Thinking About Preparations

News of the twins spread fast throughout our neighborhood. We haven’t had a single negative reaction, and people I barely know have offered congratulations. Two different couples on our block had twins this year, so we’re getting plenty of advice from new parents. Another friend and neighbor offered to organize our baby shower and other neighbors have offered hand-me-down clothing. I think a lot of the baby clothes on our block are on their third baby by now. Everyone has advice on the best strollers, the best toys, beds, bouncy things, etc. One person says that with twins, you have to feed them at the same time, another says it’s impossible. Keep a tight schedule or just go with the flow. Knowing myself, I think keeping on schedule will be the way we go.

We’re waiting until the end of the first trimester to begin preparing the nursery and making purchases, but I feel like I should be doing something at this point. Our coat closet in the front entry is overstuffed, so I think a cleanout and purchase of some sort of closet organizers might be a good place to start. I’m thinking about the storage we’ll need on the main level of the house. We have a large, open living room/dining room/kitchen that’s almost loft-like, so there will be no easy hiding of messes. I need storage that looks nice. Isn’t there a container-specific store? I’m thinking large wicker baskets, maybe something stackable.

I’ve suggested removing the dining table and chairs that we never use and making that area the baby zone. I’ve seen how the toys and swings can quickly fill part of a living room fast, so with two, I can only imagine. I’m always thinking five steps ahead of myself. It’s only October, but everyone says the months of pregnancy go by fast. November’s less than a week away already.

We had a bit of a scare two weekends ago when our surrogate called and said she was “bleeding” and heading to the emergency room. She called back and said they told her everything was fine and the bleeding was normal after IVF. Nick flew out to San Diego the following Monday to go with our surrogate to her regular doctor. Again, two heartbeats were confirmed and everything is fine. While he was there, Nick toured the hospital where they’ll be born and did a pre-check-in. He said the staff was friendly and had no problem with the “two daddies and a surrogate” situation.

We’ve also been looking into daycare centers. With two babies, it looks like this could cost over $2500 per month! They seem to have many rules, lots of holidays, and big deposits – as if a newborn could do $1000 damage to their building. If it’s going to cost that much, I might as well quit my job and stay home all day to take care of the babies! I think I’d have to find at least a part time job though – how would I re-enter the workforce in five years? I’ve noticed several new moms in our neighborhood work part time, so maybe this is an option. I hate the thought of my children spending long days in daycare.