Life With Twins

I've Moved to a New Blog!

2014-03-25T17:14:00.000-07:00

Hi there!

Since having my 3rd child, my days have become more than just "life with twins." So, I decided to move on over to a new blog!

Come check me out at www.MePlus3Today.blogspot.com!

My new blog deals with kids crafts and activities, mommy ups & downs, and what it's like to suddenly find myself as a 30-year-old widow with 3 kids under the age of 2.

So again, please stop by my new blog, and tell your friends too!

Thanks so much!

~Sarah

6 More Acts of Kindness!

2014-02-20T18:31:00.000-08:00

So, remember how I had started doing some Acts of Kindness to Pay it Forward during the Christmas season? Well, I'm trying to continue doing more of that stuff throughout 2014. January is almost done, and I think I've been doing pretty good so far!

Here's [6 more Acts of Kindness]:

1) I let someone go in line ahead of me at Kohl's. I had $20 worth of Kohl's Cash to spend, and I had found $21 worth of stuff to buy (you know that's how I roll!). Well, there were 3 check-outs open, and as usual, I pick the one with the slowest people ever in front of me. I could see one of the lines moving a lot quicker, there was actually nobody behind the current person checking out. Instead of switching lines myself, I pointed it out to the person in front of me (the person ahead of her was the one being ridiculously slow with her purchase) and let her take that spot, so she was able to check out faster. It wasn't anything major, but I still consider it an Act of Kindness. :-)

2) I brushed snow off the car parked next to me at work as I was leaving one day. Ever since then, I try to brush off snow on the passenger side of the car next to me, so that way the person doesn't have to walk around their entire vehicle to brush it off, or hopefully it saves them at least 30 seconds of time in the cold! I'm on that side of their car anyways, getting into my driver's seat, so it's just a quick swipe as I walk by.

3) I recycled some of the Christmas cards we received with this unique method from St. Jude's Ranch for Children. Basically, they recycle cards and then sell them to raise money for their program. Good for the planet and good for people too! Someone at my work was sending in a box, so I was able to include mine with his large shipment.

4) I made a small donation to Momsbloom to express my thanks for the help they provided after Will was born. You and I had meant to do that anyways, right after I had returned to work from maternity leave. But with the madness that ensued a month later, I obviously never got around to it until now.

5) I donated your frequent flyer airline miles to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I hope that's OK with you! :-) At first I thought I would have to go through the hassle of having your miles transferred into my name, and all that junk. But then I realized I just needed your frequent flyer number (which was in our joint email account, so it was easy to find), so I just entered that info in, and boom, over 20,000 miles donated! I know you won't be using them, and I didn't want them to go to waste... So, when I discovered that miles could be donated, I saw it as another opportunity for kindness! I also discovered that you can donate miles directly from most major airlines websites. There are quite a few organizations that accept these donations from the airlines website. But I just went straight through the Make-A-Wish Foundation's website, just to make sure they were going to the right place!

6) I signed up to be a bone marrow donor! As you know, my cousin's daughter has Fanconi Anemia (FA), and I think one of the treatments is a bone marrow transplant (at least, from what I understand...), so that is how I learned about becoming a bone marrow donor. The process was really easy, I took a bunch of pictures of the packet of stuff I got (see below). All I had to do was take a swab to the inside of my cheek, and send it in the envelope they provided. If I'm a match for somebody, the process doesn't sound too bad for the donor (I think it's more complicated for the person actually receiving it though...). I think since I can't donate blood (remember when I puked two different times all over the Innotec gym, once was beautiful Oreos...), I figured this was a unique opportunity to possibly help somebody someday. Each packet comes with another kit for a friend to sign up to be a donor, and for some reason I received 2 packets, so maybe I'll find 2 other people I know to sign up (that would be like extra credit for this Act of Kindness!).

The bone marrow donor packet that arrived in the mail.

Info on the back of the packet.

I have another kit for a friend if I can find one who wants to become a donor too (I actually have 1 more because I got 2 packets for some reason!)

Stuff on the inside of the packet.

More stuff from the packet, like the envelope and the swabby things.

Info on the back of the envelope that you put the swabby things in.

See, I told you a took a bunch of pictures of the stuff... I'm picture crazy like that! :-)

So yeah, those are some of the little things I've been doing lately. I really liked these little Acts of Kindness because they were easy and free (except the Momsbloom thing, but that was planned a long time ago). Thinking of things to do, and researching different charities and organizations has kept my mind occupied, and given me an outlet for something to do. I think I'm doing pretty good on this New Years Resolution so far. But it is only January still... :-P

If you haven't read about our first 8 Acts of Kindness, click here to see that post!

UPDATE: Since having my 3rd child, my days have become more than just "life with twins." So, I decided to move on over to a new blog!

Come check me out at www.MePlus3Today.blogspot.com!

8 Acts of Kindness

2014-02-20T18:27:00.001-08:00

The following is an excerpt from another blog I began writing after my husband passed away. I just wanted to share on this blog because I had been searching Pinterest for ideas on how to Pay It Forward. I hope that by sharing, someone else might be inspired to do these or similar Acts of Kindness. If you do, please share in the comments, or let me know of other good deeds you did! Thanks!
____________________________________________________________

...I've been trying to get some Christmas cheer by paying those blessings forward. That's what the Christmas spirit is supposed to be, right? It is better to give than receive...

I guess some people call it Pay It Forward. Others call it Acts of Kindness. I guess we are doing Acts of Kindness to Pay It Forward... :-P

And I'm really trying to get the kids involved too. They might not completely realize what I'm trying to do, but it'll sink in eventually, and I hope they'll love to give instead of get as they grow up.

I've read that some people do 25 Acts of Kindness, for the first 25 days of December leading up to Christmas. That seemed a little out of our league right now, so we are just doing what we can, when we can. Also, it seems like a lot of Acts of Kindness involve money, and we have done some things that cost money, but I am also trying to do "free-ish" Acts too, so we can keep on our budget! :-)

Here are [8 Acts of Kindness] we've done so far:

1) We put a toy in the Toys for Tots collection bin at the kids’ daycare. I chose Monopoly as our toy, in honor of you. You loved that game (even though you were a big cheater!). J Plus, it was on sale for only $5. Score! I want the kids to be involved in our acts of kindness, so I tried to have the girls put the game in the box, and take a picture of them doing it. Yeah, I’m sure you can guess how that went... They wouldn’t take the game from me, they just stood there staring like, “huh…?”. Oh well, if we keep doing it every year, I’m sure they’ll be excited about it eventually!

2) Since November, we've been decorating supper sacks for the organization in Grand Rapids called Kids Food Basket. They provide suppers for kids who likely won’t have a meal when they get home. I figured decorating the sacks would be something the girls could do. So, I bought a bunch of brown paper sacks from GFS. Then, I put the girls in their chairs with crayons and markers, and let them get to work! I even decorated a few too, although the girls artwork probably looks better than mine! J I had help from M and T on a bunch too. The pack I bought had 500 sacks in it, so we definitely won’t be able to decorate them all, but I’m sure the organization will appreciate the blank ones too. This Act of Kindness has probably been one that the girls participated in the most. And Will can get involved with this next year!

Charlotte getting ready to color a supper sack!

Charlotte hard at work!

Violet hard at work!

Violet working on her supper sack!

A different day of coloring supper sacks.

Coloring!

Some of the bags the girls and I decorated. :-) At this time, we had about 110 completed!!!

Some of the bags M & T decorated! :-)

3) We had A LOT of diapers donated to us. Unfortunately, big Will has grown out of size 3 diapers and we still had quite a few boxes of that size left. So, I passed along the donated diapers to an organization out of Holland called Nestlings. I brought over 300 size 3 diapers (3 boxes) to a donation drop-off near work. I think that could diaper 1 baby for over 30 days! We also ended up supporting this same organization at work for our Christmas Giving, so I brought in 2 more packages of diapers for that collection. I think we still have even more that I plan on passing along to others as they need them.

4) In more baby related Acts of Kindness, I gave L & B one of our infant car seats and 2 bases to go with it for their new baby grandson. I know they were going to try and save money by purchasing a used car seat, so I'd rather have them get a car seat that they know is safe than to buy one from a stranger.

5) I volunteered to be on the Christmas Giving Team at work this year, where we supported the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans and as I said before, Nestlings. I didn't actually do much because of my schedule, but I helped where I could. I also passed along a gift card to a store that I don't shop at, so the team could shop for anything that was left on the list of items needed.

6) A different department at work sponsored an elderly care home called Rest Haven. They set up an "Angel Tree" type of thing, where each member of the home had a few items on their "wish" list. So, I grabbed one of the names off the tree, and thanks to my attempts at "super couponing", I was able to snag her items for under the $15 limit. They required multiple items to be wrapped in one package, as each person was only allowed to open one gift at the home's Christmas party. In trying to get the kids involved, I tried to have the girls "help" me wrap the box... Um, that probably wasn't my best idea. They just wanted to walk all over the wrapping paper. Hopefully the person opening our gift didn't realize how wrinkled the paper was! :-)

Our gift to someone at Resthaven!

Charlotte holding the tag from the Angel Tree.

Will "helping" wrap...

Violet "helping" wrap our gift to someone at Resthaven.

Will "helping"...

Being good helpers!

Putting tape on!

Our gift ready to put under the Angel Tree at work!

7) This is dorky, but thanks to Pinterest (click here to see the original blog with the printable I used), I put this little present in the mailbox for our mail carrier. I feel like that person has been working a lot of overtime or something, because I got a package on a Sunday, two weeks in a row! So I just wanted to show our appreciation for their hard work!

A little something for our mail carrier! :-)

8) Someone told me about another woman in the area who is also 30-something, and her husband passed away suddenly a couple months after you did. They also had young kids. I told the person to pass along my email address to her, if she ever wanted to talk to someone who totally understood what she was going through. I haven't heard from her yet, which I completely understand. But I sent her an anonymous gift card to Amazon.com, because I know it's hard to find time to get to the store, and shopping online is so convenient. Plus, you can buy anything from Amazon, whether it be necessities like toilet paper or diapers, or just something nice for herself. I hope it helps her out in some way, even if it just makes her smile when she gets it.

Since writing this, we've done 6 More Acts of Kindness! Click here to read about those!

UPDATE: Since having my 3rd child, my days have become more than just "life with twins." So, I decided to move on over to a new blog!

Come check me out at www.MePlus3Today.blogspot.com!

My new blog deals with kids crafts and activities, mommy ups & downs, and what it's like to suddenly find myself as a 30-year-old widow with 3 kids under the age of 2.

So again, please stop by my new blog, and tell your friends too!

Thanks so much!

~Sarah

9 Baby Items That are Great for Newborn Twins!

2013-04-18T18:09:00.001-07:00

*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links
What are some baby items that you absolutely LOVE? Is there anything you didn’t think you needed, but now you can’t live without? What helps you the most? What was the weirdest, yet coolest thing you received or bought?

Yeah, yeah, we have the girls so we already have lots and lots and lots of baby stuff. But I’m just wondering if there is something really neat/helpful/awesome out there that we just don’t know about because we don’t have it, or have never heard of it, or just thought we didn’t need it. I don’t want to miss out on anything! And since Will just arrived, I figured we could make a fresh start with him, or even find something great for the girls! So leave a comment here or send me a message and please let me know about your favorite baby items.

Here are 9 of the items that I LOVED, especially in regards to twins, but they would also be great for a single baby too! Please remember that the following is just my own opinion, some might agree while others disagree with the products that I LOVED!

1. Fisher-Price Newborn Rock n' Play Sleeper – We only had 1 of these, but it was fabulous! This was where Charlotte spent most of her time as a newborn. In the early months, I couldn’t figure out how to tandem feed (feed both girls at the same time), so Charlotte would hang out in the Rock-N-Play while I fed Violet. It was portable; I could move it anywhere and everywhere! Typically I had it right in front of me, with Charlotte facing me. I would rock her with my foot while I was feeding Violet and she would nap in it. I would move the sleeper into the kitchen and a baby would hang out in it while I was loading the dishwasher. It was just a great “baby holder.”

Charlotte in the rock-n-play sleeper

2. Arm's Reach Ideal Arc Original Co-Sleeper Bedside Bassinet – We used this as our bassinet. It was our intent to use it in the co-sleeper function, but after having a C-section, we ended up just using it in the free-standing bassinet form. I loved it because the weight limit was high enough that it could hold both girls, so we only needed 1 bassinet! They slept in this together until they were 3 months old, when we finally transitioned them into their cribs. Plus, we continue to get use out of it because it also functions as a full size pack-n-play when you take the bassinet hardware out. So we use it as a travel bed for one of the girls when we visit our in-laws in Illinois (we bought another pack-n-play for the other baby to sleep in).

The girls in the Arms Reach co-sleeper/bassinet on our first day home from the hospital (and me passed out next to them :-))

3. Medela Symphony Breast Pump – This is specific for twins/multiples only… I honestly feel like having a hospital grade pump was one of the main reasons I was able to keep up with feeding the girls, plus pumping extra to freeze and store for as long as I did. I don’t really have anything to compare it to, but if you are having/have twins and are looking for a pump, I suggest renting one from the hospital (or where ever else you can rent them from). I calculated our cost for renting, and I was able to rent the pump for about 7 months at the same price as purchasing a pump from the store. With Will, I will be using a Medala Pump-in-Style, so we’ll see how the suction power compares on that!J

4. Jumperoo – Are you kidding me?? Whoever invented this contraption was a genius! We had the Fisher Price Rainforest jumperoo, but I think any freestanding jumperoo would work. This entertained the girls for long stretches of time (like up to 30 minutes!)! We only had 1, so the other baby would be in our exersaucer (which we also had only 1), but they would do great in them. Violet could bounce forever! They would play in these while I ate breakfast or lunch, or while I was trying to get anything else done. I can’t wait to see how Will enjoys the jumperoo someday!

Violet in the exersaucer and Charlotte in the jumperoo

5. Swaddles – Something small that I think is a ‘must-have’ is some type of swaddle that Velcro or zips shut. It makes swaddling so much easier. You don’t have to master any special technique to get the perfect baby burrito! You just put the baby in, fasten some Velcro, and BOOM, they are all cozy and snug! It was great in the middle of the night when you are too tired to think. Plus, my girls were never able to “break out” of them. We had the SwaddleMe Velcro and the Summer Infant Newborn SwaddlePod Our girls were able to fit in them until they were just over 3 months old. After that, we decided to stop swaddling, but for the first 3 months, these were a life-saver!

Charlotte and Violet in their SwaddlePods

6. Vasaline/Petroleum Jelly – Ok, weird, I know! But it seems like newborns have a poopy diaper every single time. I wanted to make sure their buns were protected, but I though creams like Desitin were a little too much for their newborn bottoms. So, we globbed on Vaseline (petroleum jelly) at every diaper change. Not only did it protect them from wetness and keep their buns from getting chapped, but it made yucky messes easier to wipe off. I also keep a separate tub labeled “Face”, to use on their nose when it is running all the time and we are wiping it so much it gets raw. Their cheeks also occasionally get chapped from who knows what, so I’ll swipe it on their cheeks every once in a while too.

7. 8. 9. Snap-N-Go Stroller & Infant Car Seat & Infant Car Seat Cover - Ok, last but not least, is the combination of an infant car seat, a snap-n-go stroller, and a car seat cover (during cold weather). I know it means having to buy more than one car seat, but I LOVED having an infant car seat (some call it a bucket seat, where you can carry it with baby in it, and it just snaps in and out of the car). The girls would always fall asleep in the car, even on the short trip from daycare to home (or vice versa). Having this type of car seat eliminated the need to wake them up from a peaceful slumber! We would just carefully pop it out and set it inside and let them finish their nap. This is also a reason for a Snap-N-Go stroller. If the girls fell asleep on the way to our destination, we were able to attach the car seats to the stroller without having to wake them. Of course, with a double Snap-N-Go, you become a spectacle with lots of gawkers, and it’s similar to pushing a bus, but oh well, it was worth it! We used it for a long time (probably until they were about 10 months old) because it was how I transported the girls out of the daycare building and to our car. They were just too big to carry both infant car seats at the same time. And finally, the car seat covers we had were awesome. The girls were born in December, so we had lots of cold weather they needed to be protected from. I didn’t want to use a coat on them because then they can’t be buckled into the car seat safely, so we had the car seat cover that just wraps around the top of the seat (it doesn’t go under them, which also isn’t very safe). Ours zipped open to get the girls in and out, and it had a little peep-hole for their faces. The peep hole also had a flap that could Velcro shut over their faces while we were hustling in and out of buildings on cold days. If only they could invent these things for convertible car seats, it would make me feel so much better than just putting a blanket on the girls now.

Our infant car seats with the covers on the snap-n-go stroller as we were leaving the hospital after they were born.

Ok, so those are just a few of the baby items that I LOVED and couldn’t live without. I could probably come up with several more items, but then this post would become a novel! J Again, this is all just my own opinion, so feel free to disagree or agree with me.

As we begin the newborn phase again with Will, I’m very curious as to what else is out there that you LOVED. Please please please share with me in a comment or a message. I can’t wait to hear from you!

*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links

UPDATE 3/25/14: Since having my 3rd child, my days have become more than just "life with twins." So, I decided to move on over to a new blog!

Come check me out at www.MePlus3Today.blogspot.com!

Finger Painting Fun

2013-01-03T18:42:00.001-08:00

I work part-time, so I am home with the girls 2 days each week. I absolutely LOVE having those days with them! But most of our time is spent just playing with toys in the living room, and on a rare occasion, we might run a few errands. I thought that they might be getting bored or restless just hanging out in the living room all the time...

So, I decided I'd try adding a structured activity to their days I spend with them. It would be fun for babies, and fun for mommy! Or so I thought...

Since they just turned 1, it's not like their motor skills are that great, so we couldn't really attempt to paste some googly eyes onto a toilet paper roll to make some kind of animal (or something like that...). But finger painting sounded easy enough...

Our first attempt was based on an idea I found for "clean finger painting" on Pinterest. Basically, you put a piece of paper into a large Ziploc bag with a few globs of paint, and let baby play. And that's what we did.

I set up all the supplies, sat the girls in their high chairs, and let them get to work!

Violet gets to work on her Clean Finger painting project

Charlotte isn't really sure what to think about this Clean Finger painting project

Clean Finger Painting

Violet

As you can see, Violet seemed to enjoy the project. She liked to crinkle the Ziploc bag, and wave it all over the place. Her colors really spread nicely over the paper!

Charlotte

Charlotte wasn't really sure what to think... I gave her a little more guidance by pushing her hands onto the paint and showing her how when her hands moved the paint would smear and the color would spread. I'm not really sure if I was supposed to do that, or if I should have just let her figure it out on her own...

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of their finished art work! Oh well, there's always next time...

Lessons learned from this project:
1) Don't use too much paint, it really soaks the paper and gets gloppy, which causes it to take a really long time to dry.
2) There has to be a better way of getting the art work out of the plastic bag without getting paint all over my hands... I just haven't figured it out yet. :-)
3) Don't forget to take picture of completed art work!

So, Clean Finger painting was a nice little change from our usual routine. It gave the girls a "new toy" to play with, and it resulted in some great art work that we used as 'Thank You' cards for their birthday presents from my family. But it only entertained the girls for a limited amount of time, maybe 5 minutes... And it probably took me that long just to get everything set up for them.

Since I felt like Clean Finger painting was boring, I figured we were ready for some real finger painting! I also really wanted some cute home-made gifts from the girls for the Illinois side of the family. So, I found this project on Pinterest, it's a Christmas tree with lights or ornaments.

We could totally do that! The girls just needed to paint a sheet of paper green, and then do some hand blobs of other colors randomly on the paper. It couldn't get any easier! Or so I thought...

I stripped the girls down to their diapers, and again put them in their high chairs. I'd learned from Pinterest that it is best to tape the paper to the tray so that it doesn't move around. I just used a few pieces to tape down the corners. I'd also learned to have lots of wipes on hand, so I had a bunch of wet paper towel ready to go for clean up. Then, I put some green globs of paint on the paper and put the trays in front of the girls... That's when the fun started... :-)

Charlotte immediately began to eat the paint. I guess I confused her because when they are in their high chairs, everything I put on the tray is food... I doubt it tasted very good, and my reaction of grabbing her hand out of her mouth and telling her "No!" probably didn't help the situation. I grabbed some of the wet paper towel (thank goodness I had that easily accessible!), and wiped her face and hands. But she continued to cry, and kept trying to put the paint in her mouth...

Charlotte is not a fan of how finger paint tastes...

Violet, however, had no problems getting started. She instantly began to smear and smack the paint around on her paper. Of course, because the paper wasn't as big as the tray, she had a little trouble "staying inside the lines" and paint was everywhere...

Violet wondering why Charlotte is crying...

Violet loves to finger paint!

I ended up having to take Charlotte out of her seat to calm her down, and when I put her back in, I decided to try a different tactic. I had purchased these little paint sponges from the dollar store, so I gave her one of those to try and paint with, so maybe she wouldn't eat the paint. It helped... a little... :-)

Using dollar store paint sponges to paint the "Christmas Tree"

I decided that they had enough green paint everywhere, and it was time to start the lights/ornaments part of the picture. I put globs of the other colors on a paper plate, and dipped each girls hand into one color, in hopes that they would just smack their hand down in random spots to create the lights/ornaments. That is NOT what happened. The girls just smeared the paint all over their "Christmas Tree"...

That's when things started to get really messy. Yikes! I mean, I was prepared that there would be paint all over their hands and arms, maybe even their bodies... But I didn't really think about it getting in their hair, on their faces, up their noses, in their ears, and all over their high chairs!!!! I don't know what I was thinking trying to tackle this project with just me and the girls!!! Wet paper towel was not going to clean up this mess!!!

Charlotte getting messy...

It's still messy, even with a paint sponge... which they would drop off the tray, causing paint to get on the floor...

Violet adding lights and ornaments to her tree, and face, and body...

Messy Violet...

Charlotte eventually started enjoying finger painting!

Having fun finger painting!

"We need a bath!"

Violet at the end of the project...

Charlotte at the end of the project...

Well, Charlotte ended the project the same way she started! At least she had a little fun in the middle! :-)

I finally decided that enough was enough. Their "Christmas Trees" were complete. Again, I forgot to take pictures of the final product...

I removed the trays from the high chairs and just looked at the girls. Where was I going to start with this clean up? I attempted to wipe off most of the paint with the wet paper towels, but I knew that just wasn't going to cut it. So, I did the best I could with one baby, and set her off to play while I gave the other a quick bath.

Giving each girl a bath is a serious workout, especially since I'm getting to be gigantic pregnant. They squirm and wiggle and splash all over. And just when the bath is done, it gets even worse trying to dry them off, put lotion on them, get a diaper on, and then clothes. I pretty much have to chase them around with lotion on my hands and pray that they don't pee on the floor. Then, once I have at least a diaper on one baby, I still have one more baby to bathe! I can't bathe them both at the same time yet, I'm just not that coordinated, I'm too pregnant, and they are just way too wild in the tub.

Lessons learned from this project:
1) Wait for the first layer (Christmas tree) to dry before adding the lights/ornaments, otherwise, it all just smears together.
2) Have bath supplies prepared for clean-up.
3) Tape all 4 edges for the paper completely. Violet ended up ripping her artwork because she could grab the edges that weren't taped and pull them up.
4) Put down a cloth of some sort beneath the work area so paint does not get on the floor.
5) Paint somewhere they don't usually eat, so they don't think it's food.
6) Don't forget to take picture of completed art work!
7) Maybe try this when there is another person around to help...

So, all in all, Real Finger painting was a lot more intense that Clean Finger painting! And it definitely consumed a lot more time, and was much more entertaining. It was far from boring! By the time everyone was all cleaned up, it was nap time for the babies but I was really the one who was exhausted!

At least now I know what to expect, so maybe next time it won't be so crazy... but 'next time' might not be for a while... :-)

If anyone has any tips/tricks for a better way to finger paint, please let me know. Also, if you have any ideas on fun activities I can do with the girls, feel free to share. Thanks! :-)

UPDATE 3/25/14: Since having my 3rd child, my days have become more than just "life with twins." So, I decided to move on over to a new blog!

Come check me out at www.MePlus3Today.blogspot.com!

We Survived!

2012-12-25T18:32:00.000-08:00

Well, we did it. We survived our first year with twins! The girls turned 1 on December 22. I just can’t believe it. And I wish I could deny it. I want them to be my babies for forever!

Somehow, this year has felt like the longest year, and the shortest year ever. Is that even possible?

When I was pregnant, a mom of 4-year-old twins gave me the book “Ready or Not… Here We Come!” by Elizabeth Lyons. I read it. It scared me. It overwhelmed me. It was right. But it was also wrong.

I’m not going to lie, it hasn’t been exactly easy to get through this first year. But I definitely don’t think it was as hard as I had read about. For all the people who say “I don’t know how you do it with two…”, honestly, I don’t really know how we do it either! We just do! Somehow, we are able to make it through each day, with the girls growing stronger and smarter every day. Are there tears (from babies and mommy J)? Yes. Is there frustration? Yes. Is there exhaustion? Yes. But there are also hugs and kisses, smiles and giggles, seeing them meet milestones and watching them play together. And my favorite is walking into daycare to pick them up and they are so excited to see me that they get the hugest grin on their face and give an excited scream and immediately stop doing what they were doing to get to me as fast they can.

I wish I had done a better job of documenting this first year (seriously, I didn’t even do a baby book, ugh…). I’m sure the times that I spent vegging out on Facebook or Pinterest during naptime or after bedtime could have been put to better use with this whole documentation thing, but I also needed that time to unwind… But at least I took a ridiculous amount of pictures and videos, so that will help me keep the memories there.

I was planning on posting a bunch of pictures from the last year, but there are just way to many that I want to share. So for now, here are their monthly pictures (which I even missed a few months, oops!). I can’t believe how much they have changed! I’m hoping to post another “Year in Review” type post with a few more details, anecdotes, and pictures from that past year, but for now, this is all I have time for! Maybe that post will come next year… J

Violet Through The Year

Charlotte Through The Year

Pinterest Love

2012-12-19T06:33:00.002-08:00

Dear Pinterest,

I have a love-hate relationship with you. I love you for all the wonderful, creative, genius ideas you provide me at any time. I hate you because you make me feel inadequate as a mother, as a wife, as a person in general. I love when you make me laugh. I hate when annoy me. I love you because you are a place to easily store these neat ideas I find and can easily reference later. I hate you because you are horrible when I am searching for something in particular (like crafts to do with babies, I know they are out there, I just can’t find them!). Either way, I can waste countless hours browsing your unlimited database of “stuff.”

Today, I love you for providing me with an inexpensive teacher gift idea!

When we put our kids in daycare, I never thought about having to give gifts to the teachers. But as the holidays approached, I realized I really needed to do something. With 3 primary teachers and numerous “floater” teachers that help in the girls room, plus 2 directors of the facility, the cost of gifts can add up quickly! But I wanted to get them something that they would hopefully get some use out of, and wouldn't just sit on their shelf or get re-gifted at a White Elephant party! :-)

But then, I found this pin on your awesome/horrible site:

Click on picture to see original blog with this craft

This seemed inexpensive enough that I could use it for all the “floater” teachers that are in and out of the room during the day. Most people like chocolate, right? Plus, it’s not just your average candy bar, it took a little time and effort, therefore, it makes it a cute, little gift, right? I hope you are nodding your head…! :-)

Well for my reindeer bars, I ended up using orange pipe cleaners for the antlers because I couldn’t find brown at Meijer, and Chaz was at home with the girls so I didn’t want to go to a bunch of different stores for supplies. (There are actually 2 reindeer that have yellow antlers because I ran out of orange… but you get the gist of what it is supposed to be, right???) I used red pipe cleaner rolled into a circle for the nose. The googly eyes were on sale for 50% off at Meijer, and I still have A LOT left for future projects needing googly eyes… We’d bought the candy bars on sale as well at a previous shopping trip. Lastly, I used brown shopping bags to make the reindeer skin. So, I made a total of 17 reindeer bars, at an average cost of about 55cents each. I think that will be enough to cover all the random teachers that I want to give thanks to for taking such good care of my kids! :-)

My completed Reindeer Bars!

But I still felt that the primary teachers and directors deserved something a little better than just chocolate… That is what made me decide on this pin to create this “little something more” gift!

Click on picture to see original blog with this craft

I was able to make 6 of these adorable, little gifts for an average of about $2.61 each! Call it cheap, but I call it being a smart consumer! J

The cellophane bags I had leftover from the girls birthday party goody bags, which I had bought a package of 30 bags on clearance from Meijer for 75cents . I printed out the tags from the link on Pinterest on paper we already had, so I didn’t factor that into the cost. We also had curling ribbon on hand, and glue for my hot glue gun, so I count that as free. J Then, I bought a 2-pair pack of cute socks from the dollar store, and since each gift bag contains only one pair of socks, that portion was only 50cents. I found the little pedicure set and a quantity of 4 bell ornaments at the dollar store as well. I found a few clearance nail polishes at Meijer for 70cents, and I also bought a few that were 94cents. Thrifty, thrifty, thrifty!!! :-)

My completed Cozy Toes gifts!

A view of one side of the gift bag...

A view from another side of the gift bag...

6 Cute Gifts!!!

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m pretty proud of how this gift turned out. I know that I would love to get a fun little gift like this, so I’m hoping the girls’ teachers like them too! (I again hope that you are nodding your head in agreement that the girls' teachers will in fact love these gifts...!) :-)

My completed gifts for the girls' teachers!

Thanks again, Pinterest. Today I feel worthy of your site.

UPDATE! I dropped off the gifts to the teachers this morning, and as I was setting them on the counter, I saw one of these gifts (see image below)... Other people love (and I bet hate) Pinterest too! It made me feel better because it was comparable to my gift, so my gift wasn't completely inadequate. Plus, I had thought about doing this exact gift, so now I'm glad I chose something else! :-)

Click on picture to see original blog with this craft

UPDATE 3/25/14: Since having my 3rd child, my days have become more than just "life with twins." So, I decided to move on over to a new blog!

Come check me out at www.MePlus3Today.blogspot.com!

The Twins Birth Story - Part 1

2012-12-12T06:12:00.001-08:00

The twins are almost a year old, and I am finally getting around to posting this... Fortunately, I wrote it just a few weeks after the girls were born, and it just needed a few edits. :-) It’s not where the actual ‘birth’ begins, but this is where I think our “birth story” should start…

Being pregnant with twins, I had A LOT of doctor appointments. I didn’t really have the “every 4 weeks” type appointments. I first saw my OB doctor when I was 12 weeks (prior to that I was seeing my fertility doctor). I had an ultrasound at 14 weeks to see if they shared a placenta (which they didn’t, that’s a good thing!), and another check-up at 16-weeks. At that point, my doctor told me that I was going to have to keep coming in every 2 weeks from that point on... They were monitoring the babies pretty closely, and I had a growth ultrasound every 3 to 4 weeks. When I was about 28 weeks pregnant, the ultrasound showed a significant difference in weight between the babies. It was only a few ounces, but when the babies are still only about 2 pounds, a few ounces can result in a large percentage. Baby A (Violet) was in about the 9^th percentile for weight, while Baby B (Charlotte) was in the 75^th percentile for weight. I can’t remember what the estimated weights were, but this difference concerned the doctor. They typically like to see a maximum of about 25% difference in weights between the babies. So they were diagnosed with “growth discordance.” This meant even MORE doctor appointments!

The girls at about 14 weeks. Note: This is 2 different ultrasound pictures merged into one... they weren't really stacked like that. :-)

So starting around 28 weeks, I started going to the doctor TWICE per week. At each appointment, I had a Non-Stress Test (NST), and once a week I had an AFI ultrasound, where the amniotic fluid around the babies was measured. Then I had another growth ultrasound scheduled for 3 weeks later. I tried not to stress about it too much, I don’t even think I succumbed to Googling the condition yet. I wasn’t really sure what they would find, but I tried to prepare myself for the possibility that the babies may need to be delivered soon after that next growth ultrasound, when I would be about 30 to 31 weeks pregnant.

Me at one of many NST appointments...

The tests at each appointment had great results, and my doctor didn’t seem worried. Then at the next growth ultrasound, it showed that Baby A still wasn’t growing at the same rate as her sister, she was now only in about the 3^rd percentile for weight. This would have been a concern even if this baby was a singleton pregnancy and not a twin. So, my doctor wanted me to visit the “high-risk doctor” to see if he had any suggestions on different testing we should be doing, or any other input at all.

He felt the growth of the babies was alright, and that Baby A might just be a petite baby. But to be on the cautious side, he had me continue with my NST’s and AFI’s, have one more growth ultrasound in a few weeks, and then schedule delivery at 36 weeks.

36 weeks! Yikes! That was sooner than I had hoped! Things definitely seemed to move quickly from that point on. When I met with my doctor again, we discussed “how” the babies would be delivered at 36 weeks, whether it be by induction or a C-section. In her opinion, the risks were too great for an induction. She wasn’t sure if Baby A would be able to handle labor, my body wasn’t exactly ready for labor so it might end up a C-section after we started the induction, and Baby B was breech. Because of those reasons, a C-section was scheduled. And let me tell you, I was NOT happy about it.

I cried my eyes out after I was told I needed a C-section. I did NOT want a C-section at all! My reasons for not wanting a C-section were mostly selfish… I figured this is likely the only time I’ll ever be pregnant because of our fertility issues, so I wanted to experience what labor was like. I wanted to feel a contraction. I wanted my body to go through what women have been going through for 1000’s of years. I was also concerned about bonding with and breastfeeding the babies after delivery. I’d read that there was a delay before I could see and hold the babies during a C-section. And finally, I was scared! A C-section is some serious surgery! Basically, I had this vision during my entire pregnancy of what delivery would be like, and a C-section just wasn’t it.

I talked with my doctor about it a few more times, and I really couldn’t argue against her (I mean Google research doesn’t exactly give me a medical degree!). So although I don’t really think I accepted it, I just dealt with it... with A LOT more crying…

But finally, our scheduled day arrived. We were scheduled for 7:30am, and we had to be at the hospital 2 hours prior to that. Despite being told to pack a bag well in advance, we were scrambling all night to get ready for our hospital stay. And then of course, I couldn’t sleep once we finally went to bed… But ready or not, we were up bright and early on December 22 in order to get the hospital at 5:30am.

I was trying to be “all cool” on the way to the hospital. But my heart was racing, I was so nervous! Not only was I going to have some serious surgery, but in just a few hours, my babies were going to be here! It was such a weird thing to think about. I was definitely an emotional rollercoaster!

Everyone having a baby at Spectrum has to check in through the Emergency Room. It was strange going there though, when we weren’t really having an emergency. I was nowhere near going into labor (I think…).

When we just got to the hospital and only a couple hours before the babies were born!

The ER people sent us up to the birthing triage area where I was hooked up to monitors as I had been many times before to watch the babies’ heart beats. My blood pressure was also running really high, so they had to run some additional blood work on me. It was probably out of control because I was so nervous/scared/freaked out! But eventually, everything checked out OK and it was time to walk to the operating room.

Seriously, could they make it more like walking the “Green Mile?” I was pretty much TERRIFIED! Chaz wasn’t allowed in the operating room until I was all settled into place, so I had to leave him behind in the triage area. I can barely remember what the nurses may have said to me, but walking into the operating room felt surreal. I remember them saying “don’t touch anything blue because that stuff is sterile.” I was helped up onto the operating table that felt way too small to fit my gigantic pregnant body. And then the anesthesiologist had to give me the spinal. This was one of the scariest parts of the whole procedure. It was difficult to arch my back like an “angry cat”, when I have this huge belly that already makes it difficult to breathe. But I survived the big scary shot and I could immediately feel it tingling in my legs.

The nurses told me to lie back on the table. “Um, is anyone going to help me?” I asked. Seriously, this table was teeny tiny, I was a gigantic whale, and that spinal had really kicked in, it was amazing how fast my legs started going numb. They laughed and told me “of course!” and helped me get on my back on the table. My arms were stretched straight out to each side and strapped down. Then there was a flurry of activity all around as they began getting things ready. They put the blue sheet up in front of me so I couldn’t see what was going on. I had planned on having a mirror so that I could see when the babies were born, but when a nurse asked me about it, I told her “Nope, nevermind! I’m kinda freaking out!” They started testing my “feeling” in my lower body, by rubbing something cold on me. The anesthesiologist said temperature was one of the first feelings to go, so when I couldn’t tell the difference in temperature, then they knew the spinal was taking affect.

(Sidenote: If you decide to watch the video, you'll see that it's basically a party in the operating room... Since they were delivering twins, there is double the nurses and double the doctors! I can't imagine what it's like for triplets, you'd need a grand ballroom to deliver them in to fit all the people! :-P)

Finally, Chaz was brought into the room. Since I was freaking out, I figured he would be too. I had wanted him to video the procedure and take a bunch of pictures. As soon as I saw him, I told him he didn’t have to video it anymore if he didn’t want to. He looked at me like I was silly and stood up and began videoing over the blue sheet that blocked me view. I was very impressed!

Although I was “numb,” I could definitely still feel what was going on. A lot of tugging and pulling and pushing. It was a strange sensation. And suddenly, it felt as if a weight was lifted off me and I heard them say that a baby was born! And then I heard the baby cry! I was immediately teary-eyed! They asked if we had a name picked out. I asked if it was Baby A or Baby B, and when they said it was Baby A, I told Chaz to tell them that that was Violet.

Baby getting weighed and measured.

Then there was A LOT more tugging and pulling and pushing. Baby B was stuck in there (if you decide to watch the video, you’ll see what I mean, it’s crazy!)! But finally she was born! I don’t remember telling them her name, but I’m sure Chaz filled them in that she was Charlotte. After that, I could see one baby on a warming table getting all checked out. The whole time I thought that was Charlotte, but when we watched the video later, I found it was actual Violet that I could see!

Another baby getting weighed and measured!

There was a point during the procedure that scared me when I heard the nurses say “she keeps forgetting to breathe.” But nobody seemed panicked. “Just keep tickling her toes,” I heard someone else say. I just kept listening for babies crying, and that made me feel better. There was also a point when I suddenly began to feel nauseous. The anesthesiologist asked me how I was feeling, and I told her I felt like I was going to throw up. She said my blood pressure had dropped and she was going to inject something into my IV to bring it back up and I should feel better. She also put a little pink tub under my mouth, just in case. It’s a good thing she did because I started throwing up right after that. Not one of the best moments of the delivery.

Our first family picture!

After that, things went quickly and I don’t remember much at all. Before I knew it, they were moving me off the operating table onto another bed. That is also a really weird feeling, when you can’t move yourself. I felt like I was going to fall, but somehow, I ended up on that other bed. Those were some strong nurses! And then they were handing me the babies! It was my first time holding them! I'd say it was "love at first sight", but I'm one of those people who loved them as soon as I found out I was pregnant. But it was still amazing to hold them in my arms after holding them in my belly for so many weeks. Once they gave me the babies, they wheeled me out into recovery.

About to wheel me into recovery...

From this point, it’s all just a big blur. It seems like they had me almost immediately begin to breast feed them, and I had both babies hooked on at once. It seemed so easy! They also gave the babies their first bath. Other than that, I don’t remember much. Chaz has filled me in that I was eventually wheeled up to our room on the 5^th floor, and he had to carry the babies up there. They again had to move me from one bed to the other, and Chaz says I asked if they had enough nurses there to move me! Ha!

The girls on their birth day!

I had to throw this one in of Violet because I think it is so funny... right from the start, she was sticking out her tongue!

At this point, I was just so thankful that the babies were healthy. They didn’t need any time in the NICU or NIM, and everything was going well. My girls were here!

Thankful for my healthy babies!

So that is the “birth story” part 1… But the adventure continued for 5 more fun-filled days in the hospital (I hope you can sense the sarcasm), which will just have to be another post completely! Stay tuned… J

Finally, I decided to post my C-section video that Chaz so bravely recorded. J You can watch it if you are interested, but viewer discretion is advised… Seriously, I just watched it for the first time since right after the babies were born. There are some pretty graphic parts, but Chaz turns the camera away during a part whe things go from gross to extremely gross. But still, there is a lot of gross, so if you can't handle blood or anything like that, I would suggest you not watch it. But it is pretty amazing, and I am SO GLAD I have this video! Also, I edited a small chunk out from the beginning because I drop the F-bomb right away after Chaz tells me that they already cut me open! Nobody even told me they were going to start! So yeah, I was caught by surprise and couldn’t help saying “Are you F-ing kidding me?!?!” Yeah, I can’t wait for my girls to see that someday… sigh… J

We're Having A...

2012-11-17T15:41:00.000-08:00

Well, my fun little "gender reveal" idea didn't work out so well. These girls just don't like to have their picture taken... :-P

So, are we Team Pink or Team Blue?!?!?!

the

suspense

starting

get

you????

OK,

have

you

taken

your

guess????

Here's

our

big

reveal!!!!

We're having a...

...little brother!!!!

Can you tell they are so excited??? :-)

There's No Denying It!

2012-10-27T07:57:00.002-07:00

So, since I announced that we were expecting another baby, I bet there are a few curious folks out there thinking “How did that happen?” Yeah, I’m still wondering the same thing! J

If you aren’t already aware, we struggled for a couple years before finally conceiving Violet and Charlotte using IVF (in-vitro fertilization). And for most people struggling to have a baby, it’s not like you get to immediately try IVF, there a bunch of different methods they try before that. None of which worked for us… Plus, it was technically our second try of IVF, it was actually an FET (frozen embryo transfer) cycle when I got pregnant with the twins. So because of all this, I pretty much assumed we were immune to getting pregnant.

I was wrong. :-P

When we were trying and didn’t get pregnant for the first year, and after we realized that something wasn’t right, I couldn’t help but think, “All those years wasting money on birth control…” J So, when my OBGYN asked what form of birth control I was choosing after the twins were born I just told her I wanted to try an IUD, and she said “Ok, don’t forget to make an appointment for that.” Sure thing! (with a thumbs up sign and a silly wink!) It wasn’t that I necessarily forgot, it was more that I procrastinated. The procedure isn’t free, I didn’t feel that was totally necessary to get it done immediately, and I basically thought it was a waste of money. So, the appointment was never made…

So la-de-da, we’re just living life, trying to get through each day. I can’t really figure out how to word this without being all TMI, so I hope this makes sense and isn’t gross/weird. Around the time I started weaning the girls, I just figured my body was still trying to get back to normal. So I never really noticed the obvious sign that I might possibly be pregnant.

More la-de-da, we’re still living life for a couple more weeks. Chaz is nervous though. I’d told him if nothing happens next month, I’ll take a test.

Then, I started not feeling very good. Ever. And I was tired. Way more than usual. All the time.

I just thought I was drinking too much Diet Coke. For real, I was drinking the stuff like it was my job. I had a serious addiction. I kept telling myself I was going to quit the next day. But then I’d be getting breakfast, and that Diet Coke fountain would be calling my name… I assumed it was giving me an ulcer or something. So I finally started to slowly back off on one serving of Diet Coke per day. Instead of my lunchtime Diet Coke, I had water instead. And I felt a little better in the afternoons. Boom, the cause of the problem was discovered!

Or so I thought…

Then one day, I was on a tour of our manufacturing cell at work. It was warm out on the floor, but I was getting that even warmer feeling you get when you are about to throw up, where the back of my neck is getting hot and I can feel my forehead starting to sweat. And suddenly I was thinking, “Holy crap, I’m going to throw up. I’m going to throw up. I’m going to throw up. What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?” So now, instead of paying attention to whatever they are trying to show us, I’m focusing on not throwing up.

When I think there is no hope, I decide that as soon as we move on to the next station, I’m going to sneak away from the group and either get outside or run to a bathroom. But where’s the nearest bathroom? I’m not totally familiar with where we are on the floor. But they just keep talking, and talking, and talking. Stop asking fricken questions people or I’m going to blow chunks all over you! Finally, I think “F- it, I’m outta here.” And I just turn around, cut through some of the people and hustle to the only bathroom I can think of, which fortunately wasn’t too far away.

I make it just in time. I slam open a stall door, and there goes my breakfast… Luckily, nobody else was in the bathroom. When I’m done, I rinse out my mouth and wash my face. And then I feel fine. Hmmm… that was weird. Then I walk out of the bathroom and rejoin the tour.

When I get back to my desk, I email Chaz about what happened. All his email reply said was “Dude, you’re so preggo.” My response was something along the lines of “Nah, I still think it’s just all that Diet Coke.” Denial? I’m still not sure… He responds by telling me to go buy a test during lunch. I told him I don’t want to waste money on a test unless I know for sure that I absolutely need to take it (which I guess would make the test unnecessary if I could know that…).

Well, then the next day, Chaz comes home with a 3-pack HPT. Dangit, he can buy those at his company store for 50cents… “Fine, I guess I’ll take it after the girls are asleep…”

Sidenote: I have a weird phobia about pregnancy tests. When we were trying before, I had taken so many, and gotten so many negative results, that I pretty much hate them. Anyways, I still read the instructions first, even though I’ve taken about a million of these, and I pee on the stick. I leave it in the bathroom and do some stuff in the kitchen for a few minutes.

The whole time, my mind is just weird. Honestly, there isn’t even a word I can think of to explain it, so I’m just going with weird. I’ve taken so many tests just hoping and praying for 2 blue lines or a plus sign! And this time, I wasn’t sure what result I wanted. Do I want it positive or do I want it negative? How am I going to feel if it’s negative? What are we going to do if it’s positive? I think that is why I was in denial about possibly being pregnant for so many weeks. There was a tiny part of me that actually hoped I was pregnant, and I hate getting my hopes up that I could be pregnant based on all the disappointments of the past. But there was also a bigger part of me that was freaking out about what would happen if we were pregnant, so I thought I might be OK if it was negative.

Anyways, I walk back in the bathroom and look at the test. And I’m think, hmmmm… that’s interesting. I grab the instructions and look at them again. And look at the test again. I have no idea why, I know exactly what the test says. Again, my mind is weird. My hands are shaking. But I’m smiling. Sort of…

“Chaz, I think you better get in here…”

He walks in takes a 1 second look at it, and says “looks like a line to me.” I sigh and tell him he’s not even looking at the right part (he was looking at the line that tells you the test functioned correctly). I tell him he’s supposed to look there, where it looks like a plus sign. He takes a little closer look. “Looks like a plus sign…”

I’m squinting at it. I’m still not convinced. More denial? Definitely.

“I don’t know if I did it right. Something could be screwed up. Now I’m not even sure if that is a plus sign. I’ll take another one in the morning,” I say.

And we hug, and I go upstairs and cry a little. Because my mind is weird. Am I happy or sad? Disappointed or excited? I don’t even know.

The next morning, I pee on another stick. Another plus sign shows up. I guess I’ll call the doctor today…

Do you see a plus sign?

I call the doctor and tell them the situation. I tell them I don’t know the date of my LMP because I didn’t think things were back to normal after my last pregnancy. They order a blood test for me to confirm I am pregnant, and how pregnant am I?

I get a blood test during lunchtime that day. I’m so glad Zeeland Hospital is right next to my work and that I discovered they have a lab there! They were super speedy, and the doctor’s office called around 4pm with the results. My HCG level was 107,000. Basically, I was A LOT pregnant. “You only need to be about 5000 to see the baby on an ultrasound, so we’re going to get you scheduled for one to get your due date,” said the nurse. Boom, I had an ultrasound scheduled the next day.

My email to Chaz just says: “So, apparently I’m pregnant...”

I get my mom and sister to watch the twins during my ultrasound by telling a little, white lie that my appointment is for a follow up for my postpartum depression. At the doctor’s office, I feel like an old pro in the ultrasound room. I had one once per week for most of the second half of my pregnancy with the twins.

As I’m watching on the screen, all I can think is “please don’t let it be twins!” Not that I don’t love my twins, and love having twins, but I think having 4 kids under the age of 2 would be a slightly stressful… :-P

And then, there’s New Baby. Just a little blob. You can kind of see where the head is and where the body is. The tech doesn’t play the heartbeat, but I can see it beating away on the screen. I still ask to make sure that it’s the heart though (it could be something weird, I don’t know…). She confirms that it’s the heartbeat and it’s doing great! She takes some measurements, and then we’re done. After I’m cleaned up, she says “Oh, by the way, there’s only one in there.” I laugh and say “Good, because I have 9 month old twins at home!” She laughs and tells me I’m going to have my hands full. If I had a nickel for every time I heard that already…

New Baby's First Picture!

At the time of the ultrasound, I was about almost 9 weeks along. My estimated due date is April 9.

I went back to my mom’s and emailed Chaz. He couldn’t believe I wasn’t spilling the beans yet. But I still couldn’t believe that it was actually happening. I was still in MAJOR denial! I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. Even for the next few weeks after we found out, I kept forgetting that I was pregnant! I’m just so dumbfounded by it all!

So, I guess that’s the story of how it happened. Well, not the actual story of how it happened (gross), but the story of how we found out, I guess. J

I know there are so many other people struggling to get what I got without even trying. I know how they feel so I always hope and pray that they get their plus sign someday soon. All babies are little miracles, and because of what we went through before, this baby especially feels like one. I thought I already had everything I ever wanted, but God decided to bless us with another little gift. I am so grateful!

15+ Baby Freebies for Twins and Multiples!!!!

2012-08-02T17:49:00.001-07:00

UPDATE January 2014: I would love to hear if anyone has been able to recently get any of these freebies, or if they learned of any new offers out there! Please comment on this post and let me know, I'd love to keep this information as up-to-date as possible. Also, has anyone found anything for older twins/multiples? My girls just turned 2. Enjoy your freebies!!!

For your convenience, this post contains affiliate links.

In my previous post I talked about scoring free products, samples, and/or high value coupons from baby related companies just for having twins. We are fortunate that the girls aren’t picky about what brands or types of formula/food/diapers/wipes we use. Below is a list of the companies I contacted and what I received. If you don’t have twins, don’t worry! I honestly think that you could still call any of these companies and you would get something just for asking!

Gerber (1-800-4-GERBER)

The lady I spoke with on the phone was really nice. They DO have an official “Multiples Program.” They also have an online community that you can sign up for on their website that will sometimes have coupons and provides other helpful information. I also became a fan on Facebook just in case they offer any coupons there.

I received a package on my doorstep less than a week after calling them, so I loved their fast response! It contained two 12.4oz cans of Gerber Good Start Protect formula, and 2 cute “I’m a Gerber Baby” onesies! Unfortunately, the onesies are too small for the girls (only go up to 12 pounds), so I am probably going to donate these to a couple ladies who are about to have/had a baby recently. I also received an AWESOME coupon for $10 worth of any Gerber food product in a separate letter. You know it’s special because it has a little gold sticker on it. J

Thanks Gerber!!!

Similac (Abbott) (1-800-232-7677)

The lady I spoke with here was also very nice, but it’s probably because at this point the girls were getting a little fussy and she could probably hear them whining in the background. J Similac DOES NOT have an official multiples program, but she said they could send me a sample for each baby. They also have the Similac Strong Moms program that you can sign up for online and I think you get coupons. I probably signed up for that while I was pregnant, but I didn’t remember, because they had my information in the system.

I received two 8 ounce formula samples on my front porch about a week after I called. There was nothing else included. I haven’t received any coupons or formula checks from them yet. I’m hoping they still might send me some.

UPDATE MARCH 19, 2014: A reader, Carmell, left this comment today regarding Similac: "The Similac rep required I fill-out a form & mail it in along with a copy of each of my babies birth certificates. However, I received 2 cases of the ready made 1 QT bottles, which are valued at $40 a piece!"

That is a great deal!!! I hope other's are able to get this also!

Enfamil (Mead Johnson) (1-800-BABY123)

Enfamil DOES have a multiples program, but you have to get your pediatrician involved to qualify. Your pediatrician has to contact their Enfamil sales rep to confirm that you do have twins/multiples. They will have to fill out some paperwork that they get from the sales rep, who will then fax it in, and then you get 2 complimentary CASES of formula! I think it is 1 case per baby, so if you had triplets, you might get 3 cases! A case consists of 6 of the 12.5oz cans. Based on how many bottles we can get out of each can, that is about 15 days worth of formula for us, or a $180 value based on regular price at Meijer!!! That was definitely our biggest freebie!

Thanks Enfamil!

If you pediatrician doesn’t have an Enfamil sales rep, they can always contact Enfamil directly to get hooked up with one. I know it’s a pain to have to go through your pediatrician, but the people at the office we go to were VERY understanding and helpful. I was so appreciative of the time they took to do this. I think this was the first time they had ever heard of this program.

In addition to that, we also received a 12.5oz can in the mail just because I had contacted their customer service. I have also received one $5 formula check so far.

Thanks Enfamil!

You can also sign up for the online community on their website, and become a fan on Facebook to possibly get other discounts and coupons. There website also has “certificates” that you can print and bring to your pediatrician’s office for samples. I haven’t tried that yet, but I might if we get desperate!

Huggies (Kimberly-Clark) (1-800-648-2484)

Huggies DOES have a multiples program. After speaking to a customer service person, I learned that to qualify, you need to mail in copies of your children’s birth certificated, and a short letter requesting to be part of the program. You can mail this in to:

Kimberly Clark
Dept QMB
PO Box 2020
Neenah, WI 54957-2020

About 5 days after I mailed the information in, I received two $3 off any Huggies product coupons, and three $1 off any Huggies product coupons. I was actually hoping for something a little more special, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers! J I am also part of their rewards code program, where you type in the codes that are on the inside of their packages to earn points towards free product. I don’t have very many points yet, but hopefully someday I’ll be able to get something cool! And as always, I am a fan on Facebook!

Pampers (Proctor & Gamble) (1-800-726-7377)

Pampers also has an official Multiples Program. I called customer service, but I also found the answer in the FAQs on their website that explains they “provide a one-time gift of money saving coupons.” The website says to send in your children’s hospital discharge papers, but since I couldn’t find those/didn’t know what they even were, I just mailed in copies of their birth certificates to the address below. I also included a short note requesting to be a part of the program.

Pampers Multiples Program

Proctor & Gamble Company
PO Box 599
Cincinnati, OH 45201

After 17 days, I received some pretty good coupons! These included: 1 FREE Pampers diaper pack (up to $13.99), $5 off Pampers diapers, two $2 off Pampers diapers, $1 off Pampers wipes, and 3 P& G coupons for Tide, Olay, and Pantene. I was extremely happy with what they provided!

I also participate in their rewards code program, called Gifts to Grow. Points are given for entering the code provided on the packaging of Pampers products. Sometimes they give out free bonus codes on their Facebook page as well!

Luvs (Proctor & Gamble)

Luvs is just the more affordable diaper provided by Proctor & Gamble. They also have a Multiples Program, based on the FAQ’s on their website with the same offering as Pampers. Again, I sent in copies of the girls birth certificates, and my same generic note to the address below.

Luvs Multiples Program

Proctor & Gamble Company

PO Box 599

Cincinnati, OH 45201

Yes, I do realize it’s the same address as Pampers... But believe it or not, I did receive something from both Pampers and Luvs. Luvs sent me: 1 FREE Luvs Diapers (up to $9), $4 off Luvs Diapers, two $2 off Luvs diapers, $1 off Luvs wipes, and the same P & G coupons for Tide, Olay, and Pantene. This was another great freebie!

I also signed up online to be on their mailing list, and I’ve received some coupons in the mail. And I’m sure you’ve guessed what I’m going to say… I’m a fan on Facebook!

Beechnut (1-800-233-2468)

Beechnut baby food is made with natural ingredients, no preservatives, and no artificial flavors or colors. They sell it at Meijer. They have a parent pack full of coupons that they send out to anybody that calls. While they don’t technically have a multiples program, they did send me double the coupons! These coupons included: FREE baby food, FREE cereal, and $$ off purchases. I’ve already used some of the $1 off Stage 2 jars last week because it was also on sale at Meijer. Bonus savings!!! J

Thanks Beech-Nut!!!

Beechnut also has a rewards program where you can send in a certain amount of UPC’s from their products to get more great coupons. As with all the other companies, they have an e-newsletter that also sends out coupons. Believe it or not, I don’t think I’m a fan on Facebook yet, but I will have to look it up when I’m done writing this! :-) [UPDATE: I am now a fan...]

TOMY/The First Years/LearningCurves (1-800-704-8697)

I never would have thought of this company if it hadn’t been for the lists I found online that showed companies with multiples programs. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to call and find out if they still had a program. Guess what? They do!!! This was another company that required proof of multiples, so I again sent in the birth certificates and my short note to the following address:

TOMY

Attn: Multiple Birth Program (MBP)

2021 9th St. SE

Dyersville, IA 52040

Only 10 days after putting the information in the mail, I received 2 "My First Rattle" by Learning Curve Baby/TOMY and 2 packs of 5 Take & Toss sippy cups! This was one of my favorite freebies!

Thanks TOMY!

Earth’s Best (1-800-434-4246)

I was excited to call Earth’s Best because they have formula, food, diapers, and more. Unfortunately, they DO NOT have an official multiples program, but they did send me a feeding guide with coupons. The coupons included: two 55cents off 1 Earth’s Best product, $5 off Formula, $1 off 7 jars of baby food, $1 off cereal, and $2 off diapers. I plan to use some of these coupons this week, because Earth’s Best is on sale at Meijer and Target which means bonus savings!!! J

Seventh Generation (1-800-456-4246)

This was one of my favorite places that I contacted. The woman I spoke with was so nice and very informative about their products. They DO NOT have an official multiples program, and at first, she was only going to send me some coupons. But after telling me all about their products and hearing about my interest in them, she offered to send me samples to try out on the girls. I seriously talked with this woman for almost 10 minutes about what they have to offer for babies. It was great!

The package she sent included: two size 2 diapers and two size 3 diapers (I had told her the girls weight and she decided to send 2 different sizes to see which would fit better… Awesome!), a sample pack of 3 wipes, and a bunch of coupons for other Seventh Generation products (like laundry detergent and whatnot). I know only 4 diapers and 3 wipes doesn’t sound like much, but every little bit really does help! I’ll take anything! J

Thanks Seventh Generation!!!

Playtex Baby (1-888-310-4290)

Many of the lists online advertise that Playtex Baby has a multiples program, but after calling, I found out that is not true. But as with most of the companies that don’t have a program, she offered to send me some coupons. I wasn’t expecting much, but I was happily surprised! About 10 days after my phone call, I received 2 coupons for $3 off 1 Playtex Infant product, and 2 coupons for $7.99 off 1 Playtex Infant product!!! Those are some great coupons! I plan to use them to get the girls sippy cups soon.

Ella’s Kitchen (1-800-685-7799)

Ella’s Kitchen makes organic baby food that is sold at Target. They do not have a special multiples program, but they did send me 16 coupons for 55cents of an Ella’s Kitchen product. I plan to use some of those this week because this brand is on sale at Target. Yeah bonus savings!!!

And this is a company where it really paid off to be a fan on Facebook. Ella's Kitchen's page advertised that another Facebook page was holding a contest to win a 3-month supply of Ella’s Kitchen pouches. Of course I entered, not thinking that I would actually win. To my surprise, I DID WIN!!! I am so excited!!! I was contacted by Ella’s Kitchen and they will be shipping me cases of their pouches directly from their warehouse. I can’t wait to get them. That is going to help SO much!!!

Johnson & Johnson

This was a company that I contacted using the “contact us” form on their website. I just couldn’t find a phone number listed anywhere. I didn’t expect to hear back from them, but they actually responded in less than 24 hours. Their response seemed typical for not contacting them by phone though. The email said that they do not have a multiples program and coupons for their products could be found on the following websites: www.baby.com, www.johnsonsbaby.com, and www.babycenter.com.

That was one of my first “no” answers to getting anything sent to me. I was a little bummed, but I would survive! J But then I was surprised to get 3 coupons for $5 off specific Johnson & Johnson products in the mail, just for contacting their customer service! And the list of products that the coupons work on is huge! I still don’t know what I’m going to use them on… J

Happy Family Foods (212-374-2779)

I spoke with a VERY friendly customer service person from Happy Family that explained that they unfortunately do not have a multiples program. He added that the best way to get coupons would be to send an email to parents@happyfamilybrands.com, which of course I did. I attached scanned images of the girls birth certificates, just in case.

I received 2 different email replies from 2 different people. I also received 2 different letters with coupons in the mail. I’m not sure if there was a miscommunication on there part, but it worked out in my favor. More coupons!!! These included: 1 FREE Toddler Meal bowl, 1 FREE Happytot Plus pouch, 1 FREE Happy Baby puffs, three $1 off 2 Happy Baby Products, and three Buy 6 pouches, get 1 free. This brand is also on sale at Target this week, so that’s where I’ll be using them!

Also, I’m a fan onFacebook. J

Little Me (855-3-Little)

I had never heard of Little Me until I found the lists online of Multiple Birth program companies. They are located in New York and sell newborn and infant clothing. The girls never stop growing, so they always need new clothes! J So, I decided to give them a call. I was pleased to find out they do have a special program. I just had to mail in copies of the girls birth certificates and my little note to the following address.

~~Little Me~~

~~Attn: Ruthie~~

~~112 W 34th St~~

~~10th Floor~~

~~NYC, NY 10120~~

[UPDATE MARCH 21, 2014: I saw a comment on this post that was pinned on Pinterest that said the person's letter was returned saying the address was not valid. So PLEASE CALL FIRST to find out the latest address!]

A few weeks later, 2 super cute little sleepers showed up at my front door! I was nervous that they may have sent small sizes, but I was happy to see they were size 12-month! I can’t wait for the girls to wear them!

Thanks Little Me!!!

Ok, so that is everything that I have received so far…

I just recently sent out my letter to Kids II/Bright Starts, because I found information on their program in their FAQs on their website. I’m still waiting to see what I get! J [UPDATE: I never received anything from Bright Starts. :-(]

I also contacted PBM, which is the company that makes all the store brand formulas (including Meijer, Target, Walgreens, etc). This is one of my funnier calls because I didn’t realize who I was calling. I was calling the number from the Bright Beginnings Formula website (1-800-410-9629). I had never heard of Bright Beginnings. I’m still not exactly sure what it is, but I think it’s equivalent to a store brand sold only on Amazon.com or something… Anyways, PBM is part of Perrigo, which is where Chaz works… So when the woman gave me her email address of where to send the girls birth certificates, I was surprised to that it ended in @Perrigo.com… Of course I had to call Chaz right away and tell him that I just called his company asking for samples and coupons.

Anyways, back to PBM… THIS IS SOMETHING THEY DO FOR EVERYONE, not just multiples. You can call once a month and ask for coupons for the store brand formula of your choice. As a parent of twins, I just get double the coupons. I was so surprised at who I was talking to that I didn’t really think and just asked for Meijer coupons. But next time I plan to ask for Target, as they have a better regular price on the Up & Up brand formula. The customer service woman told me that it will take 4 to 6 weeks for my coupons to arrive, so I’m still waiting…

As you know, store brand formula coupons are rare/don’t exist, so this is awesome. In addition, did you know that if you go to www.storebrandformula.com, you can print a $2 off coupon for a few select brands, including Meijer and Walgreens.

Nature’s One Formula had an automated system where you could leave your contact information to get a free sample. This was one of the first places I contacted, and I have yet to get anything from them… I may follow up soon though. [UPDATE: I never got anything from them. :-( ]

I messaged Baby Blanket Suncare via the “contact us” form on their website on July 18. I have yet to get a response… [UPDATE: Never received a response.]

I also messaged Summer Infant products via the “contact us” form on their website this week. I tried this method because I had called their customer service number twice, and waited on hold for over 5 minutes with no answer… we’ll see if anyone responds to my message, I haven’t heard anything yet… [UPDATE: Never heard from them.]

The only 2 companies that gave me a flat out “no” without sending anything were Evenflo and AHP (who manufactures store brand diapers). Other than that, everyone has at least offered to send coupons! And coupons help, so I’ll take them! And of course, I am now on every mailing list ever… My email inbox is always full from these companies, but some of the information is helpful and sometimes they have great deals that I can take advantage of, so I am OK with it. J

There were also companies that had Multiple Birth programs that I did not take advantage of. Sassy Toys has a program where you can order via a special form to get a Buy 1, Get 1 Free offer.

Babies R Us has in in-store program where you can get 10% off when you buy 2 of the same baby gear product (which means, cribs, car seats, gates, etc). I wish I would have known about this in advance because our cribs and car seats are from there. While those were gifts for us from family members, we could have saved our family some money!

I still have oodles and oodles of companies that I want to call, but as you can imagine, I’m short on time. It took me almost 2 weeks just to type this up! So, if you read this far, then thank you! I hope you found this information helpful, and that you might call and try to get some discounts or samples as well! J

I’ll post again with an updated list after I contact more companies. And if you have any suggestions, or if you have received anything cool, let me know by commenting here or on Facebook!

I LOVE FREE STUFF!

UPDATE 3/25/14: Hi there! Because this is one of my most popular posts on this blog, I wanted to add this note here.

Since having my 3rd child, my days have become more than just "life with twins." So, I decided to move on over to a new blog! Come check me out at www.MePlus3Today.blogspot.com!

My new blog deals with kids crafts and activities, mommy ups & downs, and what it's like to suddenly find myself as a 30-year-old widow with 3 kids under the age of 2.

So again, please stop by my new blog, and tell your friends too!

Thanks so much!

~Sarah

Did you say FREE? Yes, please!

2012-07-21T08:45:00.003-07:00

Babies are expensive. Who knew? J

A little over a month ago, we had to start supplementing the girls’ diet with formula. I agonized over it for at least a week before I decided we just needed to do it. I just couldn’t keep up with them anymore and we were depleting our frozen milk supply in a hurry. So, I made their first bottle of formula. Fortunately, we still had the few samples we had saved from the hospital when the girls were born.

Then I figured, since I have to give them formula anyways, I should just start weaning them. So I did. Over the last month, we slowly moved to giving them formula for all their feedings. And that is when I realized just how much formula we will be going through…

“It’s like we go through twice as much formula as everyone else…” I said to Chaz. I know, I’m hilarious.

Sometimes I regret weaning them, but I LOVE not having to pump anymore. I have literally gained AT LEAST 3 hours back into my day. Yes, I spent a total of 3 hours a day just pumping (it was even more when they were younger). In addition to that, there was time spent washing the pump accessories, getting all hooked up to the pump, unhooking from the pump, and measuring out the girls bottles or putting away some to freeze, etc.

What I DEFINITELY regret is not stocking up on formula! “Oh, I don’t need formula, these girls are getting breast milk even if I have to pump and feed,” I had said before the girls were born. And low and behold, that’s what I had to do. Even at the hospital, we didn’t take as many formula samples as we could because I was nursing. DUMB! Who turns down free formula?!?! Apparently, we did. Then there were the awesome formula coupons that came in the mail right after the girls were born. “We don’t need these…” and out they went. Or the time(s) that the pediatricians office asked if I wanted some formula samples. “Nope, the girls get breast milk.” Again, we turned down FREE FORMULA! I’m really kicking myself for that now that I see how much formula really costs. I always knew that I wasn’t going to breastfeed the girls forever… At first my goal was to get through my maternity leave. And after that, it was just one month at a time… And we ended up giving the girls 100% breast milk for the first 6 months of their lives, which is actually pretty good, so let me just give myself a little pat on the back! J

Anyways, after buying our first can of formula, I realized how quickly the cost of this was going to add up. So, I started looking into how we could save money on formula.

I think I started by Googling “free formula” or something like that. And because Google knows exactly what I’m thinking, one of the little options it gave me in the search window was “free formula for twins.” Well, thank you Google, that is exactly what I’m looking for. Click.

And a whole new world opened up to me! It’s almost like I could hear the angels singing “aaaahhhhh...” and golden lights shining out from the computer screen. From this little Google search regarding formula, I discovered that just because I have twins, there are a bunch of companies out there that will give me free stuff! Who knew?!?! I guess that thought never occurred to me because I had only heard about the people who had litters of children and were on the news and whatnot would get sent free stuff. But nope, even my tiny, little litter qualifies! J

Ok, so from my Google research, I found lists and lists and lists of companies that had “multiples programs” where they might send you samples, free products, or high value coupons. Some of these lists overlapped, and a few had miscellaneous companies that I hadn’t even thought of. Most of the lists said to just mail in copies of your children’s birth certificates with a short note that you had twins/triplets/quads/etc, would like to participate in their multiples program, and include your address. And then free stuff would show up in the mail!

However, I noticed a lot of these lists were from a few to several years back. I’m cheap, and didn’t want to waste a stamp and the ink to print off letters and copies if I wasn’t absolutely positive that I was going to receive something worthwhile. So, I decided to call companies to ask if they even still had a multiples program. Yup, I just looked on their websites, called the 1-800 numbers, and asked “if they offered any samples or special promotions to parents with twins.” I am glad I called first, because quite a few places didn’t even require any proof, so I saved myself a stamp and ink! I also liked calling instead of using a “contact us” email form on their websites because I was able to get an instant answer. I have had to use that form for some companies because I couldn’t even find a 1-800 number on their website, and a few I did get a response from, and a few I am still waiting to hear back on...

Anyways, after calling the first few companies, I realized that this could get confusing... So, I set up a simple little spreadsheet. It has the companies I have contacted and companies that I plan to contact (I picked some companies from the lists I saw online and added a few that I was interested in), the date that I contacted them, what their response was and if anything special was required, their contact information, and what I received from them and when.

And if you are still reading this, and you don’t have twins, and you are feeling kind of jipped, don’t worry! After calling MANY baby related companies, I’ve learned something… it doesn’t even matter if you have twins, if you’re Jon and Kate Plus 8, or if you have an only child – you can still get free stuff! Or at least some pretty awesome coupons! Companies seem to LOVE to hear from consumers, and they seem to LOVE wanting to advertise to them and get them to at least TRY their product. Yeah, that makes sense to me. So really, all you need to do is just get on the phone. Call their customer service or consumer relations or whatever they call it department. Ask them about their product and that you’re interested in trying it. Ask them if they could send you samples, or if they have any special promotions, or if they have any coupons. Or maybe even tell them you love their product, maybe they reward loyal customers (I haven’t tried that yet, but I plan to with a certain company). I HIGHLY recommend calling as opposed to email though, I think you will get a much better response that way and are more likely to get some cool stuff! (Also, this doesn’t apply to just baby stuff. I bet this would work on any product you like.)

Anyways, if you read through this whole thing, then thanks! This has been my OBSESSION for the past few weeks. Just ask Chaz. It’s all I talk about and as the free stuff roles in, I sing a silly song and dance around, even if it’s just a dinky little 50cent off coupon. I’m pretty sure he’s sick of it. But whatever, I’m saving us money, so that should make him happy!

Oh yeah, and I do plan on posting who I contacted and what I received. I just felt like this post was super long already, so I decided to split them up. I’m working on the other post now! Stay tuned… J YOU CAN SEE THAT POST BY CLICKING HERE!

UPDATE 3/25/14: Since having my 3rd child, my days have become more than just "life with twins." So, I decided to move on over to a new blog!

Come check me out at www.MePlus3Today.blogspot.com!

50 Shades of Greenish-Brown

2012-06-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

Here's a guest post from Chaz! So this is what happens when mama is away for just a few hours...

Okay, so last week I had a wonderful baby experience… Sarah was out at her cousin's baby shower so I was alone on baby duty. Not a big deal… or so I thought. I had just finished feeding both of them and was getting ready to change diapers. I was going to change Charlotte first so I put Violet on a blanket on the ground. I had Charlotte laying on her back on a foot stool and was playing with her for a few seconds. I went to scoop her up and to my surprise I came up with a slimy greenish-brown covered palm. It was a blow out! One of the top 10 scariest situations for Dad watching kids on his own. I quickly brought her over to the changing table to clean her up. (Our changing table is in the front room of our house which is sort of separate from the living room, but it’s laid out in a way that I can still peak and see what’s going on from one room to the other).

At this point I’m cleaning up Charlotte, but Violet is starting to cry because she realizes no one is paying attention to her. At the same time the cat jumps up on the dirty foot stool and starts sniffing the greenish-brown residue. By now I’m stressing and trying to comfort Violet but I’m basically having to yell because we’re in separate rooms. At the same time I’m for real yelling at the cat so it doesn’t step in the slime on the foot stool, but Violet’s is starting to scream-cry (probably thinking I’m yelling at her). Mean while, Charlotte can tell I’m stressed and she starts scream-crying and squirming around and now the poopy slime is all over the changing table. Eventually though, I managed to get Charlotte cleaned.

Charlotte has been having a butt rash though and since it was little chaos back in the living room I decided to set Charlotte down on the blanket bare-butt, by her sister, so she could air out. I then scrambled to clean the foot stool, remove the changing pad cover and sanitize the changing pad. I then scooped up screaming Violet. Once again I feel a warm squishy substance on my hands. Sure enough, blow out # 2! I quickly reacted and rushed her to the changing table to get her all cleaned up.

About the time I was snapping the last of the buttons on Violet’s new outfit I thought, “I wonder if there’s slime on the blanket where Violet was laying?” I carried her back to the living room only to find Charlotte on her tummy with her right hand and forearm in the slime! I set Violet on a new blanket nearby. I quickly cleaned up Charlotte’s hand/arm, moved her to the new blanket with her sister and put the poop blanket in the wash. I was even smart enough to put a burp cloth down under Ms bare-butt, just in case something happen. By that time everyone was settled down and I was ready for a nap. That was enough fun for one day.

Oh, but there’s an encore to this show!

As I’m wrapping up and putting a diaper on Charlotte, I notice Violet starts fussing. I look over and Violet’s chin is covered in spit up. It wasn’t too bad though. On a scale of 1-10, it was only a 5. Not thinking I grab the first burp cloth I see to start wiping Violet’s face. “Wait a minute… this burp cloth is soaking wet… Oh come on Charlotte!”   She had peed all over!

Needless to say, I was happy when Sarah got home. Although, by that time they were both asleep and looking cute so it was like nothing ever happen.

Daddy and his girls!

I'm a Celebrity Now!

2012-05-10T09:52:00.001-07:00

I came across this video the other day and literally had tears coming out of my eyes from laughing so hard!

Everything about this video is TRUE when you have twins (or more!).

EVERY TIME I am in public with the girls, I have at least 1 person who approaches me to talk about the twins. I found this image below on a t-shirt and I think wearing it when I go out might save me some time... :-)

Yes, they are twins...

I will also hear several comments from people who are just passing by or who are in the general vicinity of where I am shopping/walking/eating/standing. This particular situation really confuses me. Am I supposed to acknowledge that I heard you? Are you talking to me? Do you think that I have lost my sense of hearing now that I have twins? :-) My typical response is to smile, and continue to do whatever I'm doing. I could be smiling because I heard you, or because I thought of something funny/nice/happy. I'm still not sure if that's the right thing to do, but I think it's safe enough...

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE to talk about my twins and answer all these crazy questions! I could talk about the girls 24/7, until I'm blue in the face, until the cows come home, and every other cliche that represents a long time! I have no problem talking about how we struggled and how they were conceived. But really, when strangers ask these questions, I'm not really sure how much detail to go in to. And most of the time, I'm in hurry because I have 2 ticking time bombs that could go off at any second, so there is no time to chit-chat. I need to get in and get out!

I guess I'm just baffled by how I'm now a "celebrity" when I go out with the twins. I first heard this from a dad of triplets in a Multiples class we took through Sprectrum Health. He told a mom who was expecting triplets to get ready to be a "Rock Star" when she went out. Even the parents of twins agreed that this happens. And low and behold, it's TRUE!!!

But honestly, I really am loving it! :-) I love being a mommy, especially to these precious twin girls. I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Violet and Charlotte

And please don't let this scare you from asking me anything about twins/being a mommy/fertility/whatever! I really do love to talk about it! :-)

The Name Game

2012-05-08T08:00:00.001-07:00

So, I just read my very first post of this blog and laughed. The girls were 5 weeks old at that time, and I had every intention of getting this blog going back then. Now they are 4 months old (19 weeks)!!! Where did the time go?!?!? I swear I just blinked my eyes and 14 weeks have FLOWN by!

I'm going to try this again, and hopefully I can stay on track. I want to make sure I'm getting all of this out before I forget, because I think "mommy brain" is WAY worse than "pregnancy brain." I can barely remember to go to the bathroom sometimes! :-)

While time has been a huge factor in why I've been procrastinating, I think it's also because: A) I wasn't sure if I could write so that anyone found this interesting, and B) I didn't even know where to start.

Well, I've realized I'm not writing this for anyone else. I'm writing it for me, so I can look back in a year, or two, or more and remember what it was like when the girls were just a few months old. As I've already said quite a few times in this post alone, time is going by so fast and I just want to remember every single moment!

I've also realized I just need to start. It doesn't matter where. I wanted to somehow go in a chronological order, but really, there is no order to my life anymore. I just need to start!

Therefore, I'm going to start by explaining how we chose the girls names...

It's really scary thinking of a name for a person. A name is something they will be attached to for the rest of their life! I was worried about them getting teased because of their names, first impressions based on their names, how it would look on a resume, if they would have to explain how to pronounce it or have it misspelled, if there would be a bunch of other girls with the same name in their class, and so much more!

I've had a girl name that I'd loved every since I was in high school. But it was becoming more popular, and someone I knew pretty well had just used it for their daughter. While I'm sure it would have been fine if I had still used that name, I just didn't feel comfortable using it anymore. So, I scrapped that idea.

I had a few other names that I had picked out of thin air and I thought were really pretty, but I also knew I wanted at least a part of the name to come from family.

I landed on Violet because of my mom's name, Violeta. I had originally wanted to name her Violeta and we would just call her Violet for short. But then I thought about how that could get confusing... I imagined her in elementary school and having a substitute teacher calling role and having to correct the sub, saying "call me Violet...". While I had my heart set on the name Violet since we started trying to have kids, it took a lot of convincing to get Chaz on board. He thought it sounded like "violence." I have no idea how, but I eventually won! :-)

Violet's middle name is Rosalee. I wanted to use this because it is my grandma's (my dad's mom's) middle name. I had originally wanted this to be the first name of the other twin. But then I thought it sounded cheesy, with both girls having "flowery" names... I was self-conscious and thought people would think we were hippies, or the girls might get teased because "roses are red, violets are blue", and I didn't want their names to coordinate... I know I shouldn't care what other people think, but I do... So, I decided to use it as a middle name. And it is still pretty cheesy on how we decided that it would be Violet's middle name... Chaz pointed out that her initials would be VRM, which sounds like "vroom", and since Chaz is into cars and racing, I thought it would be fun if to have those be her initials. Yeah, I know, it's silly... :-)

Violet Rosalee being silly at only a few hours old!

While Violet's name was pretty much decided since I found out we were having at least 1 girl, Charlotte's name wasn't nailed down until the last month or so of my pregnancy. I had a lot of pretty names that I wanted for her, but I just didn't like the idea of Violet's name coming from family, and the other twin's name being random. So, I could never settle on a name. Chaz had wanted the name Charlotte for a girl long before we were pregnant, because it comes from his name, "Charles." Although I liked the name, I didn't want to use it because it is becoming so popular. But finally, I decided I'd let Chaz pick her name if he would let me work part time. :-) So, that is how Chaz won that battle.

Charlotte's middle name is Louise. This is Chaz's mom's middle name. I had known we would be using Louise as a middle name even before we decided to have kids, because it went so well with my favorite name that I had decided on in high school (which I'm purposely not saying because I don't want the person to know they "stole" my name. :-P). So, it was just a matter of which twin would get it, and since Violet got Rosalee, Charlotte got Louise! :-)

Charlotte Louise at only a few days old!

I also get asked/was asked how we would decide which twin got which name. Well, during my pregnancy, the twins were labeled "Baby A" and "Baby B." I knew that Baby A would be the first born, so I decided to have them named in reverse alphabetical order. Since Violet will probably always be lined up second after Charlotte, I decided to let her be the first one that was born. So, Violet was Baby A, and Charlotte was Baby B.

And that's the story behind Violet Rosalee and Charlotte Louise!

Charlotte Louise and Violet Rosalee - about 1 week old!

Introduction

2012-01-27T18:58:00.000-08:00

I had originally wanted to create a blog during pregnancy to keep family and friends up to date on everything that was going on, as well as to document the thoughts and memories for myself. Unfortunately, I never got around to it. I’m pretty disappointed because my memories of pregnancy are fading fast. I even started a special pregnancy journal, but I haven’t filled anything in since the beginning of the 2^nd trimester. Hopefully I’ll find the time to fill in the rest soon before I can’t remember anything about pregnancy at all!

Then, once the babies were born, I immediately wanted to start a blog about how life is going with the twins. Well, the twins are 5 weeks old now, and I am finally getting around to it. I have some blog entries partially completed, and I have all sorts of thoughts swirling in my head that I need to get out. But for the most part, I look back at the past month and everything is pretty much a blur. So I need to get this started before the twins are a year, and I’m left looking back wondering where the time went and wishing I could remember what happened!

I hope I can keep up with this and that you all enjoy hearing about our life with twins!