Surviving with Twins: Helpful Tips & Lessons Learned

Rules to live by:

• Having twins is like having little celebrities...everyone stops to stare, comment, approach, give advice, ask questions, squeel, etc.  Take it in stride.  One new baby is cute, but two new babies are irresistable.
• Strangers will make stupid comments - In an effort to sounds funny or sympathetic, there are some that will just make you want to scream.  Examples:
• "Oh, I feel sorry for you!"
• "I wouldn't want to have to pay for that wedding!" As if having twin girls means they will automatically marry on the same day.
• "Double-Trouble!" In which we would always respond, "Double Blessing!"
• "Are they boys or girls?"  Don't even think that dressing them in pink, frilly dresses with bows in their hair will exempt you from this question!
• "Did you know you were having twins?" 
• "My second cousin's uncle was a twin!"  I don't care...
• And my favorite..."ARE THEY TWINS???"
• Don't be scared to breast feed.  It's not as complicated as it may seem.  Imagine holding two suckling footballs supported by pillows!
• Try to keep them on the same schedule.  If you feed them at the same time, they will generally pee and poop at the same time. 
• Take any help that's offered...you'll need it!
• Remember you're still a woman and a wife...both need lots of attention
• Prepare to gain strong forearms after carrying around two car seats
• Analyze the size of your trunk. Can it accomodate groceries and a twin stroller?  If not, you may want to get a bigger car!
• You don't HAVE to have two cribs early on.  Twins are small and take up very little space.  One crib will certainly do until they are much larger.  I personally loved using a pack-n-play in the living room during the day and a crib at night.
• You won't be kicked out of the club if your twins' names don't rhyme or start with the same letter.  It's perfectly okay to go in another direction.
• Being a mom of twins is tough, but obviously not impossible.  Take everything in stride, make sure you enlist family and friends for help, and be sure to take care of yourself!