More Egg Hunt Picutres

Here are some pictures that were taken at daycare during yesterday's egg hunt - the kids had a blast. They were worn out, so much so that when we were at the grocery store after I picked them up two people commented on how tired the "sweet" babies looked. Pam said that Katie really got into the egg hunt, but Tyler was just thrilled to get to play outside and didn't really care about finding eggs. He has the scrapes and bruises from yesterday to prove that he was pretty rough and tumble in his first daycare outdoor play day. The kids have to be walking before they can play outside, so this is the first time weather and walking have matched up for the kids - I'm betting that there are more days of exhaustion coming up since they LOVE going "outsi."

Silly Katie

Tyler diligently getting his instructions.

and then just deciding to put bark in the bucket instead!

Katie was NOT happy when the egg hunt fun was over!

Why I Am Late To Work...

I was a bit late to work this morning and for good reason - I just can't get enough time with K & T! This morning we gave them their pails to collect easter eggs at daycare today and they were having so much fun wandering around the house "finding" eggs, and putting them in and taking them out of the buckets.

Got the egg!

Uh oh! It's ok - I figured this egg hunt thing out!

Tyler loved being able to collect things - not just eggs!

Egg hunting is exhausting, though!

Awesome Weekend!

I really love this age! The kids are able to get out and do a little more and have such a good time with new experiences and fun places. Yesterday we went to a birthday party for a friend's little boy who turned two. That meant lots of kids, a big fire truck that made an appearance, and all sorts of strangers talking to them! It could have been a disaster, but the kids did great and had a fabulous time! Lance and I wondered when we got home why they usually (gosh, I'm probably about to jinx us big time) behave so well when we are out and about. We figure it is because the worst thing in their little lives is to get bored and sitting around the house with us playing with the same old toys and doing the same old things means major boredom. Maybe that's why they are constantly asking us to put their shoes on and running up to us and saying "bye bye."

They certainly weren't bored on Saturday - in fact, they were pooped after their big day! Saturday morning we went to the Adventure Science Center with their grandpa. They didn't really "get" many of the exhibits, but they sure enjoyed running around touching everything and looking at the lights and trying to steal the balls that were part of displays! Tyler, of course, would have been content to sit in the preschool area and just play with the legos - that boy loves legos (I might have to get him some for his birthday since he isn't quite as enamored with the bigger blocks). Katie just wanted to run, run, run and did, all over the place - especially the body exhibits. Thankfully, she has gotten into a stage where she thinks she is dragging me along to show me things so she will hold my hand or else I wouldn't have been able to keep up with her. She is definitely Miss Independent - anytime she is being carried now when she doesn't want to be she just incessantly says, "down, "down." Of course, when I want her to get down, like when I am trying to cook dinner or clean up their neverending messes, she wants to stay attached to my hip! She is a spunky one, that's for sure and somehow is becoming a little girly girl. She has started trying to wrap her baby doll in a blanket, and still feeds her, and now will put her in the dump truck and push her around the house (I'm on the lookout for a little stroller or a baby crib for her birthday). Daycare says she tries to turn everything into a bracelet, she prances around if she is wearing a dress as if she thinks she is too cute, she loves to brush her hair and mine - she is just a little priss. She is still a bully, too though, and she is the first one to be found speeding around the house on her little ride-on toys or telling us what sound a truck makes.

After the Adventure Science Center we went to get some lunch and So-So met up with us. Katie showed off her new skills with a fork. Tyler would rather just be fed these days, lazy little thing. I have to admit, though, that it is pretty cute when he starts opening his mouth at Katie and she feeds him with her spoon or fork. They went home to nap (and fell asleep quick) and then when they woke up we decided that it was such a pretty day that we would take them to the Vanderbilt baseball game. We had two tickets and assumed that the kids would not need a ticket since they would be on our laps. Well, we were wrong - every person who enters needs a ticket (according to the ticket taker even if they are 3 minutes old). Luckily, someone walking out gave us a handful of tickets that he wasn't going to use since they moved the Sunday game to a Saturday doubleheader and we all made it in. The kids enjoyed the game for about 5 minutes, but then preferred playing under the stands. It was fun, though, to be out in the sunshine and to at least see bits and pieces of the win over Kentucky.

At my new job I don't have Good Friday off, but the kid's daycare is closed (and I so hope Lance has to work) so I may take the day off too. It is supposed to be 80 and sunny - woohoo!!! Saturday we are going to an Easter Egg hunt and hopefully the next post will have some cute pictures! Now, though, I must do some "google research" to find out if there are any locks for water faucets (and then I will work too, of course). Tyler is infatuated with turning water on and putting his hands underneath the faucet and catching the water in a container and pouring it out, etc. The only one he can reach is when he is in in the bathtub so it isn't that big of a deal, but I worry because we have one faucet in the tub for hot water and one for cold and of course he always turns the hot on. It doesn't immediately get hot, so I will probably be able to turn it off before it could burn him but I would like to just be able to lock it somehow so it doesn't work when he tries it and then maybe he will lose interest. That is just one of the many safety things I have to get soon - I also need bed rails, doorknob covers, helmets (how I am going to find those for their little bitty heads I have no clue), an oven lock... Yikes, where did my little, bitty babies who couldn't cause all of this trouble, go?

Playtime on a Spring Day (Finally!)

Thanks to warmer weather, sunshine, and Daylight Savings Time the kids got extended playtime today! They didn't have dinner until about 6:30 (Dad wasn't home to keep us on schedule) and got to play on the deck. I couldn't let them down off the deck, though, because corralling them would have been impossible. We had already had lots of commotion - from letting them walk to the house on their own from the car only to have them veer off and "convince" me to let them go into the backyard, to then letting them play on the slide and running to unlock the door and let Marley out with us only to find that she was trapped upstairs. So, then I had to grab them both kicking and screaming because they wanted to stay outside (and climb the deck stairs on their own) and wrangle them both into a safe carrying position to bring them in and go upstairs and let Marley out. They, of course, then followed me to the stairs and by the time I got to the top to open the gate for Marley Tyler was halfway up and attempting to see if he can now walk up stairs instead of crawl on all fours. We then got settled with milk and Barney and all was great until I got the bright idea to let them play outside. Well, they loved it but then meltdown number 2 ensued because they absolutely did not want to eat or go inside and in fact wanted to get to the grass instead of the deck. Gosh, I could not imagine being a single twin mom or even one whose husband didn't pitch on! That whole calamity of an afternoon would not have happened if we were both home, but the minute one of us leaves the duo with only one of us it seems like the trouble multiplies!

One of them had it wrong obviously and I don't remember if I asked them to show me their ear or their teeth!

Two classick Katie looks!

and two "Tyler looks too.

They had fun though, and that's all that matters!

Shoes are Fun!

The kids LOVE shoes right now. They both want to wear them all the time, maybe because they get to go outside or walk from the car to the house (rarely is the path that direct) if they are wearing them. This morning Katie kept bringing me her shoes and plopping down and trying to get me to help her get them on. I put them on but then she started saying sock, sock so I had to put her socks on and then the shoes but she didn't want the clothes! I figure since they were pretty insistent that they wanted to be diaper only for a while that I could post pics of them in just their diapers without much guilt!

Sunshine!!!

It's one of those days that makes me wish I still worked at camp. Don't get me wrong, I like my current job, but there is something to be said for being outdoors on a day like today rather than cooped up in a cubicle with not even a window in sight. I didn't really get to work outdoors at my old job, but the drive-in was scenic, windows and opportunities to get outside were abundant, and we were even encouraged to swim in the lake or hike or just walk the grounds. Not that they discourage activity here, but there have been days that I literally had no clue what the weather was like outside. And today, the weather is awesome! So great in fact that I think the kids may get a little outside playtime when we get home. Which makes me realize that soon we will have even more outdoor adventures and I want them to enjoy playing outside so I am trying to be creative in things that they can do out there to make it fun.

That is just a small glimpse into how my brain works (scary, I know), and it gets even worse when I am procrastinating like today (lunch meeting that included a crab cake sandwich and fries which makes me sleepy and not in grant writing mode). Anyway, all of this "thinking" coincided with an email topic in my POTATO (Parents of Twins and Triplets Organization) group about what toys are the biggest hits for toddlers. Things that we have and are looking forward to using more were mentioned a lot - the wagon, ball pits, ride-on toys, those cozy coupe things (which we don't have but I have seen at consignment sales for cheap and may pick up). However, another one that everyone raved about was water and sand tables or sand boxes. Umm, seriously? Am I the only one who doesn't look forward to sand (matted with water) everywhere, to trying to keep sand out of eyes and mouth, and who doesn't want to encourage playing with water outside of a pool (we get enough of that with Marley's dog bowl and them turning on the faucets in the tub). I will probably get into the spirit as we spend more time outisde and will create a sand pit out of another blow-up pool or something, but I still think I would rather deal with the sand debacles only when we go to the beach (which I hope is soon), instead of daily!

The kids are doing good - finally healthy again with the exception of some allergies that I think they are dealing with these days like their dad. I have a new book recommendation that I am going to try called 1-2-3 Magic that is supposed to be great discipline techniques for toddlers, but luckily right now they are in a pretty agreeable stage (I'm sure it will be short-lived). Katie's new favorite thing to say is yeah, with a nod (I know I should nip that in the bud now and make her say yes, or even yes ma'm, but I'm just happy she is communicating). Tyler is Mr. Helpful lately - everytime I arrive at daycare he grabs Katie's shoes and socks and gives them to her and then brings me his to put on (while Katie tries to put hers on herself), he loves to play "clean-up" and put things away (let's hope that lasts for a while), and he has even started trying to feed the baby doll once Katie is done feeding her. That would be one fat baby if she was real! Kind of like their older "sister" Marley who gained 3.5 pounds this year - I guess goldfish and cheerios and cheese and fruit are catching up with her!

First Haircut

Tyler got his very first haircut today! He wasn't having any part of sitting in the chair by himself, but he sat with his daddy and did great. We forgot the camera to take with us since we went straight after work/daycare, but that's ok - the camera may have made him think it was a bigger deal than it already was. He was definitely wondering what was going on, but didn't cry (although he did have his bottom lip poked out) or try to wiggle away. I don't think it is his favorite thing to do, but he surely enjoyed the lollipop he got after it was all done. He looks more like his daddy now with his semi-bowl cut or maybe Jim Carey in Dumb and Dumber but it is definitely better than the almost mullet and makes him look like a big boy.

Tyler with his lollipop for being a good boy getting his haircut. Tyler's first haircut - I so wish now that I had remembered the camera when he was in the chair. Katie is still shaggy and will be until I get pigtails :-)! She still uses her tongue to concentrate too, just like mom!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

They wore green! Unfortunately it is too cold for Katie to show off her cute Kiss Me I'm Irish (I think she is at least a little bit) shirt that is under that sweater, but she's still in the spirit. I'm ready for warm weather - I'm sick of sweaters and jackets and looking forward to flip flops and days at the park!

I don't know where Katie got the bow (these were taken at daycare), but it looks like she wants it off and Tyler wants his hands on it or else he thinks she looks funny!

Terrible Twos -errr, 18 months!

Wow, the kids are not yet even 19 months old and I already feel like we are in the Terrible Twos - this is not good! The kids are actually doing really great, but I can't wait until they can be reasoned with/bribed/threatened - I don't really care how the disciplining is accomplished I just want it to be possible. Right now they have no comprehension of if you do that, then this will happen and that is what is so frustrating! The meltdowns are more abundant and seemingly over more and more trivial things. Just last night there were probably five or six (from Tyler - not even counting Katie who was in full cling-on/whining mode). The first was because he wasn't allowed to continue to beat on the garage door and avoid coming in the house when we got home. Actually getting him in the house required a chase down, pick-up of him thrashing and writhing (and looking like I was trying to steal him probably), and then him being put down only to have him start kicking and beating his head against the floor (yikes). The others were because he wasn't allowed to eat dog food, because he was told to stop opening the oven door (gotta get a lock for that), because he ran out of ketchup, because Katie stole a carrot from his tray, because I wouldn't let him turn on the hot water in the bathtub, because I let Katie sit on my lap too when we were reading a book, and of course when it was bedtime.

Katie, meanwhile, was just miserable. She was crying and whining and wanting to be picked up and then wanted down and then wanted Lance to hold her and then back to me. She didn't get out of her funk until we put her in her chair for dinner and she devoured everything and asked for more. It wasn't even one of her favorite meals - chicken nuggets and carrots and peas- but maybe the deal is she is going through another growth spurt. She is noticeably lighter and shorter than her brother so maybe she is playing catch-up (she just went through one a couple of weeks ago). I get very little time with them on weekday evenings so all of this "drama" with her and her brother happened in like an hour and a half!

After dinner was done she was just fine and happily playing, but we also gave her Tylenol before dinner because those teeth still aren't all the way through (she has been getting five all at the same time) and we thought they might be hurting her. So, we don't know if it was food or pain relievers that turned the tide, but hopefully this is short-lived. I really don't mind holding her, but if she is unhappy either way I usually put her down and try to prepare dinner or do something productive that can't be done holding a baby. That typically proves to be ineffective though because she will then follow me around grabbing on to my leg which makes Tyler think he is missing out on something so he starts to want to be held too and it just isn't pretty! I was telling my mom that I think the biggest challenge right now is trying to stay ahead of them and what they are going to get into. That is true, I think, but I also have to try to remember that their tantrums and whining and clinginess is not malicious or because they are trying to be bad - they just don't know how to communicate well, get frustrated easily, and sometimes are just inexpicably in a foul mood. My little babies are growing up and getting such fun personalities and there are going to be some growing pains as they sort out how to tell me what they do and don't want and as they learn that sometimes they don't get what they want - that's a challenge too!

Kisses

My two cutie pies are cracking me up today. Lance is at the SEC Tournament (GO VANDY) and I have been trying to entertain these two on a rainy and semi-cold day. Luckily, they aren't too annoyed at each other today and have been playing well together. They have been trying to give each other kisses, but can't quite get it coordinated! Tyler will try to blow a kiss when Katie will go in for the lips, or they both lean their heads toward each other and make kissy noises but their heads bump before they make kiss contact! They are supposed to be napping right now (but I hear them talking and trying to escape), and I took some pictures right before naptime (dirty from lunch and still in their pjs, but oh well). Surprisingly they were getting along and even sat on the couch together and started playing even though they were obviously exhausted. Usually, they are grumpy, grumpy right before nap and if they are allowed to be near each other fighting ensues so sitting together (on their own accord) happily was a nice surprise. A friend of Lance's invited him along to the game last night and this afternoon and I was supposed to have tennis this morning (but it got rained out) so we didn't really have any big "wear the kids out" plans for today. I thought about getting a haircut for Tyler, but Lance is now insistent that we can do it at home - ha (I'm all about saving money but I'm kind of partial to Tyler keeping his ears too). I was worried that cabin fever and the kid's boredom (despite, as you can tell from the pictures, an abundance of toys) would make it a loooong day, but so far so good.

Sharing the seat for a change!

Kiss attempt #1...

Kiss attempt #2...Tyler decides to just let Katie come to him!

Silly Kids

Katie with her boo-boo - it's getting better!

Tyler is still super excited if he manages to have TWO cups. Katie can tell you what a truck says and does it when she plays with them - vroom vroom. Tyler loves books too and is finally getting to the point where he will sit and read with you instead of trying to turn all the pages. Katie looks surprised that I caught her trying to climb the couch with her truck. We now have other people telling us Tyler needs his haircut - gotta do that soon (and yes, I know I have been saying that for a while)!

Clumsy Girl

I hope to get new pictures up this evening - especially of little Bug's boo-boo. Katie has had a rough go the last couple of days. We went to Centennial Park (to see the ducks) on Sunday and while running (and having a blast) Katie fell and skinned right below her nose. She had yet another nose bleed and it probably hurt the poor girl because she also has three teeth just now cutting through (the ones that have been coming in forever)! Then, yesterday she fell at daycare and had a bloody mouth again. She has been in relatively good spirits though! Tyler, on the otherhand, has been a little grump lately. You can tell that it is all about frustration - last night he had a meltdown when I took his shoes off when I put him in the chair to eat (Lance had to figure out that he wanted his shoes back on) and he has mastered the art of letting his body go limp when you try to pick him up and move him away from whatever hs shouldn't be doing and then laying on the floor in a full-blown tantrum. Luckily, his tantrums aren't (so far) as drawn out as his sister's and there have been moments of pure cuteness mixed in too. He was ecstatic to have strawberry cake last night, I mean full-out giggles and chuckles in response to how big of a fan he was. He has some new words - outside, down, and is really starting to say Mama (he started crying it when he was put in his crib for bed and it nearly broke my heart). Katie is doing good too, has some new words and she is nodding yes now, too cute!

18 months!

It is pretty hard to believe that the kids are a year and a half old! Lance says it seems like 5 years, but really it is going by so fast. I must admit that I much prefer this stage and age, but it makes me sad that this one will be gone before we know it, too, and we'll have big kids sooner than we think.

They had their 18 month appointment today - wow, that is difficult with two 18 month olds! They were great, but waiting in a room with nothing to do only to have some stranger come in and dig around in your ears and give you shots is not my idea of fun and definitely isn't for the kids. We asked lots of questions like first time parents of toddlers will of course do, and I'm pretty happy that the kids seem to be doing great. With our little gymnast's (Katie) supreme flexibility we may have to move to toddler beds sooner than they suggest - she almost made it over the edge a couple of days ago and when she figures it out not only will she do it but her brother will realize he can too (he is much stronger so I have no doubt that he will figure it out if he sees her). The only areas they were behind on is our fault - they are supposed to solely be using utensils at this point and we haven't really forced that issue and at Nana Pam's they aren't allowed :) and they are supposed to be able to go up and down stairs which we try to make them stay away from our dangerous stairs so I don't know if they can go down (they can definitely go up)! They are supposed to have 6 - 20 words now and they are right in the middle of that range, so that's good - still not really referring to us as mom and dad consistently but we won't mention that because it is getting better and again I think that is partly our fault because we still don't remember to refer to ourselves like that all the time. They are ahead, actually, in their mobility since both of them can run and jump and maneuver really well. So, overall pretty pleased.

Now for the stats! They adjusted for prematurity and have them down as 34 weekers (born at 34 weeks, 5 days) so the numbers are a bit skewed but they are finally registering in percentiles. Katie is 30.75 inches (39th percentile!) and Tyler is 31 inches and in the 28th percentile adjusted (16th percentile compared to other 18 month olds). Tyler is 23 pounds, 7 ounces (25th percentile) and Katie is a pound smaller at 22.5 - but she is in the 30th percentile because she is a girl. They both have tiny heads, Tyler is in the 16th percentile adjusted and Katie is in the 9th! Hats for their age (particularly winter ones that I needed them to wear) are still huge on them and I guess we may have a hat issue for a while. Their BMI's are great (probably the only time in their life that we will be happy that they are high) with Tyler in the 53rd percentile and Katie in the 40th. They are still, as we expected, pretty small for their age even when adjusted for prematurity, but growing on track, eating good, and developing well! Just for fun I entered their stats into a height calculator and it predicts anywhere from 4' 11" - 5" 2" for Katie and 5" 6" - 5" 8" for Tyler - basketball probably won't be their sport!

Barney... Really?

Little Bug has been a bit behind Tyler in the amount of words she has, but when she says something it is usually clearer and obvious that she is really trying to say that particular word. Last night in the bathtub as she was trying to help me wash Tyler's hair she grabbed some bubbles and looked at me and said "bubble" very well. Obviously, though I didn't understand what she wanted because she then put the bubbles on my hand and then took my hand and put it on her head. She didn't realize that she had bubbles on her head too and wanted to be like Tyler!

Trying to figure out what they are attempting to tell us has become a challenge! Tyler will still look at you so earnestly and intently and just talk and talk and it frustrates him to no end that often we have no clue what he is trying to say (even though we try to say the right things like yeah, and oh, really, and you are right!). Oh, sometimes we do know exactly what they want like when he tries to do a pull-up on the table while yelling doodoo - that means he wants a cookie or when they both run at you with their empty cups in hand and proceed to bang on the fridge it is pretty obvious that they want more "mi" (Milk). Other times though, like yesterday, they are forced to use their words if they really want something. Katie was doing her crazy babble thing and motioning toward the television. I tried to figure out what she wanted since Lance was switching back and forth between Hockey and Basketball and Golf (!) so I said things that I thought she knew like ball, tree, ice, etc. to no avail. Finally, she climbs up in my lap, points to the tv, looks at me and says very clearly - "Barney." Yep, that's right, she wanted to watch the big purple dinosaur and she wanted it right then. There was no way we were going to usurp Lance's tv shows so me and the kids went upstairs to watch and Katie just sat there mesmerized and happy as a clam sitting with me on the couch. Barney is so old, and I think the newer shows like Jack's Music Show and Yo Gabba Gabba are much better, but I am beginning to agree with Lance that they might be putting subliminal messages or something in Barney shows because it is like crack to kids! Nana Pam says that Katie found an old Barney doll in the toy bin over there and carries it around all day and that at the end of the day she goes and stands in front of the tv waiting for Barney time. It is insane, but the lessons are pretty good and there are worse things for her to want to watch (like one movie that doesn't change), so I guess we will deal with the (hopefully short-lived) Barney obsession. Tyler likes it, but just like when they were little bitty, he would rather play and have it in the background than sit and watch.

Their 18 month appointment is Wednesday so we'll know soon how big the munchkins are getting. We will talk to the doctor about their speech and general development (we let them color yesterday because they will ask if they can scribble - answer is big YES and they had fun), but I think things are going great!