Peyton Rose as a newbornMy friend Tricia is an amazing mom. She is a mom who had twins and had to face things some people never have to face in their lifetime. And through it all, she continues to be selfless and strong. I admire her so much. She is as much of a fighter as her daughter Peyton, who along with older (by one minute) brother Andrew, are reminders of how precious life is, and how love and faith can get us through even the toughest of times.

Tricia and her husband Stephen were trying to start a family. She had a miscarriage in 2007, and of course that adds an element of fear when trying again. Late in 2010, Tricia learned she was pregnant again ... with twins. But her cervix was thinning and opening at 18 weeks. This is her story of hope, loss, and love.

When I tell strangers I have twins, sometimes their eyes get real wide and they give a look like oh my gosh how are you even still standing after going through that? How do you live? Twin mamas will back me up there. And if those people find out you are breastfeeding, then you become Mother Milk Goddess or totally insane. I'm a good balance of both, and accept praise and support whenever I can get it because it helps supply. Positive reinforcement = more ounces produced. At least that's what I believe. The less stress, the better.

Breastfeeding twins isn't always easy. But I know of no other way to breastfeed as I only have twins. So how do you survive breastfeeding twins? Like this ....

When you're out in public with twin babies, you often feel a little bit like a celebrity -- people stopping you every five seconds to get a look in the stroller, to comment on their cuteness, and ask a bunch of questions. My little guys seem to love the attention, responding to the baby talk with perfectly-timed, flirty grins, like born politicians. As I've said before, I actually don't mind it because, hello, who doesn't enjoy people loving on your kids?

Buuuut, sometimes people just say the dumbest things. I noticed when I was pregnant that my giant orb often turned strangers into mushbrains, and as I'm learning, it apparently happens around babies too...especially twins! Obviously, they're just trying to make conversation, and I get that, but still. Most comments are totally benign, many make me think, "Whaaaat?" and one in particular really pisses me off. Some examples...

Like many first-time parents, I was quick to sign up for a Mommy and Me class soon after my babies were born. But, I guess I didn't think I was busy enough juggling two babies and my part-time writing gigs, so I went ahead and signed myself up for a twins group as well ... like a Mommy and Me and Me ... or a Mommy and Us. Oh, I don't know. Point being, I'm now taking two, yes, two different classes, loading up on information about everything from bonding to sleep to baby development. 

But, there's another reason I joined these classes -- to make me some Mommy friends. There, I said it. Yep, I never thought I'd be the girl who wanted to talk about tummy time and sleep cues this much, but I'm digging it and now on the prowl for some new Moms to talk baby tushy with. The thing is, making new friends in my mid-30s kind of feels like my teen years all over again, complete with the self-consciousness and "uch, why did I say that?" second-guessing that I thought I had grown out of.

Before my babies were born, I took an infant care class where they warned us not to leave our babies in their car seats or bouncers too much or they could wind up with flat spots on the backs of their heads (plagiocephaly, in medical speak). They explained that it could distort their facial features and even slow down their physical development, and in severe cases, a baby might need to wear a helmet for several months. Of course, at the time, I thought, "I'd never let that happen! No, sir, my babies are going to be doing tummy time, all the time."

Flash forward several months, and there I am at the physical therapist's office, discussing my twin baby's flat head and the other baby's stiff neck.  And as she's explaining to me that they need more tummy time and shouldn't be spending so much time in their car seats, all I can think about is how I've already failed as a Mommy.

Though Halloween is over, most of us are still stumbling around in the sugar-induced spirit of the season. You may or may not remember many of the costumes you saw in the blurry night of trick-or-treating, but here's one you couldn't forget. 

These 8-month-old twins are dressed as Goose and Maverick from one of the all-time best movies ever made -- Top Gun. Their wagon is their plane, and the accompanying music just puts it over the top. They're the cutest little wingmen you'll ever see. Take a look for yourself.

Whenever I talk to new Moms about raising my identical twin boys, they often say things like, "Wow, I don't know how you do it!" Since these are my first babies though, I can honestly say that I just don't know any better. I mean, is it harder to have two relatively easy babies or one super-colicky baby? Because when I hear about babies who scream in agony for hours straight, I tend to think, "Wow, I don't know how she does it!"

One thing I can tell you though is that having twins isn't just about juggling two newborns. The joys and challenges of life with twin babies goes beyond double duty feedings and diaper changes. It's not simply that everything you might do with one baby, I just do twice. No, caring for twins is a lot more complicated than that -- emotionally and physically. It's pretty freaking incredible and pretty freaking exhausting, too. When it comes to raising twins, here are a few things you might not have thought about ....

So, about 12 weeks ago, I gave birth to two handsome little babies that we've nicknamed Herman and Berman. Yes, I'm in love with them and find myself constantly open-mouth gumming their chubby cheeks with such enthusiasm, I'm concerned I might one day try to eat their faces off ... really. Okay, no, not really.

Sure, it's one big lovefest now, but I've gotta be honest: about six weeks ago, my husband and I were losing our freakin' minds. Up until then, they had been such sweet, easy little bundles, and we were sure it would just get easier from there. But before the "it gets better" part, they decided to take a detour and steer us toward a crazy-making place where no one ever sleeps and the cries just keep on coming ...