Mommy, you graduated from homework!

I spent the last 3 years of my life pursuing my Master's degree.  I figured that I should probably decide what I wanted to be when I grew up, and for the first time in my life I actually thought that working in management for the rest of my life sounded good.  Really?  Who says that?!  So, I set to work pursuing my degree in Healthcare Operations Management.  I am thrilled to have finally met my goal!

Now that I'm done I have absolutely no idea how I found the time to work on my Masters with 3 young children in the house.  Late nights, busy nap-times, and 11:55 PM deadlines were the norm. I wondered if the kids would even remember that I went to school when they were little.  As graduation loomed near I learned that my going to school left a profound impression on the kids. First, it taught them perseverance - things may get hard and you may want to give up - but you have to keep pushing through. That have since applied this to their violin lessons.  Sweet! Second, it taught them humility, they couldn't always be #1 and sometimes Mom's needs had to go above theirs.  This is very difficult for children to understand.  And finally it taught them the importance of education- a degree/education is something no one can take away from you.

I never would have been able to complete my degree without the sacrifice and commitment from my family. Si has been nothing short of amazing over the past three years. You need to study?  No problem, take the time you need. You need to go meet up with classmates to figure out how to get through Data Analytics or Turning Data Into Information and be gone for 5 hours?  I'm happy to support you.  AMAZING.  I love this man to pieces.
I spent at least 4 nights a week, after the kids went to bed or while they were napping, studying and completing papers and homework.  Clearly the kids noticed.  When they came to graduation and saw me get my degree Bri said "Mommy, you just graduated from homework didn't you?".  Why yes sweet child, I did.
Check that off the bucket list.
On to the next!

Until next time~
Megan

To Separate, or Not to Separate?

I feel like I haven’t talked to you guys in forever! In truth, it’s been quite a long while. So sorry! When I started taking my Master’s classes (way back in 2013!) I quickly cut down on my blogging.  That’s sad though, because I have SO much to say!  LOL. First things first, I will be done with my Master’s in May, thank goodness, and then I will have part of my life back! I’m glad that I went back to school but absolutely underestimated the amount of time it would take me to do an online degree program.  I’m happy to be done.  Well, almost done.

In the meantime, there have been lots of happenings in the Hollibaugh household.  Hudson is 3.5, and a heart breaker! He’s the sweetest most ornery kid I think I’ve ever met.  I go between wanting to hug and snuggle the crap out of him and wanting to hang him by his toenails.  LOL.  If only I was kidding. The girls (Livvy and Bri) are now 5, and could not be more different.  Olivia is a total girly girl princess who never stops talking (ever) and Brianna is a super creative total tomboy who loves to do things on her own.  Honestly, they complement each other perfectly! HA! 

What I’d like to talk about today is school, and to separate, or not to separate your multiple’s in the classroom.  First, what we’ve done.  Olivia and Brianna are in their second year of Montessori.  The Montessori they attend has 4 preschool classes, so we were given the option to keep the girls together or split them.  Year one we decided kept them together in the same classroom.  It seemed to go really well, but at the end of the year, Bri asked to be in a different classroom than her sister.  We weren’t sure if it was just a fluke thing as she’d been pretty happy being in the same class for most of the year, but we were also unsure about keeping them together anyway (many opinions in the multiples community), so we quickly agreed to separate.  This year they have been apart.  While the teachers seem to think that the girls are both doing very well in separate classrooms, that is not really the same sentiment I am getting from either of the girls.  In fact, Olivia and Brianna have both requested to be together in the same classroom again next year.  Okay kiddos, noted.  Honestly whatever they want to do is okay with me.  We don’t have a guidebook for twins (wish we did sometimes!) and frankly I’m okay with the girls calling their own shots with this.  After all, it affects them a whole lot more than it affects me!

So twin and triplet mommas…..what did you do with school?  Or what do you intend to do?  Keep them together?  Split them up?  And why?  Has it worked well? Or not?  Tell me your stories!

Happy Easter Friends!

Happy Easter 2015!

This year we got to see and cuddle REAL bunnies!!!  It was so precious. The kids could hardly contain themselves, so not kidding! I think the photographer probably had to edit or throw out at least 25 pictures of the kids with their mouths wide open because they were so excited!!

Olivia and Brianna, Age 4.5, Hudson, Age 2.75

Livvy alone with her bunny - note the mouth wide open ;)

Bri alone with her bunny ;)

Hudson alone with his bunny;)

Hope you have a very blessed holiday with you and yours!

~Megan

Happy Valentine's Day 2015!

Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday.  Truly it is.  And it's not because it's a ridiculously commercialized holiday where flower shops can charge 4x the normal charge for flowers, mylar balloon sales are in the millions, or because couples go out to expensive restaurants to show their apparent love for one another.  No.  Although I DO love a good meal, that is the opposite of why I love Valentine's Day.

I love Valentine's Day because it is the one day each year that people are encouraged to focus on the love they have for one another and show each other how much they care.  Please note - this doesn't have to be anything romantic.  I mean sure, there are hearts and cupid and arrows and lips all over the place to designate the Valentine's holiday, but truly, I think Valentine's is more about showing others how much you care about them.  Every year I make little gifts for my unit staff for V-day.  This year I'm doing heart coffee cups filled with chocolates.  YUM.  And the point of me doing this is, my staff know that I truly care about each one of them and they ARE appreciated.  I know they really enjoy getting something at work on Valentine's Day (who doesn't?!).

So....Happy Valentine's Day to YOU!  I hope you know that I care about you, and thank you for reading my blog =).  Be sure to tell the people in your life how much you love them and care for them.  That's truly what V-day is all about! My kids share my love of Valentine's Day and even had pictures taken to commemorate!  They wish you a Happy Valentine's Day as well! Hope your day is awesome!

Until next time -

Megan

Everything Changes (when all I really want is for things to stay the same)

Props to the stay at home moms out there.  Props to the stay at home moms who have husbands that travel.  And even bigger props to the military families that have to run as single parent families while one parent is off defending our country.  I have a whole new respect for what each of you go through day in and day out.  Wow.  That is all.  What a different perspective.

Si took a new job in December.  Truth be told, he had to.  He was laid off from his previous job. They told him in October.  I'm still not sure why they let him go.  Maybe they weren't busy enough. Maybe Si was too expensive of an employee.  Maybe Si didn't do the paperwork the way they wanted.  I don't know.  Si took a new job December 15th.  Since December 15th he has been out of town for 9 days (8 nights).  Soon he will go out of town again, but this time for two weeks straight.  TWO WEEKS.

That means, for that two week period, I am a single mom to three young children.  A single mom who is also working full time, going to school, running the social events for our non-profit multiples organization, trying to make it to violin practice on time, doing a gazillion loads of laundry because the girls HAVE to wear three outfits a day and (surprise!) one of the kids peed the bed (again), and I'm trying to find time to cook a wholesome meal for my family (screw it, we may live on mac and cheese and hot dogs while Si's gone!).  It is exhausting.  I have a whole new respect for single parents, I truly do.

My post for the New Year introduced my word for the year: Joy.  Finding joy in the little things.  But holy crap....it is HARD.  I know my kids are growing at the speed of light.  I know soon they will be in school and won't want to hang out with me at. all.  But for now, I am having difficulty having fun being a mom.  I'm probably too busy.  I get that.  I did that to myself.  I do have to work full time, so that's a given, but school?  Is that really necessary?  What about my volunteer work?  If I gave some of these other things up, would I be better able to find the joy in my kids???  I'm not so sure.

How on earth are you supposed to know if you are doing the right things?  How do you decide what is most important? I know I am asking questions that don't have any real answer, but it's helpful to know that I'm not the only one thinking this stuff. I'm not, am I?! This mom gig is hard!!

I will leave you with a picture of each of the kidlets...in all of their growing-up-too-fast goodness.

Mr. Hudson - Age 2.5

Miss Olivia (left) and Miss Brianna (right)- Age 4

Have a great weekend peeps!

Until next time -

Megan

A Look Back, and a Look to the Future

As I look back on 2014 I see a year filled with many new adventures:

• The girls first day at Montessori
• Attempting to potty training a boy (they want to stand! Eek!)
• My first time actually eating sushi (and liking it!)
• SCUBA diving in Jamaica (and LOVING IT!)
• Swimming with the dolphins
• ”Single parenting” for a week while Si was out of town on business
• The kiddos trying crab legs for the first time (check that – hoovering 2 lbs of crab legs)

But it was also a year full of endings….

• My last nursing session with Hudson
• The girls last day at their preschool down the street, and the loss of new friends
• Our last ladies night in our neighborhood (after several awesome neighbors moved away)
• Selling the girls cribs, Hudson’s baby clothes, bottles, and toys
• The realization that I will probably never have another itty bitty baby of my own to snuggle, nurse, or wake up to at 3 AM.

“The ending of an era, and the turning of a page” as Tim McGraw would say…

So what is my focus for 2015? 

I saw a blog post a couple of years ago (when I still had the time to read blogs daily) where the writer chose a word or two to focus on for the upcoming New Year.  I think it’s a great idea, and I’ve decided to take on the challenge.  My word for 2015 is JOY.  I am going to make it my mission in 2015 to find JOY not only in the things I do, but especially within my interactions with my children.

Like any parent, I get frustrated with my feisty, often back-talking 4 year olds, and it keeps me from focusing on the good that they bring to my life.  It is amazing to see the world through the eyes of a child.  Christmas was a great example of that.  Oh how their eyes lit up when they met Santa and again Christmas morning when they opened their gifts – AMAZING! 

This year I intend to focus on understanding my children, their needs and aspirations, and try to harness the JOY that they bring me each day.  It’s difficult to parent toddlers and preschoolers.  I know it is.  But truthfully it’s not going to be anything compared to parenting teenagers.  I am not looking forward to that one bit.  I can truly see the importance of shaping and reinforcing now the behaviors I want them to display in the future, while I still can. 

To be perfectly honest, changing their behavior means checking my own behavior at the door before trying to correct theirs.  I have this habit of yelling at my kiddos when they aren’t listening.  Sound familiar?  Yelling at my children doesn’t stop them from yelling, or make them listen to what I am saying.  Instead, it shows them that it is okay to yell when they are upset, and it may even show them a “scary” side of mommy.  That’s not how I want my kids to see me.  I want them to see me as someone they can trust, someone they can talk to about anything, someone they can bring their concerns to. Not someone who is going to yell at them or blow them off because I am frustrated, busy doing something else, or don’t care what they have to tell me (for the 7^th time today). 

I hope to show my children more patience.  And I hope to be able to spend time with them while they still want to spend time with me.  I know my time is growing short to be able to spend good old fashioned quality time with my kids.  They will soon be introduced to the world of school, commitments, and ultimately other kids.  I want to make sure my kids really know that I love them and want to be with them and think they are great! It shouldn’t be too hard of a goal to reach, right?

Here’s to 2015!

What is your word (or words) for 2015?  Why did you choose it?

Until next time –

Megan

Me oh my - look who is 2!!!

"Baby" Hudson turned 2 about a week ago.  Seriously, I think he is going to be "Baby" forever.  I've tried to tell him that he's my "big boy" but he wants absolutely nothing to do with that.  Nope, he's my "baby" (secretly don't mind a bit!) and the girls still refer to his as "Baby", so I think the name just might stick for a while! Poor kid.  He will be walking around kindergarden still being called "Baby"....

We were just in for our 2 year checkup on Monday, and his stats crack me up. He is big for a boy, but smaller than the girls were at 2 years old - a full inch shorter and about 3.5 lbs lighter!  This should be fun when they get older....hopefully he has a chance to outgrow his sisters sometime....otherwise it's hard to justify telling him not to hit his sisters when they tower over him;-).

Anyhow, on to Hudson's 2 year stats:
Height - 36 inches - 90th percentile
Weight - 31 lbs, 2 oz - 83rd percentile
Head Circumfrence - 47.5 cm - 71st percentile
Diaper size - 4, size 5 at night.
Clothes size - 24 month and 2T

Just for comparison purposes the girls were:
Height - 37" (99th percentile)
Weight - 34lbs 7 oz, and 34 lbs 14 oz (99th percentile)
Diaper size - 5
Clothes size - 3T

I continue to be amazed by how much different boys are than girls.  Mr H is so affectionate and lovey with me, I just love it.  He is still nursing first thing in the morning and before bed, and I'm having such a hard time weaning him.  Not only does he love to nurse, and not only do I love the time, but he really doesn't like milk so I don't think he would  be getting his necessary calcium if he wasn't nursing.  Si and I are taking a 10 year anniversary trip back to Jamaica later this summer though and we will be gone for a week, so he will need to wean sometime soon.  He's just my baby.....and I don't know that I'm ready to wean either! I'd love to have my body back, but.....

As usual, there's lots going on here.  The girls are doing Splish Splash summer camp this week at their new Montessori, and they are loving it.  I'm so glad...you never know what the response will be to an all new situation and location.  I'm thrilled they are enjoying it.  They also don't seem to mind that they are going to school/camp everyday.  They are getting upset that Hudson is getting to do fun stuff with the nanny while they are at school, but they would still rather go to school, so that's a definite WIN in my book!

Okay, I've got to be boring you with my rambling.  So thrilled summer is here, and I hope you guys are outside enjoying it just as much as we are here!

Until next time -
Megan

Pictures, Preschool, and we are SO ready for Spring!

I have SO many blog posts in my head....seriously.  I just don't have enough hours in the day.  I don't think I ever posted the updates and changes that were going on in the Hollibaugh household last year (read, excuses for not being a good blogger), I'm such a slacker!

As if it isn't busy enough working full time with two 3 year olds and an almost 2 year old, I also felt it necessary last September to start working on my Master's (Healthcare Operations Management), and help start up yet ANOTHER 501c3 organization - Nebraska Multiples Organization (NeMO) - an amazing support, outreach, and social venue in Nebraska for parents of twins, triplets, and higher order multiples!  It's seriously insane.  I have simply had no time to blog, but I have needed to SO badly!

Let's start with PICTURES! We did a Valentine's mini-session with one of our favorite photographers, Samantha Lupo.  The girls look so sweet and Hudson looks so grown up (ahhh!)!!!

Preschool - 
We started the girls in preschool down the street on February 1st.  They seemed bored, and were acting out for my dad when he watched them.  They seemed to be okay for the nanny, but I figured it was time to get them a little more structure, so we gave it a try.  We just signed them up for a Tuesday/Thursday morning program. They LOVE it! Next year we just decided that they will be doing a 4 day a week, AM only, Montessori program. Holy expensive.  But you know, this is the foundation for the rest of their lives, so I think this is the right decision.  Or at least I HOPE it is the right decision.  I guess we will find out, won't we? =)

And I leave you with this....although it has been a very cold winter here in Nebraska, we haven't had much moisture.  The kids are so excited for Spring! At the first sign of rain the other day they couldn't wait to run outside in their Rainwear and their umbrellas and play in the rain!!!  So fun!!!

I hope you all are doing well, and I sincerely hope I will have the time to blog more often.  I did so well when the girls were little, and I hope to get back to it!  It's the little diary of the kiddos lives, and I need to make sure that at the very least the important moments are documented!

So...until next time (and seriously people, bug me if it's been more than a month and I haven't posted!!!!),

Megan

18 months old!

Growing, growing, growing!

Hudson is now a bright, inquisitive, fun-loving 18 month old! His preferred mode of transportation is either running or hopping while chirping "ribbit" and beaming at everyone in sight.  He learns at warp speed from his sisters, and wants to be doing absolutely everything that Olivia and Brianna are doing, at exactly the same time, much to their dismay.

He knows many words, far more than would be expected for a child his age, seemingly another benefit to being the youngest child.  He loves to snuggle and loves to play, and really just hang out with his mommy all day.  He is my little man, no doubt about it.  He still loves to nurse and snuggle, and ride around in his wrap close to mommy when we shop at the store.  Mommies little peanut indeed =).

He continues to follow the Hollibaugh growth chart, to no great surprise, landing in the 90+ percentiles for both height and weight. He is still sporting size 4 diapers, and 18-24 month clothing.  He seems to have leaned out quite a bit, but surprisingly he's still in the same size clothes. His favorite foods continue to be eggs, spaghetti, string cheese, teddy grahams, strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes....who am I kidding, this kid loves ALL food! Well, except sweet potatoes...he got that from his daddy and gramz!

Loving this peanut more every day!

Happy 18 months little man!

Until next time -
Megan

Two Butterflies (ahem...Ladybugs) and a Bumblebee...

We are bugs for Halloween this year! Last year the girls were cupcakes and Hudson was a monkey and they all had a blast.  This year I figured the girls would want to be princesses or something "cool" like that with their tutu fascination, but they were more than THRILLED to be Butterflies (pretty sure they are ladybug costumes, but whatevs).  And Hudson rounds out the bug mix with a perfect bumblebee...complete with stinger on the tail end! LOL!

There are two trunk or treat events right down the street from our house, so we made sure to have plenty of candy and non-candy offerings at our house this year (usually we get all of 12-20 trick or treaters total).  If you stop by you will have your choice of candy, play dough, glow braclets, mini balls, or erasers.  It's been quite the challenge keeping the kids out of the Halloween bowl...they want it all and don't understand why we are giving it away to our friends...lol!  They will figure it out once we start trick or treating...they were practicing what to say all night last night. =)

What are your kiddos for Halloween this year? 

Happy Halloween!

Megan

Our Pump It Up 3rd Birthday Party!

What could be more fun than twenty 2-4 year olds bouncing the morning away at Pump It Up on a Husker Football off week?  Um...nothing of course!

The girls had a blast with all of their friends and even sang Happy Birthday to themselves twice!

The girls had an absolute blast.  Not that you can tell in pictures...lol...look at that pouty face on Livvy!

Now, I do have a question to all of those mommas out there about birthday gifts if you'd be willing to share your process.....

Here's the deal.  We went to one of our triplets friends birthday parties a couple of  years ago, and the momma very specifically asked that people not bring presents.  She stated "your presence is the best present".  I couldn't agree more, and we've made that statement at each of the girl's parties since.  As such, we never talk about or open presents at the actual birthday event (although every time at least half of the attendees do bring gifts). I guess my question is, what should I do after the girls open their presents at home?  Should we be sending thank you notes to everyone who gave a gift? Is it uncouth to do nothing?  I've only sent thank you's once, and I feel like if this is the process we are following with gifts that we should be sending thank you's every time.  What is your process with gifts?  Do you open them at the party?  After?  Send thank yous?  Not?

Hope you all are have a great weekend!

Until next time -
Megan

Look who's THREE!

Yep, you guessed it! We've survived yet another year of twin chaos and continue to feel incredibly blessed with the life we have been given.  Today Oliva and Brianna turned 3.  THREE!!! AHHH! They've learned their ABC's and 123's, have successfully potty trained, have gained a whole lot of spunk, love to dabble in creativity, and spend most of their time making sure mom and dad stay on their toes!

Let's go down memory lane for a moment, shall we?

Year 1 they spent hitting major milestones...first foods, first tooth(s), first steps.  We thought that we had the whole situation under control.  Yeah, right!

Year 2 they figured out how to walk, and walking turned into running.  Mom and dad spent most of this year figuring out how to take care of two MOBILE toddlers, and how to incorporate another little one into our already chaotic family dynamic.

Year 3 they have spent learning...learning how to love, learning how to share, learning how to care about not only one another, but for those around them. They grew flowers, tomatoes, and peppers in the garden. They drew lots and lots of pictures, and told their first stories. They learned how to be creative, they love reading books, and they starting asking the question "why" about absolutely everyone and everything =). They love to watch Caillou, Super Why, the Bee Movie, and Finding Nemo.  They think ABCmouse.com is amazing and want to play on it constantly.  They really are growing up!

We continue to show distinct differences as well, of course:

Olivia - Age 3

• Can tell you one heck of a story! She will just start talking, and talk, and talk....
• Loves to draw with chalk 
• Has a relatively short attention span and likes to jump between multiple activities at once (hmm...a multitasker in training?)
• Loves Mac and Cheese
• Very caring....loves her little brother, and loves taking care of her "babies"

Brianna - Age 3

• Walks to the beat of her own drum....doesn't care what anyone else thinks about her or what she is doing
• Loves to color, paint, play with stickers, and do anything creative, and can sit for 45 minutes or more working on one activity.
• Loves "chocolate cereal", yogurt, mac and cheese, and PB&J
• Not a huge fan of her little brother....prefers to have her stuff, her way, and doesn't like to share with Mr. H =)

So that's the shout out for the day...Happy Birthday to our sweet girls! We love you more and more each day and feel so blessed that we have been given the opportunity to be your parents! Life wouldn't be the same without you!!!  Here's to another year =).

Until next time - 

Megan  

Mr. Hudson - 15 months!

I love this little man to pieces, and can't believe just how quickly he is growing.  We went in last week for his 15 month checkup, and in pure Hollibaugh fashion, he's one BIG boy!

Here are his "official" stats from the pediatrician's office:
Weight: 27 lbs, 14 oz (96th percentile)
Height: 33.5 inches (100th percentile)

Other fun stats:
Diapers: Size 4
Clothes: Barely squeezing into the 18 month, mostly wearing 24 month...no surprise here!
Favorite foods: EVERYTHING!  He loves eggs, spaghetti, mac and cheese, all fruit - especially grapes, watermelon, cantaloupe, and strawberries, yogurt, soup, peanut butter toast...the list goes on and on! He eats more than I do, not kidding!!!
Words: Momma, Dadda, Bailey, Kitty, Boots, Caillou  eggs, up, down, more, water, juice, cheese, milk, yes, no, papa, car, chalk...and many more I am sure I am forgetting! 

The difference between Hudson and the girlies at this age? It's amazing what happens when you have older siblings to learn from! Hudson was walking earlier, talking earlier, and eating a selection of delectable food offerings earlier than the girls did.  It's amazing how much more relaxed you are the second time around!

Strangely enough, what is actually most notable to me is the difference in when the kids have been first introduced to suckers.  You know when you go to the bank and they give you dum dums for the kids?  Well, Hudson now INSISTS that he get a dum dum every time too! We didn't let the girls have dum dums until maybe 6 months ago (at 2.5 years old), but now we have been letting Hudson have dum dums (with supervision of course) for the last 6 weeks! He knows that he should have one too, and he will throw quite the fit if we don't give it to him.  I guess we are getting laxed in our old age! HA!

So that's the scoop with Mr. H! He's getting bigger and more handsome everyday!  Do you see those curls?! Ah! I love this kid!

Until next time -
Megan

I had to share....

I'm sure there will be many more pictures like this over the next couple of years, but this is the first!

This is what happens when you have diva twin girls and little boy who wants to be just like them.  The girls wanted to be "princesses" tonight, so they went through their closet and pulled out their tutus and matching shirts.  Hudson watched them do this and decided he wanted to be part of the action too! He went into their closet and pulled out a tutu, then turned to me and said "on"! HA! Si was mortified...I think it's adorable!

Love these crazy kids!

Until next time -
Megan

The Potty Training Chronicles - Twin Style

How is it possible for two children born at the same time to be SO different?! Sometimes I seriously forget that they are twins because they are so incredibly different.

Which brings me to the topic of the day...the girls are finally potty trained!  They have been for about 6 weeks now. I think parents always hold their breath when they write that because you know, once you write it down and make it official you're bound to be proven wrong and have some serious relapse.  We will see what happens tomorrow now that I've cursed myself =)

Now, to be fair,  we do still have some ongoing poop issues with Bri who is refusing to poop at all, not only in the potty.  This turns into an awful constipation mess requiring suppositories and enemas (great fun!), but for all intensive purposes we are finally fully trained and go potty in the potty without any real prompting from mommy or daddy.  We wear big girl panties from the time we get up to the time we go to sleep or down for naps.  But wow...this wasn't at all the journey I expected it would be.

Those of you that have followed my blog for a while may remember that I had such high hopes for my little ladies (don't we all have such high aspirations for our kids?!).  We bought the "Potty Time" DVD when the girls were about 17 months old.  They loved it.  They would run around and sing the songs and sign "potty".  They would sit on their potties multiple times a day, but they never went.  I wanted to work with them more on it, but then baby Hudson came along, and with a new baby in the house and sleep deprivation I honestly didn't have time to work on potty training.  The girls weren't interested anymore anyway, and always woke up wet in the mornings and from naps.  We decided to take a break.

Fast forward to this past July.  I started to notice that all of our other multiples friends that were the same age were potty trained, and here I was still spending $80 a month on diapers. I started to feel like a big slacker. Peer pressure, it's a powerful motivator!  I decided to try again.  The girls were very vocal that they were not interested in using their little potties, and didn't want to be big girls, but Si and I pushed the issue. We bought big girl panties and pull ups to help the girls be interested in potty training.  We were able to convince Olivia to try to pull ups.  Being the people pleaser that she is, as soon as she figured out that she was going to get additional attention and candy if she did what we asked, she was totally on board. Brianna absolutely refused to even try to go potty in the potty or put on pull ups.  So, we focused entirely on Olivia and let Brianna do her own thing.

After about 2 weeks, Olivia was about 80% potty trained on her little potty.  She was getting an M&M every time she went potty in the potty, and got a sucker every time she pooped in the potty.  Bri LOVES candy, and would cry and cry every time Olivia got a sucker and she didn't.  Bri refused to wear pull ups or sit on the little potties...they were for babies.

Then the light bulb came on.  Why don't we try just putting Bri in underwear and see what happens?

BINGO!

We put Brianna and Olivia in underwear the following Monday morning.  Brianna did beautifully!  She would ONLY go potty in the big potty, and she insisted on only wearing underwear and nothing else, but otherwise she did great! She had one accident the first day, and one accident two days later.  Since then her accidents have been so few and far between, she's maybe had 7 total in 6 weeks.  Olivia was already essentially potty trained via pull ups before we switched her over to underwear, and she had very few accidents as well.  We even took the girls out to shop at Target in their big girl panties the very first day we potty trained with the big girl panties since they had done so well.  Brave!

So, what I took from our experience that can be helpful to other potty training multiples parents is:

1. Every kid is different! What works for one child will not necessarily work for both.
2. Be flexible.  One kid insists on only wearing underwear? One kid will only go on the little potty?  No problem! There's no wrong way to potty train.
3. Consider not training your multiples at exactly the same time.  If you can get one child most of the way trained before bringing another child on board, go for it.  This allows you to focus on each child individually and on their own time, instead of the multiples being forced to "share" the potty training attention.
4. Buy LOTS of underwear.  I think we have about 40 pairs.  But it was necessary.  If you figure each kid could have up to 10 accidents a day, 40 pairs would only be enough undies to last 2 days for a set of twins! Plus you need some for in the car for accidents if you are out and around, and chances are you will end up throwing out a pair or two because the accidents are just "that bad"...lol....
5. Sometimes it's okay to push your kids out of their comfort zone.  For Pete's sake...my are going to be 3 next month.  In my opinion, the point at which they can passionately oppose potty training means it's time to MAKE them do it.  After all, you are the parent.  Parenting fail on our part here!
6. Be patient.  Some kids pick it up faster than others.
7. It's okay not to have your kid potty trained early.  If you look at Bri, she was obviously ready, she was just refusing....it didn't even take a day to train her.  Crazy. I think Livvy was just soaking up the attention, that's the only reason it took her 2 weeks to fully train. But I bought that DVD and had such high hopes that the girls would be trained at 18 months.  Don't push yourself!

That was our experience with potty training.  Was it similar to yours?  Different?  Any important points or tips I missed?  I'd love to hear your thoughts =)

Until next time -
Megan

"Why do you always dress them the same?"

As soon as I found out I was pregnant with twin girls I started dreaming of all of the cute, frilly, pink and purple outfits they would be wearing.  I knew I had no intention of being one of "those" moms that dressed their twins in the same clothes every day.  Hello, the kids are individuals! Why are you crazy moms dressing your kids the same?!

Perhaps I had spoken too soon. Once I became a mom to twin girls I quickly understood exactly why these moms may have dressed their kids in identical clothing.

There are so many things that you have to keep in mind as a mom of twins that may not be in the front of your mind as a mom to a singleton.  For one, you are constantly comparing your multiples, even if you try not to....

Sally is already hopping on one foot and running, and Samantha is still only walking....I wonder if there is something wrong with Samantha...is she delayed?  Should I be concerned?  

Now multiply this mindset times everything...

• Speech and communication skills: Sally knows 25 words and Sam only knows 15; or, Sam is signing a lot, but Sally will only sign more and milk
• How much they eat: Sam eats everything that is put in front of her, but Sally won't eat anything - I wonder if I need to supplement
• How much they weigh: Sally weighs 2 lbs more than Sam, is that okay?!
• How much they sleep: Sam is a great sleeper, but Sally only sleeps 7 hours a night, should I be concerned??

I could go on and on! It's difficult not to drive yourself crazy comparing your multiples! But rule #1 of having multiples....try not to compare them to each other! 

Okay, so I can work on that....but what about when other people do?  Then what?

One day when we were at Whole Foods in the checkout line with the girls when it happened....
"Wow, she is gorgeous!  And how cute is that outfit?!" a woman behind us in line says
"Oh, thank you" I say, smiling at her
"Oh, and you are pretty too" she says to our other peanut....(an apparent afterthought)
"We are very blessed with two beautiful little girls" I replied back

And at that moment it hit me.....the girls were going to get enough input from people around them about who was smarter, who was prettier, who was better dressed.....and I didn't want to play into it. Perception is everything in our American culture.  I didn't want the girls to think that I was purposely dressing one of them in cuter clothes than the other or was treating one girl differently from the other.  From that point forward, I purchased almost exclusively matching outfits for the girls.  If complimentary outfits were available I would purchase the complementary options, but otherwise, everything was purchased in identical sets of 2, from tops and pants, dresses and skirts, all the way down to socks and hair bows.

This is what the girls' closet looks like today...essentially 2 of everything!

The girls will be 3 in October, and they love to pick out what they wear each day. I give them two options.  They can both wear the same, or they can each wear one of the different outfits. I would say that about 97% of the time they choose to wear the same exact outfit.  Maybe as the girls grow older and start school and start to pick out their own clothes when we go shopping they will choose to wear different clothes, but for now, they are almost always dressed the same....and they like it.

What about you? Do you dress your twins the same?  If so, why?  Are our reasons similar?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Until next time - 
Megan

One Word Wednesday - Bubbles!

BUBBLES!!!!

Bubble machines are awesome! Hudson got one for his birthday and all 3 kiddos have been enjoying it thoroughly!

One Word Wednesday!

Mohawks!!!

I CAN do it myself Mom!

"I can do it myself!"

That phrase has been uttered so many times in our home recently that by the end of most days it literally takes all I have to not roll my eyes and respond like "Marlin" (Nemo's Dad) in Finding Nemo ("You think you can do these things, but you just can't Nemo!").  

I get it.  The girls will be 3 in October, and they want to be independent.  They want to be able to make the decisions that affect their daily lives.  And I'm cool with that. Really (okay okay, read, maybe).

 

You want to wash your hands by yourself?  You go for it.  

You want to put your shoes on yourself?  Super!  

You want to vacuum the floor? Sounds great!

You want to pick out your own clothes? You can do it!

But how do you know when to draw the line???

Case in point; the girls love to go to the park.  They are getting braver by the minute on the swings and the playground equipment! But what am I supposed to do when I hear that all too familiar phrase from them... "I can do it myself mom!"....but I don't think that they can??  At what point do you let them take that risk, and potentially fall and get hurt just to learn that maybe they can't do xyz thing themselves?  How do you know? 

And the follow up to that question...how do you know when you are just being overprotective, and you need to back off and let the kids learn on their own and show you what they can really do?

The girls have shown me that they CAN do several things recently.  I didn't think that they could.  

Walking across the super slick steep bridge at the zoo in the Rainforest....I had to hold on with both hands not to fall on my face, but not the girls!

Or climbing up this contraption at the park...I figured they could do it, I just wanted to be able to help them, or to put my hand on their back or booty in case they fell.  They weren't having it!

I was honestly worried for them. But they did an awesome job.  They didn't flinch.  They just did it.  I flinched! I held my breath!  Is that just how being a momma is from this point forward?  Veteran mommas...insight??? 

Thanks!!!

Until next time - 

Megan

Happy 1st Birthday Little Man!

One year ago, after 40 hours of non-progressing labor, I gave birth to the most wonderful "surprise" ever!!!

I savored every moment if the first year with this little peanut, even the year of 4 AM feedings! It was significantly easier with just one baby this time, and I loved it:-). For those of you contemplating trying to have a singleton after twins, I would do it again in a heartbeat. Si on the other hand, not so much...lol.

Here are Hudson's *sniff sniff* one year stats:
Weight: 26 lbs 14 oz
Height: 32 inches
Clothing size: 18 month, and 18-24 month
Diaper size: 4
Favorite foods: eggs, strawberries, and watermelon (so different from the girls!)
Favorite mode of transportation: WALKING EVERYWHERE!!! Although he does still crawl if he needs to get somewhere quickly:-)
Favorite things to do: play in the sandbox, eat sidewalk chalk, pet the cat and puggies, & swing!
Words: Momma, Dada, Denise, yes, no, Bri, kitty, eyes and Poppy Cat (lol!)

We had his Toy Story themed birthday party last weekend - so. much. fun.

In this last picture, it's Si and the girls (they are getting SO big), Papa Jake (the kid's great grandfather) and Gramz (Si's mom) holding Hudson.  The reason this picture is SO cool is because Hudson and Papa Jake share the same birthday....just 88 years apart =).  Very cool!

Happy Birthday Little Man!! I've loved sharing the last year with you!

Hope you all are doing well!

Until next time,
Megan