Getting Out with the Twins

Chris and I started taking the twins out of the house more regularly when they turned three months old.  As exhausting as it to go somewhere with two small infants, the girls are so much happier when we take them out, we are distracted from the non-stop tediousness of caring for two babies, and we frequently go somewhere where we see friends eager to hold a baby for us if we need a little break. 

We've been going to church regularly for a few weeks now.  The trick to a successful Sabbath morning is for me to spend Friday bathing all three girls, showering myself, laying out everyone's church clothes, preparing the diaper bag, and packing Katy's activity bag.  For the first time in my life, Friday really is a preparation day.  

At the beginning of May, Chris and I took all three girls to Sea World in San Antonio.  What is it like traveling with twin infants?  Even though we were only gone for one night, we needed the roof rack on our Flex.  We could barely walk down the short hallway in our hotel room because it was lined with a cot for Katy and two small cribs for the babies.  The desk chair in our hotel room was used mostly in the bathroom, the only place I could pump and Chris could work while the girls were sleeping in our hotel room.  We washed bottles in the ice bucket at the hotel and in the bathrooms at Sea World.  And perhaps craziest of all, I pumped while watching Sea World's whale and dolphin show.

Despite all the extra work involved, however, we had a good time at Sea World because we had family with us to help out.  As we were leaving, sticky and tired from a long, hot day, I commented on how I smelled less than ideal.  My mother-in-law, who spent most of the day caring for a baby or two, smiled big and said, "Not me, I smell like baby."   

A couple weeks after our Sea World trip, my cousin and her girls visited and the twins made their first trip to the beach.   The warm air and the white noise of the water was so soothing the twins fell asleep as soon as we arrived.  After their short nap, they were so alert and content on the beach.  Cami was especially talkative every time her soft feet touched the sand or the sea gulls flew over her head.

It's unfortunate that our beach trip ended with traffic that changed a 20 minute stretch of the drive into a two hours crawl trapped in a car with two crying babies and three tired, fighting little girls.  It was a very long drive home.     

In addition to family trips, I've been a lot more confident going out with the three girls on my own.  We've made trips to story time at the library, Katy's ballet class, the grocery store, and even short shopping trips.  This summer, the twins are tagging along as I take Katy to an art class and swimming lessons.  Going out with the three girls on my own always elicits lots of comments from strangers about how my hands must be full, and people usually stare when I use one of my tandem baby carriers.  It has been really heart warming, however, to see how eager people are to offer a helping hand when even I get a little overwhelmed.