Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Laughter along the way.
D: Last night I overheard F saying to his dad,
"Sometimes farts grow up to be poops."
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Thursday, November 12, 2009
Riding the Potty Train
D:
Some call it cold turkey.
Others relate it to ripping off a bandaid quickly.
We call it the 'Diaper Fairy'.
Last Saturday the boys woke up to a big surprise. As if it were Christmas morning, they were joyfully told that the Diaper Fairy had come and taken all their diapers away and that she left them a huge stash of new big boy Spiderman underwear in their place. Their initial reaction was mixed with excitement and hesitation, resulting of course in an all out tantrum. (But what doesn't result in a tantrum these days?) We explained that because they were not able to pee and poop in their diapers any longer they needed to learn how to use their potty instead. (Funny side note... All day F kept asking me if we could go on a ferry boat and then later O told me that all the diapers were in the water. It was then that I realized that the boys had understood that all their diapers were boarded on a Washington State FERRY Boat never to return again!)
The plan was fairly strict. For three days, 'Potty Time' would be every hour, on the hour and they sit on the potty for 5 minutes regardless if there is any bodily function or not. We set an alarm so they knew when it was time to get off the potty. (The alarm was fondly referred to as the Potty Train, by the boys.) There would be lots of praise. I mean LOTS of praise, and even some candy. The first day both kids did great... there were only a few accidents, and both kids were fairly agreeable with the new arrangement. Day 2 was an improvement in some areas, yet also a regression in others. Two step forward, one step back. And by the end of day 3, our strict "plan" was slowly going out the window and was replaced by our handy parental instincts and intuition.
Potty training twins is an interesting social and biological science experiment. They both respond very differently to the exact some approach from the exact same parents. It is ridiculous to think that they would learn this very daunting task the same way. I'm glad that we started off so strict, so we can know right off the bat what the kids are capable of... which, to be honest, was actually WAY more than I ever would've given them credit for. I feel that we have mastered a really huge hurdle in a very short amount of time (no more diapers in the house!! Yeah!), but that we now have a very slow and steady route ahead of us that involves building confidence, self control, routine, resiliency, and self awareness in each child in very different ways.
Overall, at this point, I am SO proud of each of my boys. When the day comes that they will both finally 'get it' I know they will be just as happy with themselves as we are in them.
Monday, November 02, 2009
Robots on Parade
D: This year Halloween has definitely been on the twins radar, for the first time. They've been singing songs about jack-o-lanterns and reading stories about trick or treating at preschool. We've been talking about their homemade robot costumes for almost a month, trying them on at various stages of completion. And when the big night was finally here, their costumes had been so tattered and worn, that I actually believe they thought they were turning into little robots for good.
We spent the night in the suburbs, stopping first at my mom's house and then joining our friends and their children for some trick or treating. The neighborhood we went to is known for some theatrical displays, which is pretty cool for the adults but also terrifying to two little robots. The boys did great, however, marching right up to each house (the ones that did not have severed heads hanging from the trees) and promptly saying 'please' and 'thank you' as they eagerly reached for their candy.
They seemed thrilled that something so off limits was being handed out so abundantly. When we got back to the house they quickly spread out their goods on the floor, proudly showing each other their stash. Once the boys were in bed, I dutifully cut their stash by 3/4 (there's no WAY I'm allowing my toddlers to eat that much candy!), and we've been allowing them to have one piece a day from their goodie bags. Honestly, I can't wait until all the candy is out of the house for good (at least until next Halloween). It truly turns them into little monsters!
Here are some picks from their week of costume wearing, leading up to the main event.
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Thursday, October 22, 2009
Practicing for Halloween
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
New friend
D: Our boys have a new friend. His name is Buddy. Buddy lives in a tree in our front yard, but often times plays downstairs when we are all upstairs. It seems that Buddy is just shy of 2 feet tall, but other than that I have no idea what he looks like... because Buddy is Finn and Ollie's imaginary friend.
That's right, they have the same imaginary friend. They can both see him and talk to him, and they both seem to know what he's doing at the moment. Buddy seemed to be Ollie's friend first, and then Finn caught on that Buddy was a fun friend to hang with.
I've heard Ollie talking with Buddy downstairs by himself, showing him toys to play with and putting him to bed. Today I heard him call out to him from a tree in a park, asking him to join him. At first we thought he was talking to Finn (Oh, how cute, he calls his brother 'Buddy'!), but alas... I realized that no one was there.
I really thought that maybe because they had each other every waking moment of their lives that they would be less inclined to have an imaginary friend. I guess it just goes to show how truly imaginative (and social!) they really are.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Chili Bean
Anyone who knew our family knew and loved our dog Chili Bean. Chili is the kind of dog that could care less about other dogs, and absolutely freaks out over attention from humans. At the dog park he spent most of his time sitting on the laps of the human dog owners, gushing from their attention. He made 'giggle' type noises every time a hand was extended his way. And while not everyone cared for this kind of response from a dog, absolutely everyone agreed that he was one of a kind... a real special dog.
Chili Bean's first name was Elvis. It only lasted a few days, before we soon realized he needed a name that better suited his appearance and attitude (small and feisty). Chili was our second dog, bought as a companion for our yellow lab. Their pecking order was established early, with Chili literally sleeping on top of our lab and biting at his face any time the lab got any attention. And although I could never understand how our lab could possibly stand that kind of abuse, they seemed to have an inseparable friendship and mutual understanding.
When the twins began eating solid foods, gleefully throwing food all over the floor for our dogs to enjoy, they weighed about 19 lbs. And so did Chili. With each passing month they quickly gained weight... and so did Chili. By the time they boys broke the bad habit of tossing their food to the ground our little pug grew 1/3 of his body weight! He was still healthy as a tic... but now he looked like one too!
And even though I would call him my 'grub' and we would make fun of his fat rolls, I still can't get over how stinkin' cute he looked, when he'd cock his head from side to side as if he was really trying to understand what you were telling him.
For years I slept with Chili, under our covers, spooning him like a teddy bear. I realized my spoiling was creating a bit of a monster, so I had to stop. However I couldn't resist a snuggle on the couch every evening... and nothing could make him happier.
Chili didn't know any tricks, other than we taught him to say "I love you" like the pug on Letterman, but he was never as good at it as I pretended his was.
When Chili was really fired up, he would scoot his little butt under his legs and tear around the living room, doing laps around the dining room table. It was hilarious to watch.
The boys always called him Chi Chi.
And when he wagged his little cinnamon bun shaped tail, he always made me smile.
These are all the things I want to remember about Chili Bean now that he's gone. He was such a crazy dog, truly misbehaved in many ways. But good for a laugh or a cuddle for anyone who needed one. We will all miss the Bean.
Chili died last Saturday from an Addison's Disease crash. He's had them in the past, but this one was too much for his little body to take and he died suddenly.
Good bye, sweet Bean. You were a special part of our family and we love you.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Open Wide
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D: Last week the boys had their first trip to the dentist. It was an appointment that I've been regretting, simply because I imagined the worse... I mean, come on, I know my kids! They usually can't sit still for more than a few minutes. Twice a day they resist having their teeth brushed by us. They certainly are not 100% without stranger anxiety. Yet, last week they confirmed one of my favorite parenting tenets, "never underestimate your children's ability to continue to surprise you".
Both kids were angels during the entire visit. They were sweet to the staff, allowing them to poke around in their mouths with all their goofy contraptions, and even saying 'thank you' when they were done.
It certainly made all the difference that we were in LOVE with our new pediatric dentist the minute we arrived. They had a kids play room in the front. The staff were very accommodating of scheduling twins back to back, and allowing us to maneuver between the two kids in the play room and the exam room. The technician let each kid play with each tool for quite a while before asking if it was OK if she went into their mouths with them. And the best part: there was a flat screen TV on the ceiling above the exam chair, so while the boys patiently laid on the chair with their mouths wide open, they were able to watch The Incredibles and listen to it on headphones. .jpg)
The Dentist gave both boys (and their parents!) a thumbs up on the status of their teeth. Everything's looking good, except that he did confirm that O's front two teeth are 'dead' from a fall he took months ago on the pavement. They are slightly discolored and will be until they fall out.
There's nothing permanently damaging and his new teeth with grow in just fine. The only thing we're worried about now is his self esteem. It's not super noticeable (we didn't even notice it for a while!) and we make sure not to make a big deal about it. I do, however, find myself telling him more and more what an adorable smile he has... which of course he does! .jpg)