I Used to Think I Had Lots of Patience, Now I Have Toddlers

I used to think I had lots of patience, really now I'm not so sure.  The boys are almost 2 1/2 now and pretty typical toddlers.  I feel like all I ever say is no.  "No no no no NO!", "Shut the Fridge", "Don't touch the trash", "Stop jumping on your bed", Don't climb on your changing table".  I'm trying to do my best as a parent, but I find myself wondering sometimes if I'm doing everything right, am I yelling too much?  I can't be the only parent who feels this way right???

Don't get me wrong, the boys can be total sweethearts.  Owynn now says "I luf you" which makes my heart melt.  Oliver really loves hugs and snuggles.  And they are pretty darn cute.

So not the most current photo, but I love this one. Oliver and Owynn their first Halloween 2011.

 

 

But then there are days like today where I was counting down the minutes to nap time, hoping that after they get up they will be in a better mood.  (Owynn didn't nap and is quietly hanging out with us in the living room playing with his kindle fire.  Oliver is sound asleep, he really needed it.) 
Or yesterday; the boys woke up and instead of going into the living room and turning on the tv or getting out their kindles, they decided they needed to raid the pantry.  They dumped corn meal all over the carpet in the living room.  Dumped out my baking soda on the kitchen floor, along with onion soup mix, yeast, and other baking supplies I keep in there.  They also got into my little baggie of hershey kisses I had saved from my baby shower that said "It's A Boy", which were almost 3 years old, there were bits of wrapper everywhere.  The boys also got into the birthday candles, we're hoping they didn't eat any of those.   
Or the day before yesterday.  They pushed Oliver's bed up against their dresser so they could reach the stuff on top.  They got down a small bottle of lotion and got it all over Owynn, Oliver's teddy bear, and the bed.

I've been told by other parents of multiples that things don't necessarily get easier, just different.  I can see that, but I'm still really hoping this stage will get a bit easier.  

Twin Confusion

Since the boys were tiny babies we have kind of color coded them.  I know some parents of multiples swear by color coding and really go all out.  It started when they were infants and the bottles we bought came in blue, green, and purple.  The boys came home from the NICU on two feedings a day of Neocate which provides extra nutrition for preemies.  At 2 months old our doctor said Oliver no longer needed it, but Owynn still did.  We decided to keep the 2 formula feedings a day for Oliver because 1-Owynn still was on it 2-we were all used to the 2 formula bottle schedule (I nursed the boys for their other feedings) and 3-I had no idea how long I would be able to nurse twins and we wanted a possible switch to only formula to go smoothly.  Oliver's new formula came in a blue container, so we decided that should be his color and Owynn had green.  It helped a lot when they drank out of bottles because we always knew whose bottle was whose.  The colors stuck and now if the boys get something similar but not identical we try to get one in green and one in blue.  Like the Easter bunny brought the boys Mickey Mouse hats, but where EB got them from they only had the hats in blue and red.  So Oliver got blue and Owynn ended up with red.  We still color code with their sippy cup lids.  The boys don't really care whose cup they drink out of, but it helps us keep track.

Anyways, Sunday we were in a hurry to get everyone ready and out the door to John's parents' house.  I grabbed the first couple of shirts I saw in the basket of clean laundry and they happened to be blue and green.  But the blue shirt was in Owynn's size and the green in Oliver's.  I didn't think much of it, because really we don't find the color coding absolutely necessary, it's more for our convenience at knowing whose things are whose.  But I was totally messed up all day.  Having their colors reversed totally threw me.  I kept mixing the two of them up all day and it really frustrated me.  Apparently I rely on this way more than I thought (even though like 85% of the time it's only for their sippy cups).  That or we've just been doing it for so long that I'm really used to it.  Either was I wasn't very happy with myself for repeatedly mistaking one kid for the other.           

Big Boy Beds: Update

The boys have been in their new beds for about two months now.  They have been enjoying their new freedom a whole lot.  It has been a challenge though trying to get them to stay in bed at night and especially at nap time.

Nap time right now is the hardest.  They still need a good nap every day, but they have decided that naps are over rated.  It just depends on the day and how tired they are, if they wind up napping.  If they don't nap they usually will play in their room for a couple of hours.  But on no nap days we usually end up with two very grumpy toddlers and Oliver like this during dinner:

Oliver asleep during dinner...again

Bedtime is a bit easier.  We still have to go in and tuck them in a few times before they finally fall asleep.  It usually takes them close to an hour to finally wear themselves out and fall asleep.  Tonight went quickly though.  They didn't nap, were exhausted, and John sat in their room with them until they fell asleep.  Which was a very welcome change from Saturday night when the boys decided that jumping on their beds was a good idea (it was in fact a very bad idea.)  The boys sleep in the same bed just about every night now.  Owynn likes his space, but Oliver always winds up in bed with Owynn one way or another.  I have found though that they sleep much better when they are together.  Owynn used to wake up around 3am every night, but he rarely does anymore.  They also are able to comfort each other better this way.  Occasionally Owynn will wake up crying and 90% of the time Oliver will comfort him and they will fall right back asleep without one of us having to go in to tend to them.  Plus they are super cute snuggled up in bed together!  All in all making the switch to toddler beds hasn't been nearly as bad as I had feared. 

Owynn and Oliver

Oliver at the top and Owynn.  I don't know how Oliver managed to get into bed with Owynn like this without waking him up.

This night was a struggle.  They are both asleep, with Oliver literally on top of Owynn.

Oliver and Owynn.  Owynn declared my socks were his, took them off my feet, and put them on his.  He slept with my socks on over his jammies all night.

Owynn and Oliver

all photos are property of doubleotwins.com

Woohoo I added a widget! (At least I think that's what I did) and Holiday Wishes

Yay me, I figured out how to add a Facebook like button to my blog!  I am waaay excited now, this is totally a big deal to me!  I am not overly computer savvy and have pretty much been learning about this whole blogging thing as I go.  So please follow me on Facebook, help me feel even more proud of myself.  I would really appreciate it! =)  And it wasn't nearly as hard as I feared it would be.  And bonus, I didn't destroy my site by playing with the HTML!

I have been absent a bit because of the craziness that is the Holidays.  To be politically correct I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays, because I know I have readers of different faiths.  Also Merry Christmas, because this is what we celebrate in our household.  I hope this season has brought your families, happiness, peace, and joy. 

This year I am very thankful for answered prayers, lower levels of stress, the kindness of (near) strangers, our friends and family, and my husband (I don't know what I would do without him).

 I don't really talk about it much, but I have been praying more and attempting to find some sort of faith that works for me.  I'd like to think that my prayers have been heard; there have been several incidents to make me think so.  So thank You! 

To say that our budget has been tight the past 6 or so months would be an understatement.  Lately it's more like what bills can I put off or what can we do without so we have enough money to buy diapers and food.  (I can see our tax refund on the horizon now and I can't wait.)  After months and months of trying John got a job working from home, and his first paycheck literally came just in time.  The fact that he can work from home and choose his hours is pretty amazing.  I am very appreciative of what he has been trying to do for our family.  With his anxiety, I know how hard it can be for him to do this.  I feel like I don't thank him enough.

Even though work has been just ridiculously busy, my stress levels have dropped quite a bit.  I think it's because John is working and even though our budget is still really tight, we have some breathing room.  I am thankful that we can pay our bills and can actually afford to order a pizza every once in awhile now.  (I love you pizza and have missed you more than I realized.)  And our tax refund is so close I can taste it!

Because of our monetary problems we didn't have any money to buy the boys presents this year.  Although I did manage to spend a few dollars here and there on a few little things for them over the past month or two.  I want to thank again our friends, our family, and friends of our family, who helped to make Christmas very special for the boys.  I wish I could show you how their eyes just lit up Christmas morning.  And also thank you guys for helping us through this very rough patch.  Without everyone I don't know how we could have made it.       

Why Does He Put Food Up His Nose?!

I don't know why Owynn insists on sticking food up his nose.  I don't understand the appeal of it.  I've blogged about our previous adventure here and here.  Sunday before we went to the birthday party he stuck macaroni and cheese up there during lunch.

Well last night at dinner he must have thought it would be fun to stick as much corn up there as possible.  (Seriously, why???)  I pulled 4 kernels out fairly easily.  But I was still pretty sure there was more up there, so off I went in search of the flashlight.  Found it, (crap it's dead), pray we have enough of the right size batteries, (score we do!)  I look up Owynn's nose and sure enough there is at least one more in each nostril (this can't be comfortable).  So I go and find a bulb syringe and manage to suction them out.  At least he doesn't mind his nose being suctioned.  I grabbed the flashlight and there are even more stuck in each of his nostrils! (WTH kid!)  At this point I'm asking myself, why this? Why now? Ugh!  So I call my mom for some advice, then I have to hurry up and get the boys into bed, because John has a shift he needs to work.  After more talking to my mom I finally decide to call the on-call doctor, because after googling I've seen way more than I need to about kids getting infections and aspirating their food and I've become completely paranoid.  The doctor said that because I've pulled out so much already and there's at least one piece in each nostril I should probably bring him into the ER to be checked out just in case.  Crap crap crap crap crap, I really don't want to be dealing with this right now.  So I wake Owynn up (he's not too happy with me at this point), put on his coat, shoes, and mittens (ok he does look pretty darn cute), grab his teddy bear, and off we go to the ER.  They got us in immediately, thankfully we live in a small city with several hospitals so we've never had a wait.  Owynn was weighed, 27.4lbs yay!  He had his temperature taken and his pulse, he cried pretty hard over those (at this point I am really glad I remembered to grab bear).  Owynn was looked at by the doctor and there was no corn that he could see. *Sigh* At least I feel better now, somewhat.  The doctor said it was very unlikely he aspirated it, it probably made it's way into his throat and he swallowed it.  He did say to keep an eye on him though just in case.  And if he starts having like a mega runny nose out one side that isn't from a cold, that means the corn is still stuck waaay back in there.  It may come out on its own then, but if it doesn't then we would have to bring him back in.  Joy.

So I bring Owynn home and give him a couple spoonfuls of peanut butter fudge and some milk.  He loved the fudge, he was making his happy food noises while eating it.  I love when he does that.   I change his diaper and jammies, he says night night to Daddy, then goes over to his door and says "bed!"  Ok little man it's time for some sleep.  By this point it's around midnight and I am totally wiped out from the day so John and I head to bed too.  Ugh, is it Friday yet?  I can't take much more this week.

Work has me stressed beyond belief, but I keep telling myself I definitely should not post an angry rant about work, even though I really really want to.  K mini angry rant, they messed up my paycheck this week and I am 4 hours short.  That is a lot of money to me people!  This on top of everything else, I keep wondering when I am going to hit my breaking point.  Friday can't come soon enough.  I have moved from constantly repeating that I love my job, down to I appreciate the fact that I have a job, because right now I most certainly do not love it. 

We Made An Apple Pie!

A few weeks ago I came across my special pie apples at the store, woohoo!  It isn't very often during the fall season that I come across these particular apples.  So when I find them I buy them pretty much immediately and bake them into a super yummy pie.  I will only use McIntosh or Cortland apples for my pie.  According to my mum, the pie expert, those are the best kind of apples for pie.  You can find these apples all over the place in New England where I grew up, but in the Midwest, well not so much.  So to me it's a pretty big deal when I find them.

After buying a bunch of Cortland apples and everything else I needed at the store, I was ready to bake a pie!  As you can see from the photos I used a Pillsbury pie crust.  Mum advised me that even though I could make my own crust, and she has before, the Pillsbury is pretty much just as good and a whole lot easier to work with.  I love things that are both yummy and easy!  Although she did say, don't buy the off brand, it's worth it to buy Pillsbury.

The boys "helped" me make the pie, they were pretty cute, and we all had a lot of fun.  The boys enjoyed eating apple pieces while I peeled, cored, and sliced the apples.  Oliver helped me out with the pie crust and throwing stuff in the trash.  Owynn held the measuring cup while I measured out the sugar.  Owynn kept sticking his fingers in the sugar and eating it, he really enjoyed that!  Then while I was spooning the filling into the crust the boys kept stealing apple slices out of the pie.  They really had a fun time helping me with the pie.  I really loved it too, and it brought back memories from when I was growing up "helping" my mum bake apple pie.  Our pie turned out absolutely perfect and was super delicious!  It did not last very long here.

Oliver and Owynn.  Please ignore my messy table.

Oliver

Owynn

Our delicious finished apple pie

Owynn really enjoyed eating his pie!

Oliver refused to smile for me.  Eating apple pie is very serious business!

 

World Prematurity Day. Our Story.

Eventually I want to write in detail about my pregnancy, I think mostly because when I was pregnant I had a hard time finding information about twin pregnancy.  There is an overwhelming amount of information out there about having a baby, but not so much about having more than one.  Today I want to talk some about dealing with my preterm labor and the boys premature birth.  I talk about my pregnancy usually in general terms and I joke about it at times, but in all honestly it was the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with.     

According to the WHO today is the second annual World Prematurity Day.  And today I am so very very thankful for modern medicine which helped me carry the boys for as long as I did.  Two years ago today I was in a hospital in Omaha praying that the boys would stay in there just a little while longer.  And thank God they did, they were born pretty darn healthy at 34 weeks and 5 days gestation.

My first two trimesters of pregnancy were a breeze.  I had no morning sickness, just the unrelenting exhaustion that comes along with pregnancy.  I was one of those women who had the glow of a happy pregnancy.  I was thrilled to finally be pregnant and I loved those two little beings growing inside of me from the moment I knew they were there.  Our blissful state came to a crashing end when I was just 25 weeks along.  It was just a few days after my baby shower and exactly one week before Thanksgiving.  I had been at work all day and I just didn't feel right.  I couldn't exactly put my finger on it, but I just knew something was going on.  A bit of TMI here, but I kept having this weird feeling down very low like you have to go to the bathroom but nothing ever happens when you run in there.  So I called my ob office after I got off work and the on call dr. told me I should head off to the hospital.  Not the one I had toured and was thinking about giving birth in, but a hospital more prepared for emergencies that John and I had yet to go to.  I was driving home and was about halfway between home and the hospital, and I remember arguing with John that I was indeed going to come home and pick him up before heading off to the hospital.  We only had one working car at the time and I was not about to go to this new hospital all by myself.  And I am so so thankful that I insisted on picking him up before heading to the hospital so he could be there with me.  When we got to the hospital I still wasn't too terribly worried, I figured they would check me out, hydrate me, and then send us home.  It turned out though that at just 25 weeks I was already 2cm dilated and starting to efface, I was in some very preterm labor.  The memories of the week I spent there are a bit fuzzy, I think mostly because of the magnesium drip I was on the first several days, that stuff really knocked me out and left me with that really drugged feeling.  I remember there being a flurry of doctors and nurses and lots of drugs to try and stop my labor and to help us if they couldn't.  I got two steroid shots to force the boys lungs to develop more quickly in case they were born early.  They were the most painful shots I have ever had, but I am so glad I had them.  When the boys finally did come, they did not need any breathing assistance at all, and that was a HUGE deal.  I remember the hospital sending up a nurse from the NICU to try and prepare me for what may happen if the boys came so early.  They would have about a 60% chance of survival (that would increase every week I could stay pregnant) and a high chance that something could be permanently wrong with one or both the boys.  They would most likely stay in the NICU until at least my due date, which was in February.  The first 24 hours were the scariest, but thankfully they were able to stop my labor, and I was actually able to go home on strict bed rest the day before Thanksgiving.

My big goal I set for myself was to make it to 32 weeks, and I celebrated every week that passed that I managed to stay pregnant.  In all honesty though I was not a happy pregnant lady at the end.  I was in a lot of pain and discomfort and I just couldn't wait to be done.  I was tired of going to the hospital constantly and getting ivs and shots, and then being sent home again empty handed.  I remember calling my mom several times and complaining about how unhappy I was.  She kept reassuring me that once the boys were born and I held them for the first time that it would be all worth it.  I really didn't believer her until I did get to hold them, and my whole life changed in an instant.

I would wind up back in the hospital 8 more times for preterm labor before the boys were finally born.  I was sent to the hospital that final time because my blood pressure had spiked, it was a Wednesday evening in January and I was 34 weeks pregnant.  I had to have a 24 hour urine test to see if there was protein in there, which would show if I had developed pre-eclampsia.  At about 1am Friday morning my contractions started again and luckily my ob was just a few rooms down delivering a baby.  She got my test results and it turns out I had developed pre-eclampsia. That coupled with my contractions returning, I was scheduled for a c-section that afternoon.  I had to have a c-section because Oliver was breach and Owynn was transverse, my ob had told me that if at least one of them were in the correct position I could try for a vaginal delivery.  I was terrified of having a c-section, and I got no sleep that night knowing that in less than 12 hours our boys would be born.  They ended up pushing my c-section up, which sent me almost into a panic, but that way I had less time to worry about having it.  The c-section itself was a whole lot easier than I feared it would be, I was in and out in less than an hour.  It was the recovery that I had the most difficulty with.  Owynn was born at 11:26am on Jan. 14, 2011 at 4lbs 7.8oz 18&1/2 inches long.  Oliver was born two minutes later at 11:28am at 5lbs 2oz and 18 inches long.  I remember I was absolutely thrilled they were born with hair, I don't know why I was so obsessed with that at the time, it was the first question I asked after making sure they were ok.  They needed no breathing assistance at all, which was amazing, and were able to stay with us in the OR until the doctors were done with me.  John and the boys went down to the NICU while I was sent back to my room to recover.  I had to go back on a magnesium drip for the first 24 hours after my c-section because I had pre-eclampsia.  I couldn't leave my bed, never mind see the boys.  It was awful.  I was elated when the nurse finally came in and said I could go see them.  By the time she got me up and prepped, I was so incredibly weak and light headed that I needed to stay and eat lunch before I could head down to the NICU.

Thankfully they boys were born big and healthy, just extra early.  They only had to spend 9 days in the NICU, we got to bring them home on the day I would have been 36 weeks pregnant.  I was discharged the Wednesday evening following their birth, and going home without the boys is by far the hardest thing I have ever had to do.  I cried the whole way home.  The nurses at the NICU were all super nice and very supportive, they all loved taking care of the boys, they said the boys were some of the easiest babies they have ever had to care for.  The boys loved their sleep, and liked to eat.  The nurses would actually have to wake the boys up every 4 hours just to eat.  Before the boys could come home they had to be able to regulate their own temperature, get over their bit of jaundice, and show that they were eating and growing well.

Today the boys are normal 22 month olds, Owynn weighs 25lbs and Oliver weighs 28lbs.  Here are some pictures of them while they were very tiny and still in the NICU.

Oliver being fed by Daddy

Owynn wearing newborn sized jammies

Oliver, Mommy, Owynn

Owynn, Daddy, Oliver

      

 all photos are property of DoubleOTwins.com

Random Tuesday Thoughts A Few Days Late

Brought to you by Stacy

I called the Dr's office right when they opened on Monday and thankfully they had an appointment open at 4:30. Perfect! I was able to leave work a few minutes early, rushed home to pick up John and the boys, then off to the Dr's office. He didn't find anything left in Owynn's nose, and told us what to look out for just in case. Poor kiddo, he even had a little bit of swelling in his face because of all the veggies he put up his nose.  We're supposed to bring Owynn back in if he develops a fever over 101 or starts to smell. He described it as not just normal bad breath, but a smell like something had crawled up in there and died, awesome.  Although the Dr. did tell us some funny stories about stuff he has found up other kids noses.  I didn't feel as bad after that.  So far so good though!  Both boys got their flu shots finally, and they weren't too happy with us.  Owynn got his first, and so when it was Oliver's turn he started whimpering when the nurse was rubbing his leg with alcohol.  I felt so bad, the poor kiddo knew what was coming.  After finishing at the Dr's office we drove by the new Chik-Fil-A, and it was crazy busy! The parking lot was full, and the drive through lane went around the building and almost out to the street.  We were pretty bummed we couldn't stop for dinner, especially John.  I felt pretty bad too, normally when we go up to see the Dr and the boys get shots we all go out to eat as a treat before heading home.  But we are flat broke at the moment and couldn't afford to.  

Work has been getting better thankfully.  It amazes me though the stupid questions I get.  Monday morning at 7:30am I get a call from a guy wondering if his dr. had approved his refill, uh no not yet,and then well why not!?  Maybe it's because you called in your rx at 7:30pm on a Sunday and with it being only 7:30am on Monday, your dr's office has yet to open.  They don't have magic elves that just approve prescriptions over night.  I nicely explained it to him, but honestly people! Please think before you call me and get all upset.  My favorite question I get though is "When will my dr call you back?"  Really? 1- I don't work for your dr's office. 2-I am not psychic.  I think it's kind of on par with "What time is the 3 o'clock parade?" at Disney.  Some days I have a hard time turning off the sarcasm at work.

I can't believe Thanksgiving is in a week.  Where has the fall gone?  Pretty soon John's brother will be coming for a visit during school break, then Christmas, then just 3 weeks later the boys will be 2!  This time of year always seems to go by too fast.

At the dr. Monday Owynn got to stand on the big scale! He is 25lbs now.  Oliver decided that since Owynn got to stand on it, then he needed a turn too, he is 28lbs now.  They are getting so big!














 

We Made A Ball Pit

Owynn and Oliver

Owynn and Oliver

Owynn and Oliver, what goobers!

 

Owynn and Oliver

Oliver

Owynn

During the summer I was having a pretty frustrating day with the boys.  So to contain them so I could finally manage to get something done, I turned the pack n play into a ball pit.  They boys had a ton of fun and my frustration melted away.  How can you be upset at this cuteness?  We got this idea from the one class we took while pregnant, about parenting multiples. 

all photos are the property of DoubleOTwins.com

I've been absent for a bit. Can't. Stop. Watching.

I've been pretty absent from the internet in general for the past two weeks.  We discovered Once Upon A Time on ABC.  And we couldn't stop watching, thank you for Netflix and Hulu.  We watched all 22 episodes of season 1 and are mostly caught up on season 2, we just need to watch the episode that aired on Sunday.  I am both happy and a little sad to be caught up.  I'm happy to be caught up, but at the same time I can't watch multiple episodes back to back, now I have to deal with commercials, and worst of all I have to wait an entire week for a new episode!  The show is the story of all of your traditional fairy tale characters, but they have been brought to our world by a curse from the evil queen from Snow White.  They live their new lives in Storybrooke, Maine with no memories of their fairy tale lives, and it's up to one person to break the curse.  We are totally in love with this show now!

In other news, we need to take Owynn to the Dr. Monday afternoon.  He decided that instead of eating his veggies Saturday night, he decided he should stick them up his nose.  Ew!  I pulled a pea out Saturday night, then he sneezed out a kernel of corn.  I thought that was it, until Sunday afternoon he sneezed out two carrot chunks.  Oh man, now I'm worried that he has more food shoved up there.  I called the on call doctor who told me that it's not an emergency, but he needs to be seen to make sure there isn't anything else up there.  I can't see this being a pleasant visit.  Oh well, we needed to go up to see the Dr. anyways, it's past time the boys had their flu shots.

Hopefully your Monday will be better than mine, and that Owynn doesn't have any more food up his nose!

We Had A Productive Weekend

We had a great weekend!  Friday was jeans day at work (yay!)  It was crazy there, and I was so happy to finally be done.  Saturday John's parents took the boys all day.  They went out for lunch and to the mall, and had a really great time. 

Oliver

Owynn

 John and I ran to the grocery store all by ourselves!  I have to admit it felt a bit weird, but it was nice to go someplace alone.  We spent the day with football on in the background, cleaning.  Exciting huh? But it is so much easier to get stuff done without the boys trying to help.  My goal of the day was to completely clean the boys' room and switch out all their outgrown, and summer clothes for bigger, winter clothes.  I managed to get most of it done (yay me!) I pulled all of their outgrown clothes from the dresser and the closet and packed about 90% of it away.  I also reorganized the changing table and dresser.  I put some of their winter clothes away, but I still have a lot left.  I went though everything and pulled everything out from underneath their beds (apparently Oliver is a toy hoarder).  I don't have too much left to do, and their room looks a lot better, and is way more organized now.

Sunday we spent the afternoon at John's parents doing laundry and having a good time.  We had lots of fun playing outside in the gorgeous fall weather.  It really felt more like summer today, it was in the upper 70's.         

Owynn and Oliver

  

Owynn

Oliver

all images are property of doubleotwins.com

Beginning Potty Training

I've been generally leaving the when of potty training up to John since he will probably end up with the brunt of potty training.  He's home with them every day, and plus they're all boys and Mummy doesn't have those parts.  We have one pretty basic straight forward potty seat.  We pulled it out today in hopes that the boys may be interested in it and to try to get them used to it before we really dive into potty training.  Well interested in it they were.  They fought big time over who got to sit on the potty seat.  They yelled, pushed, shoved, and cried big tears about who was sitting on the potty seat.  I have never seen them fight like that, it was definitely not the reaction we were expecting.  Apparently we are going to have to get a second potty seat sooner rather than later, because sharing one just is not going to work.  At least they are showing interest in it though.   

The Terrible Twos Are Almost Upon Us!

In just 3 & 1/2 short months the boys will be 2, I can hardly believe it!  And I can already start to see "The Terrible Twos" approaching.  The boys are slowly becoming more independent and trying to deal with all those crazy emotions they have.  One of Owynn's favorite words is "Mine!"   This morning he took a book right out of Oliver's hands, declared it "Mine!", and then lays down to read it.  (Well look at it, they aren't quite reading yet.)  Though Oliver is by far the bigger drama queen of the two; he's always been that way.

They are good at letting us know what they want, and then letting us know how they feel if they don't get their way.  Owynn insists on having naked time while I am getting them ready for bed, and is very upset if he doesn't get to run around that way for at least a few minutes before I put his jammies on.  They like to do things for themselves now too.  They help me get them undressed, and also put their shoes on and take them off.  The boys insisted on coming into the bathroom with me the other night, and while I was in there Owynn threw a bunch of their bath toys into the tub and then tried to take off his clothes.  He wasn't too happy when I said it was already past their bedtime and would take a bath this weekend.  

The boys are pretty good at sharing for the most part.  They do tend to fight over a single toy if they both want to play with it.  Although if one of them takes a toy from the other, we tell them to give it back to their brother, they usually do what we ask but you can tell they aren't too happy about it.  The one thing they refuse to share now is food.  Although, if I hand one of the boys two of something, they will bring the second one right over to their brother.  They each have to have their own now.  Like bananas, I used to be able to feed them one banana together, now they absolutely insist on having their own.  When we give them donuts (they think it's the best food ever!) they really want one to eat by themselves.  Unless they are in their highchairs and I am in the mood to deal with that giant mess, they usually just end up sharing one.

Stick with me here as I go off on a brief tangent to share some of their cute donut eating stories.
Sometime around the beginning of the year we had an almost empty box of a dozen donuts sitting in the laundry basket, on top of some clothes, with the whole thing sitting on top of the couch.  I went to the bathroom for like 2 minutes and I came back to find this:

          

(I love Oliver's face in this photo, he's the one in the background behind Owynn.)

A couple months ago John brought home donuts for everyone, and then was feeding them to the boys.  They boys got so happy and excited about having donuts that they came running over to me and gave me giant hugs.  John was like hey where are my hugs? 

Just last week John brought home some donuts.  I got them out and showed the package to Owynn and his eyes got HUGE and he just started SHAKING all over! OMG donuts, I am soooo excited! (Is what I imagine he was thinking).    

The boys are starting to throw tantrums already.  Oliver freaked out today when I tried to put him in his car seat (both going to and from the store).  Then when we got home he didn't want to go into the house.  He laid down outside the door and threw a fit.  Owynn seeing what Oliver was doing, then laid down and started copying his brother. Ugh!  On our way up the sidewalk I asked the boys to hold hands to keep them from running all over the place (this by the way is the cutest thing EVER) and when Owynn let go to climb up the step to the front door Oliver also started crying.  It really didn't help today though that they were both past due for nap time.  I have to say though, they were very well behaved while we were shopping in the store.  *knock on wood* and I am about to jinx myself here, there haven't been any breakdowns while grocery shopping.  I did take the boys to Barnes and Noble by myself last weekend, that did not go well.  That was my fault though, by the time we made it there after our other errands, they were very tired and ready to go home, and I didn't have the stroller with me.  

Overall though, the boys really are very well behaved.  But I can see the "terrible twos" creeping up on us, and will be here before we know it.  They are growing up so fast!

Holy Baby Talk Batman!

Apparently Owynn has decided he is ready to talk, because all of a sudden he is saying new words left and right.  Before he could say:

All done
More = Mo
Mama
Dada
Drink = Dink
Cracker = cracka
Mine

In the past WEEK or so Owynn is now saying:

Grandpa = Papa
Please = Peas
Door = Do
Hot = Haw
Cold = Co
Poop = Poop poop (he sounds adorably like Poof from the Fairly Odd Parents)
Hi
Bye Bye
Night night = Nigh nigh

When asked what a kitty says he says Maaaooow
When asked what a doggy says he says Woof woof
When asked what a monkey says he shakes his finger and says tsk tsk tsk (which is what the monkeys do in one of his favorite books, Caps for Sale). 
He also now holds his finger up to his lips and says Shhhhh (which he picked up from The Monster At The End of This Book).

Owynn is also working hard at saying his letters, he can say a few.  Dr. Seuss' ABC book is the favorite of both boys, we read it several times a day.  Our board book copy is pretty beat up already, it's been chewed, bent, and had food spilled on it.  I actually bought it while I was still pregnant with them.  When they get a bit older I plan on buying it in a normal paper page book.   

Oliver isn't saying nearly as much as Owynn at the moment, but he is further along in other aspects.  Oliver has gotten really good at climbing up and down the stairs upright holding the railing.  He loves numbers, we count things like crazy now.  He also is pretty good at figuring things out, and catches on really quickly.  The other day I asked him to bring me a diaper and he found one, but it was underneath his highchair (we use the small chair top ones).  He tried to pick it up but couldn't.  He stood there for a minute looking at it, then picked up his highchair and moved it, then brought me the diaper.  He knows how to work a smart phone, and knows what the mouse, mouse pad, and keyboard are for on the computer.  On my phone I have a radio app and a My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic sound bite app.  He can turn on my phone, slide the screen saver up, and navigate around to find exactly what he wants.  He knows what button turns on my in-laws TV, he also knows how to do it at home too.  Home is a bit more complex.  In the morning he will turn on the tv, the receiver for the sound system, then go and get the clicker for the cable box so either John or I can turn it on.  When we are getting ready to go out, Oliver will go up to the entertainment center and turn off both the tv and the receiver.  He is one smart cookie.

I find myself comparing the two of them probably more often than I should.  I have to remind even myself occasionally that even though they are twins, they are two totally different people.  They are fraternal twins which means that they came from two different eggs.  So they are like any other siblings, they just happened to be born at the same time (well you know, 2 minutes apart).     

Our House is Falling Apart

Early early Wednesday morning as we were getting ready for bed our toilet decided to EPICLLY overflow.  At least it was clean water, well you know, as clean as water can get coming from the toilet.  I was in the other room when I realized it was happening; and then it took a couple minutes for my brain to start working again.  We finally managed to get the water turned off, but not before it completely flooded our bathroom and absolutely soaked the carpet outside the bathroom.  John had to make a quick trip to the store for a plunger at 2am; I had thrown ours out when we moved cities.  We finally got it fixed though.  After that I was so wound up I decided to throw in a load of dishes because sleep wasn't going to happen any time soon.  Well then the dishwasher decided to break too.  It made these horrible horrible noises and sounded like it was trying to eat our dishes.  The plastic part at the bottom that moves and sprays the water just broke in two.  *ugh*

John's parents were so awesome in helping us deal with the clean up here.  They brought over our carpet cleaner so John could suction up all the water.  And John's mom took to boys for the afternoon so John could do clean up while I was working.  I have guilt sometimes about working so much and being away from home.  But I know John has a tough job too, staying home and taking care of the boys, he also gets the brunt of the housework. On days like these I feel bad for John with all he has to deal with at home and it seems like I have the easy job at work.  Although I'd be lying if I didn't say I have plenty of bad days at work too.  Parenting in general isn't an easy job whether working or staying at home.  Especially with two, but as I heard it put, having twins is like winning the lottery.  I wouldn't change it for the world.