Fab 5 Friday...and ME!!!

The girls have been sick this week…nothing really serious, just colds, I think…and I’m so thankful to declare this house fever-free for the first time all week! Despite the inordinate amount of tissues consumed in the past five days, there was still lots of fabulousness to count...

1) Friday night we held our weekly youtube fest (twenty or so minutes of pulling up different songs to dance to, Mommy and Daddy taking turns with the selection). I chose a Los Lonely Boys song. I asked the girls if they recognized the song, and they said they did. I explained that they went to a LLB concert when they were in Mommy’s tummy. “But I’m out now,” B confirmed in all seriousness.

2) We went to a birthday party for fellow twin friends last Saturday. The girls played so well and had a really great time. And seeing five sets of twins don party hats (at least for a few seconds) met my cuteness quota for at least the next week.

3) Daddy has been encouraging the girls not to run full speed in the house. (It used to be OK for them to run on the carpet, just not on the hardwood, but they’re getting to be such speedsters!) He’s trying to teach them the concept of “jogging”, but that seems to be pretty foreign to my two-year olds. They try though…they bend partly over and run in slow motion…and it’s pretty darn hysterical.

4) I love how the girls talk about what other people / animals / even inanimate objects must be thinking. We went for a walk over the weekend and saw a squirrel right next to the road. Baby A said, “There’s a swirrel! Hi, widdle swirrel! He said, ‘What are those baby girls doing here, I wonder?’ And then he said, 'I am cute!'”

5) And the quote of the week? After explaining something to the girls, B told me, “You’re probably right.” She’s TWO…not TWELVE. I may be in trouble.

And what did I do for ME this week???

Hubby and I marked the 16th anniversary of our first date on Thursday. (Yes, we started dating when I was seven.) With everything going on internally this week, I honestly didn’t realize the date until mid-morning. Our mini-celebration was pretty impromptu…we treated ourselves (and the girls) to takeout pizza from a new gourmet shop in town. But I did take the time to make chocolate molten lava pudding cake, coordinated perfectly to come out of the oven as the girlies went to bed. Hubby and I may have over-indulged a bit…each having two servings…but it was a celebration, afterall!

Attitude Mirrors

I saw a post on Facebook a few days ago that I can’t quite shake from my mind…

…a mom remarked how she was watching her two-year old yelling at her dolls. “Is that what I sound like?” And then, the kicker, “LMAO!”

I won’t say that I never “yell” at our girls. There are certainly times when I raise my voice. There have been times when I’ve regretted doing that, and there have been times when I thought it was the appropriate response.

By in large, though, I really try to maintain a positive attitude around the girls, praising what they are doing right, rewarding them for trying.

For a long time I’ve enjoyed listening to the girls “talk” to their dolls, and interact with each other. There’s nothing sweeter than hearing, “Nice try, Abby!” [one of the girls’ dolls], or “Great job, Sissy!”

Since reading that Facebook status, I’ve become even more aware of how I sound to my girls.

I think I would be doing my girls a disservice if I sheltered them to only see rainbows and butterflies and think that everyone was always smiling. I think it’s healthy for them to see anger, sadness, disappointment…and I hope learn how to handle those emotions in a healthy way.

But by in large, I want them to feel surrounded by positivity. It’s good for them, and it’s good for me, too.

If anything, I worry I’ve begun to create a couple of little monsters. Baby B, in particular, makes me laugh. Out for a walk, she might point out something she sees, “That’s honeysuckle!” If I don’t immediately acknowledge her, she’s prone to “acknowledge” herself…”You’re right, [Baby B]!” she’ll exclaim!

And on a related note, I’m waaay accident prone…always knocking my knee into something, or stubbing my toe…and the presence of high chairs and pack-and-plays and baby gates has given me so many more obstacles on which to hurt myself.

Since the time the girls were tiny, I have become very good at saying, “Grrrrrr!” or “D’oooooh!” when I inevitably knock myself a good one. I had to pat myself on the back a few days ago. Baby A accidentally made a little mess. Her automatic response was “Ruh roh!” [a la Scooby Doo].

It’s no surprise that kiddos are little parrots. I’m sure the day that I do slip up and let a curse word slip, it will become the girls’ new favorite word.

And I’m reminding myself that the girls serve as a pretty good mirror, too.

When they look at me, I want them to predominantly see me smiling at them…even through two-year old trials and stubbed toes.