Lake Fun

The kids got to play in the lake at my dad's and had a blast. They preferred playing on the bank in the sand!

New "School"

The kids are three days into their new school. Not counting drop-off I think it is going well. Drop-off is miserable! It got worse today - with Katie starting to poke her lip out and give me the sad look just when we turned into the parking lot. We usually make it into the front door before they both start wailing, refusing to move, and kicking and screaming when I try to pick them both up, open the other two doors and carry them into the room. I am hoping they will get over this soon but everyone keeps telling me that it is developmentally appropriate and that it is completely normal. That doesn't make it any easier to deal with, but at least I know that my two aren't the only ones that make us all a spectacle. Each day they give us "report cards" for the kids that tells us how their day went and I have the benefit of working in the building where they are so I and co-workers get to peak in on them. Throughout each day when I have seen them (they didn't see me thank goodness) they are playing and content, and when others have commented to me they say they seem happy and like they are completely comfortable. That is reassuring!

The teacher has noted Tyler's disposition as happy and content every day and she told me on Tuesday that she was just smitten with him because he has the best personality and is completely sweet and charming (I agree, of course). Katie was reported to be irritable and fussy the first two days, but today got a checkmark on happy and content too! Katie did not nap at all the first two days but reportedly laid quietly, and today took a nap after coaxing. Tyler, shockingly, apparently went to nap independently and took a nap today and Monday and on Tuesday needed help to calm down but did take a nap. In small group they both listened and obeyed all three days - I think the teachers may be fudging on that one a bit. They aren't eating great but that might be an adjustment to eating more like big kids - they drink out of milk cartons, sit at a table with all the other kids, have plates and are encouraged to use utensils. Big change from daycare where they sat in highchairs and were fed and given sippy cups! Today Katie, well actually they call her Mary (since that is the name on her enrollment, social security card, birth certificate, etc) and I can't get them to stop, got a report of having a great day and was loving playing with play dough. I got three little art projects already too - on Tuesday the letter of the day was "a" and they colored an apple and an airplane. Today Tyler got to use glue to make a Boat (for "B") out of construction paper. So cute, of course Tyler wanted to carry it in and promptly "boke it," which wasn't surprising since he was trying to disassemble it immediately. So, all in all I think their experience has been great. I have got to find a way to get them calmer at drop-off - I think part of it too is that they are used to Lance dropping them off but that doesn't make sense since it is so far away and where I work, and I really need to convince them to call Katie by the only name she knows!

Catching Up

Well, it has been a while - sorry! We went to Florida and the kids got to visit with some family so they get to see the kids instead of just hear about them. On the way down we stopped at my Aunt's house and my mom was there so they got to see their Great Aunt and Uncle and Grandma. That visit was too short and we were on the road to my dad's house. They had a blast there and my dad took some cute pictures of the kids in the lake, but I don't have them yet. When I do - I'll post them for sure. Katie was unsure of the water and Tyler was content to play in the sand, but they had a ball. They have done great around everyone and haven't shown too much anxiety - let's hope that was just a quick stage since they start their new school on Monday (I started this Monday and it has gone well). We are learning, though, that mom and dad are expendable. Yesterday was our 9th wedding anniversary and So-So and Ray-Ray watched the kids while we went to dinner. This morning we went to get Tyler out of his bed and he sat down, refused to be picked up from us, and started asking for So-So and Ray-Ray to get him out and said it repeatedly all morning. They put him to bed and I guess that he expected them to be there when he got up! When in the car the past few days the kids have been saying hi to B-Bob and Grandma and telling me what they think they are up to - swimming, on the boat, being funny. When I say well, is dada funny, or is mama funny or ask them to say hi to dad, Tyler gives me a sly little grin and says nooooooo, while shaking his head. Then, Tyler came to me asking for chocolate milk (which my dad let him have) and I told him no so he starts saying where Pa Pa, as if he could get him to give it to him if I wouldn't. Lance and I are just not exciting enough for them anymore, I guess :-)! Uncle Matthew is coming in to town this weekend and in honor of him Lance dressed the kids in their New York shirts. They are so big on them, but in her hat (actually my mom got it for Tyler because Katie was the only one with a bucket hat that Tyler loves, but it was too small and Katie claimed it) and shirt/dress Katie thought she was hot stuff!

Tyler refuses to leave the potty or the step stool in the bathroom (and refuses to use either one properly as well). He was pretty proud of himself to have brought the stool into the kitchen to sit on.

I bet Katie was trying to move him off the stool, not hug him - but they are smiling so maybe it was actually a rare sweet moment! That is her new move, though, - the full hug body slam. They eventually conceded to share the seat!

Black Eye

Well, I have been super busy lately and haven't had time to update the blog but I did get some cute pictures yesterday afternoon of the duo in matching t-shirts thinking they were hot stuff. Luckily, I got some pictures of Katie (in "Katie hat" even though it is really Tyler's) before her black eye. Today is their going away party at daycare and poor Bug will look like she got in a fight in those pictures. Last night she was in the tub and was singing and talking and playing and suddenly stood up and came toward me to give me a "big hug." She slipped and fell and managed to avoid the spout (which has a cover) and instead hit the uncovered faucet handle. She gashed her eyelid and today it is black and blue and swollen almost shut. Poor thing. I haven't had a chance to download pictures, etc. but I'll get them up soon with hopefully some pictures of their last day party (even though it really isn't for another week) too!

Night Terrors, Teething, Sick???

Two nights ago Katie "woke-up" screaming. I went into her room and she was sitting straight up in her bed wailing. I picked her up and soon realized that she was not really awake. She was looking around kind of dazed, breathing fast, not focusing on anything, and didn't really want to be comforted. It, of course, worried me but after about 30 minutes of holding her, taking her temperature, etc. we put her back to bed. She went right back to sleep and was fine for the remainder of the night. The next day she acted like she didn't feel well at all and was very clingy with flushed cheeks. We took her temperature again and it was only slightly elevated so we started thinking she is teething (unlike her brother she still doesn't have a few that would normally be here by now). Then, that evening Pam said that she slept for a long time at daycare (makes sense since she was up in the middle of the night) and wouldn't really eat or drink and just didn't seem to feel well. We took her temperature again and it was 102.5 - too high for teething generally (I can feel nubs where her molars will be, but can't tell if they are coming in or not). Yesterday, she had kind of cloudy, glassy looking eyes but low temperatures and didn't seem to be acting sick. This morning she was seemingly back to normal. So, I still don't know what was going on - she could have had a little virus, she could have had a nightmare, and she is probably getting some teeth. I just hope that it doesn't recur - especially the nightmare!

They start "school" on August 16th. I am pretty nervous about it because they are not happy at all with strangers these days and it will be a completely new environment with me there, but unable to be with them, which might cause some issues. Plus, "best practices" separate twins in school and they will be in the same classroom with a dividing wall and different teachers and I don't know how that is going to work. On one hand I think it will be good for them to be separate and get to be individuals, but on the other I know that if they can see each other they might cause problems trying to be around the other one. We'll just have to see. I talked to the program manager and potty training isn't imperative right when they start, but they do want them to be in at least the beginning stages of training. Katie sat on the big girl potty last night and wasn't a big fan, Tyler took the "Elmo" seat off of the toilet and carried it around and asked to bring it with him to eat (we said no) - this could be interesting!

We have got to move to toddler beds soon and I just keep putting it off. They still haven't climbed out, but can easily now and we are just lucky that they have so far listened when we tell them to put their legs down and sit down. I know that will change, though, and I want to have them out of the cribs before they hurt themselves. My biggest fear, other than messing with a good thing as far as them sleeping well and through the night, is that they will have a lot more freedom. I know that our days of them sitting in their cribs and talking and playing until a reasonable hour are numbered and I just don't know if when I am starting a new job and they are starting a new school is the best time to also let them wake up and start playing at 5:00 am. Everyone I talk to sings the praises of this My Tot Clock that plays white noise (which the kids still sleep with), turns blue when they have to stay in bed and yellow when they are allowed to get up (you set it for the time that works for you), and has a red light for time-outs and a green light for timed activities that are positive like cleaning up fast or sitting on the potty. It guarantees better sleep or your money back so if we have trouble maybe that will be an option!
A good friend is coming in town tomorrow night and we are trying to find a sitter so we can see her, which makes me think of another future problem! We haven't used sitters other than family very much since the kids were born, but bedtime has been relatively easy since they can just be put in their cribs. Once we make the switch not only will we be fighting early morning wake-ups, but getting them to stay in their beds and go to sleep will also be a struggle, I am sure. There goes my secret hope that Lance would agree to get a sitter now and then once the kids got a bit older - he will never think anyone other than family can handle the new bedtime shenanigans! Something I will have to work on - I love my kids but I do miss date nights!

Donkeys and Ducks

We took the kids to "Old MacDonald's Farm" at the Tennessee Agricultural Museum and saw donkeys and mules, chickens, and the kids favorite (thanks to their rides with So-So) tractors! It was soooo hot, but we were able to escape into the air conditioned museum for a bit and then went to a yummy lunch at Sylvan Park. Today, we went to church where both of the kids flipped out when we dropped them off at the Kidz Zone - the church daycare. They settled down after a few minutes and luckily the church has a system that displays the number of your child that corresponds with your wristband to tell you if they need you to come them - and we didn't get called! Tyler is realling struggling with stranger anxiety lately. We had some friends over Saturday night and Tyler hid in the kitchen cabinet for a good 15 minutes staring at the back wall and refusing to look at anyone. Walking into the church he came to a complete standstill when he realized we were going into the building with all the people - he just needs some time to warm up, but at first he really freaks out with new folks. I don't know what we are going to do at a new daycare - hopefully it will just be an initial meltdown that they get over once I leave. The kids talked and laughed through their normal naptime today and didn't finally go to sleep until 2:00. That meant that they had to be woken up at 4:30 and we had to find something in this miserable heat to wear them out so they would actually sleep at bedtime. We decided to go to Bowie Park - which is just a beautiful lake and picnic area and playground in Fairivew. The kids had a blast and it was actually not too hot near the lake and in the trees. We didnt' end up feeding the ducks as intended because geese attacked us as soon as we got out of the car, but we walked around the lake and found lots of bridges that were super fun for the kids (on Saturday too).

They both sat on saddles, but didn't seem too keen on riding the donkeys.

Running on the bridge is just as fun as trying to feed the spotted mule.

More bridge fun! Watching the ducks.

Vandy Jammies

The kids don't seem to be growing all that much to me, but their 18 month pajamas are a bit snug so I guess they are! We found Vandy pajamas in 24 month size at Target and of course had to get them. On the way home today we heard a snippet of sports talk radio and someone said "Go Vandy!" The kids started repeating it and once I finally figured out what they were trying to say we worked on it and they got pretty good at it - they have no choice on who to cheer for even if the state of the football program is dismal. I have to say I think these are two of the cutest Vandy fans ever!!!

They give the best hugs - to us and each other.

They still love to "rock rock" before bedtime.

Attack kisses from Tyler!