Molly Piper

Having two bouncy seats with twins is an absolute necessity, in my opinion. Of course they’re helpful for when they’re little, just because you can’t possibly carry or wear two babies all day long (especially if you have older children and/or you want to get anything done in your home).

Many people use bouncy seats when the babies are little, but I found that with twins I used them until 11 months!

Here’s the evolution of the bouncy seat for multiples:

• Infant (0-6 months): I used them for a place to set the babies down during wake times. I also used them for feeding. I would sit between the bouncy seats and administer the bottles. It was a crazy time, but not as crazy as nursing both (which I only did for about 2 months). So if you’re bottling (formula or breast milk), just kinda wedge yourself between them and hold the bottles for them! Whit especially needed the incline of the bouncy seat because he spit up so much.
• Roller stage (4-12? months): When giving two babies a bottle at the same time, it’s impossible to keep them from rolling over. Once they start holding their own bottles (mine did about 6.5 months) it gets easier–kinda. If I tried to hold both of them in this roly-poly stage, I’d be covered in formula and literally involved in a 20-minute wrestling match. Not too great for bonding.

When my babies were 10 months, they knew when bottle time was coming! They would see me getting out the bouncy seats and start doing that excited baby giggle-cry. Then I would strap them in, and they’d start kicking their feet like mad (still doing the giggle-cry), and then I’d pop the bottles in their mouths! They were so happy that way, and able to get the calories they need by focusing on bottling.

So if you want to survive feedings as twins get older, I think dual bouncy seats are very important. Beg, borrow, steal… (okay I’m not really promoting theft, it’s just an expression) but have two bouncy seats.

Other twin tips

• Use Earplugs as Necessary
• Cook Meat in Advance
• Snacks for Mom
• Easier Bathing
• Boon Squirty Spoons
• Dry Shampoo
• Hair Tourniquets
• LOTS of Burp Cloths
• Surviving Spitty Sheets

What do you give a dead child on a birthday, when everything parental inside of you wants to shower that child with sweets, excitement, gifts, delights?

It’s been four years now, and I still have a desire to buy you something, Felicity. (Will that ever go away?)

It’s been four years now, and I wish I could see your eyes light up with excitement over the decorations in the kitchen for your birthday breakfast. (I wish we were busy tonight with last-minute birthday preparations, instead of sitting here writing blog posts.)

It’s been four years now, and I often find myself wishing I knew what you’d like. (Would you be a chocolate cake girl like mama?)

I’ve been working on this scarf for myself for months, Felicity. Months. The hubbub of our lives prevented me from finishing it until this week. So now it’s my birthday present–to you…for me; for you…to me. I don’t know…

But I love it. And I know I’d love you more.

Daddy calls it the “Starry Night” scarf. I like that.

There’s been a lot of dark nights since we lost you, no stars in the sky. Just the black expanse. I remember one night a couple weeks after you died, I was out in the country and we turned the light off to sleep and it was so dark I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. That was year 1 and year 2 without you. So dark. So paralyzingly dark.

But then, just like a night sky, stars began to appear, little glimmers breaking through the pitch. They’ve lit my way a bit. They’ve taken the edge off of the darkness. They’ve shone some beauty into something so horrific I thought it might swallow me whole (and at times, wanted it to).

So for your birthday I’m gonna wear the Starry Night scarf. It’s from me…about you.

Someday we’ll see the stars together the way they were meant to be seen.

ME!!!

Morrow had his first day of preschool today! Can you believe that?!?!

He went to a little open house last week to get ready, and today the little church bus came and picked him up right outside the house!

He had a little difficulty separating at the open house last week when the parents went across the hall for a meeting and the kids stayed to play, so I was trying to be really, really upbeat this morning to keep him from getting nervous.

We’d talked and talked and talked about how fun school was going to be, so I thought it might be a little counterproductive to let him see me bawling (I saved that for when I got back in the house). And I wasn’t the only one with tears (a certain male in the 30-34 age bracket had some moisture in his eyes too)!

Here he is, all excited to get buckled in for the ride to school!

When I got off the bus and waved to him I could tell he was about to cry, but according to one of my spies, he’d recovered just fine by the time they got to school.

When he got home he told me, “I loved playing at the park! I held onto the rope!” (which is what they use for crossing the street to get to the park).

I can’t believe he’s this old, and I can’t believe how quickly time goes by, but I also feel lots of joy and hope for this new step.

YAY for Morrow!

Here in Minnesota we have a thing called a “Golden Birthday.” I’m sure it exists in other places too, I’d just never heard about it until I moved here. So a golden birthday goes like this: if you’re born on the 4th of the month, your golden birthday is when you turn 4.

I was lucky, because my birthday’s on the 23rd, and I found out about the golden birthday when I was 22 (phew!).

I’m proposing a Golden School Day…

• 1st day of 1st grade? Golden!
• 2nd day of 2nd grade? Golden!

…and so on.

But seriously, I’m just very glad that Orison had a great 1st day of 1st grade. He’s totally excited to be back at school, and that’s one of the best things a parent can hope for, school-wise.

How’d your kids do going back to school? You doing alright, moms and dads?