The Power of One

Ok, so I can't get my pictures to publish right now, so I will post some oh-so-cute pictures soon, but until then I wanted to post about my latest deep ponderings/realizations.  On Wednesday I took Claire to the Doctor (see previous post, and just fyi I am going to pick up the strong antibiotic today).  I left Jacob at Nana's house for the appointment which meant that I got to experience something that I practically never get to experience.  I got the tiniest taste of what it is like for a parent to have one child because outside of the 28 minutes that I was pushing Jacob out, I have never had this experience.  I cannot even begin to tell you all how much easier a doctor appointment with one child is (even if I have help for the other child).  Also, after the appointment I had to stop at Wal-Mart to get the supplies (also see the last post).  But I also just can't get over how easy Wal-Mart was with one child.  I have two double strollers in my car, but I didn't have to get one out, I just carried her in and quickly got the things that I needed while I carried her or she walked with me; this means that I got to skip the getting out and unfolding a stroller with a trip to both sides of the car to unstrap and restrap two kids and the weaving down the isles with quick turns to keep the little hands on both sides of the stroller from pulling things off of the shelves in each isle.  I also got to skip the screaming from two children for pretzels ("papoo") the whole way through the store (if one of them forgets then the other will remind them).  This is all not to mention the both sides of the car unstrapping and restrapping with a folding of a double stroller when I get back to the car (I think I just mentioned it).  This whole experience totaled less than 1 hour (which it never would have with 2) and it really got me thinking.  I think because I have always had 2 and will always have at least two I just moved on and never thought too much about what having one would be like.  Just to clear it up for all of you out there who think twins are just twice as hard, you are wrong...it is more than twice as much work, I can now speak from my little one hour experience.  It got me thinking about all of the other things that are more than twice as hard, I could make a list, a long one, but instead I will tell you all (actually probably some) of the reasons that two are more fun:

*My kids are best friends, as soon as one wakes from a nap (the only time they are really apart all day) they start calling for they other, they get so excited to see each other.

*I feel like we get twice the laughter, they make each other laugh so much that I think more laughing happens than would with one

*My kids still haven't learned the word "mine" I think this is because their cribs and clothes are literaly the only things that they have of their own.

*They keep each other company at night and it reduces the bedtime screaming...they may keep each other up, but I actually love their little parties.

*We ALWAYS go through the whole gallon of whole milk before it goes bad.  (usually 2 probably).

* There are always enough of us for a game of ring around the rosies ("wowee")

*I get to be a member of a club that has an ENORMOUS gently used kids stuff sale 2 times a year...it is awesome.

*I only had to be pregnant once for 2.

*My kids are socially astute...they really know how to and love to play with other kids.

*They always have an partner in crime (this is more for their own sake, but it keeps me on my toes and I actually find more humor in the crime because of it).

*I learned VERY early in motherhood how to let a child cry and not feel so bad about it, I learned this out of necessity because you  can only do some things for one child at a time.

*Coordinating outfits are really fun, and people love twins!

*I will never have to go through the experience of "Oh Wow I have to kids now, how will I do this and how will I give them both the attention they need" phenomenon because we skipped right over that.

Now, I don't think that anyone else has an easy parenting experience, but my little experience just made me think about what I never did experience.  Yeah for kids, yeah for lots of them and applause for the parents of many children.