The Double Dinks

Why?

2009-05-28T08:08:00.004-05:00

Scene: Interior of 2003 Pontiac Grand Am at rush hour. Mama C is driving, Reaghan and Nixon are buckled in the back.

R - "Mama...why are we going this way?"
C - "Because this is the way home."
R - "Why?"
C - "Well...it just is. This is where they built the road."
R - "Daddy goes another way. Why?"
C - "I don't know...I just like to take this way and he likes to take that way."
R - "Why?"
C - (sigh) "I'm not sure, Reaghan. There are lots of ways home."
R - "Why are there lots of ways?"
C - "Because they built alot of roads."
R - "Why?"
C - "They just did...can we stop with the questions?"
R - "Why?"
C - "Because mama is tired of the questions right now."
R - "Why is mama tired of the questions?"
C - (sigh)

Ritalin

2009-05-09T12:00:00.003-05:00

Several times in the past year the subject of Medication for Nixon has come up. The specialists at the University of Michigan Multidisciplinary Clinic (MDC) suggested it when he tuned three. The neuropsychologist said although he personally favors behavioral psychology treatment to meds, that Ritalin would indeed help him. For a year we struggled with the decision - it is not an easy one to make. On one hand, you know that his quality of life and thus your family's would improve. His pediatrician had high hopes that on meds he will make better progress in speech and occupational therapy, as he would be able to focus and be more a part of the process. On the other hand, there have been no long term studies on the effects of Ritalin on children under the age of six. The side effects include nausea, headaches, and reducing growth progression. There is also a certain stigma attached with medicating your child. Plenty of people out there who are not immersed in the day to day struggle of a special needs child will tell you readily that giving psychotropic drugs to children is just plain wrong. That in doing so you as a parent have given up on your child. That you are lazy and just don't want to chase after an active young boy.

Honestly, I wish it were that easy. If our biggest problem was just keeping up with an active child I think our family would function entirely differently. But as it is, his disability is far more severe than just hyperactivity. His brain is unable to focus on anything for more than a second.
Imagine watching television when someone is changing the channel every ten seconds...do you think you would be able to learn anything about the characters in the shows? Would you learn anything on Discovery channel if you caught about two minutes of an hour long special? Imagine your frustration. After an hour of this wouldn't you want to tell the person with the remote to go to hell? After a few days of this would you want to punch them in the face? Would you want to scream at them and throw things at them? After a month would you lock yourself away and rock back and forth trying desperately to settle your spinning mind. Picture Clockwork Orange...would you go mad?
That is closest example I can come up with, but I'm sure it isn't even close.

In the past two months we have been seeing regression in Nixon. His speech is actually declining and his outbursts are getting more severe in nature. He also has started bolting again. We live one house away from a very busy street. Four lanes of 45 MPH traffic (and most people do closer to 55). The weekend before last Nixon took off toward Lilley, not even looking where he was going. He was laughing over his shoulder as Bill frantically took off from the garage screaming his name. Bill managed to catch him, barely. He was about two strides from the curb and still going full tilt. Bill grabbed him so quickly that he hurt his arm and Nixon immediately went into a tirade of screams and hitting, but we didn't care. I was desperately choking back tears standing shock still in the driveway. Bill is much faster than me...I would never had made it to him in time. Let that settle in for a moment.
That same weekend he lost it on Reaghan and pulled out a chunk of hair the size of a quarter. Watching her tears and his absolute lack of empathy was terrible for me - she is his twin and they are everything to each other, but he couldn't even grasp what he had done.

So...after that weekend we started talking about meds again. It was apparent that this was now a safety issue, along with a quality of life issue. It was time to talk to his pediatrician.

I took him in last Monday to see Dr. R. She was immediately sympathetic, patting my shoulder as I struggled not to cry as I related the terror of the Lilley incident. She agreed that the time had come, and was honest enough to say that we came farther than alot of parents in our situation. She was frank about the side effects, but also explained that the headaches and nausea generally subside after a week or two. The growth potential can be realised with doing a three months on one month off schedule with his medication, thereby giving his body time to catch up. She also explained that this may not be a forever thing. We are very proactive in dealing with his issues, and once his cognitive ability caught up with his age he very well may be able to control himself on his own. Time will tell.

Off I went to the pharmacy, feeling a bit better after talking to his pediatrician but still afraid of what we were doing. What if he had side effects? Strangely, I was a little afraid that it might not even work since this was our "last resort". The last ditch effort to keep our child safe.

He started Tuesday morning. I was so nervous that I called his learning center half way through the day. "He's fine." his teacher said. "He's having a good day."

When I picked him up I was watching him like a hawk. Over analyzing his every move. He was so calm and happy! When we got home I was amazed at how much he was talking to me, answering questions without me having to make physical contact (our previous way of communicating with him). He was so relaxed and easygoing. I was scared to death that I was reading more into it, but I had tears stinging my eyes several times when he would make eye contact with me to converse.

That night he sat next to me on the couch quietly picking out books to order from the Scholastic catalog. (!!)

We are on day five, and the turn around has been pretty amazing. I still find myself tensing up in situations that normally would put him over the edge, but he handles them on his own. I'm not saying that he doesn't throw the occasional tantrum...he is four, but the violent outbursts are for the most part gone.

I now am dealing with a little guilt. Did we damage him by waiting too long? Would he have caught up more if we had started a year ago when we were advised to by the child psychologist at U of M? How much have we missed? Would he be talking normally now?

There are no answers to these questions, and there never will be. I can only hope that now he will get his feet on the path and stay on it, instead of running circles in the fields.

And by the way...he doesn't seem to have the side effects.

Notes on Nixon

2009-03-12T19:49:00.001-05:00

Alot of you were wondering about the results of Nixon's Neuropsych testing last week. We had some good news and some bad news:

The Good:
- With all of the therapy that he has been getting in special ed, he tested much better on his social awareness and sensitivities. The Neuropsychologist believes that we are out of the woods on the autism diagnosis (whew...big whew).
- Although his "normal" IQ testing was below normal, they decided to test him with a different test. The test they used was for children who are non-verbal, and the whole test is given without verbal instructions or the need for verbal responces to the test. Nixon scored above average IQ based on the non-verbal testing.

The Bad
- The testing showed that Nixon is functioning at an age of 2 years, 4 months. This puts him delayed by 1.5 years.
- Although we had thought that he was doing so much better verbally, but the doc told us that as he is approaching four the curve is getting steeper. Although he know talks a little bit, his vocab and verbal abilities are still around an 18 month to two year old. That was a big disappointment for me since I had felt that we had made alot of progress.
- Fine motor skills are a major concern. He is unable to correctly hold a crayon, and is unable to make a line. Very big concern.
- The potential diagnosis we are now looking at is combined ADD and ADHD with Developmental Delay and a Speech Delay. I'm still wrestling with if this really is any better than the mild autism diagnosis that they had warned us about a year ago. Even though autism is so serious, mildly autistic sounds so much better to me than all the other ones combined. Maybe its just because it is more words, and maybe its because we are somewhat opposed to medication and that seems to be the route for the ADD/ADHD disorder. Our opinion may change as he gets into his school years, but we have decided not to medicate at this time.

The Ugly: We are waiting on the tests that were sent to special ed and his learning center. Once those are in the Doc will write his report. Once we get the report we need to call another IEP with the school district to change his IEP goals. Doc has strongly suggested outside Speech therapy and Occupational therapy on top of what he is getting through special ed, so we need to start looking for providers. Doc also strongly recommended getting a Child Behavioral Psychologist on board. Once we get all the players we need to schedule a meeting with the school, the psychologist, and the Neuropsychologist to develop a combined school/home plan. This sounds very overwhelming, so I am glad to have the time to wait for the report from neuropsych before I have to get started.
Well...thats the news. If anyone knows a really great speech therapist in the Plymouth Canton area who takes U of M insurance - let me know!!!

Signal Strength is Excellent

2009-01-28T08:05:00.002-05:00

The connection between a mother and her child is mystical. As I lay next to my sick daughter listening to the coughs racking her body, I begin to feel as if I can cough for her. I feel my chest tighten, and I cough with a strange sensation that doing so helps her respire. I clear my own throat to the sounds of the rattle in hers. I can't help it...I can't not do it. It has been predetermined in my genetic code to act this way. I am a mother.
At times the connection feels physical. A ghoast umbilicus. A tug in the center of my abdomen; somewhere very deep.
In times past, when Nixon was having breathing difficulties, I would feel my own respirations become shallow. I would wheeze along with him, both of us sitting up at 2:00 am wheezing away like a couple of old accordians.
It is 4:18. Normally I would be rising for work soon, but not today. The alarm has been turned off. My sick daughter lies next to me, the syrup and the Vicks have begun their duty and the time between her coughs extends. Her breaths regulate and she drifts off to sleep.
I lay awake wondering if when she is older if I will still feel the tug. When she calls home from university with a frog in her throat, will I still clear mine? If she coughs from accross the world will I have ghoast coughs? Does the signal strength fade with distance...with time?
I close my eyes. I decide to sleep, knowing that at least for now the signal strength is excellant.

The Dark Side

2009-01-22T08:58:00.002-05:00

Before I post about our fabulous Disney Cruise, there has been something weighing on me that I need to get out there to feel better about.
When you have a child with a developmental disability, there are alot of things going on internally with that child that are not apparent on the outside. To the average viewer (person), he appears to be a normal almost four year old. His behavior and cognitive understanding of what is acceptable, unfortunately, is closer to that of a two and a half year old. You can not SEE this difference, but it is there.
As a parent, you have to make the choice to bring that child into situations where you know there will be a problem with their ability to function "normally" in that environment. Even though you know (and have been told by clinicians) that forcing this child into environments outside of their norm is good for them, you also know that doing so will be exhausting both mentally and physically to you as a parent. It also can be frustrating to those around you who may not know or understand all of what is going on "behind the scenes".
We have been in many situations where Nixon is having a hard time. He is very quickly overstimulated, and outside of his comfort zone this will sometimes manifest itself in violent behavior to those around around him as well as himself. He will hit, spit, bang his head, kick, or throw things. He has a very difficult time controlling these outbursts. To the outsider, he looks like a naughty boy and we look like bad parents. To us, he looks like a child in pain internally. He is acting out because he is past his comfort zone.
The dark side of this is when these things happen, and you get the comments and dirty looks from people, your first reaction feels like you need to explain him. Tell the people that he is "special" and all those words. I don't do that. I would prefer they think I am the one with the problem. That Nixon acts like a monster because its a parenting problem. Sometimes I wonder if I do this out of wishful thinking. Disciplinary problems can be solved after all.
The other aspect of this dark side is that sometimes you pass on experiences with your child because you simply do not have it in you to handle it that day. You are simply too tired, or too hurt from the last time.
The cruise was a wonderful, valuable, and educational experience. We learned alot about what his capabilities are when he is totally removed from his comfort zone. We also learned alot of our ability as far as making it easier on him. I think we pushed him too far a few times, and his actions caused me to loose my temper and hurt the feelings of some around me. For this I am regretful. Do I regret the trip? No Way. Will we continue to urge Nixon outside of his comfort zone? Definitely. Will it always be pretty? No, but life never is.

Disney Cruise

2009-01-19T16:27:00.000-05:00

Still unpacking - I'll post for real later!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T08:56:00.001-05:00

The Powers of Electricity

2008-11-29T16:08:00.003-05:00

The other day I got a great surprise when I picked the kids up from their learning center. As I was helping Reaghan pack up her art stuff into her backpack, I noticed something in the botton of the pack. I wasn't sure what it was, so I pulled it out.

It was a pair of my underwear.

Reaghan started giggling, "Mamma's underpants were in my nap stuff."

I gathered that due to the wonderful powers of static cling, my panties had traveled to school attached to Reaghan's naptime blanket.

"So, " I asked, "did your teacher see mommie's underpants?"
"YES!" Reaghan screamed, doubled over laughing. "everyone saw Mommie's underpants!"

Great. Just great.

Tagged...

2008-11-11T13:35:00.007-05:00

I've been tagged by Melissa at Twincredible Twosome to come up with eight things that you might not know about me.

Here goes!

I read at a freakishly fast rate. It is really quite alarming how fast I can suck books down. I just finished re-reading the whole Harry Potter series (all seven of them) in about five weeks. Remember, I work full time and I insist on a minimum of seven hours of shut eye a night!

I once had seven piercings in my body...a total of two were in my ears.

I have two tattoos, and for a while I had bigger tats than my husband (he has since shown me up...to the needle I go!)

Years ago I was a Go Go dancer at one of the hottest clubs in Grand Rapids (The Reptile House). I was much thinner then (the pics are outrageous!).

I am absolutely enthralled with the science of the body and will sometimes re-read my schoolbooks for fun.

I was a total nerd while I was growing up. Not in the super cool "nerd rock" way that is popular now, but in the weird shy girl in the corner with the frizzy hair and glasses whose nose is always buried in a book kinda way. I had NO friends...none. I think I didn't talk at all in a whole school day, unless it was to answer every single question the teacher asked...no wonder I didn't have friends!!

I avoid shaving my legs like the plague. I will wear pants in ninety degree weather just to not do it. I just hate doing it. (Don't worry...I do it when necessary!!)

My children are NOT named after the presidents.

Thats it!

Halloween!

2008-11-02T06:58:00.001-05:00

What a perfect Halloween! The weather cooperated and the kids had an absolute blast! The double dink family headed over to the White family abode for pizza and fun pre-trick or treating. The picture shows Nixon (who refused a costume), Reaghan (Cinderella), Adam (Monkey 1), and Drew (Monkey 2).

This was Nixon and Reaghans first Trick or Treat experiance, so it was lucky that they went with old pros like Adam and Drew. As soon as they followed them to the first house and got their first candy, they were convinced that this is the most awesome activity on the face of the earth and had no problem running from house to house while the parents stood at the curb.

All the mommies and daddies had a blast as well! Nothing like a little wine with your junk food!

Who's That Big Boy in the Underwear?

2008-10-31T14:28:00.002-05:00

Nixon!

I Guess I Took Summer Off Too...

2008-08-24T12:51:00.009-05:00

Wow...it's late August...I havn't blogged since spring.

I feel a bit sheepish...like I forgot to do my homework assignment and I am hoping that the teacher doesn't decide to collect it today.

As the kids get older the "work" of caring for them gets easier, but your time compresses. Suddenly 24 hours is no where near enough time to fit everything in. I rise at 4:30 to get to work by 6:00, get out at 2:30 (hopefully) and dash off to fit in as many errands or as much housework as possible before I pick the kids up from their learning center at 5:00. Between dinner, playtime, bathtime, etc 7:30 comes all to quickly and we are getting the kids into beds (or still a crib in Nixon's case...we are crossing our fingers to be out of it by Christmas) and lights out by 8:00. Muma gets a precious hour to read/watch Project Runway/talk to daddy before I have to start getting ready to go to bed and do it all over the next day. Whew! I'm exhausted just reading this!

As an update, Nixon's speech and social skills have improved greatly thanks to the excellant therapy through our local school district. He attended a summer session, and will be starting preschool through their developmentally delayed program this fall. He will attend three half day sessions a week, and we are so excited to see how much more ground we can cover with so much more time with therapists. He still can not speak well, and it is very difficult to understand him, but he wants to communicate - which is great! His favorite thing to do lately is tell us his routine:
Said at bedtime

"Bubbie go nite nite. Bubbie wake up. Bubbie have waffle. Bubbie Ya Ya go school. Muma get Bubbie Ya Ya. Bubbie go home. Bubbie eat. Bubbie play. Bubbie go nite nite."

On the weekends, we tend to do the same things and eat at the same places, but it helps with his behavior. We find that new environments are often too much for him and he acts up. Much easier to go where he is comfortable. On the question of wether he is autistic or not, all of the specialists that he has seen do say he is on the spectrum, but Bill and I are convinced that he can pull out of that diagnosis. His sensitvity problems have been getting better (can you believe he will eat a popsicle now...can you believe I cried when he did!) and with the fall program coming we have high hopes.

As far as our vacation, both the kids did excellant for their first time away from home . They LOVED the water - spent all day swimming, catching minnows, or finding seashells. They were so pooped out by bedtime each night that we had no problem getting them to sleep. We were very worried about this aspect, because Nix does not sleep well out of his crib, but the sun and water did their job and he was down for the count by 8:00 each night.

Reaghan is still solidly in the princess stage. I don't see that ending any time soon. My mom and I took her shopping recently, and she is showing signs of being a professional shopper by the age of five. The girls loves to shop. She was mad at us when we had to leave after a few hours because my mom and I were whipped - she could've shopped all day. Rea still wants to wear mostly pink, but we will work on that. I still can't believe that I had such a girly girl! I don't think I ever wore pink in my life! At her age I was ripping through the neighborhood in a dingy pair of overalls, no shirt, with twigs in my hair trying desperately to keep up with the older boys who were my playmates. All she wants to do is dress up in princess dresses and twirl around the kitchen with the radio on. Thankfully, Nixon will act as "prince" and dance with her sometimes, otherwise I am playing "prince" every evening. Cute for a few months, but after almost a year it gets old...real old.

As for me, I had quite a spill about six weeks ago. I was cut off and ended up laying a motorcycle down for the first (and hopefully last) time. I was only doing about 20 mph, so the damage was minimal but I still ended up in the ER with a seperated shoulder and a whole lot of road rash. It is weird for me to go to another health system other than the one I work for...I find myself being so highly critical of my care and I left convinced that the system I went to didn't provide the level of care that I am used to. Anyway...my shoulder still hurts like crazy, but its getting better and I am determined to get back on the "horse" as soon as it heals.

Vacation 2008 - Devil's Lake

2008-08-14T19:29:00.001-05:00

We took our first "real" vacation with the kids this week. We rented a cottage from a friend on Devil's Lake in the Irish Hills.

Eggy Fun

2008-03-24T19:07:00.001-05:00

Hmmm...Do I wanna touch the egg?

Eeww...I touched it!

All eggs must be pink by royal proclamation

Lets Go Red Wings!

2008-03-24T18:58:00.001-05:00

Nixon's first Red Wings Game (Thanks Uncle Doug!)

Just Gotta Let It Go

2008-03-14T12:30:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago we took Nixon to be assessed for a speech delay at the local school district. The interview started off fine enough, with a Rn asking me health history questions. Shortly we were joined by an occupational therapist and a social worker. Nixon was doing his own thing, like he usually does, while I (crammed into a toddler sized chair at a toddler sized table) answered all sorts of questions. The OT and the SW observed Nixon while I finished answering the questions.

"Does he generally not notice people in his surroundings?" one of them asked.

"Oh, he just likes to do his own thing." I responded.

Suddenly the questions started to change focus. I was asked about eye contact, if he plays with toys, if he ever spins, if he ever flaps his hands, does he obsess over a certain object, does he have sensitivity issues?

"Doesn't every toddler?" I asked. I was getting nervous. No one was asking me about speech anymore.

"Does he show emotion...will he spontaneously hug and kiss?"

"Well...he generally doesn't like to be touchy-feely, and he absolutely refuses to kiss - but I can usually get a hug out of him."

"Does he have any problems with sensory issues...cold things, wet things?"

"He does not like anything on his hands...and he refuses to eat anything that is cold, or wet, or sticky. If his clotes get wet, even a tiny bit, he wants them changed. Unless its drool...then he doesn't seem to mind."

"Does he still mouth objects?" We all turn around to see what he is doing. He is playing with some plastic blocks...he has one in his mouth.

"Yes, he still does."

"How old is he again?" one of the three ask.

"Almost three" someone answers.

"Does he eat with a fork or spoon?"

"Well yes...kinda, sometimes. He's still a stuffer, so he will attempt it for a minute then resort to stuffing his face." I laughed nervously "Alot of toddlers do that though, right?"

"I notice he isn't using his finger on his right hand...he keeps it extended."

"Oh, yes...thats THE finger. It's his favorite. He likes to keep it ready for use." I laugh again "He sucks it."

At this point, alot of whispering back and forth between the Rn and the social worker starts. I catch the words "ON THE SPECTRUM" and "AUTISTIC".

I have capitalized these words, because thats how they felt as I heard them.

The occupational therapist decides to try a few things with him.

"Will he sit in a chair?" she asks.

"Um...maybe." I say. "Nix, come here a second." He ignores me because he has found a barn full of animals. He is taking them out and lining them up. "Bubbie...come to mama." He is not responding. I get up and go to get him. He freaks out and starts screaming and hitting me. I try to get him into the cube chair that they have provided me for him. It is impossible. He has become a screaming tornado of arms and legs. One of the ladies tries to help me and he spazzes even more. We give up and let him go. He runs to a corner of the room and yells at us in his strange "bubbie talk" while wagging his finger towards us.

The questions resume. At this point I am near tears.

"We think that he may be on the Autistic Spectrum." one finally says. "Maybe Aspergers, but probably PDD-NOS. Either way, we believe that he is higher funtioning." She smiles at me. After my brain recovers I respond meekly with "But he smiles...he makes eye contact."

"The spectrum is wide and there are varying degrees of symptoms. He does smile and makes eye contact, but he is generally un interested in any of the people in this room right now."

"Well, we always knew he was different." I stammer...the tears are starting to come out.

Since that day we have had a roller coaster ride of appointments, theories, tests, and way too much googling. We have gone from totally despondant to feeling that everyting will be fine to a kind of limbo where we have accepted that it is what it will be.

I guess the hardest part has been realizing that he is the same little man that he was before all of this...that the label is meaningless.

One thing that I have learned through all of this is that nothing happens quickly when you are trying to get help for a child who may fit into this spectrum. We are currently in que for a mariad of services...none of which will happen anytime in the next two months. It is a 3-4 month wait for evaluation through U of M - even though I work there. It is even longer through PC public schools. You can be the best advocate that you can - you can make the calls, leave the messages, and wait for the call backs, but the answer is always the same...there is a wait. It will be a while. There are so many ahead of you. The feeling of total helplessness is hard to battle.

In the end, I really believe that Nix will be OK. I think he always be a bit "different", but arent we all? So what if he wont touch cold things...is that so bad? If he really doesn't care if he socializes with every person he comes into contact with why should I? He loves the people who are important, and the small things that he does to show it are worth a million empty gestures that we all display every day.

We are lucky...that I know from starting our group therapy through the PC schools. Some of the kids in his group are so locked away...their minds just not connecting with ours. I have witnessed the extremes of "The Spectrum" first hand and I know that we are no where near the extremes of the disease. Nixon is the tip of the iceberg.

We (I) have been fortunate to have the support of a fantastic family who have been through alot of their own sorrows with their children. Our good friends (I wil call them the "W"s) have not only been there for emotional support, but have also watched Reaghan while we have had to take Nixon to his child psychologist. Ms. W has also come over to watch the kids and put them to bed while Bill and I attend a parenting class with parents of other special needs childern. The W's are fantastic people who I feel have a firm grasp on what is truelly important in life...family and friends (to them the two are the same). They are good friends of ours and I am completely humbled by the amount of support we have received..to them we will be eternally gratefull.

In the end, we are the same. This has become very important to me. Nothing has really changed, as much as our perception of our reality has changed. We will continue to be the same family, the only change being that our new understanding of his behavior allows us to be better parents. We will do everyting possible. We will be advocates. We will also not become "the parents of that autistic kid". Like E from the Eels said "You just gotta let it go". Life goes on, and so will we.

Reaghan's "One Thing"

2008-01-20T15:22:00.000-05:00

Reaghan, though out of diapers, is still occasionally going 'poo poo' in her pants. We had tried everything from toys to stickers to intice her to use the potty...no luck. At work one day I was talking to another mom who has older kids...she said that I just had to find the "one thing" to get her to go #2 on the potty.

I think we found it.

This girl will do anything for ice cream...especially Blue Moon.

December

2007-12-29T14:41:00.000-05:00

Yeah...I know...it's been a while.

I've heard it again and again from everyone we saw while visiting over the holidays.

It's not that there isn't anything to say...it's just that somehow there is so much to say that I become overwhelmed by the choices.

So I guess I'll start with just some pictures.

Hello Again

2007-09-25T19:25:00.000-05:00

Whew...the last few weeks have been a whirlwind! I do believe that we are fully embedded into the "terrible twos" as each kid seems to have morphed into an evil twin of themselves (evil twins of twins...hmmm). Not only have the tantrums, fighting, and just general WHINING been around the Dink household, but Nixon had another ear infection (including a perforated eardrum) and right now both kids are having some sort of bug. They had their flu shots last week, so it makes me wonder even though I have heard a THOUSAND times that the flu shot doesn't get you sick.

On the good note, potty training is clipping right along. Both kids have been pee'ing on the potty, Rea more than Nix but that is no surprise. Reaghan has been known to do the poo poo in the potty as well - as she likes to say "BIIIIGG POO POO". Nixon has yet to do the big "#2", but he'll get there.

Bill is out of town (again) for a few days, leaving me to deal with the sickees - must be nice to eat out at a restaurant and then fall asleep in a big hotel bed...I need a vacation.

Finger Paint!!!

2007-09-25T19:22:00.000-05:00

Plymouth Farmers Market

2007-08-11T13:25:00.000-05:00

We spent the morning at the Plymouth Farmers Market for the first

time in about a month today.

Mmmmm...Pumpkin muffins...

Puddle Fun Again!

2007-07-19T19:11:00.000-05:00

Yes...that would be my children lying in the puddle.
Is that redneck or what?!

Reaghan

Nixon

You'd Think I Had the Time to Post

2007-07-15T13:32:00.000-05:00

Okay...okay...I know I've been slacking off on the postings. I feel totally guilty and actually I think my guilt ridden state has induced a sort of writers block, as I have had the toughest time deciding what to write about lately.
Its not for lack of subject matter - trust me, they have been keeping me fully supplied with subjects, and well...matter. Loads of matter. Especially the stinky kind, but I digress.

I actually have had the last two weeks off, and have been hangin' out with the kids doin' all sorts of funtime summer business. How did you score two weeks off, you ask? Well, I decided to hang up the proverbial hat (or scalpel, if you please) and look for a different line of work. After years of hefting bodies, risking cutting myself while working with a scalpel in a slippery body cavity, and being hours on my feet hunched over while wearing layers of hot protective clothing, I decided that even though I love my job, the risks aren't worth it. The formalin risk alone has been really bugging me lately. There is enough cancer in my family to make you not want to push it working around that stuff all day long. So I got another job...I start tomorrow.

As far as the kids are concerned, they seemed to have decided to take on a new job as well. Lets call it Industrial Waste Delivery. The fun game lately has been taking off all of our clothes during nap and nighttime and either peeing or pooping in the crib. Yeah...fun stuff. Here's a little story to wet your whistle:
Scene: Afternoon in the Dink house, babes are in bed sleeping. C goes upstairs to take a peek. B is sitting at the kitchen table reading a magazine. C comes tearing into the kitchen.
C - "We have a problem"
B - "What do you mean 'we have a problem'?"
C - "I just looked into the kids room and Nixon is sleeping with a turd next to him."
B - "A what?"
C - "A TURD...you know - POOP!" (Done in a raised hissing whisper)
B - "How in the heck did that happen??"
C - "He is naked with a poopy diaper in his crib with him, and a turd laying on the mattress."
B - "Well, now what?"

A little background is needed here. Nixon had been having terrible nights sleeping and had been waking up and crying. He also had been emptying all of his crib items out onto the floor and then crying to have them back...at three AM! We finally put up a crib tent to keep him and all of his stuff in the crib at night - Bingo...problem solved; accept that you can no longer get into his crib with out unzipping the thing - and it is loud. With all of the nighttime activity the kid was pooped (no pun intended) and we absolutely did not want to wake him twenty minutes into naptime - for his sake or ours.

To make a long story short, I managed to slowly peel the zipper back enough to reach in and grab the diaper and the turd, but the turd had left a skid mark on the mattress. I finally managed to sneak a towel into his bed and cover the skid, and its a good thing too because later I looked in and Nixon had rolled over and was sleeping on top of the towel. Can you believe I managed all of that without waking either baby? I think I deserve an award!

By the way...the towel went in the trash.

Um...She Has a What?!

2007-06-27T08:11:00.000-05:00

Please be warned that the following post is somewhat, well...ucka to use a toddler word.

Reaghan has a yeast infection.

I know all of the ladies reading this are cringing in sympathy, while all the gents are cringing in disgust - but there it is...she has a yeast infection.

The problem is actually a Candida albicans diaper rash caused by the combination of her course of antibiotics and the summer heat. You see, the meds kill all of her probiotics (read: good bacteria). These helpful little beasties live in all of our digestive tracts (as well as the vagina in females) and live off of things like yeast. Therefore, they eat the things that give us hassles. Unfortunately, Reaghan's round of Amoxicillan killed all of her "good guys" and since she is on a yogurt refusal phase at this time, I couldn't get her to replace them.

It basically looks like a really bad diaper rash, except the bumps are a bit bigger and rounder - they kinda remind me of what a culture actually looks like when it grows on a petri dish, small round colonies of yeast, but that is just the nerd in me. I figured something was up when it didn't respond to diaper cream at all - not even the "big guns" like Triple Paste. Plus, Reaghan was itching alot and saying "Muma, pee pee owee." A quick trip to Dr. R proved my suspicion...classic yeast infection. She prescribed an anti fungal cream, and after only one application it already looks alot better.

So in the interest of public health - all of you mumas out there with little girls know what to look for...and like GI Joe says "Knowing is half the battle."

PEE PEE ON THE POTTY!

2007-06-17T14:25:00.000-05:00

Today Reaghan was running around with no bottoms on, she has a little diaper rash and I was giving it some air. We were in the den playing and she suddenly stood up and said "Pee Pee muma."
"Do you have to go pee pee Reaghan?"
"Yeah. Pee Pee on potty." She started to climb up the stairs to the bathroom. We made it up both flights of stairs and into the bathroom. She plopped down on the potty and...I heard it! The telltale patter of pee pee into the potty!!

WOOOHOOO!

Of coarse this is just a fluke, I'm sure. We havn't even had the potty out or have been trying - I just got it out of the closet in the bathroom at her request. She was pretty pleased with herself, and I gave her a sticker, so I'm really glad it was a good experiance but I am not betting on anything else any time soon.

But still...WOOOHOOO!

Sick? Its summer!

2007-06-13T19:06:00.000-05:00

Who knows how these things happen, but Nixon and Reaghan both have ear infections. I was really hoping to avoid any summer illnesses, but I guess thats a pretty wild wish considering their age. They havn't been too grouchy, thankfully, because we caught it really quick this time and got them to the doc for treatment. Here we go again with the nighttime wake up for amoxicillian...yikes.

On a much lighter note I wanted to talk about, well...talking. It is absolutely mind boggling how many words these guys are picking up on a daily basis. We are constantly being suprised by new ones. For example, Bill had the fridge open earlier and Nixon leaned in for a look and proclaimed "pepper". Bill took a look and lo and behold there sat a green pepper. Where in the world did he pick up that it was a pepper? I always tell them what I'm buying at the grocery store, but generally they don't seem to be paying too much attention - at least I thought they weren't.

A new fun game around here is "get a kid to say that". We've gotten them to say all sorts of funny things like "rock on" and "metal", which come out more like "wok on" and "meddle". We have also been trying to get them to do the 'metal' hand sign, but that is proving to be a bit more of a challange. The game can provide endless hours of amusement, though the other side of this is the occasional naughty word. My ever amusing husband thought it would be funny to teach his highly impressionable daughter to say shit. Funny for about five minutes, but now I'm worried that our kids will become "those kids with the potty mouths". Thankfully she seems to have forgotten that word.

At least for now...

Happy Birthday To The Double Dinks

2007-05-22T08:27:00.000-05:00

Birthday 2007 dawned cloudy and a bit cool, so with our coats we headed out the door to the Detroit Zoo. The kids were in great spirits, most likely due to waking up to the surprise that Uncle Brent had somehow materialised in their home overnight, and were happy and chatty the whole half hour drive to the zoo. At the gate we met up with friends of ours and their little man, Christopher (14 months), and away we went.

First up - the geese on the side of the path. Figures...we go all the way to the zoo, pay to get in, and all they want to do is look at the non-zoo creatures. But, it is their birthday - so we spend a few minutes admiring the geese.

Next - Llamas. Up to this point they have figured out that we were "somewhere" and that we would see animals, but until they saw the Llamas in the enclosure I think they were just thinking that they would be seeing the same old things as at home. When they first caught sight of the Llamas, they started pointing and freaking out. Reaghan was calling out "Moo Moo" and Nixon was pointing and saying "Whats that?" (comes out more like 'whudya?'). They were transfixed - and had a fit when after a few minutes I started to push the stroller away.

The fountain was a big hit, as well as the anteaters (several giggles from Rea), but after a bit of a walk we hit the Arctic Exhibit. Being the non-conformists that we are, we enter the exhibit going the wrong way (Duh) so they saw the polar bears first off. Both kids enjoyed the bears, and I even got a 'Grrrr' or two out of them, but the highlight was the underwater view of the seals. Holy Smokes what a toddler magnet! All three kids were completely and totally impressed with the underwater views! In one area they had made a sort of glass bubble into the water that the kids could climb into to get a better view, and all three of them piled in to check it out. It was quite amusing to watch them try to figure out exactly how they were suddenly "in the water" without actually touching it. The way it was designed made it a little difficult to determine where the glass was, so they each tentatively reached out with their little hands until they found the barrier, then spent several minutes leaning up against it and checking out the seals as they swam past.

The seals were really cool. After leaving the little building we were in, we went around the corner to another area where you walked through a tube under the water and the seals swam all around you. Another toddler magnet. Nixon spent a good couple of minutes "petting" one seal was just kinda hangin' out on the side of the tube, and Reaghan would jump and clap every time a seal swam overhead. They loved it. I loved it as well because it was a mostly enclosed area, so as long as one parent stood sentry at either end of the tube it was okay to just let them run around and check it out. I would strongly recommend this to anyone with toddlers.

Off to the monkeys.

We have been pretty into monkeys lately. Monkey noises, monkeys jumping on the bed, monkey business...so needless to say the monkeys were an important visit. Unfortunately the monkeys just weren't in the mood to do much monkeying around. So they saw them, but that was pretty much it. In the gorilla enclosure we got a nice view of some material that may have not been appropriate for those under 18, but thankfully they are a bit young to understand the birds and the bees. I heard a few other parents telling their kids that they were "wrestling", or "playing a game". Hmm.

Lunchtime was a fiasco. I had purchased them little meals that came with a plastic tiger head about the size of a small lunchbox, and they loved these so much that they didn't hardly touch the lunch that came with it. I had a minor fit about the cost (7.50 each), but it did include a hot dog, chips, cookies, and a drink along with the much loved decapitated plastic tiger head - so I guess its okay. Besides, from what I hear on NPR the zoo needs all of the money it can get.

After lunch we made another quick stop at the fountain, and then it was time to go. I bought them both little stuffed monkeys with velcro hands at the giftshop and we called it a day.

Overall we all loved the zoo. We bought a family membership ($74.00) and I think we'll get alot of use out of it.

More to come on the birthday activities, as well as some pics. We purchased a new computer over the weekend, so I need to transfer all of our picture software to the new drive.

Life With Two Year Olds

2007-05-18T19:13:00.000-05:00

So...tomorrow is the big day...version 2.0.

The day that two years ago I went from being able to count the number of times that I had held a baby on one hand (outside of work), to having a baby in both hands.

But first - the current stats:

NIXON

Weight - 27 lbs 5 oz (at birth - 6 lbs 10 oz)

Height - 35.5 inches (birth - 19 inches)

Shoesize - 8 (big feet)

REAGHAN

Weight - 25 lbs 10 oz (birth - 5 lbs 15 oz)

Height - 33.75 inches (birth - 19 inches)

Shoesize - 7

"Why yes...it is dirt. Lovely, lovely dirt."

Other than their size, I can tell you that there has been alot of activity around the household, and boy do I mean activity. They never stop moving. I repeat...never. In fact, when there is nothing better to do, Nixon has been known to just run in circles until he gets dizzy and collapses. Or he will throw himself on the floor and do these strange wiggle movements that cause you to take a second look and wonder if he's having some sort of seizure. Nope...just a two year old boy with nothing better to do than flop around mindlessly on the floor while screaming and giggling. Its quite a sight. As Hank Hill has said many a time... "The boy ain't right."

Now Reaghan on the other hand has taken to the strange habit of wanting to carry half of the inventory of her bedroom around with her. She will try to make it down the stairs with herself, her stuffed kitty, her cup of milk, a book, a hat, some beads, her toothbrush, and her Elley blanket for good measure. Needless to say this is quite impossible, so as she drops things she says in the most plaintive voice "oh no...oh geesh" until I offer to carry some of her precious booty for her. She then takes a minute to decide which one of the items she can part with before just demanding that I carry her and all of her stuff down the stairs instead.

So, tomorrow we will go to the zoo for their birthday, and if I'm not too pooped I will post some pics as well as some other fun two year old tidbits, but for now I bid you adieu to sit outside in this beautiful twilight and have a glass of Austrailian Shriaz.

After two years a gal needs a break!

EXTRA! EXTRA!

2007-04-30T12:14:00.001-05:00

I finally got around to putting up a blog subscription box. If you would care to be notified by email of new content, please use the box to the right to subscribe!

Along Came Bo Bo

2007-04-30T08:47:00.000-05:00

For the past year I have been trying to get Reaghan to say Nixon's name. I'm not exactly sure why she doesn't, maybe the 'x' in the name itself is too difficult for her toddler vocab, but as of late I think that she had just renamed him long ago and I had mistaken it for toddler babble.

She calls him "Bo Bo".

Initially it was thought that she was calling him "Bubba", because I had started calling him that last summer and still do time to time. Bubba came along during the heat of last summer when I was putting him in only a pair of overalls with no t-shirt or socks while he played. Combined with his tubby toddler tummy he was the picture of a Bubba, especially when he would put his hands in the back pockets while standing. While we were in the car one afternoon, Reaghan said something, pointed to Nix, and said what sounded to me like 'Bubba'. "Where's Bubba?" I asked. Rea pointed to Nixon and said "Bo Bo". We practiced this over and over for the past two weeks to perfect it and now she calls him Bo Bo all the time.

On Sunday morning we did our monthly split the kids up day and Reaghan and I went shopping while the guys went to the petstore. Off and on during our shopping trip Rea would inquire "Bo Bo?" I would answer that Bo Bo and Daddy went to run errands while we shopped. She would nod and carry on with whatever she was doing. Pulling into a restaurant I told her that we were stopping to have lunch and asked her if she was hungry. She nodded and replied "Eat. Bo Bo, Da?"
"No honey, Nixon and Daddy went somewhere else for lunch. We will see them when we get home." Satisfied, she turned her attention back to her book.
When I got the check after lunch I let her know we would be leaving soon. "Bye Bye? Bo Bo, Da?" She was wondering if we were going to see them. I told her we were.
When we got home, Nixon and Bill were on the front sidewalk with the tricycle. Reaghan was giggling and waving at them from the car.
So...after all of that asking about her brother and her daddy guess where she ran once she got out of the car...
To the tricycle.
Figures.

Eastern Market

2007-04-22T19:43:00.000-05:00

A Beautiful Spring Day Well Spent!

Eating pears...

and strawberries...

while checking out the local art...

and the market.

What We're Up To

2007-04-15T14:03:00.000-05:00

BeeBos
Pillow Time
Wrenchin'
Wait...thats not a hat!!

Strangely Good Day

2007-04-12T08:49:00.000-05:00

I awoke two minutes before my alarm went off - totally refreshed.
After my shower my hair didn't frizz.
The kids woke in a good mood and cooperated with getting dressed.
Nobody complained at breakfast.
The kids got into their car seats without too much of a struggle.
We backed out of the driveway on schedule.
I didn't hit a single red light on the way to daycare.
The kids kept their shoes and socks on for the whole trip.
At school, they walked right up to the door and into the classroom with no runaways.
The school was serving "fancy" coffees for parents.
Traffic on I-96 actually moved.
I got to work ten minutes early, got a great parking spot, and the shuttle was waiting for me.
On the way into Children's Hospital, the valet high fived me at the door.
During my morning break, I discovered that in a flash of creativity someone in dietary put baked apples in the oatmeal (yum).
My Starbucks wasn't too hot.

It is only 10 AM!!!!!

Such an oddly good day that I had to share...

Identity Theft

2007-03-11T12:05:00.000-05:00

If there is one thing that I have learned in my almost two years of twin parenting, its that as soon as you figure them out, that's when they're gonna change it up on you.

We have had a total turn around in personalities in this household. Nixon has gone from a shy, clingy, dare I say it, momma's boy, to a pushy, bullying, machismo daddy's little man. He generally wants nothing to do with me anymore, preferring the company of dada and the ensuing rough house play. On the other had, Reaghan, who has always been a pushy daddy's girl, is now totally submitting to her brothers commands and clinging all over me all hours of the day. Strange. I'm not sure what to think of it.

The weirdest thing is I am just a tiny bit upset by Nixon's new found independence. I used to complain that the kid wouldn't let me get a thing done because all he wants to do is be held, but now he won't even let me pick him up at all. I kinda miss my little buddy. I realise that it is a good thing for him - he was way over dependent, but with his move from me I think it just hit me solid in the stomach that they just aren't ever gonna be my little babies anymore. They are going to stop wanting so many hugs and kisses (yech muma), sooner or later I'll start to get the eye rolls (mom...don't kiss me in front of my friends) and before you know it they'll start wanting me to drop them off a block from school so their friends don't know their mommie still drives them - okay, maybe I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here. But the point is, when they are infants the months seem like forever, but as soon as they start to walk its like time kinda doubles up on itself. It seems like they just became toddlers, and now I'm looking at about a year until preschool.

On an upside, with the sudden turn in weather the kids have been going bonkers to play outside. Yesterday we put their rain boots on, tucked their pantlegs in, and let them stomp in puddles for an hour or so. Afterwards we had a nice lunch at La Shish and once we got home the kids blessed us with a THREE HOUR NAP!! Sooooo nice of them since muma hadn't gotten a wink of sleep thanks to the congested snore monster I've been sharing a bed with. We just can't wait for summer!!

I got shushed

2007-03-02T19:58:00.000-05:00

The kids have been learning alot during their daytimes at the learning center. Some of them are really helpful...they carry their plates to the sink, they wipe thier own noses, they are getting very good at the whole fork/spoon thing. Other things are just kinda funny. The other day we were giving them their night time bath - I was trying to get Reaghan to stand up so that I could wash her bottom, but she was way too busy playing with a tub toy.
"Come on Rea, stand up so muma can wash your bottom."
no reponse
"Reaghan, stand up so muma can wash your bottom."
Reaghan turns quickly towards me and put her index finger over her lips
"Shhh." She then turns back to her toy
Bill and I just kinda sat there in disbelief for a second.
"Reaghan, what did..."
"Shhh." again with the finger over the lip

I was reminded of one of the Austin Powers movies where Dr. Evil is shushing someone at the table. "Before you even go there...shhhh."

Cute.

Sunday

2007-02-25T10:32:00.000-05:00

The Den

Happy Sunday

A Day Apart

2007-02-24T13:51:00.000-05:00

In days past when I had alot of time on my hands (read: bedrest), I had read alot of books on raising twins and fostering a strong sense of their own identity. A few of the books had suggested that starting in the toddler years it is a good idea to separate them every once in a while, giving them each some one on one time with a parent. Bill and I have done this a little before, he would take Nixon to Home Depot while Reaghan and I went to Holiday Market or vice versa, but today we decided to do a whole morning alone each with a kid. It started out because I really wanted to go to the outlet mall in Howell, the kiddos needed new PJs, but surprisingly Bill didn't think that spending a morning shopping at an outlet mall and then having lunch sounded like a great idea. Besides, we recently had bird number three in our basement, so he wanted to do some investigating to find out how in the heck they keep getting in there and then fix the problem. Since Nixon has a bloody fit every time I subject him to shopping, and Reaghan is a budding fascionista, it was an easy choice with kid I would take.

Reaghan and I had a terrific time shopping, got some great deals, and then had a nice little girly lunch at a Chinese restaurant near home. While shopping I had let her walk in the stores part of the time and was totally surprised at how well she behaved - no snatching at items, though she did make a few selections (a very cute kitty t-shirt and a pair of pink sunglasses with flowers) and at the restaurant she sat in a booster seat instead of a high chair for the very first time! Reaghan was very impressed with the order of beef with broccoli with brown rice that we shared at Ginger, ate nicely with her spoon, and even kept her voice down! When we got home she showed all of her favorite items to Nixon and Daddy and then went upstairs for a nap with no problems!! There was alot of horseplay going on in their room right after we put them down for nap, no doubt because they hadn't seen each other for three hours, but they eventually settled right down.

Bill and Nixon had a great time as well. They hit the hardware store, then had a "manly" luncheon at BW3. Bill reported that Nixon was a perfect gentleman the whole time, downright chatty, and even flirted with the waitress (I'm sure daddy was proud).

Tonight is our monthly date night, we are heading to Ann Arbor to go to the Earle. We've decided that each month on our date night day that we will hang with a kid in the morning. I think that not only is it good for the kids, but in a way its really nice for us as well. You really feel much less stressed out with only one kid, and it is so nice to have that one on one time with them. Maybe next time I'll do a mommy-son breakfast!

It'll be fun!

By the way, special thanks to Leighla for her guest spot! Maybe the experiance will lead to her starting her own little blog!

Travels Colorado Here we Come!

2007-02-18T20:28:00.000-05:00

Well...I guess I should start with an introduction. I am Leighla, a friend of the Double Dinks. I live in Grand Rapids with my family. I am the mother of Aaron. Aaron is one week younger then the twins. Most of you I believe have either met me or all of us before.

But Meet Aaron and our dog Cicero >>>>>>

So, a few weeks ago we took our first trip to Colorado...yes we braved the plane ride with our darling 20 month old.

Who at the time was sick and cutting his last tooth, getting over pink eye, and sick with a fever everyday the entire week prior to our departure....which later carried on into our trip.

So...the flights were not bad...on the way home we did run into a snotty woman in front of us, that I was ready to take on. That being said I will move on from that story. We traveled prepared with toys, food (Cherry Lollipops were the food of choice, and did you know they can also work as earplugs if necessary, trust me on this one), and the ultimate travel item a portable DVD player with 200 hours worth of Blue's Clues, which is Aaron's favorite show. Oh, did I mention a car seat, since there is no way Aaron would just sit and be happy...you got to strap that boy down and never let him up until you reach your destination.

Now, in Colorado we were in a beautiful condo with the slopes behind us....gorgeous just gorgeous. And my little man wanted a bite, and he got one. Then after the bite he had a wonderful time playing outside....until.....

Temper tantrum city....I would guess part of the tantrum was brought on by exhaustion from being sick, but who knows...he really let me have it. So, with the tantrum I was not about to just stand outside in the cold and let this go on. Lately, his events let's call them had been lasting ten minutes or so. Instead I gave my stern mommy warning, picked him, legs kicking and all, and hauled him back in our lovely condo, who's walls were beginning to close in on me. While his father was out enjoying the mountain.

After getting him into the condo, I sat down to try and ignore my son's rage. The screaming and tears eventually subsided, and a strange breathing pattern emerged. I thought to myself no way.....what is he doing....but yes still fully clothed boots and all, he had fallen asleep, and was SNORING! on the floor in the door way. Classic Toddler.

Now, I tell you this story but the trip was really great and Aaron settled down, and we did have a great time. Maybe we will talk again soon.....Leighla

Vomitorium

2007-02-17T12:53:00.000-05:00

You know its bad when you open up the door to the bedroom and a wall of stink hits you.

It started on Monday with a call from daycare saying Nixon threw up. Bill, being the awesome dad that he is, picked up the kids and brought them home only to be awarded with a vomit bath compliments of Nixon.

I walked in the door to Bill and "sickee" on the sofa watching TV while Reaghan goofed off with their toys. Being the concerned mom that I am, I gave Nixon a half a cup of Pedialite to drink and took over the sofa duty from Bill. Bill took one look at the cup and said "Not a good idea."

"Well, he needs fluids or he'll get dehydrated."

"Just warning you...not a good idea."

You guessed it. Five minutes later, just when I started patting myself on the back for assuring my son had a healthy hydration level, he opened up on me. I say 'opened up' because I'm pretty sure that is the term that fireman use when they turn on their hoses - and that is exactly what it looked like. Only smelly...very smelly. Bill snickered.

(To be continued...sick baby interruption)

Ok...I'm back.

So lets just say it escalated from there. Reaghan ended up tossing her cookies at daycare on Thursday, so I ended up spending both Tuesday and Friday home with toddlers with sickness from both ends. It was bad...way bad...but several loads of laundry and too exhausted parents later I think that, to quote that little chick from Poltergeist, "This house is clean."

At least I hope so.

Mmmmm puke breath.

Whew! What stinks in here?!

Coming Up For Air

2007-02-12T20:42:00.000-05:00

Hello world...nice to see you again.

Thats been pretty much the feeling ever since I went back to work. So far rejoining the workforce has been such a freeing (is that a word?) experiance for me that I really don't even notice or mind how tiring it can be. Besides, it is true what 'they' say - its a totally different kinda tired than chasing after a set of 21 month olds all day.

I really enjoy my job, most of my co workers, and the wonderful sense of accomplishment I get after completing a job well done - messy or not. The best part of it all has been the feeling that my life is under some sort of control again, not that it was spiraling down into the abyss before returning to my career, but anyone with toddlers knows that their days are only as predictable as their kids moods at the time - and they change just as quickly as Michigan weather. So now for the most part I can expect a certain amount of order to my day, and a certain amount of disorder at the end of the day which I feel much more capable of handling - and even enjoying.

Oh! I almost forgot! Remember that guest spot I promised everyone a bit back? Look for my friend Leighla to pop in and chat you up in the near future...

A Brief Hiatus

2007-01-11T19:27:00.000-05:00

For those of you who are wondering, no...we did not fall off the face of the earth.

We did not get attacked and have our brains consumed by zombies.

We did not move to Timbucktoo.

We didn't even run amuck.

I went back to work.

The site is taking a short break whilst muma gets used to the new routine and the inevitable complete and total exhaustion that goes along with it.

I am trying to con a friend or two to do a guest spot...maybe do a topic. How 'bout 'Crazy Things that Toddlers Put In Their Ears'...talk amongst yourselves.

We will return to our regularly scheduled programming shortly.

Intermission muzak playing

Whew!

2006-12-28T13:32:00.000-05:00

Is it just me or did Christmas suddenly go from zero to sixty in about six seconds.

I realised after returning home that as much as I absolutely adore hauling the four of us clear across state with all of our necessary junk, it wreaks havoc on the kids and parents alike. The kids sleep like crap, become overstimulated, and pick up all sorts of nasty bugs, and the parents sleep like crap (thanks to kids), become overstimulated (thanks to kids noise), and pick up all sorts of nasty bugs (thanks, again, to kids). We did have a great time and got to visit with all of our relatives and friends from "back home" which is good, but I've been paying for it ever since we loaded up and headed home. I also have a sneaky suspicion that it's about to get a bit worse since Reaghan has a runny nose as of this morning.

On Christmas Eve Reaghan "aka Demanda" woke up around 3:00 AM and refused, and I mean refused, to go back to sleep. She obviously had never heard the phrase 'no creatures were stirring, not even a mouse'. Ugh. She finally fell back to sleep around 6:00, only to have the dog jump on the bed and wake her up. Yeah, the dog. We haul two adults, two toddlers, and a dog across state. Yes...we are crazy.

Once we were all up (6:00) the kids were a crack up, though. They loved their new toys and ran screaming all over the house in their new jammies. TMX Elmo was a big hit, and so was the Little People Farm. Once we got home we set up the tent and 'tube' that great grandma got for them...they went nutso in it for about a half an hour.

Now we are settled back in and looking forward to a friendly visit this weekend from some of those friend from "back home". Bill will be spending his New Years Eve cheering the Red Wings on down at the Joe, and I will be having a nice catch up with a gal pal of mine here at the homestead. Who knows...maybe we'll watch the ball drop.

Best we can do with toddlers

2006-12-21T14:23:00.000-05:00

Here is our beautiful attempt at a family Christmas photo.

Merry Christmas!

Santa's Little Helpers

2006-12-20T19:25:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when you accidentally leave the gate open to the room in which all of the wrapping is in progress.

(Thanks Daddy!)

The Skillz To Pay The Billz

2006-12-20T19:13:00.000-05:00

The kids are up to alot these days. It seems like just last week they were throwing food everywhere and crawling up and down stairs. These days they are eating with a fork and spoon, starting to do stairs the "normal" way, and for the most part they keep the food on the table. Tonight Reaghan even fed herslef peas with a spoon! Reaghan also knows the doggie says "woof, woof", and Nixon is starting to vocalize a bit more (finally, whew). Reaghan will poke your eye out in her favorite new game of name the face parts, Nixon signs 'eat', 'more', and 'all done'.

Their latest new skill is getting into their carseats. This is really cute when you have the time, but isn't always convenient when in a hurry. I've kinda painted myself in a corner by letting them do it alot and making a big deal out of it, but now if I try to just drop them in myself they scream bloody murder. Come to think of it they are wanting to do alot for themselves these days...brushing their teeth, taking off their clothes, feeding themselves. Whats a mom to do?

We went to JJ today. In days past they would barely leave my sight...now they tear off to the playstructure without so much as a backward glance. Both the babes even sit in a normal chair there and eat their snack...no more high chairs.

I guess I really can't call them the babes anymore...but they will always be my babies.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho...

2006-12-16T19:46:00.000-05:00

Okay...so I'm a sellout.

So I've finally caved to the pressure.

I'm going back to work.

I know...I have been working ever since the babes were six months old, albiet only alternate on call weekends, but I mean I'm really going back to work. Full time.

I've been kicking this idea around since the babes were about a year old. When they were infants, I felt so needed...like they really couldn't do without me. Now I feel like only a close second to Elmo. Now I know what you all are saying - the same things I said a year ago. "But staying with them is the most important and rewarding job you will ever have." I think that was true until about three months ago, but when it became apparent that the most challenging aspect of my day was how to get a catsup stain out of a size 18 month t-shirt, well thats when I caved.

You see...I never intended on being a stay at home mommie. I always pictured myself as a career kinda gal. Sure, I would have taken some time off even if I had only had a singleton...but I think that would have maxed at about six months...Definately after 15 months (when you hit the tantrum ages). Any other stay at home muma out there will agree with me - there are really, really great days...but then there are really, really bad ones. On those great days I feel like I could do this forever...but on those bad ones I feel like I'm losing my mind. I guess the highs and lows finally caught up with me. I've never been a roller coster gal.

I also really love what I do. No really, I do. I am aware that there are people out there who would find that highly disturbing, but the human body and its functions/malfunctions has always been a source of facination with me. Look at it this way - the human body is like an extremely complex high performance machine...and think of all of the guys out there who devote all of their time to worshipping at the alter of Porsche! So maybe what I do is a bit more messy, and definately far more stinky, but basically it's the same deal...we're just trying to figure out what made the engine blow, or why the tranny burned out...the list goes on.

So...I'm expecting it not to be the easiest transition, and I am fully prepared for the mommie gulit, but I really think that this is the best fit for us. We have found an incredible environment for our children, and I think I am cautiously optomistic about their transition. In a way, I really do believe that they will thrive in their learning center - and the extra socialization is always good for twins. Maybe I am just trying to deal with the guilt - but I don't think so.

Anyways...thats what you all are for.

Stats

2006-12-14T14:22:00.000-05:00

I was asked by a friend to update everyone on the vitals of the babes:

Nixon:

Age - 18 months, 25 days
Height - 32 inches
Weight - 25.5 lbs
Shoe Size - 8 Toddler
Astrological Sign - Taurus
Favorite Food - Meatballs, and anything not cold or sweet.
Favorite Item - Monkey Blankie
Favorite TV character - Elmo
Turn Ons - Food
Turn Offs - Teletubbies (scared to death)
Motto - "Eat, drink, and be merry!"

Reaghan:

Age - 18 months, 25 days
Height - 32.5 inches (just shot up)
Weight - 22.5 lbs (soaking wet and on a full tank)
Shoe size - 7 Toddler
Astrological sign - Taurus (duh)
Favorite Food - Chicken nuggets, broccoli, rotissorie chicken.
Favorite item - Kitty
Favorite TV character - Elmo

Turn Ons - Juice
Turn Offs - Eating anything before 8:30 AM
Motto "I'll do it myyyyyyy waaaayyyy..."

Ho Ho Holy Smokes I'm Beat!

2006-12-11T14:08:00.000-05:00

We had our big extended family Christmas party on Saturday here at our house. I decided to host it here because it would be much easier on the kids schedules - they would get a full nap, and could be put down for the night not too much later than normal. It was alot of fun and I was very happy that I had made the decision. It was a huge undertaking; decorating, menu planning, cleaning, and all the errand running that a large party entails...but it was a blast! Not only did the adults have fun, the kids heads were practically spinning off from excitement!

Speaking of spinning, here is a pic of Reaghan and her cousin Cassidy doing just that. The two gals danced in circles holding hands for half of the night. Reaghan adored having another girl around to play with, I think especially since most of their firends that they see on a regular basis are boys. Reaghan was on cloud nine.

Nixon didn't really play as much as the two girls did. He basically walked around stuffing his face with snacks and sipping on a cup of lemonade. You know...typical guys stuff. He did enjoy opening presents and was really impressed with a book that they received from Lauren (AKA baby sitter extrordinare), but mostly I think he loved the plethora of food. He looks a little stuffed in this pic.

Well, the kids are banging on the wall upstairs - thats my cue that they are done with nap. I'll have to continue this later....

Lazy Day

2006-11-30T14:34:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh...rainy days. The kids slept in this morning (8:00) and they will more than likely take a long nap. Rainy days seem to induce sleepyness, for the most part. Two hours ago they were running circles around the kitchen table and screaming at the top of their lungs. But for now...silence.

Even though its cold and rainy today, last weekend was beautiful! We went to McClumpha park on Sunday afternoon to get our play on before the cold sets in.

Sorry for no details...but it is a rainy day.

You'll have to excuse me , but my tea is done and the sofa calls!

Houston...We Have A Dipper.

2006-11-26T13:37:00.000-05:00

It's finally happened.

After all of the explanations, demonstrations, and exasperation...we have a dipper.

Not only do we have a dipper, but it wasn't with trendy mayo, or hoity toity ranch dressing.

That's right...it was good 'ole Heinz 57.

Well, to be completely truthful, her first dipping experience was a dino nugget into BBQ sauce, but I wasn't out of my mind proud until she discovered the magnificent french fry and catsup combination. Why, she was so impressed she actually dipped her cauliflower, zucchini, and broccoli into the Heinz as well!

Why is this such a big deal, you ask? Our children have been born to a pair of dipping fanatics. Bill loves his salsa and hot sauces, I will try any dip, any time, any place. We are both rabid Heinz fans - we have been known to never revisit a restaurant after discovering an inferior catsup product on the table...and we're not even from Pittsburgh!

Speaking of Pittsburgh, I have to thank my friend Leighla's son Aaron for his part in the learning process. We had all gone to Red Robin for dinner a few weeks back, and Reaghan seemed interested in watching Aaron perform the classic dipping motion. I think he may have finally set her the path to dipdom. You know how kids are, anything their parents do is très passé, but what their friends do...well that's an entirely different story!

Reflections

2006-11-22T20:29:00.000-05:00

Here we are...Thanksgiving eve. A great time for reflection and thanksgiving (thus the name). I am trying so hard to remember last Thanksgiving, but all I can remember is that I was called into work on Thanksgiving, and that the babes were a handful. I think the Chateaubriand was underdone.

So here I am in 2006, Bill and Brent ran out for a manly beer moment, I have cornbread baking in the oven for dressing. The babes are sleeping. The house is quiet and full of the smell of the cornbread and the fire in the hearth. I have a full glass of wine.

Looking back over the years I realise it hasn't been easy...and trust me I have no expectations of ease for the next couple of years, but I think I am finally realising exactly what is important - what to be thankful for.

I am thankful for our health, happiness, and humility. I am thankful for what we have.

Are they Werewolves??

2006-11-17T09:35:00.000-05:00

With all of the crazy nighttime activity and general foul moods around here lately, I actually checked a lunar calendar to see if maybe there is a full moon causing my darling children to morph into creatures of the night. No going, there is a new moon on Monday (cue Duran Duran), so we are no way near to the full moon.
So what gives? Last night for the fourth time in a week Nixon wouldn't fall asleep until Bill layed down with him in our bed, and he is our "good sleeper". Once he starts snoring, Bill attempts the ever tricky "Operation Crib Transfer" by crossing our very squeeky floors with said snoring toddler and potentially throwing his back out by trying to lift all 26 lbs of Nixon down into the crib without waking him, after which Bill must very slowly tip-toe out of the room and gently close the door. The mission takes like three minutes, which any parent will tell you feels like FOREVER when you are avoiding waking a cranky toddler. Well, Mission Accomplished and at 8:30 all was quiet.

Scene: Darkened bedroom, 4:00 AM
From down the hallway comes calls of "mama" from Reaghan.
I poke Bill and he rolls over and snorts.
C - "It's your turn."
B - "Huh?" Garbled noises. I poke him again.
C - "Reaghan's crying."
Bill gets up and goes to the kitchen for a cup of water (with a splash of juice for her advanced palate). He heads into the room and gives the cup to Reaghan who lays back down. As he leaves the room Nixon begins his patented "paint pealing scream". Bill goes to the kitchen and brings him back a cup of milk...no going. We let him howl for about ten minutes until Reaghan starts up too.
C - "Should I just go get him?"
B - "I don't care...I'm not going to get any sleep either way."

I scoop Nixon up from his crib and bring him to bed with us. After a few minutes it becomes apparent what the problem is. You see, Nixon is a finger sucker. Or, should I say, a finger connoisseur. Normally, he sucks his right hand index finger all night - that is unless his nose is so stuffed up that it makes the constant sucking a problem. I got up and got him decongestant.
Twenty minutes later I lay awake in bed listeneing not only to my darling husbands loud snores, but now my darling son's squishy finger smacking noises.
Bliss.

The Return of Demanda

2006-11-15T12:42:00.000-05:00

Oh. My. Gosh.
Reaghan has been a total pain in the rear the last three days. She whines all. day. long. I know she is teething and has a cold, but its sooooo hard to maintain your own sanity when you have an 18 month old following you around the house all day and whining for something. To top it all off, she is on another hunger strike. Yesterday she ate maybe a half a bannana and a few crackers. Today she ate three (yes, I counted) Cheerios and a pretzel.

Here is a list of todays tantrums thus far:

Cried at the fridge for a juice box (7:15)
Cried at me for putting food in front of her (7:20)
Had a total meltdown when I would not let he have my purse (7:30)
Sat in the middle of the foyer and whined for no reason (7:35 - 7:50)
Cried in the den while pointing at the turned off TV (7:55)
Cried when I wouldn't let her have the phone (8:10)
Cried for some of her daddy's sport shake (8:30)
Cried when he took it away (8:32)
Screamed and bit me while I combed her hair (8:45)
Had a fit on the stairs when we were leaving the house (9:10)
Cried when I put her in the car (9:15)
Cried all the way to the gym while pointing at the light in the car ceiling (I think she thinks its a DVD player like the one in daddy's car)
Was having a total fit when I picked her up from gym daycare (11:20)
Screamed until I gave her my sport shake (11:22)
Cried all the way home from the gym.
Refused to eat lunch and cried "mama" until I gave her the container of Cheerios to play with (11:40)
Had another fit on the stairs on the way up to nap (11:50)
Bit me again while I was changing her clothes for nap (11:55)
Shoved her brother into the door (12:00) (Nixon cried for five minutes and he has a fat lip now)
One last fit was thrown when I put her in her crib for nap (12:15)

Aahhhhh...blessed silance. Naptime.

I think I'll need a stiff drink by the end of this day.

Stylin'

2006-11-05T19:40:00.000-05:00

Here's some pics of Nixon and Reaghan getting their do's done at a new place called Cookie Cutters in Canton. They did a wonderful job and the place is fantastic! The slide was a super hit!!

The bird

2006-11-03T15:26:00.000-05:00

I hate birds. Anyone who has known me long enough knows this little fact. They freak me out. Birds are vermin carrying, disease ridden flying rodents. I don't like the quick way they dart around, I don't like the way they tilt their heads, I don't even like the way they sound. They make me nervous.

Yesterday I was heading down into the basement with one of my daily loads of laundry when a bit of quick movement caught the corner of my eye. I turned, and this evil disgusting bird comes flying at me from Bill's workbench. I dropped the load of laundry and ran screaming back up the stairs...just like any sane person would.

I called Bill:

C - "You have to come home...there is a BIRD in the basement."

B - "How in the hell did you let the cat in without noticing a bird in its mouth?"

C - "I have no clue, but there is still a BIRD in the basement."

B - "Do you really need me now? Can I do it later."

C - "I suppose, but there will not be a stitch of laundry done in this house today."

For a moment I thought about blocking the cat door in the basement door, but I figured the thing would never get out of there without meeting up with a big black cat and that would solve my problem anyways. Gross or not, a dead bird is FAR better than a live one. I decided instead to take my mind off of the filty thing with some mindless internet viewing. As I surfed away, I could hear the thing in the wall behind the closet in the office. Our home is a tri-level, and the office closet backs somewhat into our cedar storage closet in the basement. After a while the fluttering stopped and I didn't hear a thing the rest of the day.

When Bill got home we armed ourselves with a broom and a Mag Light and headed out to do battle with the beast. We searched high and low in the basement to no avail. We tried throwing a rubber ball into the rafters above the cedar closet, but no telltale twittering or rustling was heard. We figured it had bashed itself to death in the wall and gave up.

This morning the kids and I returned from a trip to the gym and Target. I gave them some lunch and rounded them up to head upstairs to wash up for nap. I froze in my tracks. There, sitting on the banister in the foyer, was the beast. It was black with little white dots, and its evil yellow eye burned right through me. I screamed and the thing took off. It flew right up into the kids bedroom.

Phone ringing

B - "Hello."

C - "The bird. IT IS IN THE HOUSE."

B - "I thought I heard something this morning. Where is it now?"

C - "In the kids room, which is where we need to be right now, so I can't just close the door."

B - "Do I need to come home or can you handle this?"

C - "I hate birds."

B - "Cybill you cut dead people up for a living and you can't handle a little bird?"

C - "I guess. I'll give it a try."

I brought the kids downstairs and turned on the TV...somehow it was on a station that was broadcasting a Catholic mass...I took this as a good sign. I headed up to the bedroom.

When I got to the door, I eased myself into the room and did a careful sweep complete with a little darting look around the door (boy I watch too many cop shows). I found the beast on the window sill.

C - "Okay...I don't like you, and you don't like me, and I am sure you would rather be out there so lets just stay calm and we can get through this." (once again...I watch way too many cop shows)

I slowly reached up and eased the window open. The bird stayed quietly where it was on the sill. I slid the screen aside and stepped back. The bird didn't move.

C - "Go ON! GIT"

It took off out the window, and I collapsed into a heap on the floor.

I hate birds.

Halloween Fun!

2006-11-01T12:53:00.000-05:00

We took the kiddos down to Plymouth on "Devil's Night" for the annual Downtown Plymouth Great Pumpkin Caper - this is a really super cool event where all the kids dress up and trick or treat door to door at all of the Plymouth retail shops. It was fantastic!

Nixon was highly impressed by an adult dressed like Gene Simmons, and Reaghan was excited by the many doggie sightings along the route - some were even in costume! We met up with some friends and their kids and even though we only did a block everyone had a great time.

Bill's aunt came across a bunch of old halloween costumes that Bill's grandma had sewen for his cousins, so we ditched our initial idea (cowboy and cowgirl) and went instead as a teddy bear (Nixon) and a bunny (Reaghan). Surprisingly it wasn't much of a fight to get them dressed up, and they even kept the hats on!

We didn't end up trick or treating on Halloween, after all of the fun the kids had the night before they were still pooped the next day. I think alot of that has to do with the time change - it sucks how long it takes to get them adjusted. We were just getting used to their new habit of sleeping until almost 8:00 when the whole deal got flipped over on us. They've been waking at 6:45 now. Yuck. Hopefully after this weekend they will be fully adjusted and back to their normal schedule.

One thing that Halloween reminded me of is the fact that "The Holiday Season" is right around the corner. YIKES!

So much for that plan I made back in August to be done shopping by the end of November - I haven't even started!

"Single" Muma

2006-10-26T20:41:00.000-05:00

Its off to Vegas for Bill...lucky schmuck. He left Wednesday morning, not to return until Sunday eve. When Da is gone, we fill our time as much as possible - like filling a very real hole in our existance. Nix and Rea do much better now than they used to, so it makes my life that much easier, but I realised today that they really do understand when he isn't around.

We were leaving to go to the gym, and thankfully Bill had taken my little car to the airport and left us the Tahoe. When the garage door opened, Reaghan pointed at the Tahoe and said "Da-Dee" and clapped her hands. My heart sank, "No honey, daddy isn't home. Daddy won't be home until Sunday." I held up three fingers, "Thats one, two, three more days until daddy is home." She gave me the same look that she gives me when I try to explain astrophysics, as if to say "whatever" and wandered out into the garage to check out some toys we keep in there. My take was that she understood that Da isn't here, but that she also understands that it is a temporary situation. Still, it kinda breaks my heart just a little when they expect to see him and he isn't there.

On an up note, I had my very wonderful sitter tonight so that I could get out for some sanity time! I have been "grooming" Bill's 15 year old cousin Lauren for a while now, and she has just recently started actually doing the double duty bedtime on her own! I can't stress enough how valuable it is to have someone you fully trust to "baby wrangle". I left the house an hour before bedtime and went out for a little Thai dinner with a magazine before meeting up with some gal pals at Dinner Thyme to make up some yummy food to stock the freezer with. We had a wonderful time, and I came home to find nothing amiss and Lauren's report that they went down just fine. Just a wonderful eve all around!

Fowl Stalkers

2006-10-24T18:54:00.000-05:00

First let me apologize to the masses for my long term hiatus from blogging. I was just whooped every evening this past week...I think it had alot to do with the weather. All I wanted to do after dinner is ride the magic sofa and watch Without A Trace. We had about 14 episodes on the DVR, so there was plenty of Pop Secret apoppin' every night (love the 94% Fat Free Kettle Corn).

On Saturday Bill had the fantastic idea about taking the babes out for breakfast at the Diner. I was a bit hesitant since they have showed little interest in breakfast as of late, but figured they were so used to the Diner (we are there almost every Friday night) that even if they didn't eat they would just kinda hang out. Nope. All they did was throw food and whine to get down from their seats...so much for breakfast out.

The real fun began when we got home. We had pulled into the driveway and started unloading the babes when we heard a commotion out on Lilley. Cars were stopped in both directions for a "herd" of ducks crossing the road. The ducks crossed our neighbors yard and stopped when they saw us. Nixon and Reaghan were absolutely frozen in their wonderment. I ran inside and got a bunch of bread and they both giggled and clapped as we threw bread to the ducks. When the bread was gone we went inside through the garage door.

About ten minutes later Bill opened the garage door to take out the trash - lo and behold the herd was parked in the garage. All the ducks were sitting there waiting by the door into the house for more food! He closed the door in a hurry.

B - "No way. The ducks are out there."

C - "Wadda you mean...they're still in the yard?"

B - "No...they are in the garage."

C - "No way." I went over and opened the door and this is what I was confronted with:

Not one to let an opportunity like this go without making it much worse, I had the bright idea of feeding them more bread in the garage.
Let me tell you one thing about ducks...they eat, they poop. Period. Then the kids got involved and scared the crap (literally) out of them.

When it was all said and done, Bill had to hose out the garage.

Between the ducks, two babes, two cats, and a dog I think we've had just about all the sh*t we can deal with around here for a while...

Hasta La Vista, Baby.

2006-10-13T19:41:00.000-05:00

Ah Mexico. Land of the Tequila shot and Mariachi band. A haven in which exhausted parents can unwind and unhinge.

A land in which no one knows your name, and as long as you have pesos nobody really cares...

What happens in Mexico...stays in Mexico.

Yeah, right. Like I could deny all of you the juicy details!!

So we landed on time in the mid afternoon heat. The hotel was close, and so was the bar. After a quick change our travel companions met us at the bar where we began the process of drowning our "new Parent" sorrows in margaritas, cervezas, and tequila shots. We were traveling with some friends of ours who had a new baby in the last year, so it was all about the rest and relaxation. No planned excursions, no plans whatsoever.

Well, pretty much no plans. "The Plan" consisted of the gals having spa treatments the morning after our arrival, and after that anything goes. A play by play is really unnessary...highlights would be better:

Rolling around in the tidal waves at night with a bottle of champagne and giggling like a couple of thirteen year olds (the gals).
Watching football and Nascar on the screens at the No Name Cafe (the guys). (Note - IN MEXICO! They couldn't let it go even for a weekend!)

Dancing with a wedding party at Le Kliff (that would be me) and having the locals teach me how to move my caderas (hips in espaniol).
The oceanside massage while the guys slept it off (lightweights).

The Tequila and Wine Bar (sorry don't remember the name...imagine that)

Traveling with good friends.

Strangers in a Strange Land

2006-10-12T19:54:00.000-05:00

Please tell me I wasn't the only one totally unprepared for the change of seasons.

I was rushing to hit my 9:15 spinning class and herded the kids out the door in just jeans, long sleeves, and a sweatshirt. It didn't seem that bad just dashing into the car, but on the long trek through the parking lot at the gym with the snow flying and the wind blowing full force I realised that I looked like a totally moronic mommy. At the daycare center all of the kids I saw had their hats, scarves, and winter coats on...geesh I feel like a dolt.

Beyond my own mistakes in preparing for the snow flurries, the kids were totally fascinated. While on the way to the car they both slowed way down and just kinda looked around in amazement. It dawned on me that even though this wasn't their "official" first snow, this was the first one they could appreciate. As I strapped Nixon into his car seat, Reaghan just stood there by the car repeatedly touching her nose - I think the snow was tickling it and she was confused as to what it meant. As we headed off down the road Nixon was laughing and clapping at the flakes whirling past the car window. Later, back at home and getting ready for nap, Reaghan was smacking their bedroom window as if she was trying to catch the snowflakes as they blew up against the glass.

Over my cup of tea during their naptime I thought about all of the things that they will experiance in the near future; first time playing in the snow, first time "helping" to decorate the tree, first turkey dinner on Thanksgiving. It makes me really want to try to slow it all down...to savor every last sweet morsel of their toddlerhood. This phase is clipping by so fast, every day they are up to something new. Reaghan finally learned how to jump, Nixon not only identified his nose, but crammed his finger up into it to make a point. They both point at the bear in their book and say "Teddy". Reaghan puts my beaded necklaces around her neck and "combs" her hair. Nixon throws a ball overhand.

Please tell me I'm not the only one totally unprepared for the change of seasons...

If we don't take a wrong turn at Albuquerque...

2006-10-03T14:42:00.000-05:00

We're heading to Mexico this Thursday (WOO HOO) and we'll be back the following Tuesday. Until then, please feel free to post any comments, insightful or otherwise, about what you would like to see or hear about in the near future.

Biker Babes

2006-10-03T13:14:00.000-05:00

We took the kiddos to the first (of many) "biker" events that they will be subjected to until they are old enough to move out, or complain loud enough to hear over the pipes. It was the 11th Annual Great Lakes Regional Chili Cook Off and Bike Show in downtown Plymouth. It was a perfect fall day with plenty of sunshine and warm enough to go without coats. The kids had a blast looking at all of the bikes, eating elephant ears, and dancing to the band in the park. Bill entered his project bike into the show and, although he didn't win, there were several people buzzing about and taking pics of it. The day was a huge success and we capped it all off with a trip to our favorite Diner for dinner. We will be sure to hit the event again next year!

The Five Things I Never Thought I'd Say

2006-09-30T19:20:00.000-05:00

I was thinking today about how silly one sounds as a mother of toddlers. You find yourself saying the strangest things - they seem so normal to you during the moment, but if you stop and listen to yourself it's pretty hilarious!

Hey! Don't put your eggies on the doggy.

Please don't lick the cat.

Oh thank you...I've always wanted a chewed up french fry.

Please stop eating your shoe.

Is that dog poop Reaghan's carrying? No, just a rock. Oh great...it is poop.

So what's next?

Nostalgia

2006-09-27T18:20:00.000-05:00

Ugh. I really didn't want summer to end. Looking back I'd have to say that it was a good one...I remember laying in bed last spring and saying to Bill "I have a feeling that its gonna be a good summer."

B - "Whaddya mean?"

C - "I don't know...I guess maybe since last summer was so crummy since the babes were so little. I just think that now that they are older and more interactive that it will turn out to be a great summer."

And it was.

Bon Appetite

2006-09-21T20:15:00.000-05:00

Gerber makes these little meat sticks that Nixon and Reaghan absolutely adore...and I abhor. Imagine a those mini cocktail wieners...only made completely with canned cat food. It is so hard to believe that these things are actually nutritious, I can't ever bear touching them with my own hands. In fact, there is a definite process to how I serve these "tasty" morsels.

Open jar and try not to gag as I dump out the horrid smelling, somewhat thickened juice in which the wieners are stored.
Obtain lobster fork from the drawer. Momentarily reminisce about the days before children when we could actually afford lobster.
Use lobster fork to spear the oddly squishy wiener.
Remind demanding toddler that wieners do not appear on demand and it takes mommy a second to procure them for their enjoyment.
Give demanding toddler number one the wiener whilst deftly using hip to keep other demanding toddler from attacking their sibling for said wiener.
Spear yet another strangely squishy morsel and give to demanding toddler number two before all H E Double Hockey Sticks breaks out.
Wonder why my children turn down ice cream yet happily cram stinky, squishy, room temperatured meat products into their mouth while squealing with joy.
Blissfully remind myself that soon I will be in Mexico drinking a margharita.
Repeat steps 5-7 until wieners are gone.

I just don't get how they can like wieners that stink like canned cat food, but then again they eat the dry dog food whenever they can so I guess it makes some sense.

Hmmm...I wonder what food group dry dog food falls into...

A weekend with Daddy!

2006-09-17T18:58:00.000-05:00

I was called in to work on Saturday and Sunday, which was nice because I truly miss my job and the people I work with. Thankfully my symptoms subsided on Friday, mostly due to my wonderful hubby leaving work early to let me catch some much needed rest. It must have helped, because I had a nice evening with my good friend...Kendall Jackson.

So Saturday I was only at the hospital for about two hours...there was a mix up in some paperwork so my case was cancelled. I got home just as the babes were heading to nap - tired from a morning with daddy. After their naptime, we went to Cost Plus World Market where the babes each got a silly new toy and momma got a wonderful Bordeaux. We had dinner at the local Red Robin, which of coarse the kids LOVE for all of the "flair" on the walls and ceilings. After dinner they each got a balloon...a high point for the weekend!! We left RR and headed to downtown Plymouth to hang out in the park and let the kiddos wander. The fountain has been revamped and is much more grand, much to the delight of the babes (and momma). Nixon and Reaghan mostly cruised around with their balloons and checked out the sights. There were some other people out enjoying the nice evening, and a few doggies as well (which makes for very happy babes). I am always reminded when we spend time in downtown Plymouth how wonderful it is to live in this area - how very lucky we are to have found such a diverse yet somewhat "hometowny" little nook to raise our children.

By the way, the Penn Theatre has reopened!! I was so happy to see people heading in to catch the evening matinee...great to have a local landmark back in action!!

Sunday I was called in again, to do the case that was cancelled Saturday. I was there most of the day and returned just as Nix and Rea woke from nap. It was a pretty lazy Sunday; we watched some Nascar, played with the babes, and then went to the store to pick up a nice dinner for Bill and I. Yummy steak and salmon with a veggi blend I made including fresh zucchini I picked from the garden...YUM!

So all in all a great weekend...I'll have some new pics up soon!

Typhoid Mary

2006-09-14T18:48:00.000-05:00

Reaghan's feeling much better today, practically right as rain except for the ugly vesicles on her hands, feet, and mouth. Unfortunately, she is the only one who is feeling fine.

Nixon woke around 1:00 last night with a weak cry - he was burning up. I tried to give him a drink...nothing doing. I managed to get some Tylanol into him and rocked him for a bit. I put him back down and he settled for a bit. Round 1:45 he woke again - still burning up. I took him to bed with me and partially undressed him to help cool him off. He snuggled in with Bill and I and fell into a fitfull sleep. About an hour later ehan he finally felt cool I zipped him back into his PJs and brought him back to bed.

He woke feverish again...but no blisters. He spiked fevers up to 102 most of the day, but so far (cross your fingers) no blisters. His appetite is down and he's a bit whiny, but overall so far so good. I'm doing about the same...fevers, sore throat, not much appetite. I know that the virus that causes HFN also causes Strep, but to this day I have never had it and I fully intend NOT to get it. So there.

Bill has no symptoms, but he hurt his back lifting weights the other day - between the four of us we make a pretty picture.

Speaking of pictures...here's a few lovlies.

Various pics of Reaghan's hands and a nice pic of the tired out looking boy.

By the way...you should all bow down to my camera abilities...do you know how hard it is to get a clear pic of a toddlers hands?? I took about fifteen and only got three!

Chat later when we are well!

The Saga Continues

2006-09-13T11:15:00.000-05:00

Just when things are going great...

Reaghan spiked a fever Monday night, and by yesterday she started getting this rash across her lower abdomen and diaper area. I assumed it was just heat rash from her fever, but lo and behold last night I noticed the sores.

They started as a few "canker" looking sores in her mouth, and what looked like tiny blisters on her toes when she went to bed last night. This morning they turned into ugly painful looking sores in her mouth, but the ones on her hands and feet still look the same. Nothing you can do for this other than Tylanol and fluids...just a virus. From what I understand, every toddler gets Hand, Foot, and Mouth before the age of three, but it doesn't make you feel any better when she is sobbing in your arms first thing in the morning before the Tylanol kicks in. I can't believe Nixon isn't sick...yet...

The Moo Heard Round the World

2006-09-07T12:27:00.000-05:00

In honor of the Plymouth Orchard's opening this week, some gal pals and I took our kids to see their petting farm and have cider and doughnuts. It was a beautiful morning, and despite my desire to nurse the slight hangover I had from our anniversary night out, I took my friend Kristen's advice and got my bootie off of the sofa. At first all was well, the kids were fine...petting the goats and goofing off. I had just dug my camera out to take darling cute kiddo pics when we first heard it....Moooooooo. A cute little "cowling" (my own word for bigger than a calf but not quite full blown cow) came out from the barn and ambled toward where Nixon was petting a goat. Moooooooo. Again and again, and VERY loud for a cowling I must say.
At first I was so excited, "Look Nixon, Look Reaghan! It's a cow saying moo!" and then the screaming started. Nixon flung himself against my legs pushing me backwards from the fence with all of his might while screaming in terror. "Aww..he wants to save mommy from the cow! Cute." Well, not so cute considering that the evil cow just would not quit. It came all the way up to the fence mooing the entire way. With each moo my son's screams gained momentum until he was beside himself. Of coarse, this was the moment Reaghan's face crumbled into tears as she threw herself on the ground sobbing. Great. Two babies both utterly (udderly?) freaked out. Thank God I had friends there. Marla scooped Reaghan up and got her preoccupied with some other wonderful orchard attractions while I took Nixon over by the chickens to try to cheer him up. A few minutes later it seemed the crisis had been handled and everyone was happy again.
After a bit we went inside for cider and doughnuts. Let me just say one thing - I have no clue why places designed for you to bring your children always seem to place plenty of stuff in their reach that shouldn't be. While I was busy hauling Nixon away from the cookbooks he wanted to "read", Reaghan was grabbing at other items in the store. It was one of those moments where you seriously consider one of those leash thingys. After 20 minutes of chasing them around I decided to just pack up and leave. I was exhausted, but overall not a bad morning for a twin muma.

Slacker Mom

2006-09-05T17:33:00.000-05:00

Eight Years and Counting!

Ok, Ok...I know already! I havn't posted in a bit, but we had a really nice holiday weekend and I want to tell you all about it! I'm not going to right this sec, though. You see...it's our eighth anniversary today and Bill is upstairs with the sitter getting the babes into bed so that we can head out for a yummy dinner (jealous, aren't you!). So I promise to post tomorrow - until then heres some pics!

Reaghan in the shower.

Yes, I know she has her clothes on...

But wadda ya gonna do?

The boy and his kitty.

Holy TP Batman!

2006-08-30T11:33:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when you let a baby

run free while changing her twin.....

One roll of TP.....$ .30

One scrubby blankie.....$2.50

Seing your half naked baby running from you with a piece of TP stuck to her heel.....Priceless.

Cus thats just how I rock'em!

2006-08-30T08:05:00.000-05:00

My son has decided that he is far to stylish for my manner of dressing him. As soon as I put his pants on, he hitches his thumbs into the waist band and begins an elaborate process of pulling them down onto his hips. The end product being a rap styled look of 2-3 inches of diaper before his pants start - very hip. I'm not exactly sure when it started, but it began right around the time he started standing "at ease". The "at ease" stance looks very cute when combined with some cammo pants and a tan or olive t-shirt. He stands with both legs apart and his hands clasped behind his back - maybe its a political statement of solidarity with our troops overseas...or maybe he is just trying to reach his pockets thinking "As soon as I can use em' I can have a wallet like Da's". Either way - too cute.

Swimfest

2006-08-27T20:00:00.000-05:00

We took the babes to the pool at our health club today after their naptime. They had an absolute blast despite the cloudy day. Sometimes it can seem a daunting task to get both of them ready, all of our stuff and theirs ready, and get all of us where we are headed...but it always pays off.

After the pool we hit the showers. Thankfully our club has a family locker room with private shower/dressing rooms so all four of us can get cleaned up together. I think the babes enjoyed the shower even more than the pool - plenty of giggles, screeches, and claps. Oh...to be a kid again!

A Twin Mom Moment

2006-08-24T11:42:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you've heard of a "senior moment". You know, when an elderly person does something silly, they laugh and say they were having a "senior moment". Well, today I had a twin mom moment - I put my son's pants on backwards.

Okay - no big deal, except that I actually left the house with them that way. I happily hauled everyone out the door and to my gym where I left the kids in daycare to attend my spinning class. They were there for two hours. With about eight daycare personnel.

The worst part is the pants have those drawstring things in the front - and they hang down like a full six inches (I never tie them). Very obvious. So he toddled around in full view of everyone with his drawstrings down the back of his legs and the back pockets up front. They were nice enough not to say anything.

We got all the way home and I only noticed when I went to change his diaper.

I think I need more sleep.

Demanda

2006-08-23T19:02:00.000-05:00

For the last week or so we have been having to wake Nixon up at night for a dose of antibiotics - he had infections in both ears. Up until last night it was going surprisingly well...too well. First off, Nixon will sleep through just about anything, so he barely wakes when we give him the dosage. Now Reaghan, on the other hand, isn't nearly as good a sleeper. Beyond even that, she has B's stubborn streak and refuses to go back to sleep without her dear friend "cuppa milk". So this is how it went last night after she woke during Nixon's dosage:
Scene - Darkened bedroom...muma C and dada B in bed, from down the hall intense wailing
B: So what are we gonna do about her?
C: She is NOT getting milk...I don't care if she screams all night.
15 minutes later...hell is breaking loose
B: I can't take this anymore.
C: So give her some water and rock her...she is NOT getting milk.
5 minutes later - Reaghan's pitch climbs a few decibels (she has just figured out it was good ole H2O not milky). I am laying in bed wondering if she has launched the cup at B's head and caused severe head trauma.
10 minutes later - B comes back to bed.
B: She's not happy. Why does she have to do this when I have to be to work early.
C: Because she is a rotten baby. (Note - very NOT a rotten baby, but at 12:00 at night you will say anything)
20 minutes later (a total of an hour from onset)
B: I've had it.
C: Just give her the damn milk!
2 minutes later - blissful silence.

I consulted the sleep bible this afternoon (AKA Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child) and Dr. Weissbluth suggests giving a cup of juice instead and slowly over time diluting the juice with water until the babe learns to accept water upon waking instead of milk.

Yeah...we'll see...

Have I mentioned that she is named after the main character in The Exorcist?

Doc's notes

2006-08-22T19:16:00.000-05:00

The babes, B, and I made a lovely trip to the peds office today. You wouldn't know it from the way Nixon screamed though the whole time that it was just a routine check-up. The poor kid thought we had brought him to some strange tourture chamber for the afternoon. He just HATES the doc - I have no idea why. Reaghan just sits there pleased as pie while she is being weighed, measured, and temped while Nixon has a total freak out...what gives?
Besides all the drama, we were given the twin babe seal of approval. Nixon is 31 inches and 23.6 lbs, Reaghan is 31 inches as well, but a mere 21.4 lbs. Skinny gal! She is in the 90% for height and Dr. R thinks she will be a tall little lady. No worries about her weight, shes just a light eater (typical toddler gal). That will come in handy during her future supermodel / neurosurgeon lifestyle. :-)

And away we go...

2006-08-20T14:03:00.000-05:00

So after being a blog stalker for some time, I have finally decided to take the big plunge. I'm not sure all of what I'll write about, but I suppose the babes will keep me busy enough to come up with something!