Friendly Fare

We have enjoyed one of the most enjoyable weeks we've had in ages! Both boys were healthy and happy, which meant oodles and oodles of giggles and fun-filled days. As it turns out, we were also able to gobble up good food with friends on several occasions throughout the week.

Auntie T was brave enough to join the boys and I at a restaurant down the road. The owner was unbelievably kind enough to allow the boys to climb ALL over the place, exploring every chair, table, sofa, door, window, counter, nook & cranny!! It was really fun for the boys to try new foods and eat in a new environment (okay, that was fun for me, too) and SO nice for me to have such a good friend to make it possible for us to do something so adventurous! :) Dex- left, Jax- right.

Mid-week, we enjoyed a great evening with more friends. This was a milestone for the boys, as they got to sit at their first kids' table with their friend, M. Sure, the ants in their pants got the better of them, and they were soon scavenging for food at the grown-up table... but, it was absolutely adorable while it lasted... and definitely fun for all.


Jax- left, Dex- right.

Best post-meal activity? Definitely pulling ALL M's books of the shelves as quickly as possible! How fun! Good thing there were three toddlers to tackle such a task!

Jax- with T; Dex- with Josh

We also had another indoor picnic with Auntie T and her co-worker, Josh. This might have to become a regular tradition, because the boys just can't get enough of that drum set!!

Introducing...

...our new little social butterfly! Jax has been becoming SO much more social, lately! It has been so much fun for me to watch him with the children on on the playground and with people we meet running errands. He says hello to everyone and LOVES the attention he gets in reply! Last week, he my friends Jillian and Sophida visited and Jax was, once again, a little charmer. He was so enthralled with Jillian's pregnant tummy. When I told him there was a baby inside, he just had to keep touching her!! :) Luckily, Jillian was sweet enough to allow ten little fingers to investigate this hidden baby! Sophida taught Jax a new way to play the piano, too... with his bootie! Hmm... we'll see if this new technique catches on... Dex was a little charmer, too, of course. It just so happens, however, that I only have photos of Jaxon with the ladies.

All the kids are doing it...

How many munchkins does it take to balance a tire swing? Here are the boys with their pals and neighbors, T and H. From left to right, T, Jax, Dex, H. A little montage of the swinging sidekicks...

In the blood

Dex bangs away while Jax chomps his cookies... yum yum.
"Hey, Chad! Listen to this!"
Jaxon serenades Auntie T with one of his newest compositions.

The boys have always enjoyed music. This makes me SO SO SO happy. On a daily basis, they ask to play with the guitar, bang away on the piano, dance around to the stereo, bang away on one of their many self-made percussion intruments... or try to make a duet or trio out Mommy playing the piano and/or singing.

We had a great time visiting Auntie T the other day and playing around on a few of the instruments she's lucky to have right outside her office door! The boys even got to enjoy an indoor picnic lunch of veggie sushi, edamame and stir-fried pork... of course, their favorite part was the yummy cookies at the end of the meal! Mommy got to enjoy having a ratio of three adults (our buddy Chad was there, too) to two little rascals... what fun!

I'm sure many toddler enjoy music. I know this is nothing particularly unique to the boys, but I like to believe that they've also inherited this family love of music. Yesterday, as we were making the 40 minute drive to celebrate our niece's fourth birthday, we listened to an old mix CD I recently came across. Not sure what was on it, we all sat back to enjoy one surprise song after another. The boys played happily in the backseat as we listened to Billy Holiday, Duncan Sheik, Tony Bennet... and then, an old Latona's Thirst song came on. "Shhh..." D.R. whispered, "Let's see if they can tell this is Mommy singing." The boys stopped their playing and just sat and listened... intently. As soon as the song was over, Jaxon shouted, "More! More!" I thought perhaps he wanted the toy he had dropped, so I handed it to him. He threw it on the floor and kept shouting, "More! More" I tried turning the volume up on the next tune, but that was not good enough. FINALLY, I skipped the CD back to replay the Latona's Thirst song, and he happily sat back and began listening, AGAIN!

Now, I have no idea if they knew who was singing, or if they had some vague happy memory of all the music rehearsals they sat through in-utero, or if, perhaps, they were just fans of that particular song. But, it was the first time they had specifically requested to hear a song OVER AND OVER AGAIN (and we did listen to the same song for the entire drive!)... and I was tickled pink that it happened to be one of mine. Aah... :)

Water Painting

The boys have discovered the joy of painting with water. I have discovered the joy of having NOTHING to clean up! Woo-hoo! They think it is about the coolest thing ever to be able to dip their OWN paintbrush into their OWN dish of water and paint on their OWN cutting board. Dex is on the left; Jax is on the right."Hey, what sort of technique is that?""Hmmm.... I wonder what would happen if I stucl my paintbrush through this little hole...""Uh-oh..."

Jaxon thought he was pretty silly when he pretended his cutting board was a guitar. They had a music class earlier that day and, after thoroughly examining the shape of his cutting board, he initiated this pretend play all by himself! Of course, Dex was soon copying his brother and we had our own little cutting board guitar duet. As the only live audience member, I can report that it was, in fact, pretty good... considering it had never been rehearsed. Such impromptu little mock musicians! And there's Dexter, testing the limits AGAIN! :) Seriously, between the two of them, EVERYTHING goes in the hair these days.... spoons, forks, sticky fingers... paintbrushes...

What next?

Dare I ask? Both boys are recovering from another round of nasty, painful, puss-filled, double ear infections. They're averaging about one a month, now. Their April ear infections seemed to pass after a few days of TLC from Mom and Dad. The May infections, however, lasted so long that we finally broke down and brought them in to the doctor. The result: more antibiotics. I absolutely hate the idea of overmedicating... but, these little guys are having such a hard time kicking these infections. Jax was having fevers for seven days with this one... that's no fun for anyone.

So... in two weeks, Jax is scheduled to have ear tube surgery. The day after Jaxon's surgery, we'll be seeing an ENT to discuss whether or not to proceed with the surgery for Dexter, as well. I guess the boys just didn't like the idea of their sweet little cousin, Lainey, going through her ear tube surgery alone... so it will be the summer of ear tubes for the cousins.

The past week has been pretty tough. Two energetic little boys who are feeling rotten... four little hurting ears that make it hard to sleep... two tired parents who want SO BADLY for their boys to be feeling good and happy... not the best of combinations. :) To top it all off, we attempted an all-too-brief week-end trip to visit my parents, which fell smack-dab in the middle of two double ear infections... so our limited visiting was usually drowned out by our attempts to calm, comfort, soothe and remedy our Dexter and Jaxon.

Now, fully-medicated and one the road to recovery, our boys are back... full of smiles, giggles and rambunctiousness. We had friends over tonight and they spent the evening kissing, hugging, wrestling, playing and rallying for as much attention as they could get. Let's hope the rest of the week is as delightful as this evening!

My Happy Little Prisoners

Jax- left, Dex- right

Jax explores the empty box of fingerpaints and Dex decides a toothpick is a MUCH better way of touching the paint.
Both boys were far more interested in investigating the inside of the pot than in decorating the outside. Who would have guessed? Here's Jax trying to figure out why there's a whole in the bottom of the pot.
Dex, happily "painting" with his toothpick. I've discovered that he's not too thrilled with the idea of actually FINGERpainting.... so, as long as I have other interesting tools around, ie. toothpicks, paintbrushes, etc... he's a happy boy.

I was recently reading a post on another twin mommy site about the ins and outs of physically maneuvering twins. Getting twin babies (or toddlers) in and out of the house, or up and down the stairs, or in and out of the tub... can be more than challenging, at times. For the most part, though, you figure out a method that works for you and it becomes routine. Sure, we may have to leave 30 minutes in our schedule for me to get the boys to the car, but we're gonna get there! It was interesting for me to read this mom's post because I realized how much effort goes into such seamingly simple tasks. And, I forget that not all people realize how much skill (or practice) it takes for these things to become routine! :)

For me, it's getting the boys both dressed and out the door. Then, it's trying to keep both energetic toddlers from leaping, rolling or tumbling down the two flights of stairs outside our apartment door. THEN, once we're at the bottom of the stairs, it's keeping both boys within 20 feet of me!! We have two exits and there are playgrounds outside of each door. Yes, as luck would have it, they each usually head in opposite directions and I'm left chasing after these little tykes, scooping them up and racing to the car before they wiggle out of my arms. NOT EASY... though, certainly entertaining for passers by! Once we get to the car, there's the issue of reaching my keys. Usually, this involves having to put one of the boys down (and, you guessed it, chasing after him a few moments later) and placing the other little boy in the driver's seat so I can race after his brother. Negotiating the car seats is another issue altogether!

Luckily, we twin mommies usually have a really good sense of humor, a ton of patience and even more energy. We also have a few tricks up our sleeves, as the photos above demonstrate. One way I've been able to contain the boys for a good 10-20 minutes is by giving them art projects in their high chairs. I get to happily SIT in front of them, the happy observer, sipping my coffee (yes, art projects usually occur first thing in the morning... I NEED my coffee) and giggling at their creative explorations. What fun. Of course, there's always the clean-up... but it's so worth it.

A Twintimate Moment

The boys have always enjoyed babbling with each other and playing peek-a-boo, but their interactions have been getting cuter and cuter. This was a little moment that I was able to capture. There's a little hole in the wagon of the truck through which they enjoy peeking and poking at each other's fingers. Dex is sitting behind the truck and Jax is sitting on the floor.

My Brave Little Helpers

Though they used to be COMPLETELY TERRIFIED of this loud household device, both boys are now so very, very fascinated by the vacuum. Here is Dex, showing what a good helper he can be! Jax also enjoys helping, though dancing in front of the vacuum can be just as fun!

Defining the Space

The boys seem to get such a kick out of finding new and ununsual spaces to in which to play. Usually, the new space has to be too-small-for-Mommy and must involve a feat of climbing into, over, under or through to be reached. Favorites in weeks past include: boxes, laundry baskets, closets, under the kitchen table, cupboards, stairs and anything you can squeeze behind, it. behind the entertainment center, behind the couch, behind the fridge. This week's favorite is definitely the bottom drawer of their dresser. I tried padding the bottom with blankets, so as to avoid any splinters, but apparently, that destroyed its appeal. Blankets were promptly removed by four determined little hands and the drawer was, once again, the prime playspace.


Jax- green shirt and scraped nose! Dex- blue shirt

The Icing on My Mother's Day Cake

Last night, as we were giving the boys baths, I asked Dex if he would give me an eskimo kiss. As he was leaning in to rub noses, Jax jumped in front of him and beat him to the punch! It was the funniest little thing! We all started giggling. Then, I asked the boys to give each other an eskimo kiss, and they wrapped their arms around each other and, as they giggled away, rubbed noses.

For any mom, I think the first time they see their children do something new like this, it has got to be touching. For THIS mom, with all that we've been facing/worrying about in the past few months, this moment was priceless. To see both boys interacting with each other, laughing, following directions, eager to please and to participate in fun games... it was just the perfect end to an already great day.

Here are a few photos of our giant playdate last night! One with Mom and the four boys and one with the six surviving munchkins (we did lose one a few minutes into our babysitting job!). We discovered that a little snack was the perfect way to get ALL the children to sit still for a whole five minutes. AMAZING!

A few highlights...

It's Mother's Day and I can't help but think back to last year, when my mom, my sister (pregnany with her little guy) and my brother were all able to spend the week-end with D.R., the boys and me. Having family far away can be so hard, at times!

Today, however, I have a thoughtful husband (who is planning to cook ME dinner tonight... yipee!) and two little boys who are ALL ABOUT hugging and kissing Mommy. What a treat! Plus, thanks to D.R.'s brother and his wife, the two of us were able to go out to a movie last night and even hold hands! Again, what a treat!

Tonight, we are tackling our biggest babysitting gig to date... SEVEN children... TWO sets of boy twins... Of course, it will be a quick one... just long enough for the munchkins' parents to eat a rare undisturbed meal with precious conversation! :) I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we don't lose anyone!

Anyway, on this Mother's Day, I've been thinking about all the cute and adorable things that make me happy. Just for my own sake, I'll list a few:

- I think I've said this before, but Jaxon calls me Daddy. I think it's the cutest thing ever. Though, I'd love for him to call my Mommy... the fact that he has somehow rationalized the fact that he has two "Daddies," despite the fact that Dex and Daddy call me "Mommy," I find too cute to bear.

- The boys have begun a new fascination with airplanes. We'll be outside playing and all of a sudden, one of them will point to the sky with glee. After a squeal of delight, both boys will be pointing and dancing around, thrilled by this tiny little speck in the sky that seems to make a loud noise. I LOVE the fact that they're able to notice something so small, while as an adult, I tend to forget to look up and acknowledge these amazing planes flying overhead. It really is the little things, sometimes!

- Dex is learning so many new words everyday! He parrots almost everything he hears and will surprise us with new spontaneous words all the time. His comprehension is also improving. The other day, I was looking for my apartment key. After looking and LOOKING, I began ranting to myself, "WHERE ARE MY KEYS?!" Suddenly, Dex stopped playing, looked up at me and said, "Key?" He ran to the corner of the living room where he had apparently hidden my key in a tiny side pocket of their little backpack. Yes, Dex hides things EVERYPLACE...! At least, now I know he actually remembers where he puts things and will understand me the next time I'm looking for something that he has hidden!

- Jax is quite proud of the fact that he knows "Up" and "Down." He will frequently run up to me with a block or ball in his hands and, lifting the toy about his head, will announce, "UP!" Then, lowering the object, will shout, "DOWN!" I'll even hear him in his crib before bed, reciting, "Up. Down. Up. Down. Up. Down." Earlier this week, after seeing another child hanging from the monkey bars, Jax decided he ought to have a try. Thinking it wouldn't hurt to humor him, I lifted him up and let him grab a hold of the bar. He proceeded to do 10 complete chin-ups ALL BY HIMSELF!! Each time his chin would rise above the bar, he'd whisper, "up"... and then, of course, once completely lowered, would say, "down." So much to be amazed at! Not only does he have super-human strength (and, I suspect Dex does, as well) but he's fully grasping great little concepts and verbalizing them, too! Icing to the cake... when I put him on the ground, he looked at me and said, "Ma? Kee-kee?" (Translation: More? Monkey?)

Aah... so many things to be happy about. Now, since both boys are sleeping and D.R. is off studying, I think I'll go relish a little Mother's Day nap. :)

One of those silly moments

Just another reason to smile today...

A new kind of fun in the tub

One of the things I LOVE about being home full-time with the boys is doing fun projects with them. That is, once I get past the anxiety about how to keep two ranbunctious little toddlers focused on an activity for more than 5 seconds! The boys love to color, especially Jaxon, so I've really been wanting to start them on paint... but the thought of them trying to eat it, or putting it in their hair, or running around the house with paint-covered fingers has prevented me from trying it out. Last week, however, the thought occured to me that I could let them "paint" in the tub. I just used food dye in a tub of Cool Whip and we were good to go. The boys thought it was just histerical that they got to sit in an empty tub in the middle of the day. Of course, Jax thought "painting" was the coolest thing EVER. Dex, however, did not think sticking his little fingers in gooey-goo was a good idea... so he enjoyed being a spectator (and getting his tummy painted by Mommy). I was especially thrilled that they didn't once try putting it in their mouths... guess we'll try real paints next time!

My Little Ladies' Men

Dex and M get to share the joy of sitting on a lid. Oh, what fun to sit together on a lid!
We LOVE it when little friends come over to play! I realized, however, that almost all of the boys' friends are girls! Luckily, all of these little girls can keep up with the energetic twosome. :) We've gotten to babysit M a few times and we have so much fun with a little girl in the house. It's also fun to find ways of feeding three toddlers! Lucky for me, none of the kids decided to throw their food on this particular day... if anything, they all wanted to sit at the special Chair Table!

Summer is going to be so grand. We were out for a stroll this morning and saw other friends of ours setting up an inflatable wading pool. Before I could stop my speedy little munchkins, they were both plonked down in the middle of the pool, splashing away to their hearts' delight. Of course, they were COMPLETELY saturated- but it was the highlight of my day. Hmmm.. what adventures lie in store for us when they wake up from their nap?

Ja Ja and Da say good-bye to the girls

Our lovely neighbors with the adorable twin girls are moving this week... far, far away. I am going to miss having another twin mommy so close (what will I do?) and the boys are going to miss their double playdates. Here are a few highlights from our past two playdates. Interestingly enough, all four munchkins LOVE the piano... and what a great way to keep them all in the same place!

As for the title of this post... Dexter has started calling Jaxon "Ja Ja" (pronounced, Zseah Zseah) and Jax prefers to stick with "Da" for Dexter. They love chasing each other around and especially enjoy trying to steal toys from each other. Of course, this is usually just enjoyable for one of the boys at a time. :) I'll have to do another post filled with all their funny quirks and new tricks sometime soon. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy a few more photos.




Jax is in blue, Dex in red.

Here's Dex and the girls... too bad there's not room on the bench for all four!!

More fun with Granddaddy and Mimi

Granddaddy shows Jax that he likes to cuddle with woobies, too... even while having a cell phone conversation with Dex! Super Granddaddy!
Jax and Granddaddy get a good little snuggle.

Wake up, Granddaddy! I want to play!! (Dex)
After a busy morning outside, I ran upstairs to tidy up while Mom and Dad played with the boys. When I came back downstairs, this is what I found. I have never... NEVER... seen Dex and Jax "nap" outside of their cribs before. Grandparents really ARE amazing!

Good and Cuddly Downtime

Sights like this make all the recent chaos in our days so completely worth it. I feel like we're finally getting to a place where we have a sense of direction and purpose. There is now directed intent in the phone calls, emails, research...

A few of our developments on this new path we're taking:

- Jax is attending an ASD class twice a week. I'm still not convinced it's the right place for him. I could do a whole post on my concerns and reservations... but, until we find something better, it's SOMETHING. This morning, though, was tough. He started crying as soon as I tried to hand him to his teacher and she later informed me that he basically cried the entire 2 1/2 hours. At this point, given his very young age and a few of my other issues with the program, I am making it my #1 priority to find something else for him. Hopefully, soon...

- Both boys have started one-on-one speech and OT through the school district. It's not much.. about an hour a week... but it's a start. Sometimes, I get a bit frustrated with the suggestions we're given... they actually told me that one of the best things I could do would be to PLAY with the boys. Then, the OT actually wrote out a list of suggestions, including playing in boxes and singing songs. I didn't know what was worse... the fact that this was the sort of "intensive" therapy they were offering or the fact that there might actually be some parents out there who are not already interacting with their children like this. My #2 priority is either pushing the OT to take things up a notch or finding private OT for the boys.

I have fewer qualms with the speech, so far... though, I'm eager to find a private therapist to work with both boys. I know the boys are capable of SO much... it's just a matter of getting it out of them! :)

- I'm also trying to schedule in one-on-one time for me with each of the boys. This is definitely going to mean finally taking a few friends up on offers to occasionally watch one of the rascals. Honestly, I think this is going to work wonders for each of the boys... and it's going to be good for me, too.

- After doing much reading on the matter, we took both boys off of dairy (specifically, casein). Within 48 hours, we noticed such a difference. Jaxon, especially, has been unbelievably engaging. I never would have believed that nutrition could play such a role in behavior. It makes me wonder (at least, my hopeful side) if perhaps the developmental delays and symptoms of ASD were actually caused by physical discomfort?

We're seeing a development pediatrician this afternoon for Jaxon. I'm anxious to see what he is going to say. I've seen such progress in the past few weeks... I just want so much for someone to tell me that this has all been a big mistake. Aagh.

In the meantime, we do seem to be finding a balance. Emotions are starting to level. I still have that sense of urgency, but at least I feel like we're working toward something. And we're just oh-so-glad that summer is finally around the corner!