Category Archives: Seeing Double

A Stroller Built For Three

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Our triple stroller has been my friend this last year.  It is how we get around – and most recently – how we pick up Annika from the train station after her Waldschule (Forest School).

  

If you’re wondering – it is HEAVY with all three kids.  I figure between the weight of the stroller and all the kids, it is at least 145 lbs. to push around.  Not so bad when you’re on flat ground.  But this is Switzerland.  And we are “mountain people” here in these parts (as someone in my German class called us country folk).  When you need to turn, think of a bus or a semi.  You need some maneuver room.  But I wouldn’t trade it!  It means freedom from being at home every.single.day.

We walk to school, the library, the grocery store, the parks, the doctor, the train.  It’s only about a 10-15 minute walk to any of these places.

We also have a double stroller I’ve started taking more now that Annika is older and can walk a bit faster (wahoo!).  It is a lot easier to push just the twins around.

The Math

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2 miserable teething toddlers + 2 poopy diapers smeared on the walls + 1 mommy with a raging headache =

1 dirty, unvaccuumed house + 137 toys strewn about + 0 dinner made

Can we throw some dark Lindt chocolate in there to even the playing field for me, please?  Or a vacation*.  I wouldn’t turn that down.

I think I might cry.

*A long period of being child-free constitutes a “vacation”.  Like this.

An Entire Roll of Toilet Paper

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This is what I saw when I rounded the corner to the hallway a couple of weeks ago:

Followed by:

Aha!  Caught you!

I had just put on a new roll of toilet paper, and they did unroll it down to the cardboard tube.  Annika was also helping, but by the time I got the camera, she evacuated.  But don’t worry. . . there’s more.

While I was on a phone call, Annika was cutting paper.  And just like I did while I was five years old, she decided cutting her hair would be more fun than paper.

Yes, this all happened on the same day.

Rub-a-dub-dub

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Three munchkins in a tub.

This picture cracks me up!

Clara is crying foul play. . . because she does not have the coveted blue pitcher to play with at the moment she wants it.  It may have been Clara in this picture, but I assure you, the expression on her face has been seen on every child repeatedly when they do not also hold the “coveted toy of the moment”.  Even though I know what she is crying about, just looking at this picture of obvious pain on her face . . . well, it can still tug at the heart strings.  And the laugh strings, too.

The Bit of Butter Made the Batter Better

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If there is any inkling there might be some mixing or baking action happening in the Vance kitchen, you can be certain three little helpers will be there to assist in any possible way.  Need a beater licked?  They’ve got it covered.  Need something stirred?  They will be there for you.  Need something poured in?  There just might be tears shed if they can’t be of assistance fast enough.  Fortunately, our apartment has an island in the kitchen.  Who invented these?  I thank them.  It makes having three helpful little girls very doable.

Feeding Frenzy

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The babes are independent little ladies.  When they were six months old, they both refused to eat baby food.  After trying for six weeks, Jenelle finally plopped a large spoonful of baby food on the high chair tray in exasperation, and the ladies gobbled it up.  It wasn’t the baby food they didn’t like, it was the method of delivery.

Recently the babes clued into bowls and spoons.  Everyone else seemed to use them, and they were clearly missing out.

Here they are in August back in Oregon.  Not bad for the first time using a bowl and spoon:

In September in our vacation apartment in Switzerland:

And in October in our new digs:

Mealtime is still a trifle messy at our house.

Three Kids Two and Under: A Year in Review in Numbers

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Those who know me well, are very aware that I’m a numbers nerd.  What better way to sum up the one-year birthday of Clara and Nicolyn than with a few solid numbers for posterity.  Next post:  a year in review in pictures (probably a little more interesting for the rest of you, but I had a great time putting this together).

Weight of twins at birth: 14 lbs. 7 oz. ( 7 lbs. 4 oz. and 7 lbs. 3 oz.)

Length of twins at birth:  42.25 inches (21.25 inches and 21 inches)

Weeks gestation at twins’ birth:  38 weeks

Number of months Jenelle was on nausea medication:  8.5 (including two weeks post-delivery)

Days of live-in help after twins were born:  40 (Jonathan’s mom, my mom, and my sister – I know blessings will be showered on you dear souls)

Number of days Jonathan worked from home for only four hours a day (to help transition me to full-time):  1 month

Contributions to landfills.  Diapers purchased and used in 12 months for three children:  approximately 5,438

Number of Costco formula cans used in 12 months:  approximately  116  (about 1 can every 3 days; not including all the free sample cans people gave us or two months of pumping)

Number of bottles washed on average per day before the babies were 6 months old:  17

Number of bottles washed on average per day after the twins were 6 months old:  11

Number of Rick Steves travel videos watched while feeding twins:  80+

Number of DiGiorno’s pizzas eaten (Vance family equivalent of fast food):  36

Number of DiGiorno’s pizzas left in freezer yet to be eaten:  9

Age difference between Clara and Nicolyn:  18 minutes (Clara is older)

Age difference between Annika and twins:  22 months, 1 day

Number of months our family had three children ages 1 and younger:  2

Average number of hours of sleep Jenelle got during night hours the first couple of weeks:  1

Average number of hours of sleep Jenelle got after waking both babies up at the same time during the night:  4

Number of days twins slept in parents’ room:  0

Age Nicolyn and Clara moved to separate cribs:  4 months

Age Clara and Nicolyn crawled:  7.5 months

Age Clara and Nicolyn walked:  10.5 months

Number of car seats that fit in a Toyota Corolla:  3

Number of times Jenelle has gone out with all three kids by herself (you know something is an event if you can list numbers like this)–

Park:  5

Joann’s:  3

Costco:  1

Grocery store:  0

Doctor:  4

Library:  3

Number of times Jonathan has taken all three kids out by himself:  1

Number of times Jonathan watched all three kids by himself:  many, many (ie.  all the German classes, gym workouts, breakdown-need-time-to-myself evenings, etc.)  I don’t want you to think there hasn’t been some equally yoked-ness going on around here.

Number of plane rides Jenelle, Annika, Clara, and Nicolyn have traveled on during the last 12 months:  4

Number of plane rides Jonathan has traveled on during the last 12 months:  17

Number of days Jonathan traveled away from home during last 12 months:  28

Number of doctor visits during last 12 months:  63

Number of adult evening German language classes Jenelle has attended:  23

Number of times Jenelle has said “Isn’t (insert cute kid action)  so cute?”:  Who knows?  A lot.  Then times that by three very cute kids.

Number of breakdowns Jenelle has had:  Not as many as the “cute” number.  But a fair number.

Amount spent on chocolate “therapy”:  classified

Number of attempted sewing machine repairs (for sewing therapy):  5

Happy birthday Nicolyn and Clara!  It has been a whirlwind of a year, but we hope that somewhere in there you’ve felt often how much we love you and are so happy you are part of our family!