Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
I May Be Relaxing A Little On My Media Rule...
Sam and Anna watched zero tv before they were 1 year old. We rarely had the tv on while they were awake. Once they were 1, I bought some Baby Signing Time DVDs and they would occasionally watch it for 30 min, every few days, maybe 3 times total a week.
Lately when Daddy lets Mama sleep in on a weekend morning, and one of our littles wakes up early, he sometimes turns on a little Saturday morning cartoons to keep the early bird quiet. I don't really say much about it most of the time, because- well, we make compromises in this thing called parenting and I do still get to sleep in. :)
Then I got an ipad for my birthday this fall... and I discovered some pretty awesome apps for kids, right up Sam and Anna's alley. Sam's favorite is I Hear Ewe and Anna's is Magic Piano. Sometimes (not every day) I will let Sam and Anna do something supervised on my ipad while Daddy is finishing up making dinner (our often fussiest time of day). They love it. I am amazed at how quickly they both learned how to finger swipe and touch the screen, not to mention turn it on. For that reason, most of the time the ipad, like our laptop, is out of sight, out of mind while Sam and Anna are awake.
And then they were not feeling well at daycare along with the other two day care kids, and they watched an Elmo movie. Then promptly fell in LOVE with Elmo. I guess most kids discover the wonderfulness of Elmo sometime in their second year, right? Elmo has been on their diapers since they were newborns, so they knew what he looked like, but didn't love him until now. I do have to say it is super cute to watch them sing and dance along to Elmo's song.
It's a slippery slope, because while we were on our Thanksgiving road trip of 10 hours total drive time, Sam and Anna may or may not have watched Elmo's World on the ipad 5 or so times. I'm not admitting how many times I let it play. What I will admit, is that it was the least painful road trip we've ever been on with our non-car nappers. Elmo over tears and tantrums made it completely worth it!
Lately when Daddy lets Mama sleep in on a weekend morning, and one of our littles wakes up early, he sometimes turns on a little Saturday morning cartoons to keep the early bird quiet. I don't really say much about it most of the time, because- well, we make compromises in this thing called parenting and I do still get to sleep in. :)
Then I got an ipad for my birthday this fall... and I discovered some pretty awesome apps for kids, right up Sam and Anna's alley. Sam's favorite is I Hear Ewe and Anna's is Magic Piano. Sometimes (not every day) I will let Sam and Anna do something supervised on my ipad while Daddy is finishing up making dinner (our often fussiest time of day). They love it. I am amazed at how quickly they both learned how to finger swipe and touch the screen, not to mention turn it on. For that reason, most of the time the ipad, like our laptop, is out of sight, out of mind while Sam and Anna are awake.
And then they were not feeling well at daycare along with the other two day care kids, and they watched an Elmo movie. Then promptly fell in LOVE with Elmo. I guess most kids discover the wonderfulness of Elmo sometime in their second year, right? Elmo has been on their diapers since they were newborns, so they knew what he looked like, but didn't love him until now. I do have to say it is super cute to watch them sing and dance along to Elmo's song.
It's a slippery slope, because while we were on our Thanksgiving road trip of 10 hours total drive time, Sam and Anna may or may not have watched Elmo's World on the ipad 5 or so times. I'm not admitting how many times I let it play. What I will admit, is that it was the least painful road trip we've ever been on with our non-car nappers. Elmo over tears and tantrums made it completely worth it!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Mama Loves Time Savers
Mama Loves is a linky party where mamas can share anything that has made your life easier as a mama.
Maybe you've found:
Maybe you've found:
- a toy or book that captivates your child(ren)
- gear you just can't live without
- a recipe your choosy toddler gobbles down
- a parenting book that you've found perspective changing
- an activity that wears your kid(s) out (these lead to good naps, which we all love)
- an outfit that flatters your post-baby body and makes you feel fabulous
- or anything else you're loving--creativity welcome!
__________________________________________
Most of my Mama Loves have been products you can buy. In an effort to avoid the shopping push right now (Black Friday and Cyber Monday can just be done already), today's thing I love is nothing you can buy. It's a little trick my daycare provider taught Sam and Anna that has made a world of difference in how I go out and about with my duo. Something so easy and small, it's something anyone can do, but something any parent of multiple children will especially love.
Here it is: When getting in or out of the car, our daycare provider taught Sam and Anna to put their hand on the car right above the wheel and keep it there until you are ready to hold their hand. So simple, but it works so well. It makes it so easy to unbuckle one child and then get the other child out- without the need to confine the first child in a stroller or cart first. It works well in parking lots or any public place when you want to keep close tabs on your little ones.
They've been doing this since they could walk. I honestly rarely use the stroller when we go places anymore, because they are so obedient in following this rule. It is awesome for those times when it's just me with Sam and Anna. It's such a time saver to take one child out, take the other child out, and then hold hands to where ever you need to go without getting out the stroller, buckling in each child and then refolding up the stroller when we're done. I can use double shopping carts in the store. Those double strollers can be heavy and cumbersome! And it keeps them safe in busy parking lots, too!
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Fall Colors Fall
Click here to browse Shutterfly's modern graduation invitations.
View the entire collection of cards.
We, of course, have so much to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. No need to buy anything, so over commercialism is kept at bay. No need to stress over gifts, and it is 100% okay to eat as much you want and indulge. Hoping your homes are filled with joy and lots of thanks on this special day!
Monday, November 21, 2011
20 Months Old... and a Half
Picture me a little sheepish, since it is now 12 days past Sam and Anna's 20 month "birthday." Honestly, I hadn't even taken their monthly picture yet, until today. I don't think I've ever been this late with that, but with it getting darker earlier and the crappy lighting our house has, I was waiting for a time when we were all home in the daylight to take pictures. Key word there is all home, because my husband has been gone so much that I've haven't felt up to attempting to corral both Sam and Anna for their monthly pictures without some assistance. I did today though, and I don't think they turned out that bad.
My "babies" are getting bigger and bigger. Sam wore his first 2T shirt the other day. He has only been wearing 18 month clothing since mid September, so since he was in 12 months from last winter until this fall, we haven't gotten nearly enough wear out of the 18 month stuff. I guess our weight gain project is continuing to work! This was the first time I was a little sad about the need to size up. It just seems like a big jump from sizes in "months" or sizes in "T" for toddler. Anna's fitting into her 18 month clothing even better, although she did just wear a 9-12 month onesie the other day. Sam wears size 6 shoes and Anna wears 5.5 size shoes.
Phrases are a regular occurrence now. It is very common for them to put together 3 words/concepts to communicate with us, like "mama, more please," or "no Bella, down!"I would even go so far as to say that both have said things that would qualify as sentences as well. Anna has said "Uh oh mama, where did it go again?" complete with the cutest little hand gesture as she shrugs her shoulders. Both Sam and Anna are regularly using me, I, my, and mine to refer to themselves as well. I was wondering when the "mine!" would show up. Sam is really enjoying saying "my daddy" or "my mommy" They also like to label things as their color when talking about objects, like telling you that an apple they are eating is red, or that our car is gray, etc. As for total number of words they know and use- I gave up counting a long time ago, because it is well over several hundred at this point.
Both Sam and Anna are making a lot of new animal signs right now... mostly because our newest Signing Time DVD is Volume 9- Zoo Train. Sam and Anna especially like the sign for gorilla and zebra, while they also now know tiger, hippo, rhino, lobster, shark, shrimp, dolphin, panda, crocodile, giraffe, monkey, octopus, whale, crab, kangaroo, penguin, seal, camel, elephant, bat, lion, starfish and animal. These two kids adore animals, so this was right up their alley. Anna especially is stringing together multiple signs with words to communicate, like "more again please?" They both seem to understand and can follow most directions we ask- such as "give Anna her coat" or "please hold my hand" or "put the puzzles away."
Sam and Anna know their colors and will say most of them, although green is the hardest to decipher and white is the least consistent. Having a gray car helped them learn that color! Anna prefers purple stuff, while Sam likes yellow and red best right now. I've caught both naming heart, star and circle shapes, but they do know what a triangle is if I tell them to find the triangle, they just don't say that word verbally yet. Sam's favorite letter continues to be M, and so he's been pretty stubborn to focus on any other letters right now. Anna likes O and e (I wear a lot of clothing with a word on it that has M, o, and e in it), although she says "eee" for P, Z, T, C, B, D, G and V since when you say them, they kind of end with that sound. They can both distinguish between "Sam"and "Anna" in print. Anna's favorite number to say is 2, while Sam likes 9. They don't really count (and by count I mean say the numbers in order) on their own, but they know when to say their favorite numbers in the sequence when I am counting. :) If they "count" on their own, it often comes out as one number said several times as they point, like "2, 2, 2.."
It seems like Sam and Anna are more independent players than before, but that might be a by product of the amount of time that their daddy has been away from home lately. Their pretend play has become more complex as well. Anna talks to her babies and hold conversations with them- asking them questions, and ending the conversations with a kiss. She likes to change her baby doll's diaper, put it in her high chair, give it her pacificer, etc. Sam is really into Elmo right now. He searches out the diapers that have Elmo on them twice (all of ours have Elmo on them once), and requests those. He likes to sing along to Elmo's song when we play it for him. They continue to be stellar clean-uppers. I don't know we did it, but we managed to have kids that like putting things away in something rather than dump stuff out. It is our routine to clean up together before we eat or go somewhere else.
Anna's favorite book is probably Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin or any of the How Do Dinosaurs... books this month. She really likes the dinosaur books and we have several of them. She's finally showing less interest in 5 Little Ducks. I'm enjoying the break from reading that one multiple times a day! Sam's favorite book is still the family member book I made on shutterfly. He loves his grandmas so much, he was thrilled to see them over Thanksgiving. That kid was grinning ear to ear and saying over and over, "grandma, grandma grandma!" as soon as he realized where we were. He does love two books that have horses in them as well- Big Red Barn and The Very Busy Spider.
With Daddy being gone on 3 trips in the past month, Sam's been going through another separation anxiety stage. Most days he needs to bring his "Bap Bap" into daycare (his lovey- a white cloth diaper we used as a burp cloth) although she says he doesn't carry it around all day long. He had a lot of anxiety when Daddy would pack up our vehicle, going outside multiple times to carry stuff out over our road trip this past weekend. I'm hopeful this stage will pass once we've been back to normal for awhile.
Both Sam and Anna regularly climb into their own high chairs at meals, and both have climbed into their car seats in our cars on their own. Still no sign of climbing out of cribs anytime soon, thanks to sleep sacks though.... Anna's throwing ability has really improved in the last month. She can really launch stuff with her overhand throw. She had a lot of fun throwing around a football the other day. Both can walk up and down stairs using the railing independently, but they have been doing that for awhile. Sam and Anna each have very different running styles. Sam tends to take smaller steps but goes at a faster speed, while Anna takes larger steps going a slower speed. Their dancing style is different too- Sam prances on his tiptoes, while Anna tends to bend her knees and bounce up and down .
Sam and Anna are pretty proficient at using spoons now- Anna can especially use a spoon to put soup in her mouth without spilling. Since she loves tomato soup, this is a nice development to help speed along mealtimes. Sam is starting to like puzzles with multiple pieces that fit together rather than the one piece by itself puzzles we've done for months.
Sleep wise, things are similar to last month, although I've noticed that we typically get a long nap out of them on Saturdays- after putting them down at 1 we usually end up waking them up after 4 pm so it doesn't interfere with bedtime. Our one nap a day is always over 2 hours, typically 2 1/2 hours, and up to 3+ hours before we will wake them up. Bedtime is at 7:30/7:45, wake up is at 6:50 on weekdays and they will sleep usually until 7/8 am on weekends (so usually 11-12 hours of nighttime sleep).
Sam has been showing more readiness signs for potty training, although I still don't have plans to do that anytime soon. He has started telling us before he is going to poop, and tries to change his diaper on his own afterwards if we aren't quick enough. It has been nice to ask both of them if they have a dirty diaper and get a correct answer instead of needing to do a smell check too.
Sam also finally got one of his lower lateral incisors- about the same time Anna's first canine broke through. We got a nice break from teething there for a while. Sam's canines are close to arriving soon, with a total tooth count of 11. Anna currently has 13 total teeth.
Sam and Anna have become a little more pickier eaters this month. They've both learned to lick or suck off any dipping sauce without eating the food, so our old trick of using dipping sauces like ketchup to get them to eat something won't work anymore. While they still eat veggies, they both definitely eat less vegetables than before. Food favorites include grapes, mac and cheese, and pasta with red sauce.
The best part of twins is how they interact with each other. Sam and Anna always kiss each other goodnight, and kiss frequently during the day. They love to give Group Hugs on comand. Anna recently has started comforting Sam if he's upset by rubbing his back and telling him "it's okay." She also has tried to tickle Sam when he wasn't wearing clothes before a bath saying "tickle tickle!" 20 months is a blast!
My "babies" are getting bigger and bigger. Sam wore his first 2T shirt the other day. He has only been wearing 18 month clothing since mid September, so since he was in 12 months from last winter until this fall, we haven't gotten nearly enough wear out of the 18 month stuff. I guess our weight gain project is continuing to work! This was the first time I was a little sad about the need to size up. It just seems like a big jump from sizes in "months" or sizes in "T" for toddler. Anna's fitting into her 18 month clothing even better, although she did just wear a 9-12 month onesie the other day. Sam wears size 6 shoes and Anna wears 5.5 size shoes.
Phrases are a regular occurrence now. It is very common for them to put together 3 words/concepts to communicate with us, like "mama, more please," or "no Bella, down!"I would even go so far as to say that both have said things that would qualify as sentences as well. Anna has said "Uh oh mama, where did it go again?" complete with the cutest little hand gesture as she shrugs her shoulders. Both Sam and Anna are regularly using me, I, my, and mine to refer to themselves as well. I was wondering when the "mine!" would show up. Sam is really enjoying saying "my daddy" or "my mommy" They also like to label things as their color when talking about objects, like telling you that an apple they are eating is red, or that our car is gray, etc. As for total number of words they know and use- I gave up counting a long time ago, because it is well over several hundred at this point.
Both Sam and Anna are making a lot of new animal signs right now... mostly because our newest Signing Time DVD is Volume 9- Zoo Train. Sam and Anna especially like the sign for gorilla and zebra, while they also now know tiger, hippo, rhino, lobster, shark, shrimp, dolphin, panda, crocodile, giraffe, monkey, octopus, whale, crab, kangaroo, penguin, seal, camel, elephant, bat, lion, starfish and animal. These two kids adore animals, so this was right up their alley. Anna especially is stringing together multiple signs with words to communicate, like "more again please?" They both seem to understand and can follow most directions we ask- such as "give Anna her coat" or "please hold my hand" or "put the puzzles away."
Sam and Anna know their colors and will say most of them, although green is the hardest to decipher and white is the least consistent. Having a gray car helped them learn that color! Anna prefers purple stuff, while Sam likes yellow and red best right now. I've caught both naming heart, star and circle shapes, but they do know what a triangle is if I tell them to find the triangle, they just don't say that word verbally yet. Sam's favorite letter continues to be M, and so he's been pretty stubborn to focus on any other letters right now. Anna likes O and e (I wear a lot of clothing with a word on it that has M, o, and e in it), although she says "eee" for P, Z, T, C, B, D, G and V since when you say them, they kind of end with that sound. They can both distinguish between "Sam"and "Anna" in print. Anna's favorite number to say is 2, while Sam likes 9. They don't really count (and by count I mean say the numbers in order) on their own, but they know when to say their favorite numbers in the sequence when I am counting. :) If they "count" on their own, it often comes out as one number said several times as they point, like "2, 2, 2.."
It seems like Sam and Anna are more independent players than before, but that might be a by product of the amount of time that their daddy has been away from home lately. Their pretend play has become more complex as well. Anna talks to her babies and hold conversations with them- asking them questions, and ending the conversations with a kiss. She likes to change her baby doll's diaper, put it in her high chair, give it her pacificer, etc. Sam is really into Elmo right now. He searches out the diapers that have Elmo on them twice (all of ours have Elmo on them once), and requests those. He likes to sing along to Elmo's song when we play it for him. They continue to be stellar clean-uppers. I don't know we did it, but we managed to have kids that like putting things away in something rather than dump stuff out. It is our routine to clean up together before we eat or go somewhere else.
Anna's favorite book is probably Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin or any of the How Do Dinosaurs... books this month. She really likes the dinosaur books and we have several of them. She's finally showing less interest in 5 Little Ducks. I'm enjoying the break from reading that one multiple times a day! Sam's favorite book is still the family member book I made on shutterfly. He loves his grandmas so much, he was thrilled to see them over Thanksgiving. That kid was grinning ear to ear and saying over and over, "grandma, grandma grandma!" as soon as he realized where we were. He does love two books that have horses in them as well- Big Red Barn and The Very Busy Spider.
With Daddy being gone on 3 trips in the past month, Sam's been going through another separation anxiety stage. Most days he needs to bring his "Bap Bap" into daycare (his lovey- a white cloth diaper we used as a burp cloth) although she says he doesn't carry it around all day long. He had a lot of anxiety when Daddy would pack up our vehicle, going outside multiple times to carry stuff out over our road trip this past weekend. I'm hopeful this stage will pass once we've been back to normal for awhile.
Both Sam and Anna regularly climb into their own high chairs at meals, and both have climbed into their car seats in our cars on their own. Still no sign of climbing out of cribs anytime soon, thanks to sleep sacks though.... Anna's throwing ability has really improved in the last month. She can really launch stuff with her overhand throw. She had a lot of fun throwing around a football the other day. Both can walk up and down stairs using the railing independently, but they have been doing that for awhile. Sam and Anna each have very different running styles. Sam tends to take smaller steps but goes at a faster speed, while Anna takes larger steps going a slower speed. Their dancing style is different too- Sam prances on his tiptoes, while Anna tends to bend her knees and bounce up and down .
Sam and Anna are pretty proficient at using spoons now- Anna can especially use a spoon to put soup in her mouth without spilling. Since she loves tomato soup, this is a nice development to help speed along mealtimes. Sam is starting to like puzzles with multiple pieces that fit together rather than the one piece by itself puzzles we've done for months.
Sleep wise, things are similar to last month, although I've noticed that we typically get a long nap out of them on Saturdays- after putting them down at 1 we usually end up waking them up after 4 pm so it doesn't interfere with bedtime. Our one nap a day is always over 2 hours, typically 2 1/2 hours, and up to 3+ hours before we will wake them up. Bedtime is at 7:30/7:45, wake up is at 6:50 on weekdays and they will sleep usually until 7/8 am on weekends (so usually 11-12 hours of nighttime sleep).
Sam has been showing more readiness signs for potty training, although I still don't have plans to do that anytime soon. He has started telling us before he is going to poop, and tries to change his diaper on his own afterwards if we aren't quick enough. It has been nice to ask both of them if they have a dirty diaper and get a correct answer instead of needing to do a smell check too.
Sam also finally got one of his lower lateral incisors- about the same time Anna's first canine broke through. We got a nice break from teething there for a while. Sam's canines are close to arriving soon, with a total tooth count of 11. Anna currently has 13 total teeth.
Sam and Anna have become a little more pickier eaters this month. They've both learned to lick or suck off any dipping sauce without eating the food, so our old trick of using dipping sauces like ketchup to get them to eat something won't work anymore. While they still eat veggies, they both definitely eat less vegetables than before. Food favorites include grapes, mac and cheese, and pasta with red sauce.
The best part of twins is how they interact with each other. Sam and Anna always kiss each other goodnight, and kiss frequently during the day. They love to give Group Hugs on comand. Anna recently has started comforting Sam if he's upset by rubbing his back and telling him "it's okay." She also has tried to tickle Sam when he wasn't wearing clothes before a bath saying "tickle tickle!" 20 months is a blast!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Numbers
In the last 24 days, I have solo-parented for 16 of them. That means my husband was home for 8 days of the last 24. In those 8 days, I had two long days at school for conferences, meaning that I barely had time to see Sam or Anna during their awake time. That means in the last 24 days, I've had 6 "normal" days.
While doing it all on my own taking care of two 20 month olds and working full time in charge of 21 5 and 6 year olds during the day doesn't seem so difficult anymore, it has definitely exhausted me to a level comparable with twin babies in a sleep regression or twin newborns exhaustion. I've seriously slacked on photo taking, blog posting, commenting, house cleaning and other things Inot worth mentioning. We've got an okay routine down but I am looking forward to a little parenting help again. During the past month, Sam and Anna have learned that after our bedtime story, they should walk to their cribs in their room and wait to be lifted in. While I kind of like this new development, it does make them seem awfully grown up.
My biggest nemesis? Cooking meals. Ugh. I cannot wait until I do not have to come up with what myself and two toddlers should eat and then prepare it while entertaining said toddlers all by myself. I'm getting a little tired of mac and cheese, pasta, and chicken nuggets too. A cook I am NOT. (obviously, if our diet has consisted of mac and cheese, pasta and chicken nuggets, ha!)
My solo parenting days draw to a close tonight, and that should be it until mid January, thank goodness. I don't think their will be another time as bad as this for at least another year. The past 24 days have been one heck of a ride with crazy parents of students, illness of my own children, teething, bad weather, and work stresses, but I'd like to get off now, thank you very much. Time to divvy up the responsibilities of child rearing again!
While doing it all on my own taking care of two 20 month olds and working full time in charge of 21 5 and 6 year olds during the day doesn't seem so difficult anymore, it has definitely exhausted me to a level comparable with twin babies in a sleep regression or twin newborns exhaustion. I've seriously slacked on photo taking, blog posting, commenting, house cleaning and other things Inot worth mentioning. We've got an okay routine down but I am looking forward to a little parenting help again. During the past month, Sam and Anna have learned that after our bedtime story, they should walk to their cribs in their room and wait to be lifted in. While I kind of like this new development, it does make them seem awfully grown up.
My biggest nemesis? Cooking meals. Ugh. I cannot wait until I do not have to come up with what myself and two toddlers should eat and then prepare it while entertaining said toddlers all by myself. I'm getting a little tired of mac and cheese, pasta, and chicken nuggets too. A cook I am NOT. (obviously, if our diet has consisted of mac and cheese, pasta and chicken nuggets, ha!)
My solo parenting days draw to a close tonight, and that should be it until mid January, thank goodness. I don't think their will be another time as bad as this for at least another year. The past 24 days have been one heck of a ride with crazy parents of students, illness of my own children, teething, bad weather, and work stresses, but I'd like to get off now, thank you very much. Time to divvy up the responsibilities of child rearing again!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Mama Loves Food Pouches
Mama Loves is a linky party where mamas can share anything that has made your life easier as a mama.
Maybe you've found:
- a toy or book that captivates your child(ren)
- gear you just can't live without
- a recipe your choosy toddler gobbles down
- a parenting book that you've found perspective changing
- an activity that wears your kid(s) out (these lead to good naps, which we all love)
- an outfit that flatters your post-baby body and makes you feel fabulous
- or anything else you're loving--creativity welcome!
__________________________________________
I stick to only the pouches that have 90 calories or more in them, because my primary reason for including them in Sam and Anna's diet is to keep their weight on their growth curve. My littles have always been, well, little- so we need all the extra boost we can get. I prefer to do that in a healthy way rather than slathering on high fat additives with less nutritional value. These food pouches packed with fruits and veggies do just that.
I credit Anna and Sam's 2 lb weight gain from 18 months old to 19 months old thanks to those pouches. They were also super handy on days when we had to rush to swimming lessons and dinner was always cut short. I'm excited to use them over the holidays while we are traveling across state lines for long road trips. Now I can even credit those little pouches for helping me get some nutrition into my little ones when they were under the weather.
Yes, on top of my crazy month solo parenting almost nonstop, Sam and Anna both got sick at the same time, just after my husband left for the third trip. They hardly ate anything, Sam had diarrhea nonstop, and Anna had a fever. They would not touch any solid food (besides being sick, they are both cutting canines). We don't have much wiggle room for days of eating less. But.... Sam and Anna would eat a few pouches at a meal, so I was able to get a few hundred calories in them each time I tried, plus all the goodness that fruit and veggies provide on top of that.
I also just saw that Target is now carrying pouches in its store brand, Up&Up.
Woohoo for that, because now I can get some varieties at almost half the price as before.
Double love it!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Perspective
I'm in the middle of my second week of several days in a row of solo parenting. There will be a third trip taken by my husband this month at the end of the week, making it 3 solo parenting expeditions in as many weeks. This time of year is rough for me anyway, with the end of the grading period, massive assessments for report cards, completing report cards, preparing and then conducting conferences on two longgggg days. It hasn't been easy on a lot of levels, also because Sam's cutting 2 teeth right now, and hasn't been his usual happy self (meaning multiple night wakings, starting his day before 6 am, lots of fussing, lots of crabbiness which manifests in kicking and hitting and extra clingy-ness). Do I also need to mention that things that are tough on my own two children make my job tougher at the same time- like time changes, weather changes, etc by bringing out the crazies in my students and their parents?
I'm longing for the days when my husband is home again for more than a few days in between trips. Longing for a break to go somewhere sans two toddlers under two. Ready for a return to normal with no unexpected power outages, or crazy parents of students making my job harder than it already is. Ready for a little help at home. Excited to go to the bathroom without an audience.
This post is about more than that though. As I was thinking about typing up something here, I read a comment on another blog that stuck with me. Veteran's Day was on Friday, and there are so many families that are in similar situations to mine... except their parenting partner doesn't have the luxury of a few days home every week. Many families have a parent deployed and are solo parenting for much, much longer than I have been. When I keep that in my mind, solo parenting my twin toddlers for the second week in a row right before a 12 hour day of parent teacher conferences doesn't seem all that bad, after all.
I'm longing for the days when my husband is home again for more than a few days in between trips. Longing for a break to go somewhere sans two toddlers under two. Ready for a return to normal with no unexpected power outages, or crazy parents of students making my job harder than it already is. Ready for a little help at home. Excited to go to the bathroom without an audience.
This post is about more than that though. As I was thinking about typing up something here, I read a comment on another blog that stuck with me. Veteran's Day was on Friday, and there are so many families that are in similar situations to mine... except their parenting partner doesn't have the luxury of a few days home every week. Many families have a parent deployed and are solo parenting for much, much longer than I have been. When I keep that in my mind, solo parenting my twin toddlers for the second week in a row right before a 12 hour day of parent teacher conferences doesn't seem all that bad, after all.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
I'm In No Rush
Since Sam and Anna were born, there have been just a few stages I was excited to leave behind. One was ending our bottle feedings days. I was more than happy to pack away the lingering memories of bottle refusal and spending so much of the first 6 months of their lives trying to get Sam and Anna to drink. The other thing I can remember (besides the frequent night wakings, obviously) was growing into new sizes of clothing. I know many mama wistfully pack away the small baby clothing sizes and have a hard time letting go of the newborn stuff. Me; I was excited each time Sam or Anna sized up in clothes, because not only did it mean they had new stuff to wear, but that they were growing, and how hard we worked to get them to drink was worth it. Everything else I miss. I miss middle of the night feedings, I miss holding sleeping babies in my arms. I miss wobbly babies and I miss that newborn baby smell.
Now I've realized that the tables have turned a little bit. I find I'm dragging my feet a little about some things that to me really signify the end of what little baby-hood is left in Sam and Anna- but other people are already doing or have done with their children the same age as Sam and Anna. They may be toddlers, but it still feels like they were still babies not that long ago! It's hard for me to come to terms with the fact that in only 4 short months my "babies" will be 2 years old already. I get asked about potty training and big kid beds all the time, when really those two things aren't even on my radar yet.
Most parents are probably itching to potty train their toddlers to save $$ on diapers, but I am in no rush. I have no plans to attempt any time soon, and we don't own a single potty chair yet. Sure, the extra money not spent on diapers would be nice, but when they aren't in diapers anymore, they really won't seem very baby-like anymore. Have Sam and Anna shown readiness signs yet? Some of them- they tell us when they are "dirty," they show signs of understanding what the toilet is for, and show that they don't like having a soiled diaper on, etc. But I don't think they are anywhere near being ready to potty train easily and quickly at this point- so it'll wait for now, until I think we get to that point. Plus, Anna especially needs a little extra fluff on her tush to help hold up her pants!
I also want to hold out as long as possible for "big kid" beds. If my duo needs to wear sleep sacks until they are over 2 years old to make it that far to keep them from climbing out of cribs, then so be it. My goal is waiting until at least next summer (when Sam and Anna are 2 1/2) to make the transition. I know many people have their 18 month olds in regular beds or toddler beds, but honestly I can't fathom it with Sam and Anna. That is something I know they are no way ready for yet... or maybe I am in no way ready for the mobility that will give them when they are supposed to be sleeping!
Now I've realized that the tables have turned a little bit. I find I'm dragging my feet a little about some things that to me really signify the end of what little baby-hood is left in Sam and Anna- but other people are already doing or have done with their children the same age as Sam and Anna. They may be toddlers, but it still feels like they were still babies not that long ago! It's hard for me to come to terms with the fact that in only 4 short months my "babies" will be 2 years old already. I get asked about potty training and big kid beds all the time, when really those two things aren't even on my radar yet.
Most parents are probably itching to potty train their toddlers to save $$ on diapers, but I am in no rush. I have no plans to attempt any time soon, and we don't own a single potty chair yet. Sure, the extra money not spent on diapers would be nice, but when they aren't in diapers anymore, they really won't seem very baby-like anymore. Have Sam and Anna shown readiness signs yet? Some of them- they tell us when they are "dirty," they show signs of understanding what the toilet is for, and show that they don't like having a soiled diaper on, etc. But I don't think they are anywhere near being ready to potty train easily and quickly at this point- so it'll wait for now, until I think we get to that point. Plus, Anna especially needs a little extra fluff on her tush to help hold up her pants!
I also want to hold out as long as possible for "big kid" beds. If my duo needs to wear sleep sacks until they are over 2 years old to make it that far to keep them from climbing out of cribs, then so be it. My goal is waiting until at least next summer (when Sam and Anna are 2 1/2) to make the transition. I know many people have their 18 month olds in regular beds or toddler beds, but honestly I can't fathom it with Sam and Anna. That is something I know they are no way ready for yet... or maybe I am in no way ready for the mobility that will give them when they are supposed to be sleeping!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Our New (Free!) Slide
I had been looking for a good used slide/swing set on craigslist for a while... and almost got this exact one for what I thought was a good deal. It was obviously not meant to be though, because a few weeks later, we were given this one for free from a co-worker. Sam and Anna love it and so we've been trying to squeeze in as much play time as we can on it before the snowy days start. It needs a good pressure washing, but we'll wait until spring to clean it up.
The typical scene when we round the corner and they see it: taking off running to be first on the slide.
I'm glad we got a few weeks of slide time in our backyard before our first snowfall... yesterday. Now our yard is covered with a few inches of the white stuff, which is making me get the Christmas itch a little bit more!
We had an interesting evening after our snow-filled day. When Sam, Anna and I were on our way home after daycare, I noticed that our entire neighborhood was dark. It turns out that our power had been off for over 6 hours, since noon, because of the heavy wet snow. After realizing that our dinner in the crock pot would be a no-go, I quickly thought of a plan b. I was on my own for dinner because daddy was gone, so I ran into our pitch black house, leaving the car running in the driveway with Sam and Anna in it, and grabbed what I needed to take Sam and Anna out to eat. Before this, I have only gone out to eat in a restaurant once with my duo on my own. It went fine, just not my top choice for how to spend my evening after a long day with kindergartners! By bedtime, our power was back on and all was well again.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Mama Loves Toys That Stand the Test of Time
Mama Loves is a linky party where mamas can share anything that has made your life easier as a mama.
Maybe you've found:
- a toy or book that captivates your child(ren)
- gear you just can't live without
- a recipe your choosy toddler gobbles down
- a parenting book that you've found perspective changing
- an activity that wears your kid(s) out (these lead to good naps, which we all love)
- an outfit that flatters your post-baby body and makes you feel fabulous
- or anything else you're loving--creativity welcome!
__________________________________________
I'm usually the type of person that likes to celebrate one holiday at a time, and usually only in the month the holiday occurs. I used to wait until December first to give in to the holiday hustle and bustle but I've found in the past two years post-kids that my holiday spirit keeps arriving sooner and sooner. Now here it is not even the middle of November (!) and I've already started working on our Christmas card and writing out Sam and Anna's wish list for family members. Maybe it's because it feels so good to have everything to look forward to during the holidays, instead of wishing for our family to be complete. Maybe it's because seeing the magic of the season through the eyes of a child is phenomenal. Or maybe it feels a little like being a kid again yourself because of the possibility of new toys to play with. :)Either way, I'm sharing some of the top toys Sam and Anna have enjoyed in the past year- toys that even almost a year later they still like to drag out and play with. Just a sampling of toys perfect for the almost 1 year old to 1 1/2 year old on your Christmas shopping list. I'd love any suggestions of toys for my almost 2 year olds, too!
* Playskool Busy Bopping Pals
At first Sam and Anna were watchers and enjoyed seeing us "pop" the toys up. Later on they learned how to manipulate the knobs on their own. We also love to practice colors, numbers, animal names and sounds using this toy. This is one rare toy that we have 2 of... one for each of them to use at the same time.
* Playskool Ball Popper
Annoyingly loud music, but this is definitely a toy that adjusts in fun as kids grow. At first, Sam and Anna watched in wonder as the balls popped up and kept going around and around. Later, this mama was thrilled when they learned how to get the balls and put them back in on their own when they sometimes bounced out. Now, Sam and Anna like to tip it so the air can blow in their faces... or put other toys of similar size in the holes (little people, anyone?). Not my favorite toy, but like with books, if your kids love it, then you learn to like it just a little bit more, too.
* wooden blocks
Every child should have these. I was just remarking to my husband tonight how much Sam and Anna still enjoy playing with our wooden blocks. Early on, Sam and Anna would use them as teething toys while we stacked towers, and they'd then knock them down. I remember being so proud of their first attempts to stack blocks on their own. Now they stack towers 10+ blocks tall. We use the images on the sides to practice naming objects, colors and letters too.
Early block play Fall 2010
*Melissa and Doug large knob puzzles
I even added more puzzles to our current toy wish list. 'nough said.
*a tunnel to crawl through
A Christmas gift last year, still requested whenever Sam and Anna see it.
January 2011
* Playskool Step Start Walk N Ride
I can't said whether this is the best walking toy out there, but Sam and Anna loved this version. They still ride on the cars around our house often.
April 2011
* small cars that little hands can hold
Great for diaper bag toys. Or church toys! Or car toys!
*Fisher Price Vacuum and Fisher Price Mower
Before they could stand unassisted, Sam and Anna would push these around while sitting before they were really mobile or army crawling. Having these helped Anna make the transition from needing a lot of assistance with walking from the Walk N Ride to taking unassisted steps all on her own at the beginning of summer.
Look how wittle they look! December 2010
*shape sorter toys
This is one toy Sam and Anna sometimes fight over. If you don't want to share it, it must be good, right?
Feel free to pass along any suggestions of toys for my almost 2 year olds, too!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Sam and Anna's "Loveys"
Anna loves her "baby" aka doll. She had attached to this Boo doll from Monsters, Inc. at daycare so much that I had to buy one off ebay for her to have at home too! It gets kisses, fed from a bottle, burped and diapered too.
Sam's "lovey" has evolved into a burp cloth- a plain ol' white cloth diaper. He calls it his "Bap-Bap." Sam likes to tuck it under his chin (probably because that's what we always did with them!) and must have one in his crib at night. On rough mornings when he doesn't want to get up and going, letting him bring one to daycare helps avoid tears or tantrums, but he doesn't tend to carry it around all day. Most of the time they stay in his crib- I guess that's why I don't have any pictures of him with one.
While Anna's Boo may be cuter, it sure it easier to replace, replicate, and wash something as simple as a white cloth!
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