year old Elise and Stella had their first swim lesons this summer and their teacher swears they must be part mermaid. MOM Valerie T. agrees, as they never want to leave the water. These underwater shots of the girls were captured at a recent pool party day.

 This is an original post to Mad About Multiples and is part of the Double Click Tuesdays photo series.