Chalk and Cheese Chronicles

Giving back to my twins club

When my twins came into my life, I was overcome with joy... and a whole lot of worry. It took me much longer than I'd anticipated to get into the mode of parenting two newborns. I'd joined my local Silicon Valley twins club at the behest of a friend who was a member. I had my first encounter with other moms of multiples at the monthly New and Expectant parents meeting, where a trio of moms with a couple of years of parenting experience facilitated a discussion on everything twins. While I gleaned some handy tips at those meetings, it was really the friendships I made while there that nourished my self-esteem and made me feel capable of mothering two babies at once.

When my boys were 18 months old, I volunteered to co-chair the New and Expectant Parents meetings, a board position. With less than two year's of parenting experience under my belt, I still felt like a seasoned pro because (work with me here) I'd seen my kids graduate to the remarkable stage of solid foods and monkey harness leashes. The expectant parents would waddle into the meetings with their notepads and bellies full of hope. The new parents would arrive pushing that neon sign of twindom, the double Snap n Go. As I'd look out at the room, I'd felt proud to be able to pass on information I'd learned at these very meetings.

Is there a midnight boot camp for newbies?

I've mentioned before that the only thing I ever won was at a Gemini Crickets auction fundraiser. I guess my luck is holding because this year, I won again! Ok, everybody seems to win something there, but I like to celebrate my winnings, however small. Usually, that is.

"And the winner of the San Jose Adventure Boot Camp is...Akemi!"

I clapped my hands greefully. Me? Me? A winner?

But then it hit me. I hadn't won the trip to Disneyland, like my fellow twin mom, Linda. I hadn't won the VIP tickets to see a taping of the Dr. Phil show. Nope, I'd won the chance to wake up at 5am, five days a week, for a month of Boot Camp.

What Not to Eat before Sex and the City

My friend leaned over, "Did you see it? They showed his PENIS!"

"Mmmhmm," I replied vaguely, neither confirming nor denying any sighting.

A few minutes later, she tried again, "Those ladies are starting to show their age!"

"Right, " I muttered in agreement.

I had wanted to say more. I had wanted to elaborate and discuss, discuss! Surrounded by a group of moms from my Silicon Valley multiples club for a moms' night out at the movies, I kept mute. The film? "Sex and the City" - but of course! We'd gathered at trendy El Jardin Tequila Bar and Restaurant, sipping wine and dipping into appetizers beneath a canopy of beautiful oak trees. As we later made the move from restaurant to theater and began settling into our seats, I noticed a cloud following me.

Gemini Crickets POM of Silicon Valley Auction Fundraiser

The only thing I ever won, I won at a Gemini Crickets auction fundraiser. There were the silent auctions, the live auctions, and of course, my fave, the good old fashioned raffle drawings. I love the excitement of plunking my tickets into the bags, rubbing each one between my fingers for good luck.

But I almost never win. I used to plop my business card into those fish bowls at various local eateries, hoping to win a complimentary burrito or something, but it never happened. I just don't win things. I leave comments on mommy blogs, describing my ill-fitting wardrobe, or the bags under my eyes, in hopes that the blog owner will pick my name and give me a free t-shirt or a makeover, or something. But I've yet to win anything. No free t-shirts, no makeover, zilch. Nada.

Blanket Babies

I miss the days when I had blanket babies. I passed them today at the park, a playgroup of blanket babies and their moms camping out in the shade, assorted picnic blankets, strollers and trendy diaper bags strewn about. I remember that stage because it was so refreshing to stumble out of my messy house and head to the park to meet with the other new mommies of twins. Some of us got into the habit of stopping off for cupcakes (oh, the joy of a pink box!) beforehand, making the whole experience a double treat: adult conversation and cupcakes! Little did I know that this whole stage of babies staying put would be so short lived.

It happened quickly, the dissipation of our blanket baby days. The slightly older M— twins were first, toddling to the far corners of the park, their mother shadowing them while the rest of us looked on with trepidation. Who would be next? I couldn’t face this view of the future, this time away from the blanket, so I pushed the thought away and sought comfort in that pink box of cupcakes. Life was still good.