twin topics

The conversations I have with people never cease to amaze me. A recent sampling:

Random old guy: "So a boy and a girl?"

Me: Both girls.

Random old guy: "Oh, that one there is a husky gal!"

Umm, well she is a baby...

Grocery store employee 1: "Zomg twins! Do you dress them alike?"

Me: Not typically.

Employee 2: "yeah, it's easier to tell them apart that way"

Are we looking at the same twins here?

Employee 1: "Are the best friends? Do they fight?"

Me: Well, we have a few scuffles over toys...

Employee 1: "But they are still best friends? Which one is girlier?"

To be detirmined? They are only 16 months old...

Having twins definitely isn't for the shy! I don't think I'll ever make it through a store without striking up a conversation with a stranger again. 

Just don't think your clever by quipping that I've got my hands full. I'll politely smile and nod but I've heard that line 5,964 times already. But if you insist on making that comment, at least hold open the door for us instead of staring while I schlepp through the tiny doorway whilst wearing heels and loaded down with a diaper bag and finds from the days shopping adventure.

improv

Claire wanted a scarf like mine so we improvised:

6 month goal check-up

It has been about 6 months since I set goals for the new years. The girls have been rocking their goals. Mom? Not so much. We'll start with the progress the little ladies have made:


1. Ditch the middle of the night bottle- I'll mark this one as accomplished, although Justin gave Audrey some milk last night around 11. He was up for a snack, and she ended up waking as well. Other than this instance, it has been quite some time since they had a midnight snack. On occasion, someone will wake up around 5ish, but we'll give them some milk and put them back to bed for another hour or two of sleep.

2. Master using sippy cups- Yup! They can even drink out of a regular cup with supervision.

3. Sleep all the way through the night 6 out of 7 nights (because you know, the best goals are specific and measurable)- This goal has been achieved.

4. Get rid of the pacifier- The pacifier is gone 99% of the time. Audrey no longer receives it at nap or bedtime. They are all hidden away, although I keep an emergency pacifier in my purse. Last week, we were driving home from Cameron's birthday party and Audrey started screaming and carrying on about 15 minutes from home. I considered letting her cry, but asked myself what that would have accomplished. So she was given a pacifier and was calm the rest of the ride.

5. Learn how to walk (although Justin and I would not be sad if they waited until they were a year old before they crossed this milestone off the list... they move quick enough already!)- They don't just walk, they run now!

6. Say "mama" and "dada". The girls both say mama on a regular basis. I have heard dada a couple of times over the last few days, but they haven't managed to say it consistently yet.


Now for my goals...


1. Monitor time sucks- I think I've been doing pretty well with this one. I've deleted candy crush and ruzzle from my phone.


2. Continue to get rid of 10 items per day- I haven't been paying as close of attention to this one. I've been getting rid of clutter here and there, but it is time to hop back on the 10 items per day bandwagon.


3. Be judicious of items I bring into the home- I've been pretty selective over the clothes I've been purchasing, both for myself and the girls.


4. Establish a cleaning schedule- I don't have a formal schedule yet, but I have been pretty good about doing a 15 minute clean up the end of each day. It keeps our house above minimum community standards.


5. Keep on making freezer meals- We've kept up with this- we have made freezer meals for the grill and crock pot.


6. Exercise 5 days per week. This one needs the most improvement. I'm back to using my fitness pal- I think this will help me stay on track. I've also been more mindful of portions- do I need a whole vat of ice cream, or would a scoop be enough? Do I need to put oreos in my ice cream, or would strawberries do (hmm... strawberries and oreos... that sounds awesome).

favorite baby items

Here is a compilation of some of my favorite pieces of baby gear:

1. Baby jogger city mini double. I think I should make commission from baby jogger- I've facilitated the sale of at least 3 of these! I even let a random lady at Target test drive it. When I see parents to be checking out bulky travel systems, I want to say "no... back away!". Justin was pushing for the double travel system, but after seeing how unwieldy it was next to the city mini, he was convinced. In fact just the other day he said how happy he was to have the city mini.

2. Phil and teds lobster chair. If you have a kitchen island, these are a must! This is an item I was skeptical about, but I love them! If you have no kitchen island, or always eat at the table check out boon flair or stokke tripp trapp.

3. Chicco nextfit. We loved our keyfits, and the next fit is just as great! The new recommendation is to keep kids rear facing until a minimum of 2 years, but apparently rear facing until 3-4 is ideal. The keyfit has one of the highest height and weight capacities on the market- up until 40 lbs and about 50 inches.

4. Kidkraft retro play kitchen. We bought this for the girls' first birthday and they are obsessed! I think they would be fine if it was one of their only toys. Audrey even goes downstairs to play by herself (we check on her every few minutes).

5. Corolle tidoo doll. This is one of my favorite doll brands. It is even vanilla scented. The girls love to snuggle their baby!

16 months

Time for another monthly update! The girls continue to develop new skills daily! There latest conquest is mastering the stairs. One of their favorite things to do is sit on the stairs- Claire is in heaven when she sits there with a pair of shoes.

Audrey is especially enjoying her newfound independence- she likes to cruise downstairs and play with her kitchen. Her other favorite activity is shutting her bedroom door- especially when I am in the room.

They will wave bye and blow kisses (that was one of our goals for the new year). Claire says bye, baby, hi, mamma, puppy, and happy, with the occasional dada thrown in their if she is coaxed. Audrey says hi and mama. Her big trick is building- she is great with mega blocks! She is more into playing than Claire, she loves her little people and dolls. Claire usually spends her time running around the house babbling, trying on different shoes, and using links for bracelets. Although she does like to carry around little people- she will fill up both hands and sometimes even carry one in her mouth for good measure.

They are excellent sleepers. I'm sure someday they will make up for it. They both continue to eat about everything. I can't think of anything they have refused. Claire loves cous cous and quinoa. Audrey is a huge fan of chicken and pork. And as grandpa learned today, don't even think about having a treat if you aren't planning on sharing it.

The girls continue to have tantrums daily, but usually it's if they've gone too long without milk or if there is a squabble over a toy (I usually let them duke it out over toys, but if the baby fight gets too intense the toy is taken away. We fight over interesting things in this house. Like junk mail). The tantrums typically subside in a minute or so- I usually just ignore them. 

One of their favorite activities is playing outside- they love their pool, sandbox, and swing. Coming back inside is the main trigger for Audrey's tantrum, but I'll take it- better than having a child that hates the outdoors!

shopping strategies

I think there should be a special award for twin moms who successfully manage trips to Target. Armed with only a basket and double stroller, I managed to sneak in $75 worth of goods (I went in for milk, bread, and hydrocortisone ointment, but the Target black hole got me. You know, the hmm... I could use some dry shampoo, but that causes build up, so I should grab some clarifying shampoo. Ooh, Essie has the new summer collection out. The Target beauty aisle has become my Sephora of yore). Anyway, I remember when $75 could buy a whole cart full of goodies. Back in college I remember a trip full of cleaning products, sparkling water, martini glasses, and oreos (you know, the essentials) and it only set me back $35.

It is these shopping excursions that make me wish everywhere had nice two seater carts (like the ones at warehouse clubs, where I can breeze around like a singleton mom). And not the behemoth ones with the 5 point harness (Audrey can wiggle her way out of the harness on her bike trailer. I am not going to experiment in the aisles at Target). Here are a few of the shopping strategies I have tested over the past year:

1. Stroller only. This method is handy when I only need to pick up a few things, but I kinda felt like a shoplifter putting everything under the cart. Its like I needed a sign saying, "yes, I intend to pay for these items".

2. Stroller and mommy hook. This is one of my preferred methods. Just met the hook and attach the basket to the stroller. This works best when shopping for smaller items. The bulkier things can fit in the stroller basket.

3. Ergo and shopping cart. This was my favorite method! I stopped using the carrier once the girls got heavier and more mobile. But it was so nice- no double wide stroller! I could navigate through the aisle just like any other shopper.

4. Car seat in the shopping cart basket and baby up front. Put the shopping cart in the big basket on the cart (not teetering precariously on the seat designed for purses and small children). I used this all the time when the girls were in their infant seats. Only one baby needed to get out of the car seat- bonus! This method did cause quite a bit of confusion about the ages of the girls though.

5. Tag team. When I have the luxury of going on a shopping excursion with Justin, and we go buy tons of supplies, we each grab a cart and a baby and go on our way. This gives us the opportunity to divide and conquer (you know, let Justin pick up the Tide and I stroll through the beauty section). An alternate version of this is one of us taking the girls in the stroller and the other pushing the cart.