Does driving a minivan make you an official mom? If it does, then count me in!

From the moment I found I was having twins, I knew that a minivan was the only option for me. While I haven’t had the full first hand experience of twins, I’ve been on the periphery of my brother and sister in law raising theirs. I saw how uncomfortable it was for them to fit 2 car seats in a small SUV like mine. It’s not to say that you can’t survive, but being on the taller end, I knew it would mean being pushed up to the steering wheel to accommodate the infant carseat. I also knew it meant only someone with a small behind could sit in the middle (been there done that). Not to mention small parking spaces and trying to wedge between a small open car door to get not just baby, but full on infant carseat out of that car.

They quickly ended up switching to a large SUV which worked great for them. Being a passenger in their car and also traveling with them in a rented minivan, I knew that the minivan was the better choice for me. Comfort over style, I know. The sliding doors and the huge trunk space were appealing features. Plus the fact that I do not have the driving/parking skills of my sister in law to effectively navigate one of those huge SUVs. I have a tendency to bump into walls and that’s just while walking!

So I am now the proud owner of a minivan. I have my carseats installed. I’m all ready for the twins’ arrival. Well all ready in respect to the car. Don’t get me started on all the anxiety of whether I’m really ready, which I know no one ever is.

The last couple of weeks have been pretty focused on preparing the house for my soon to arrive roommates (both the babies and baby nurse). This nesting thing is real, although it comes in spurts and at weird times. I might be here in my house all relaxed in the early evening and then at 9 PM, I all of a sudden get it in my head that I have to find a place for the toys or really need to move the blankets I stored in one place to another. It’s pretty crazy, but also very useful.

Leading up to the weekend of baby showers, gifts from my registry started to arrive. Once that Sunday evening came, my house looked like an unorganized baby store. I was able to sort everything into categories: bath stuff, toys, blankets, bibs, electronics, etc. That gave it a little more order. Then last Friday, the cribs and dresser were delivered which made it even more real. I spent a lot of time last weekend washing loads of baby clothes and sheets and getting everything put away. While I still have a ways to go, I feel I’m more ready.

Last night or this morning when I was up at 4 AM, I started thinking about charging the camera and getting the baby monitor set up (or at least reading the instructions). I know there’s still much more to do, but at least I feel that if for some reason, they came early, I have enough stuff to get by.

The hard part of all of this organizing and nesting is that I get tired quickly. My body responds when I’m pushing it, so it’s sometimes only a 20 minute spurt and then I need to take a break. It can be frustrating, but I also know that it’s for the best.

This whole prep is a little weird because I’ll be moving a little after their born, so there really is no nursery right now. The 2nd bedroom will be where the nurse sleeps and my living room will have lots of stuff (along with piles of some already packed boxes for the move). I’m trying not to think of the clutter too much and also trying to not stress about the new house. It will all come together and once the babies arrive that’s all I’ll be focused on anyway.

The only thing I’m worried about is making my babies feel comfortable and at home in their environment. A year ago I was going through the disappointment of my 4th failed IUI and now I’m like 6 weeks away from giving birth.