So my new strategy for surviving twin-parenthood is divide and conquer. I had to take Miss M to a birthday party this weekend. I took one twin (B), and J stayed home with P and C. I remember when I thought taking out two children was tough… (I might have even impossible when M was a tiny tot). Now it seems like a breeze.
I have not updated much about my Miss M recently, despite the fact that she turned three recently. Unfortunately, her actual birthday was overshadowed by her two sisters still being in hospital and general chaos of life. We celebrated with pizza and a cupcake, and since she is three, she thought that was amazing.
M, despite my efforts to transform her into a tomboy, has gravitated towards all things pink. I took her to her party today wearing a pink dress, with her (pink) dolly in hand, and her own bright pink purse. I swore up and down that my daughter wouldn’t be the “pink” child. In pictures of her before age one, she rarely wears the colour. When she started to show more girly tendencies, I tried to persuade her that purple was her favourite colour. Purple at least has some sort of ’70s nostalgia to it, unlike pink, a colour which never had much prominence during my childhood. I knew, just knew, that even though other mothers claimed it “just happened” that the “pink obsession” wouldn’t happen to us. As with many things in parenting, I am eating my words. Today she spent 15 minutes rooting through her underwear drawer because she wanted to wear pink skivvies and none of her cute boy briefs would do. I had a pedicure done recently and I wasn’t home for two minutes before she honed in on my pink toes: “Where you get dat colour? I want dat polish!” And Grandma tells me she had her trash packed away in a pink shopping bag – Miss M noticed right away: “I yike your garbage Grandma!”
Here she is choosing between the pink diaper bag and the pink doctor’s set in the pink section of Toys’R’Us. I encouraged her towards the cars section, but she wasn’t having any of it. So I pushed for the doctor’s set, which at least had some aspirational quality to it, and she can be seen making notes about Dolly’s various ailments on the pink notepad.
At least the twins can still be persuaded to wear other colours:
Although Bea is showing an affinity for pink hats:
P is very boyish, but he still defies gender stereotypes – what a super lovey dovey dude he is. He is so maternal, always kissing and wanting to hold the babies. “Does Bea want skin-to-skin?” he asked me today.
Not much in twin news. For the first week since we’ve been home, we have no medical appointments for the twins (knock-on-wood!) this week. So far we’ve had numerous paediatrician visits, immunisations, a lengthy hearing test (for B), breastfeeding consults, appointments with early intervention and physiotherapy. Until next week, a bit of a break.
very funny! The twins look great! You must be so happy that you kept up the pumping so that you can nurse them now. You’ve been through so much.
I remember another Mom who had a baby with her at Teagan’s swimming lessons every week. She also had an older son and was busy showering her daughter, while rocking the baby, all while her son was having his lesson. I said to her after a few weeks “I don’t know how you manage with 3!” She responded that she in fact had 5! She had another older child at home and the baby was a twin and she would bring a different one every week!
The nurture or nature debate goes on as Sienna is such a tomboy, her favorite colour has always been blue; while Teagan will only wear things pink, frilly and “pretty!”
I can’t wait to find out how the twins will be – pink or blue.