For about six months now, Heather and I have been wanting to do a full week of posts dedicated to multiple moms. We get the feeling that when we suggest taking a baby to yoga or with you to a movie, those who are juggling more than one baby may be rolling their eyes.
We cannot pretend to know the first thing about gestating or caring for two same-aged babies, much less how to get out of the house and have fun with them, so we have lined up contributors on a variety of twin-related topics, from tips and tricks to gear and memoirs.
We’re so excited about exchanging information in this community. If you have something to share on the topic of twindom, even a cute picture, feel free to send it to moms AT rookiemoms.com. We will try to incorporate it.
On Twitter, we’ll use the hashtag #twinsweek.
Check back here over the next few days for TWICE daily (get it?!) posts. On Friday we’re going to have a special Twins Week giveaway.
If you’d like to participate by putting this badge on your blog, here’s the code:
<a href="http://www.rookiemoms.com/welcome-to-twins-week"><img src="http://www.rookiemoms.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/twinsweek-small.jpg" height="165" width="167" /></a>+++
photo provided by Farrah
WOO HOO!
And honestly, a little yes with the eye rolling. With a touch of jealousy of mixed in! But with everything in parenting, you take what you can from something and leave the rest.
Yay, thanks for thinking of us! I shared your badge on my site
Being a parent to multiples (plus one) is not an easy job, but like anything we parents do, you don’t think about it, it just becomes you. If I stopped to think about “full my hands are” I’d never get anything done or I’d collapse from exhaustion from just over-thinking. I hope one of the articles shared is a list of things not to say to a multiple mom, like “better you than me!”.
Yes on the eye rolling. But like LauraC with jealousy mixed in (sometimes a pretty good amount, like I got gypped out of some experiences because I didn’t get to have one at a time–mine were definitely surprise twins)! But as she said, take what you can and leave the rest.
I actually tried one of those movies for moms with my twins when they were in their baby car seats, but it totally sucked because the movie was up at normal volume, and the only other person in the theater was a random guy (not creepy, thankfully), but I felt bad when my kids fussed…apparently they just promote it as such, but don’t actually tell someone buying the ticket. And because I have twins, I never got around to writing my complaint letter.
But looking forward to what you’ve got coming up this week!
PS I and my family (separately, until we discussed it!) had decided that having twins was better, because that one kid would have been soooo spoiled with attention, it would have been ridiculous. And instead I have two amazing and wonderful girls to love with only one pregnancy to get there!
Agreed. Eye rolling makes me feel superior when in fact I am no better than the least of you!
Man those babies are cute
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Looking forward to it! (And happy to share breastfeeding resources, if you need them!)
Since every week is #twinsweek around here I’m very happy to share it with others!
So glad to read this! Having multiples is nothing like having a singleton and I’ve often felt kinda left out. Looking forward to the posts!
I always thought having twins would be the end of the world for me as I doubt (ed) my motherly ability on a daily basis. We had one, and had the surprise of our lives with the 2nd pregnancy (those two guys up there in the pic
Here’s to a week celebrating a really, really tough job- where we are still daily surprised and thrilled at our ability to survive yet another day! And thanks Ashley 
Yay!! Looking forward to it!
Is it mean to say that I am so grateful to not have anything to contribute?
I feel like women with multiples are awe worthy. I barely survived one at a time.
Can’t wait to hear the tips, merely from a fascination stand point. I would love to know how it’s done.
Great idea!
Those babies are so cute! Hats off to moms of multiples, no idea how you do it. I have two untwins (ha! new word of the day) 3 years apart and can barely hold it all together. Would write a longer note about it but the dishwasher is leaking and the 4-year old is helping by not sleeping.
[...] post: Welcome to Twins Week Browse Activities by Age of [...]
I am so happy you guys are doing Twins week! I am pregnant with twins and have always been a fan of your blog but new some of your challenges would be pretty…”challenging” with twins =) so I can’t wait for the posts this week! Thanks!
[...] so much to Gina for participating in Twins Week! Read more of her thoughts at The Twin [...]
[...] you Ella for sharing your experiences for Twins Week. I’ll totally shut up about the moms group [...]
What a great idea! Twins week sounds fun! We just rolled with the punches when we adopted our newborn twins, because we had 5 other kids to help out. Now they are 2, and rocking our world! Twice the work, but so much fun!
Good idea! I love reading what other twin moms have to say! My advice to any moms of multiples: when you don’t feel tired (and if you do, by all means, take a rest if you can), don’t sit down! Because suddenly you can’t get up
[...] Anderson, Jennifer Mares, Tere Throenle, Patty Yeager, Amanda Faul, and Casey Mooney. See more Twins Week contributions on our Facebook [...]
Love Twins Week! As a mom to a 3 1/2 year old and 6 week old twins I’m definitely in need of learning some best practices. I have to say being a mom to twins is certainly different than it was the first time around with my daughter. But I figure in about 3 years from now it will be super fun! Sorry I don’t have any tips to share at this point, other than GET HELP from whomever you can!
[...] to Alexis Dubief for participating in Twins Week with her advice for sleepy parents. After two sleepless babies put her through the wringer, she [...]
What a great idea! My boy/girl twins are 5-1/2 years old and I echo the advice of asking for help! You’ll get a lot more offers to help when they’re babies — take advantage of them. Have people bring you groceries or dinner, hold the babies while you shower or sleep, etc.
[...] to Caleb and Michelle for participating in Twins Week. I appreciate your extremely thorough product [...]
[...] another big THANK YOU to Rachel for sharing her experiences with us for Twins Week. If you want more Rachel, check out her book, The Doula Advantage, which received endorsements from [...]
On the last day of twinsweek, I thought I’d share some random thoughts/tips about parenting twins for the last 7 years.
* One of the hardest lessons I learned from raising twins — but probably most helpful — is that it’s not the end of the world if a baby cries. When you have two crying babies, you can only respond to one at a time, so someone is going to cry. Learning to take turns starts really early and it’s as much a learning for parents as it is for the children. It turns out that crying and having to wait is just not as awful as it seems and it’s just a part of life. Lessons that are still a part of our life at 7 as they were at 6 months.
* I really recommend reading Joan Friedman’s book “Emotionally Healthy Twins.” It raises important questions for parents of twins to think about in terms of helping our children foster their own identity amidst this special relationship. For example, the we chose to put our children in separate kindergarten classes (after being in preschool together) and it’s proven to be a very important part of their emotional and psychological development.
* Birthday party etiquette: Just because one twin has been invited to a party, doesn’t mean the other one is automatically invited. If both twins are invited to a birthday party, make sure to bring two gifts or one bigger one.
* A benefit of twin parenthood: whenever I have had a crappy night of sleep I still think: “If I can get through the 1st year of twins with as little sleep as I had, I can manage one night of insomnia!”
I wish everyone who is in the midst of the early days, lots of deep breaths, the trust that it won’t always feel like this and the sweetness of watching your babies grow up together.
Twins Week! What!!? So glad I found your site definitely sharing!
B/G Twin momma,
Chari
A friend forwarded me here for the first time, since she noticed it was twins’ week. My ID twin boys just turned 7 months yesterday, and I cannot say if it is any harder than having one kid at a time – I don’t know any different, you know? I would take the two I have over the experience one of my best friends is having with one colic-y baby. One thing I did learn so far is that it is ok to realize that no, you as mom cannot always see distinguishing traits early on, and that, at times, even you have to really look to tell who is who.
hi I have a blog under blogspot.com and would like to post your rookies mom twins week on my blog not sure how to do that, I am a mother of twin girls and are interested so if you could please email me at susannepuckett@yahoo.com to help me thanks agian ssuanne.
After having a child with special needs I didn’t really think we should have more. My husband changed my mind by saying who will she have when we are gone. Then he says he crossed his fingers and prayed for twins.God must like my husband. Now today I’m so grateful that I have these two beautiful little girls they have given so much to me that I thought I would not have. They have also made their sisters life so much richer. They give her so much love, and while I was scared to death having even one more I am thankful that they will always have each other.
Hi everyone, so i am def a rookie mom, i have 6 month old twins and they are my firsts, i am in serious need of some advice/HELP . i am currently breastfeeding them and i nurse them to sleep, the problem is they are still waking up within the hour and all threw the night like ther newborns! i am at a loss and dont know what sleep training method to use. they are in seperate cribs and one my one mamas boy baby has been sleeping with us(mistake i know) but i want to fix it i now have his crib next to my bed(cosleeping ) so that hes still close….please help,thanks
Hi Ashley, Welcome! Please don’t beat yourself up for nursing a baby to sleep. We’ve all gotta do what we’ve gotta do and that may be the best solution for your baby. Any veteran twin mamas have sleep advice for Ashley?
So happy to see Gina making a guest appearance over here.
Ashley, everyone’s twins are different. We have one that’s a solid sleeper and one that still comes to our bed at night five years into the mix. I nursed mine to sleep until they were two years old. Hang in there. You’ll find what works for you.
thanks for answering back… i guess sleep training is mostly for the parent and coming to terms with what works and not what all the books say….