Inspired by a couple of my mommy friends, I started blogging less than a year ago. I knew I would enjoy the opportunity to document the girls’ comings and goings in an online format, and that surely has been the case. What I didn’t know to expect was the awesome community of moms (and a handful of dads) that I’d meet.
In just ten short months, I’ve connected with so many amazing people…people who share ideas and information, support each other, and – at least in my case – help keep each other sane in this sometimes-crazy world of kid-raising.
The Multiples and More blog network just announced the nominations for their second annual Blog Awards. I’ve been smiling all day at having been nominated in the Best Writing category! And I’ve been smiling just as big to be in such fantastic company as the other nominees, several of whom I consider friends, and are on my “Must Read” list…
Sadia, of Double the Fun
Christina, of Our Life with Multiples
Missy, of Two Little Monkeys
Quadmama, of Buried in Laundry
Megan, of Twinsomnia
Helene, of I’m Living Proof that God Has a Sense of Humor
If you don’t know these ladies, I’d encourage you to stop by and check them out…my girls and I give them a collective six thumbs up!
And if you’re so inclined, voting on the Multiples and More site is open until December 5th. Win, lose, or draw, and at the risk of sounding like a sappy Academy Award nominee without a speech writer, it’s truly an honor to have been nominated. :)
Ticker
November 29, 2010
Out of Order!
Despite the mess that is my pantry, I am an orderly person. And I like to follow the rules. Give me an algebraic equation, a recipe, or a 20-page instruction manual, and I’m golden.
I discovered early on that kiddos don’t come with instruction manuals, but I try to make up for that when I can...
When the girls first started eating baby food, the pediatrician told me to begin with vegetables. After a couple of months, he told me to also feed them a fruit, but always after they’d eaten their veggies. When I began feeding them meat, I followed the same logic, offering it first, followed by a vegetable, and then a fruit.
Process and procedure. I’m all about it.
At 22 months old, our girls haven’t eaten baby food in many, many months. But out of habit, or fear of messing with a good thing, or even perhaps because my pediatrician hasn’t told me otherwise (kidding! [kind of…]), I continue to follow the same order of operations.
At supper, for example, the girls might eat roasted chicken. Then they might have sweet potatoes. And then they might follow it up with fresh strawberries and blueberries.
Most of the time the girls eat what I give them, give or take a bite or two. When they don’t, though, I try to remain calm. Maybe they’re just not in the mood for sweet potatoes. Maybe they saw so much orange over Halloween and Thanksgiving they are experiencing a mental block.
In such a situation, I silently take a deep breath and casually offer them the strawberries…before they've finished their veggies!...careful not to let on that they’re Messing With My Head!
You know what the crazy thing is, though? It’s not unusual these past few weeks for them to polish off their fruit…and THEN ask for their vegetable!!!
I think maybe they know fruit is at the end of the line – and they LOVE fruit – and they just can’t wait. But then they realize they’re still a bit hungry, and they know sweet potatoes are their option.
Whatever the case, I’m learning to deal with things being “out of order”. By that point I’m [silently] thrilled that they are going to eat some veggies, so I’d almost be willing to let them stand on their heads and eat.
…just please don’t tell the pediatrician that I’m breaking the rules.
I discovered early on that kiddos don’t come with instruction manuals, but I try to make up for that when I can...
When the girls first started eating baby food, the pediatrician told me to begin with vegetables. After a couple of months, he told me to also feed them a fruit, but always after they’d eaten their veggies. When I began feeding them meat, I followed the same logic, offering it first, followed by a vegetable, and then a fruit.
Process and procedure. I’m all about it.
At 22 months old, our girls haven’t eaten baby food in many, many months. But out of habit, or fear of messing with a good thing, or even perhaps because my pediatrician hasn’t told me otherwise (kidding! [kind of…]), I continue to follow the same order of operations.
At supper, for example, the girls might eat roasted chicken. Then they might have sweet potatoes. And then they might follow it up with fresh strawberries and blueberries.
Most of the time the girls eat what I give them, give or take a bite or two. When they don’t, though, I try to remain calm. Maybe they’re just not in the mood for sweet potatoes. Maybe they saw so much orange over Halloween and Thanksgiving they are experiencing a mental block.
In such a situation, I silently take a deep breath and casually offer them the strawberries…before they've finished their veggies!...careful not to let on that they’re Messing With My Head!
You know what the crazy thing is, though? It’s not unusual these past few weeks for them to polish off their fruit…and THEN ask for their vegetable!!!
I think maybe they know fruit is at the end of the line – and they LOVE fruit – and they just can’t wait. But then they realize they’re still a bit hungry, and they know sweet potatoes are their option.
Whatever the case, I’m learning to deal with things being “out of order”. By that point I’m [silently] thrilled that they are going to eat some veggies, so I’d almost be willing to let them stand on their heads and eat.
…just please don’t tell the pediatrician that I’m breaking the rules.
November 28, 2010
Fab 10 Sunday
(…like Fab 5 Friday, but a couple of days late…)
This week just flew by! We made the arduous trek to Sweet Home Alabama for the Thanksgiving holiday. Three turkey dinners in three cities in 24 hours was a bit of a marathon, but we made some awesome memories. And of course there were plenty of fabulous moments scattered throughout!
1) I would guess that the girls have an 80% accuracy in identifying their colors. I was so surprised when I asked Baby B what color a particular toy was, expecting she would say “blue”. She more specifically told me it was “turkis” (turquoise)! We have a handful of toys that color, which I’ve named for the girls, but I had no idea they were paying that kind of attention!
2) I love listening to the girls’ “stream of consciousness”-type conversations over the monitor when they wake up. And I never know what kind of greeting I’m going to get when I walk in their room. It’s usually some random observation about what I’m wearing, like, “Mommy…purple socks!”
3) The girls have learned to say their full names (first and last). They’ll answer correctly for themselves, but when asked about each other, they say, “Sissy [Last Name]”. And I am “Mommy [Last Name]”, of course.
4) I worked with the girls to say, “Happy Turkey Day!” They were quite happy to extend those wishes to our family this week…so precious in their little baby voices!
5) The girls experienced so many new foods this week. I’m not thrilled that Baby A seems to have struck up a love affair with yeast rolls, but I’ve gotta admit that the girl has good taste!
6) After the many indulgences over the Thanksgiving holiday, I was a little worried that the girls wouldn’t want Mommy’s healthy fruits and veggies when we got back home. I was so thankful to see their little eyes light up when I served them steamed zucchini.
7) When we got home from our road trip, the girls made a beeline for their toys. They both grabbed their baby dolls and smothered them in hugs. Unprompted, Baby A said, “Miss you, Baby!” Melt.my.heart...
8) Anytime during our trip we got in the car, Baby B would ask, “Home to Sasha? Two minutes?” It was a little pitiful, but so cute and funny that she seemed so ready to get home to the kitty cat.
9) Saturday was quite chilly, but I was really itching to get the girls out for a stroller ride. I bundled them up tight in fuzzy pink jackets, zipped up their bright pink stroller blankets, and put on pink fleece mittens for the first time this season. I almost tripped several times, as I couldn’t take my eyes off the girls. They were too cute in varying shades of pink…and it was heeee-larious to see them holding their mitten-donned hands in front of their faces like foreign objects.
10) Seeing the girls enjoying my family…and seeing my family enjoying my girls…priceless.
This week just flew by! We made the arduous trek to Sweet Home Alabama for the Thanksgiving holiday. Three turkey dinners in three cities in 24 hours was a bit of a marathon, but we made some awesome memories. And of course there were plenty of fabulous moments scattered throughout!
1) I would guess that the girls have an 80% accuracy in identifying their colors. I was so surprised when I asked Baby B what color a particular toy was, expecting she would say “blue”. She more specifically told me it was “turkis” (turquoise)! We have a handful of toys that color, which I’ve named for the girls, but I had no idea they were paying that kind of attention!
2) I love listening to the girls’ “stream of consciousness”-type conversations over the monitor when they wake up. And I never know what kind of greeting I’m going to get when I walk in their room. It’s usually some random observation about what I’m wearing, like, “Mommy…purple socks!”
3) The girls have learned to say their full names (first and last). They’ll answer correctly for themselves, but when asked about each other, they say, “Sissy [Last Name]”. And I am “Mommy [Last Name]”, of course.
4) I worked with the girls to say, “Happy Turkey Day!” They were quite happy to extend those wishes to our family this week…so precious in their little baby voices!
5) The girls experienced so many new foods this week. I’m not thrilled that Baby A seems to have struck up a love affair with yeast rolls, but I’ve gotta admit that the girl has good taste!
6) After the many indulgences over the Thanksgiving holiday, I was a little worried that the girls wouldn’t want Mommy’s healthy fruits and veggies when we got back home. I was so thankful to see their little eyes light up when I served them steamed zucchini.
7) When we got home from our road trip, the girls made a beeline for their toys. They both grabbed their baby dolls and smothered them in hugs. Unprompted, Baby A said, “Miss you, Baby!” Melt.my.heart...
8) Anytime during our trip we got in the car, Baby B would ask, “Home to Sasha? Two minutes?” It was a little pitiful, but so cute and funny that she seemed so ready to get home to the kitty cat.
9) Saturday was quite chilly, but I was really itching to get the girls out for a stroller ride. I bundled them up tight in fuzzy pink jackets, zipped up their bright pink stroller blankets, and put on pink fleece mittens for the first time this season. I almost tripped several times, as I couldn’t take my eyes off the girls. They were too cute in varying shades of pink…and it was heeee-larious to see them holding their mitten-donned hands in front of their faces like foreign objects.
10) Seeing the girls enjoying my family…and seeing my family enjoying my girls…priceless.
November 25, 2010
Thanksgiving, per A & B
Our girls aren’t quite old enough to make a craft display of things for which they’re thankful…but if they could enumerate, I have a pretty good idea of what they might say…
1) Mommy and Daddy…for endless hugs, kisses, tickles, and cuddles.
2) Sasha the Kitty Cat…for being the sweetest furry sister ever, and for giving us a great example after which to model our “meow!”
3) The telephone…so we can talk to Aunt GG and Granddaddy.
4) Our friends…we talk about “Kate and Spencer” and “Mattie and Ava” all the time!
5) Our comfy blankies…for keeping us warm and signaling when it’s time for bed.
6) Our baby dolls…who wait for us dutifully to give them hugs and kisses, and don’t mind being carried around in our red bucket.
7) Our favorite songs…we love to dance and sing!
8) Books…we love when Mommy reads to us, and we like to “read” to ourselves and each other, too.
9) Our favorite foods…blueberries, pineapple, zucchini, avocado, oatmeal (or “eamoat”, as we call it), and French toast on Sunday mornings…just to name a few.
10) Each other.
We are so blessed!!!
1) Mommy and Daddy…for endless hugs, kisses, tickles, and cuddles.
2) Sasha the Kitty Cat…for being the sweetest furry sister ever, and for giving us a great example after which to model our “meow!”
3) The telephone…so we can talk to Aunt GG and Granddaddy.
4) Our friends…we talk about “Kate and Spencer” and “Mattie and Ava” all the time!
5) Our comfy blankies…for keeping us warm and signaling when it’s time for bed.
6) Our baby dolls…who wait for us dutifully to give them hugs and kisses, and don’t mind being carried around in our red bucket.
7) Our favorite songs…we love to dance and sing!
8) Books…we love when Mommy reads to us, and we like to “read” to ourselves and each other, too.
9) Our favorite foods…blueberries, pineapple, zucchini, avocado, oatmeal (or “eamoat”, as we call it), and French toast on Sunday mornings…just to name a few.
10) Each other.
We are so blessed!!!
November 24, 2010
Jumping on the Bandwagon
After seeing a few of my blogger friends tout the virtues of the online photo service Shutterfly, I decided to jump on the touting bandwagon.
We are definitely a Shutterfly family, and have been for many years. My friends at Shutterfly have witnessed everything from the addition of our two sweet furry babies to our family in 2000, to the addition of our two sweet non-furry babies (i.e. Baby A and Baby B) in 2009.
Since the girls were born, my relationship with Shutterfly has deepened considerably. Not only do I print all my photos through Shutterfly, but I use several of their services, too.
Admittedly, I’m a bit of a nut when it comes to capturing the girls’ every move…their every outfit…their every adventure.
On average, I probably take 250 or so photos a month. I try to narrow that down to 100 that I print. (You should see the stacks of photo storage boxes I have, and the girls are only 22 months old!) I have most of the prints delivered to me, but I also send prints directly to three family members each month.
Before I found The Wonderful World of Blogging, I started a photo share site through Shutterfly. Although this blog is the best place for real-time updates on A and B, I still update my photo site once a month. It provides a great pictorial history.
I also compile my pictures into photo books. I have one for every three months…and I did a special book to mark the girls’ first birthday and party.
I have ordered a number of greeting cards (birthday cards, Father’s Day, etc.) from Shutterfly. I think that’s much better than your standard card-store greeting…and as Shutterfly will send it directly to the recipient, it has saved this baby-juggling mama a few trips to the post office.
I have ordered several photo gifts, including calendars, magnets, and mouse pads.
And of course I’ve ordered a number of photo cards from Shutterfly. I first sent a Valentine’s Day greeting when the girls were about six weeks old. I followed that up with a Happy Summer card a few months later. (I might just have been looking for reasons to send pictures of our girls to 50 or so of our closest friends!)
I ordered my holiday photo cards from Shutterfly last year, and I intend to do so again this year…as soon as I have our holiday photos made, that is (gulp!). Shutterfly has a great selection of holiday cards to choose from, they produce a high-quality product at a very competitive price, and their customer service is truly first class.
I am writing this blog post for a promotion, through which Shutterfly will give me 50 free holiday cards. To borrow a line from my bloggy friend Reanbean, I swear to you that everything written here is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I really do think Shutterfly rocks. :)
We are definitely a Shutterfly family, and have been for many years. My friends at Shutterfly have witnessed everything from the addition of our two sweet furry babies to our family in 2000, to the addition of our two sweet non-furry babies (i.e. Baby A and Baby B) in 2009.
Since the girls were born, my relationship with Shutterfly has deepened considerably. Not only do I print all my photos through Shutterfly, but I use several of their services, too.
Admittedly, I’m a bit of a nut when it comes to capturing the girls’ every move…their every outfit…their every adventure.
On average, I probably take 250 or so photos a month. I try to narrow that down to 100 that I print. (You should see the stacks of photo storage boxes I have, and the girls are only 22 months old!) I have most of the prints delivered to me, but I also send prints directly to three family members each month.
Before I found The Wonderful World of Blogging, I started a photo share site through Shutterfly. Although this blog is the best place for real-time updates on A and B, I still update my photo site once a month. It provides a great pictorial history.
I also compile my pictures into photo books. I have one for every three months…and I did a special book to mark the girls’ first birthday and party.
I have ordered a number of greeting cards (birthday cards, Father’s Day, etc.) from Shutterfly. I think that’s much better than your standard card-store greeting…and as Shutterfly will send it directly to the recipient, it has saved this baby-juggling mama a few trips to the post office.
I have ordered several photo gifts, including calendars, magnets, and mouse pads.
And of course I’ve ordered a number of photo cards from Shutterfly. I first sent a Valentine’s Day greeting when the girls were about six weeks old. I followed that up with a Happy Summer card a few months later. (I might just have been looking for reasons to send pictures of our girls to 50 or so of our closest friends!)
I ordered my holiday photo cards from Shutterfly last year, and I intend to do so again this year…as soon as I have our holiday photos made, that is (gulp!). Shutterfly has a great selection of holiday cards to choose from, they produce a high-quality product at a very competitive price, and their customer service is truly first class.
I am writing this blog post for a promotion, through which Shutterfly will give me 50 free holiday cards. To borrow a line from my bloggy friend Reanbean, I swear to you that everything written here is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I really do think Shutterfly rocks. :)
November 23, 2010
A Bit About Me, November Edition
My birthday is February 23. On the 23rd of each month, I've taken to posting a couple of random bits of information about me. So for the month of November, here 'goes...
7) (In honor of the holiday season that is now upon us…) I can bake a mean cookie. When I was growing up, I worked weekends and summers in a little bakery that was owned by friends of our family. I waitressed during lunch, and I was known far and wide (relative to our tiny town) for my cookie making abilities. The work was hot and the hours were sometimes long, but I learned a lot about the value of a dollar. I also think it helped me learn to respect people from all walks of life. And I learned some basic cake-decorating skills, so I’m gonna be one mean mama when it comes to bake sales in a few years.
8) I’m not a movie person. When I was in high school, and through part of college, I went to the movies a lot…date night! And I would hate to know, in today’s dollars, what I spent on VHS rentals over the course of my growing up. Over the past 10 years, though, I’ve probably watched fewer than 10 movies. I think it’s a commitment issue. I have no problem vegetating in front of the TV to watch a 3 ½-hour ballgame (after the girlies are in bed, of course), but to plan to sit down and be attentive for two hours? Can’t do it. I know I’ll need to figure this one out if my visions of family movie night are to come to fruition in the next couple of years!
To check out past randomness...
August
September
October
7) (In honor of the holiday season that is now upon us…) I can bake a mean cookie. When I was growing up, I worked weekends and summers in a little bakery that was owned by friends of our family. I waitressed during lunch, and I was known far and wide (relative to our tiny town) for my cookie making abilities. The work was hot and the hours were sometimes long, but I learned a lot about the value of a dollar. I also think it helped me learn to respect people from all walks of life. And I learned some basic cake-decorating skills, so I’m gonna be one mean mama when it comes to bake sales in a few years.
8) I’m not a movie person. When I was in high school, and through part of college, I went to the movies a lot…date night! And I would hate to know, in today’s dollars, what I spent on VHS rentals over the course of my growing up. Over the past 10 years, though, I’ve probably watched fewer than 10 movies. I think it’s a commitment issue. I have no problem vegetating in front of the TV to watch a 3 ½-hour ballgame (after the girlies are in bed, of course), but to plan to sit down and be attentive for two hours? Can’t do it. I know I’ll need to figure this one out if my visions of family movie night are to come to fruition in the next couple of years!
To check out past randomness...
August
September
October
November 22, 2010
Feedback Loop
When I graduated college and started by first job, I remember struggling with the lack of formalized feedback. Sure, I’d get the occasional pat on the back from my boss, but gone was the predictability of at least having a midterm exam by which to gauge my performance.
I eventually learned to find satisfaction in knowing I’d done a job well; getting a yearly performance review was just a nice little bonus.
That experience came back to me recently as I thought about my ever-evolving interaction with the girls.
Since we brought the girls home from the hospital, I have been reading to them, sometimes to the point of running my throat sore over the course of a day. We’ve been singing, and dancing, and counting the stairs as we traipsed up and down.
For a very long time, there was little direct feedback. Of course my heart melted with each cuddle and smile. I was so very proud when the girls rolled over, and when they started sleeping through the night, I knew I must be doing something right.
I remember very clearly the first time one of the girls responded to some of my random commentary. Baby A was walking around the den, holding her nightgown. I said, “Put the gown on your head,” and she did! I chuckle now, wishing that first light bulb moment were a little more academic. But I don’t think I’ll ever forget how proud I was when she put that gown on her head and laughed at Mommy’s silly request.
Since then, the feedback loop has become much more continuous. It’s just amazing to sit back and watch and listen at what the girls do and say.
They’re all about pretend play right now, and it’s amazing how resourceful they are in cooking up the wildest scenarios. They’ll sit on top of their little kitchen and say, “Riding bicycle!” And they serve all manner of food and drinks to each other, to us, even to pictures in books.
The girls are also incredibly observant. From their stroller on our walk yesterday morning, one of them exclaimed, “Puppy doggy…sit down…leaves!” Sure enough, there was a dog sitting in a yard, amid a thick carpet of leaves. I hadn’t even noticed him until they said something.
I know that the girls’ vocabulary is growing exponentially right now, and I know that they won’t always have new skills to show at the end of every single day…so for now I’m just enjoying this two-way dialogue.
And in my book, seeing the girls learn new things is much more rewarding than even an A+ report card!
I eventually learned to find satisfaction in knowing I’d done a job well; getting a yearly performance review was just a nice little bonus.
That experience came back to me recently as I thought about my ever-evolving interaction with the girls.
Since we brought the girls home from the hospital, I have been reading to them, sometimes to the point of running my throat sore over the course of a day. We’ve been singing, and dancing, and counting the stairs as we traipsed up and down.
For a very long time, there was little direct feedback. Of course my heart melted with each cuddle and smile. I was so very proud when the girls rolled over, and when they started sleeping through the night, I knew I must be doing something right.
I remember very clearly the first time one of the girls responded to some of my random commentary. Baby A was walking around the den, holding her nightgown. I said, “Put the gown on your head,” and she did! I chuckle now, wishing that first light bulb moment were a little more academic. But I don’t think I’ll ever forget how proud I was when she put that gown on her head and laughed at Mommy’s silly request.
Since then, the feedback loop has become much more continuous. It’s just amazing to sit back and watch and listen at what the girls do and say.
They’re all about pretend play right now, and it’s amazing how resourceful they are in cooking up the wildest scenarios. They’ll sit on top of their little kitchen and say, “Riding bicycle!” And they serve all manner of food and drinks to each other, to us, even to pictures in books.
The girls are also incredibly observant. From their stroller on our walk yesterday morning, one of them exclaimed, “Puppy doggy…sit down…leaves!” Sure enough, there was a dog sitting in a yard, amid a thick carpet of leaves. I hadn’t even noticed him until they said something.
I know that the girls’ vocabulary is growing exponentially right now, and I know that they won’t always have new skills to show at the end of every single day…so for now I’m just enjoying this two-way dialogue.
And in my book, seeing the girls learn new things is much more rewarding than even an A+ report card!
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