Top 10 Popular Twins Baby Names in 2008
Choosing your baby’s name is not picnic. But choosing twins babies’ names is even more daunting.
A child’s name can be so significant in their identity, their personality, their popularity, etc.
With twins, it’s even more difficult. Do you name them similar names to celebrate the fact that they are twins or do you name them completely different names to underline their individuality? Well, the answers to these questions are completely subjective. But here is a list from the Social Security Administration on the Top Twins Baby Names for 2008. Now you can get a glimpse of what other people are doing.
| Rank | Names | Number |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob, Joshua | 69 |
| 2 | Daniel, David | 59 |
| 3 | Jayden, Jordan | 56 |
| 4 | Ethan, Evan | 50 |
| 5 | Taylor, Tyler | 43 |
| 6 | Gabriella, Isabella | 42 |
| 7 | Isaac, Isaiah | 40 |
| 8 | Madison, Morgan | 38 |
| 9 | Elijah, Isaiah | 36 |
| 10 | Ella, Emma | 35 |
Product Watch: Rock-a-My-Baby on a Door Top
We love ingenuity around here at Gigi’s Crib and this new crib by Swedish company Mawok has definitely met our high standards! It seems babies would naturally embrace this bed… smooth rocking motion to remind them of momma’s belly, soft padded mattress and the added convenience of hooking up right next to your bed for nightly feedings and cuddling. Ahh…who could ask for more?
Here is the product description from the company:
“Soft hammock
A soft and enfolding hammock is a prerequisite for the baby to lie safely when Mawok smoothly rocks up and down, and in addition we know that babies like sleeping snugly. Furthermore, although no known cure for SIDS exists so far, pediatricians recommend back sleeping, and in Mawok babies lie safely on their back, the SIDS recommended position. The mattress is made out of styrofoam, measuring 29 x 78 cm, with a cotton canvas cover (washable at 60 degrees Centigrades).
Suspension
Two new modes of suspension are offered, one permanent which is attached to the wall and one mobile which is simply hung over a door. The mobile solution is a safe and neat solution which is easy to suspend in new places, a solution unique to Mawok. The hammock is easily and quickly alternated between the two modes of suspension. This means that your baby always sleeps in its ”own” bed, day and night and even if the place changes.”
My only concern would be what if someone opens the door and you have the baby hooked up on the inside? It’s not very idiot proof and I am not sure if this will get approved in the US. No pun intended, but I can just see how this can go wrong if unattended or if attached to unsafe locations.
I wish they would come up with one of these for adults! And it even comes with a mosquito net so you can hang your baby from a tree for a good nap in the park. 
What do you think about this product?
If you own one, what can you tell us about it?
Are Your Children TV Addicts?
Some days I wish my daughter WOULD WATCH TV all day!!! Does that make me a bad mother???? I try to FORCE her to watch TV – but no luck??? Am I the only one who has a child who won’t watch tv??? Even when I absolutely need her to? I should be embarrassed to admit this but if you knew my daughter, you would understand. She epitomizes the energizer bunny. She just doesn’t ever stop. Most days I cant even cook her breakfast without witnessing the terror attacks on our cat with the laundry hamper (she traps the cat underneath it like a cage and tries to be “nice”), the stampede on our 13 year old pitbull (Most days she tries to see how long she can stand on the poor dog while she flips around on the swivel chair–thank god our dog is docile), the destruction of every piece of furniture and wall in the house and soooo much more!!! She is out of control.
I feel like I have to pick my battles most days. If I dont, I end up SCREAMING at her all day and my vocabulary consitsts of — NO, dont do that. DOnt do this! Stop it!!! Im warning You!!! Come here!!! NO NO NO!!! We dont eat crayons!!! NO NO NO, we dont take off our diapers!!! And so on and so on!!!
There are times I BEG her to watch TV!!! Just for 30 minutes! Doesn’t work! Go figure!
Anyway, this new study by the Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute, indicates that television may reduce speech in the home and, in turn, could hinder a young child’s language development.
Researchers at attached a small, business-card-size devices to 329 children from 2 months to 4 years old on random days each month during a two-year period to capture everything a child heard and said. They found that while the average adult speaks about 1,000 words an hour, that number goes down by 25 percent to 50 percent when a television set is on.
“This builds a pretty strong argument that television delays language development,” said Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute and professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. “And the effects of learning words is not just about language development but also cognitive development.”
Christakis suggests eliminating TV for children under 2 years and limiting television time to two hours a day for older kids. He also said parents should keep the television off during meals, avoid using TV as a reward, keep TV out of the bedrooms and turn off the tube when a chosen program ends.
Now, this is coming from just one mother of a two year old, but I have not noticed any delay in her speech development from watching TV. In fact, I’ve noticed she picks up new words and songs. She can even sing her ABC’s now, count to 10 and sing the Barney Song. She knows a lot of other songs also that we didn’t teach her that she picked up from the Sprout channel – The Happy Birthday Song, Twinkle Twinkle and a bunch more! And she is 22 months old. She knows a lot of colors and other things they include in the shows and when we play together, her Dad an I reinforce those things as well. We read books, sing songs, count to 10, do puzzles, and pretend play but COME ON — how much of that can you do in a day???
Obviously, if you left your child in front of the TV all day and didnt interact with him/her at all, OBVIOUSLY, that would impair social skills and cognitive development. They learn from copying others around them and speech is best learned through real human interaction.
Have you ever tried to learn to speak another language through DVD’s and books??? Not so good right??? But what if you moved to that country and actually interacted with the natives??? Language skills and fluency jumped through the roof, right?? You pick up the meanings of sooo many more words and expression simply through observing and communicating with a human being. Things like that you can’t pick up from TV, a book or a class. However, they can reinforce what you’ve learned through repetition and further practice on your own.
Children are the same way. They learn from actual real life communications with their parents and TV, books, etc. can reinforce that k nowledge. Leave them in front of the TV all day and you only get half the recipe.
I am not sure how these researchers came to the conclusion that children should not watch ANY TV at all. In my humble opinion, everything in moderation can be useful, healthy and even further your child’s development. But don’t take my word for it. I’m no certified scientist or child development researcher.
What do you do during the day with your children?? What kind of activies do you participate in? Do you let them watch TV??
Are You NOT Having Sex with Your Husband?
We just love studies on relationships and sex! It’s so voyeuristic reading about what 80% of people are SUPPOSEDLY doing.
In a New York Times article (you can read it for yourself here), American couples are having sex 58 times per year. That’s roughly once per week. That’s roughly 58 MORE times than I am!
Wait?? What??? Um yeah! Now you know why I am so into this crap!
Anyway….. apparently this number is a median as there is a wide variation between couples under 30 years of age (111 times per year) and couples over 30 (58 times per year) and then freaks like me (1 per year). Where is my violin. Oh never mind.
Apparently, it’s not so uncommon. “It’s estimated that about 15 percent of married couples have not had sex with their spouse in the last six months to one year, according to Denise A. Donnelly, associate professor of sociology at Georgia State University, who has studied sexless marriage.”
Are couples in sexless marriages less happy than couples having sex?
Generally, yes. There is a feedback relationship in most couples between happiness and having sex. Happy couples have more sex, and the more sex a couple has, the happier they report being. But keep in mind that sex is only one form of intimacy, and that some couples are fairly happy (and intimate) even without sex. In my 1993 study, I did find that people in sexless marriages were more likely to have considered divorce than those in sexually active marriages. There is no ideal level of sexual activity — the ideal level is what both partners are happy with — and when one (or both) are unhappy, then you can have marital problems.
There are mixed opinions about what to do to rekindle marital sex. For some couples, it may be as simple as a weekend away from the kids, taking a vacation or cruise, or just having some time off, alone. Others may need help in re-establishing communication and may seek professional assistance. The sad fact is that there are few counseling professionals that deal with this issue. Often, marriage counselors focus on other aspects, rather than sex. While these other aspects may play a big role in sexual inactivity, talking explicitly about sex is essential.
Some of our former respondents have kept in touch with me, and the happiest ones are actually those that have moved on to other partners. It may be that lack of sex is a signal that all intimacy in a marriage is over, and that both would be happier in other situations. I know that this may not be a popular idea with the religious and political right, but it may be a better solution than staying in a marriage that is hurtful and unfulfilling.
In sum, these situations are just so complicated. Each couple has to examine their specific histories, their motivations and goals, and whether it is worth it to them to work on putting sex back in the marriage. It can be a difficult task and require that people take emotional and physical steps that aren’t comfortable for them.
I find this very interesting indeed. How about the fact that people let themselves get fat, sloppy and disgusting in the course of their relationships.
Or they get so bored of having sex with each other, they prefer to wash the floors or get a root canal?
Or maybe their man is soo “tapped out” from his daily porn obsession, he is just not “up to” having any more with an actually human being?
Or maybe their man is too selfish to make it satisfying for their woman?
Or maybe both or one person has an intimacy issue and eventually it catches up to their relationship?
Or possibly, there may be an illness or disability or some other physical condition preventing sex?
I’d like to blame my sexless marriage on the 65 pounds I gained from pregnancy that I still haven’t lost 2 years later and on my DH probably hating my guts (figuratively and literally).
What do you think???? Are you in a sexless marriage??? Have you been in a sexless marriage?? How did you resolve it?
Convertible Stroller Turns into Bicycle & More
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Wish I lived in the Netherlands or at least someone would make this in the US! Hint hint Bugaboo and Graco!! Come on keep up with the Europeans! This stroller really does seem like something I would use! I do have to admit, there are a lot of gizmos and convertible kid furniture and such that seems somewhat pointless to me, but I think this Dutch company Taga hit on something awesome here! It’s reminiscent of the Bugaboo slim and modern design but with an extra kick! And it seems to store well in a smaller trunk for those of us who don’t drive 18 wheelers and would like some space for our groceries. It also promotes healthier living for those of us who live in walking distance to the market or in a city. Also, since it is completely carbon emission free, Taga is a smart and convenient substitute for a car in large cities such as New York. It will allow you to reach greater distances throughout the city while still caring for the environment and getting some needed exercise.Gosh… I can soo see myself with this thing if I still lived in the city!!! I wouldn’t need a car for those short trips to the drugstore or supermarket but I could still use SOME type of transportation! I have to admit, it’s brilliant! Taga also won a Red Dot Design Award for their ingenuity. Child seating can be reclined for a sleeping little one, and there’s both a hood and rain guard for protection against the elements. Future options will include seating for two children, a car seat adapter, a cart mode, a wooden double seat and extra front-end protection. The Taga is available in stores throughout Europe and the UK, where pricing is GBP 1,695. It’s available in Red, Orange, Blue and Green! Sighghhh…… I have 7 words?? When is it coming to the US???? Whom am I kidding – I live so far away from civilization, this would only be useful for getting our daily mail! |
The Battery Fairy
There is not much I have control over in this life. I mean I have no control over my body (I think my hips spread at least 10 cm each night as I sleep), no control over my children (although they do at times pretend to know how to behave), and certainly have no control over the endless
tidal wave that is the laundry pile in my mud room. However today I got to experience God like power. Normally my interaction with our playroom falls under one of two things : I am either cleaning and organizing it, or I am pointing at it telling the children to “go play” so I can talk on the phone, do my hair, etc. Today, I realized pretty much every truck, helicopter, train, and bus needed batteries. So armed with a Phillips head screw driver, and over 50 batteries I sat down and began the task.
The first thing I thought was incredibly annoying was the fact that I actually NEEDED a screwdriver…what was is with these toy companies – it is a battery people not a toxic bomb! And just as I was getting all smug in my thought, immediately thinking it “blog worthy” Chase found a battery and stuck in his mouth. Now this in itself would be not THAT big of a deal if he had not found the ONE battery that had leaked. Seriously. 800 batteries and the kid goes for the freaking battery that is spewing toxic liquid everywhere. I immediately felt remorse for my earlier comment – for all those mothers that love to ignore their children as they play in the playroom like I, I say, thank you to the toy manufacturers that have created those screw portected battery compartments. I can not rest easy next time I point to the playroom, barking “Go Play” a call to Posion Control will not be necessary. (Well okay not for battery consumption at least).
Secondly, toys are MUCH cooler when they can do the stuff they are supposed to. Seriously those Hess trucks were barely getting played with (and since we have one for every year since oh….300 B.C.) that is a serious waste of space. Well, I popped those C batteries in like it was my J-O-B and they ALL came to life. I was soon surrounded by 40 trucks and motorcycles that were all screaming, revving, beeping. I felt like a Toy GOD. I cackled loudly at their movement, and raised my hands high above my head and screamed “DANCE little puppets DANCE” in a glorious moment of delusional power.
The only thing cooler than my momentary hallucinations of power, was the look on the boys’ faces when they saw all the toys. It was like Christmas morning – a million toys and they had no idea what to play with first.
So with the wave of that screwdriver that became little mental magic wand, I not only made the toys come alive, I created a nice quite (relatively speaking) afternoon for myself. Magic.
A War on Pregnancy: Just Say No
By the last month of my last pregnancy I was out of my mind. I could NOT WAIT to return to my slim self. I was all about it – I would wear mini skirts, I was going to love doing 1000 crunches a day, I would look at my size 4 friends with envy at their cute clothes, the swiftness at which they could move, the sexy shoes and I was SOOO over being pregnant. I was ready to perform my own c-section most days. I wanted out of pregnancy-ville and I was going to bring sexy back. I …WAS…DONE.
And I was. I worked out, I got the new clothes, the smaller waist….I was back. Then I see one of my friend’s that is pregnant and I want to be pregnant again. I HATED being pregnant. What is it though about seeing a pregnant woman that makes you forget that fact and instead think “Hey I want to do that to!?!?” All of sudden I am blinded by how great it is NOT to have to suck in your stomach for pictures, and the allure of flowing shirts with empire waists, and I begin to hallucinate about how much I loved being pregnant. I start to think things like…It wasn’t so bad. (Yes, it was.) I loved being pregnant sometimes (no, I didn’t..EVER), It was fun watching my belly grow (I was horrified).
And the main problem is, a lot like most drug addicts I am by the wrong people. I am running with the wrong crowd. The pregnant crowd. As discussed my friends are now reproducing at an alarming rate. Seriously, I am at the point that when someone calls me and says the words “Guess what?” I just have the auto reply of “Your pregnant.” Some of my friends have 3, 4 chidlren yet they go to a baby shower and I get the “I want another one….just one more” call.
I need to remind myself that these pregnancies create HUMAN BEINGS – babies are not meant to be collected and traded like a sticker collection or beanie babies. After the pregnancy there is actually a BABY to take care of which we all know is fine and dandy (because of course one look at baby shoes and all logic is COMPLETELY GONE) but that BABY turns into a CHILD. And a CHILD needs to be feed, and educated, and it costs a million trillion dollars. And it is going to be a lot like the three other “models” I already have now.
In the 80s we launched a “War on Drugs”. We need to bring the war back but realize this drug is more powerful than crack, more tempting than heroine: Pregnancy is really an epidemic; It is the worst drug us suburban moms have seen since Ritalian. We need to stop hanging out with the wrong crowd ,(you know the pregnant people) and put down the ovulation sticks.
Step away from the preggos and Just say no.
Almost ready…for baby
I feel like all of a sudden my body is just falling apart. Like my hips are being ripped apart, it is harder to breathe – I am really confused by it becuase I can DO alot of stuff (running around, lifting, etc.) and not get out of breath but sitting down for some reason leaves me breathless. Sometimes i feel like someone is sitting on my chest – so FAB! I feel A LOT of pressure on my stitch – I try not to say much but has become extremely painful.
The baby feels BIG. He is supposed to be about 5.5 lbs – I can’t imagine what a 10 lb would feel like. Scary. I am nervous still – just because I feel like I am so close now and I don’t want anythign bad to happen now! I came so far…..
So I have about 7 days to go! I have my last OBGYN appt tomorrow at 11:15 am ish. I am supposed to get all my instructions for my c-section because it is next monday at my appointment tomorrow.
I can’t believe I am here. I am so ready for our family to be complete, and just to move on from this phase. I can’t imagine what he is going to look like, I can’t imagine having a BABY again. LOL
10 days to go…
Went great except for the fact that I had three children witness and internal. I have some concerns about the boys exposure so young to my legs being spread, a light placed there, and stirrups that look like a torture device. You do realize that they will never remember the countless art projects, baking, days at the zoo that their childhood as contained. It will be that moment – the pap smear like event they witnessed that they will remember clear as day.
Normally my doc does not do them but she wanted me to get the Strep B test for some reason (even though I am delivering via c-section). The kids were great though – thank goodness. Every once in a while God has some mercy!
So I gained 2 lbs in the past 2.5 weeks. So for the pregnancy that puts me at 31 lbs or so. I am fine with that…. Long as i have this baby healthy and happy that is the small stuff! (See how great denial is!?)
The beat was good, I measured at 34 weeks and she told me my cervix is still long and closed..go figure.
I am definetely totally nervous about stillbirth and check the beat a lot more now because i don’t feel as much movement. My doctor said that is totally normal so I am trying not to freak. LOL. I can NOT believe I have about 10 days to go and he should be here!!!!!
My OBGYN does crack
He must. Because that is the ONLY way to explain what he said to me today.
In my meeting with my high risk fetal doctor, I had the biggest laugh of my life. This is of course, a very nice change of pace since most of my appointments with him in the past have ending with crying, hysteria, and just plain madness. (And if that is how HE was acting imagine my reaction! ) Anyway, today he said the funniest thing I possibly even heard: He said “This is such great news…You are doing so well, everything is holding fine. I am so happy to see you can do this and you should be so happy to know you no longer need a surrogate next time.”
UM…wait what!? I don’t need a surrogate NEXT TIME!? Has this man seen one too many whoo-haas and gone insane!? He is very well aware we have three children at home, one that is less than two months away from birth… I am counting FOUR kids here people..did this guy fail math? Does he think that only adds up to one or two!?
So I told him ”Doc, if I am ever pregnant again, the only thing I am going to ask you for is a bullet, and the only stitches perform would be in my autopsy.”
UM we are done. DONE. YOU HEAR ME !???!
