This one may be the most exhausting one since sleep training at 2 1/2 months. William figured out how to climb out of his crib a few nights ago. In the morning, we heard some excessive giggling coming from his peanut gallery (Michael) and when Dada went to investigate, W was hanging out on the floor between the beds. Later that day, Nanny discovered his method was simple - boost self up onto crib rail, and then haul leg over side. Lower or drop self to ground. Suddenly those crib rails look too low, yet really high all at the same time.
Solution was provided by retired Nanny - turn the crib around so the short side is up against the wall. Brilliant. Not as brilliant as William. Today, while Mama was changing diapers for the peanut gallery, William just launched himself over the side rail on the crib. Landing not so graceful, but objective achieved.
Solution - remove the front panel of the crib and now we have a toddler bed.
Here's the thing - you never anticipate this happening. You spend 8-9 months preparing for the baby to arrive - you wash all the sheets and blankets, you fold everything neatly (one friend even ironed all her daughter's clothes), you have all the cute little baskets around the room all well organized. When that baby is born, you're ready. Fast-forward 20 or so months, and it's all you can do to get the kids' clothes washed, let alone ironed and organized. And by this time, the kids know how to get into the dresser drawers, so why bother folding. The clothes are toys and the toys get shoved back into the drawer when the kids are safely into their cribs. Uh Oh.
Yep, you've got it. If you want the room to stay at all tidy, the only solution now is to remove everything (and I really mean everything) from the room. Or this will happen: 15 minutes after the nanny left leaving Mama on 'get the kid to take his first nap in a bed duty', I went in to check on the boys and put W back to bed. W was having a ball running all around the room. M really wanted to sleep, but couldn't (and greeted me with the look that says "Seriously, mom. Can't you do something about this kid"). William had taken every single stuffed animal (remember they are twins, so we have a veritable Noah's ark here) AND every single piece of clothing, sheets, blankets and one lone burp towel and tossed them into Michael's crib. So now Michael's got to sleep in the ball pit, William's running all around and Mommy really needs some quiet time.
Solution - housekeeper running vacuum right outside kids' door. I swear this has never worked for my kids. But today it did. Not 5 minutes after the noise started, the boys snoozed. For a good 2 hours before W rolled over in his sleep and rolled right onto the floor.
Solution - none. We'll figure that out tomorrow.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Monday, December 28, 2009
The legos are having babies
Christmas is now in the past and I'm left to deal with the detritus of this giving holiday. Despite the lack of tree, we still had many gifts to open at our home and at Nana & Grandpa's. Now, our playroom (family room) has a new look:
White gift bags scattered all over the floor - I hesitate to dump them in the recycle bin, as sometime they morph into 'clean up bags'. And there really is something super cute about Michael walking around the kitchen (yes, walking!) carrying a shopping bag just like mommy's.
Puzzle pieces - the alligator piece is eating the dump truck piece which is running over the simple square. the bases of the puzzles are stuffed under couches, riding around in the back of the 'real' dump truck, buried under piles of Legos.
Legos - and these other fun (fun!?) blocks that are part of the new Little People set. Everywhere. Sometimes stacked into super high towers by William. Sometimes thrown around the room. Sometimes dumped out of the box onto someone's head. And Mommy hasn't even opened the box of the Little People Farm. Or the mega-bag of Mega Blocks. Why would I - in the past 2 days, the 33 block Lego Duplo set has certainly multiplied into 379 blocks. I'm sure of it.
And yet, even though Mommy spent part of nap-time cleaning up all these little bitty things, and even though we were 10 minutes before leaving to pick Dada up at work, and even though it was n't entirely necessary, Mommy still took the neat, tidy box of Legos and dumped it over her head. Why? Because for the remainder of the 10 minutes before leaving to pick Dada up at work, two little boys giggled and giggled because Mommy dumped the legos over her head.
White gift bags scattered all over the floor - I hesitate to dump them in the recycle bin, as sometime they morph into 'clean up bags'. And there really is something super cute about Michael walking around the kitchen (yes, walking!) carrying a shopping bag just like mommy's.
Puzzle pieces - the alligator piece is eating the dump truck piece which is running over the simple square. the bases of the puzzles are stuffed under couches, riding around in the back of the 'real' dump truck, buried under piles of Legos.
Legos - and these other fun (fun!?) blocks that are part of the new Little People set. Everywhere. Sometimes stacked into super high towers by William. Sometimes thrown around the room. Sometimes dumped out of the box onto someone's head. And Mommy hasn't even opened the box of the Little People Farm. Or the mega-bag of Mega Blocks. Why would I - in the past 2 days, the 33 block Lego Duplo set has certainly multiplied into 379 blocks. I'm sure of it.
And yet, even though Mommy spent part of nap-time cleaning up all these little bitty things, and even though we were 10 minutes before leaving to pick Dada up at work, and even though it was n't entirely necessary, Mommy still took the neat, tidy box of Legos and dumped it over her head. Why? Because for the remainder of the 10 minutes before leaving to pick Dada up at work, two little boys giggled and giggled because Mommy dumped the legos over her head.
Friday, September 18, 2009
celebrating similarities
We have twins (big surprise since that's the name of my blog) and these boys are as different as red and a water tower. I could go on for days over their differences. Their similarities are even more fun to reflect upon - They both love to giggle. They both are snuggly when it is what they want to be doing (Ok, one likes to snuggle more often than the other). They both love playing super-peek-a-boo with my old cottage quilt. They both love splashing in the bath tub.
And today, after 7 months of disparity, they both can walk!
William started stumbling around the room in an independent, upright manner about 7 months ago. He's now proficient enough that he will even take Mamma for a walk and is quite demanding if the route veers from his intended direction. Around that same time, Michael decided he'd do some army crawling, but that if something in the world was really important, it'd come to him.
So we've worked and worked and worked with him. He visits Miss Karla each week for some playtime PT where he has been learning that there is a pretty fun world up high. And Miss Allison comes over weekly for more playtime and Michael has learned (among other things) what "up up up" really means, besides just a means for getting out of the crib after nap time.
This week, our visits came with mixed results, and I have to admit I was beginning to get a little discouraged (like the discouraged that says "if this is part of the programming being cut in the state budget, will I continue it out of pocket? well probably yes, but reluctantly, maybe yes"). At PT, Michael was kind of uninterested. William was really the star of the show as he figured out how to take a suction-cup ball and a plain ball and attach both to the mirror. That kid's crazy ;) But today with Miss Allison, Michael had tons of fun putting together puzzles, dumping (and eating) cheerios, and stacking cubes. With high spirits came solid balance, so he was 'almost' standing, and enthusiastically walked around the room while holding onto Jessica's (nanny) hand.
Tonight, we were lucky because Dada made it home early from work and was here for post-dinner playtime. As I tried to demonstrate Michael's one-handed balance, he decided it'd be ok to let go and just walk over to Dada. Just like that.
And after a lot of cheering (which of course startled him, distracted him and caused him to crash), we tried a few more times with similar success.
And then William realized what was happening, raced across the room and knocked Michael right back onto the floor for a reprise of the army crawl. Which is much slower than William racing.
And today, after 7 months of disparity, they both can walk!
William started stumbling around the room in an independent, upright manner about 7 months ago. He's now proficient enough that he will even take Mamma for a walk and is quite demanding if the route veers from his intended direction. Around that same time, Michael decided he'd do some army crawling, but that if something in the world was really important, it'd come to him.
So we've worked and worked and worked with him. He visits Miss Karla each week for some playtime PT where he has been learning that there is a pretty fun world up high. And Miss Allison comes over weekly for more playtime and Michael has learned (among other things) what "up up up" really means, besides just a means for getting out of the crib after nap time.
This week, our visits came with mixed results, and I have to admit I was beginning to get a little discouraged (like the discouraged that says "if this is part of the programming being cut in the state budget, will I continue it out of pocket? well probably yes, but reluctantly, maybe yes"). At PT, Michael was kind of uninterested. William was really the star of the show as he figured out how to take a suction-cup ball and a plain ball and attach both to the mirror. That kid's crazy ;) But today with Miss Allison, Michael had tons of fun putting together puzzles, dumping (and eating) cheerios, and stacking cubes. With high spirits came solid balance, so he was 'almost' standing, and enthusiastically walked around the room while holding onto Jessica's (nanny) hand.
Tonight, we were lucky because Dada made it home early from work and was here for post-dinner playtime. As I tried to demonstrate Michael's one-handed balance, he decided it'd be ok to let go and just walk over to Dada. Just like that.
And after a lot of cheering (which of course startled him, distracted him and caused him to crash), we tried a few more times with similar success.
And then William realized what was happening, raced across the room and knocked Michael right back onto the floor for a reprise of the army crawl. Which is much slower than William racing.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
my life as a Facebook status
I'm spending the evening home alone with the kids, so I've had some time for some interesting reflection. The most strange, or perhaps disturbing, realization is that I find myself thinking in Facebook status updates. Something (ordinary or unusual) happens to me and I start composing my memory as if I am writing my status. Complete with the "Tina Campbell is..." beginning. Perhaps this is how ordinary people are able to "Tweet" all day long. So here was my day:
7:30am - Tina Campbell is so happy that the boys were quiet til 7:30am since she had a kinda late (but fun) night out w/ the girls last night.
8:30am - Tina Campbell wonders how she is going to teach the boys that it's not ok to move the kitchen chairs all around.
9:00am - Tina Campbell is looking forward to talking to the 100 new Junior League provisionals very soon.
9:30am - Tina Campbell is frustrated that there's never open parking around the Junior League headquarters, and can't believe she left the bag full of parking meter quarters on the kitchen counter. ugh.
1:00pm - Tina Campbell has decided that although the splash park is fun, it is WAY too hot (90deg) to go all the way over to the park, so will do poop patrol and let the boys play in their little pool.
3:15pm - Tina Campbell wonders why the lady in the minivan waiting for her parking spot is throwing dirty looks her way as she walks the shopping cart back up to the front of the store. There are tons of close parking spots. Find a different one.
5:15pm - Tina Campbell is so proud of the boys at dinner tonight. William made some good progress holding a fork and Michael ate hamburger, pears, strawberries and cheese without getting any stains on his clothes!
6:30pm - Tina Campbell's poor little william must be getting more molars. cried so hard that he needed 15 minutes of mommy-snuggling to calm down before bed. good thing my arms are long enough that michael could get sympathy snuggling at the same time.
8:30pm - Tina Campbell thinks it's kinda weird that she has begun to think in the format of Facebook status updates. And at the same time is irritated with her husband for letting his phone break while he is on his fantasy football draft weekend away.
9:00pm - Tina Campbell has just realized that in 10 hours, the whole thing will begin again. So instead of writing about all the mundane things that happened, she is going to bed so she can dream about a day where the boys play nicely together without moving the furniture, the poop patrol is done by someone else and the dishes are washed by the elves. She is also hoping that whatever tooth prompted the meltdown has cut through by morning.
7:30am - Tina Campbell is so happy that the boys were quiet til 7:30am since she had a kinda late (but fun) night out w/ the girls last night.
8:30am - Tina Campbell wonders how she is going to teach the boys that it's not ok to move the kitchen chairs all around.
9:00am - Tina Campbell is looking forward to talking to the 100 new Junior League provisionals very soon.
9:30am - Tina Campbell is frustrated that there's never open parking around the Junior League headquarters, and can't believe she left the bag full of parking meter quarters on the kitchen counter. ugh.
1:00pm - Tina Campbell has decided that although the splash park is fun, it is WAY too hot (90deg) to go all the way over to the park, so will do poop patrol and let the boys play in their little pool.
3:15pm - Tina Campbell wonders why the lady in the minivan waiting for her parking spot is throwing dirty looks her way as she walks the shopping cart back up to the front of the store. There are tons of close parking spots. Find a different one.
5:15pm - Tina Campbell is so proud of the boys at dinner tonight. William made some good progress holding a fork and Michael ate hamburger, pears, strawberries and cheese without getting any stains on his clothes!
6:30pm - Tina Campbell's poor little william must be getting more molars. cried so hard that he needed 15 minutes of mommy-snuggling to calm down before bed. good thing my arms are long enough that michael could get sympathy snuggling at the same time.
8:30pm - Tina Campbell thinks it's kinda weird that she has begun to think in the format of Facebook status updates. And at the same time is irritated with her husband for letting his phone break while he is on his fantasy football draft weekend away.
9:00pm - Tina Campbell has just realized that in 10 hours, the whole thing will begin again. So instead of writing about all the mundane things that happened, she is going to bed so she can dream about a day where the boys play nicely together without moving the furniture, the poop patrol is done by someone else and the dishes are washed by the elves. She is also hoping that whatever tooth prompted the meltdown has cut through by morning.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Terrible almost twos
Sixteen months and 5 days. That is how long I lasted with the two most perfect babies on the planet. On the 16th month +6 days, the perfectness came crashing down. At least 1/2 of it.
From the moment of their birth, I've known that William would be the one to push the boundaries. He's been chewing furniture since 6 months old, pulling on computer cords since he could make a fist (always), climbing on the couch for months now.
With climbing came standing up on the furniture and diving off of it. So the 1st two rules we've taught are "stay on your bottom" and "get off feet first". He's got both down like a champ. And he's really good at following the feet first (after a few head-first dives resulting in scrapes, bumps and bruises). But it is with great delight that he chooses to disobey on the sitting. Beyond just the fact that I don't want kids who stand on furniture, when he stands up on the loveseat, he's apt to stumble over the back onto the kitchen tile. When he stands on the couch, he pulls on and bangs the wood blinds. Not OK. So in the past week, he's had no less than 14 timeouts. All for giggling at me when he pops up and won't go back onto his bottom.
But even with his timeouts, although he fusses a little, he's still been a pretty sweet, fun little boy. Today, however, all has changed (either that or someone came in the middle of the night and traded babies on me).
For lunch, I made a yummy plate of cheese, chicken, avocado and corn, with strawberries and bananas for dessert. All their favorites. William (I call him that even though I'm still thinking maybe someone had replaced my kid last night) ate a few pieces of his lunch before very deliberately throwing pieces, one at a time, onto the floor. And by "deliberately" I mean - picked up a piece, held it up to me as if trying to feed me, snatching it and putting it toward his mouth, and then moving his arm out to the side and throwing it down onto the floor. With each piece of food. So I said all the things you're supposed to say to your kid when he's throwing food on the ground. And I gave him 3 tries. After the 3rd piece of chicken was tossed to the floor with one hand and a piece of cheese simultaneously tossed with the other hand, lunch ended for William. Imagine how jealous he was when Michael got to eat the rest of the avocado AND the strawberries and banana.
By dinner time, it was looking like Sweet William had returned. He sat on my lap to quietly drink his milk and then played in the kitchen while I finished up the mac & cheese. But when it came to getting into their high chairs...I am not sure who the child is who showed up. We got the full back arch, stiff legs (think light as a feather stiff as a board, but not light as a feather). There was no way I was getting him into this chair.
And tears - the great big alligator kind. And some of that hysterical crying I haven't seen since he was about 4 months old - the crying where he forgets to breathe and turns purple. So I put him on the floor and continued to quietly feed Michael (and I will say - I am pretty sure Michael gave me a "ha. I'm the good kid" smirk a couple times). While William clung to my leg like a squid. And cried. And screamed. Well, just like I don't want kids standing on furniture, I also don't want kids who eat while running all around the house. We eat at the table. Well, "we" don't, but we will. The boys do.
I'm not quite prepared to let my still pretty small kids go to bed without any supper. So I did bend him out of his stiff as a board pose enough to strap him into the seat for a few bites of mac & cheese and fruit. But I got no thanks for it. As soon as Dada got home, William was wrenching himself out of the chair into Dada's arms.
So I've now got this testing and pushing to look forward to. And as it seems to go in this house, I'm sure I wouldn't be too far off in guessing that as soon as William starts to behave, Michael will launch into his testing and pushing and trying of my patience phase.
I will still try to be fun mommy (with the boundaries), and when I have more days like today, I'll stick to my survival rules - deep breathing in the driveway, blaring Bon Jovi when I'm alone in the car, venting to my mother and, when all else fails, remembering I could be the Octomom.
From the moment of their birth, I've known that William would be the one to push the boundaries. He's been chewing furniture since 6 months old, pulling on computer cords since he could make a fist (always), climbing on the couch for months now.
With climbing came standing up on the furniture and diving off of it. So the 1st two rules we've taught are "stay on your bottom" and "get off feet first". He's got both down like a champ. And he's really good at following the feet first (after a few head-first dives resulting in scrapes, bumps and bruises). But it is with great delight that he chooses to disobey on the sitting. Beyond just the fact that I don't want kids who stand on furniture, when he stands up on the loveseat, he's apt to stumble over the back onto the kitchen tile. When he stands on the couch, he pulls on and bangs the wood blinds. Not OK. So in the past week, he's had no less than 14 timeouts. All for giggling at me when he pops up and won't go back onto his bottom.
But even with his timeouts, although he fusses a little, he's still been a pretty sweet, fun little boy. Today, however, all has changed (either that or someone came in the middle of the night and traded babies on me).
For lunch, I made a yummy plate of cheese, chicken, avocado and corn, with strawberries and bananas for dessert. All their favorites. William (I call him that even though I'm still thinking maybe someone had replaced my kid last night) ate a few pieces of his lunch before very deliberately throwing pieces, one at a time, onto the floor. And by "deliberately" I mean - picked up a piece, held it up to me as if trying to feed me, snatching it and putting it toward his mouth, and then moving his arm out to the side and throwing it down onto the floor. With each piece of food. So I said all the things you're supposed to say to your kid when he's throwing food on the ground. And I gave him 3 tries. After the 3rd piece of chicken was tossed to the floor with one hand and a piece of cheese simultaneously tossed with the other hand, lunch ended for William. Imagine how jealous he was when Michael got to eat the rest of the avocado AND the strawberries and banana.
By dinner time, it was looking like Sweet William had returned. He sat on my lap to quietly drink his milk and then played in the kitchen while I finished up the mac & cheese. But when it came to getting into their high chairs...I am not sure who the child is who showed up. We got the full back arch, stiff legs (think light as a feather stiff as a board, but not light as a feather). There was no way I was getting him into this chair.
And tears - the great big alligator kind. And some of that hysterical crying I haven't seen since he was about 4 months old - the crying where he forgets to breathe and turns purple. So I put him on the floor and continued to quietly feed Michael (and I will say - I am pretty sure Michael gave me a "ha. I'm the good kid" smirk a couple times). While William clung to my leg like a squid. And cried. And screamed. Well, just like I don't want kids standing on furniture, I also don't want kids who eat while running all around the house. We eat at the table. Well, "we" don't, but we will. The boys do.
I'm not quite prepared to let my still pretty small kids go to bed without any supper. So I did bend him out of his stiff as a board pose enough to strap him into the seat for a few bites of mac & cheese and fruit. But I got no thanks for it. As soon as Dada got home, William was wrenching himself out of the chair into Dada's arms.
So I've now got this testing and pushing to look forward to. And as it seems to go in this house, I'm sure I wouldn't be too far off in guessing that as soon as William starts to behave, Michael will launch into his testing and pushing and trying of my patience phase.
I will still try to be fun mommy (with the boundaries), and when I have more days like today, I'll stick to my survival rules - deep breathing in the driveway, blaring Bon Jovi when I'm alone in the car, venting to my mother and, when all else fails, remembering I could be the Octomom.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
some generally cute stuff from the boys
My camera is too slow to really capture these new actions on film, although I will keep trying. However, I don't want this phase to go by without recording this in some way, so words will have to suffice for now.
The boys are entering into the Months of the Mimic (which means I may end up having to wash my own mouth out w/ soap soon), in both words and actions. Other than the requisite 'Dada' and "Mama", neither of which is entirely tied to the person (although Dada is typically used when happy and Mama when sad), the first 'real' words to come from either of the boys was William's attempt at Uh Oh.
And I tell you, he uses it correctly and often. He says it when he throws toys out of the play area, throws his bottle on the ground, steals Michael's bottle/toy, and very carefully pitches his blanket over the side of his crib. But according to William, there is no "O" in Uh Oh. It sounds more like Uh oehhhh (where the oe is really one of those funny sound-letters) or Uh uuhhhh with the dot dot over the 2nd two U's.
Their newest action mimic is to "Oh My". Michael either squeezes his cheeks or covers his eyes. William covers his ears or his head. Sometimes Michael will do the action un-prompted, but more often than not, in perfect context (like when William smears food all over his face).
William's also clapping - he claps when we say clap, when we say Yay, when we say "good job Michael/William" or when we clap. He also claps for himself when he's decided he did a good job. Michael's learning to clap too, but he is a little more judicious. We've only seen him thrilled enough to break out the applause twice so far.
Now if I could only get them to mimic laundry folding...
The boys are entering into the Months of the Mimic (which means I may end up having to wash my own mouth out w/ soap soon), in both words and actions. Other than the requisite 'Dada' and "Mama", neither of which is entirely tied to the person (although Dada is typically used when happy and Mama when sad), the first 'real' words to come from either of the boys was William's attempt at Uh Oh.
And I tell you, he uses it correctly and often. He says it when he throws toys out of the play area, throws his bottle on the ground, steals Michael's bottle/toy, and very carefully pitches his blanket over the side of his crib. But according to William, there is no "O" in Uh Oh. It sounds more like Uh oehhhh (where the oe is really one of those funny sound-letters) or Uh uuhhhh with the dot dot over the 2nd two U's.
Their newest action mimic is to "Oh My". Michael either squeezes his cheeks or covers his eyes. William covers his ears or his head. Sometimes Michael will do the action un-prompted, but more often than not, in perfect context (like when William smears food all over his face).
William's also clapping - he claps when we say clap, when we say Yay, when we say "good job Michael/William" or when we clap. He also claps for himself when he's decided he did a good job. Michael's learning to clap too, but he is a little more judicious. We've only seen him thrilled enough to break out the applause twice so far.
Now if I could only get them to mimic laundry folding...
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
My little monkeys
Several years ago, I was in a Mission Valley parking lot on a Saturday afternoon when I got a call from my brother, Chris. I'm fairly certain Chris had been watching football at Wills that day. Chris said "Tina, I think you should have a kid. And I will call your kid monkey. Then I can tell people 'I'm a monkey's uncle'."
So we had kids. And to support Chris, we decorated their rooms with monkeys. They have monkey toys, and for the first 6 months, nearly all their onesies had monkeys on them. Well, the evolution is complete. As of this week, I am certain they have evolved into monkeys!
Gone are the days where I was wishing that Michael would be just a little more engaged in playtime, maybe at least trying to crawl or pull himself up on my lap. Gone are the days when I would think "won't it be cute when the boys start really playing together." Oh no, now I wish "Couldn't they just sit quietly and read books." For yes, my children are now monkeys.
Last week, they DID start playing together. Michael crawled (yes crawled! on his hands and knees...not army style!) over to the fireplace, pulled down the basket of bibs that sort of 'hides' the allure of the fireplace, and I swear turned and winked at William. William promptly ran (yes ran!) over, climbed right up and started banging on the fireplace wall.
I am fairly certain that this is the conversation that Michael then had inside his head over the course of the week:
"Hmmm...that looked fun. I really want to do that. I mean REALLY. I have never REALLY wanted to do anything, but I REALLY want to do that. How can I? I mean, I don't even REALLY know how to crawl except a little bit. And I can't REALLY even stand up, unless I try hard. But Wow, I REALLY want to get up there. And bang. Oh, and there's glass that looks like a mirror. Oh fun. Oh I need to do that. How?" And then some crying ensues and Michael gets taken up for a nap.
Next Day: "Ok, I can't climb up there, but I think I can climb in other places. Like mommy's leg. And maybe on the toybox. And a little bit on my little chair but not really. Oh well, I will just suck my thumb instead."
And for about a week, these conversations rotate in Michael's head until one day...
"Ok, today when Mommy comes and gets me from my nap, I'm going to be standing up. I'll try and I'll try." And he did. In fact, he and William were both standing in their cribs on the near ends, reaching across the gap, holding hands and giggling when I walked in.
And when it got to playtime, he very decisively crawled (on all fours) over to the fireplace (where William had already removed the basket of bibs), and just climbed up. Like there was no struggle at all. And then proceeded to bang on the doors, gaze at himself in the mirror and 'invite' William up to join him. 
Now I wish I could tell you that was the end of that story, but something this exciting and 'off limits' doesn't get boring too quickly. Neither does climbing on the couch and throwing toys into the kitchen (William) or diving off the furniture and fireplace (both). Or climbing into the back of the dump truck (William).
So Uncle Chris, you got your wish. You really are a Monkeys' Uncle.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Mommy dating
There are online dating services out there for nearly everyone - eHarmony, Match, J-Date, Craigslist even. There are not really sites out there though for 'friend dating'. Want to meet other gals to add to your social circle? Well, walking up to a girl at a bar and saying "hey want to be my friend" could really backfire on you...not that there's anything wrong with that. Want to add other moms to your mommy circle? Well, there are some solutions here - hospital or community sponsored mom's groups, gym and music classes, the park etc. But the mommy dating phenomenon is kinda strange.
We've been going to Gymboree Music for a couple months now. The boys love it. And they love the other kids - Wyatt, Samantha, David, Emily, Trevor. And the moms are really friendly - one got out my carpet squares for me the other day as I walked in with my arms full of boys. One commented on how much more wiggly Michael is getting (bonus points for remembering which kid was the 'low motivation' one, and knowing which kid was which - arms full, I missed nametags). One just laughed when William walked up and started squeezing her son's cheeks. And I know all sorts of things about their kids - first teeth, first steps, troubles with new foods, napping challenges, you name it.
But to this day, I have no idea any of the moms' names. In fact, this week, we followed one of the moms almost all the way to our house (I promise that it wasn't as creepy as that sounds). She waved at one stop sign and I said to the boys "Boys, wave to David's Mommy." So now I'm thinking "Hmm... David must live rather near us. It could be fun to get together with them at the park or Panera or something". But would it be weird for me to say to "David's mommy", after 2 months of music class, "Hi, David's mommy. I am Tina. Do you want to have lunch with me?"
The thing is - I have my friends. So I assume that other mommys do too. But just because I have my 'out with the girls' friends, doesn't mean that I can't make some mommy friends. I suppose the fact that these other moms are at Gymboree by themselves, not with a group of friends, could mean that they're also looking for some mommy friends. But then I think - I have mommy friends too. We just don't go to Gymboree together because our kids are just slightly different ages. But we also don't get together for lunch or park dates every week because we live all over the county from each other.
So...maybe next week at Gymboree I will say "Hi I am Tina". I may have to work up to asking another mommy out on a 'date', but maybe I'll get there.
We've been going to Gymboree Music for a couple months now. The boys love it. And they love the other kids - Wyatt, Samantha, David, Emily, Trevor. And the moms are really friendly - one got out my carpet squares for me the other day as I walked in with my arms full of boys. One commented on how much more wiggly Michael is getting (bonus points for remembering which kid was the 'low motivation' one, and knowing which kid was which - arms full, I missed nametags). One just laughed when William walked up and started squeezing her son's cheeks. And I know all sorts of things about their kids - first teeth, first steps, troubles with new foods, napping challenges, you name it.
But to this day, I have no idea any of the moms' names. In fact, this week, we followed one of the moms almost all the way to our house (I promise that it wasn't as creepy as that sounds). She waved at one stop sign and I said to the boys "Boys, wave to David's Mommy." So now I'm thinking "Hmm... David must live rather near us. It could be fun to get together with them at the park or Panera or something". But would it be weird for me to say to "David's mommy", after 2 months of music class, "Hi, David's mommy. I am Tina. Do you want to have lunch with me?"
The thing is - I have my friends. So I assume that other mommys do too. But just because I have my 'out with the girls' friends, doesn't mean that I can't make some mommy friends. I suppose the fact that these other moms are at Gymboree by themselves, not with a group of friends, could mean that they're also looking for some mommy friends. But then I think - I have mommy friends too. We just don't go to Gymboree together because our kids are just slightly different ages. But we also don't get together for lunch or park dates every week because we live all over the county from each other.
So...maybe next week at Gymboree I will say "Hi I am Tina". I may have to work up to asking another mommy out on a 'date', but maybe I'll get there.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Bathroom Humor Take #2
Same kid, new story. This is one I'm hanging onto in order to have ammo for embarassing my son in front of future girlfriends, football buddies, whatever.
This past Saturday, Uncle Kevin and I took the boys out for a fun afternoon of dining and shopping, returning in time for afternoon naps. The day started out a bit chilly, so the boys had donned cargo pants, long sleeved t-shirts and hoodies. But by the time we returned home, it was a bit warmer, so the hoodies were no longer needed. And for nap time, after clean diapers were being sported, neither were the pants. Or so we thought...
Fast forward a few hours to wake-up time. Nana and Grandpa had arrived and were happy to take over wake-up duty while I was getting dinner ready. I started to think that the wake up was taking a little longer than usual, but hey - they may have been a bit out of practice trying to re-diaper a squiggly wiggly kid. Then I heard some rumblings and maybe a little giggling as the crew returned downstairs. As they came to the bottom of the stairs, Nana said "We'll let Mike tell you the story." So here it is (paraphrased) -
Upon entering the bedroom, they were greeted by a smiling William, standing up, perhaps jumping up and down, in his crib. Pantsless (oh wait, you know that part already). Diaperless.
Said soiled (the messy kind) diaper had been strewn from the crib and had landed on the carpet (ick side up, I presume by the fact that my carpet is not stained). However, crib sheet and blanket were not so lucky. Additionally, it appears that William took joy in being as free as a bird, and wanted the world to know he is truly a boy. So he used this opportunity to (presumably while standing) pee all over his crib bumper. Awesome.
Two lessons learned from this mess:
1. whenever your kid is going to let loose, you better hope that Nana and Grandpa are the ones to catch it. (they stripped off all the offensive linens and got them washed before I even had to step foot in the scene of the crime. my only regret is that I don't have pictures to use for future bribery)
2. never let Uncle Kevin put the diaper on the kid right before a nap.
Potty training with this kid will either be easy as pie or the roughest experience of my life. Thankfully, so far Michael has not developed any potty obsessions...but I'm sure that's just a matter of time.
This past Saturday, Uncle Kevin and I took the boys out for a fun afternoon of dining and shopping, returning in time for afternoon naps. The day started out a bit chilly, so the boys had donned cargo pants, long sleeved t-shirts and hoodies. But by the time we returned home, it was a bit warmer, so the hoodies were no longer needed. And for nap time, after clean diapers were being sported, neither were the pants. Or so we thought...
Fast forward a few hours to wake-up time. Nana and Grandpa had arrived and were happy to take over wake-up duty while I was getting dinner ready. I started to think that the wake up was taking a little longer than usual, but hey - they may have been a bit out of practice trying to re-diaper a squiggly wiggly kid. Then I heard some rumblings and maybe a little giggling as the crew returned downstairs. As they came to the bottom of the stairs, Nana said "We'll let Mike tell you the story." So here it is (paraphrased) -
Upon entering the bedroom, they were greeted by a smiling William, standing up, perhaps jumping up and down, in his crib. Pantsless (oh wait, you know that part already). Diaperless.
Said soiled (the messy kind) diaper had been strewn from the crib and had landed on the carpet (ick side up, I presume by the fact that my carpet is not stained). However, crib sheet and blanket were not so lucky. Additionally, it appears that William took joy in being as free as a bird, and wanted the world to know he is truly a boy. So he used this opportunity to (presumably while standing) pee all over his crib bumper. Awesome.
Two lessons learned from this mess:
1. whenever your kid is going to let loose, you better hope that Nana and Grandpa are the ones to catch it. (they stripped off all the offensive linens and got them washed before I even had to step foot in the scene of the crime. my only regret is that I don't have pictures to use for future bribery)
2. never let Uncle Kevin put the diaper on the kid right before a nap.
Potty training with this kid will either be easy as pie or the roughest experience of my life. Thankfully, so far Michael has not developed any potty obsessions...but I'm sure that's just a matter of time.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Bathroom humor
For this post, I must paint you a little picture - William is almost one. He's been standing for a few months now. In our family room, along the fireplace, we have a toy basket and a jumperoo. But it's possible to get between them and pull up along the fireplace. On the hearth, we have two baskets - one full of diapers and wipes, one full of bibs. (aside - one of William's favorite activities is to pull the bibs out one by one until they are all over the family room floor).
Lately, we've noticed that once or twice a day, William will crawl over to the fireplace, climb up and just stand quietly for a minute or two before crawling back into the middle of the room to play. Each time he returns to the middle of the room, he has a full stinky diaper. I have heard of kids doing this when potty training, but I guess I didn't realize it'd happen this fast.
Well, yesterday, while playing with Nonnie Connie and Nanny Nicole, William went over to his "potty" to do his thing. When he was finished, rather than just returning to play, he dug into one of the baskets and "walked" over to Nicole with a clean diaper to hand her. What a brilliant child!
Lately, we've noticed that once or twice a day, William will crawl over to the fireplace, climb up and just stand quietly for a minute or two before crawling back into the middle of the room to play. Each time he returns to the middle of the room, he has a full stinky diaper. I have heard of kids doing this when potty training, but I guess I didn't realize it'd happen this fast.
Well, yesterday, while playing with Nonnie Connie and Nanny Nicole, William went over to his "potty" to do his thing. When he was finished, rather than just returning to play, he dug into one of the baskets and "walked" over to Nicole with a clean diaper to hand her. What a brilliant child!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
some random things at 11 months
There are times when I wish we were on one of those TV reality shows like Jon and Kate + Eight - not for the intrusiveness of having our lives (and my messy house) paraded around America. But...at least then I'd be able to chronicle all the fantastic things that happen around here. Well, while I'm waiting for us to be discovered, here are a few random ramblings of little snippets of our life:
Monday morning, William was still sleeping (for about 60 more seconds), so Michael on the changing table, had my undivided attention. He greeted me with a huge smile and a high-pitched "mama!" I was thrilled to think that he finally has put name to face, so I responded "Did you just say 'mama'?!" with a big smile in encouragement. He winked (I swear it) and said "Dadadada".
As I've frequently written or commented, William seems to be my more independent child, the explorer. To this point, the only time he's welcomed a snuggle has been following a stumble (or back when I had him swaddled so tightly he couldn't escape). This past week, I do believe he has developed a little bit of jealousy when he sees Michael tuck in for his daily snuggle with mom. A few times now, during our afternoon playtime, he has crawled over to me, climbed up on my lap and just put his arms around my neck. Before you start thinking he's grown 'soft', rest assured - these new snuggles only last long enough for him to pull my hair, or knock me in the eye with whatever block, ring or ball is firmly gripped in his hand.
The circus just isn't the same as I remember. Although to be honest, what I more remember about the circus has to do with the structure of the Brown County Arena hosting the circus. Today, a small group from the circus did a free demonstration at the Boys & Girls club down the street. It was free, and we were facing a 3 hour awake stretch before bedtime, so I was anxious for an outing. however, it was lame. Well maybe not to the 8 kids that got to hold the 200lb albino monster snake, but... I must remember this when the boys are older and want to go to the full-blown, overpriced circus. We will go to the zoo instead.
And finally, a glimpse at my children for once not behaving perfectly. This morning, we were on an extended outting following physical therapy. We stopped at a bookstore to hopefully browse the childrens book section to find gifts for upcoming births and birthdays. Upon arrival in the kids section, both of the boys instantly launched into the loudest melt-down I've experienced in public. Michael was able to calm himself once he relocated his thumb. William was working so hard to get out of his infant seat, that I finally unhooked him and slung him onto my hip. that worked for a little while until he started feeling a bit warm...and I realized he had peed all down the side of my shirt (well, leaked). The thing that was not awesome is that I hadn't found the gifts yet, and I really needed them today. So we hustled into the bathroom, did a quick change (emerging pantless - William, not me) and I quickly found what I needed. I will give HUGE thanks to Jeff (or maybe John?) the store employee who noticed me struggling to the front of the store with the huge stroller and the pile of books - with the boys' fussy state, there was no way I was piling the books into their seats with them. He carried the books up to the front and then entertained the boys with silly faces and sounds until I was done checking out.
good people still do exist - I just hope they get to keep their jobs...I need them out there to carry the books, open the doors, smile when I can't get a smile out of the boys, etc....
Monday morning, William was still sleeping (for about 60 more seconds), so Michael on the changing table, had my undivided attention. He greeted me with a huge smile and a high-pitched "mama!" I was thrilled to think that he finally has put name to face, so I responded "Did you just say 'mama'?!" with a big smile in encouragement. He winked (I swear it) and said "Dadadada".
As I've frequently written or commented, William seems to be my more independent child, the explorer. To this point, the only time he's welcomed a snuggle has been following a stumble (or back when I had him swaddled so tightly he couldn't escape). This past week, I do believe he has developed a little bit of jealousy when he sees Michael tuck in for his daily snuggle with mom. A few times now, during our afternoon playtime, he has crawled over to me, climbed up on my lap and just put his arms around my neck. Before you start thinking he's grown 'soft', rest assured - these new snuggles only last long enough for him to pull my hair, or knock me in the eye with whatever block, ring or ball is firmly gripped in his hand.
The circus just isn't the same as I remember. Although to be honest, what I more remember about the circus has to do with the structure of the Brown County Arena hosting the circus. Today, a small group from the circus did a free demonstration at the Boys & Girls club down the street. It was free, and we were facing a 3 hour awake stretch before bedtime, so I was anxious for an outing. however, it was lame. Well maybe not to the 8 kids that got to hold the 200lb albino monster snake, but... I must remember this when the boys are older and want to go to the full-blown, overpriced circus. We will go to the zoo instead.
And finally, a glimpse at my children for once not behaving perfectly. This morning, we were on an extended outting following physical therapy. We stopped at a bookstore to hopefully browse the childrens book section to find gifts for upcoming births and birthdays. Upon arrival in the kids section, both of the boys instantly launched into the loudest melt-down I've experienced in public. Michael was able to calm himself once he relocated his thumb. William was working so hard to get out of his infant seat, that I finally unhooked him and slung him onto my hip. that worked for a little while until he started feeling a bit warm...and I realized he had peed all down the side of my shirt (well, leaked). The thing that was not awesome is that I hadn't found the gifts yet, and I really needed them today. So we hustled into the bathroom, did a quick change (emerging pantless - William, not me) and I quickly found what I needed. I will give HUGE thanks to Jeff (or maybe John?) the store employee who noticed me struggling to the front of the store with the huge stroller and the pile of books - with the boys' fussy state, there was no way I was piling the books into their seats with them. He carried the books up to the front and then entertained the boys with silly faces and sounds until I was done checking out.
good people still do exist - I just hope they get to keep their jobs...I need them out there to carry the books, open the doors, smile when I can't get a smile out of the boys, etc....
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Trading...the early years
I spent this morning in a time warp. A really big one. In case there is any question about how early (really early) trading happened, thanks to my sons, I now know.
Picture this - two cavemen are wandering out in a field (too dark in their cave for you to really see this picture). One caveman, we'll call him William, is carrying a branch. The other caveman, we'll call him Michael, is carrying a stone. As an observer, it's obvious to you that William is only carrying the branch because someone probably put it in his hand. He's enjoying it, but he's not overly committed to it. Michael, on the other hand, loves his stone. He's tossing it back and forth between his hands. He tries taking a bite out of it to see if it tastes good. He throws it along the ground and then lumbers after it. However, you also notice that the stone seems a bit too heavy for Michael to hold it securely.
About halfway through the field, the two cavemen bump into one another. William sees Michael's stone and grunts. Since you, the reader, may not be fluent in caveman-ese, allow me to translate. "Oh wow, oh wow. A stone. I want to play with a stone." So William drops his branch on the ground and takes the stone away from Michael (who didn't have a good grip on it in the first place, therefore it's not really stealing). Michael looks at William and grunts "oh bummer, I was really enjoying that stone. However, I am a bit too lazy to fight you for it, so I'm just going to take your branch." So you see, a trade has been made.
Now lest you think I am really letting my sons play with stones and branches, do not worry - not in the house. This morning's trades were between a toy mirror and a stacking ring. And the back and forth went on for an hour. I am also happy to tell you that Michael initiated a few of the trades. He is getting sneaky - he notices when William's attention is waning and grip loosening and then he makes his move. What I will also tell you is that in our toy box, we have ten stacking rings. I don't know what made this one so special. Perhaps the bright yellowness of it.
And finally, in case anyone in the outside world ever reads this, or for any other mommies who want some good toddler insight, I didn't create this idea of the cavemen myself. I am currently reading Happiest Toddler on the Block and this is Dr. Karp's concept. (Although in my reading he hasn't applied it to toy trades quite yet. Maybe he'll pick that up in his next book and give me some recongition. Or a few $$s.) And it's totally true. Next time you're around a toddler, pretend he's a caveman...you'll find you've entered into the same timewarp.
Picture this - two cavemen are wandering out in a field (too dark in their cave for you to really see this picture). One caveman, we'll call him William, is carrying a branch. The other caveman, we'll call him Michael, is carrying a stone. As an observer, it's obvious to you that William is only carrying the branch because someone probably put it in his hand. He's enjoying it, but he's not overly committed to it. Michael, on the other hand, loves his stone. He's tossing it back and forth between his hands. He tries taking a bite out of it to see if it tastes good. He throws it along the ground and then lumbers after it. However, you also notice that the stone seems a bit too heavy for Michael to hold it securely.
About halfway through the field, the two cavemen bump into one another. William sees Michael's stone and grunts. Since you, the reader, may not be fluent in caveman-ese, allow me to translate. "Oh wow, oh wow. A stone. I want to play with a stone." So William drops his branch on the ground and takes the stone away from Michael (who didn't have a good grip on it in the first place, therefore it's not really stealing). Michael looks at William and grunts "oh bummer, I was really enjoying that stone. However, I am a bit too lazy to fight you for it, so I'm just going to take your branch." So you see, a trade has been made.
Now lest you think I am really letting my sons play with stones and branches, do not worry - not in the house. This morning's trades were between a toy mirror and a stacking ring. And the back and forth went on for an hour. I am also happy to tell you that Michael initiated a few of the trades. He is getting sneaky - he notices when William's attention is waning and grip loosening and then he makes his move. What I will also tell you is that in our toy box, we have ten stacking rings. I don't know what made this one so special. Perhaps the bright yellowness of it.
And finally, in case anyone in the outside world ever reads this, or for any other mommies who want some good toddler insight, I didn't create this idea of the cavemen myself. I am currently reading Happiest Toddler on the Block and this is Dr. Karp's concept. (Although in my reading he hasn't applied it to toy trades quite yet. Maybe he'll pick that up in his next book and give me some recongition. Or a few $$s.) And it's totally true. Next time you're around a toddler, pretend he's a caveman...you'll find you've entered into the same timewarp.
Monday, January 26, 2009
not-so-perfect weekend
There apparently is a motherhood right of passage that I've just completed. The first hospital visit. This past week, 9 1/2 month old Michael contracted a rather unpleasant respiratory virus. After struggling on Thursday and Friday morning, we decided it was time to see the doctor. Our wonderful pediatrican did some tests and some treatments, but her intervention wasn't quite enough for our little guy, so off to the ER at Children's Hospital we went.
Before I get into lessons learned, let me assure you that Michael is now fine. He was the darling of the hospital. The doctors called him a 'happy wheezer', and he developed a reputation amongst the nurses and doctors as "the baby who always greets you with a smile when you enter his room".
Now a hospital pro, here is what I learned:
1. If you have to go to the ER on a Friday, arrive close to or before 5:00pm. We got there at 5:00 and were admitted immediately. (didn't hurt that our ped had called ahead and we had some oxygen issues) By about 6:00, the wait was +30 minutes and by 8:00, they were sending patients to other hospitals.
2. When you are leaving the house to go to the doctor for what you think could be a hospitalize-able illness, pack your big diaper bag, not your cute little one. And pack yourself a snack. And a bottle of water. And a sweater. And a pair of clean underwear wouldn't hurt. And a toy and a book for baby.
3. Hospital chairs are really uncomfortable. Ok, I have no advice here. Just stating fact.
4. This one kills me - the only food at the SD Children's Hospital is a McDonalds and a cafeteria (which according to my pediatrician is about the same as McDonalds). Ummm...childhood obesity is a raging problem in our society and the only food I can get is a quarter pounder. Oh yes, there are apple dippers - not even a half an apple, and a thing of carmel sauce made with high fructose corn syrup. Super healthy.
5. Make friends with all the staff. The more they like you, the more attention you get. While we were in the ER, our bed was right near the nurse's station where the attending physician was sitting. She and I had a little chit-chat, I empathized with her long shifts, blah blah blah, and before I knew it, I heard her begging with someone 'upstairs' to give us the last bed that would be available that night.
6. It probably is going to kill our insurance, but if you can get admitted, the rooms and beds are ever so slightly more comfortable. At least there was no longer a plastic chair. And (this is a big deal if you have a baby who is wiggly) they have cribs instead of beds.
7. Always keep your cell phone charged. Apparently it is no longer true that cell phones are prohibited. I was able to send updates to family and "please bring me..." lists to Larry with a few clicks of my thumbs. (my phone charger was the 1st thing on my 1st "please bring me" list)
8. Try to stay positive and confident. Trust your maternal instincts. If something doesn't seem right, question it and stick to your guns. But try to be specific and calm. And it helps to understand that sometimes the treatment looks worse than the illness. This is a tough one, but as a parent, you have to just suck it up. Ok...bad pun since the treatment we had to suffer through was the tubes down Michael's nose and throat sucking up all the snot in his lungs.
9. Once you are home from the hospital, you will be exhausted, both mentally and physically. Try to arrange for some quiet family-only time to recharge.
10. I don't know that I have a #10, but it just seems like there should be a #10. So one last thought - if you get admitted "upstairs" just hope that your kid and the other one sharing the room are in diapers. Then you get to use the in-room bathroom. If not, you have to hike out to the 'public' bathroom whenever you need to 'go'.
Ok, one more
11. It's tough for Dad too. They may handle the crisis different than we moms do, but it's still tough for them. Flipping out at them is probably not a good idea. And if you really need them to just hug you while you cry a little, you may need to ask them. They may be too busy trying to hide their feelings to realize that you're about to lose it.
So now it's time to kiss my boys and say a prayer or a chant or a spell or whatever of thanks that Michael made it through this ordeal and that William seems to have escaped the ick. And hug my husband. And maybe even still cry a little. At least until morning when I get to see "the baby who always greets you with a smile when you enter his room."
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Thanksgiving reflections
I started 2008 with the following message to my family:
"I try to stay away from New Years Resolutions, but each year I pick one aspect of my life as my main focus for improvement. Call it a theme for the year. For instance, one year after we were married, I found that I was neglecting some friendships, so that year, my theme was friendship. As I look back in the few years I've done this, I find that my past focus "areas" are now just part of my daily life, with each year building upon the previous. So this year, I will be focusing on being happy with the life that is happening to me now. And my new year's wish to each of you is that you will find happiness in every minute!"
This theme was inspired by a quote by Earl Nightingale "Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don't wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it's at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored."
Now, as we roll into December and I start thinking about my theme for 2009, I want to take a little time to reflect on 2008's theme - have I stayed focused on being happy with the now?
I think human nature, or at least our society, makes this one a bit difficult. We are almost programmed to be seeking out the next challenge, the next goal. I know that I am extremely goal-oriented. If the trainer at the gym tells me to do 8 reps, I struggle with #7 and #8. But if she tells me to do 15, I power through #7 and #8, with the struggle hitting around #14. As I work through a project (which Larry knows may or may not ever get finished), my mind is often occupied with what the next project will be (which you may see is part of the '09 theme...).
But this year, I have really taken time to absorb each moment. Whether it was the moment Larry & I first held our precious boys after their birth (I thought this was the happiest moment of my life...how fortunate I am that the happiness keeps on coming with these two wonderful babies), or watching Nan - my 95 year old grandma - crawling around on the floor playing with William and Michael - this year, I have taken time to really think about each of these moments. I allow myself to enjoy them while they happen, allow them to imprint into my memories, and know that I will carry these events and moments with me forever.
Since I have hopes that I will be a famous writer some day and that the world will read this blog to find out more about the "true Tina", it's important that I include some other happinesses that I will remember from this year, some that are not 100% focused on my dear children (for those that know me, I could write for days on the boys...and they are typically the full focus of my posts. So to my mother, sorry that this one isn't all about your grandsons...)
I have the honor of being chosen as the Junior League of San Diego president for the 2009-2010 year. That means that this year as the president-elect, I attend training conferences throughout the country. I love to solo-travel - arrive at the airport, get checked in and through security, grab my venti non-fat latte and a trashy novel and alternate between the pages of the book and watching the people around me. And I love traveling to new places and getting a little feel for a new part of the country. So a conference in San Antonio and one in Kansas City this year have fulfilled that travel bug. It was also a true joy to spend time in KC with my cousin Jill and her wonderful family. One of the highlights of the trip was helping the kids with their homework and then watching Hanna Montana on the little kitchen TV with the 3 kids. And I'd be leaving something major out if I didn't mention the great friends I'm making at these conferences - amazing women from throughout the country with the same passion for their communities as I have here in San Diego.
And this may sound a little weird, but perhaps emphasizes the importance of finding happiness in routine events. One of the other major happy moments of this year was when my employer told me that they didn't have a position open for me upon the completion of my maternity leave. I'm not sure my heart was in returning to work, leaving my kids with a child-care provider all week long. But the part of me that had invested 16 years of my life educating myself and then developing a career and reputation in the insurance industry was a little torn. The opportunity that this lay-off presented me has been valuable by giving me some time to develop a "me" outside of the formal workplace, but beyond "just" as a mom.
Oh yes, there are certainly days that happiness in the 'now' eludes me. Larry & I have had some rough times this year in both of our families, including a very scary situation with Larry's dad's health shortly after the boys were born, and losing my Uncle Jack this fall after a long fight with leukemia. These events have served to reinforce the statement made by Mr. Nightingale "Every minute should be enjoyed and savored."
So as 2008 wraps up, my hope for the future is that I will continue living in the happiness of each moment, being happy with the now, not just hoping that the happy will come in the future. I fear that my 2009 theme will not be as 'deep' as the theme for this year. I plan to focus on finishing projects BEFORE creating and tackling new ones. This might be my toughest one yet...more on my success or struggles in about 12 months...
"I try to stay away from New Years Resolutions, but each year I pick one aspect of my life as my main focus for improvement. Call it a theme for the year. For instance, one year after we were married, I found that I was neglecting some friendships, so that year, my theme was friendship. As I look back in the few years I've done this, I find that my past focus "areas" are now just part of my daily life, with each year building upon the previous. So this year, I will be focusing on being happy with the life that is happening to me now. And my new year's wish to each of you is that you will find happiness in every minute!"
This theme was inspired by a quote by Earl Nightingale "Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don't wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it's at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored."
Now, as we roll into December and I start thinking about my theme for 2009, I want to take a little time to reflect on 2008's theme - have I stayed focused on being happy with the now?
I think human nature, or at least our society, makes this one a bit difficult. We are almost programmed to be seeking out the next challenge, the next goal. I know that I am extremely goal-oriented. If the trainer at the gym tells me to do 8 reps, I struggle with #7 and #8. But if she tells me to do 15, I power through #7 and #8, with the struggle hitting around #14. As I work through a project (which Larry knows may or may not ever get finished), my mind is often occupied with what the next project will be (which you may see is part of the '09 theme...).
But this year, I have really taken time to absorb each moment. Whether it was the moment Larry & I first held our precious boys after their birth (I thought this was the happiest moment of my life...how fortunate I am that the happiness keeps on coming with these two wonderful babies), or watching Nan - my 95 year old grandma - crawling around on the floor playing with William and Michael - this year, I have taken time to really think about each of these moments. I allow myself to enjoy them while they happen, allow them to imprint into my memories, and know that I will carry these events and moments with me forever.
Since I have hopes that I will be a famous writer some day and that the world will read this blog to find out more about the "true Tina", it's important that I include some other happinesses that I will remember from this year, some that are not 100% focused on my dear children (for those that know me, I could write for days on the boys...and they are typically the full focus of my posts. So to my mother, sorry that this one isn't all about your grandsons...)
I have the honor of being chosen as the Junior League of San Diego president for the 2009-2010 year. That means that this year as the president-elect, I attend training conferences throughout the country. I love to solo-travel - arrive at the airport, get checked in and through security, grab my venti non-fat latte and a trashy novel and alternate between the pages of the book and watching the people around me. And I love traveling to new places and getting a little feel for a new part of the country. So a conference in San Antonio and one in Kansas City this year have fulfilled that travel bug. It was also a true joy to spend time in KC with my cousin Jill and her wonderful family. One of the highlights of the trip was helping the kids with their homework and then watching Hanna Montana on the little kitchen TV with the 3 kids. And I'd be leaving something major out if I didn't mention the great friends I'm making at these conferences - amazing women from throughout the country with the same passion for their communities as I have here in San Diego.
And this may sound a little weird, but perhaps emphasizes the importance of finding happiness in routine events. One of the other major happy moments of this year was when my employer told me that they didn't have a position open for me upon the completion of my maternity leave. I'm not sure my heart was in returning to work, leaving my kids with a child-care provider all week long. But the part of me that had invested 16 years of my life educating myself and then developing a career and reputation in the insurance industry was a little torn. The opportunity that this lay-off presented me has been valuable by giving me some time to develop a "me" outside of the formal workplace, but beyond "just" as a mom.
Oh yes, there are certainly days that happiness in the 'now' eludes me. Larry & I have had some rough times this year in both of our families, including a very scary situation with Larry's dad's health shortly after the boys were born, and losing my Uncle Jack this fall after a long fight with leukemia. These events have served to reinforce the statement made by Mr. Nightingale "Every minute should be enjoyed and savored."
So as 2008 wraps up, my hope for the future is that I will continue living in the happiness of each moment, being happy with the now, not just hoping that the happy will come in the future. I fear that my 2009 theme will not be as 'deep' as the theme for this year. I plan to focus on finishing projects BEFORE creating and tackling new ones. This might be my toughest one yet...more on my success or struggles in about 12 months...
Friday, November 7, 2008
Puppies and Children
This will be a quick one...but this was so surreal that I have to write it down before my memory wonders if this really happened.
Today, I took my car in for its first wash since the boys were born. While waiting an hour and a half for the detail they promised would take an hour, I had opportunity to interact with many of the local community.
The kindest of all was the elderly man with braces on both legs, walking with a cane who insisted on getting up and walking over to open the door for me at Starbucks (in and out of the store).
The strangest occurred shortly before my car was finished. We were back at the car wash waiting area, and I was giving both the boys bottles while they relaxed in the stroller. Another woman came out to wait for her car (Aside - it is 95 degrees out and she was wearing a sweatshirt, shorts and Uggs...and complaining about how hot she was). She saw us and engaged in the standard conversation I get almost daily:
She "wow, you really have your hands full"
me "Well, there are moments, but i wouldn't trade it for anything"
etc etc...until she hit me with the statement that will forever make me laugh on those days when my boys are really acting up. I must say first of all, that she said this with complete sincerity. No sarcasm whatsoever (and for those who know me, you are aware that I have a very refined sarcasm detector).
she "yeah, i know exactly what it's like to have twins. i just got two puppies."
Me "uhhhhh"!!!!!!
Today, I took my car in for its first wash since the boys were born. While waiting an hour and a half for the detail they promised would take an hour, I had opportunity to interact with many of the local community.
The kindest of all was the elderly man with braces on both legs, walking with a cane who insisted on getting up and walking over to open the door for me at Starbucks (in and out of the store).
The strangest occurred shortly before my car was finished. We were back at the car wash waiting area, and I was giving both the boys bottles while they relaxed in the stroller. Another woman came out to wait for her car (Aside - it is 95 degrees out and she was wearing a sweatshirt, shorts and Uggs...and complaining about how hot she was). She saw us and engaged in the standard conversation I get almost daily:
She "wow, you really have your hands full"
me "Well, there are moments, but i wouldn't trade it for anything"
etc etc...until she hit me with the statement that will forever make me laugh on those days when my boys are really acting up. I must say first of all, that she said this with complete sincerity. No sarcasm whatsoever (and for those who know me, you are aware that I have a very refined sarcasm detector).
she "yeah, i know exactly what it's like to have twins. i just got two puppies."
Me "uhhhhh"!!!!!!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Is that Hand-made?
I have a very close friend who has a huge fear of becoming a parent - will she be capable of making the halloween costumes and the costumes for the school play? I, of course, understand that there are many types of parental fears and I certainly think it's fair to include this as one of them. However, I pose the following question - how much of a costume really needs to be hand-made to be considered "hand-made"?
I personally think there is a rather wide continuum. For instance - another friend has a very talented mother. Each year Granny sews an entire princess costume for her young granddaughter. I have no doubt that these are the most exquisite costumes you've ever seen on a 3 year old. And what a labor of love....possibly ending up completely covered in melted chocolate. So if my fearful friend were to buy (gasp!) a spiderman costume from the store and pair of red boots to send her hypothetical little one off as an adorable Spiderwoman, would this "count" or would she be shunned by all of the hard-sewing suburban housewives?
My little princes attended their Halloween debut this year dressed as M&Ms (William's "M" was upside down). I was frequently asked whether I made their costumes and I proudly shared that I did. And I truly believe I did - I downloaded a very tiny m&m graphic, enlarged it and smoothed out the pixels to create a template which I cut out and traced onto some white felt. once the felt was cut out, I sewed each M (or in William's case, "W") onto a green sleeveless onesie (shh...I bought that at a store). They wore the onesies over brown one-piece sweatsuits (again, purchased) which they wore for warmth - very important in San Diego...
Now I will probably win no awards as a seamstress, but one day I hope that my boys will be at least a little proud that their mom "made" their first Halloween costumes. And to my friend worrying about making her own costumes, I just say that I hope she one day has the opportunity to determine her own continuum.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Comparatively speaking
One of the longest running competitions in human nature is the "my kid did this before your kid" contest. We moms don't compete consciously. In fact, it may be our greatest intention not to brag or "compare" our children to others. However, it still happens. At lunch the other day I overheard one mom to another, both with infant strollers in tow. The first volley was simple - how old is your little one? Once established that they were within 2 months of each other, it started "Oh, I'm having such a rough time. My little Suzie just loves eating her vegetables. I feel like I am in the Gerber aisle five times a week." And then "Jimmy started crawling the other day and I am exhausted just keeping up with him." See, these moms are pretty subtle - they make it appear like they are complaining, but they are really establishing how advanced their little Jimmy and Suzie are compared to the "competition".
I've certainly caught myself doing the same thing "We've been so lucky that our boys have been sleeping through the night since they were 2 1/2 months old. But lately, they're waking up at 5:30am for a bottle before sleeping til 8:30. ugh." Ok, am I really really complaining that my kids are going to bed at 6pm and sleeping nearly 12 hours? No. I think I am probably bragging that, with the exception of a 15 minute pause, I get to sleep til 8:30!
Well, here is the problem with the comparison competition. I have twins. All the books tell you "don't compare your kids to other people's kids." Other than a few hours a week at the local cafe, I'm ok with this. Besides, I think my kids are perfect, so we would always come out on the winning side of the comparisons. But...between my two boys, who spend about 24/7 together, it is impossible to keep from comparing.
Most often, the comparisons are harmless differences. William is an observer, while Michael likes to be the center of attention. But now and again, having the two causes maternal worry and even a little internal (like inside my own head) competition.
William is way more mobile. At just past 6 months, he is already rolling across the floor (baby gates are now firmly in place), grabbing at the toys he wants (and scooting to the ones out o reach) and has exhibited some crawling moves. Michael is lazy.
Michael is way more vocal. He's been blowing rasberries and performing Flipper imitations for about 2 months now. He now wakes up to a chorus of "blah blah blah blah ba ba ba ba". William has just started the rasberries and the main time I get consonants is when he's really upset and cries "mamamamamamamama" (I refuse to believe that this is him screaming 'mama'. When they call my name for the first time, it will be with pure joy.) But mostly he just grunts as he's trying to reach for some toy or my hair.
Their pediatrician insists that they are both within "range" for their social and physical development. She agrees that Michael is a bit lazy, but doesn't think there's anything "wrong" with him. Just lazy. And she claims that it's likely that he'll shoot ahead one day just as easily as William may start reading Dr. Seuss out loud by his 3rd birthday. She also tells me to try hard not to compare them. Right.
I am pretty sure I'm going to be the mom that records the first steps of one kid, but by the time the 2nd one moves, it'll be old news. And the second "mama/dada" will just get lost in a flurry of words out of the mouth of the first talker. But I try. I try to remember when each hits a milestone. I try to encourage each of them to explore new skills and talents. And I try to be ok with one being a little faster or one being a little slower...after all, they are two different kids. I try hard not to compare, but rather to celebrate their differences and their accomplishments.
And when one is a bit slower than the other, I try to remember that they won't be babies forever, so I try hard to cherish their dependency upon me and enjoy them just being babies.
I've certainly caught myself doing the same thing "We've been so lucky that our boys have been sleeping through the night since they were 2 1/2 months old. But lately, they're waking up at 5:30am for a bottle before sleeping til 8:30. ugh." Ok, am I really really complaining that my kids are going to bed at 6pm and sleeping nearly 12 hours? No. I think I am probably bragging that, with the exception of a 15 minute pause, I get to sleep til 8:30!
Well, here is the problem with the comparison competition. I have twins. All the books tell you "don't compare your kids to other people's kids." Other than a few hours a week at the local cafe, I'm ok with this. Besides, I think my kids are perfect, so we would always come out on the winning side of the comparisons. But...between my two boys, who spend about 24/7 together, it is impossible to keep from comparing.
Most often, the comparisons are harmless differences. William is an observer, while Michael likes to be the center of attention. But now and again, having the two causes maternal worry and even a little internal (like inside my own head) competition.
William is way more mobile. At just past 6 months, he is already rolling across the floor (baby gates are now firmly in place), grabbing at the toys he wants (and scooting to the ones out o reach) and has exhibited some crawling moves. Michael is lazy.
Michael is way more vocal. He's been blowing rasberries and performing Flipper imitations for about 2 months now. He now wakes up to a chorus of "blah blah blah blah ba ba ba ba". William has just started the rasberries and the main time I get consonants is when he's really upset and cries "mamamamamamamama" (I refuse to believe that this is him screaming 'mama'. When they call my name for the first time, it will be with pure joy.) But mostly he just grunts as he's trying to reach for some toy or my hair.
Their pediatrician insists that they are both within "range" for their social and physical development. She agrees that Michael is a bit lazy, but doesn't think there's anything "wrong" with him. Just lazy. And she claims that it's likely that he'll shoot ahead one day just as easily as William may start reading Dr. Seuss out loud by his 3rd birthday. She also tells me to try hard not to compare them. Right.
I am pretty sure I'm going to be the mom that records the first steps of one kid, but by the time the 2nd one moves, it'll be old news. And the second "mama/dada" will just get lost in a flurry of words out of the mouth of the first talker. But I try. I try to remember when each hits a milestone. I try to encourage each of them to explore new skills and talents. And I try to be ok with one being a little faster or one being a little slower...after all, they are two different kids. I try hard not to compare, but rather to celebrate their differences and their accomplishments.
And when one is a bit slower than the other, I try to remember that they won't be babies forever, so I try hard to cherish their dependency upon me and enjoy them just being babies.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Bibs should all be green
first published 9/4/08
Or...Why baby mouths should come with a funnel attachment.
We started solids today. Although how they can call that green goup "solid" is rather beyond me. And I guess if you want to be technical, we started the boys on cereal a couple weeks ago. But I digress. Today, we tried GREEN BEANS! Here's how this story begins:
When the boys had their 4-month checkup, the Doctor gave us permission to get going with "solids", starting with cereal. At 5-6 months, we were supposed to start adding vegetables if the boys were interested. What...was I expecting them to start jumping up and down shouting "hey mom, give me some mashed up peas!"??
Cereal went pretty well. I mean, I doubt they would have been too bummed if I left it out of the menu, and they really still prefer their bottles in case of tantrum, but it didn't suck. So yesterday, a couple days before their 5-month 'birthday' and feeling a bit confident, I was at the store and decided to at least purchase some of the stage-1 vegetables.
My first observation is this - these little containers are tiny. The baby-food people should take a lesson from the wine people. A moment earlier, when I was in the wine department, they had a handy reusable 6-pack wine carrier...and if I filled it up, I got 10% off my purchase. Well, you can bet I filled that up! So that's what they should do with these little baby food jars - give me some sort of larger receptacle for gathering up the little tiny jars. In fact, make it some sort of receptacle that not only helps me keep the jars together in my shopping cart, but make it fit right into my pantry. As it stands, I can't quite figure out how one is to store these little things, so they're living on my kitchen counter...along with all the other detritus of twin life.
Before I loaded up my 10 little tiny packages of baby food (2 packages each of 5 veggies...and unlike the baby food of my past, these come in handy little 2-packs of plastic containers which will probably start multiplying in landfills and 10,000 years from now, someone will say "and they called this 'solid food'?"), I took one moment to contemplate whether it would be better (I don't know how to define 'better') if I were to make my own baby food. That moment passed quite quickly, and into the shopping cart they fell.
So today, we gave it a shot. Morning naps went quite well and I had the boys on opposite schedules today so that I could spend some quality time with each one individually. I was feeling quite daring, and my nanny had done all the baby laundry yesterday, so I was flush with bibs. Michael was first to get up, and he was pretty cheerful, so I wouldn't have to go straight to the bottle. I gave him one teaspoon full of green beans (the teaspoon from the silverware drawer, not the cooking gadgets...I don't know how accurate a "teaspoon" it really is), and he happily ate the entire bowlful. At the first bite, I did get a little look that said to me "ummm...really Mom? you think I'm going to like this?", but then after some lick smacking, I think he decided it was OK. At least good enough to stick his hand in his mouth to grab some to save for later.
Or...Why baby mouths should come with a funnel attachment.
We started solids today. Although how they can call that green goup "solid" is rather beyond me. And I guess if you want to be technical, we started the boys on cereal a couple weeks ago. But I digress. Today, we tried GREEN BEANS! Here's how this story begins:
When the boys had their 4-month checkup, the Doctor gave us permission to get going with "solids", starting with cereal. At 5-6 months, we were supposed to start adding vegetables if the boys were interested. What...was I expecting them to start jumping up and down shouting "hey mom, give me some mashed up peas!"??
Cereal went pretty well. I mean, I doubt they would have been too bummed if I left it out of the menu, and they really still prefer their bottles in case of tantrum, but it didn't suck. So yesterday, a couple days before their 5-month 'birthday' and feeling a bit confident, I was at the store and decided to at least purchase some of the stage-1 vegetables.
My first observation is this - these little containers are tiny. The baby-food people should take a lesson from the wine people. A moment earlier, when I was in the wine department, they had a handy reusable 6-pack wine carrier...and if I filled it up, I got 10% off my purchase. Well, you can bet I filled that up! So that's what they should do with these little baby food jars - give me some sort of larger receptacle for gathering up the little tiny jars. In fact, make it some sort of receptacle that not only helps me keep the jars together in my shopping cart, but make it fit right into my pantry. As it stands, I can't quite figure out how one is to store these little things, so they're living on my kitchen counter...along with all the other detritus of twin life.
Before I loaded up my 10 little tiny packages of baby food (2 packages each of 5 veggies...and unlike the baby food of my past, these come in handy little 2-packs of plastic containers which will probably start multiplying in landfills and 10,000 years from now, someone will say "and they called this 'solid food'?"), I took one moment to contemplate whether it would be better (I don't know how to define 'better') if I were to make my own baby food. That moment passed quite quickly, and into the shopping cart they fell.
So today, we gave it a shot. Morning naps went quite well and I had the boys on opposite schedules today so that I could spend some quality time with each one individually. I was feeling quite daring, and my nanny had done all the baby laundry yesterday, so I was flush with bibs. Michael was first to get up, and he was pretty cheerful, so I wouldn't have to go straight to the bottle. I gave him one teaspoon full of green beans (the teaspoon from the silverware drawer, not the cooking gadgets...I don't know how accurate a "teaspoon" it really is), and he happily ate the entire bowlful. At the first bite, I did get a little look that said to me "ummm...really Mom? you think I'm going to like this?", but then after some lick smacking, I think he decided it was OK. At least good enough to stick his hand in his mouth to grab some to save for later.
William was next. While I was dishing up his portion, I sang a bit of the "my dog Lima loves to roam, one day Lima left his home. he came back so nice and clean. where oh where has Lima Been?" song which always makes him giggle. Then he practically devoured his bowl of beans. The pictures don't show that he's as happy as Michael, but he's smaller, so he takes his eating very very seriously. Once the beans were gone, he went straight to the bottle of formula and downed that in mere minutes. The boy wants to grow!
Well, after feeding the babies their green beans, their bibs were covered in green-ness...yuck! But a wise woman (my mother) suggested that I try soaking them in some Oxy-clean. (I have been fortunate, up to this point, that I have not needed the magical powers of Oxy. The only blow-out we've had resulted in a not quite fitting anymore outfit being thrown right into the trash at Children's Hospital). So in the time it's taken to write this entry, the bibs are back to their original colors. Green Bibs will not be necessary today.
Well, after feeding the babies their green beans, their bibs were covered in green-ness...yuck! But a wise woman (my mother) suggested that I try soaking them in some Oxy-clean. (I have been fortunate, up to this point, that I have not needed the magical powers of Oxy. The only blow-out we've had resulted in a not quite fitting anymore outfit being thrown right into the trash at Children's Hospital). So in the time it's taken to write this entry, the bibs are back to their original colors. Green Bibs will not be necessary today.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Shake Rattle and Roll
first published 8/12/08
On my recent trip to Green Bay, my 5 1/2 year old cousin Brayden was investigating the "little cottage" with Katie (my cousin Justin's fiancee). He was very curious about where one would go if there were a tornado (no basement). Hmmm...good question. Katie's response was to "stop, drop and roll". This same response was used a couple weeks ago on a TV talk show following an earthquake we had out here. So clearly this rolling business has many purposes, real or otherwise.
However, I propose that rolling is not so fun and exciting when performed by a 4month old (William). Ok, it's cute when he rolls over when we're all playing on the floor. It's even a little cute when he's frustrated at the end of his nap and flips over. When it is NOT cute, though, is at the beginning of the nap OR at 2:30am!
For a few weeks now, William has been accidentally rolling from tummy to back now and then. He had been so good at the sleeping through the night up to when he started this new experiment. Now, if he flips over, he freaks out and screams until one of us puts him back where he belongs. This is the "mommy, if you don't come in here right now, I'm pretty sure my head is going to blow up" scream, not his cute little "waaa, waaa, if you come to see me, I'll probably be pretty happy but if you don't, I'll probably just go to sleep, waaa, waaa" fuss.
For today's afternoon nap, he was definitely ready to sleep...he fell asleep with all of 20 seconds of fuss. But about 45 minutes into the nap, the screams started. So I hurried upstairs and flipped him back onto his tummy, returning downstairs to get a little email time in.
Not 2 minutes later, it started again. This time, though, he wasn't all the way on his back, but curled up on his side, with his thumb securely in mouth, sucking away. Ok, I'm a little lost here - don't most people LIKE sleeping on their sides? And imagine you are a little baby...what better way to sleep than on your side with your thumb securely in your mouth, sucking away. What is all the fuss about, William!?!
I guess the silver lining is that at least they're not BOTH doing this on a regular basis (Michael has flipped a few times, but not with the daily consistency of William). And sooner or later, he'll be flipping in both directions and pulling himself up on the rails of the crib...then I'll have a whole new freak-out on my hands...
On my recent trip to Green Bay, my 5 1/2 year old cousin Brayden was investigating the "little cottage" with Katie (my cousin Justin's fiancee). He was very curious about where one would go if there were a tornado (no basement). Hmmm...good question. Katie's response was to "stop, drop and roll". This same response was used a couple weeks ago on a TV talk show following an earthquake we had out here. So clearly this rolling business has many purposes, real or otherwise.
However, I propose that rolling is not so fun and exciting when performed by a 4month old (William). Ok, it's cute when he rolls over when we're all playing on the floor. It's even a little cute when he's frustrated at the end of his nap and flips over. When it is NOT cute, though, is at the beginning of the nap OR at 2:30am!
For a few weeks now, William has been accidentally rolling from tummy to back now and then. He had been so good at the sleeping through the night up to when he started this new experiment. Now, if he flips over, he freaks out and screams until one of us puts him back where he belongs. This is the "mommy, if you don't come in here right now, I'm pretty sure my head is going to blow up" scream, not his cute little "waaa, waaa, if you come to see me, I'll probably be pretty happy but if you don't, I'll probably just go to sleep, waaa, waaa" fuss.
For today's afternoon nap, he was definitely ready to sleep...he fell asleep with all of 20 seconds of fuss. But about 45 minutes into the nap, the screams started. So I hurried upstairs and flipped him back onto his tummy, returning downstairs to get a little email time in.
Not 2 minutes later, it started again. This time, though, he wasn't all the way on his back, but curled up on his side, with his thumb securely in mouth, sucking away. Ok, I'm a little lost here - don't most people LIKE sleeping on their sides? And imagine you are a little baby...what better way to sleep than on your side with your thumb securely in your mouth, sucking away. What is all the fuss about, William!?!
I guess the silver lining is that at least they're not BOTH doing this on a regular basis (Michael has flipped a few times, but not with the daily consistency of William). And sooner or later, he'll be flipping in both directions and pulling himself up on the rails of the crib...then I'll have a whole new freak-out on my hands...
Monday, August 4, 2008
4 months old today!
first publshed 8/4/08
Well, who can believe that 4 months have gone by since William and Michael joined our world! They are growing so quickly...I have to sit down daily just to appreciate all their little baby-isms.
Last week, Michael started experimenting with a new lip-smacking, sucking activity. Larry thinks it is just like sucking on a bottle. I prefer to think he's practicing blowing me kisses. Just yesterday, he found his voice. And this truly happened: I was playing with him and said "are you the cutest baby on the planet?" and he replied (loudly) "ah haaaa." Larry was in the other room and thought I had answered my own question. but for the rest of the day, Michael entertained us with laughing, and different voice patterns. This is really cute, but he's starting to try to "talk" instead of nap, which William doesn't love.
Speaking of William, he's still a bit quieter, but loves to smile and giggle now and then. His favorite new skill is holding on tight...to anything - his snuggly blanket, his shirt, carseat buckles, my hair... He's always got something in his hands, unless of course, he has his hands stuffed into his mouth, another favorite activity. During his nap this noon, he was smacking away so loudly on his thumb that I thought he'd wake Michael (who had finally given up his conversation with himself).
They're also both enjoying "sitting up". they particularly like sitting on our laps, sometimes facing out, sometimes facing us. They also have been entertained sitting together on the recliner - when they do that, they are always holding hands - cute!
We go to the doctor this week for the 4 month checkup...we're hoping that we'll get to add some solid foods to the menu. It may get messy, but should make for some good stories! High chairs are set up and ready to go :)
Well, who can believe that 4 months have gone by since William and Michael joined our world! They are growing so quickly...I have to sit down daily just to appreciate all their little baby-isms.
Last week, Michael started experimenting with a new lip-smacking, sucking activity. Larry thinks it is just like sucking on a bottle. I prefer to think he's practicing blowing me kisses. Just yesterday, he found his voice. And this truly happened: I was playing with him and said "are you the cutest baby on the planet?" and he replied (loudly) "ah haaaa." Larry was in the other room and thought I had answered my own question. but for the rest of the day, Michael entertained us with laughing, and different voice patterns. This is really cute, but he's starting to try to "talk" instead of nap, which William doesn't love.
Speaking of William, he's still a bit quieter, but loves to smile and giggle now and then. His favorite new skill is holding on tight...to anything - his snuggly blanket, his shirt, carseat buckles, my hair... He's always got something in his hands, unless of course, he has his hands stuffed into his mouth, another favorite activity. During his nap this noon, he was smacking away so loudly on his thumb that I thought he'd wake Michael (who had finally given up his conversation with himself).
They're also both enjoying "sitting up". they particularly like sitting on our laps, sometimes facing out, sometimes facing us. They also have been entertained sitting together on the recliner - when they do that, they are always holding hands - cute!
We go to the doctor this week for the 4 month checkup...we're hoping that we'll get to add some solid foods to the menu. It may get messy, but should make for some good stories! High chairs are set up and ready to go :)
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