By Holly Engel-Smothers
Childhood is a marvelous time, a time for imaginative play, invisible friends, magic, and make-believe. Remember playing with Barbie and friends? Barbie always had a perfect wardrobe (no "fat closet") with shoes to match that never hurt Barbie's feet. Barbie never had a bad hair day. Barbie had a perfect car to match her perfect clothes, hair, and body.
When there were crocodiles under the bed, Daddy would easily take care of the situation by eating them. Invisible friends staying up late playing cards? No problem! A simple scolding would send them scattering to their invisible beds. Click to read the rest of this entry
By Kendra Davis
"It's twins!" the ultrasound technician exclaimed as she scanned my abdomen. My husband Hugh held my hand as tears streamed down my smiling face as we both watched two fluttering heartbeats in two gestational sacs. After eight years, our prayers had finally been answered.
We already had two wonderful sons, Geoffrey (then 11) and Cameron (then 8), but we knew we wanted more children. Our infertility was unexplained, and we were told that our only option left was to try IVF. We did and it worked--we were thrilled to be expecting twins.
At seventeen weeks gestation, I had a level II ultrasound done, and both babies were doing very well. Twin B was definitely a boy, but twin A didn't cooperate--I was hoping it was girl! Click to read the rest of this entry
By Holly Engel-Smothers
The day you find out you are expecting twins, things start to really double-up! Enjoy adding your own "double" events as your life with twins races by on four feet and twenty toes! Click to read the rest of this entry
by Randall Streetman
We were looking at the sonogram at about 12 weeks and the doctor said, "See this circle? That is the yolk sac. Before there is a placenta, there is a yolk sac." Then he said, "See this circle?" I was thinking it was the embryo, and he said, "This is the other yolk sac." Kay gasped and started mumbling to herself, "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," in a low, soft, murmuring chant. My thoughts were spinning, and I wasn't sure what he was talking about. And I was still thinking, "Where is the embryo?" Then he said, "Yes, that's right, there are two babies." And I starting laughing uncontrollably. Joy welled up inside, and I was in awe and reeling and spinning. "Oh, my God, yes, we are going to have twins!!!" Click to read the rest of this entry
By Holly Engel-Smothers
I am living the life of clichés. Somehow, my computer server directed me to a list of clichés, and I was flabbergasted to learn that my life was not my own, but simply a cliché list to check off as each day passes. Check these out and see if you are cliché-prone.
My husband's favorite one is "Money doesn't grow on trees, you know." I especially like the addition of the "you know" part. He speaks like Moses just coming down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments. Imagine Moses with a little less hair, dressed in a suit and declaring "Money doesn't grow on trees" to the Israelites, and that is my husband. He announces this like I haven't caught on that those things growing from trees are leaves. I am sure he expects an awed answer like, "So that is why the store wouldn't take thirty-five leaves for that pair of shoes. Leaves are not collateral!" Click to read the rest of this entry
By Holly Engel-Smothers
Have mercy! I have discovered the bane of life, and its name is lice. Yes, I'm talking about those little parasitic bugs that treat us all with the same disrespect despite color, race, age, or gender. I have lived through buying cartloads of formula, baskets of baby food, days and days without sleep, and even toilet training times two. But I am losing the battle of the bug. Click to read the rest of this entry
By Holly Engel-Smothers
One of the joys of motherhood is passing along the wonderful
world of "keeping a house." Chore time is an exciting time at our house, when
the girls vie for rolls of paper towels, Windex and - the king of our household
chores - cleaning the toilet! Somehow, "toilet wand" sounds too much like "magic
wand" and is therefore held in high regard by my little girls.
The twins recently graduated to the big "L" of household
chores: Laundry. The stinking pile of toe-jam-filled socks, shirts covered in
dribble or snot (or both, depending on the season), and undies with all their
unsightly stains has been passed on through the proverbial chain of command. But
with that passage have come unforeseen obstacles and tribulations. Click to read the rest of this entry
I've got a movie theme song running through my head. The music is from Pirates of the Caribbean. The song seems to be about running (or running from) and going (or going away). With this tune in my head, I can almost see the waves spraying over the "boat" (aka minivan) as it blows past the city sites.
And so I use that as my background music to inspire myself to keep going, no matter what kind of crazy beastie, compass, or confrontation comes my way. Click to read the rest of this entry
by Minda Brusse
My husband Eric and I are blessed with boy/girl twins, Holly and Wyatt. We were really sleep deprived in the first few months. I was pumping breast milk along with breastfeeding, so at least Eric could take some of the feedings solo. Throughout the nights we'd be up and down feeding the babies, changing them, and getting them back to sleep. It started to seem like we were competing for who was the most tired and should get to sleep through the next feeding. Eric took a good stretch of time off of work, and we slogged through this phase together. The babies started out in the NICU, and we were really excited to start our life as a family away from the wires, beeping machines, and ever-present nurses. Click to read the rest of this entry
By Jennifer Zinna
We are blessed with 18-month-old fraternal twin girls, Katie and Beth. My husband and I took several "preparation" classes before the girls arrived, but I don't think anything can truly prepare you for life with twins--this is a position that requires on-the-job training! Click to read the rest of this entry