It happened.
And if I didn't believe my ears, it happened again.
And if I still was in shock it happened again and again and again.
A few hours ago Derek and I were on Skype with his mom so she could talk to the boys. Aaron has started saying "nana" or "mama" for "grandma" when he wants to Skype with one of the grandmas. I wanted to show off his new vocabulary and I asked him, "Who is that?" hoping that he would say her name.
Sure enough, he said "mama" and everyone was thrilled.
Then we tried to get him to say "I love grandma." What he said was...
I love...........Daddy!
I have to say that was a pretty exciting moment. Through all the exhaustion and tantrums life with twin toddlers is often a blur, but I'm pretty sure I'll remember this night for a while. He said it a few times and said it as I put him to bed too. He also said "I love Jeff" which is pretty amazing too.
After going through surrogacy and having twins, this is the story of my life after fulfilling my dream to become a father.
Friday, December 6, 2013
You Know You're A Parent When...
Either I'm looking for them more, noticing them more, or there just are more funny articles about being a parent. Here is one that made me laugh several times. It's scary how many I understand. Let's just say grocery shopping has become my replacement for a night out with friends and since I hated laundry before I had kids #19 is a pretty common occurrence these days. Oh, and while #16 sounds like an awesome idea my life is more like #14 thanks to some interest in potty training. More on that later.
1. Instead of running from projectile vomit, you run towards it.
2. You do more in seven minutes than most people do all day.
3. Happy hour has become the 60 minutes between your kids going to bed and you going to bed.
4. A night of drinking requires more recovery time than minor surgery.
5. A glass of wine counts as a serving of fruit.
6. You have mini-therapy sessions all day long with anyone who will listen.
7. Going to the grocery store by yourself is a vacation.
8. You can experience heaven and hell at the same time.
9. You think of physical pain on three levels: pain, excruciating pain and stepping on a Lego.
10. You have the ability to hear a sneeze through closed doors in the middle of the night, two bedrooms away, while your SO snores next to you.
11. You'd rather have a 103 degree fever than watch one of your kids suffer with it.
12. You'd rather go to sleep than have sex.
13. A 15-minute shower with the door locked feels like a day at the spa.
14. Peeing with an audience is part of the daily routine.
15. You use baby wipes to clean up random spills and the dash of your car.
16. You lock yourself in the bathroom and pretend to have diarrhea just to get a break.
17. You love Moms' Night Out and Date Night with the Hubs.
18. You have a secret chocolate stash because frankly, you're sick of sharing.
19. You've been washing the same load of laundry for three days because you forgot to dry it.
20. You realize you've been watching Nick Jr. alone, even though your kids have been in bed for over 30 minutes.
21. You can cook dinner, breastfeed, talk on the phone and yell at the kids, all without breaking stride or missing any of the TV show you are watching.
22. You get more excited about the Mini Boden Catalogue than J Crew's.
23. You decide to stick with your car for the next decade because a) you can't afford to switch and b) you haven't found a car wash that knows how to get all the milk stains and glitter removed.
24. By the end of the day, brushing your teeth feels like a huge accomplishment.
1. Instead of running from projectile vomit, you run towards it.
2. You do more in seven minutes than most people do all day.
3. Happy hour has become the 60 minutes between your kids going to bed and you going to bed.
4. A night of drinking requires more recovery time than minor surgery.
5. A glass of wine counts as a serving of fruit.
6. You have mini-therapy sessions all day long with anyone who will listen.
7. Going to the grocery store by yourself is a vacation.
8. You can experience heaven and hell at the same time.
9. You think of physical pain on three levels: pain, excruciating pain and stepping on a Lego.
10. You have the ability to hear a sneeze through closed doors in the middle of the night, two bedrooms away, while your SO snores next to you.
11. You'd rather have a 103 degree fever than watch one of your kids suffer with it.
12. You'd rather go to sleep than have sex.
13. A 15-minute shower with the door locked feels like a day at the spa.
14. Peeing with an audience is part of the daily routine.
15. You use baby wipes to clean up random spills and the dash of your car.
16. You lock yourself in the bathroom and pretend to have diarrhea just to get a break.
17. You love Moms' Night Out and Date Night with the Hubs.
18. You have a secret chocolate stash because frankly, you're sick of sharing.
19. You've been washing the same load of laundry for three days because you forgot to dry it.
20. You realize you've been watching Nick Jr. alone, even though your kids have been in bed for over 30 minutes.
21. You can cook dinner, breastfeed, talk on the phone and yell at the kids, all without breaking stride or missing any of the TV show you are watching.
22. You get more excited about the Mini Boden Catalogue than J Crew's.
23. You decide to stick with your car for the next decade because a) you can't afford to switch and b) you haven't found a car wash that knows how to get all the milk stains and glitter removed.
24. By the end of the day, brushing your teeth feels like a huge accomplishment.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
What I'm Thankful For
Alright, folks, it's time to get real and by real I mean say all the things that parents are REALLY grateful for and not just say I love my family, my kids and my cat. I wrote a little thank you on my surrogate blog a few weeks ago, but since posting that I have thought of a few more things that deserve some thanks. Here goes.
1. I'm thankful for microwave ovens. Yes, I know that there is more and more research about how heating plastic in the microwave causes all sorts of health problems. And yes, changing the light bulb in the microwave is more complex than Sandra Bullock getting home in Gravity. But let's face it, when you have two screaming kids there is nothing better than nuking some mac-n-cheese in a ceramic bowl in two minutes. Lord knows how our parents endured our screams waiting for the water to boil, cooking the pasta, melting the cheese, etc. The microwave also makes pretty good cookies and cakes in a mug for Daddy on those days when his stress level is high from hearing screams.
2. I'm thankful for Costco. Kids need so much stuff. If you can't find it at Costco, you probably don't need it. We get cheap diapers, organic milk, year-round blueberries, toys, clothes and more from there. Sometimes, for those extra long days of parenthood, we also buy some booze for Daddy!
3. I'm thankful for TiVo and Netflix. I know the Powers That Be in the pediatric community say no TV until at least two years old. I did really, really, really well with that for a long time. At about 18 months or so I came to the conclusion that out of the 50 or so hours I spend with the boys awake each week it really is OK to turn on Barney for 20 minutes once a week. The guilt that I am rotting their minds and causing ADHD lessens after 5 minutes when, for the first time in hours, I finally get to sit and zone out for a couple minutes.
4. I'm thankful for Facebook. It's true, Facebook steals our pictures, hoards our personal information and watches us like we're contestants on Big Brother but it also gives me a pseudo-connection to the outside world when I'm stuck at home listening to The Bear Went Over The Mountain on replay for 7 hours straight. (Seriously...that's not made up. I actually heard that song for 7 hours one day.) Friends on Facebook give me great advice on car seat safety, recommendations on booster seats, where to bring my old baby clothes for tax deductions and, most importantly, links to really important articles like 31 Things No One Tells You About Becoming A Parent.
5. I'm thankful for Skype and Facetime. Even though reheating dinner in the microwave only takes a couple minutes, it's still great to have Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle M., or Aunt A. show up on video to distract the kids for a few minutes and stop pulling down my pants as I try to put food into (non-cancer causing) microwave safe dishes. More importantly, it's pretty cool that the boys know their family by face and not just a voice. The extended family can be a part of Aaron and Jeff's lives in a much stronger way. Everyone can see Jeff sneeze all over my hand or watch Aaron put puzzle pieces into the VCR. In some ways watching the boys through video is better than in real life: there is no way to smell when a diaper needs changing.
1. I'm thankful for microwave ovens. Yes, I know that there is more and more research about how heating plastic in the microwave causes all sorts of health problems. And yes, changing the light bulb in the microwave is more complex than Sandra Bullock getting home in Gravity. But let's face it, when you have two screaming kids there is nothing better than nuking some mac-n-cheese in a ceramic bowl in two minutes. Lord knows how our parents endured our screams waiting for the water to boil, cooking the pasta, melting the cheese, etc. The microwave also makes pretty good cookies and cakes in a mug for Daddy on those days when his stress level is high from hearing screams.
2. I'm thankful for Costco. Kids need so much stuff. If you can't find it at Costco, you probably don't need it. We get cheap diapers, organic milk, year-round blueberries, toys, clothes and more from there. Sometimes, for those extra long days of parenthood, we also buy some booze for Daddy!
3. I'm thankful for TiVo and Netflix. I know the Powers That Be in the pediatric community say no TV until at least two years old. I did really, really, really well with that for a long time. At about 18 months or so I came to the conclusion that out of the 50 or so hours I spend with the boys awake each week it really is OK to turn on Barney for 20 minutes once a week. The guilt that I am rotting their minds and causing ADHD lessens after 5 minutes when, for the first time in hours, I finally get to sit and zone out for a couple minutes.
4. I'm thankful for Facebook. It's true, Facebook steals our pictures, hoards our personal information and watches us like we're contestants on Big Brother but it also gives me a pseudo-connection to the outside world when I'm stuck at home listening to The Bear Went Over The Mountain on replay for 7 hours straight. (Seriously...that's not made up. I actually heard that song for 7 hours one day.) Friends on Facebook give me great advice on car seat safety, recommendations on booster seats, where to bring my old baby clothes for tax deductions and, most importantly, links to really important articles like 31 Things No One Tells You About Becoming A Parent.
5. I'm thankful for Skype and Facetime. Even though reheating dinner in the microwave only takes a couple minutes, it's still great to have Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle M., or Aunt A. show up on video to distract the kids for a few minutes and stop pulling down my pants as I try to put food into (non-cancer causing) microwave safe dishes. More importantly, it's pretty cool that the boys know their family by face and not just a voice. The extended family can be a part of Aaron and Jeff's lives in a much stronger way. Everyone can see Jeff sneeze all over my hand or watch Aaron put puzzle pieces into the VCR. In some ways watching the boys through video is better than in real life: there is no way to smell when a diaper needs changing.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Parents vs. Non-Parents
When I saw kids throwing tantrums I used to wonder why some parents didn't try anything and everything to console their children. I couldn't imagine not trying to connect with that distressed little boy or girl. I would get mad at a parent who didn't try to calm a temper with a hug or some gentle words. Now, as a parent of kids who throw tantrums, I understand on a totally new level. There are times that I ignore all the screaming and flailing and kicking. I usually know when it's a real problem. If someone slips and bangs his head on a table, that's a problem. If someone can't get a 14th cracker in five minutes, that's not an emergency and I won't spend my precious energy trying to soothe a wounded soul. Yes, I know that to him 13 crackers isn't enough and it means the end of the world...but sometimes it's OK to not get what you want in life. I think at almost 20 months my boys are old enough to learn that lesson. So, over the last few months, I have slowly turned into one of those parents who doesn't jump through flaming hoops and cross shark infested waters to make sure my child never sheds a tear.
Derek and I recently took a trip to the east coast to visit my family. It was our second plane ride and the experience was a lot different than the first plane ride for a lot of reasons. I forgot to write about our first one because so much was happening at that time so let me go back in time for a minute...
The first plane trip was to the west coast for Christmas. The boys were about nine months old. Traveling with them was a lot of work just due to the fact that we had blankets, diapers, formula, strollers, car seats, extra clothes, pacifiers, toys, snacks, etc. Nevertheless, the flights there and back went pretty smoothly. Both boys slept a good deal of the time, pooped/peed a little (changing a diaper in an airplane bathroom really does look like a contortionist act!) and made friends with the sweet flight attendants. I found out one attendant had adopted two kids and she was so helpful always checking in on the boys, getting us milk and even cleaning our bottles after the boys had a drink. I was with Jeff on the way out and the cutest thing was that he fell asleep during the descent with his hand wrapped around a couple of my fingers.
This recent plane trip - about two months ago - was a little more chaotic. There was less poop but more screaming and wriggling around. Now that the boys are mobile and more energetic sitting for a few hours is practically impossible. Most of my pictures these days are blurry because they never stop moving.
Anyway, when we got to the airport to fly home from our recent trip on Thursday night our flight was delayed. As Derek talked with the woman at the check in desk - who clearly saw the kids and me with him - she was frantically checking her computer to see if there was any way to get us on an earlier flight. She checked a lot of things on her computer and twice got up from her desk to check some other things. She gave us friendly advice on the food situation before and after the security checkpoint and advised us to go to another gate after security to try to get on an earlier flight.
Our flight was soon canceled and we were re-booked for Friday morning. Our flight took off Friday without a hitch and when we were in the air I asked the flight attendant for a milk for the boys. She said she would go check. When she came back to me her answer was, "We only have one milk." I looked at her wondering why it wasn't in her hand and all she said was, "If you want anything else let me know." I wanted to scream back, "Sure, my 18 month old kids will take a beer and a diet Coke" but I just said there wasn't anything else she could do. About half an hour later I got stuck standing by the bathroom holding Jeff as the drink cart blocked me in. I stayed standing by the bathroom for about 10 minutes as they finished up drink service. Jeff is always happier being up high so I didn't bother trying to get back to my seat. The flight attendant moved her cart into the bay and didn't make eye contact with me or even ask me if I wanted a drink so I missed my opportunity to get my free soda.
Which people in these stories do I think has kids and which ones don't? Probably not too hard to figure out.
I was the second flight attendant not to long ago. I recently apologized to a friend for my cluelessness about life as a parent. I said I felt bad when I had told her a few years ago, "Let's go have lunch. You can bring your kid along. That's fine."
What I didn't realize is that getting out of the house with an infant/toddler requires planning that rivals invading a small country. You have to think about car seats, strollers, nap schedules, snacks on the way, what does the kid eat/not eat, how many diapers to bring, will I need toys, is this a kid friendly place, etc. "Bring your kid along" is much easier said than done.
I have started to understand why people with kids often are friends with people with kids. I have been yelled at for missing birthday parties, lunches, plays, and more from people who don't have kids. I have been told I disappointed people for cancelling plans due to a sick child or because I had good intentions to go out but wound up being too exhausted to get my shoes on and head out the door. On the flip side, I have had offers of help from people who have older kids and know what it's like to be dealing with babies and toddlers. One of the things that no one prepares you for in parenthood is how it strains friendships. On the plus side, it has bonded me with some friends who I haven't seen in a while who have young children too.
This is my apology, on record, to all the parents who have kids older than mine. I will no longer tell any parent to just make it work. And to anyone who knows a parent, understand that sometimes we can't just make it work. Who knows...in a few years I might just get a bunch of apologies when they join this crazy Parenthood Club.
Derek and I recently took a trip to the east coast to visit my family. It was our second plane ride and the experience was a lot different than the first plane ride for a lot of reasons. I forgot to write about our first one because so much was happening at that time so let me go back in time for a minute...
The first plane trip was to the west coast for Christmas. The boys were about nine months old. Traveling with them was a lot of work just due to the fact that we had blankets, diapers, formula, strollers, car seats, extra clothes, pacifiers, toys, snacks, etc. Nevertheless, the flights there and back went pretty smoothly. Both boys slept a good deal of the time, pooped/peed a little (changing a diaper in an airplane bathroom really does look like a contortionist act!) and made friends with the sweet flight attendants. I found out one attendant had adopted two kids and she was so helpful always checking in on the boys, getting us milk and even cleaning our bottles after the boys had a drink. I was with Jeff on the way out and the cutest thing was that he fell asleep during the descent with his hand wrapped around a couple of my fingers.
This recent plane trip - about two months ago - was a little more chaotic. There was less poop but more screaming and wriggling around. Now that the boys are mobile and more energetic sitting for a few hours is practically impossible. Most of my pictures these days are blurry because they never stop moving.
Anyway, when we got to the airport to fly home from our recent trip on Thursday night our flight was delayed. As Derek talked with the woman at the check in desk - who clearly saw the kids and me with him - she was frantically checking her computer to see if there was any way to get us on an earlier flight. She checked a lot of things on her computer and twice got up from her desk to check some other things. She gave us friendly advice on the food situation before and after the security checkpoint and advised us to go to another gate after security to try to get on an earlier flight.
Our flight was soon canceled and we were re-booked for Friday morning. Our flight took off Friday without a hitch and when we were in the air I asked the flight attendant for a milk for the boys. She said she would go check. When she came back to me her answer was, "We only have one milk." I looked at her wondering why it wasn't in her hand and all she said was, "If you want anything else let me know." I wanted to scream back, "Sure, my 18 month old kids will take a beer and a diet Coke" but I just said there wasn't anything else she could do. About half an hour later I got stuck standing by the bathroom holding Jeff as the drink cart blocked me in. I stayed standing by the bathroom for about 10 minutes as they finished up drink service. Jeff is always happier being up high so I didn't bother trying to get back to my seat. The flight attendant moved her cart into the bay and didn't make eye contact with me or even ask me if I wanted a drink so I missed my opportunity to get my free soda.
Which people in these stories do I think has kids and which ones don't? Probably not too hard to figure out.
I was the second flight attendant not to long ago. I recently apologized to a friend for my cluelessness about life as a parent. I said I felt bad when I had told her a few years ago, "Let's go have lunch. You can bring your kid along. That's fine."
What I didn't realize is that getting out of the house with an infant/toddler requires planning that rivals invading a small country. You have to think about car seats, strollers, nap schedules, snacks on the way, what does the kid eat/not eat, how many diapers to bring, will I need toys, is this a kid friendly place, etc. "Bring your kid along" is much easier said than done.
I have started to understand why people with kids often are friends with people with kids. I have been yelled at for missing birthday parties, lunches, plays, and more from people who don't have kids. I have been told I disappointed people for cancelling plans due to a sick child or because I had good intentions to go out but wound up being too exhausted to get my shoes on and head out the door. On the flip side, I have had offers of help from people who have older kids and know what it's like to be dealing with babies and toddlers. One of the things that no one prepares you for in parenthood is how it strains friendships. On the plus side, it has bonded me with some friends who I haven't seen in a while who have young children too.
This is my apology, on record, to all the parents who have kids older than mine. I will no longer tell any parent to just make it work. And to anyone who knows a parent, understand that sometimes we can't just make it work. Who knows...in a few years I might just get a bunch of apologies when they join this crazy Parenthood Club.
Friday, October 25, 2013
ASL and Language Development
By now almost everyone with a child has heard of "Baby Signs." It's really an amazing thing. If you are thinking about learning some signs, please do. I'll tell you a little bit about my kids.
I remember a few months ago being in the train station with the boys and Jeff started wailing for no known reason. Derek asked him what he wanted and he put one finger to his lips which is his sign for "water." We gave him his water bottle and he calmed down immediately. I remember saying to Derek, "Imagine how much more screaming there would be if he couldn't tell us what he wanted!"
Don't get me wrong, my kids are full of screams. My poor neighbors. I feel bad for them. At 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. (and many of the hours in between) our home often has at least one person screaming. Sometimes it's a baby...sometimes it's me.
The boys are 19 months now and so many things about their language fascinates me.
I remember a few months ago being in the train station with the boys and Jeff started wailing for no known reason. Derek asked him what he wanted and he put one finger to his lips which is his sign for "water." We gave him his water bottle and he calmed down immediately. I remember saying to Derek, "Imagine how much more screaming there would be if he couldn't tell us what he wanted!"
Don't get me wrong, my kids are full of screams. My poor neighbors. I feel bad for them. At 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. (and many of the hours in between) our home often has at least one person screaming. Sometimes it's a baby...sometimes it's me.
The boys are 19 months now and so many things about their language fascinates me.
- I love that they are starting to put two and three signs together. I get sentences like "Dad sleep" and "More banana please."
- The boys now hear me talking English and pick up on things even when I'm not talking to them. If I say things to another person like "I need to get a haircut" they will point to their hair or if I say I'll be going outside later they start signing "shoes" which is their way of getting ready to go out.
- Aaron kept trying to steal my glasses one day a few weeks ago. I signed that the glasses were mine and he can't take them about fifty times. By the next day he knew the sign for glasses. It amazed me that I could almost see the process of him learning new words!
- Over the last few weeks I have been able to ask the boys, "Do you want milk or water?" and they can always answer me clearly with signs.
- In September we were in the airport and there were three people in chairs two of who were asleep. Aaron kept pointing to the two who had their eyes closed and signed "sleep."
- Jeff can tell me when he wants me to get him socks, read a book, hear our Mickey Mouse doll sing, our Tigger doll to jump, and sit in his highchair.
- I recently was looking at a new book with some animals and both boys were able to sign most of the animals. It shocked me because the pictures were new and the pigs, cows, dogs, etc. didn't look exactly like the animals we saw in other books. They boys were able to identify the animals anyway.
- The boys are also extremely good with puzzles. I'm no expert in child development, but I think they started doing puzzles much earlier than average and I believe it has to do with the fact that they are learning a visual-spatial language. Regardless of the actual reason, I'm pretty impressed by their puzzle skills.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
The Case of The Pee Pee Diaper
Remember those old Encyclopedia Brown mysteries that were popular when we were kids? Yesterday I became a sleuth like that boy detective. I figured out The Case of the Pee Pee Diaper.
The boys and I had a pretty good day yesterday. They took a long nap and woke up in a relatively good mood. I got them out of their cribs and managed to change their diapers before giving them a snack. Neither one of them put up much of a fuss getting his diaper changed.
We had a snack of yogurt and graham crackers. Aaron was supsicious of the yogurt and only wanted it after I ate some. I guess he thinks he's a king and I'm his beefeater who tests for poison. Jeff enjoyed his yogurt and got it all over his face and giggled in the usual Jeff fashion.
I asked the boys if they wanted me to set up their new toy - a big canvas bus - so they could run through it and pretend to drive. They nodded yes. Jeff grabbed a knob on a kitchen drawer like a steering wheel and pretended to drive by spinning the wheel. Adorable!
The boys ran through the bus, played the keyboard and threw some balls around the house for a while. I spent a few minutes checking emails on my phone, cleaning up the dishes from snack and putting away some toys.
Then I saw it. A diaper in the middle of the hallway.
Hmmm...what is going on? I had no idea how this diaper had suddenly appeared. I assumed one of the boys had pulled a clean diaper from a drawer and thrown it on the ground. When I picked it up I noticed that the diaper was filled with pee. I was so confused what had happened. Maybe it was from the lack of sleep. (Thanks to a sleepless boy *cough-Aaron-cough* I didn't get to bed utnil after 1:00 a.m. and I was up at 4:45 a.m.)
I threw away the diaper and didn't think much of it.
A little while later Jeff found a new game. He took one of his chairs and put a sippy cup filled with water on the chair. He would then tilt the chair to a side and watch the cup roll off and fall to the ground. This game, apparently, is fascinating to an 18 month old. It's also fascinating for an 18 month old to watch. So fascinating, in fact, that Aaron, after watching for a few minutes, had to join in. Aaron grabbed a chair and a sippy cup and started doing the same thing.
Sippy cups are pretty good about not spilling, but if the cup falls on the floor over and over again the stopper will come out. Jeff's stopper came out first and water spilled all over the floor. A minute or two later Aaron's stopper came out. I noticed that because his little, light grey sweatpants had a streak of wetness down one leg. Since there was only about an hour until pajama time it wasn't worth fighting him to change pants especially because this game was making him so happy.
We ate dinner a little late. Aaron and Jeff tried orzo for the first time. Jeff dug in and Aaron was suspicious for a while of this newfangled food. Aaron enjoyed the cheese on the orzo and eventually realized it was fun to mix his peas with his cheesey orzo. By the end of dinner there was nothing left in his bowl. Everything got into his tummy or had fallen into his lap.
Now, fellow sleuths, see if you can figure out what happened before continuing to read.
At about 6:30 it was time to change into pajamas. I changed Jeff first and put him into cute pirate pajamas and tried to teach him the sign for "pirate." When that was done I grabbed Aaron and pulled off his pants only to be surprised he had no diaper!!!
I believe Aaron managed to pull at the tape of his diaper enough to loosen or unfasten it. He then must have pulled the front part of diaper so hard that he got it through his legs and off his body. The wet streak on his right pant leg wasn't water from the sippy cup...it was pee. His right sock was wet too. Ugh!
After a quick "bath" with a few wipes he was good as new and wearing my favorite cowboy pajamas. This time, however, I made sure that the diaper tabs were on securely and the pajama pants were pulled up enough to cover the diaper completely. I wasn't going to take any chances.
The boys and I had a pretty good day yesterday. They took a long nap and woke up in a relatively good mood. I got them out of their cribs and managed to change their diapers before giving them a snack. Neither one of them put up much of a fuss getting his diaper changed.
We had a snack of yogurt and graham crackers. Aaron was supsicious of the yogurt and only wanted it after I ate some. I guess he thinks he's a king and I'm his beefeater who tests for poison. Jeff enjoyed his yogurt and got it all over his face and giggled in the usual Jeff fashion.
I asked the boys if they wanted me to set up their new toy - a big canvas bus - so they could run through it and pretend to drive. They nodded yes. Jeff grabbed a knob on a kitchen drawer like a steering wheel and pretended to drive by spinning the wheel. Adorable!
The boys ran through the bus, played the keyboard and threw some balls around the house for a while. I spent a few minutes checking emails on my phone, cleaning up the dishes from snack and putting away some toys.
Then I saw it. A diaper in the middle of the hallway.
Hmmm...what is going on? I had no idea how this diaper had suddenly appeared. I assumed one of the boys had pulled a clean diaper from a drawer and thrown it on the ground. When I picked it up I noticed that the diaper was filled with pee. I was so confused what had happened. Maybe it was from the lack of sleep. (Thanks to a sleepless boy *cough-Aaron-cough* I didn't get to bed utnil after 1:00 a.m. and I was up at 4:45 a.m.)
I threw away the diaper and didn't think much of it.
A little while later Jeff found a new game. He took one of his chairs and put a sippy cup filled with water on the chair. He would then tilt the chair to a side and watch the cup roll off and fall to the ground. This game, apparently, is fascinating to an 18 month old. It's also fascinating for an 18 month old to watch. So fascinating, in fact, that Aaron, after watching for a few minutes, had to join in. Aaron grabbed a chair and a sippy cup and started doing the same thing.
Sippy cups are pretty good about not spilling, but if the cup falls on the floor over and over again the stopper will come out. Jeff's stopper came out first and water spilled all over the floor. A minute or two later Aaron's stopper came out. I noticed that because his little, light grey sweatpants had a streak of wetness down one leg. Since there was only about an hour until pajama time it wasn't worth fighting him to change pants especially because this game was making him so happy.
We ate dinner a little late. Aaron and Jeff tried orzo for the first time. Jeff dug in and Aaron was suspicious for a while of this newfangled food. Aaron enjoyed the cheese on the orzo and eventually realized it was fun to mix his peas with his cheesey orzo. By the end of dinner there was nothing left in his bowl. Everything got into his tummy or had fallen into his lap.
Now, fellow sleuths, see if you can figure out what happened before continuing to read.
At about 6:30 it was time to change into pajamas. I changed Jeff first and put him into cute pirate pajamas and tried to teach him the sign for "pirate." When that was done I grabbed Aaron and pulled off his pants only to be surprised he had no diaper!!!
I believe Aaron managed to pull at the tape of his diaper enough to loosen or unfasten it. He then must have pulled the front part of diaper so hard that he got it through his legs and off his body. The wet streak on his right pant leg wasn't water from the sippy cup...it was pee. His right sock was wet too. Ugh!
After a quick "bath" with a few wipes he was good as new and wearing my favorite cowboy pajamas. This time, however, I made sure that the diaper tabs were on securely and the pajama pants were pulled up enough to cover the diaper completely. I wasn't going to take any chances.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Too Many Pictures
I wrote about all my pictures a while ago and after just 18 months I have too many pictures. My dream of having actual photographs for my kids to touch has just not come true. I have learned that Shutterfly is much faster, easier, and more practical than my lofty dream of beautiful photo albums with pictures I have printed and lovingly arranged in an album. Plus, Shutterfly books will probably last longer. My photo albums from 30 years ago are all faded and the pictures don't stick becasue the glue has dried. Hopefully I'll have a few special albums with actual pictures, but I think Shutterfly will be seeing a lot of my money over the years.
Also, I finally gave up and decided to just post my videos online. My goal was to find a way to load them onto a DVD and make a keepsake for my kids. Once again, reality took over and the internet won. At least now my family and friends can see the videos any time they want.
However, if anyone has a good method for keeping track of pictures and videos and not getting overwhelmed by them please, please, please share them with me. I'd love to have a good system. Thank goodness for Shutterfly and YouTube apps on phones...but other options would be appreciated.
I don't share a ton of pictures on this blog, but since this posting is about pictures and videos, I'll share a few of my favorites over the last 18 months. You know how families have some iconic photos that everyone knows? Well, here are some of the "famous" or "infamous" pictures in no particular order...
Also, I finally gave up and decided to just post my videos online. My goal was to find a way to load them onto a DVD and make a keepsake for my kids. Once again, reality took over and the internet won. At least now my family and friends can see the videos any time they want.
However, if anyone has a good method for keeping track of pictures and videos and not getting overwhelmed by them please, please, please share them with me. I'd love to have a good system. Thank goodness for Shutterfly and YouTube apps on phones...but other options would be appreciated.
I don't share a ton of pictures on this blog, but since this posting is about pictures and videos, I'll share a few of my favorites over the last 18 months. You know how families have some iconic photos that everyone knows? Well, here are some of the "famous" or "infamous" pictures in no particular order...
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