The Unexpected Life

When we found out we were having twins, we of course asked everyone we knew or met with twins for advice. We heard a huge variety of advice that sometimes contradicted itself. But one thing that almost everyone told us was that the first six months would be unbelievably hard and then it would start to get easier. And then by the time they turned one, it would be easy. Or at least as easy as it ever is to be a parent. 

So…we braced for the worst in the first six months. Before the girls arrived Kent said he felt a bit like we were preparing for a tsunami. We’d done everything we could to prepare (boarded up the windows and got to high ground, so to speak). And now we were just watching as this giant, destructive wave approached. We could see it coming, but couldn’t avoid it. We would just need to ride it out, come what may. 

Earlier this week, the girls turned six months old. I don’t know if this is just a case of low expectations being easy to exceed, but anytime someone asks me how it has been having twins, my response is “honestly, not as hard as I thought it would be!” 

And I have to thank all those who gave us advice because I believe we were well-prepared for what was coming toward us.

That being said, there were definitely some things I wasn’t ready for. In honour of passing this milestone, here are six things I wish I knew before having twins:

1. Having twins is like being a celebrity, except without any of the glamour or riches. People are going to notice you. Everywhere. You’ll hear whispers of people following you like a wake follows a boat (“did you see the twins?” “Twins!” “Two babies? Whoa!”)
2. People have a reaction to twins that they seemingly cannot help. Not all of the reactions are positive. I had the girls in a stroller once and a woman was looking at one of them, commenting on how cute she was. Then she realized there was a whole other baby in the stroller and she said “Oh, there are two! That’s too bad!” 
3. You will have a built in excuse to get out of almost anything for a while. It’s going to be hard not to overuse it, but life will be better if you don’t stay hidden away at home.
4. Somehow there will be more than twice as much laundry. I don’t understand the math on this one, but there is just so much laundry to do, all the time.
5. I am convinced that you will never experience more pride in yourself than the first time you get the twins ready to go for a walk outside all by yourself. You will basically feel like a superhero. A sweaty, exhausted superhero. 
6. There will be times when it feels way too hard to have two babies. It feels hard because it is hard. There are also going to be times where it feels so incredibly fun to have two babies. It feels fun because it is fun. Both are true.

I can’t wait to see what I learn in the next six months that will, apparently, be easier. I’m not convinced though…surely it will be harder once they can crawl and/or walk. I’m not letting my guard down yet.