Twins Q&A

I get alot of emails and I get stopped by strangers all asking various questions about having twins (I can't blame people, it's quite the sight to see us shopping at Costco with a double stroller a shopping cart and a 5 yr old).

So I thought I would do a little Q&A here (disclaimer: this is MY situation, and in no way, shape of form does it indicate a universal belief!)

Q: How can you tell them apart!
A: They are fraternal twins. To us, they look nothing alike, it's pretty obvious. Let's take a peek. Mr. Luke looks very much like Cole did as a baby who in turn looks like Tim (larger noodle)


Mr. Kyle looks alot like my side of the family (peanut head included)



Q: Do they sleep in the same crib?
A: No they are solo sleepers and have been since about day 3. Not only are they in separate cribs but they have separate rooms, on either ends of the hallway. Luke has the Winnie the Pooh room and Kyle has the race car room.

Q: Why would you separate them, lots is said about keeping them together since they shared your belly?
A: We were totally open to trying them in the same crib but the boys did not sleep well. Luke likes his own space. He would swat Kyle out of the way. The night we moved them into separate cribs they slept a solid 3 hours at a time.

Q: Are they on the same schedule?
A: In the hospital the nurses helped me get them on a close schedule and I've continued it since. Lucky for me they wake within 20 minutes of each other so I rarely have to deal with 2 feedings at once.

Q: Are they similar in personalities?
A: NO. Luke is easy going (as you can tell by his picture)..often he will wake up and chill in his crib or swing without a peep....his cry is also more of a wimper....
Kyle is way serious (as you can tell by his picture)...he squawks when he cries and he struggles with gas badddddd.......when he "toots" you would think he was dying...his scream is so loud.
Ovul and some changes to my diet (no brocolli) and a change in formula seems to have helped alot.

Q: Are you getting any rest at all?
A: YES! Lots of rest actually. Luke is sleeping through the night (most nights) and by this I mean 11-5 or 12-6. Kyle is up once a night around 3 to feed. During the day they have a long morning nap and another one in the PM and then a few cats naps here and there. When they are up they're chilling on the play-mats, tummy time or being toted around in my arms or sling.

Q: Are you nursing them?
A: I am pumping breastmilk 100%. I have enough milk to feed 1.5 babies so they each get some formula to supplement the difference. Pumping was a good option for my lifestyle. Enough said, I really dislike the whole breastfeeding question....do what works for you is my opinion.

Q: How do you manage to go out?
A: I do my grocery shopping at Sobeys. They have mini carts for Cole to push so he helps. They also bag my groceries AND take them and pack them into the car for me..no additional cost. SOLD! We also x-mas shopped at the mall during the slow periods and usually a friend or family member would meet me to ensure I could run into some stores alone. The stroller does not do well in tight spaces like Lululemon!

Q: How has Cole adjusted?
A: Amazingly well. The hardest part is to get him to stop giving them kisses when they're sleeping. I managed to fix this by reminding him that if he wakes the twins up then his alone time with mommy ends....seems to have solved the problem and Cole and I enjoy quality time together every afternoon when he's home from school.

Q: Will we try for a girl?
A: Let's just say I will not be paying another $10k for IVF again. We have no eggs on ice so we would have to redo the needles and pay the $6500 to extract my eggs and who knows of I would get any. We decided to throw caution to the wind for the next year and see what happens. My chances of getting pregnant on my own are less then 1% but many people conceive naturally after undergoing IVF. I am 36 now and the risks increase every year for down syndrome and other issues. Having 3 healthy boys is more then I can ask for but I am open to one more if it's in the plan for us! Chances are I would have another boy though!

If you have any other questions...fire away!