Ready or Not Here We Come!: The Real Experts' Guide to the First Year With Twins [Paperback]

Elizabeth Lyons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 27, 2007

2nd Edition, updated and expanded!

You've expanded (to the point where you've traded high-fashion maternity wear for your husband's XXL T-shirts), answered way too many questions about your babies' conception, and felt your belly bounce like jelly as your dynamic duo engaged in a boxing match. And the adventure has only begun!

In her first humor-packed guide to raising twins, Elizabeth Lyons and her "multiples" sorority offer the wisdom of their combined experience in the form of practical shortcuts, real-world strategies, and sage advice.

Topics include:
- Preparing the Lair: Mandatory Gear for Babies and Mom
- Twinproofing Your Marriage
- Breastfeeding Strategies (and Why It s Okay if You Don t)
- Unsolicited Advice: Stories from the Trenches
- Getting Twins on a Schedule Preferably the Same One

Lyons balances the day-to-day challenges of raising twins from double feedings to sleep deprivation to getting out while pretending everything's under control with a sanity-saving dose of camaraderie. By the end, you ll be smiling and shouting, "Thank heaven, I m not alone!"

"Elizabeth Lyons' humorous yet realistic perspective provides new parents of twins with a great starting point from which to embark on that all-important first year." Dr. Bob Covert, Leading Chicagoland neonatologist

"Elizabeth Lyons captures the universal discourse of sisterhood while guiding new mothers of twins through the first year." Kathy Voit, RNC, Labor and Delivery nurse

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The advice you need in the short, funny format your sleep-deprived mind can absorb."- Lisa Earle McLeod --Forget Perfect

"Real-world advice with a healthy dose of humor from a mom of twins who s been there!" - Nancy Bowers, RN --The Multiples Pregnancy Sourcebook

About the Author

Elizabeth Lyons lives in Arizona, because it's sunny even on days when it looks like an F5 tornado hit her home. Even then, she continually coordinates while consuming vast amounts of chocolate a busy household that includes a heroic husband, a dramatic daughter, and an indescribable set of twin boys (who now have an energetic younger brother). Her articles and advice have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Parenting, Pregnancy, The Baby Years, First for Women, Blue Suit Mom, Better Home & Gardens, and on numerous websites.

Product Details

• Paperback: 261 pages
• Publisher: Finn-Phyllis Press, Inc.; 2nd edition (April 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974699020
• ISBN-13: 978-0974699028
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,687 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Twins & Multiples
  • #57 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Motherhood

More About the Author

Elizabeth Lyons vividly remembers the day she sat down at the kitchen table and began writing her first book. She was 6 years old. She started with chapter 8 because starting from the very beginning seemed an awful lot of work. When she discovered that she couldn't write an entire book in a day, she quit. Because there were enough other proverbial fish to fry that taking more than 24 hours to complete one project seemed nothing short of absurd.

She invented her first game, Jakbat, at age 3. She wrote her first song (with the very original title "It's really a song") at age 10, and fully expects the newest boy band to pick it up any second. And she insists that she invented the battery-operated heat-generating ice scraper but sadly admits that she didn't run to the patent office fast enough. Lesson learned.

These days, Elizabeth is many things: mom, wife, friend, lunch maker, chauffeur, hostage negotiator, author, on-call plumber, tile layer, guitar student, window washer, product designer, and on and on. She is the author of Ready or Not...Here We Come! and Ready or Not...There We Go!, humorous, solutions-packed, tell-it-like-it-is guides to the first year and toddler years with twins. She is also the author of You Cannot Be Serious: and 32 Other Rules that Sustain a (Mostly) Balanced Mom.

One thing she is not is Superwoman.

She simply demands the right to do things her way--a way that often defies even the most creative imaginations--and she strives to inspire others to do things their way (once they figure out what their way is!).

So, what exactly is an inspirational entrepreneur anyway? Truth be told, it's a term Elizabeth's husband came up with to describe someone who not only is entrepreneurial based on what inspires her, but encourages, inspires, and motivates others to do the same.

Elizabeth lives in Arizona with her husband, five kids, two dogs, two fish, four barely surviving organic gardens, and whatever (or whomever) else has taken up residence with them in the last five minutes.

Please feel free to contact Elizabeth at author (at) elizabethlyons (dot) com. She would love to hear from you, and she prides herself on punctual responses. But if you send an e-mail between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., you'll have to wait a bit because those are the hours during which she either thinks about or actually engages in sleep, the latter of which is completely non-negotiable.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Encouraging AND entertaining, August 8, 2007

By 

E. Blackwell (Skokie, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ready or Not Here We Come!: The Real Experts' Guide to the First Year With Twins (Paperback)

When I found out I was pregnant with twins, a twin-mom friend told me that this was the only twins book I'd ever need. I found it immensely helpful before and after I had my boys. It takes you through strategies that never come up with one child: how to feed two screaming babies simultaneously, how to get them on the same schedule, how to handle all those bottles, etc. Best of all is the book's tone: funny and encouraging (similar to Vicky Iovine's "The Girlfriends' Guide" books). The book never tells you what you MUST do, but it offers real-life examples from real moms of twins, so you can try out what works for you. We mothers of twins need all the help we can get, and I really felt like this book was there for me during some very tough times.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book!, August 14, 2007

By 

Malea (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ready or Not Here We Come!: The Real Experts' Guide to the First Year With Twins (Paperback)

This book has been a refreshing break from all of the boring factual pregnancy books I've been reading. Elizabeth Lyons has a way with her words that convey honesty, bluntness, sincerity, and her love for her children all at the same time. I have not put this book down since I received it as a gift 2 days ago and will probably finish it today. I love the author's sarcasm and her "don't sweat the small stuff" approach to raising her children. The author also recommended several helpful websites to visit and items to purchase. I know this book has helped me and will continue to help me throughout the first year of my boys lives. Thank you Elizabeth!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy Read, May 16, 2008

By 

crazydoc (Boston, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ready or Not Here We Come!: The Real Experts' Guide to the First Year With Twins (Paperback)

The best thing I like about this book is that it maintains an enthusiastic energy throughout. It approaches having twins like an adventure rather than an insurmountable task. I am a physician so I really appreciate the common sense practical advice. For instance, the fact that there is a waiting period for getting into the best daycare centers and it is okay to put ear plugs in, if both babies start screaming together to dull the noise! I liked it so much that I ordered the sequel "ready or not here we go". It also provides advice about what to buy and breastfeeding twins.