San Francisco Parents of Multiples SFPOM General Discussion 4/4/2013 9:14 am - 4/5/2013
1. Announcing: Parents' Night Out (jessicafsf)
2. Toddler dancewear? (nataliasha2004)
3. Potty Training: Do you train both twins at once? (sf_tribe)
4. Comment: Potty Training: Do you train both twins... (drkarenhorton)
5. Comment: Potty Training: Do you train both twins... (erin_loback)
6. Losing my mind (another sleep-related post) (zarate)
7. Re: [sfpom_general] Losing my mind (another sleep-relat... (twinpeakstwins)
8. Comment: Losing my mind (another sleep-related post) (jessicafsf)
9. Comment: Losing my mind (another sleep-related post) (karu_garg)
10. Comment: Losing my mind (another sleep-related post) (ked21880)
11. Comment: Losing my mind (another sleep-related post) (kaluzoo)
12. greetings (twinpeakstwins)
13. Comment: Pre-preschool or such options?? (sfbamob)
14. Comment: Pre-preschool or such options?? (jessicafsf)
15. Comment: Pre-preschool or such options?? (karu_garg)
16. Comment: Pre-preschool or such options?? (seabringwatts)
17. Comment: Do I go in or not? (zarate)
18. Comment: Any ~3 month old twin play groups around ? (epoague)
1. Announcing: Parents' Night Out
--------------------------------------------------------
jessicafsf - 4/4/2013 7:58 pm
The next Parents' Night out is around the corner! Get a
sitter and take a well deserved break together... or
draw straws to see who stays home and who comes out!
We'll be meeting for snacks (or dinner) and drinks at
the Connecticut Yankee, on the corner of Connecticut
and 17th, in Potrero Hill. SFPOM will cover a drink and
some bites, and of course some great (and
understanding) conversation/ company. Please RSVP on
the events tab. Hope to see many of you there!Event
Details & RSVP---------------------- What: Parents'
Night Out Who: San Francisco Parents of Multiples
When: Thu Apr 18, 2013, 7:30-10 pm PDT Where:
Connecticut Yankee 100 Connecticut Street, San
Francisco RSVP:
http://www.bigtent.com/home/calendar/event/76181790?md=NjA3Nzg0MjI=
Send comment to: <sfpom_general@lists.bigtent.com>
With subject line: "Ref#77240743 - Announcing: Parents' Night Out"
Email author: jessica@burrows.net
--------------------------------------------------------
2. Toddler dancewear?
--------------------------------------------------------
nataliasha2004 - 4/4/2013 4:51 pm
We're in a mad scramble to find ballet stuff for our
girls (used is fine!) Outside of formal dancewear
stores - I KNOW I've see some this stuff SOMEWHERE...
but I can't for the life of me remember where. Target?
Ross? NO idea. Anyone out there know? Or, better
yet, have anything to sell/pass along? We need them by
Saturday! *Mumble, curse, fume*... we've been trying
to reach the dance school for over a week, and finally
got through today, and it seems they need all the gear
right from the very first lesson! (I also just
posted to Classifieds, in case that matters.) Thanks,
all!!
Send comment to: <sfpom_general@lists.bigtent.com>
With subject line: "Ref#77237242 - Toddler dancewear?"
Email author: nataliasha2004@yahoo.com
--------------------------------------------------------
3. Potty Training: Do you train both twins at once?
--------------------------------------------------------
sf_tribe - 4/4/2013 4:16 pm
We have b/g twins who we willl PT at ~ 30 months.Our PT
method involves waking Saturday morning, removing the
diaper and using the potty and underwear from then on
(except for at night). No pullupsWould you start your
twins on the same weekend or on consecutive weekends?
Send comment to: <sfpom_general@lists.bigtent.com>
With subject line: "Ref#77236570 - Potty Training: Do you train both twins at once?"
--------------------------------------------------------
4. drkarenhorton says...
--------------------------------------------------------
4/4/2013 5:15 pm
I am wondering the same thing, as I am just about ready
to start training my twins! Suggestions from
experienced twin Moms, please!
Email author: drkarenhorton@hotmail.com
--------------------------------------------------------
5. erin_loback says...
--------------------------------------------------------
4/4/2013 10:57 pm
I used the 3-day potty training method (LOTS of good
posts about it if you search the forums here) and tried
them together starting on a Friday. I took off work,
and the nanny and I started from first thing in the
morning with no pants and new Elmo potties in the
living room (we were pantsless through the weekend).
We did this at 22 months. By the end of the weekend, my
son basically got it, and he has never worn a pull-up
during the day and never wore a diaper during the day
again. My daughter freaked out. I think she didn't
quite have the control, and got upset with herself when
she peed on the floor. So we put her back in diapers,
and tried again six weeks later, and she got it after a
day.So I would say if you are making the commitment to
seriously potty train without pull-ups, you may as well
try both at once. It sucks at first and you're worried
to leave the house, but it sucks with one, and isn't
doubly worse with two. Just be prepared that it may
work for one and not the other, in which case you just
wait and try again later with the second twin.
Email author: erin_loback@yahoo.com
--------------------------------------------------------
6. Losing my mind (another sleep-related post)
--------------------------------------------------------
zarate - 4/4/2013 7:13 am
This is part rant, part request for recommendations.We
have not sleep trained our 8 month old twins. They've
had the same 2 night nannies since they were born and
for the last couple of months we gradually dropped the
nights one of the nannies covered until last week when
we did the nights solo. The babies get fed at midnight
or so, and were waking up once in the middle of the
night for us, but more shenanigans when the night
nannies were with them (aka we did not hear them fuss
most likely, but the nannies did).Due to *brilliant*
planning () the first 8 days without night help was in
a hotel in NYC. The end result is that we are 11 days
into lousy non-sleep, our kids are sick/ not napping
much/ slowly readjusting to time zone, and no one is
happy (specially husband right now, who had 2 hours of
sleep).Actually 'not happy' is an understatement for
us...And I am so sad, as I feel I just am not hacking
it as a parent. Given the massive brain short
circuiting going on, these may be lame questions: 1.
What can we do short term, until babies are well and we
can sleep train? I've reached out to doulas we know
asking for help tonight, and recs of people who may be
free if they are not. What else are we not thinking
of?1a. Anyone know a good night doula available
tonight? :P2. What can we do to mentally prepare for
the night? Right now it is all dispair/ "this will
never end"3. Once we settle on a sleep trainer, are
there people who can do the training with us? Right now
the thought of several nights with crying children
makes *me* want to cry.Thanks,Alessandra
Send comment to: <sfpom_general@lists.bigtent.com>
With subject line: "Ref#77223998 - Losing my mind (another sleep-related post)"
Email author: alessandra.zarate.sanderlin@gmail.com
--------------------------------------------------------
7. twinpeakstwins says...
--------------------------------------------------------
4/4/2013 12:36 pm
Sorry you are feeling this way.Hang in there.Are you
playing classical music 24/7?This is all a learning
process for the patients that you will need when your
kids are toddlers and the future.Find something that
relaxes you first then tend to one kid at a time.More
nannies, people and help can cause chaos. Keep the
routine simple straight forward and on schedule.Deep
Breath!8 months old is remembered as so sweet, crying,
sleeping and eating.Now its whining, fighting and
complaining!;-)_________________ From: Alessandra
Zarate-Sanderlin To: 'San Francisco Parents of
Multiples SFPOM General Discussion' Sent: Thursday,
April 4, 2013 7:15 AMSubject: [sfpom_general] Losing my
mind (another sleep-related post) -
Ref#77223998Alessandra Zarate-Sanderlin posted:This is
part rant, part request for recommendations.We have not
sleep trained our 8 month old twins. They've had the
same 2 night nannies since they were born and for the
last couple of months we gradually dropped the nights
one of the nannies covered until last week when we did
the nights solo. The babies get fed at midnight or so,
and were waking up once in the middle of the night for
us, but more shenanigans when the night nannies were
with them (aka we did not hear them fuss most likely,
but the nannies did).Due to *brilliant* planning () the
first 8 days without night help was in a hotel in NYC.
The end result is that we are 11 days into lousy
non-sleep, our kids are sick/ not napping much/ slowly
readjusting to time zone, and no one is happy
(specially husband right now, who had 2 hours of
sleep).Actually 'not happy' is an understatement for
us...And I am so sad, as I feel I just am not hacking
it as a parent. Given the massive brain short
circuiting going on, these may be lame questions: 1.
What can we do short term, until babies are well and we
can sleep train? I've reached out to doulas we know
asking for help tonight, and recs of people who may be
free if they are not. What else are we not thinking
of?1a. Anyone know a good night doula available
tonight? :P2. What can we do to mentally prepare for
the night? Right now it is all dispair/ "this will
never end"3. Once we settle on a sleep trainer, are
there people who can do the training with us? Right now
the thought of several nights with crying children
makes *me* want to cry.Thanks,AlessandraAdd your
comments online:
http://www.bigtent.com/group/forum/message/77223998?md=MTIzNzk4Nzg=&md=NjA3Nzg0MjI=
Email author: twinpeakstwins@yahoo.com
--------------------------------------------------------
8. jessicafsf says...
--------------------------------------------------------
4/4/2013 1:21 pm
Don't despair! Everything is awful right now because
you're not sleeping. When you're sleep deprived the
world is a miserable place, and your babies are
unpleasant people. We had a lot of sleep issues at the
beginning, and unlike the previous responder, I don't
really remember that age as sweetness. I have other
memories... and not even that many, since it's mostly a
fog.Find short term help. If you're used to the night
nannies, then I don't think adding someone back will
add to the chaos. Inasmuch as possible you just need to
get some rest, so you can be sane again, and think
about the whole thing with some perspective. I can send
you the info of someone we used a couple of nights a
week when the babies were young. I haven't talked to
her in over a year so I have no idea of her
availability, but we were very happy with her. There's
also an SF/Bay Area Doula message board, and if the
doulas you reach are not available, you could see if
one of them will post for you, and ask people who are
available to get in touch with you.Some night
nannies/doulas help with sleep training. Most sleep
consultants do not actually spend much time at your
house/with you, but you can probably find night help to
support you through the process. When talking to
potential help, you should tell them that you're going
to start sleep training, and make sure they're
comfortable supporting you through the process. It
sounds like you just need some help asap, and that
doesn't have to be the person who helps you sleep
train, but once you're rested again and coming up with
a plan, you can find someone to help you with it. If
you do a search in past posts (esp in the caregiver
forum) you'll find lots of people who said that their
night doulas either helped with sleep training or did
the sleep training for them. You could see if any of
those folks are available in the short/near term.But
for now, just see if you can find someone asap. It's
been too many days with no sleep, especially after
having had help for 8 months, and you just need to
regain your footing. The whole world will seem brighter
after just a couple of nights of sleep, and then sleep
training won't seem like such an insurmountable task.
And while it will be hard for a few days, in no time
your whole household will be getting rest, and this
will all be behind you!
Email author: jessica@burrows.net
--------------------------------------------------------
9. karu_garg says...
--------------------------------------------------------
4/4/2013 2:01 pm
Hang in there! It will get better I
promise........Sleep deprivation is awful but remember
that this temporary and this too shall pass. Try to
get help for a few nights until you feel somewhat sane
and then tackle sleep training. Best thing we did with
our twins. We used Noelle at Symbio who basically laid
out a plan for us but we executed it ourselves. I too
had considered hiring someone to do it but could not
find anyone but in retrospect I am glad we did it
ourselves. The bright side is that it is typically not
as bad as you might expect.....But be strong and follow
through if you do it. Our kids cried for 55 minutes
and 20 minutes each on the 1st day and it slowly
decreased and they were not really crying after 3-4
days. Now at 14 months, I am so grateful that they are
generally pretty good sleepers with exceptions for
teething etc. Good luck!
Email author: karu_garg@hotmail.com
--------------------------------------------------------
10. ked21880 says...
--------------------------------------------------------
4/4/2013 2:19 pm
I'm so sorry that sleep is an issue for you right now.
Sleep deprivation is really just awful and makes
everything that much harder. Can you and your husband
take turns with different shifts during the night so
that you both can get a good stretch of sleep. That
might help untill you get someone to help you through
the night. Good luck this to shall pass!
Email author: ked21880@hotmail.com
--------------------------------------------------------
11. kaluzoo says...
--------------------------------------------------------
4/4/2013 4:16 pm
I'm torn about whether to tell you to call our amazing
night doula (Olive O'Brien) and see if she's available
(actually, you probably should as it's just been too
many nights of not sleeping at this point) and telling
you to try sleep training. I am with the other posters
that when you are not sleeping, the world stinks. And
when your kids are not sleeping, they stink too. The
good news is that it sounds like you can hire someone
to help you all get sleeping again, and then the world
(and your kids) will be beautiful. If you want sleep
training recs, let me know.
Email author: sarahchandler@gmail.com
--------------------------------------------------------
12. greetings
--------------------------------------------------------
twinpeakstwins - 4/4/2013 2:22 am
http://www.logicall.sk/includes/life.php?stgxehcv712roslqca------The
leaders of the people cause them to err and they that
are led by them are destroyed. -- Isaiah 9:16
Send comment to: <sfpom_general@lists.bigtent.com>
With subject line: "Ref#77220687 - greetings"
Email author: twinpeakstwins@yahoo.com
--------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
Topic: Pre-preschool or such options??
Is there a place that my 14 month old super active twins
could go to for maybe a couple times a ...
Send comment to: <sfpom_general@lists.bigtent.com>
With subject line: "Ref#77207401 - Pre-preschool or such options??"
13. sfbamob says...
--------------------------------------------------------
4/4/2013 5:38 am
Try Stretch The Imagination on Bush street. It has an
Infant Exploration class. It's a nice place but
ultimately didn't work for us because (1) the classes
are in the afternoons (it's a real rush to get up from
nap, dressed, snacked and over there in time) and (2)
you need one adult per child so you can't send the
nanny solo.I'd try to find play groups in your
neighborhood. These are free, drop in, have a range of
toddler-aged kids and offer lots of socializing and
play time. And, your nanny can handle it on her/his
own. There are playgroups at Saint Dominick's on
Steiner at Bush, and at Congregation Sherith Israel --
but these aren't close to you, I realize. Hope this
helps.
--------------------------------------------------------
14. jessicafsf says...
--------------------------------------------------------
4/4/2013 1:29 pm
SF Parks and Rec has classes for toddlers, which allow
for running/climbing/riding/etc. The classes are
different based on their location, but most are well
contained in rec centers, etc., and do able with twins
(and cheap)! There are gymnastics classes - mygym,
American Gymnastics, SF Gymnastics - that offer classes
for toddlers. American Gymnastics has a location near
you, in the sunset, but I think it starts at 18 months.
I think SF Gymnastics starts at 1 year.Recess and
Peekadoodle have plenty of safe space for exploring.
You have to have a membership, but they're worth it if
you go often. Once there, the space is well designed so
you can kind of just let your kids go. If you're
looking for a place to leave your kids (i.e., neither
you nor a nanny will be with them) then a daycare is
probably a good bet... but it might be hard to find
somewhere that will allow for just a couple of hours a
couple days a week. But I haven't investigated that, so
maybe that's an option at some of them. Good luck!
Email author: jessica@burrows.net
--------------------------------------------------------
15. karu_garg says...
--------------------------------------------------------
4/4/2013 2:02 pm
Thank you both! Much appreciated.
Email author: karu_garg@hotmail.com
--------------------------------------------------------
16. seabringwatts says...
--------------------------------------------------------
4/4/2013 2:34 pm
Also, check out the San Francisco City College child
development classes that are offered in various places
around the city. I used to take my twins to one at
what we called "the purple church", which literally is
a purple church on Portola St. near Woodside and
O'Shaughnessy Streets. They don't offer the class
there anymore, but you can probably just search online.
These "classes" are hosted by someone who has a
graduate degree or is working toward one in early child
development. They are free and you just go with your
children (or your caregiver can go, as mine did.) It's
not really a class as much as just an open play space
with lots of different "stations" or areas that include
different things for toddlers to do. Parents would
bring snack food and at one point during the session,
the children would sit at a table to eat snack. They
also had a circle time to sing a few songs, which gives
toddlers a precursor to preschool.It was a great way to
meet other parents and because it was indoors, it was
safe and easy to manage 2 toddlers as the one parent or
caregiver.
Email author: seabringwatts@gmail.com
--------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
Topic: Do I go in or not?
Up until a few days ago, our 6.5 month old b/g twins would
wake together at 7:30 am or if they d...
Send comment to: <sfpom_general@lists.bigtent.com>
With subject line: "Ref#77073521 - Do I go in or not?"
17. zarate says...
--------------------------------------------------------
4/4/2013 6:49 am
It can be a wonder week...Starting at 23 weeks, lasts
to 26-28 or so.... (does not answer your question
regarding going in, I know, but can explain increased
fussiness.
Email author: alessandra.zarate.sanderlin@gmail.com
--------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
Topic: Any ~3 month old twin play groups around ?
I would love to meet a few other twin moms. My girls are 3
months old.
Thanks , Zoe
Send comment to: <sfpom_general@lists.bigtent.com>
With subject line: "Ref#76627591 - Any ~3 month old twin play groups around ?"
18. epoague says...
--------------------------------------------------------
4/4/2013 5:18 pm
I'd be interested in a playgroup as well - my twin
girls are 3 months this week- are there any others are
aware of?
--------------------------------------------------------
View forum online at: http://www.bigtent.com/group/forum/12135519?md=NjA3Nzg0MjI=
---------- Advertisement ----------
<a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/fmpub.bigtent/;groupid=12135499;groupcategory=111;groupcategory=115;sz=728x90;fmzid=4524;dcove=r;ord=1365153287?" target="_blank">
<img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/fmpub.bigtent/;groupid=12135499;groupcategory=111;groupcategory=115;sz=728x90;fmzid=4524;dcove=r;ord=1365153287?" width="728" height="90" border="0" alt="" /></a>
________________________________________
You received this email because you (house@digitalkingdom.org) are a member of the BigTent group San Francisco Parents of Multiples.
Visit this group on the Web: http://www.bigtent.com/group/sfpom?md=NjA3Nzg0MjI=
Unsubscribe or leave this group: https://www.bigtent.com/unsubscribe/60778422?key=L%2FZurTOjhyws6Z1v7gnx%2FInL0LMQfpTnvFyPfUMu3vU%3D&md=NjA3Nzg0MjI=
Terms of Use: https://www.bigtent.com/terms?md=NjA3Nzg0MjI=
Privacy Policy: https://www.bigtent.com/privacy?md=NjA3Nzg0MjI=
Need help? https://www.bigtent.com/help?md=NjA3Nzg0MjI=