Labor Day: Twins Born 7 Days Apart!

Bringing back our favorite labor story this Labor Day weekend! Have a great weekend!

How would you like to explain that your twins were born SEVEN days apart!? That seems impossible, but it’s not. Jenn and her husband Dennis have that very story to tell!

It all started on Monday March 22, 2010. Jenn was 28 weeks pregnant with her twins. She was at a routine Doctors appointment when she went into labor! So she was sent over to the hospital and soon after getting admitted her water broke.

Jenn recounts: “Then they sent me down to get an ultrasound to see how big the babies were. While down there I couldn’t get comfortable! I was in tears so they finally started bringing me upstairs. My butt and back were killing me and they couldn’t get the elevators to come. When I got back up they checked me again and I was dilated 10cm! I was rushed to the OR where Baby A was born at 5:13 PM, after only 4 hours of labor! She weighed 1lb 13oz and was 13.5 in long. They rushed her to the NICU before I could even see her. Then my labor suddenly stopped! I went down to 5 cm so I was started on Patocine to encourage labor and then taken back to my room until baby B was ready. But after 13 hours I was down to 3 cm. Finally the Doctor said Baby B was happy and still had all his fluid so we would call this a “gift” and let him “cook” a little longer. This is extremely uncommon! So the Dr. cut back baby A’s cord, but her placenta wasn’t delivered because they weren’t sure if it was attached to baby B’s and didn’t want to chance disturbing him.”

Tree Dedication for Noah Pozner

Back on December 14th, 2012, the nation was rocked when shots broke out at Sandy Hook Elementary School. This event was the second-deadliest mass shooting event by a single person in American history. Twenty children and six adults were murdered on that sunny winter day. One of the victims, Noah Pozner, the youngest of the children killed, was shot eleven times. He stands out in our mind, not only because of those two facts, but because he was a twin.

Thousands of families of multiples around the globe felt lost; they wanted to help, but didn’t know how. After finding out that Noah’s parents had recently moved from New York City to Connecticut, Natalie started a Fundly campaign and rallied her community. She thought it would be a nice gesture to dedicate a sapling in Central Park in Noah’s memory. To plant a sampling, Twiniversity needed to raise $500.

The money was raised in eleven minutes.

Nanny Interview Questions

You are in a situation that you will be hiring someone to watch over your kids. There are a lot of options to consider, like will family be watching the kids or will you be sending them to a day-care or hire a nanny? (Read the pros and cons of hiring a nanny vs. daycare here.) What tasks can you and will you expect from you nanny? These will vary from family to family but here is a few basic tasks you can expect to be performed by your nanny. Expound on these tasks in a written detailed job description. Then follow these 7 tips and the next thing you know you are ready to interview your nanny’s! But what should you ask them? This is the time to find out if they are a good fit for YOUR family. So here is the official Twiniversity list of questions to ask. A printable version of this can be found in the “files” tab in the big tent forums.

Find a nanny in the Twiniversity classifieds. Sign in near the top of thus page.

Interview Questions:

• Why did you become a nanny?
• How often do you plan to meet your friends for ‘play dates’ during working hours?
• How much time do you need to spend on your cell phone during working hours?
• When do you expect a pay rise?
• What do you do when you go to the park/class room with the kids?
• Are you prepared to fill out a form for us to carry out a background check?
• How do you organize the day for the children under your care?
• Prior/current jobs and how/when/why did the job relationship end?
• What would be a typical day with my children?
• How do you deal with temper tantrums/how do you discipline children?
• Has a parent ever asked you to do something you disagreed with or have you ever disagreed with how a parent handled their child and if so how did you deal with it?
• What will it be like for you to have me at home part of the time and assisting me in taking my twins to classes?
• Do you have any health issues that might interfere with your job?
• What kind of activities will you do with my babies?
• How do you handle an emergency? Are you trained in CPR?
• What do you like about being a nanny?  What don’t you like?
• What do you like to do in your spare time, tell me about your family, something to get the person out of “interview” mode and to try to get a sense of her personality, communication style, etc.
• How would you get to work every day? What barriers might you have to being punctual?
• If they have kids of their own… What are your back-up child care options?
• Are you willing and able to come early or stay late (for extra pay) if needed?
• After presenting your expectations of her (preferably in writing)… Are you able to meet these job expectations
• What is the most important thing when taking care of my children? (safety should be mentioned).

So Embarassing!

It happens to the best of us. We asked our parents “What is your most embarrassing moment with your multiples?” These are their stories:

Pants on the Ground –

Walking through a parking lot with my pants falling down b/c I was holding hands with my kids and I couldn’t let go – Tracey

Round ’em up! –

Breaking down and crying with just a simple task as rounding them up and leaving daycare. – Michele

Attitude!

I was in the doctors office and told my 4 year old daughters to sit down and stop acting goofy when one screams, ” You are ruining my life! You never let me have any fun!” – Amy

911 What’s Your Emergency?

Four fireman in my house because my two year old locked herself in the bedroom. Then the fireman unlocked the door with his fingernail. – Colleen

Spilt Milk

My boobs leaked all over the exam room table at the paediatricians office.- Mel

Safety: A must on your spring cleaning list.

Written by Becky Himba, a contributing writer for Multiplicity.

“The return of warm air and spring sunshine often inspires us to open the windows, dust some hidden corners, and clean out closets. However, as busy parents of multiples, often not much time or energy is available to spend on regular cleaning, let alone on spring cleaning. Perhaps adding an elementof safety to your spring cleaning checklist will give you just enough motivation to get a few important tasks done this season. The following are some important and relatively easy ways to focus on chores that will makeyour home safer and healthier for your family.

1. Check the smoke detectors. You should have a smoke detector on everyfloor of your house and in every bedroom. Make sure that the batteries are working, anddust each one. These detectors should bereplaced every 8-10 years.

2. Place all medicine and cleaners out of reach of your children and lock them up, if possible. Make sure all bottles are easily identifiable and get rid of any expired or recalled medicines. Check with the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for a list of recalled medicines and how to dispose of them properly. It isn’t always as easy as throwing them out. Also, don’t place them in easy to reach trash cans, which can be a hazzard in and of itself. Flush them down the toilet, take them to your outside trash, or dispose of them as the FDA specifies.

3. Get rid of broken toys. Clean out playrooms and toy boxes looking for recalled or broken toys. Check with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for a list of toy recalls. When it comes to safetly, any toy that can fit through the inside of a toilet paper roll is considered a choking hazard and should be kept out of the reach of small children. Make sure all battery-operated toys have tight screws and well-hidden batteries. Be especially vigilant of toys with magnets, as they can be extremely dangerous if swallowed.

Do Something Good :: The Power of Our Community

As seen in Multiplicity Magazine Winter 2013 issue page 42

On December 15th, I decided to have the twins play hooky from school (don’t judge!) to see Santa. Little did I know the events that occurred at Sandy Hook on that day will live in my mind forever. I got a call from my mother-in-law telling me to NOT turn on the TV when I got home. She said there was a shooting at a school and it would scare the kids. I didn’t know all the details and I didn’t even know if I wanted to find out. The twins’ birthday was the next day and I wanted to just be in a celebratory mood and shut the outside out.

Saturday morning, we went to celebrate with all of their friends. During the party, I got a text from a friend informing me that one of the kids killed was a twin. I’m not sure why at that moment it all hit me, but I looked at my duo celebrating and I imagined the surviving twin. What were they doing right now? It was then that I knew we had to do something.

How do you choose books that are right for your kids? Here are some pointers.

Can you believe that ending?

Need to decide on good books for your children to read?  Don’t know where to start? These tips are here to help.

Reading is an important part of your children’s development. Knowing how to read a book is a key part of life, and you as parents have the tools to teach your kiddies how to do so. The best way to get your child started is to introduce them to books at an early age.

From birth to 6 months, your baby should have books with big pictures and bright colors that grab their attention. Having a book that can interest them is the key. Soft covered books that are baby friendly are great, and most can go in the crib with your children. You can prop them up and they can look at the pictures while they fall asleep.

National Girl Scout Cookie Day

As I sit here and chow down on an entire row of Thin Mint Cookies with reckless abandon, I’d like to take a moment and wish the Girl Scouts (and everyone else for that matter) a Happy Cookie Day!

For nearly 100 years, Girl Scouts has been teaching girls the meaning of teamwork and sisterhood. As a former Girl Scout myself, some of my fondest childhood memories revolved around those meetings and outings. The memories that stand out above all are my experiences selling cookies. I am proud to say that I received a badge for selling over 100 boxes! What a proud moment that was for me.

Today, marks Girl Scout Cookie Day and I kinda wish I were selling cookies once again. I’m counting down the days when my Baby A is wearing that iconic uniform going door to door peddling the most delicious treats in the world.

So Happy Cookie Day! Celebrate by supporting your local Girl Scout Troop by purchasing some cookies, or better yet, start volunteering and you can make an even greater impact on the lives of girls everywhere.

For more information about the Girl Scouts visit their website, facebook page, or twitter!

…what are you waiting for…go get some cookies. The calories don’t count today on Cookie Day!!!!

-Nat

Fundraising Continues for Noah Pozner

After the unbelievable response to our Twiniversity fundraising efforts for Noah Pozner we want to make sure you are aware that the family is still collecting funds.

Donations can be made via checks, gifts, packages (UPS/USPS), and sent to:

Noah’s Ark of Hope Fund
261 S. Main St. #332
Newtown, CT 06470

Head over here for Noah’s Ark of Hope Fund.

This website has been set up to accept donations to this irrevocable trust specifically for Noah’s surviving siblings, two of whom were also in the school that day, in different classrooms.

The funds received will be used to provide counseling services, education and basic needs for the children at this time of grief. Noah leaves behind his twin sister and three other siblings.

Meet our Twins of the Day: Kiran and Loden

Happy Holidays from Twiniversity and Safari Ltd.

Meet Kiran and Loden

Nominated by: Reagan Kristen- mother

Age 3

From CA

What makes your twins rock?!

My sons are best friends – they love each other dearly. They take turns being “the leader” – neither one is fully dominant over the other – they balance it out well. They are incredibly loving, well-behaved, kind, sweet boys – which doesn’t mean that we don’t have a huge amount of shooting, chasing, blowing things up, and flying (all complete with amazing sound effects) happening at our house all day long :). Each morning when they wake up, they come crawl into bed with me so we can have some mom-boys cuddle time – it’s my absolute favorite part of each day. I am continually amazed by the way they are always looking out for each other, sharing, taking turns, and supporting each other.