All four are in college now, two are at UConn, they signed their LOI's at birth! The other ones are at CCSU and Tunxis CC respectively. I am anxiously awaiting their graduations and the day they move out of the house and then I can begin trying to figure out how to pay off the parent's loans!
When you go out to dinner and they pick up the check!
Hmmm... You might have an easier time with you wife if you go with Kevin and Jim!
Congratulations! As the father of identical twin boys, I can assure you that you have a wonderful and eventful life ahead of you. Mine are now 32 and they are my best friends despite the fact that they out-fish me and beat me like a drum on the golf course. You are blessed.
The first tip is good, applies to any baby really. But Chuck is 100% right that infant twins are more than double the work because at that stage you often need 2 people to feed and/or attempting either one of you to do both cuts devastatingly into sleep and becomes endless cycle time consuming. Changing both or the oft repeated advice "get them on the same cycle" is a no-brainer, but fact of matter is rarely when they are infants do you have consecutive 'clean' events. Someone spits up feeding requiring a change of clothes, someone poops right after the diaper change or during it and stains clothes or sheets requiring a redo. By the time you finish with both its almost time for the next feeding. So having both PARENTS up when they are infants is often the only way. I have few memories from that period due to brain-exhaustion, its all amalgamated into one particular night I remember that consisted of an continuous cycle of feed, spit-ups, diarrhea, feed repeat. To get back on topic it was analogous to the 06-07 season.
My wife was really beat after giving birth to our twins. Usually if twins are 5 or 6 lbs., that is a big plus. Ours came in at 8lbs3ozs and 7lbs11ozs. Her bed rest obviously got her to full term and kept the boys' size up (they will be 21 on Jan. 5th and are now 6'2"). I found that since I used to do the 4am feeding that because they both usually woke up at the same time, it was a blessing (so was the fact they were formula fed). Somehow, I managed to heat both bottles and have one of the boys situated on each of my arms with a bottle in his mouth. In my (usually vain) attempt not to fall asleep I would put the tv on. In those days Channel 3 WTIC had Rush Limbaugh on early in the morning and I figured his loud, brash commentaries might keep me awake. More often than not my wife would realize I wasn't in bed and come into the living room an hour or two later to find me and the boys sitting on the sofa asleep with the empty bottles on the floor. I would get the riot act read to me, but me and the boys were just fine. I am proud to say that one of them is at UConn and is in the student section for all the mens' and womens' basketball games and the the other one joins me for many of the mens' games.
Right about now 99 is a little less excited!
Good memory, better story. We'd watch Chelsea lately at first (born 6 and 7lbs so not too bad) when it took two and then we'd use "U" shaped pillows and various contraptions or positions to hold two bottles at once so that one person could do the feedings. Breast feeding lasted less than a week, don't know how anyone can pull that off and 100% right that help from anyone who offers should be accepted particularly in months 1-6.
My wife wouldn't let me breast feed them. LOL
In fact, twins of the same gender and likes are less work than fraternal twins and Irish twins. My male identical twins were always going to the same T-ball game, soccer practice, swim meet, etc., as opposed to those parents who were covering 2 or more bases for children of different ages and gender. I have friends with 3 kids of the 6, 8, 10 age variety and they are always driving to different destinations for each child: music lessons, Little League and water polo practice, mixed in with Girl Scout, Cubs and Boy scout activities.
