Pregnancy & Newborn, Twin pregnancy

The first morning of my second trimester, I woke up with a new lease on life. I made a huge bowl of organic, slow-cooked oatmeal tricked out with berries (antioxidants!), almonds (protein!) and fresh maple syrup (deliciousness!). And then I puked it all up. The worst part? I still had to eat something. So I settled for a frozen microwave burrito.

Despite that minor setback, I’d say the second trimester of my twin pregnancy has delivered on most of the promises made by the singleton pregnancy manuals: Increased energy, almost no nausea, ability to focus, and a big enough bump to warrant smiles from strangers but not so big that people reach for their phones in case an ambulance is needed.

What I don’t think is normal, however, is requiring an afternoon nap every single day.

Each morning after driving my boys to preschool, I go to my beautiful office and work happily for a handful of hours.

And then I crash. As in zombie crash. As in barely make it home and crawl into bed crash.

I don’t remember it being this bad with my previous two pregnancies. Maybe it’s because I’m carrying twins, maybe it’s because I’m older (I’m 37), or maybe my “scared of the dark” three-year-old is to blame. Or all of the above. But all this napping really cuts down on a girl’s to-do list.

 

After my daily nap (which I keep trying to limit to 1 hour but inevitably ends up 2), I walk around in a fog for the dinner, bath, bedtime routine. But those morning hours sure are awesome.

Here are the boys waking me up from my nap. Quite the role reversal.

 

And so it goes. And so it goes.

twin pregnancy 24 weeks

 

A few more second trimester confessions:

  • Every time I have a doctor appointment, I secretly wish they’ll put me on bed rest. At least that would help me justify the amount of time I’ve spending in bed this pregnancy. But I’m probably not getting put on bed rest for that exact reason.
  • (I know daily naps are not an option for every mom — you are superstars and I am in awe of you.)
  • I sweat like crazy when I sleep. It’s gross.
  • I’m not nearly as hungry here in the late 2nd trimester as I was the first 20-something weeks. Thank god.
  • I’ve started to embrace my large size and turtle pace. I think the humility that comes with late pregnancy is all part of preparing us for life with newborns. I get much less done every day, but I’m learning to let go. And that feels great.
  • I can still fit in a booth at my favorite diner, but not for much longer.
  • I’m starting to feel panicked about getting quality time in with my boys before the babies come. More on that in the next post.

 

 

Advice (Unsolicited), House & Home, Productivity, Toddler

Now that I have the job of stocking up on baby gear for the twinsers (3 months to go!!) I realize how much I’ve forgotten. And this is from the person who used to be able to recite the Baby Bargains book by heart.

(New moms: Baby Bargains = the consumer reports of baby crap. If this is your first time around the block, don’t set foot into a Baby Superstore without your copy.)

So before amnesia sets in, I’m documenting my 5 favorite things to make your life with toddlers easier. Hope it helps you!

1. Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat

Forward facing
POUNDS: 20-100 pounds
HEIGHT: 27-57″

They should call this “THE LAST CAR SEAT YOU’LL EVER HAVE TO BUY!!”

As soon as your little one can move into a forward-facing carseat, buy this one.

We made the mistake of going from the infant car seat to the Britax to this.

We could have skipped the Britax altogether and gone straight to this bad boy. Young toddlers will feel like total hotshots with this seat’s built-in cup holders and secret compartments perfect for stashing LEGOs and Hotwheels. And when your toddler turns into a preschooler (overnight), voila — here’s your new booster, friend.

 

2. Bumkins Waterproof SuperBibsBumkins Waterproof Superbibs

Why don’t I ever hear moms complain about how hard it is to find a bib that:

– Doesn’t soak through

– Doesn’t deteriorate the first couple of times through the wash

– Kids don’t rip off easily

– Isn’t so tight that it strangles your kid

– Doesn’t completely suck?

I have no idea. But I do know that these bibs lasted us through two toddlers in a row, and I think there are still some up in the attic waiting for rounds 3 and 4.

 

3. Multi-layered mattress protection

The best part, of course, is the product shot.

When your little Houdini graduates from the crib to the bed (we went straight to twin beds at around 18 months for both boys), you’ll want to do everything you can to protect their new twin mattresses.

Because as far as I’m concerned, they’ll be using these mattresses until they move out.

Here’s your twin bed setup:

  • First the Vinyl Zippered Mattress Cover from Target. It zips around the entire mattress.
  • Then a regular quilted cotton mattress pad like this one.
  • Then the waterproof sheet protector as demonstrated by our lovely model. (This way if there is an accident during the night, or god forbid a stomach bug, you might luck out and only have to change this layer and up of bedding.)
  • Then the fitted sheet. (Unlike our fine model above, I put the sheet protector under the fitted sheet.)

 

4. Ergorapido Ion Bagless Coordless Stick and Hand Vac by ElectroluxErgorapido coordless stick vac

Keep it in or near your kitchen (I’m still trying to find the perfect place to conceal it but have it close enough to make it easy to use). If I used this after every meal, my floor would never be as disgusting as it is this morning.

Note: I had an earlier model of this vacuum and can say that the Ion battery version makes all the difference.

 

5. Diapers.comdiapers.com

BONUS: Use the code to the left to get 20% off all of their sites

I’ve been using these guys since they launched and they keep getting more awesome. I always get free, next day delivery, and their customer service is amazing.

I’ve use them for monthly diapers & wipes (they sell Kirkland brand wipes, which are awesome), sippy cups, cases of baby food, baby wash, books/toys. And for fun you can always throw in a tube of fancy mascara, laundry detergent, or throw pillows from one of their sister sites.

They also now offer a Baby Registry, which is WORLDS above the baby superstores since shipping is FREE as long as you order is over $49. And what better incentive for your gift giver to put that money toward your gift instead of the outrageous shipping Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby charge. Really, I hate those stores.

 

So those are my faves. What are yours?

 

This post contains affiliate links.

 

Pregnancy & Newborn, Stay at home mom, Twin pregnancy

It’s finally time to give up my rock n roll hair salon.

As much as I love my stylist, how he spends two hours expertly trimming and thinning my unruly locks, and working in quirky, edgy little touches, I just can’t do it anymore.

Even though my stylist will never let me look like the suburban mom I am, sitting in the electric chair-inspired chair staring at a stained glass painting of a man slave performing fellatio sure makes me feel like one.

(My mom once asked if she could go to my salon. Um, no. Never.)

As my twin pregnancy progresses, I can only imagine dragging my supersized self way downtown in the freezing cold and trying to hoist myself in and out of the S&M-themed hair washing station.

And after the twins come? I’ve already had the unpleasant experience of pumping in their CBGB’s-inspired bathroom (measuring approximately 1 foot by 1 foot), with walls plastered with Toilet Boys, Television, and The Clash concert posters, no sink (but feel free to sanitize with the warehouse club alcohol sanitizer, which is ALWAYS empty), and a door that almost closes all the way.

Don’t get me wrong — the tattoo-covered staff is unfailing sweet. On their breaks they read things like Dante’s Inferno while smoking cigarettes and sipping tea. And they pretended not to be horrified that time I hogged their only bathroom to pump (“I’m sure weirder things have happened in there,” one of them said.)

But alas, its time for a grown up salon. A place I can get to via the comfort of my own car. A place where they offer coffee and cold water in glasses, mints in their spacious bathroom, and refill your parking meter in the off chance you stay longer than an hour.

I’ll miss the amazing haircuts, the rock scene gossip, and that long lost urge I get to hang out all day in smoky bars when vintage Stones start blasting over the speakers.

But it’s time, folks. For better or worse, it’s time.

 

House & Home, Pregnancy & Newborn, Twin pregnancy

twin pregnancy 18 weeks

I’m 19 weeks pregnant with twins, which means I’m halfway through.

How do I know, you ask?

Since I’ve had previous C-sections, the latest my doctors will let me cook is 38 weeks. The average twin gestation is 36 weeks. So there you have it — halftime, baby!

Ever since about 15 weeks, the nausea has vanished, I make to-do lists again, and I only have to nap about every other day.

The nesting instinct has hit hard (it seems early, doesn’t it?), and after three trips to Ikea with my superstar mom, I’ve assembled the following:

2 Gulliver cribs

1 Mandal dresser (with the help of my brother)

1 Gulliver changing table

2 Hemnes 2-drawer chests to go with the new bed my husband got me for Christmas (he scored a floor model just before collapsing from the flu).

I’m an Ikea assembly machine.

//

Earlier this week, we got to see every square inch of Bambino and Bambina during our anatomy scan (or “magic baby spy machine” as we told our boys). It took a full hour and a half for the ultrasound tech measure all their parts, and then have the perinatologist come in to give closer inspection to each baby’s heart and brain.

Moments before the ultrasound, my friend Nina texted me to remind me that they always find something wrong at these things, and usually nothing is.

It made me think of the scary news we got four years ago with Isaiah’s anatomy scan, something about one of his kidneys not working and needing surgery immediately after birth. Nina said her daughter Rose was supposed to have some heart issue also requiring immediate surgery. Both babies were born just fine.

It was a welcome surprise to not head home with a head full of worry and a self-imposed Google ban.

Both babies currently weigh 9 ounces, which is exactly what “singleton” babies are supposed to weigh at this point. (“Singleton” is one of those words you will never utter unless you’re a mom of twins.)

The main job of both babies now is to gain weight. This is the part that terrifies me. I mean, just run “twin pregnancy 30 weeks” through an image search and you’ll see what I mean.

Not to sound ungrateful or vain. I know that in the case of twins, gaining weight in the second trimester is hugely important since I won’t be able to carry the twins to a full 40 weeks. The bigger the babies are, the healthier they will be. But man oh man are twin bellies huge.

//

Meanwhile, our first ever au pair arrives from Brazil this Thursday.

It seems a bit indulgent to have her come so soon, but I was terrified of going on bedrest and decided to have her start now and get settled with the boys just in case.

//

So here we are, in this sweet pocket of second trimester goodness. May it last as long as it can last.

(My four-year-old took this photo of me in Ikea. Yup. That pretty much captures the nesting madness.)