Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Twin Parent Survival Group (with video) & A Funny Story

We had our We Survived The First Year picnic with our Twin Parent Survival Group this weekend. It was so fun and so hilarious. Lots of binkie and toy stealing, bottle swatting, giggles, crying, crawling, walking, face touching, knocking over, sort of playing together and other toddler moments.

We attempted to get another group photo of all the kids together, which we've been able to do pretty easily in the past. Not the case now with everyone mobile! What a crazy, funny disaster.And it's all been captured on film for your enjoyment.


Since our efforts at a kids only photo didn't result in much, we did a mom and twins photo instead which turned out really cute. Ten babies ages 12 months to 19 months.

Onto the funny story. Darren is traveling for work this week so I was on my own with the kids Monday night. We had a nice dinner, went for a walk with the stroller and had just finished nighttime bottles. I was changing Brooklyn in the living room on the floor so I could keep an eye on Bailey. Usually I use the changing table at home. Brooklyn is the hardest kid to change - she is so squirmy and does not like being contained. Sometimes you get lucky and she cooperates, and sometimes you don't. Well on Monday she did not. I had the diaper pulled down and was about to wipe her when she somehow escaped my grip. She crawled away on the wood floors and a frantic pace laughing maniacally leaving a poop stream EVERYWHERE. I jumped up, picked up my poop covered child and put her right into the tub, poop covered clothes and all. I hurry back into the living room just in time to stop Bailey from touching the poop mess. I scoop up Bailey, quickly clean the poop while I hear Brooklyn (trapped in the tub) trying to escape. I take Bailey into the bathroom with me and turn on the faucet to wash Brooklyn off. Of course Brooklyn loves the running water and thinks this is the best thing to ever happen. I am washing up Brooklyn and turn around to see Bailey now playing in the toilet water. Quickly pulled Bailey away and shut the toilet lid and directed her back to the bath toys on the floor. Twins: 1, Mom: 0 For a good five minutes I felt overwhelmed, but we got everything back on track!




Monday, July 21, 2014

Some steps, some words, some giggles

Brooklyn has been taking little steps here and there. Her record so far is three in a row. So we have a walker!

Also, the girls have been saying a few words. They've been saying "hi"  for a while (and mama and dada starting at eight months, which they say ALL the time but not really at us, but sometimes MAYBE at us for months). Bailey also says "night night" (which sounds more like "ni-ni") and Brooklyn said "ba ba" on vacation. But this weekend Brooklyn said "down" clear as a bell when we were trying to get her to go down the slide and Bailey said "kitty" twice while looking at a picture book that had a kitty in it (Goodnight, Moon!)

The girls seem to be playing with each other a bit more. They do a lot of chasing/peek-a-boo where one peers around the corner at the other, they laugh and crawl after each other. Yesterday I went to put them both down for a nap and Bailey wet her diaper (and the sheets) as soon as put her down. I gave her a fresh diaper and rather than grab a clean sheet from downstairs, I put her in Brooklyn's crib to see what would happen. They had an adorable giggle session for 45 minutes. Never did fall asleep though - I eventually put a new sheet on and moved Bailey to her own crib. But this video of them giggling in the crib is so adorable.

http://youtu.be/xbkZMTn3p-A?list=UUulb0xvQkX2EKqZ0yMIxfVw

 

They are also interacting with the world way more. Check out this video of them watching a deer outside.

http://youtu.be/on5b-bPmfzI?list=UUulb0xvQkX2EKqZ0yMIxfVw

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Roseola take two, first family vacation, mommy's week off, milestones

Lots of update!

Brooklyn came down with a high fever the last week of June. I was really nervous because we had our big family vacation planned. So she had a high fever Sunday night, all day Monday and all day Tuesday (Aunt Peggy came to the rescue and watched Brooklyn after literally returning the day before after she'd been out of the country for a month. Thank God for family!) I was wondering if she had Roseola since it sounded suspiciously just like Bailey's experience. But Wednesday morning her fever was gone (high of 101.8)  so our trip for Thursday was back on.

We've been planning a trip with friends to their cabin in upstate NY for a while. One of Darren's high school friends lives in Syracuse (and both him and his wife are Newhouse grads, ironic right? Note: This is where I went to undergrad for those who don't know.) and has a cabin 2 hours north in upcountry NY. They have a 16 month old daughter. His other good friends live in DC and have a 15 month old. So we all ventured to this cabin for Fourth of July for a baby extravaganza vacation.

How cute are these outfits?! From future Aunt Amanda.


Roseola rash.
Anyway, I've been super nervous about the trip. The plan was to drive six hours to Syracuse, spend the night and then drive the two additional hours to the cabin the next day, and repeat the Syracuse overnight on the way back. So a six hour drive with two one year olds felt, well, daunting. Impossible. Ridiculous. Foolish. BUT it went so well! The girls did fine. We left early morning after breakfast and packing up the van, around 9:30. Girls slept for a few hours, we stopped at a rest stop for lunch. Of course I had all kinds of delicious fruit cut up and read to go for the entire trip, plus a
turkey hot dog and other delicious lunch food all packed in containers. I left them at home, sigh. But I ordered a bowl from Mo's Southwest Grill and they ate awesome. Mom fail for healthy meal. Oh well. Then I took Brooklyn into the bathroom to change her and noticed her Roseola rash. I KNEW IT. Anyway, now they've both had Roseola so we are done with that.

So we got back in the van after lunch. Darren ran in and asked the coffee shop to put hot water in a bucket so we could warm the bottles. The girls had their bottles (oh and did I mention that they learned to FINALLY hold their own bottles that morning! I bought avent handles at Target and they can now hold their own bottles. I know most kids do this between 5 to 7 months so 13 month olds holding their own bottles is NOT impressive, but we are pretty pumped about it.) I stayed in the back sitting between the girls for the rest of the trip rotating in new toys and what not. We also bought DVD players for the car so I had Little Mermaid playing. They did great. I gave them some snacks as we got closer and only a few minor outbursts here and there.

The trip was so much fun. I was curious how it would go (I mean, that many young kids? Could be a disaster.) but it wasn't. It was very baby focused during the day (obviously) but all the kids slept pretty good (more or less) especially considering we were in an open room (that's right, four babies sleeping in an open loft in the upstairs of the cabin). At night, we had some beers, some laughs, played Cards Against Humanity, had a fire, ate like kings, etc.

The highlight of the trip for me was seeing how much fun our girls had playing in the sand and in the lake. They LOVED it. We bought floats at Target for them and they had a blast kicking their legs and floating around.


Caught on camera - first time standing without assistance.
 And, DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONE, Brooklyn stood up all by herself without holding onto anything while playing in the shallow water. (Which, she's been doing non-stop since then. We will have a walker soon, OH MY!) It was also really cool seeing all the kids together. Since the other girls are a few months ahead, they are walking and talking (some) so we heard "Hi" (emphasis on "h"), "done,""baby," etc all weekend.

Our drive back was also great. Again, there is always SOMETHING you forget, so this time I left their bottles (with the sacred HANDLES) in the fridge. But we made it home around five (with an emergency stop at Target for new
handles) and gave them a bottle then. I took this entire week off since our day care is closed (Anne takes vacation this week) so Tuesday we took them to the Rain Forest zoo exhibit (it was pouring rain all day) AND I took them to Target for their first experience sitting in those bucket seats. Obviously they loved shopping at Target. Who doesn't?

In other news, Bailey woke up every day on the trip between 4:30 am and 5:30 am, sigh. However, she slept today till 6:15 without waking up once! A miracle!

I have two more days off this week to play stay at home mommy. Making the most of it. In fact I am drinking wine right now!

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Walking with walkers, 13 months

3 weeks vs 13 months. Modeling Vietnam souvenirs.
We hit another milestone this week: the girls are now walking with walkers.

Brooklyn likes to go to fast, fall, cry and get back up and go 100 miles per hour. Bailey is way more cautious and laughs while she does it. True to form!

And yeah, I totally got a little emotional and cried. Will I be that mom sobbing at kindergarten graduation? Obviously. I just can't believe how big they are, and how fast.

We also hit the 13 month marker yesterday. As always, I love looking at the size comparison shot. It's getting basically impossible to keep them both in one place for a picture. They are always on the move!

Brooklyn with the walker:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_7fczLQ-1I


Bailey with the walker:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-seW-cm-SnE