I went shopping with the little man this morning. Mom watched the twins for me while I redeemed the gift card I had won for losing the most weight during a monthly challenge at Herbal Magic. I went into the store and found a few items that I liked, picked out size 'M' in all only to discover that they were all too big. Wahoo. I really didn't think that I would ever be 'S' again. I also wanted to pick out a dress for my husband's work social this year, but all were too big. A problem that I am quite happy to have. I came home with a few new shirts to add to my ever expanding wardrobe. I now find myself changing clothes several times a day because I have so many. I went from having 3 pairs of pants to about 25. Thank goodness pants haven't changed too much in 5 years. Shirts, on the other hand, are a different story. All of my previous shirts are way out of style.
The baby was wonderful. He played very nicely with the clothes hangers. He did, however, pee through his diaper and on to me. But, at this stage, I am pretty used to being covered with all sorts of body fluids. I rarely even change after this happens. Just par for the course as a mom.
When I picked up the twins, they were flushed with glee. They had a fantastic time with Nan, doing all the crazy and wild things that they do there - hockey (inside and outside), gardening, watering plants, breakfast at Rolly's (with paper planes flying all over the restaurant into other people's food). We got in the door and they were ready to veg, allowing me time to feed the baby lunch and put away purchases that needed putting away before little hands got into it all.
Another great day around here.
10/15/09
10/14/09
Three
I have to say that I am thoroughly enjoying the age of three. The twins have been three for a few months now and I love it. After a great breakfast this morning where the twins chatted away with us about things only children think of, I said to my husband, "I love this age. I wish I could freeze it."
The twins now play together for extended periods of time. They are developing imaginations to facilitate their play. They can manipulate things to build trains and houses, or put together great puzzles (Thanks Aunty and Uncle). They can go outside and play in the sandbox, building roads and digging holes, loading the dump trucks. They even play with Play Doh for hours or turn cookie dough into dinosaurs and tools.
They have started to play dress-up. They, especially twin1, wear a variety of hats (Thank you Aunt) throughout the day, for days on end, or wear various uniforms pretending to be firemen, police officers, doctors, nurses, or veterinarians.
They can now take direction. Although sometimes they choose to ignore it. I can ask them to shut the door to make sure the baby doesn't escape and they are quick to respond with a "Whew, close!" They can help me put dishes away or bake bread. Twin1 loves to help clean and he is really good at it.
The first three years with twins were extremely trying, but now I feel as though the effort is starting to pay off already. My mom was just telling me the other day about when they were one and a half and would gang up on her and pinch her. Those days seem to be over.
The twins now play together for extended periods of time. They are developing imaginations to facilitate their play. They can manipulate things to build trains and houses, or put together great puzzles (Thanks Aunty and Uncle). They can go outside and play in the sandbox, building roads and digging holes, loading the dump trucks. They even play with Play Doh for hours or turn cookie dough into dinosaurs and tools.
They have started to play dress-up. They, especially twin1, wear a variety of hats (Thank you Aunt) throughout the day, for days on end, or wear various uniforms pretending to be firemen, police officers, doctors, nurses, or veterinarians.
They can now take direction. Although sometimes they choose to ignore it. I can ask them to shut the door to make sure the baby doesn't escape and they are quick to respond with a "Whew, close!" They can help me put dishes away or bake bread. Twin1 loves to help clean and he is really good at it.
The first three years with twins were extremely trying, but now I feel as though the effort is starting to pay off already. My mom was just telling me the other day about when they were one and a half and would gang up on her and pinch her. Those days seem to be over.
10/12/09
Life
Family dinner went off with out a hitch. Dinner was on the table by 4:30. Everyone brought great food. All was warm. We had laughs. The boys ran around and threw couch cushions like hooligans while playing with their uncles. The baby had a blast playing with all his extended family. And everyone was gone and the house was somewhat cleaned up by 7:30. What a great night. I got to go to bed by 8:30. Thanks everyone. We couldn't have done it without you.
Today was a blast. A beautiful fall day. My husband and Brother in-law took the twins golfing for the last time this year. They had a great time, but only lasted 4 holes because they were too cold. I should have sent them with gloves. I stayed home while the baby napped and drank tea. Me time, yah. Then we headed over to my parent's house for a wiener roast and smores. The twins really enjoyed cooking their own hot dogs and marshmallows. They cooked some with no intention of even eating them. Allowing them to hold the cooking sticks was a little scary, though. The baby had a blast crawling around outside trying to eat the plants and crawl into the fire.
Next, we headed home for the baby's nap. My husband planted some new trees that my mom gave us to give the back yard a little shade for next year. She gave us a Silver Maple that is already huge and an apple tree. Thanks mom and dad. While my husband dug holes, I attempted to clean up some of the garden for the fall.
When Andre awoke we headed over to my Aunts neighborhood to check out a tree that we were thinking of purchasing for more shade - an Empress Tree. It looks beautiful, has huge leaves, tulip flowers and is very fast growing. On the way back to our house, we decided to check out the salmon run. There were lots of salmon. Twin2 felt quite bad for the fish that were already dead. He kept saying, "Too bad. Fish broke. Too bad." Twin1 was not as concerned. We stayed there for 50 minutes. We headed home for dinner, a movie, and then put all the kids to bed.
What a great day. Oh, and no pee accidents!
Today was a blast. A beautiful fall day. My husband and Brother in-law took the twins golfing for the last time this year. They had a great time, but only lasted 4 holes because they were too cold. I should have sent them with gloves. I stayed home while the baby napped and drank tea. Me time, yah. Then we headed over to my parent's house for a wiener roast and smores. The twins really enjoyed cooking their own hot dogs and marshmallows. They cooked some with no intention of even eating them. Allowing them to hold the cooking sticks was a little scary, though. The baby had a blast crawling around outside trying to eat the plants and crawl into the fire.
Next, we headed home for the baby's nap. My husband planted some new trees that my mom gave us to give the back yard a little shade for next year. She gave us a Silver Maple that is already huge and an apple tree. Thanks mom and dad. While my husband dug holes, I attempted to clean up some of the garden for the fall.
When Andre awoke we headed over to my Aunts neighborhood to check out a tree that we were thinking of purchasing for more shade - an Empress Tree. It looks beautiful, has huge leaves, tulip flowers and is very fast growing. On the way back to our house, we decided to check out the salmon run. There were lots of salmon. Twin2 felt quite bad for the fish that were already dead. He kept saying, "Too bad. Fish broke. Too bad." Twin1 was not as concerned. We stayed there for 50 minutes. We headed home for dinner, a movie, and then put all the kids to bed.
What a great day. Oh, and no pee accidents!
10/10/09
Preparation for Family Dinner
My husband suggested we have a family dinner because the Turkey's were fresh. He intended to invite his parents and grandma and I to invite mine. We talked about this the weekend before on our drive down the valley to do some shopping. I don't know what hit me, but I immediately got on my cell phone and began phoning all my family in the immediate vicinity. Initially we began by telling people to come over for Turkey dinner and No we didn't need them to bring anything. In the matter of 15 minutes, much to my husbands belief or disbelief, I had invited 18 people - including our family. When my husband had done the final head count, we began thinking about the actuality of cooking for that many people, catering to a gluten free allergy, still caring for our 3 children, and the probability of exhaustion before anyone had even arrived.
The following day, while roasting pumpkin seeds, my husband and I brainstormed different dishes each family could bring to relieve some of the dinner stress and what we needed to get done around the house. Meanwhile, my husband looks over my shoulder and the pumpkin seeds are on fire. My husband tells me to do something about it. I opened the door and the flames rushed out the top. I quickly shut the door, looked at my husband and said, "I don't know what to do." He got up and took a look, while I ran downstairs for the fire extinguisher. As I ran down the stairs, I thought to myself, "I can finally get a new stove!." My husband, though, managed to put the fire out with baking soda before I had even found the extinguisher. The seeds were scorched, the oven was a mess, the house stunk, and twin2 was bug eyed with fright. We put the scorched baking sheet out on the lawn, opened all the doors and windows, sat back down at the table and finished planning. Over the next few days, we phone each of the families and they all agreed to bring a dish. Ya family.
Now with the organization complete, the cleaning begins. There is a definite bonus to inviting people over. All those little things that you have been putting off cleaning or getting done get finished. I don't think I had dusted in about a year, no wait - nesting, I dusted just before the baby was born. We had made a list, which now included the stove. Let the cleaning begin.
Before dusting could be done, I had to find the surfaces to dust. I have no idea where it all comes from, but I have crap. Piles of it. Little things that get brought in the house or get used and quickly put out of reach from little hands and either don't have a home or never get put away. I don't even have crap like some people have crap. I don't buy cheap dollar store/liquidation stuff and I don't collect anything (besides teapots). I don't even have a problem throwing things away. However, the crap continues to build up. So I started there. I pitched things, reorganized, found new homes, and put things away in every room of the house. Then the dusting could be done. Next, the windows. I thought that I could get away with doing this a few days ahead - Nope. The following day, I walked in to the living room to see twin2 helping me clean by washing the front window with a wet wipe. What a sweet little man. Needless to say, cleaning windows was re added to the list of chores.
The day before the dinner, my mother took the twins for the morning and allowed me to get the bathrooms cleaned and the floors/couches vacuumed. I still had the baby who was no help what so ever. He followed me into every room and ripped it apart behind me. He is in that curious stage and is mobile enough that he can now turn a room from clean to disaster in minutes. After the vacuuming was finished, I decided to give up on cleaning and finish everything else the morning of the dinner. As it was, the twins decided to play in the sand box that evening and traipsed sand throughout the entire house. Ya, I get to re vacuum everything too.
The following day, while roasting pumpkin seeds, my husband and I brainstormed different dishes each family could bring to relieve some of the dinner stress and what we needed to get done around the house. Meanwhile, my husband looks over my shoulder and the pumpkin seeds are on fire. My husband tells me to do something about it. I opened the door and the flames rushed out the top. I quickly shut the door, looked at my husband and said, "I don't know what to do." He got up and took a look, while I ran downstairs for the fire extinguisher. As I ran down the stairs, I thought to myself, "I can finally get a new stove!." My husband, though, managed to put the fire out with baking soda before I had even found the extinguisher. The seeds were scorched, the oven was a mess, the house stunk, and twin2 was bug eyed with fright. We put the scorched baking sheet out on the lawn, opened all the doors and windows, sat back down at the table and finished planning. Over the next few days, we phone each of the families and they all agreed to bring a dish. Ya family.
Now with the organization complete, the cleaning begins. There is a definite bonus to inviting people over. All those little things that you have been putting off cleaning or getting done get finished. I don't think I had dusted in about a year, no wait - nesting, I dusted just before the baby was born. We had made a list, which now included the stove. Let the cleaning begin.
Before dusting could be done, I had to find the surfaces to dust. I have no idea where it all comes from, but I have crap. Piles of it. Little things that get brought in the house or get used and quickly put out of reach from little hands and either don't have a home or never get put away. I don't even have crap like some people have crap. I don't buy cheap dollar store/liquidation stuff and I don't collect anything (besides teapots). I don't even have a problem throwing things away. However, the crap continues to build up. So I started there. I pitched things, reorganized, found new homes, and put things away in every room of the house. Then the dusting could be done. Next, the windows. I thought that I could get away with doing this a few days ahead - Nope. The following day, I walked in to the living room to see twin2 helping me clean by washing the front window with a wet wipe. What a sweet little man. Needless to say, cleaning windows was re added to the list of chores.
The day before the dinner, my mother took the twins for the morning and allowed me to get the bathrooms cleaned and the floors/couches vacuumed. I still had the baby who was no help what so ever. He followed me into every room and ripped it apart behind me. He is in that curious stage and is mobile enough that he can now turn a room from clean to disaster in minutes. After the vacuuming was finished, I decided to give up on cleaning and finish everything else the morning of the dinner. As it was, the twins decided to play in the sand box that evening and traipsed sand throughout the entire house. Ya, I get to re vacuum everything too.
10/9/09
Exhaustion - Part 2
The Twins cont'd
The twins were not good sleepers. For their first year, they were each up about 4 times a night. I never did manage to sleep through my Husband's feeding turn. Which meant I was up 8 times a night the entire first year. In their second year, we were up once or twice a night for each twin. I can count on one hand how many times they did sleep through the night.
Prior to my returning to work part-time, when they were 14 months old, we tried to sleep train. We had several nights of crying it out. Which really means that they cry so hard they never get to sleep and the lack of sleep eventually turns into a full blown cold. And a cold for us meant the possibility of a viral induced asthma attack, a trip to the hospital, ride in an ambulance and a few days of disgusting hospital food, no sleep, and a dent in the credit card. Needless to say, this method did not go over well with us. So we tried watering down their bottles - Nope. Putting water in their bottles - Nope. Using sippy cups, instead of bottles - Nope. It was easier for us to get up and get them a bottle a couple times a night, than to get no sleep.
At 18 months, both twins started climbing out of their cribs. We put a child lock on the inside of the door handle so they couldn't get out. This was the end of nap time for a few days as they discovered all the great things they could get into in the bedroom. Dresser drawers were emptied, closets were ransacked, and pictures were knocked off walls. Eventually, the closet doors were toddler proofed, top and bottom, and every piece of furniture removed except their beds. We installed a high shelf so that we could still have a fan and air purifier in their room. On that shelf, I stored some of the creams they needed for eczema, butt paste... One of these afternoons when they were supposed to be napping and I was ignoring the noises because I needed an afternoon break, they discovered they could throw their socks at the lotion on the shelf and knock it down. I opened the door after an hour to dis
cover two completely white children covered in butt paste, every rung on their crib, the carpet, everything was covered.
The twins were not good sleepers. For their first year, they were each up about 4 times a night. I never did manage to sleep through my Husband's feeding turn. Which meant I was up 8 times a night the entire first year. In their second year, we were up once or twice a night for each twin. I can count on one hand how many times they did sleep through the night.
Prior to my returning to work part-time, when they were 14 months old, we tried to sleep train. We had several nights of crying it out. Which really means that they cry so hard they never get to sleep and the lack of sleep eventually turns into a full blown cold. And a cold for us meant the possibility of a viral induced asthma attack, a trip to the hospital, ride in an ambulance and a few days of disgusting hospital food, no sleep, and a dent in the credit card. Needless to say, this method did not go over well with us. So we tried watering down their bottles - Nope. Putting water in their bottles - Nope. Using sippy cups, instead of bottles - Nope. It was easier for us to get up and get them a bottle a couple times a night, than to get no sleep.
At 18 months, both twins started climbing out of their cribs. We put a child lock on the inside of the door handle so they couldn't get out. This was the end of nap time for a few days as they discovered all the great things they could get into in the bedroom. Dresser drawers were emptied, closets were ransacked, and pictures were knocked off walls. Eventually, the closet doors were toddler proofed, top and bottom, and every piece of furniture removed except their beds. We installed a high shelf so that we could still have a fan and air purifier in their room. On that shelf, I stored some of the creams they needed for eczema, butt paste... One of these afternoons when they were supposed to be napping and I was ignoring the noises because I needed an afternoon break, they discovered they could throw their socks at the lotion on the shelf and knock it down. I opened the door after an hour to dis
cover two completely white children covered in butt paste, every rung on their crib, the carpet, everything was covered.
Soon, we transitioned to a toddler bed because we were afraid they would figure out how to get out their window. They did manage to open it on several occasions, but did not get the screen removed. Once in toddler beds, the evening bed time got pushed back farther and farther. We started sleeping in their beds to get them to sleep at a reasonable time, which often resulted in my husband falling asleep too. We thought we would slowly move out of their beds, closer to the door, so that they would fall asleep on their own - Nope. We tried just leaving and letting them scream - Nope. This resulted in endless screaming, lack of sleep, colds, viral induced asthma, hospital stays.... Soon we just put a twin mattress on the floor of their room and my husband slept their, or one of the twins would be brought into our bed to sleep. At some point, with my mother's help we weaned night time bottles and allowed only water. At least we no longer had to go get bottles in the middle of the night.
Somehow in the middle of all of this and with neither my husband or I sleeping together in the same bed together, we managed to conceive another child. With the birth of our third boy, my husband was now the one to take care of the twin's sleep, or lack of it. He pretty much slept on the twin mattress in their room for 6 months. With the arrival of summer, we decided to move our bedrooms downstairs to keep cool and have quieter sleeps. Now at 3 years old, one twin would sleep through the night about twice a week, but never on the same night. So, my husband continued to sleep in their room on a mattress on the floor. He wasn't too upset about this because at this time, our new baby began to never sleep. The twins were still having an afternoon nap each day, which meant they didn't go to bed at night until 9:30pm. I really didn't want the naps to end because I needed that time in the middle of the day to rest. One day, half way through August, my husband asked the twins if they would like their milk in a cup or bottle - yes, there were still drinking from bottles - they said, "Cup." We gave them their milk in a cup and quickly removed all bottles from the house that instant. They asked for a bottle a few times, but they were gone, so their was little protest. That day, they stopped napping in the middle of the day and bed time moved to 7pm. My husband still continued to put them to sleep at night by lying on the mattress in the room. My husband then had to work late a few nights, resulting in my having to put them to sleep. I was not able to lie with them because the baby was still awake, so they put themselves to sleep. A few nights later, we removed the mattress for good
At 3 years and 3 months, they regularly sleep through the night. Who new. No sleep training at all. Sometimes, they just know when they are ready. I wish potty training was that easy, but perhaps that is the problem - training. Maybe I should just let them do it on their own........
10/8/09
Exhaustion
I always thought I was tired and so busy before I had kids. Little did I know. I have not slept through the night in 4 years. I am not even sure that I could if I was given the opportunity. Thankfully, my parents have taken the twins overnight and given us that chance. Now that I am nursing, however, I can't ask my husband or my parents to take a night. It's all up to me. There are certainly aspects of nursing that I enjoy. Mainly the convenience of whipping out a boob any where that I am when the little man gets cranky. I don't have to find somewhere to warm a bottle, or bother with keeping it cold while out and about. But that is all for another time.
Sleep - yes, as a parent, sleep is a luxury. And don't tell me about how your child slept through the night at 3 weeks, or 5 days old. People who have kids who don't sleep do not want to hear stories about how other children slept through the night. I really don't want to hear it. What I want to hear is that I am not alone. I want to hear that you child was up multiple times a night until he was 4. That's what I want to hear.
The Twins
I don't care what parents of other twins say about the glorious days of having two babies simultaneously. It just isn't true. Sure there were definitely moments, although I can't remember them now because my brain has been fried from ammonia fumes from all the diapers, but mostly twin babies are plain work. The joy of parenting doesn't really begin for about 18 months to 2 years. Then the fun begins. Endless cleaning and guilt. Guilt that I am not able to hold both babies when they are crying. I remember one day that I sat and bawled, while my twins screamed at me. I was trying to feed both babies at the same time, but one kept falling off the pillow. Then when I got him on, the other would fall off the other side. Ahh. It sounds funny now, but the memory of it still makes me want to pull my hair out.
I haven't even mentioned the sleep. And my time is now up - the baby is now awake and the twins are starting to roam. I guess there will be a part 2 of this blog.
Sleep - yes, as a parent, sleep is a luxury. And don't tell me about how your child slept through the night at 3 weeks, or 5 days old. People who have kids who don't sleep do not want to hear stories about how other children slept through the night. I really don't want to hear it. What I want to hear is that I am not alone. I want to hear that you child was up multiple times a night until he was 4. That's what I want to hear.
The Twins
I don't care what parents of other twins say about the glorious days of having two babies simultaneously. It just isn't true. Sure there were definitely moments, although I can't remember them now because my brain has been fried from ammonia fumes from all the diapers, but mostly twin babies are plain work. The joy of parenting doesn't really begin for about 18 months to 2 years. Then the fun begins. Endless cleaning and guilt. Guilt that I am not able to hold both babies when they are crying. I remember one day that I sat and bawled, while my twins screamed at me. I was trying to feed both babies at the same time, but one kept falling off the pillow. Then when I got him on, the other would fall off the other side. Ahh. It sounds funny now, but the memory of it still makes me want to pull my hair out.
I haven't even mentioned the sleep. And my time is now up - the baby is now awake and the twins are starting to roam. I guess there will be a part 2 of this blog.
10/7/09
Words
I love all of the new words that the twins are learning.
Twin2's favorite phrase right now is, "Later, mom." And he doesn't just say it, he says it with attitude, "Laater, muum." Like he is trying to tell me to leave him alone and give him some space. Another one from Twin2 is, "OOkaaay, Mum." I have no idea where they pick these things up. I don't talk to them like that. And the few TV shows they watch don't have characters that talk like that. I have no idea. A new one that I heard today from twin2 is, "Yup." Not, yes or yah, but, "Yup." To the opposite of that, he has also added, "Nope," into his repertoire.
Twin1 isn't quite as quick to pick up on new words, or slang. But one that I hope I never forget is that he now calls me, "Mumma." I love it. It sounds so old fashioned, but so genuine.
Both the boys say I love you the same way, "La, La."
If you ask twin2 his name, he replies with, "me." Although, my sister says that he clearly told her his name on the phone the other day when she asked who she was talking to. Twin2 has also added a new pronoun into the mix - us. He asked twin1 and dad to wait for him and I, "Wait us." I love it. The 2 or 3 word sentences.
As with many twins, however, the sign language that they develped at such an early age has not disappeared. They still manage to communicate the most complicated plans with just a few gestures. They were trying to teach their cousin to throw a ball the other day with just gestures and the cousin didn't get it. Their gesture language is all their own.
I wish I had a recorder to capture all of these great first, and sometimes I wish last - especially the attitude, bits of verbiage.
Twin2's favorite phrase right now is, "Later, mom." And he doesn't just say it, he says it with attitude, "Laater, muum." Like he is trying to tell me to leave him alone and give him some space. Another one from Twin2 is, "OOkaaay, Mum." I have no idea where they pick these things up. I don't talk to them like that. And the few TV shows they watch don't have characters that talk like that. I have no idea. A new one that I heard today from twin2 is, "Yup." Not, yes or yah, but, "Yup." To the opposite of that, he has also added, "Nope," into his repertoire.
Twin1 isn't quite as quick to pick up on new words, or slang. But one that I hope I never forget is that he now calls me, "Mumma." I love it. It sounds so old fashioned, but so genuine.
Both the boys say I love you the same way, "La, La."
If you ask twin2 his name, he replies with, "me." Although, my sister says that he clearly told her his name on the phone the other day when she asked who she was talking to. Twin2 has also added a new pronoun into the mix - us. He asked twin1 and dad to wait for him and I, "Wait us." I love it. The 2 or 3 word sentences.
As with many twins, however, the sign language that they develped at such an early age has not disappeared. They still manage to communicate the most complicated plans with just a few gestures. They were trying to teach their cousin to throw a ball the other day with just gestures and the cousin didn't get it. Their gesture language is all their own.
I wish I had a recorder to capture all of these great first, and sometimes I wish last - especially the attitude, bits of verbiage.
10/6/09
Handy Man
I had a great weekend. The handy man arrived and started working on a few things around the house. I love this guy. He'll do anything I ask him to do. And if he doesn't know how, he tries it anyway. It may take him a few attempts, though.
He helped paint and grip the front and back steps. He finished ripping out the plywood from the soon to be baby's room. And he even began framing the walls. All of this while letting the twins help out with small projects like hammering or washing the stairs.
He even helped me put out the fire in my stove when I attempted to roast pumpkin seeds.
What a great guy - plumbers crack and all.
He helped paint and grip the front and back steps. He finished ripping out the plywood from the soon to be baby's room. And he even began framing the walls. All of this while letting the twins help out with small projects like hammering or washing the stairs.
He even helped me put out the fire in my stove when I attempted to roast pumpkin seeds.
What a great guy - plumbers crack and all.
10/3/09
Toddler Hair Cutting Tip
I refuse to spend $10-20 on haircuts for the twins, so I decided I would give it a try. I've watched my hair get cut 1000's of times. Should be easy.
It took a couple of tries, but I now think that I have an okay technique down. I get things pretty even. My boys do have wavy hair, though, so I have a little forgiveness.
The trouble, however, lies in getting the child to sit still for long enough to get the cut done. The first few times, the cut ended up spanning over a few days. I tried putting them in a chair with a favorite toy. I tried a favorite treat - which they do not get very often at all. I have now discovered an even easier way that invovles no bribery. Place the child on the potty, in front of the TV, with some milk. This works wonders. I managed to get some pretty good cuts out of the twins using this method.
So, I decided to try this out on my nephew who I watch on Tuesdays. He was suffering from a very uneven cut. He truly hates to get his hair cut and like the twins, the last time he had his hair cut it took a few attempts, people, and bribes. Also, I wanted to see how my hair cutting techniques faired on straight hair.
I sat him down on the potty (he is not potty training yet, but has shown some interest since his cousins are training), put on a new movie, gave him some milk and went at it. He didn't last as long as the twins, but I did manage to get things evened out. I didn't account for a slight cowlick in the front, but all in all an okay job I thought.
Now, what am I going to do when they refuse to sit on the potty in front of the TV?
It took a couple of tries, but I now think that I have an okay technique down. I get things pretty even. My boys do have wavy hair, though, so I have a little forgiveness.
The trouble, however, lies in getting the child to sit still for long enough to get the cut done. The first few times, the cut ended up spanning over a few days. I tried putting them in a chair with a favorite toy. I tried a favorite treat - which they do not get very often at all. I have now discovered an even easier way that invovles no bribery. Place the child on the potty, in front of the TV, with some milk. This works wonders. I managed to get some pretty good cuts out of the twins using this method.
So, I decided to try this out on my nephew who I watch on Tuesdays. He was suffering from a very uneven cut. He truly hates to get his hair cut and like the twins, the last time he had his hair cut it took a few attempts, people, and bribes. Also, I wanted to see how my hair cutting techniques faired on straight hair.
I sat him down on the potty (he is not potty training yet, but has shown some interest since his cousins are training), put on a new movie, gave him some milk and went at it. He didn't last as long as the twins, but I did manage to get things evened out. I didn't account for a slight cowlick in the front, but all in all an okay job I thought.
Now, what am I going to do when they refuse to sit on the potty in front of the TV?
10/2/09
Parenting or Cultural Differences?
Go Go go. I have been moving at hyper speed this morning. I feel jittery and shaky with all the go go go. But, Ah, the afternoon calm has arrived. I get at least an hour of down time.
This morning I witnessed something that I found interesting. I have been taking my kids to Strong Start, this great parent supervised, preschool like program at the elementary school. And through this program have had a chance to witness other parenting techniques. This morning I witnessed one that made me wonder.
I had suggested to one of the twins to get a puzzle out for us to put together because the toys we were playing with had attracted so many other kids that I decided the enforcement of turn taking was now some other parents job. As we got the puzzle ready, I smelled a poop and took twin1 to the bathroom to clean him up. While we were in the washroom, another mother came along and started working on the puzzle herself. Her 2ish son was with her, but she very obviously wanted to complete this puzzle herself and kept telling her child to wait, or would take the pieces out of his hands and try them herself. I observed this and since it was a puzzle that we had initiated, I grabbed some pieces that would fit together and gave them to the twins to put together. They very quickly put them together and were ready to move on to other sections. As they picked up a piece and attempted to put it in place, the other mother tried to grab the piece from them and put it in herself. Meanwhile her own son was still hanging around attempting to help with the puzzle. The other mother quickly got frustrated with the puzzle after watching the success the boys were having and backed off. The twins now had full access to the puzzle. They began to put the rest of the puzzle together with a little guidance from me saying things like, "There is yellow. Do you see some other pieces with yellow?"' The other mother over heard this, realized that this was another way to complete the puzzle and rushed over to grab up all the yellow pieces and start putting this in to place. As the twins put the final pieces into place because I had swiped them and was now handing them to the twins, the other mother's son picked up one of the already together pieces and put it back in looking for some encouragement from me. Which I gladly gave. Now I well tell you that this other mother was of a different ethnicity and seemed to be new to Hope, or perhaps Canada. So I was wondering, did I just witness another way of parenting that I was not used to seeing, or was this a mother who was trying to learn somethings herself, or a culturally different way of spending time with your children?
I had a great morning with the twins: playing hockey, reading books, doing puzzles....It was really nice to be there interacting with them. My mom very kindly watched the baby while he napped.
This morning I witnessed something that I found interesting. I have been taking my kids to Strong Start, this great parent supervised, preschool like program at the elementary school. And through this program have had a chance to witness other parenting techniques. This morning I witnessed one that made me wonder.
I had suggested to one of the twins to get a puzzle out for us to put together because the toys we were playing with had attracted so many other kids that I decided the enforcement of turn taking was now some other parents job. As we got the puzzle ready, I smelled a poop and took twin1 to the bathroom to clean him up. While we were in the washroom, another mother came along and started working on the puzzle herself. Her 2ish son was with her, but she very obviously wanted to complete this puzzle herself and kept telling her child to wait, or would take the pieces out of his hands and try them herself. I observed this and since it was a puzzle that we had initiated, I grabbed some pieces that would fit together and gave them to the twins to put together. They very quickly put them together and were ready to move on to other sections. As they picked up a piece and attempted to put it in place, the other mother tried to grab the piece from them and put it in herself. Meanwhile her own son was still hanging around attempting to help with the puzzle. The other mother quickly got frustrated with the puzzle after watching the success the boys were having and backed off. The twins now had full access to the puzzle. They began to put the rest of the puzzle together with a little guidance from me saying things like, "There is yellow. Do you see some other pieces with yellow?"' The other mother over heard this, realized that this was another way to complete the puzzle and rushed over to grab up all the yellow pieces and start putting this in to place. As the twins put the final pieces into place because I had swiped them and was now handing them to the twins, the other mother's son picked up one of the already together pieces and put it back in looking for some encouragement from me. Which I gladly gave. Now I well tell you that this other mother was of a different ethnicity and seemed to be new to Hope, or perhaps Canada. So I was wondering, did I just witness another way of parenting that I was not used to seeing, or was this a mother who was trying to learn somethings herself, or a culturally different way of spending time with your children?
I had a great morning with the twins: playing hockey, reading books, doing puzzles....It was really nice to be there interacting with them. My mom very kindly watched the baby while he napped.
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