Disasters and Sweetness

Instead of fill you in on all the stats and details of the last 7 months (yikes! Has it been that long?), I will present you with a short story and some pictures to capture what life is like with almost-2-year-old twins.

First, the story. We went to my mom's house for supper one night, and the adults were all sitting around the supper table. (The kids had already finished eating). Suddenly, we noticed the silence coming from the other room where the kids were supposed to be playing. Anyone who has kids knows silence is always the first clue something isn't quite right! I walk into the kitchen where the kids were, and there is Peter, blue marker in hand, scribbling on Mom and Dad's white wainscoting. Steve and I of course are fretting about getting this marker off the wall and scrubbing the wall (thankfully, the marker was washable), and in the meantime, no one is paying any mind to Joy. The next thing we hear is the sound of raisin bran cereal pouring onto the floor...the WHOLE BOX!

This is just one story of many disasters...including the time the kids raided the spice drawer, opened the turmeric (of all things they could get into, right?), and spilled it on the floor. Our white socks continued to turn yellow on the bottoms no matter how many times we washed the floor. There is also the flour disaster (pictured), countless cheerios disasters, diaper cream disasters, mascara disaster (on our comforter, no less), permanent marker disaster, let's-fling-around-our-poopy-diapers disaster, and probably more too.

Despite all that craziness, though, all it takes is one little kiss or hug between the twins to completely override any annoying-ness of the other stuff. What joy God has brought to our lives!

If you look closely enough, you can make out the little fingerprints and footprints in the flour...



Above is our attempt at an Easter family picture. HA!



Look Mom! I can get a snack anytime I want!



AND, the SWEETEST part of having twins: the smooches they give each other (too bad the picture doesn't capture the sound...that's the best part!)

Diaper Free Before Three? EC? We'll see...

So much has happened since the last post! But rather than spend this post trying to fill in all the details of the last 6 months, here are some highlights (the kids are ow 15 months):

• Peter's been walking since 11 1/2 mos. Joy is just now taking her first steps.
• The kids love to babble and sit and "read" books
• They say a few words...more, kitty, daddy, cheese (Joy), baby (Joy).
  
• Joy seems to be more interested in speaking and signing, and Peter seems to be more interested in banging and climbing! The doctor says this is typical.

Enough about that though, and on to the subject of this post! It all began when I heard about a few kids who had trained before age two, and it continued when I happened upon a book at the library called "Diaper Free Before Three". I read with interest, although skeptical that it might be a gimmick.

WHAT I FOUND OUT, AND WHY IT MADE SENSE TO ME:
In the book it gave the history of potty training, and discussed how potty training is done throughout the world (only Western countries use the "readiness" technique; the rest of the world does infant potty training, or some form of Elimination Communication--EC). In addition, children in the US are potty-trained later and later, largely due to disposable diapers and the fact that children aren't aware of their elimination patterns because they can't feel it. This is because disposables wick moisture away and keep the child feeling dry. American mothers used to do infant potty training since the pioneer days, and even in the 50's, a child who was trained by 18 months was considered a late trainer. Another reason children potty train so late now is because of the "readiness" technique, which was originally advocated by Dr. Terry Brazelton, who interestingly was supported by the Pampers Company. Basically Brazelton's readiness technique involves waiting for the child to show interest in the potty, squatting while defecating, pointing to dirty diaper, etc. But the issue with this is like I said. How can kids show readiness for something if they can't feel what they're supposed to be ready for? Learning the feeling of elimination can be taught to young children, just like learning that eating is done in a high chair, and sleeping is done in a crib. Sure, infant training would be a longer process, but in the end, the child is trained earlier, saving a heck of a lot of diapers! And giving the child the gift of being in tune with his/her own body.

MY OWN EXPERIENCE WITH EC SO FAR...HMMMMMMM...
Well, I admit, this idea sounds a little hippy dippy! And perhaps I'm a little overambitious with wanting to try it with twins. But I'm willing to pursue it, because I like the idea of becoming so in tune with my children, and because the idea of not having to wash as many cloth diapers sounds great! No wonder mothers trained their children so early in the pre-disposable age! Here is the problem though: there isn't much info about doing it with twins, and 15 months is considered to be a late start for EC. By this stage, the kids have already learned to go in their diapers, not the potty. Apparently there is a window at 6 months where it is easier to start EC.

I'm easing my way into this, just showing the hand sign for "potty" when I hear them grunting, observing elimination signals like staring off into space or shivering, and also allowing them to play with their potties, and occasionally setting them on the potty when it seems they are about to go. (No hits yet though!) I don't plan to force it on them, and of course, I'll give it a rest if they seem overwhelmed by it.

One day, I thought I'd allow them to play in the bathroom without a diaper since I knew they would be pooping soon, and I could just stick them on the potty. Well, I THOUGHT it seemed like a do-able idea at the time. But Joy was into something, and as I took it away from her, I heard a distinguished plop on the floor. When I went to grab Peter, he stepped in the mess, and tracked it further. In the meantime, I noticed a puddle of water forming at Joy's feet. AHHHHH! Somehow I had to keep both kids out of their messes while I tried to simultaneously draw a bath for them and clean up the floor! Whew! So, it's been a week since that time, and I haven't put either one on the potty again, even though I still try to make them aware of the potty hand sign and their grunting.

I view this as part of the learning experience, and I'm sure it would get better if I was consistent enough. But, I don't think they'll be going without a diaper completely for a very long time :). They will be wearing training pants at the VERY LEAST.

Excuses, Excuses--9 Months

I haven't posted here in a while because I'm either:

-cutting up baby food (no, we don't have to eat from a jar anymore! Just cut up soft things and let them feed themselves!)
-feeding hungry children who open their mouths like little birds whenever they sit at the table
-cleaning up mashed peaches from the dining room floor
-taking pieces of paper away from Peter and cleaning out his mouth afterward
-changing poopy diapers
-washing poopy diapers
-nursing 2 almost-20-lb babies
-getting moral support from other moms
-folding not-so-tiny-anymore baby clothing
-chasing after Peter, who now crawls to EVERYTHING he shouldn't be near
-watching Peter and Joy interact and touch each other's faces...they love peering at each other through the slats of their cribs
-tickling and playing with the kids (I'll do anything to hear their wonderful giggles!! Especially Joy, whose laugh is actually audible now, as opposed to a "Ernie-style" laugh...think Sesame Street :))
-practicing my clarinet to play for Becky's wedding in Seattle
-attending Becky's wedding in Seattle
-vacationing with Steve's family in Seattle
-trying to spend quality time with my husband
-surely there are other worthwhile excuses...

Smiles, Skirmishes, and Sitting

The title pretty much sums up the elapsed time between now and the last post (Peter and Joy are just about 8 months old now!).

SMILES: meaning both the act of smiling (our hearts still melt when we see each smile) and the new teeth behind them. Actually, Peter is the only one who has teeth, and we noticed that a top tooth (his third) just cut through since yesterday. Joy has no teeth, but she chews, bites, and sucks on everything as if she did! If they manage to get their hands on one, remotes and phones also make fun toys, but cleaning up spit-up on the hand set is NOT fun for mommy! Oh--and the smiles are even more lovely when their mouths are full of (and smeared with) peas and squash!

SKIRMISHES: Yes, we have officially had the first fight. Peter grabbed a toy out of Joy's hand, which resulted in a loud wail of distress. No doubt it's happened many times since then with Joy as the instigator. You can see in one of the pictures below how she basically has Peter pinned in a half nelson. We're sure this will be the last time something like this EVER happens, as we know our children will be perfect in every way! (I REALLY hope you could sense the sarcasm in that sentence!)

SITTING: The kids have basically mastered sitting without assistance. This results in Mommy being able to accomplish lots more while they're awake if she needs to. No crawling yet, but Peter has begun to rock on all fours, so it may be coming soon. But really, it would be quite alright if they didn't crawl for a long time yet!



Above: This was the view as I walked into the living room one day...





Above: Millenium Park
Above: First trip to Lake Michigan (South Haven)

Above: WWF bound?

6 Months: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Here is Take 2 on this post...somehow I lost it when I first tried last night. 6 Months today!

THE GOOD:
-I am still breastfeeding both babies successfully (and still loving my appetite...I've officially hit pre-pregnancy weight...it took a while to drop 60-plus pounds, but I did it!)
-Both babies keep smiling and laughing more and more! Peter's laugh is loud, sounds like a goat, and he sticks his tongue out when he does it. Joy's laugh was very quiet and sometimes would sound like she was hyperventilating, up until a couple days ago, when she had her first "real" out-loud laugh.
-It's garage sale season! I plan to clothe my children in all secondhand clothing with very few exceptions. And I don't think their clothes are any less cute than new ones!
-No allergic reactions to the solids we've been giving them
-Peter finally started to roll over a few weeks ago. Joy's still working on it.
-Peter can sit in the exersaucer for a LONG time and entertain himself
-Joy continues to break her own records for the longest amount of time without fussiness
-When the twins wake up from their nap, they don't cry for me to come get them very often anymore. Instead, they coo and make cute noises, and have great big smiles for me when I come get them. :)

THE BAD:
-Peter got his second double ear infection. I guess when he starts to act grumpy all the time, we now know that's our first clue (the kid doesn't complain much otherwise...)
-Only 1 day after I took Peter into the dr. (which also happened to be a Saturday), Joy began acting the same as Peter when he had his ear infection. The dr. recommended we take her to Urgent Care to check it out. And guess what? NOTHING! So much for our otherwise-free Saturday morning.
-We've stumbled upon one of those "periods of wakefulness" that they talk about in the baby books. More waking up during the night=no energy for mommy and daddy during the day. What happened to our 8 pm-7 am nights??

THE UGLY:
-The smell of poopy diapers now that the babies are into solids...
-Cleaning off poopy cloth diapers in the toilet. (But not for long! My handy dandy husband is adding a diaper sprayer to our toilet, so it will be a piece of cake!)
-My red bloodshot eyes after one of those "wakeful" nights.
-Snapping at each other when we haven't gotten enough sleep. It's amazing how everything is suddenly better in the morning again though...
-TWO babies crying at once--if I actually thought of it, I'd make a sound recording and play it back for them someday...(By the way, they don't both cry simultaneously very often, which is a GOOD thing).

THE IN-BETWEEN
-Whenever we go out in public, we've just learned to expect attention, questions from strangers, and stares. One thing that never ceases to amaze me, though, is the number of people who ask if our BOY/GIRL twins are identical! I am always patient when I answer, but if people would just think about the difference in equipment between boys and girls, they would be able to figure out the answer themselves...
-I hate to be unfriendly, but sometimes I just have to avoid eye contact when I'm in public if I want to get anything accomplished.
-Another question people ask is "Did you have to use fertility drugs?" or "Were the twins a surprise?" (which is basically an indirect way of asking the first question). Even though our twins were au naturel, I still get a little squeamish when people ask that. It's a highly personal question...a little like going up to a stranger and asking them if they take birth control. All that aside though, I always try to use that question as an opportunity to share our miraculous story and how God worked in our lives. So perhaps the people who ask that question are the people who God wants to hear about our story.

That's it for now. Below are some pictures from the last month or so.











Above: The Easter Bunnies are here!

Almost 5 months!

With the babies' 5 month "birthday" just around the corner, we are finding ourselves wondering how our babies have gotten so OLD! :) Although we have some challenging days, we are certainly loving parenthood even more than we used to! Both babies smile and laugh often, and are learning to use their voices. Sometimes this is cute, and sometimes it's NOT. Joy has learned to screech within the past couple of days, which was fun the first time, and not so much after that. When she screeches, we just wish she understood the word "no". Anyway, I suppose it is all part of the learning process, and understanding "no" will bring a whole new set of challenges! Regardless of the temporary annoyance, watching them interact with us has been precious. Click on the following links to hear Peter and Joy talk.

Video of Joy Talking

Video of Peter Talking

At the babies' 4 month doctor appointment on March 10, Peter weighed 15 lb 15 oz and Joy weighed 13 lb 10 oz. The doctor told us that at this point, it would be fine to end their 4 am feedings, and that they'd have to cry it out for a night. This was EXTREMELY painful to listen to, as they cried for nearly an hour, but the 2nd night, they slept through until 7:30 am. We felt like a million bucks when we woke up! Since we were already letting them cry it out at night, we decided to use the Ferber Method to put them down for naps and also at night. In a nutshell, the method involves putting them in their cribs awake, and then going in to comfort them (WITHOUT picking them up), after 5 or 10 minute intervals until they go to sleep. The following nights, the intervals increase each night until they learn to soothe themselves to sleep without crying. By the 3rd night, our lives had drastically improved, and by a week, the babies were basically pros.

We were also given permission to start solids, but to me 4 months seemed early for breastfed babies, so we are spoon feeding them rice cereal but holding off on fruits and veggies until 6 months or so.

We have thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful weather this March, and a long stroller ride has become a part of our daily routine. The babies (and mom) are so much calmer and more relaxed when they've had a healthy dose of fresh air. It just makes us all the more excited for summer!

Just Pictures...