February 25, 2010, at 9:44 pm | I’m feeling much better today. It’s amazing how good it feels to feel good again. Thanks for your well-wishes and support. I think the girls are happiest of all that I’m back to normal. When I spent yesterday lying on the couch with my eyes half-shut, Susie kept coming up to me at eye-level and saying, “Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi!†as if she was trying to rouse me from my sickbed with the sheer force of her cheeriness. Becky eagerly obeyed my requests for her to bring me pillows and blankets. Maybe she’ll make a good nurse one day…or a good flight attendant.
Anyway, we’re all smiles now! Here’s Becky’s smile:
And Susie’s smile:
I’ll spare you a picture of my smile, since I still have the complexion of a ghost and my hair looks like it hasn’t been brushed in 18 months…which is about right. But trust me, I’m smiling!
February 24, 2010, at 9:36 pm | Problem: How do you get the last bits of yogurty goodness out of a yogurt cup?
Solution: Easy! Use your fingers!
Here’s Becky displaying the proper technique:
I’m still under the weather today, but feeling stronger every hour – that is, until I try to eat. This definitely wasn’t the weight-loss plan I had in mind!
February 24, 2010, at 11:19 am | My new definition of “Anarchyâ€:
What happens when Mom gets a stomach virus.
I’m feeling slightly better today, so hopefully I’ll be able to reign in some of the girls’ rampant destructive tendencies. Otherwise, I don’t know if this house will still be standing when Jim gets home from work!
February 22, 2010, at 9:01 pm | My stomach was feeling a little funny today and the girls were irritable at times, so we kept our activities fairly low-key.
We did a lot of this:
And a little bit of this:
And a little bit of this:
So today may not have been the most edifying time we’ve spent together, but we made it through. I’ve always said that everyone needs a couch potato/funky headwear day once in a while.
February 21, 2010, at 10:19 pm | All is well in Susie-land. She slept all night and kept everything down today, so I’m praying this was just a brief virus that has run its course and run away…far, far away. I’m not convinced that Becky is in the clear, since she hasn’t eaten much the past few days and her appetite is normally as dependable as Old Faithful. Hmm…maybe I shouldn’t use that simile, since I’m trying to forget images that involve periodic spewing.
On a brighter note, I love watching the girls become more and more grown-up in the ways they interact with each other and me. The last few days, Becky has started to nod her head to indicate “yes†and Susie has started to shake her head to indicate “no.†I could probably extrapolate some personality characteristics from those developments, but I’ll refrain for now. They’re getting better at following instructions; I can ask Susie to pick something off the floor and put it in her little toy trash can, and she will oblige, although not without a detour if something else catches her eye. Becky is thrilled to put away toys and books when I inform her it’s clean-up time, and today she even voluntarily pulled down a dish towel to mop up a puddle she made when she dropped her cup. I proudly applauded this behavior, as it’s one I definitely want to reinforce.
I’m working with them to try to learn how to sort and stack blocks and shapes, but right now, they prefer just to move them around. They like to line them up:
and knock them down (the blur in the picture below is Becky’s hand moments before she swept those unsuspecting shapes into oblivion):
and put them inside purses:
and then walk around with the purses (note the necessity of wearing TWO purses at a time):
Tonight, Becky had her own unique take on the purse walk. While wearing a backpack and eating a cracker, she filled two baskets with various and sundry items, and then used them as purses to complete her look. I suppose the “look†she was going for was a hiker/hungry grocery shopper. I think she pulls it off quite well!
These girls definitely have minds of their own!
February 20, 2010, at 10:12 pm | Well, I was planning on posting a photo tonight of the girls eating happily at our favorite Chili’s restaurant. Unfortunately, I never took such a photo, because we never made it to Chili’s. In fact, we never made it out of the house. Susie came down with a stomach bug late this afternoon, so instead of stuffing my face with chips and salsa as I had hoped, I’m stuffing load after load of laundry in the washing machine. We’ll see how she does tonight. I’ll keep you all posted!
February 19, 2010, at 9:43 pm | The girls had their 18 month check-up today, and although they emerged from the office indignant at being forced to undergo an examination and vaccination, I emerged pleased at being the mom of two healthy toddlers. The doctor was happy with all aspects of their development. Susanna weighed in at 20 lbs. 5 oz and measured 32 inches, and Rebecca weighed 22 lbs. 14 oz. and measured 31.5 inches (although I suspect that either Susie stretched out her legs or Becky was slouching, because Susie is definitely not taller than her sister). The doctor wants me to call him in three months to report on their expressive language acquisition, just to ensure they are hitting all the appropriate milestones, but other than that we don’t have to return until they are two years old. Two years old! Is it possible that I will be the mom of two TWO year-olds? I’m so thankful that my little peanuts are turning into…big peanuts! What’s bigger than a peanut? Does that make them Brazil nuts? In any case, they’re nutty alright!
Becky (on left): “I’m looking at the fish tank at the doctor’s office and smiling because I have no idea what’s coming next. Ignorance is bliss!â€
February 18, 2010, at 10:26 pm | We took the girls tonight to Jim’s grandmother’s assisted living facility to attend an informal concert by an Elvis impersonator. The girls boogied and wiggled their way through the performance. They weren’t crazy about the slow ballads, but they loved clapping along to the fast-paced songs. They were happy campers until the end of the show when we took them up to meet the King of Rock and Roll.
I’m not sure they appreciated Elvis’ love of gaudy jewelry. Or chest hair. At least they liked his music!
February 17, 2010, at 10:16 pm | The last few times I’ve taken the girls to the library, I wasn’t brave enough to take them out of their stroller; I had figured we were all better off with them restrained. Today, however, I wanted them to run off a little steam before their afternoon nap, so I took a deep breath and let them loose in the children’s section at the library.
First, they marveled at the large stuffed animals:
Next, they made themselves at home on the furniture:
Then, they attempted a puzzle:
Then, they emptied a bin of Legos:
Finally, they picked up a book:
They may not have spent much time reading, but the girls sure enjoyed their time at the library!
February 16, 2010, at 10:57 pm | We received a significant snowfall here today (although not that significant compared to other portions of the country lately). It started snowing early this morning and simply didn’t stop all day. Since I didn’t have to leave the house at all, I was able to sit back and enjoy the scenery outside.
It really was a beautiful sight to behold.
I contemplated bundling up the girls and taking them out to play, even though the last thing I wanted to do was go outside in the cold. I didn’t want to be accused of depriving them of the joys of winter fun, just because I’m a stick-in-the-mud (or more precisely, a stick-in-the-house).
I decided to open up the door and see if the girls were interested in the cold wet stuff outside. If they displayed an eagerness to explore, I would get them suited up and out we’d go. Fortunately for me, they shared my preference for viewing the snow from afar. They stopped a few feet from the open door and stayed there. Susie in particular wanted to tell me about the snow, all while keeping a safe distance from it. Here’s a video clip of her description. I find it especially endearing because she very rarely engages in such vociferous conversations with me. I suppose she finds the snow inspirational!
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ABOUT US I'm blessed to be saved by the grace of God, loved by my wonderful husband Jim, and embraced by my twin girls, Rebecca Faith and Susanna Joy and my sons Jimmy and Danny. I started this blog in May 2008 when I was hospitalized for pre-term labor at 24 weeks gestation. The Lord allowed me to keep the girls inside until they were 34 weeks along, and on July 27th, Rebecca made her debut, followed by Susanna, five minutes later, on July 28th. We ecstatically welcomed Jimmy into our lives on April 25th, 2011, and Danny on August 31, 2012. This blog has been a personal journal of faith and motherhood and the only way I can remember which child did what and when. Thanks for stopping by to share in my Faith and Joy! Feel free to e-mail me at: [email protected]. |
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