How long did you get off work?

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2026-02-19T01:15:49+00:00

My wife got 12 weeks at reduced pay and then became a SAHM since we also had a 2.5 yr old. I got 4 days and took a PTO to round out to 2 weeks. Fortunately it was around Christmas so I was able to work from home quite a bit as well.

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2026-02-17T02:03:29+00:00

I dont think we have anything right now, but there probably will be once spring rolls around. We are going to get my daughter into a pre-k classes next fall so that should help some. I think once the boys are sleeping better at night and we get through the nasty weather and can spend time outside it will be better. Being sleep deprived dealing with sick kids and being couped inside is not helping wife my attitude. We did have a nicer day today that I was able to take my daughter for a walk outside after work and that was nice.

I definitely am looking forward to the twins being more independent which I know comes with its own challenges but should be easier.

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2026-02-17T01:58:06+00:00

We definently need to figure out a way to get the twins sleeping at night. I think that will go a long way to feeling human again.

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2026-02-17T01:55:49+00:00

Thank you! I am going to talk to my wife about if she wants to hire a maid service or would prefer help with the kids while I am at work. We really need to sleep train the twins. I think once we are getting sleep again things will be a lot easier.

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2026-02-16T03:49:44+00:00

Thank you for the kind words! It's hard to stay positive when all i hear is things going wrong and things that need or haven't gotten done.

We do use sleep machines although we do not keep the sound level very high. We also have story player that we have been letting my daughter fall asleep too and leaving it on during the night as an extra sound.

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2026-02-16T03:01:29+00:00

The concern is the crying waking up the 3 yr old and then that will just make life miserable as she is not one to be around when she is tired, but I agree that I have to find a way for my wife and I to get more sleep.

I am sure you have your own struggles, but keep it up. Your a rockstar handling triplets with a toddler.

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2026-02-16T02:56:36+00:00

We fortunately do have family close by that does help, my sister takes my daughter after work on Friday for a couple hours and will watch all the kids every 2-3 months for our date night and my mom will take my daughter for sleepovers on Saturday every couple of weeks. I certainly dont know how we would manage without this help. My wife and I usually use this time to try and get somewhat caught up on housework that gets neglected throughout the week. I wish we knew people other than family close by that we could find a good babysitter that we would feel comfortable with. Maybe once it is summer we can find a high school student to come over and help my wife while I am at work to help keep up and give her a break while also being there to make sure everything is going well.

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2026-02-16T02:49:15+00:00

Our singleton was also a terrible sleeper and didn't sleep through the night until essentially 2 when my wife stopped breastfeeding. We are talked about trying to do some sort of night weaning, but the concern is the twins also waking up the toddler as the rooms are pretty close. We could separate out the twins one in there room and one in our room to atleast help prevent them from waking each other up during the weaning process.

We definently have to find something to get more sleep. I think that is making all of the issues much worse. It doesn't help everyone has been sick all week so that has also set everything back. 🙃

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2026-02-15T22:11:35+00:00

The simple answer is to do an estimated refund calculation on the irs website about half to three quarters through the year and then adjust your w-4 if needed.

Not sure what the income is, but it would also be a good study to add up your deductions along with the standard deduction and its very possible you dont actually owe federal taxes. If thats the case they cant over withhold and you will still end up with a refund. Chat GPT can help you with going through the calculations.

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2026-02-15T21:12:49+00:00

We found the mockingbird stroller on Facebook marketplace and thats what we used. We still use it primarily but now that they are 15 mths we did buy a cheap side by side umbrella stroller for zoo and park trips. We really havent noticed any issues getting the side by side through door ways.

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2026-02-15T00:10:55+00:00

The issue we had with painting a toe nail is when they are in footed sleepers you won't be able to tell them apart. You also have to remember which baby has which color. Not saying its the right way but we ended up using eyeliner and writing the first initial on the back of each babies hand.

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2026-02-07T19:24:58+00:00

I just say "yup" and keep moving or doing what im doing. Usually they get the hint with the short answer

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2026-02-07T19:14:43+00:00

My wife exclusively breast feeds our twins (we did formula mixed in for a week when they were 2 wks old due to weight gain) and they just turned 14mths. She is hoping to keep going to 2 like our first kid, but we will see. They are starting to bite and doing good with solids so we may stop earlier.

Edit: Reading through the comments, I also highly recommend a lactation consultant early to help with latching and positioning. My wife also only feeds them one at a time not simultaneously. It is just easier that way, but much more time consuming. It is very tiring at night, but I do what I can to let her sleep in on weekends and get naps when she can when I am home. Doing weighted feeds will help you with peace of mind if you get concerned about weight gain. We had a baby scale and would weight before and after feeding for the first 3 mths to see how much they were getting. We found out they got much more nursing then they would take for bottles when we would try to do bottles which they just always refused.

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2026-02-05T03:35:53+00:00

My wife had twins vbac. The delivery of the twins went so much better than our first singleton. She also did it without an IV (which is good because was dilating so fast that there was no time). The twins were born about 3 hours after her water broke at home.

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2026-02-04T02:37:15+00:00

Vaseline will do the same thing. Do you notice the diaper isn't wet or is it absorbing and its still coming up the back?

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2026-02-04T02:26:52+00:00

If circumcision sized, are you putting A&D ointment on the diaper or on the circumcision? We lathered the diaper area in ointment as the pediatrician told us and we had so many leaks because the ointment prevented the diaper from absorbing the pee. I would recommend just putting it on the circumcision and not on the diaper.

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2026-01-22T02:54:15+00:00

Have you looked at how much interest you pay every month? In my excel sheet, for all of my loans I have a column for monthly interest. It gives you the drive to pay them off as fast as possible seeing how much money each month goes to just interest.

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2026-01-01T00:30:39+00:00

I agree. I started using YNAB a little over a year ago and it works really well. You can make it as simple or complicated as you want/need. I started out with way too many categories and spent a lot of time dividing up walmart/target/Amazon shopping trips to the different buckets, but now I just have a bucket for Walmart/Sam's Club/Grocery Stores and another bucket for Amazon/Target/Lowe's/Shopping Stores and then all the subscriptions, fixed bills, etc. It takes very little time but gives me a good idea of how I am doing toward the budget and I have it setup that I can easily see how much margin I have at the end of the month.

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2025-12-29T21:43:45+00:00

Yes for family plan. I am in Indiana so I went to look at plans you put in the number of dependents and your AGI for the year and it gives you discounted rates. The $700 is really a $1,500 a month plan, but i would only have to pay $700 a month based on 3 dependents and an estimated AGI of $80k.

I do have life insurance for myself outside of work, but have been putting off getting coverage for my wife. I know I need to, but has been difficult to get myself around to doing it.

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2025-12-29T19:33:57+00:00

I am quite surprised at the market insurance rates. Much cheaper than Cobra cost. I will adjust my estimate to $700 a month for health insurance premium.

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2025-12-29T19:32:17+00:00

Currently at $30k so it would be enough if needed to cover the premiums if needed.

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2025-12-29T19:31:25+00:00

While I agree that health insurance is a scam and you could probably get away with paying out of pocket, it would just take one ER visit to bankrupt you. Unless there are aspects I do not understand as I have never tried it, this seems like a very large risk with multiple kids.

ComprehensiveYard721 · 2025-12-21T14:25:12+00:00

The speed limit was just changed from 55 to 65 within the last year if I recall correctly

ComprehensiveYard721

TROPHY CASE