There are two words that strike fear into the hearts of twin mom’s everywhere.   Mom’s of singles don’t even flinch at these words.  In fact, I’ve often heard them say “It was so easy!”  Right….

Honestly, I’m scared to type them for fear of running of my fellow twin mom followers :-p

But I’ll do it… only because I know you’ll need me to an example for you.

Hold your breath… here I go:

Toddler Beds. (or big kid beds of any kind).

Sweet mom’s of singles, I’ve heard your stories of how your

“toddler didn’t even know they could climb out.”
“Didn’t phase them at all.”
“Had a couple rough nights and naps, but after that she/he understood that bedtime was bedtime.”

Oh, but I’ve never heard anything like that from a twin mom.   No, my twin mom friends who are ahead of me said stuff like:

“Toddler beds are worse than potty training!!!”
“I’ve had to sit in there for 3 hours not talking to them and just putting them back in bed.”
“We took everything out of their room except their beds, and reversed the door knob to lock them in.  It still takes them 2 hours to fall asleep.”
“Melissa, do everything you can to avoid that transition.  Buy crib tents.  Duct tape their legs together.  Wait until they’re four!”

No, lie… I’ve heard all of that.

So a long time ago, I resolved that my girls would be in their cribs until they were three and longer if they were content.

Almost three weeks ago Aeralind learned to climb out.

She wasn’t even two yet!  It’s not a fall… it’s a controlled rock climbing excursion that I can hardly even hear from downstairs right below her.

The same day she mastered the art of door knobs.

Crib tents are out of my budget.  Bronwyn isn’t climbing out or even close (surprisingly) so why should I put them both in toddler beds?   To top it off… Aeralind can’t climb back in once she’s out.

Did I mention I’m expecting a baby in about 6 weeks and there is no way that I’m going to be fighting her to stay in bed for 30+ minutes at nap time, when I’m going to want that nap myself?!

The first night of her new found skills, she threw all of her bedding in her sister’s crib and then ran into the nursery where we had stashed a peck of apples and proceeded to take one bite out of 7 different apples.  Daddy caught her (I was out) returning an apple to a squealing Bronwyn.

The next night she received discipline for each climbing out.  She didn’t dare climb out at the beginning of naps, but if I waited too long to get her up from a nap she’d climb out and party/torture sleeping sister.

By week two, things were looking good.  We thought we had won the war.

We were wrong: we’d just won battle number one.  Poor Aeralind comes climbing down the stairs at 9pm one night nearly in tears because she’s so tired and embarrassed and can’t get herself back in bed.  The next night she stood outside her door until daddy saw her and mumbled ashamedly “Daddy, ca ca (poop).”  He changed her and put her back down.

Bright and early (7am!) on her birthday morning, we hear her door open, and watch as she gleefully pulls the stool out from under our bed and climbs up to join us.

Um,….this is not okay (even if it is so stinking adorable!).

Suddenly, I remembered a conversation with Julia during her visit, that went something like this:
“Brad asked me when were were going to stop putting the girls in sleep sacks and I said ‘Never!’  I don’t want them climbing out of their cribs.”  The next moment one of our girls flew by doing something crazy and the conversation ended.

I could make a sleep sack.  We could give that a try.  Aeralind can’t climb out if she can’t put her leg next to her ear and pull up on it… right?

Momma! I can’t believe you’re doing this to me!

So for her birthday… she got a cute purple straight jacket sleep sack (Bronwyn did too).

I guess I’ll just go to sleep.  Sigh.

It looks like the tide of the war might be turning in my favor….

for now.