2004 Guide To The First Year with Twins

Are they twins?
CAROLINE AND REBECCA, AGE 8 MONTHS
Afew months ago while I was shopping
I spied a familiar scene. An
elderly lady stopped a mother of
twins. “Are they twins?” she asked. The
tired mom was somewhat rude, giving
her a quick answer.
“It’s OK,” I said
to the elderly lady.
“I’m a mother of
twins and it is hard
to keep a smile on
your face when you
haven’t slept in a
month.”
I discovered
early on that
answering dozens
of questions with
each shopping trip is a part of the blessing
of being a parent of twins. Here are
some ways I dealt with the interruptions.
I allowed ample time to get my
shopping done.
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I grinned and accepted the curiosity
of others. A smile always made me
feel better.
I realized that twins are unique and
they would draw extra attention.
I tried to be courteous and kind
when others wanted to share their
twin stories. I discovered that everyone
is either related to a twin or
knows someone who is a twin.
When I felt impatient after being
stopped a dozen times, I thanked God for
the blessing He gave me. In a lonely world,
twins can bring a smile to even the longest
face or joy to the saddest heart.
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—Nancy. B. Gibbs
Juggling Act...one Mom’s story
Most parents agree, feeding multiples is a challenge when you
also have other small children. My goal was to keep my singleton
son safe and entertained while the twins were feeding.
I had to make the space next to me more interesting than the
rest of the house for at least 20 minutes per feeding.
Snap/unsnap—Baby sleepers with all those crotch snaps provided
great entertainment. He could quickly undo the snaps, but
it took lots of time to match the pieces and snap them again.
Quick change—Challenge your toddler to get out of his
clothes or jammies and get dressed again. Footed sleepers
worked best for us, they took the longest to get on.
Roll/doesn’t roll—Put various round and other-shaped items
in a plastic container. Tell your child to find the ones that roll
and put them in a pile.
Mystery gadget—What could this be? Our honey dipper, garlic
press and spatula had their moment in the spotlight. I was often
surprised by what my son imagined for each object.
Surprise package—Fill a plastic peanut butter jar with different
things: a toy car, playing cards or some blocks. I’d grab familiar
toys, but found that he stayed interested longer when at least
one item was a surprise. It also took a fair amount of time to get
the lid off.
Laundry basket car—My son loved to “drive” the laundry
basket. He’d get inside and pretend it was a car. Sometimes he’d
drive to Grandma’s house or Daddy’s office. Other times he’d go
to the store for milk or just plain crash the “car” and roll out.
When he returned home, he’d tell me all about his trip.
Window watching—Do
you see... a school bus, leaf,
snow, duck? Ask your child
to point these things out if
he sees them. Since we had
just moved into a new
neighborhood, this entertaining
activity helped us get
acquainted with our surroundings.
Screw and bolt—I’m still
amazed at how long my son
struggled to put these pieces together and take them apart.
Because of the choking hazard, he could practice this only right
at my side and then with a large screw and bolt.
“Tell me about...”—My son would name something. We’d
talk about how it was made, what people did before they had it,
similar products or how it got its name.
—Kay Lynn Isa
26 GUIDE TO THE FIRST YEAR To subscribe to TWINS call 1-888-55-TWINS or go to www.TwinsMagazine.com