Fourteen weeks feels good. I’m officially in the second trimester, which seems like something to celebrate. In fact, I bought myself a little single-serving* bottle of prosecco to toast the occasion, but it has been sitting in my refrigerator, sadly neglected and nearly forgotten. I will have to find the right time to drink it.**
*Insert joke about how I used to like to think of the standard-sized bottle as a single serving. Ha ha.
**Insert defensive disclaimer about how having the occasional serving of wine during pregnancy is perfectly safe, yada yada, and please also note that I have not actually consumed any yet so there is plenty of time to yell at me about it if that’s your game, not that you would.
Well, we got off the rails a little bit there, didn’t we? How about a belly photo?
That didn’t come out very well — not great lighting this morning. I am sitting in my office all day today for one-on-one meetings instead of teaching in the classroom, so I thought today would be a good day to experiment with the maxi skirt, which is definitely more casual than my usual work attire. What do you think? Is this professional enough for college faculty? Could I get away with this on a regular day?
The Babies are Currently the Size of: A couple of “brilliant beets,” according to one app (is that a specific type of beet?) or a couple of lemons according to another. They’re growing, for sure! Actually, when I had my last ultrasound about 9 days ago, they were already measuring over 14 weeks, so at this point I have to assume they’re already a bit bigger than that. Grow, babies, grow!
How I’m Doing: I am still doing really well and still continuing to be thankful that pregnancy has been kind to me so far. I’ve been allowed to exercise again, so I’ve been enjoying some long walk-and-talks with friends at the indoor track, a couple of barre3 workouts, and bike sessions. (We have a “trainer,” which is a small stand for your road bike that will turn it into a stationary bike to use indoors, if anyone’s not familiar with the supercool cyclist/triathlete lingo). It feels good to be moving again!
I’ve definitely gotten to the point where I can no longer sleep on my stomach at all and sleeping on my back is starting to feel weird, so that’s not really happening either. I don’t love being limited to just side sleeping, but I’m adjusting.
Other News: I am so happy we finally were able to go public about the pregnancy. My husband and I have been so happy and excited and it’s been lovely to share that with our wider community. Of course, the interrogations over “whose family twins run in” have begun, and I’m currently just responding with, “I don’t know, but they run in ours now!”
Thoughts and Questions: I’ve asked my Twitter Ladies about baby monitors and received a wide variety of responses — I loved hearing that some folks do without completely, some do audio only, and some have video monitors they love that also are capable of showing the entire room (and thus, could show us both cribs). I get the sense that there’s no one perfect solution for everyone, so we can wait and see what we need when the time comes. I find this really reassuring.
But I have another question! This one goes out to any parents who are also runners or whose partners are: talk to me about jogging strollers, please. I do know you can’t run with a baby until they’re older and they have good neck strength (I’ve heard 6-8 months), so I realize I won’t need or be able to use a jogging stroller for a while.
I’m just wondering: do I really need to get a regular stroller AND a jogging stroller, or are there strollers out there that are capable of doing both functions? A jogging stroller with a front wheel that can be either fixed or swivel, perhaps? I realize these are bulky, so that’s a draw back. I’m just resistant to the idea of spending loads of money on a nice double stroller for everyday use and lots more money on a double jogging stroller. That’s just…a lot of stroller. I would like to be able to easily cart the kids around town and be able to take them on a run, though, so maybe that’s what I need to do? If you have both types of stroller, which one is worth splurging on, and which is OK to buy a more basic version?
I could also wait and see on this issue, of course, but we’ll need something to start with, and I don’t want to splurge on an everyday stroller if I’m later going to wish I’d spent that money differently, you know?
Advice, experience, ideas, and brand recommendations are welcomed. ❤
Raveling Out 
I can only speak to single strollers, not double, but for jogging strollers we were universally recommended a Bob, which I got off craigslist for about half of retail price. I could use it for everyday, but it is super bulky in the car, so I have a simpler smaller stroller we used for everyday trips that cost me (new) about half of what I paid for the jogging stroller from Craigslist.
A lot of the higher end strollers have good resale value on Craigslist if you end up not liking what you have.
I keep hearing good things about the Bob. Thanks!
Ok, so I didn’t get a chance to answer these questions on Twitter, and things have changed a bit since I had an infant 7 years ago, but…I will throw in my two cents. RE: monitor: I’m sure you remember the creepy video monitor we had in the living room when Dude was a baby. It was a drop cam (that did not pan; we just aimed it at his crib). We never used a monitor in the bedroom since our rooms are so close, and I wanted to be able to sleep (see: when Dude would even twitch in his sleep, I would wake up if I could hear/see it). For a long time, that just meant leaving the doors between our rooms also open, until he got older & I felt okay about closing them because I could still hear him cry. We used the stationary video monitor when we were elsewhere in the house/on the deck. Now they have apps you can watch the baby from across town if you need to, so…(not advocating leaving your babies alone in the house. Ha!) That’s just what we did, & it worked out. For my own sanity, I could not have slept with a monitor next to my head (see above explanation).
RE: strollers: We had the one that the car seat pops into, an umbrella (various ones, actually), and a jogging stroller when Dude got older. I loved having all three, and was very thrifty about the latter two (coupons/sales & ebay, respectively), and the big stroller & car seat combo were a shower gift. That said, I only had one baby. I would think a double pop&lock (or whatever they’re called; too lazy to Google) would be great for you because of cost and the annoyance, as someone on Twitter said, of getting babies in and out of bucket car seats. I have no opinion on brand. We had Graco almost down the line (the jogging stroller was another brand; not Bob, but another well-reviewed one I can’t remember), and they were always safe, economical, and good quality.
Also, I mention the umbrella stroller because I know how bulky double strollers can be, and they do make twin umbrellas, I think. But anyway, it occurs to me that if it were me, I might sometimes consider, when they get older, putting one baby in a carrier and one baby in the umbrella stroller, just for errands. Or one parent can wear one baby, and the other parent can push one baby. Just some thoughts.
Good ideas! I love the term “pop & lock” and will be referring to any such stroller that way now. I just can’t figure out if we need a monitor or not, on that subject. The babies’ room is super close to the living room, but farther from our bedroom. I need someone to stand in their room and make crying noises while I sit in the bedroom. Ha.
Hi. I was firmly anti-multiple strollers. We lived in the city and didn’t have space to store more than one. I wanted a stroller that was really flexible and could go pretty much anywhere. Ten years later, we are still using the same single B.O.B. stroller we purchased in 2005. We had a double B.O.B. at some point, too, when our third child was born but have since sold that. I would just highly recommend them.
That being said, with young twins, I would probably start with the Graco Snugrider for the first few months, when you will be transporting the babies to appointments or strolling them through the neighborhood or non-off-roading with them. Their car seats click in and out of the stroller and I think it would make your life easier during a tiring time. You can always sell it when they’re ready to move on up to a double B.O.B.
I like this idea of a car seat-friendly stroller early on and a jogger later. I am also really happy to hear from anyone who used a jogger for everyday stuff, since so many online reviewers say they don’t work well for that!
I just wanted to add to this comment that once I got the jogging stroller, and I purposefully sought out a compact one that was still functional for running (or, let’s be real, in my case, walking), I used it as our sole stroller (aka for everyday stuff) for a very long time. We even flew with it once, checked it at the gate. It folded up that well/compact. Even thought I can’t remember the brand now, and we got it lightly used off ebay, I’m guessing it was similar to a BOB city/mini, maybe even a little bigger, but we used it that way. Again, only a single seater, but still.
Our stroller/carseat was a gift and it’s a jogging stroller combo. So I could have run with Evie in it, I presume, but I didn’t because I just haven’t run. It’s a baby tend though and I can’t recommend them.
Good to know!
We were/are pretty adamantly one-stroller people, and we got the BOB and have loved it and used it for everything. I think part of why it’s works is that we use it a ton just from the house- we walk to things every day, and my husband runs with it at least once a week. If we were “use the stroller while out and about” people more than “use the stroller from the house” people I might feel differently about it though. We will get a double bob when ladybaby arrives in a bit, and again only plan to have that one.
That is good to know! I imagine using it in our neighborhood a lot, but it would also need to go in the car. We both have SUVs though, so I assume it would easily fit in either car.
Well, we have the Baby Jogger City Mini (http://www.babyjogger.com/product/city-mini/) and though it’s not designed for jogging, we’ve run with it just fine on smooth surfaces (not bumpy sidewalks). The front wheel locks. It’s been a great stroller and works with a car seat attachment. But it looks like their double stroller has two wheels, so not sure how that would work (on a side note, it’s a narrow double stroller compared to other brands – saw tons in NYC). Anyway, I guess my point is I think you can fudge a bit on needing a special stroller as long as you can control the front wheel and then stay on smoother surfaces. As for the monitor, we’ve never had one. But we’ve been living in shoeboxes…
We might not need a monitor, either. Our house isn’t too big, and I feel like I can hear everything already. The City Mini and Select both look like really good options — thanks for the rec!
Had to weigh in even though I’m late the party: We never used baby monitors–both in a tiny apartment and in a 4 bedroom house. Eh. You just hear ’em.
Strollers: I loved my Mountain Buggy stroller. I was actually going for short runs at 8 weeks with my sons–because the seat reclines all the way back to nearly flat, so neck control isn’t as much of an issue with padding. The 3 wheels are pump-ups and the front wheel swivels and can lock. Ulitmately, the stroller holds up to 70lbs of kid, so I used it for YEARS. I also had an umbrella stroller for quickie stuff later.
I only have one baby but I also only have one stroller. I bought a BOB fairly early in my pregnancy (first baby item purchased) when Amazon had a 40% off sale (if you are a Prime member, they are having a huge sale on July 15 so maybe look then?). I also purchased the car seat attachment so I could just snap him in when he was a wee infant. I assume the doubles would also have the connections for the car seat attachment. I do use the stroller when out and about at stores sometimes but honestly I wear him more often because it’s more convenient for us. I don’t think you’d have that option with two babies though. I mean, you could wear one and push the other but I don’t think they make wraps/carriers for twins do they?
Anyway, it is recommended that you wait until they are a little older before you run with them (6+ months). I actually started running with the stroller when he was 10 weeks old in the car seat but I was extra careful and only ran on smooth surfaces. The biggest concern is the stroller tipping over since with the car seat attachment it is a little top heavy. You could also talk to their doctor about what he/she suggests and whatever you feel comfortable with.
I actually store my stroller in the car (SUV) because we don’t really have a good place to keep it in the house. I only bring it in if I need to use the back of the car to carry other stuff or when I take the dogs places.