Share A Toy? Who Are You Kidding?

THE TODDLER’S CREED

If I want it, it’s mine.
If I give it to you and change my mind later, it’s mine.
If I can take it away from you, it’s mine.
If I had it a little while ago, it’s mine.
If it’s mine, it will never belong to anyone else, no matter what.
If we are building something together, all the pieces are mine.
If it looks like mine, it’s mine.

(Dr. Burton L. White)

Ella had the wipes case and was playing quietly by herself. Aidan decided that he wanted the wipes case.

She tries to get it back

She looks to me to solve the problem.

She makes one more feeble attempt to get the wipes case back into her possession...

...but ultimately gives up, clenching her tiny hands into tight fists and gritting her teeth.

Aidan may have won this round, but she has certainly won her fair share in the past!

Wordless Wednesday

Ella and Aidan love to give each other kisses!!

Why? Because He Can!

Aidan has discovered that he can crawl on top of the train table.

Luckily, he also knows how to get down!

Her Little Shadows

I saw a young mother with eyes full of laughter
And two little shadows come following after
Wherever she moved, they were always right there-
Holding onto her skirts, hanging onto her chair,
Before her, behind her - an adhesive pair.

“Don’t you ever get weary as, day after day,
Your two little tagalongs get in your way?”

She smiled as she shook her pretty young head,
And I’ll always remember the words that she said:

"It’s good to have shadows that run when you run
That laugh when you’re happy and hum when you hum -

For you only have shadows when your life is filled with sun".

Wordless Wednesday

Two Sick Babies

What is worse than having one sick baby?

Two sick babies!

It feels like we just got over them being sick a few weeks ago...and here we are again.

Ella LOVES her bunny!

Poor little guy!

In his happy place - the bucket!

Aidan developed a runny nose on Saturday and by Sunday, was full blown sick and had passed the runny nose to Ella.

Yesterday was a madhouse of no naps, drippy noses and lots and lots of tears. By bedtime it was chaos. Both Ella and Aidan just wanted to be held and cuddled - a task made quite difficult with only one parent around.

Surprisingly, they both went to bed just fine, but Ella was more congested than she has ever been and kept waking up screaming (which is totally unlike her these days - she is our sleep champion).

The third time she did this, she threw up. All over her bed, her bunny and herself.

It scared the heck out of her - and me!

Knowing that Aidan would not sleep through and would be up soon, I called Mike at the fire station and he came right home. I am so thankful that he did because the night was extremely rough.

Ella threw up two more times and insisted on being held by me all night long. She got about 2 hours of sleep. I got none.

Mike took Aidan and slept with him as best that he could next to a flailing baby who likes to kick and punch in his sleep.

Hopefully things will be a little bit better today.

Then and Now

That was then:




This is now:

Ella and "Baby"

I'll explain Ella's "cape" in another post....

Here you can see Ella's new "knee walking". She travels the room like this all of the time...maybe it is a pre-curser to walking???

Where's Mommy?

I think she’s out to lunch, guys. Or maybe she went to check out that new swanky bar Uptown for an afternoon cocktail (okay, it’s 10am, but close enough)? No? Well, then she went to the mall to update her lame wardrobe of lounge pants, jeans, ratty t-shirts and flip-flops? Or how about she went for a day at the spa filled with a massage, mani-pedi, facial AND haircut?

Oh, wait…there she is! She’s coming around the corner right now. See! See! She just went to the bathroom for the Guinness Book of World Record’s shortest pee. That’s all, no need to cry.

You’d think I was some crazy, selfish, negligent mother the way Ella and Aidan act when I leave the room. I used to have such content little babies, but ever since they hit one year, the cling factor has ratcheted up to unimaginable proportions. It’s one of the less-than-attractive realities of having twins, really. Two whining, crying babies clamoring to get into your arms, clawing at your pants, trying to climb up your legs, digging into your shoulders with their sharp little nails for fear that you’ll, heaven forbid, put them down ON THE FLOOR!

Don’t they know that it’s physically very difficult for me to carry them around at the same time? Yah, guys, God put those two legs on you so you can get to your highchair on your own. If you’re so upset that I am going into the kitchen to get your milk, just walk on in there with me. I’ll even let you play in the open refrigerator. It doesn’t get much better than that! Oh, you say that you’re so upset that you can’t move? As soon as you see me stand up you have to turn into a limp fish and sob face down on the floor?

…And so it goes…

It’s times like these that I get really frustrated. Frustrated that I have two babies - and not one - to soothe and comfort and distract and pick up and hold and cuddle. I realize that at just 15 months these two are still new to this world and that separation anxiety is a very real developmental issue. I want to be there for them and help them through this time. But it’s hard! Not as hard as when they are both sick, but still nonetheless hard.

I used to have the luxury of being on the computer, cooking, cleaning, etc. while they happily played. Not any more. Those activities are now reserved for nap time instead.

So, I’ve decided to really enjoy the time I have to play with them instead of feeling resentment that I can’t cross off things on my " to-do list,” or do free-time type activities. Because really, what is better than playing, reading and totally romping around with two of your most favorite people in the universe?!

And so I continue to walk this road one step and one day at a time. And the great thing about it is that for the time being, I can always count on there being four little feet following really, really closely behind my own.

Wordless Wednesday

Future Drivers

Driver's Education - Here We Come!

Driver # 1 - Talking on Cell Phone

Talking on Cell Phone AND Not Looking Where She is Going

Driver # 1 - STILL Chatting on Cell Phone

Driver # 2 - Distracted by a Shiny Object

Neither are Paying Attention - Not to Mention that they are Both Driving Backwards!

Aidan and His "Hat"

While it is a well known fact that Aidan dislikes wearing a hat, strangely enough he absolutely LOVES to wear his toy "hat".

I bought a set of cloth stacking blocks about six months ago and ever since he discovered that the largest "block" fits his little head, he insists on wearing it throughout the day.

A few of his favorite things to do in his "hat" include:

Reading

Looking through the Telescope

Playing Peek A Boo

Playing with the House

Getting into Trouble (he likes to climb up on the hearth and bang his head on the fireplace door)

Having a Snack

Anatomy of a Simple Diaper Change

Step 1 – Prepare Your Arsenal – Gather diapers, box of wipes and any diaper rash creams, etc.

Step 2 – Have Toy Handy – He / She most likely won't sit still anyway, but it always helps to hand them something acceptable to play with as a distraction.

Step 3 – Prepare Changing Area - Lay out blanket as a changing pad on floor. We gave up on the changing table ages ago – basically as soon as they became massive wigglers, it simply seemed safer to change diapers on the floor.

Step 4 – Prepare Baby – Lay down baby to be changed and unfasten clothing. This is where it gets tricky.

Step 5 – Prepare Armory for Baby Being Changed – As soon as one baby is seemingly rendered helpless on the floor, it is inevitable that the other one finds this as a prime opportunity for torture. I have found that it is best to prop up your legs as a “wall”…but you must be prepared for a leg workout. The other baby will undoubtedly hang on, and attempt to climb over, under and around your leg. When he/she realizes that one leg is a successful barrier, they WILL move around you to the other side (i.e., leg), so be prepared at all angles!!

Step 6 – Hold Down Baby Being Changed – At this point, the baby being changed will realize that a game has begun, and will twist and turn in ways many of us adults have never even seen in Twister! Hang on with all your might. You must not let him/her get away! Hopefully, no diaper rash cream is needed – if so, well, that is an entirely different ballgame. Let's just way that I have found myself with Triple Paste in my eye before!

Step 7 – Put Clothing Back on Baby – This must happen quickly! They now not only understand how to unfasten their own diapers, but also each others’! Thankfully, they have not yet learned how to undo their own snaps and buttons.

Step 8 – Release Baby # 1 and Repeat with Baby #2 – No need to exercise or lift weights today – by the time the day is done, you will have repeated this very same exercise at least six times. That is enough exercise for one day!

Step 9 - Close Wipes Container – It is advisable to do this BEFORE you leave the room.

Picured below is what happens when Mom forgets Step 9 and leaves the room to throw away the dirty diapers!

Their facial expressions are priceless. Ella clearly started the game, and Aidan simply picked up where she left off!

15 Months

15 Things for 15 Months

Ella
1 Has developed a sudden interest in dolls and all things cuddly (stuffed animals). Yesterday, she crawled across the room, picked up a doll, looked at me and said (clear as a bell), “Baby”.
2 Says “Day-Do” (thank you).
3 Is scared of cats.
4 Loves to be rocked before bed. She puts her little head on your shoulder, cuddles her bunny and is perfectly content to rock for hours.
5 Still very timid at trying new things – she always lets Aidan lead the way. She is an excellent copy cat!

Aidan
1 Took his first steps on Tuesday, August 5.
2 Is much more aggressive in his play than Ella – loves to “Hulk Hogan” everyone and everything. By that I mean he wrestles and pounces with such force that he knocks everything over!
3 Has no fear of anything at all.
4 Still wakes up once a night (anywhere between 10:30 and 3 AM)– not for any particular reason.
5 Identifies each and every truck that he sees. Lately, he will say “Tuk, Brr” (Truck, Vroom).

Both
1 As previously noted, mealtimes have taken on a whole new level of messiness lately.
2 Love to laugh at, and entertain, each other.
3 Are very sociable with others, Ella even seems to be over her “stranger danger” phase.
4 Seem to be developing a bit of separation anxiety if I dare to leave the room.
5 Love to dance!

We have “survived” another month with twins.

In the beginning, there was a lot of survival mode. There were times when I got mad, times when I got frustrated, times when I lost my cool and all three of us were crying. I freely admit that there were really, really hard parts.

But, it’s not like I ever felt as though I somehow wouldn’t make it through. The times when I felt really overwhelmed didn’t last too long at a stretch. Looking back, a lot of it is a blur. And maybe that’s part of the survival mode bit. I can scarcely remember what I did when they were three months old. And yet, I did it. Whatever it was, it happened. I wasn’t spinning out of control. We all had food and drink and clean clothes and dry diapers. As we all know, people always ask “how do you do it with two babies?” And my answer remains the same: “you just do.”

There were lots of things that helped. My moms of twins club and the friends I made through it. Blogging. Getting out of the house. Routine. Cutting myself some slack.

When they were newborns, people would randomly come up to me and say “it gets better!” I thought it was odd (even annoying) at the time. Did I look that strung out? The babies weren’t screaming, all was well. And yet, I do that to other people now. Alas.

It really does get better. Less never-ending screaming for no apparent reason (I’m not saying it disappears completely, but there’s a whole lot less). More sleep (most of the time). Sitting up, I remember, was a big milestone that seemed to change the way we all interacted. Crawling even more so. Walking is on the horizon.

While it definitely gets better as they get older, I hesitate to say it gets “easier.” It gets… different.
At the beginning, it’s all feeding and sleeping. Bottles got easier, more predictable, faster. They held them on their own. They got into a good nap schedule and they slept through the night. That stuff is easier.

And yet, now there are entirely new things. Opinions, frustrations, distractions. Childproofing. A sudden dislike for grilled cheese, which was such a hit last week. Sleep is certainly easier than the, say, two-month stage, but it’s never great for too long. Nap strikes, the impending 2-to-1 nap transition, early risers.

I think, if it is actually easier, that has more to do with confidence and knowing your kids than it does about the actual challenges. Now I have to worry about things like falling down the stairs and slamming fingers in doors.

And yet… it’s better.

Way better than the haze of the newborn days, wondering why they wouldn’t sleep for more than 10 minutes at a stretch for four straight days. At the time, I questioned whether I’d survive. Now, if they skip a nap, we deal.

Here we are. 15 months. We made it.

Now, onto even bigger adventures.

This video makes my heart just melt - I think it is so funny to see just how hard they both laugh at their Dad!!

The Food Wars Have Begun

Sweet potato in the hair.

Yogurt smeared all over the tray.

Two excited babies each with a spoonful of oatmeal. Shake spoon excitedly! Yell loudly! Food goes flying….seriously, it’s airborn. It’ll hit the table behind them, or the floor two feet away, or perhaps, one of the dogs as they walk by.

And that is if, and only if, they haven’t managed to simply toss the bowl of oatmeal on the floor without even giving it a try.

Their favorite trick is to throw something over the side (of the high chair, the crib, the stroller) and then lean way over to watch it. Where did it go? On the floor? How fascinating to see it there! Let’s see what happens if I do it again!

The latest indication that they are “all done” appears to be sweeping their hands back and forth across the tray, thus tossing all leftover food onto the floor. My floor is covered with small bits of snacks and splotches of purees. I can never seem to clean it enough.

I can’t say I’ve ever dealt particularly well with the mess. I have resorted to dinner in a diaper only because I think makes perfect sense. Why get clothing covered with food when you don’t have to? But this isn’t really a practical solution for all meals.

To top it all off, telling them "No" just results in glorious squeals of laughter. Holding their hands still, well, that is apparently even funnier. Taking away the tray and declaring an end to the meal seems cruel - what if they are still hungry?

They have always been such excellent eaters, but lately, meals are an all out exercise in patience on my part. I should note that it really isnt Ella - she is never the instigator. She is; however, a copy cat. Thus, once Aidan starts his antics, she immediately copies him.

I have to wonder, what do other parents do, especially those of multiples? What am I doing wrong? Is this simply a developmental stage, or am I already inadvertently leading these little ones down the road to bad manners?

If you are a reader of this blog and have ANY suggestions...I welcome them!!

The below video is just a small sample of how the food ends up on the floor!

Wordless Wednesday

Swimming

We rarely get the opportunity to enjoy a weekend with Mike at home (because of the way in which his shifts are scheduled), so when he is off for an entire weekend, it is like a breath of fresh air. We can actually have a weekend that mimics what most families have every week!

Any firefighter’s wife can attest to the fact that while they are at work, there is little time for a decent (much less complete) conversation. Sometimes, we may go the entire 24+ hours and never even get the opportunity to speak to one another.

Needless to say, we took full advantage of his time off and did our best to pretend we were the typical family enjoying a relaxing weekend. On Saturday, one of Mike’s parent’s friends came over to help us rehang our exterior kitchen door. We had the hardwoods sanded / refinished and hardwoods installed in the kitchen while we were in Atlanta last weekend. As a result, the kitchen door was no longer usable, as it was too long and needed to be cut off a few inches. When they were done, he invited us to bring the babies for a swim in their new pool.

We would never turn down a chance to go swimming! Off we went and their pool is simply stunning! Beautiful rock walls, a really cool waterfall feature and fancy blue concrete really give the pool a resort feel!

We had a blast (so did the babies!!).

Atlanta Weekend

Last weekend we headed to Atlanta to visit with my family for several days. It was a fabulous weekend filled with fun and laughter. Mom had “baby proofed” the house as best as she could, but they still managed to discover every nook and cranny! She had also stocked up on all of their favorite foods so that we didn’t have to bring anything with us (thanks sooo much Mom!).

Kiki and Gary came over and brought an amazing dinner for all of us on Sunday night. They even brought homemade chicken fingers for the kids that were so delicious that we all kept sneaking our own bites!
On Monday we went to the IKEA store. Wow – what an adventure! We had lunch at the cafeteria, then shopped for quite a while. Mom and Dad bought Ella and Aidan a nice little toddler table with two chairs and an art easel that has a chalkboard on one side and a white board on the other. They can’t really use these just yet, but are things that have been on my “wish” list for them as they continue to get bigger.

A few highlights for Aidan:
* Opening and closing doors – he became obsessed with this and would sit for 10 minutes at a time just opening and closing the same door.
* Toilets – The average toilet is the perfect height for his little 30”+ body to stand at and splash away!

* Opa – little Aidan could not get enough of his grandfather. If Opa was in the room, Aidan insisted on being in his arms or lap.
* The refrigerator – if it was open, he was in it!


A few highlights for Ella:
* Lights – she was absolutely captivated by the dimming and lighting of the lights in the kitchen area. You have to see the video – she kept saying “Oh, WOW!” (I cannot seem to get the video to load - be on the lookout for it in a future post!)
* Newspapers - enough said!


* Mixing bowls – the louder the better!


One highlight shared by both:
* The stairs – neither one had ever climbed a stair before (ours are hardwood and too scary!), and both were pros they were obsessed with climbing the stairs – over and over and over and over and over………


Off they go!

Thanks Mom and Dad for a fantastic weekend! We miss you so much!