Baby Dancing

Of course, I only want to represent myself and my family in the best possible light on this blog (smirk), so before you watch this video, here are some things to keep in mind:

1. That doesn't sound AT ALL like my real voice. (I know, people always think it doesn't sound like their own voice when they hear it played back on a recording).

2. Charlotte was having a bad hair day.

3. My husband DOES know how to speak using proper grammar. We were "baby speaking."

That being said, check out the moves on Baby Girl! Holla!

Bath Time

Well, I was going to upload a really cute video of Charlotte dancing for you to see, but I'm just too exhausted right now. You see, I was giving her a bath earlier, and she decided to poop all over her baby tub. And then when I took her out of the baby tub and plunked her down into the real tub (sans water) just to get a handle on things, she pooped in that tub too. So I just spent my evening blogging/quiet time bleaching the tub and all of the tub toys instead of uploading the aforementioned video.

There's always tomorrow.

Parenting Theories

I certainly wouldn't say that Charlotte and Gavin are difficult children. But I also wouldn't say they are particularly easy, either. I only have my nephews for comparison, but I think Charlotte and Gavin have their good days and their bad. Nighttime and naptimes continue to be struggles, despite using the cry-it-out method, schedules, then no schedules, etc... They still have trouble amusing themselves on their own, too, so sometimes they can get pretty cranky. Inconsistent sleep habits might have something to do with the crankiness. But they eat well, and they seem generally happy, and they sleep well enough, mostly.

I spoke to some other mothers at my Twin Club meeting tonight. One has 3-month old twins, and the other 13-month olds. They made parenting twins sound like the simplest thing ever. "I swear, they were sleeping through the night since they came home. Sometimes I'm still laying in bed at 10am thinking, shouldn't they be up by now?" said the mother of the 3-month olds. The other mother agreed that sometimes she has to wake her children up in the morning because they sleep so late. And then, of course, the children are just lovely for the remainder of the day. Are they serious? Do children like that exist?

I have a few theories on this:
1. They're lying. Lately I've been thinking that there are mothers out there who make everything out to be easier than it actually is. I'm not sure why they feel they have to do this. Do they think people will think less of them if they admit that parenting is hard? I'm sure this has something to do with societal views of women and mothers, but it makes my head hurt just to think about it, so I'm going to leave the theorizing to someone else.

2. My twins are really more difficult than I thought. Maybe everyone else's babies are average, and mine are crankier and more sleep-deprived than most.

3. Perhaps my twins are just as difficult/easy as theirs, but these other women can simply deal with it better than I can. I am very very Type-A, so when my kids are rubbing their eyes and tired, then they should be sleeping, dammit. And when they are not doing what I think they should be doing, I get all flustered. Maybe these other ladies are more flexible, and can roll with an unscheduled day better than I.

I have a feeling the answer lies somewhere between Theory 1 and 3. They may be glossing over things a little, but may also be a bit more laidback. It doesn't matter--I still wanted to wring their necks.

Trouble Squared

Oh, Charlotte. Now that she is crawling, she is in to everything. Here are some of her more memorable moments over the past week:

She ripped the glass doors off of the front of our TV cabinet.

She opened the tub of Vaseline and managed to smear it all over herself.

She ate a business card. (Or part of it, until I caught her).

She pulled all of the wipes out of the container.

She got her head stuck in the leg of Gavin's pajamas. (I had just taken them off of him...)

As I was pushing the double stroller through our local crafts store, she managed to grab the top of a small silk flower. I didn't notice until I was putting her in her car seat and saw something in her mouth. I'm lucky she didn't swallow it!

Life with her is never dull!

We're Here Again?

So how come nobody told me that I'd have to do cry-it-out more than once?

Charlotte and Gavin have been putting themselves to sleep for a long time now. We get a bath, we read a book, we sing a few songs, and then they go to sleep! Done! But for the past four nights the babies have been screaming at bedtime. They stand up in their cribs and howl until they can't catch their breath. Gavin has gone so far as to hurl his pacifier across the room in frustration. What gives?

The first night of this, I ignored them, mainly because I had to go grocery shopping. It took them about a half and hour to quiet down that night, according to Michael (so I'm automatically tacking on an additional 15 minutes to his estimate). The past few nights, I've been caving and going up to rock them. That's because (a) when I rock them, they literally fall asleep within five minutes, and (b) they've had some major intestinal distress* over the past 2 weeks, and I don't know if they're doing this because they don't feel well or what. They are literally pooping about 8 times a day, each. Is that TMI? To complicate matters, Charlotte just cut her third tooth.

I've read that sometimes babies go through these phases where their sleep is disrupted for a while. I'm just not sure if I'm setting a precedent by going in and rocking them. Perhaps I should let them cry it out again? I hate this part of parenting!

*That's a whole other topic. I've been giving them rice, bread, bananas, applesauce, white grape juice, and anti-diarrheal formula....anything to stop the constant flow of poop! Nothing is working!

Let Them Eat Cake!

I've got the first birthday party under my belt. It went well, I think. My cats were only moderately terrorized, and just one child puked due to accidentally ingesting Rice Krispie Treats made with fluff, which apparently contain egg whites. (Mia Culpa, Jakob!)

We stuck with The Cat in the Hat theme, which was pretty easy and I was pleased with the overall effect. I'm no Keri, but I tried. Here are a few of the highlights:

Happy Birthday, Babies!

Dear Charlotte,

One year ago you had enough of Gavin's shenanigans and decided you were ready, already. You cried a bit upon delivery, but the nurses noted that you mostly just looked around in wonder. You had your eyes open for nearly an hour, they said, which is unheard of for a 31-week newborn. And you continued to surprise us on a daily basis. "Preemies don't nurse well; they only get 10 cc's at most," they said. But then you went and took 60 cc's! Holding you on your true birth day was the realization of so many of my wishes. Watching you grow has been amazing. The nicknames your grandparents have given you, "Nosy Rosie" and "The Newsbox," fit you perfectly. You are extremely alert and observant, and always have been. You're certainly not a cuddler, but I live for those tight squeezes you give me every morning when I get you out of your crib. You've captured everyone's heart with that sweet smile and a sense of humor that's emerging already. Daddy and I can't wait to share the wonders of the world with you.

I love you!

Mommy

Dear Gavin,

You gave your parents quite a few scares with all that heart-rate-dropping business, but look at you now, kiddo. We weren't allowed to hold you for a few days after your birth, and that was pure torture...but you are so worth the wait. We remember when you always had your little hands in tight fists, and your body was so tense. We were afraid that your motor development would be seriously delayed. But you crawled first, and are now pulling up on everything! You are incredibly curious, too. I love watching you study new objects, turning them over and over in your hands to get a better look. And everyone loves your sweet disposition; even strangers are immediately drawn to you. You have a big world to explore out there, but for now I love having you close, sitting on my lap. Hope it stays that way for years to come.

I love you!

Mommy

One Year Ago Today...

...Charlotte decided she was tired of being all cramped in there, and kicked through her amniotic sac. At least, that's the way I imagine it. Things have been all sorts of crazy since that day.

Books and Sports...Really, What Else is There?

Ever since the twins were born, Michael and I have been daydreaming about hypothetical moments we will one day share with them. Since I am an elementary school teacher and *almost* a Reading Specialist (blame it on the preemies...they came when I was two classes short of my degree), I have had visions of cuddling under the covers with Charlotte and Gavin, reading The Tale of Despereaux or The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles and stopping for the night just before we get to the good part, despite their protests. I've always felt that Charlotte will be a Book Worm like her mother, especially since I chose her name from the first book I ever loved, Charlotte's Web.

Michael has different dreams for Gavin. Since Michael was a running back in high school and still plays on a flag football team today, he can hardly wait to toss a ball around with Gavin. Even when the babies were in utero, Michael was trying to talk to Gavin about his first love (no, not me...sports).

Here's what I love about raising kids: every preconceived notion you have about what parenting is going to be like is shattered the moment that little person(s) is born. Every plan you have for raising your child is modified in a way that you probably would never have imagined. And today I had to smile when the twins reminded me of that!

Here's Charlotte, crushing all gender stereotypes by playing with her beloved ball. I'm almost certain her first word will either be "ball" or "Gavin," since those seem to be the two things she's most interested in. And she already plays a mean game of catch!

And here's Gavin, melting his mother's heart by closely studying nearly every board book we own. To hell with your preconceived notions, Momma!

And It's Only 7 am!

This morning, Gavin:

1. woke up at 5:00 am
2. woke up with a big bruise on his face from hitting it on the crib rails.
3. has had a bit of "intestinal distress", and managed to poop through his p.j.'s for the second morning in a row.
4. is suddenly VERY mobile, as if overnight, and is crawling all over my not-quite-babyproofed kitchen.
5. is cranky because of waking up so early, the big bruise on his face, having diaper rash from all the pooping, and being carried out of the kitchen.

Is there such a thing as a Coffee I.V.? Or at least a Coffee Patch?

March 3

It's National Read Across America Day. Here's hoping everyone gets a few uninterrupted minutes to read alone, and maybe even enjoy a book with your little ones. Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Strange Baby Foods

Have you ever seen these crackers? The twins are completely obsessed with them. They literally lose their minds when they see the box. I think it's clear from the packaging that they are not American. The box boasts that these "rice rusks" have been enjoyed by babies in the Orient for over a century! Who knew? (and what the hell is a rice rusk?)?! Charlotte and Gavin LOVE LOVE LOVE them. I cannot stress this enough.

So you can imagine my dismay when I looked for them in their usual spot at Acme two weeks ago, right next to the Treacle and the Spotted Dick (no joke--another clue that they weren't American), and they were nowhere to be found. I generally remain calm in these situations, but these are BABY MUM-MUMS, the twins' dietary staple, for heaven's sake! I immediately made my way to Customer Service to explain how unacceptable this was, and the worker had the nerve to ask if I was sure I was looking in the right place. You don't need to know all the details, but you should know that the next few moments were punctuated with some begging and a few tears, and I think I may have promised to buy a case of Mum-Mums and perhaps I even promised my next-born child. The details are fuzzy as I was somewhat hysterical. Either way, it worked, and I'm happy to say the Mum-Mums are back on the shelf, happily wedged between the Treacle and Spotted Dick, where they belong.