DOUBLE TROUBLE: TWINS, TRIPLETS BRING LOTS OF WORK, LOTS OF FUN

If having a baby provides a bundle of joy, does having twins mean double the happiness? Ask some parents of twins:

"You need to have a lot of patience, and even though it looks grim when you start out, it does get easier," said Patti Siemers, the mother of 3-year-old twins Jonathan and Jared.

Tammy Ostendorf, whose 5-year-old twin girls, Lindsey and Courtney began kindergarten at St. Mary's School last week, said when she and her husband Rick first learned they were having twins it was a shock. But the babies were good, and she had a lot of help from friends and relatives that made a difference.

Ostendorf advises anyone who has twins to simply "enjoy them. They grow up too fast. They are lots of work but also lots of fun. Now that my girls are at the age they are, looking back I would not do anything differently. You learn to do a lot of things you never thought you could do."

To Lori Reinagel of Kelso, "twins would be a snap."

She and her husband Ron have triplets who just turned 4, and also have two other children: Ashley, age 9, and Adam, age 6.

"I would hate to do the last four years over again. I am glad we are where we are at," said Reinagel, who is pleased the triplets are at an age where they can start dressing themselves and do more things on their own.

She proudly points out that the expensive triplet stroller the family owns will soon be sold, and the proceeds will be used to purchase three bicycles for Matt, Erika and Nick.

"People say to you there is just one or two more children, but nobody really knows what it is like. Everybody thinks twins and triplets are the same, but it's not. There are just not enough hands for three babies," said Reinagel.

All three mothers are members of an organization formed about three years ago in the area known as Mothers of Multiples. About 15 families are involved in the group, which provides support, social activities and educational information.

Reinagel and Siemers serve as co-chairmen of the group, which is affiliated with the national organization, Mothers of Twins.

Because of the time involved with twins during the first year, many moms do not become active until their children are past a year old.

"A lot of times people don't get involved because twins take up a lot of your time," said Siemers. "I like the group because it provides an opportunity to get together with other mothers that have twins, socialize and talk about things we have in common."

Ostendorf said she would like to have seen such a group when her twins were younger, and she looks forward to sharing information with new mothers of twins.

"I have gotten a lot out of the group. It is nice to be able to talk with somebody that knows what they are talking about with twins," said Ostendorf.

When Reinagel first learned she was having triplets, she turned to a California-based group known as the Triplet Connection. That provided a lot of information about what to expect and how to prepare.

Mothers with Multiples has been helpful for Reinagel, who said the group offers a lot of support. "They don't totally understand what I go through, but they are the closest to it. But they perfectly understand each other. I long for the day when somebody else around here has triplets. I would be willing to help anyone else."

Reinagel remembers vividly what it was like bringing three babies home from the hospital. "I'll never forget bringing three babies home and putting them in my house and my husband and I wondering, `what are we going to do now?'"

The organization meets the third Saturday of each month, and anyone interested in joining should call Reinagel at 264-3576. Besides meetings just for the mothers, there are social activities for the entire family such as a picnic held last week, and in May and October the group sponsors garage sales.

Ostendorf said when they are in public, twins draw a crowd and, very often, comments from people who say they feel sorry for the parents.

"It's not a big problem," added Siemers. "You just have to learn to do everything double. When we started preschool it takes two school physicals, you have to double the amount of clothes to buy, double the tuition. But you also have double the fun.

"But it is not as easy for a mother with twins to pick up and go to town. You think twice about going to town and ask `is it really worth it?'"

All three mothers say the challenge of dealing with twins and triplets was eased by fathers willing to do their part and parents, in-laws, family and friends who came in to help. Having an opportunity to spend one day each week away from the kids is a big help toward preserving sanity, they say.

Siemers' husband Jerry has a dairy farm that requires him to milk 110 cows twice a day, which limits the time he has to help.

One problem with multiples is that other children in the family can be left out because of the attention drawn to the others.

All three families are careful to make sure the older children are not left out.

Ostendorf said her 7-year-old daughter, Whitney, has been a big help and gets along well with the twins.

Siemers' other son, 6-year-old Justin, often steps in when his twin brothers are being admired to proclaim: "I'm the big brother."

Reinagel said she doesn't think her two older children realize how unusual things are with triplets in the family.

With her twins starting kindergarten, Ostendorf believes the hardest part of multiple children may be ahead as the two are compared in everything from grades to athletics.

"A lot of people expect them to be exactly alike because they are twins, but that is not the case. They have very different personalities," said Ostendorf.

Even though the past few years have been challenging at times, all three quickly agree that being mothers of multiples has meant far more multiple joy than trouble.

"Somebody asked me the other day if I would take a million dollars for my triplets," said Reinagel. "I said I wouldn't trade them for all the money in the world. We've worked too hard for them."

Added Ostendorf: "Once we got into the routine, we had it easy. I know a lot of parents have hard times with their multiples, but we've had it good. Now, I'm not saying I would want another set, but we have had it pretty good compared to others stories I have heard."

Siemers said having twins means you have "two times the fun. Some days it is twice the headaches, but some days they do such cute things. A smile, a kiss, a hug, and an ~`I love you' can make it all worthwhile."