Regression

Lately, Parker has been asking for things "like a baby". He wants milk in a sippy cup like a baby, he wants to sit in the bath seat like a baby, and he wants to eat baby snacks like a baby.

He went full out tonight.

More bathtime fun.

We've officially introduced the bath as part of the gal's bedtime routine. I'm not sure it calms them down since they are so happy to be in there. Parker wanted to join them this evening.

More Twin and Toddler Fun

We had another meeting of the twin girls and toddler club. This time at Liz's house with 8 girl babies and 4 toddlers. She has the most amazing backyard with swings, ladders, slides, play houses, play pools...everything. The kids had a blast while the babies spread out inside. Sam, Liz's eldest seemed to really like Miranda. Good times.

Out of Sync

Miranda decided that she needed a 3 hour nap this afternoon. But after an hour nap, Eli was ready to get up. So, we hung out together, just she and I. A true rarity in twin families. This is what she did for some of that time.

Sunday afternoon with dad

Rachel went to a movie this afternoon, so I had all three kids, which is extremely easy when they're all in good moods. We took in the afternoon on the back lawn.

Bathtime

Rachel worked the big Twins By The Bay yard sale today, and came back with some goodies, including some very cool seats for the girls to use in the bath, which they thought was pretty fun and funny.

Pavlovian Baby?

The digital camera we have makes a quick "beep" when it focuses. The result is a baby that quickly focuses on the camera with a giant grin. It's hard to take a picture of Mo without her crooked three tooth smile. These are all different shots.

Garage Sale Prep

The annual Twins by the Bay garage sale is tomorrow. I thought I would sell some stuff there rather than have a garage sale at our house. "Some stuff" turned into mountains of baby gear. All of it had to be washed, tagged, and hung on hangers. Then I have to drive it to the sale and set it up. As Michael said, this will be the hardest $50 I've ever earned.

Eli's cough

Eli has been seemingly sick for months and months. She gets a cold, most likely from Parker from day care. Miranda gets it too. But with Eli, it lasts forever and becomes this deep, deep cough. It keeps her up. It makes her miserable. She has trouble breathing. It's bad. We've tried many things from cough medication to a nebulizer to albutoral. Now we are on steriods and antibiotics to eliminate the possibility that she has an infection in her lungs. It seems to have improved somewhat but not entirely. The next step would be xrays.

I asked about the possibility it was allergies to food (since I wasn't being very good about introducing new foods slowly.) He said food allergies weren't likely, but pollen and animal allergies could be it. Then he asked whether there was a history of allergies. I said, "I'm not allergic and neither is Michael." But then I corrected myself and said, "Well...her genetic mom is allergic to cats and her grandpa is allergic to pollen and cats." The doctor said, "That is what I would call a history."

So, now I am all freaked out about the possibility that she is allergic to cats. I've written blogs, newspaper articles and even website content about how lame it is when people give up their cats when their new baby arrives. I've scolded people. I've shamed people. I've argued with people. To think that I may be one of the people now is horrible. It makes me anxious daily.

So, I hope and pray that little Eli feels better soon because I'm not sure if I know anyone (besides my family who are all, as noted above, allergic to them) who would take an old cranky cat or a middle age, punk-ass, tom cat mouse catcher.

Cross your fingers for all us.

Special Cheerios

Anyone reading this blog knows that we have been having a tough time with Parker in the middle of the night. But, since you are all (I hope) living your own lives, I'll recap.

A few months after the girls arrived, Parker started throwing tantrums at bedtime. One ended after 3 hours with him asleep on the hardwood floor. Luckily, we were able to figure that one out and now bedtime is not a problem.

But...just as we got that one beat, he started to wake up in the middle of the night demanding things (milk, mommy, daddy, orange juice, lemonade, books, marble game) and when we didn't give in, we got full-on screaming tantrums. At 2am. 3am. 4am. Whenever.

Our solution? I got into bed with him and slept with him the rest of the night. If we tried to leave after he was sleep, he woke back up 10 minutes later and started it all over again. We realized this was not a long term solution, but we were happy we were back to getting 6-8 hours of sleep a night and just kept doing it.

Until now. As you have seen, we put all the kids in one room. And since I can't sleep at all in the room with the girls (every grunt, move, squeek and sigh wakes me up), I couldn't go sleep with Parker anymore. The first night, he came to "sleep" with us after he woke up screaming. The second night, daddy went to lay down with him. The third night, daddy slept on the floor next to him on a mat, holding his hand.

And last night? The fourth night? Parker slept all night in his bed. No screaming. No crying. Mom and Dad both in their own bed. Amazing huh? Not really. I tried the old "bribery game" and it worked. You see, I bought some colored cheerios (the least sugared cereal, I could find.) We had it on Tuesday morning. Then Tuesday night, I said, "If Parker sleeps through the night in his own bed without mommy and daddy and there is no screaming or yelling, Parker can have special cheerios for breakfast tomorrow." I repeated it a lot to the point where I knew he understood. (We tried this before using a gummy bear, but since a gummy bear can really be eaten any time of the day, it didn't work since he demanded one at 3am and kept on screaming after he got it.) But since cereal is a breakfast thing, I had more hope.

When we heard him at 5:30 chattering to himself, we were so very pleased. I went upstairs and there he was sitting on his bed saying, "Time for special cheerios," with the biggest grin on his face you have ever seen. So, we marched downstairs and had all the special cheerios he could eat.

Yeah, yeah, we realize we have solved one problem and created another. Now we just have to figure out how to take special cereal out of the equation. But, as Michael always says, Sufficient unto the day.

And really how could you not love this kid...screaming tantrums and all?



And, by the way, Miranda, who has been sleeping through the night, woke up at 4:45. Bummer. Eli, of course, slept through the Miranda crying and Parker babbling about special cheerios. Yay Eli!

Monday afternoon in the kids room

Biscuits are delicious

Parker reads Chicka Chicka 123

He actually sings it, since he's watched the video version from the library about 114 times.

Pool Parties Rock

My fabulous friend Shari threw a party for her good friends twin neices. We, of course, went. It was cold at first, but then warmed up, so we gave the pool a try. It, unfortunately, was still freezing. But that didn't stop most kids and some crazy parents from going in. Lots of chattering teeth later, the kids had cake. Yum!

Twins meeting twins


Little Armando and Parker floating around.


More pool fun. Love the toddler zone.


Parker thinks birthdays = cake. I suppose he is correct.


Boy, did he crash hard on the trip home. Remember this was the day he got up at 3am.

Poor Ted

Boy, did we do it.

After great naps yesterday, the night was a nightmare. Parker woke up screaming at 3am. After realizing quickly he would not go back to sleep, we took him into our bed. Which did absolutely nothing. He stayed awake, flipping and flopping, talking and humming, futzing and turning until 5:30am when I gave up and brought him and the marble game to the living room. He was happy until 6 and then had a full-on massive tantrum about what breakfast ceral he was going to eat or not eat. He screamed for about 30 minutes until Dad ended it by cuddling with him.

Oh, I forgot, after the 3am nonsense, Mo (we are trying a new nickname) woke up crying and as soon as she was back asleep around 4, Eli woke up. Michael tried to pop the pacifier back in to quiet her down, but then realized she was peed-up and her jammies, sheets and blankets all needed changing. Eli did not like all that and let it be known. So, by the time she was back asleep, Parker's screaming had begun.

Good times.