Sleep deprived rant

Argh! I am turning into a pirate. No, actually, I am still just a sleep-deprived cranky b-word. Why am I so pooped? My little girl, who is so adorable to look at during the day, is sometimes a certified nightmare at night. She basically potty-trained herself right before she turned 2 and was out of pullups at night a week later. (Her twin brother followed suit about three months later). Like many moms of twins, I was dreading potty-training them, and it actually turned out to be rather easy. But, alas, I haven't escaped trouble-free. For the past two-years, my little angel has been waking up most nights to pee. Sometimes she'll run down the hallway herself and will scoot back into bed. Other nights, she'll stand in my doorway crying until I wake up and help her and put her back into bed. On nightmare nights, she wakes up an hour after she pees and is standing in my doorway crying again. Last night, she was up three times!!! She is almost four, and I never had these problems with my older daughter. I was really strict about nap time and bed time when my twins were babies, and they were great sleepers, but now that they are older I am having a really hard time. She shares a room with her brother, so of course, I don't want her to wake him up. Sometimes, I break my own rules and end up putting her in bed with me and Daddy. Poor Daddy usually gets up and sleeps in her bed or the guest room. It's like musical beds. You never know who is going to be in my bed when I wake up in the morning and where my husband will be. We have tried bribing her, praising her when she stays in bed all night or only gets up once to pee, and taking her favorite things away. She can stay asleep all night without bothering us for weeks at a time. But when she starts a getting-up phase, it's really hard to break her pattern and get her back to sleeping normally. Any advice? I am desperate!

Congrats JLo on Your Twins

As I was cleaning the crumbs that my twins created on my kitchen floor this morning I heard the Today Show announce that JLo and Marc Anthony had their boy/girl twins! I have to admit, it makes me feel connected to her in some weird way, because I have boy/girl twins too. I have just started planning their fourth birthday party, and I can't get over how fast the time has flown. I must say that I have really tried to relish my time with them as youngsters. And perhaps that's my best advice to give JLo: Enjoy being in the trenches, honey. Because it really will fly by. 

What's your advice to her as a new momma of twins, ladies?

The Greatest Love of All

My twins are waaay too young to have been influenced by that ancient Whitney Houston song. This Valentine's Day was really a treat with my twins and big girl this year. For starters, no one was puking on me or coughing up a lung (except me). That in and of itself is a remarkable improvement from years past. Also, the twins were in full Valentine mode at school, and my kitchen was covered in red, pink, and white twin-made paper confections. The vibe in my home was festive and loving for sure. I was helping my twins decide who they were going to give their Valentine's cards to this year, and my son said, "One for me from me because I love myself." I thought it was so cute that he wouldn't dare exclude himself from his list of classmates and neighborhood buddies. It was a given for him to include himself.

He has inspired me in many ways, and I really am trying hard to put myself back on my to-do list with more regular exercise and more attention to my health. It has been six weeks today since I fell in my kitchen and messed up my knee. In week three, I came down with bronchitis and a sinus infection. In week five, I had some interesting female problems to tackle.

Good news is: Thankfully, I think I can avoid knee surgery. But going forward, I really have to work hard at getting my knee strong and making my whole body super healthy. When you are a mom, it can be so hard to take time for yourself, but sometimes it becomes a necessity and not a luxury. Maybe if you start now, you can avoid having it become a necessity.

Great Twin Baby Shower Idea

Cathy and I had an exciting meeting with a family magazine exec who also has twins. When talking about baby nurses and how great--and expensive--they can be, this exec mentioned that she accepted all hand-me-downs for her boy/girl twins but asked for friends and family members to contribute to her "baby nurse fund." Just goes to show you that having twins sort of forces you to ask others for help in ways you may have never dreamed of before. We thought she was a genius for thinking of that.

Double tuitions

My twins' preschool director practically tackled me on the way out of the building into the parking lot yesterday. She was so excited that a morning spot opened up and said I must have been born under a lucky star. I was touched by her enthusiasm. So my great logisitical snafu for next school year is already resolved. Now what am I going to worry about? The economy? The environment? The way my hair looks like it's turning red right before I get it colored a nice shade of chestnut brown every 6 weeks?

I will find out in another month or so if the twins got into the Plan B school. If they did, then I will have a tough decision to make. The decision, like many for parents of twins, may just boil down to pure economics, as one school is more costly than the other. Which may not be bad if it's just one kid, but we are talking about two. You guys get the picture. My hubby and I will figure it out. At least the twins will be at the same place at the same time now. Who could ask for anything more?

So I'm sitting here half-watching the Superbowl while my twins try out big boy beds for the very first night. We've had the beds for days and have been talking about doing it, but one of my boys was sick, so we put it off until tonight. They look so tiny with their little heads popping out from under their brand-new covers. They have been in there for over an hour and have not yet gotten out, which I know from my older guys is a good sign. Still, I feel very nervous: I know the novelty and fear will wear off and the antics will begin any night now. But I also feel a bit anxious because I can't believe we are ready to take this big step. Life has been so hectic of late, I didn't properly work through the milestone in my mind. My babies are actually ready for beds. All of a sudden I have two adorable little cribs sitting empty upstairs. They even switched rooms, from their tiny built-just-for-two room to a slightly less tiny traditional bedroom. How did this happen? When did my babies cross over to boyhood? What's next, preschool? The potty? E-Trade ads?

I know from firsthand experience that I will be back here seeking advice about how to keep them in their beds, or complaining after they wake me up face-to-face at some ungodly hour several days/nights in a row. But tonight, I feel melancholy, yet proud. Ah, parenting.

Ever feel like you run a twin infirmary?

I have come crashing down off my Hollywood High. Yesterday, my little girl started showing some of the same symptoms her twin brother did before he was diagnosed with pneumonia. I guess it's not all that surprising...they do share a room and a tiny classroom at school with just a few other kids. I was wondering: Do you think it's easier on a mom when her twins are sick at the same time? Or better when they are sick a few days or even weeks apart? I guess there's something to be said for just getting it over with at once. At least I have had plenty of time to catch up on my sleep and some things on my to-do list because I have a feeling when I take her to the doctor this morning he's going to tell me she needs to stay home for a while. Back to yoga pants! I just hope that I don't get it. That is the last thing a mom of twins needs, especially when she is already struggling to recover from a serious knee injury. Stay healthy, drink water, take your vitamins, eat your fruits and veggies, and try to get some sleep. I only had five hours last night, but it's better than nothing. It's defintely going to be a Starbuck's day. Maybe I'll see Cathy there?