One Month Old

WHEW. It happened. We made it through one month of having twins PLUS a 2 1/2 and a 5 year old. No need for applause, really we didn't have much of a choice...but we did enjoy the month even though we really don't remember much of it. Sleep deprivation is real people. One of my favorite quotes that I posted during this month was "Getting all five of us out of the house in the morning sometimes goes smoothly and other times I feel like a chicken running around with my head cut off, juggling fireballs on rollerskates." It's true. Things aren't always peachy keen, but we get it done. In reflecting on the past month, I have a few tips/tricks or just things I have learned about having twins that I either did not know before or they just became REAL this past month. These top 5 things are in no particular order but they are what I do remember and might be something you run into with one or more babies in the first month. 

#5 ORGANIZATION=MULTITASKING:

This is crucial. In this first month it is all about survival. And to survive we had to be not one, not two, but at least three steps ahead constantly. You aren't sleeping and to be honest you barely sit down ever, unless you are feeding two babies and then you're right back up again doing something that needs to be done. If you have visitors come over this can cramp your "getting stuff done" style of course and trust me, you will have visitors. Lots of them. A few organizational tips that I learned are:

**keep a list of people you need to write "thank you's" to and as you write and send the card, cross them off. That way you don't find yourself trying to remember if you did send them a card or not. I have a feeling I sent a couple of thank you's to the same family because I wasn't sure if I had sent one or not. Better safe than sorry I suppose!

**keep visitors to 1-2 a day and spread them out. I found that when we had visitors with the older two children at home it was much more stressful. They wanted attention from me and I just couldn't give them the attention they so deserved and entertain guests. Looking back I would have tried to schedule visitors a little better, if I had the chance. 

**pre-plan meals ahead of time. When I was pregnant I created a breakfast, lunch and dinner schedule. That way I could just look ahead to the next week when planning groceries and that saved me a lot of time. Now that the babies are here I need to look back at those calendars and use them again or recreate a few new ones for the next couple of months...when I have time of course.

"Handwritten notes are a powerful thing."

#4 SAME SCHEDULE IS EVERYTHING:

I heard this advice over and over and over again when I was pregnant with the twins and it could not be more true. Since the moment the twins were born we fed them, changed them, burped them, had them sleep, kept them awake, played and so on at the SAME TIME. Now, there are a few exceptions of course as there are with anything. For example, if one has a poo and the other doesn't then only one gets their diaper changed. Or if one falls asleep and the other is awake for a few minutes longer that is OK. However, if you didn't feed them and had them sleep for long naps and night time at the same time you would never be getting anything done. People ask me how I do it. Well, it's simple (yeah right Claire, reaaaaaaal simple)...you change one diaper, change the next. Get one dressed, dress the next. Put one down for a nap, put the other down immediately after. Feed them both at the exact same time, burp one and then burp the next, then back to feeding. Play, talk snuggle with both. Pick one up and snuggle while the other is laying right in front of you and switch. There is a lot going on, but as long as you are doing it with both as much as possible your life will be way easier and you will get into a routine. Yes, you read that...a routine will happen and you will begin to feel like it's Groundhog Day and that is when you know you've got it down. As boring as the same day over and over might sound, it's to be cherished. You are doing it right and they are learning a routine! Now, let's go to the zoo, the park, a football game and ya know ruin the routine. Just kidding! Routines aren't ruined by doing those things...but that will be in a later post. 

"When I sleep, you sleep, we sleep."

#3 ONLINE SUBSCRIPTIONS (can I get a whoop whoop!):

We are exclusively bottle feeding (and no I'm not going to defend why, my babies are fed, growing and oh so happy and so is mama and that's that) and we were worried about the expense of two babies on formula and how much we would go through in a week. Well, let me tell you we go through A LOT. Pretty sure we are going through one large tub that is 35 ounces every 3ish days. Yes, that's not going to be cheap. So I got to it and tried finding the best deal out there to help us try and save a penny or 10. All of our kids were able to use Similac Advance formula that they were fed in the hospital and never needed to steer away from that and we were super happy with it, so the twins have been on the same brand. Anyway, a few friends of ours have given us coupons that ranged from $5-$15 off and we loved getting them. However, getting to the store to use the coupons and buy formula a couple of times a week just was not feasible for our new family dynamic. We weren't able to use the coupons when we ordered our groceries for pick up and decided that extra trips multiple times a week were not going to work. So I got to researching a few options and found magic on Target.com. Yes, who doesn't find magic when browsing anything Target? Well, in my case it was beautiful magic. Target offers a couple of discounts if you sign up for a subscription to have the formula sent right to your door! When you sign up for the subscription to send 6 or more tubs of their brand that is basically the exact same as the Similac we have been using you not only get 10% off for the subscription, you get FREE shipping and using your Red Card you get an additional 5% off! We also noticed that the large Target tub was even larger than the largest Similac tub, score! More formula for less $$! We did the math and for this next year of formula feeding we will be saving ourselves close to $1,000 and a whole heck of a lot of time by subscribing to have the formula delivered! Can I get an Amen? AMEN! Time and money....heck yes!

So. Much. Formula.

#2 A few of the twins (okay really my) favorite things:

These sweet babies of ours are our third and fourth kids. So we of course at first we thought we had all of the "stuff" we really needed to get through this first year. Boy, were we wrong. In fact, I was going to be a firm believer in not needing two of everything. Well, let me tell you...there are a few things you NEED two of if you want to have sanity or at least attempt to have it. 

The TWIN-Z Pillow

Okay, so I'm going to be honest. When I heard about this pillow my thoughts were "Oh, that's only for breastfeeding moms. I don't need that"  and "No way am I going to spend over $100 on a pillow that is basically two Boppy's put together. We have two Boppy's I can just use those." Well, let me just tell you...I was wayyyy wrong. A friend of mine had another friend who happened to be selling hers for a measly $10! I thought, eh why not? So, I didn't end up buying a new on but knowing what I know now I would have and most likely even paid more for it. It is absolutely essential. We do everything with this pillow. We use it to solo feed the babies, to have a place for them to sit/lay when awake for play time, sometimes a napping station and a place for them to be if I need to just get up and go to the bathroom. Yes, I have time to do that every once in awhile. Shocking, I know. 

The famous (or maybe you haven't heard of it) Rock 'n Play Sleeper

Oh Rock 'n Play how we love thee. We did have one of these for both of the older two kids and absolutely loved it. So, we did know this was one item we NEEDED to have two. Luckily we have some amazing friends who are finished having babies and lent us their rockers. We sent the one we purchased to my parents house in order to have a place for a baby to chill out when we visit them and we kept the two we borrowed at our house. One of the rockers is automatic, which means when it's plugged in it can rock back and forth on its own....YES you read that right, on its own! Hallelujah! It also plays various sounds and can vibrate. Now, we don't use the rocking part all that often but when we do it's clutch. The babies nap and sleep in these during the day and night in our bedroom for the first couple of months. I am guessing around month 3, when they are consistently sleeping through the night, we will transition from the rockers and into cribs. But these first few months sleep is oh so desired and these rockers can definitely help with that!

Car Seat Magic...Lulaclips

I'll admit, these are not a necessity by any means, but they are handy. Getting two little babies in and our of car seats a lot, I found myself a tad annoyed with the straps getting in my way. I know it's not a huge deal, trust me it's so stinking minor compared to so many other things...but having these little hands connected to the side to click the car seat straps to in order to keep them out of the way is pretty darn nice. What a simple, yet very satisfying idea! Why didn't I think of these?

#1 Bottles-Diapers-Bottles-Diapers & more Bottles & Diapers:

For my final thoughts from month one I want to leave you with something we are forever grateful for that happened before the twins even arrived. Some of our closest friends got together and threw us a Diaper Shower. Yes, a shower that solely had diapers as the gifts. It has been an absolute blessing. We went through all of our newborn diapers in the first month (these babies are changed roughly 12 times a day EACH). Then we moved on to size 1 and have been in them ever since. I have a feeling they will last us through month two and into month three. Not having to purchase one package of diapers has been a blessing. Having twins come with so many expenses and being our 3rd/4th children we didn't necessarily need a regular baby shower. We also were blessed by another twin mom who gifted us all of her bottles that just so happen to match the bottles we already had! Being stocked with bottles helps in only needing to wash bottles one time a day. We have more than enough bottles to get us through an entire day, plus a few rounds into the next day. Having to only wash the bottles one time a day really helps on the craziness that is getting pretty much anything done. 

25 pounds of diapers people, in less than one week!

Great friends who buy diapers for one another stick together. 

Ryne and Harlow One Month Old

"When we think back on this past month, we honestly don't remember much of it. It's been an absolute whirlwind, but we love these two little people more than we ever could have hoped or imagined. Bring on month two!" --Mommy & Daddy