My Review

Originally submitted at One Step Ahead

Love the sun hats!

By TwinGirls08 from San Diego, CA on 5/14/2011

 

5out of 5

Pros: Durable, Good Value, Comfortable, Easy To Clean, Quality Construction

Describe Yourself: Parent of Multiples (Twins etc)

Last summer I bought the Sun Smarties hats and loved them! They did run a little small, so this year, for my three year old twin girls, I bought a size Large. They are a tiny bit big on them, but I'd rather have them too big than too small! I like that this year they have included the chin strap, and I love that they are reversible!

I looked around at different stores to see if I could find a hat that was less expensive. However, every hat I found was super thin and would not have kept out the sun's harmful rays. I will stick with the Sun Smarties hats!

(legalese)

Turbulent Threes

For awhile I've heard my friends with slightly older kids telling me that the threes are so much worse than twos! I admit, I was a little scared. And for good reason.

The threes are like dealing with someone (or in my case two people) who is bipolar and switches between extreme happiness and extreme angriness and/sadness all in the space of 2 minutes. I kid you not. There have been a few days when one of the girls would be super happy, and then super angry. Or sad. Or even both at the same time! It's craziness. You never know what might set them off.

While the twos had some tantrums, threes are more intense. They have an even better sense of self and want to assert their independence every chance they get. Sometimes this is welcoming. Sometimes it is not. When you just want to do something quickly, yet they want to put on their own socks, it can get frustrating. In cases like this, I do remind myself that a few extra minutes will not kill me. Other times, the asserting independence is in the form of refusing to do something- very frustrating! I have learned to let a lot of things go. M definitely likes to do her own thing and make sure I know that she is calling the shots. She has long hair, no bangs, so it gets in her face all the time. Most of the time, she will not let me put a clippy in her hair. Or a headband, or anything. On days like these, I breathe, and let it go.

Threes are also a lot of fun! They are saying lots of cute and unexpected things. This morning, the first thing they sad to me was, "Can we go back to the party?" Last night we went to our friend's daughter's sweet sixteen party, and the girls had a blast dancing the night away! They did not want to leave. I was a bit surprised though that they still wanted to go back in the morning! I then asked them what they wanted for breakfast, and S replied, "A cheese sandwich"

Hmmm. They have only ever had grilled cheese. But S was specific. "No butter. Just cheese and bread, mommy!" Well...ok. I asked Maya if she wanted the same, and she did. I was still skeptical but I prepared their sandwich, and they ate it all!

Be prepared for The Threes. Lots of frustration, but lots of fun too.

Question of the Week: When Did it Get Easier for You?

My favorite thing to do when I see brand new moms of twins, is let them know that it WILL get easier. When I was walking around in a fog during those newborn days, I had a twin mom tell me that exact thing. And it helped. A lot. Having twin infants is hard. It's a lot harder than anyone can imagine (except another mom of multiples). I did not enjoy those days. Not at all.

However, I survived! And yes, it does, in fact, get better. And easier. The first 3 months were rough. After that, it got a bit easier. Again, at 6 months, it got a little easier. The first year was definitely the roughest. The second year was tough too, but around 2.5 years it got a lot easier! Now that my girls are 3, I'm just starting to get a glimpse of my life - as ME- as it was before. It is better, no doubt, but I do have a little more time for myself. I also feel more confident in my parenting skills, and I know how to deal with my twins. I've been doing it awhile. For me, while each stage got easier, after age 2 is when it gets much easier. Of course, the tantrums are rough to deal with too. Nothing, nothing at all compares to those newborn days. That was the toughest, and I would not want to relive them- unless I had lots of help so I could get sleep and ENJOY the girls as newborns.

It gets easier. It really does. And the joys of having twins are enormous. Nothing compares to the sweetness of twins!

3!

The girls are 3! WOW! It really does go by fast. Just 5 years ago I wasn't sure if I'd be able to have ANY kids, and now I have beautiful twin girls. It has been awesome to see my girls grow up. They are awesome little people!

Happy Birthday Devin. You have touched my life, as well as many, many others. Thinking of Nat, from Relaxing Doesn't Make Babies, and her family today.

More Potty Training

Potty Training continues! I have a feeling if I looked at my posts in the past 6 months, that most would be about potty training. I think I wrote before about my laid-back approach, which works fine- up to a point. I think it also really depends on each individual child, and having twins seriously underscores that.

I have had four weeks off of work (woohoo!) and I was going to get more serious with potty training. I waited until after Christmas, and I knew that the girls had pretty good control of their bladders. Not perfect, but I felt like they needed an extra nudge in the right direction. So, they went bare bottom for a few days. The first two days were great! Everyone went peepee on the potty, no accidents, I kept thinking, "ok, really?! Is it going to be this easy??" But, of course, it is not. The third day was AWFUL. Awful. Having accidents, M even had an "accident" on purpose! I gave up on that day and the next. Then I went back to bare bottoms, and it went better. I tried putting the thicker training undies on the girls, but S would go in them. I think she thought they were just like pull ups.

I continued on with bare bottoms- mostly with S. I am now asking M if she wants pull ups or nothing, and today she chose pullups. S has been so well that today we took a fairly short trip out and she wore undies. I was scared! But I was prepared with pullups, pants to change into, and a travel potty. It seemed like she knew she could not go in her undies this time. She also had a skirt on and did not want to get it wet and change into pants. I think we were gone for about an hour and a half to two hours. I took her potty before we left, when we got to our destination I wanted to her to use the travel potty, but she said no. Then, when we were done and got back in the car, I had her sit on the travel potty. She went a little, and then held the rest until we got home and went on her potty.

I know there will be setbacks, but this is great! Potty Training really is a long term thing. "They" don't really make it seem like that- especially the people who tout the 3-day potty training stuff- but it is a process. A long process. I am convinced that being laid back is best, for my girls, and sometimes they need a nudge, but it is a constant assessment of their needs.

Blog Hop!

Potty Training- Again!

We briefly tried potty training last summer and it didn't go so well. Since then, they have been wearing pull ups and we have been asking if they need to go on the potty. They will always go after a bath, and recently, as soon as S gets out of the tub she shrieks, "I have to go pee-pee!!" It's like she held it and just cannot hold it any longer!

Since I have 4 weeks off over this holiday, I decided I would try the bare bottom style. I know that they are ready, and just are being lazy about having a pull up on. Yesterday was Day 1. It went well. We only went bare bottom for a few hours in the morning. There were no accidents and both went peepee in the potty. M was holding it more, but she at least went.

Today we did bare bottoms all day (except for nap). S did so great! 1 minor accident, but 98% of the time she went in the potty. She even ran to the potty a couple times on her own, without telling me! I thought that was a huge step.

M was having more trouble. I really think this is a control issue with her. She is totally capable of it, I know. I wasn't even going to push it with her, but she wanted to be naked like her sister. Today, she had a few accidents. One time I asked her if she needed to go and she said no. Not 10 seconds later, I notice she is peeing. Of course, I do not make a big deal out of it, but it is frustrating.

No potty training tomorrow, we are going to the zoo!

New Year

With about five hours left of 2010, I thought I'd do a reflection on this year post. Very original.

2010 was a year of changes. The girls turned 2, and with being 2 came more independence. A good thing. But with independence come tantrums as well! Besides all the tantrums, it has been so fun watching the girls grow. I loved watching them go from parallel play, to actually interacting with each other and playing with one another. I loved watching them develop their imaginations as they now do lots of imaginative play. I have loved watching their personalities develop.

We had other huge changes as well. My husband's dad died, and while that was very sad and very difficult, it brought about some changes that have moved us in a positive direction. My husband quit his dead-end job and enrolled in college. He is going to get his bachelor's degree- which has been a dream of his for a long time. That makes money extremely tight, but we are managing. And even though money is tight, we have more energy because he is staying home with the girls and he is able to clean. Plus, he gets to spend tons of quality time with the girls. So even though money is stressful, it really is a good thing.

I don't know what 2011 will bring, but I am excited to find out.

Lastly, I don't know if I am the only one who ponders these things, but I remember being a little girl and imagining life after the year 2000. It seemed very futuristic, and I thought we would have flying cars by now. Besides the flying cars, it seemed so far away, and now it is here. Crazy to think about.

Croup

Croup is scary. I hope my girls never ever get it again!

Right before Christmas, S had a very stuffy nose, but it wasn't bothering her too much. On Christmas, M started getting a stuffy nose too, but she was fine. Christmas night, I put her to bed and she was not going to sleep. I thought she was wired from all the excitement of the day. Then, she started crying a bit and saying that she couldn't lay down. This was weird since she usually never complains at bedtime. I kept trying to put her back down and finally brought her in my room to sleep with me.

That is when I noticed that when she was sleeping, she was having noisy breathing and she would also sometimes gasp for air. And she had a horrible "barking" cough. I had already called the nurse line earlier because during dinner a red spot appeared in her eye which freaked me out (turned out to be a broken blood vessel), so we already had an appointment scheduled for the following day. I called again though because I was worried. Nurse said it sounded like croup, and told me what to do.

First, I had to take her in the bathroom, and run a hot shower and sit in the steam for 20 minutes. Then, we had to go outside- luckily it had stopped raining- and breathe the cool, moist air. That seemed to help for a bit. I then had M laying on me as I was propped up so she could breathe better. By this time it was about 3 am. At 5 am I was very close to taking her in, but I didn't.

I got maybe 1 or 2 hours of sleep. M got about 3, if that. She was fine though during the day. Took her in to the doctor, got a dose of steroids, and she has been fine ever since! That night was so scary though. Croup is awful.

My body works! Amazing!

I forgot to refill my bcps, so I tried an experiment. I stayed off them. A couple weeks after stopping them, I got fertile cm. I was shocked! But, my body has a way of playing tricks on me. So I waited. 2 weeks later, my period showed! Yes, it was very light, but it was THERE. Amazing. Now, a friend of mine who also has PCOS has been having regular cycles since giving birth and weaning, but I figured since I went right back on the pill I would not be fixed. But I am! When af came, I seriously wanted to throw a party! I cannot tell you how nice it feels to see my body working. And no, not thinking about trying to have another. I'm just thrilled my body is doing something right.

WOW! You know you are a twin mom when...

So the below post... I mean, half post...I started I guess about a week ago. I remember going to write it, and I thought I had finished it and posted it. Then realized tonight, that no, I never even finished it!
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I hate it when I have a great idea for a blog post,
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Ha! So not only do I hate it when I have a great idea for a blog post, and don't go and write down immediately and forget, but I also hate it when I go to WRITE a blog post and don't finish. Definitely a twin mom. I now remember that I started that post while the girls were eating dinner and I of course got distracted with them.

That half-post totally sums up the twin mom experience :)

Potty Training!

Here is the question of the week from Multiples and More:
What are your tips and tricks for potty training?

* What age did you begin with your child(ren)?
* How long did it take?
* Did you use a "system", or just wing it?
* Did you use specific rewards for incentive? How did that work for you?
* If you could change anything about the experience, what would you do differently?
* Did you use Pull-Ups?
* Do you think it's easier to potty train multiples at the same time, or separately?

It is too funny that this is the topic I have been focused on for the past month, and now it is a question of the week :)

Note: I do not claim to have THE definitive answer on this, and I'm not sure any tips or tricks I share will actually be tips or tricks. But, I can share my experiences!

My girls are 2 1/2. 29 months to be exact. At about 18 months, I purchased two potties and they become toys for awhile. Eventually, they would sit on them. M had been showing tons of signs of readiness around age 2. I decided that when I went on break from school, that was it, we would potty train! I tried 1 day of putting her in big girl undies and sitting her on the potty every 15 min. By the time the first hour was up, she flat out refused to sit on the potty anymore. So I quickly changed my plan.

Now I am doing the "Laid back" approach. They go on the potty if they want. They wear pull ups. Sometimes they want to go on the potty, and sometimes they are too busy playing to want to sit on the potty. This works for us right now. I think I will try the no diapers at all thing again, but not until my next break. I do believe that the closer to age 3 they are, the easier it will be. I hope.

Laid Back Potty Training

As you know, I've stepped away from the militant route and am now trying a laid back approach to potty training. I must say it is a lot less stressful for both me and the girls, and I think it is working! This morning M had diaper rash so I let her run free this morning. I told her that if she needed to peepee, her potty was there and she needed to pee in the potty since she had no diaper on. I was fully expecting an accident, but when I wasn't looking, she went over to her potty, peed and then told me that she went peepee in the potty!

Even S has been doing better. She has been actually wanting to sit on the potty and in the last couple of days has actually peed in the potty! And today she even told me before she had to go (and her pull up was dry) and then went.

Who knew that we would be so interested in pee and poo?!? I am glad they are starting to get it, and I know different things work for everyone, but I must say the laid back approach is nice.

Twinstock is here!

Twinstock is here! Click on the link to the left!

M is still resisting the potty. I am tempted to get the 3-Day Potty Solution, but I don't really want to spend $25 on it. Have any of you used it?

I just can't believe how much they are growing up. They are building things with blocks and the big Legos, they are talking a lot, they are amazing!

Potty training is not going so well. Yesterday, I put M in big girl undies. She did very well for the first hour, but I noticed she became less and less excited to sit on the potty every 15 min. Then, she had a slight accident, but she knew she did and got on the potty. A little later, however, she had an accident and didn't seem to care. By this time, she did NOT want to sit on the potty, so I backed off.

Today, pull ups. I asked her every so often if she wanted to sit on the potty, or if she had to go potty. The answer was always, "No." Until right before nap, she wanted to sit on the potty! And she peed! We cheered, and after nap, she did not want o go on the potty. So, I figure we will do the laid back approach and maybe in a couple weeks we will try undies again. I know I should not push her though because she will do the opposite. She does this a lot at meals. She will refuse the bib. I tell her she can't eat until she wears the bib. And still, she refuses. But when I tell her, "When you are ready to put on the bib, you can eat" and walk away, she lets me put it on after about 1 min. It has to be her idea, or she won't want to do it!

The girls are now in pull-ups. This is because it is much easier to get them on and off the potty this way. We are not pushing it yet. Hubby just asks if they need to go to potty and we are encouraging sitting on the potty. It is interesting because many times M seems so ready! And then other times, she really doesn't. For example, yesterday she was sitting on the potty and told hubby to look, said "peepee" then opened her legs and started peeing. So, this led me to believe that she does somewhat know the feeling of having to pee. However, other times, she just goes in her pull-up. No warning.

Next week, when I'm done with work, I will try M in the undies. S isn't quite ready yet. I think I may get a sticker chart too.

Thanks for all the comments and tips! This week they are in pull ups, but really NO pressure. Hubby has been asking them if they need to sit on the potty, and lately, they don't want to. Next week we will start having a regular "potty time" and then when I am off I think I may see how M does.

I will have to investigate the "cold" pullups. My girls didn't seem to be too concerned today when their pullup was super wet!


Work is dine one week from tomorrow. I am SO ready! My school is super stressful and insane.

Potty Training Twins

I am about to start potty training the girls. I get panic attacks just thinking about this. I think here will be a good place to share all of it- the good, the bad, the dirty- in hopes of maybe helping out another twin mom in the future.

We have had potties around for months now. They are encouraged to sit on them, but we don't make it a regular thing. M has peed on the potty quite a few times. S has peed once, I think. She is definitely not as ready as M! I am done with work in a week and 3 days, and then it will be potty training in full effect!

I know everyone says to skip the pull-ups, but the more I thought about having two running around with nothing there to catch it, the more I panicked. I have thought about this for over a week now. I think I have thought about it way too much! I decided that we will start with pull-ups. I think they have two diapers left, and then it will be pull-ups. I may try putting M in undies and see how she does, but there is no way I can do both like that at once.

I think I am so nervous because well, I haven't done this before! I hate the unknown. But I need to remind myself that this, like everything else, will be a learning process, and I will do what works for us, and that the girls will learn...eventually.

Feel free to share any tips you have! I'm not going to promise that I will try any of the tips, or that I will think your tip is the best, but I will read them and probably try them.

Deep breaths...deep breaths... we will survive...