Strollers

So, now that I'm going to be the mother of three kids under the age of two, am I going to need a triple stroller? Because I really, really don't want one. Baby #3 is scheduled to arrive in December, so I know I won't be taking a lot of walks outdoors until the baby is, say, four or five months old. Is it reasonable to assume that I can push the twins in their double stroller and just strap the baby in the Baby Bjorn?
Also, let's be honest; I think my days of venturing to Target with the children by myself are numbered, at least until they are a little older. So if there's someone else going with me, we can have the twins in the double and Baby #3 in a single. No?

Timing

Here is a link to an interesting CNN article my mom sent me about vaccines. The timing is perfect since I just posted about it!
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/family/06/19/ep.vaccines/index.html

Vaccines

Anyone feel like weighing in on the whole vaccine debate? Or is that just opening a can of worms?

I'll tell you where I stand: I am vaccinating my kids. But that's not to say I'm not keeping myself informed about the issue. I love my pediatricians, and I trust them completely, but they are definitely of the "vaccines aren't proven to cause autism or anything else" variety. That may be true, but they also haven't been entirely ruled out either.

After doing a ton of reading about it over the last year, here's what I'm thinking. I don't want any vaccines with thimerisol in them. Most vaccines are thimerisol-free, but from what I understand, the flu shot still contains it. (And all four of us had that shot last year...this year I'm going to ask for Flu Mist, which is thimerisol-free.) Also, if I can stand my ground in the face of an annoyed pediatrician, I'm only going to allow the babies one vaccine per month. They have a 15-month check-up on Friday, so I think I'm going to call the office to see what's on the agenda for them. If there's more than one, I'm going to ask that they only receive one. I've asked Michael and my mom to back me up on this one (my mom because she is the one that goes to the twins' appointments with me) even though I don't think they feel nearly as strongly as I do about the situation. I tend to back down when I feel embarrassed or outnumbered, so I really want to stand my ground if the pediatrician tells me I'm being ridiculous. (She might be totally onboard with it -- who knows!)

Further complicating the matter is the fact that my father and sister are both highly-respected and brilliant physicians. Clearly they know more than I about these matters, so their opinion and expertise means a great deal to me. I have no idea where they stand on vaccines--we've never really discussed it --but sometimes when I question Western medicine, I feel like I'm questioning them directly. Almost like if they had issues with public education, I would feel like I had to answer to it. Does that make sense?

It's Mardi Gras Every Day!

Gavin insists on wearing these ridiculous beads around the house. It's cute, yes. But he often trips on them, or Charlotte tries to pull them off of his neck while he's wearing them, and I worry that the necklace might break and he'll end up swallowing a bead. But he just looks so darn sweet.

15 Months Old

I'm Not the Only One!

Hey, remember my post a few days ago when I wrote about all of the annoying awful helpful things people said to me when I was trying to conceive? It turns out I'm not the only one who had that experience. One of my favorite mommy-of-twins bloggers, Jane, had this to say in response to an article she read recently:

Would the author have had me lobby to go straight to IVF -- one embryo, of course, to avoid the risk of twins -- and pose a greater burden on the healthcare system? Or would she say, "why don't you just adopt?" -- the phrase that makes anyone who's dealt with infertility feel instantly homicidal toward the sayer? ("Just adopt." Uh huh. Hey, if your spouse dies, why don't you "just remarry"? If your wedding ring is stolen, why don't you "just replace it"? If you lose your job, why don't you "just move somewhere else and get a new one?")

Made me laugh right out loud.

Naps (Mine and Theirs)

I haven't been blogging much lately for three reasons: First, I am so exhausted that whenever I get some downtime, I'm usually napping. Second, the only thing on my mind lately is how I'm going to deal with three kids under the age of two, and since I wasn't revealing that bit of news until recently, I didn't have much else to write about. And third, the smell of my basement (where my computer is) is enough to make me throw up. It's not a bad smell -- just new carpet and new wood since we recently had it renovated -- but for some reason it doesn't sit right with me. Since we've had our air conditioning on the smell has somewhat dissipated, so hopefully I can be down here more often.

Now on to the question and advice portion of this blog: How did you know when your children were ready to move from two naps to one? I suspect that Charlotte might be ready, because I can hear her in her crib for a while before she puts herself to sleep. (Sometimes she'll babble for close to an hour before falling asleep). But Gavin seems happy with his two daily one-hour naps. I can't imagine putting Charlotte down for one and Gavin down for two. Should I just push Gavin towards one nap and see how he does? They are going to day care in August anyway, where the will be taking one nap.

Full Disclosure

When I was trying to get pregnant, and having major fertility issues, many friends and acquaintances offered me well-meaning (read: very annoying) advice.

To wit:
Have you considered adoption?
This one was my absolute favorite. I felt like they were saying: Aren't you ready to give up on yourself yet? Because you know, it's pretty selfish to want your own. There are so many children out there who need a good home.

Maybe if you just RELAX.
Like I could relax myself into ovulating.

Is the problem with you or Michael?
People always needed to place blame. Like it wasn't BOTH of our problems that I couldn't conceive.

I heard if you eat too much soy/chocolate/fat (insert food here) or too little soy/chocolate/fat (insert food here), it affects your fertility.
Maybe I should try drinking a milkshake a day to see if that helps. I think I could swing that.

My sister/friend/cousin/boss's daughter tried for years to get pregnant, and finally adopted (or had IVF). Lo and behold, after that she got pregnant on her own. That could happen to you!
I probably should have paid closer attention to that last one. Baby #3 arrives in December. And no, I'm not kidding. Lord help us all!

P.S. If you are a good friend of mine, and are just finding out this news now, over my blog...I apologize. I've been too shocked/overwhelmed/weepy/nauseous/exhausted to make a big hooplah about it. But call me!

Tubby Time

Any advice on getting babies to sit down in the tub? The twins love to stand up and play with the faucet, but they wind up tripping all over each other. Gavin has a bruise on his face from falling face-first into the side of the tub. I sit them back down and say, "No!," but they just get right back up again. Maybe my tub toys are lame?