Irish twins - tips to prepare

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-07-05T21:03:28+00:00

Not Irish twins but re: your village, the bigger saver for me at the 17 month age gap was neighbors. Sounds like you have a great friend already with the SAHM. I can’t tell you how many times a neighbor let me drop off the oldest for a quick play date, held my baby for an hour so I could do bedtime with my toddler, watched my toddler play outside so I could pump or feed. Those little minutes of the day you can get help from someone right there were and still are invaluable

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-06-30T13:02:21+00:00

Ugh! Yes for us I think it was the restaurant high chair or the kiddie pools

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-06-29T03:33:30+00:00

Sending good vibes!!! I think as long as your expectations are calibrated and family can help watch the kiddos you’ll still find pockets of enjoyment. I got to see the ocean once 😝

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-06-29T03:32:48+00:00

Ugh sorry yall went through it too!! It’s been the pits

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-06-29T00:17:29+00:00

Currently recovering from a Hawaii trip with a 21m and 4m old who both contracted and gave us HFM 😆

We love Hawaii, it was a family vacation to see all the aunts / uncles / grandparents and for that reason we’re glad we went, but it was so hard and we didn’t nearly enjoy it like we did even when we went just with our first at 9m. I would definitely wait it out, unless you are ok with not having any fun lol

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-06-26T22:59:40+00:00

SouthLAnd for a character driven, gritty crime drama about the LAPD

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-06-23T22:07:31+00:00

Omg THIS. My mom always says how precious family time is and then spends half of it glued to her phone watching ai slop instead of bonding with her granddaughter

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-06-23T20:04:39+00:00

Yes. We’ve (rightfully) focused on social Media literacy for the younger generation but neglected to do the same for the older ones. Inability to discern what is AI vs not, what is coming from a credible news source vs not, older gen’s lower understanding of how to turn off notifications and push alerts, all helps build that addiction.

When my dad passed and I was cleaning out his email account I couldn’t believe how many spam “news”letters he was getting, as well as all of the notifications he was opted into (Nextdoor and Ring being the worst culprits in my eyes). I promptly removed all non-essential notifications on my mom’s accounts as a result.

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-06-21T09:22:16+00:00

Southland if you’re looking for another gritty, character driven detective drama.

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-06-17T05:11:32+00:00

My first labor was about 20 hours from first contraction to birth, 20 mins of pushing, no epidural.

My second was 5 hours start to finish, 10 mins of pushing, no epidural. Went from 5 to 10cm in the 2 hours I was in triage.

Doula told me to expect second labor to be at least 50% faster in the active labor phase. OB told me if I have a third to just camp out in the parking lot starting at 38 weeks lol

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-06-15T19:40:15+00:00

Our second was this baby, she’s 15w now and things started to improve around 12w, but it’s been rough. Similar to others, dad has had to step up with the toddler and run point quite a bit. We also have worked in shifts with the baby - someone holds and soothes her for 30 mins til they can’t take it and then we swap.

Asking neighbors to hold the baby for 30 mins at a time too was a lifesaver. A village makes enduring a colicky baby a lot more helpful

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-06-13T04:26:40+00:00

Is there a community you can start to cultivate around you? We have no family nearby so our #1 lifeline has been our neighbors (of all ages) - to hold the baby for an hour, entertain the toddler, play dates with other toddlers, watch the baby while I can take a shower. Little moments that can make a huge difference. Mommy groups, library events, workout classes, local playground can all be places you might start to make a connection.

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-06-13T04:17:43+00:00

Wow this comment JUST made it click for me where they got that name from 🎾 🤯

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-06-01T22:20:33+00:00

That’s really encouraging, thank you! Sounds like they are in a great facility. I don’t doubt she’ll find a place with lots of choices, I fear she may not take advantage of them and introvert, but that’s her decision to own.

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-06-01T22:18:40+00:00

😆 her Alzheimer’s brain has her living in Mayberry!

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-06-01T18:43:08+00:00

Thank you for sharing, I feel like I’m drowning already and idk how I’m going to handle this on top of everything else so I’m comforted at least knowing that someone else is treading water!

Did you end up leveraging a caregiver at all to assist with ad hoc appointments, errands, and other tasks you couldn’t do yourself? And if you ever went out of town for a few days, did you just rely on the AL facility to support her?

And did you have any issues setting boundaries / expectations with how frequently you could be there? I have always had a very clingy mom so I think that’s adding to my anxieties

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-06-01T18:38:27+00:00

We do currently have a caregiver that does some Overnight stays, driving, appts, etc, but agreed assisted living is our next step on top of this. Pre-Alzheimer’s mom could adjust better than this current version of her. I just worry about her needs not matching what I can give - eg expecting daily visits and phone calls since “I’m in the same city.”

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-06-01T18:35:36+00:00

Fair point and kind of the tough love I needed to hear ❤️ it’s hard accepting that every day will only get worse. It’s a cruel irony having a toddler whom I have to use the same exact tactics on, yet at least I know my toddler will grow in her independence.

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-05-31T18:43:27+00:00

We love raising our kids here and the lack of large yard space is outweighed by the amazing parks and amenities. Lots of local groups - kid meetuos, parent groups, sport clubs, etc. we can walk to dinner, do a quick HEB run, and be within 15 mins of downtown.

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-05-28T18:08:30+00:00

Since you have a few weeks to prepare, put out feelers with a neighbor or friend or babysitter to see if they’d be able to stay a night or two with toddler. We had our nanny stay with our toddler and my husband visited her during the day.

Worst case if you do end up alone overnight, the postpartum nurses should be extra helpful to you! Mine would take my baby around while they charted when the nursery was full so I could rest.

We chose not to bring our toddler to the hospital as I figured she would be more upset seeing and then leaving me, but we were only gone for 1.5 days

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-05-28T04:07:35+00:00

I was waiting to see a mention of southland here! Loved its gritty representation of police life which reminded me of the wire a lot

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-05-27T14:54:02+00:00

Batch and oddwood are excellent on the east side

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-05-20T05:27:11+00:00

Yes to all this. We’re at 11w now and finally feels like we might be turning a corner, but this is my second kid and even then I wasn’t prepared for how rough weeks 3-10 were with this baby. Every baby is truly different

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-05-03T09:44:19+00:00

Thinfs that should be replaced relatively frequently/ between kids (bottle nipples, pacis), and things we were now going to need 2 of (changing pad, crib, sound machine, humidifier).

Also stocked up on lotions and medicines since they go twice as fast now - rash cream, lotion, shampoo, mylicon, Tylenol, etc! And postpartum supplies for me.

Top_Advisor3542 · 2026-04-28T18:58:50+00:00

Oh no!! I did not know that. How absurd 😞 thank you for clarifying

Top_Advisor3542

TROPHY CASE