Fathers Day Weekend

This was technically hubby's 3rd Father's Day since we got pregnant. 

We started the weekend with a little splish splashing in the kiddie pool .

And, then we went to the park.  The kids LOVE to swing and slide.

This is one of my favorite photos from the day.  They are truly BFFs:

Sunday, we went to my BIL house and spent the day with my husband's family.  The kids had a blast playing with their cousins and were so exhausted when we got home.

The weekend also brought some new words from the kids.  Christopher started saying "Dot dice" (not nice) and "Stop It" while shaking his finger.   At least the kid knows when stuff bothers him, I guess.   Kendall now knows 2 colors (yellow and purple) and I think she's up to 50 words in her repertoire.

What to do when your 20 month old twins are smarter than you

I never thought it would happen this soon.

I’ve suspected it for the last few months but it became apparent this past weekend.

My kids are smarter than me.

(You’re probably thinking, “Duh”! After all, they did outsmart me by locking me out of the house last week).   Look below for that post.

My kids began learning sign language in their daycare as soon as they started in January. Something, I’m guessing, that is probably done in a lot of daycares. After a few weeks, they started using the signs at home. I quickly realized I was ill equipped so I briefly brushed up on some of the more common signs like “More”, “All Done” and “Please”.

I delighted in the fact that I was being a good mom. A smart mom.

How smart am I that I can now communicate with my kids? I learned sign language (albeit 3 signs, by hey! It’s more than I knew last year)!

Saturday, I was putting the kids down for a nap and out of the blue, Kendall started saying “Daddy” and put her thumb to her forehead with her fingers extended. And then she said “Mommy” and put her thumb to her chin with her fingers extended. She did it several times and I thought to myself, “Are those the signs for mommy and daddy”?

After I left their room, I went straight to the computer and looked it up. Sure enough, she was signing!

And, I felt like an idiot. My 20 month old knows more than I do!

Kendall easily has 30 actual words in her vocabulary now. Those are the legible ones – I’m sure she has more that I just can’t understand. Christopher is not quite as linguistic (he’s more concerned with tackling the cat and jumping from the ottoman to the couch. Who has time for stupid words)?

(By the way, don’t you hate not understanding the “jibberish”? The kids will be talking to me and all I can do is shake my head and say, “Uh huh”. And, they look at me like they are thinking, “Look stupid. The question wasn’t a yes/no question. I require the answer to be in full essay form so I can gauge your comprehension”).

Then, I started to freak out a little. What if the kids have been talking to us the whole time and we’re too stupid to understand because we don’t know sign language?

What if she’s telling me she wants to be a doctor and I’m across the room eagerly waving back at her saying “Goodbye to you too”.

During the weekend, I also noticed that Kendall kept repeating what sounded like “Abbo”. I thought she already knew “apple” because she says that when she sees a picture of one. Is she saying “apple” and I’m misunderstanding?

What in the world is she saying?!

I asked the teacher when I picked them up Monday afternoon and she said, “Oh, she’s saying sapo. It’s Spanish for frog. I sing a song about sapo”.

Just like that, the teacher knew. And, I didn’t.

Stupid mommy. Now my kids know Spanish too?!

The 6 years of French that I took isn’t looking like a smart idea right about now.

I’ll be signing up for Toddler 101 in the fall so I can be as smart as my twins!

Ohhhhhpen the door!

We keep a pretty tight schedule in the morning.
DH gets the kids up at 5:10 am while I jump in the shower.
He feeds them breakfast and gets them dressed while I get ready for work.
And, 3 times per week, he goes to the gym at 6:00 am.
Between 6 and 6:30, I finish getting ready, pack my lunch, make my coffee and we’re out the door no later than 6:40.

Sounds pretty routine, right? It is.

Until this morning.

I always take my stuff to the car first (purse, laptop, supplies for daycare) and then come back in the house to get the kids.

I did the same thing this morning. Except, when I tried to come back in the house, the storm door was locked.

With both kids staring at me through the glass.

I kept pulling on the door hoping, just hoping, that maybe it was stuck?

“Oh, who am I kidding? The damn door isn’t stuck. One of the kids just locked me out of the house”!

Christopher! Turn the lock. Tuuuuurrn the looooccckkkk. C’mon buddy. Be a smart boy! Just reach up and turn the lock.

Kendall! Open the door, sweetie! Ohhhhpen the dooorrrrrrr.

My mind starts racing.

My neighbor has a key but not to the storm door.
Are there any other doors open? No, of course not because I just walked through to make sure everything was locked.
If I call DH, will he answer his phone? Probably not. Who carries a cell phone with them when they are at the gym?

OK. Worst case, DH will be home in 30 minutes. Oh good God! Can I really sit on the front porch for 30 minutes and watch the twins destroy the house without being able to do anything about it?

Meanwhile, the twins are getting restless. Christopher is just staring at me, nose pressed against the glass with this look like, “What in the world are you doing? Why aren’t you coming inside”?

Kendall is getting upset and starts crying. She doesn’t understand why I’m playing this game.

“Stop your crying”, I snap. “I’m the one that’s locked out!”

Ok, think Suzanne. Think.

I look at the kitchen window. It’s a box window and the bottom of it sits just above my waist. I know the one storm window doesn’t quite lock all the way. I wonder if I can pry it open from the outside?

I worked my fingers around the edge and one corner starts to give a little.

And, then I pry it open just enough to get my fingers in. And, WHA LA!

It slides up and I’m staring at an open window!

OK, that’s great but, how am I going to climb in? I looked around the front yard and briefly thought about pulling my car into the front yard so I could stand on it.

Because THAT wouldn’t attract ANY attention.

Finally, I see a flower pot. The flower pot that I totally wanted to plant flowers in but instead, it’s growing a nice, lush clumping of weeds.

I flipped it over and tried to stand on it. Well, teter is a better word.

Like a circus bear on the high wire.

And then I think to myself, “Really? You pick TODAY to wear white pants”? Seriously.

I fling my left leg over the window frame and for about 10 seconds, I’m standing there straddling the window.

I can’t believe I’m doing this right now.

I’m able to touch the kitchen floor and I hoist myself up and into the kitchen.

Tah Dah! And for my next trick…..

And, just like that, we’re back on schedule and in the car by 6:45.

Don’t mess with a Mama of twins. We know how to keep things rolling without missing a beat!

Am I Too Cool For A Mini Van?

I grew up in a normal, middle class family. We weren’t rich but I always had everything I needed. We lived in a nice, colonial-style house with 5 bedrooms and 3 baths. It was a nice house.


Our family cars on the other hand? Not so much.

My parents always seemed to buy cars that were THE most embarrassing. The first was a white Pinto. It was a fun car at first. Until I was old enough to understand the countrywide recall.

Oh, c’mon. You remember! The one that said Pinto’s can catch on fire if hit from behind?

Ooh yeah. Between the ages of 7 and 10, I was terrified to ride in the backseat. Thankfully, my younger sister joined the family and we outgrew that piece of crap.

So, my parents upgraded. To a Cavalier station wagon. Seriously.

And, at first that was a fun car because what kid doesn’t like to ride all the way in the back without any type of restraining device?

Then I realized that a station wagon wasn’t a cool car. And, all of my friends’ families had cool cars. Like sedans.

What isn’t cool about a 4-door sedan?

I endured the embarrassment of the station wagon for years. And then I got my learners permit and, the station wagon was the only car I had to drive.

Any hint of cool that I had as a young, naïve 16 year old was completely sucked out the window.

And, then, as if it couldn’t get any worse. It did. I remember the day with such vivid detail. I had just graduated from high school and was returning from beach week. I got home and no one was there. I waited and waited for hours.

Finally, my mom, dad and sister came walking through the door and they announced they had a surprise outside. Really?! My mind started racing.

I just graduated from high school. What could the surprise be? Could it be a car?!


I eagerly walked outside and my mouth literally dropped.

Sitting in the driveway was a brand new, shiny, bright red…..

Mini van!

Oh, I kid you not! Out with the station wagon and in with the mini van.

From that day forward, I vowed I would never, ever own a mini van. Ev-er. I would always own cool cars that my kids wouldn’t be embarrassed by.

My husband would kid me and ask hypothetical questions like, “What about when we have kids? Will you get one then”?

He wouldn’t even have the complete sentence out of his mouth before I would respond “Hell NO! I will make do with my very cool Ford Escape”.

Fast forward to now. I’m still driving my very cool Ford Escape. And, I still love it. And, it’s working. For the most part.

I drop off and pick up the kids from daycare and this is the area where I struggle the most. In the mornings, I get Kendall out of her car seat first and put her in the driver’s seat while I get Christopher out. It works.

In the afternoons, they have both decided they want to WALK to the car. If I attempt to carry one, they squirm to the point of me almost dropping them. And, if I try to hold their hand, they drop to the ground like they were just shot and refuse to walk.

The daycare parking lot isn’t super busy because it’s exclusive to the daycare but, it’s busy enough. Every day, it’s a test to see how quickly I can get the kids pointed in the direction of the car and actually make it there.

Most days, we make it. And then my go-to move is to put Christopher in the driver’s seat while I get Kendall in her car seat.

We’ve been playing this game for the last 3 months. And then one day, something changed.

I was putting Kendall in her car seat and a mini van pulled up beside us. Nothing new because hello? Mini vans are everywhere.

It was like everything was in slow motion. The mom jumped out and went into the daycare. I was aware of Christopher in the front seat playing with every knob and handle. I was aware of trying to negotiate the car door while straining to maneuver Kendall into her seat.

And, then I saw it. The magic of the mini van.

The mom came bouncing out of the daycare with her 2 kids, hit a button and the side door popped open.

And, her 2 kids ran right into the car! Right into the car, I tell ya!

And! And! She had enough room to actually get in the car to stand in front of the car seat so she could comfortably place her child in the seat without straining her arms, neck and back.

It was a like a dream sequence and I swear the mini van had a halo-ish glow around it.

Honk! Honk! Honnnnnk!

And, just like that, I was brought back to reality by the sound of my son pounding on the car horn.

Oh my God! Was I really just in awe of a (gulp)… mini van?!

I kept the incident silent for weeks and kept telling myself the feeling would pass. But, as I drove around, I found myself longingly watching the mini vans as they passed me on the road. Could it be? Have I reached that point where practicality overrules being cool?

It’s been a few months since all of this happened and I’m still not a mini van owner. The 16 year old in me still has a voice and it’s screaming “You’re still cool! You’re still cool”!

The Bug from Hell and First Stitches

Oh boy, did last weekend suck.   There was a stomach bug going around daycare that hit both of my kids about a week apart.

Friday
I picked the kids up from daycare at the normal time and the teacher told me that Kendall had just gotten sick for the 2nd time.  She woke up from her nap with a deep sounding cough and the teacher thought she might have gotten sick from that.  It takes about 25 minutes to get home and I tried to go as fast as I could.  No luck.  Kendall threw up twice more in the car.  All down the front of her, all over the car seat.  Gross.

That night, I kept her in bed with me because the cough started sounding croupy. She didn't vomit any more that night.

Saturday
Our pediatrician's office has emergency Saturday morning hrs so I got her an appt at 8:20.  The doctor said her airway sounded OK but prescribed 2 inhalers and an antibiotic because there was some fluid started to accumulate in her right ear.

She started to have a little bit of an appetite so I let her have some yogurt.  Big mistake.  That all came back up.  All over Daddy.

Sunday
Cough started sounding a little better and no vomit all day.  We kept the diet pretty bland with toast and rice.  I thought we were in the clear until bedtime.  I was washing my face and heard her cough and then gag.  But the time I got in there, she had already vomited all over her bed.  I grabbed her and started heading downstairs when the rest of it came up.  All down my shirt and in my bra.  So disgusting!

Monday
Kept her home from daycare and decided to let her have a little milk around 11:00 am since she didn't vomit the rest of the night.  Big mistake #2 and vomit all over mommy again.

The weird thing about the bug is that she seemed to feel fine other than vomiting.  She was playing and never had a fever.  I decided to chance an errand and we went to Target around noon.  Got in and out without any incident. 

And, then she got sick again in the car ride home.  All down the front of her and all over the car seat.  Again.

We got home and I cleaned her and the car up and started putting some of the stuff away that we bought.  She came into the kitchen riding their little riding toy car.  I had my back turned and heard it fall over but that happens all of the time.  And, then she started crying.  When I turned around, she was laying face down with her butt in the air and straddling the front of the car.  I picked her up and didn't see any blood, checking her mouth and teeth. 

We started walking out into the living room and she lifted her head back and then I saw the gash.  She had a 2 inch cut under her chin.  I have no idea how she cut herself there - she must've cut it on the toy when she fell over? 

DH just happened to be home for lunch so I called him and he thought she needed stitches.  It wasn't bleeding that bad at all.  So, we gathered her up and headed toward to the ER.

Being back in the ER was a little creepy.  We've been there twice before with her and neither trip ended well - the first being the meningitis and the second being the return of the bacteria with a blood infection.  Oddly, the sounds and smells of the hospital brought back all of those emotions.  That hospital has been way too familiar to us.

The nurse and doctor came in pretty quickly and determined that she did need stitches.  They asked how it happened and in that conversation, I mentioned why we were home that day.  They brought in some Zofran to give her to stop the vomiting and put some nubbing lotion on a cotton ball that we let sit on her chin for 40 minutes before they cleaned off the wound and started the stitches.

She actually fell asleep during that 40 minutes and we had to wake her up for the stitches.  She was NOT happy.  We wrapped her in a sheet to keep her hands down and the nurse had her head.  To make sure it was good and numb, they also did 2 shots and then cleaned and sterilized it.

She got SIX stitches!

She didn't really bother it at all until yesterday and I think it's starting to itch.  I take her tomorrow morning to get them out and I'm sure that won't be fun.

And, thankfully, no more vomiting. 

Wordless Wednesday

I have a great story about somebody's first stitches but for now.... here's a few pics. 

Ahem (tap, tap tap...). Is this thing on?

My name is Suzanne and I'm a horrible blogger.

I've been trying to think of some witty post that would ooh and aah all of you.  But, truthfully, all I have is stories about diarrhea, fevers and snot. 

You can thank me now.  I'll spare you. 

So, how about if I just make this the most random post ever and write down whatever comes to mind? 

*  Kendall continues to build on her vocabulary.  New words this week are Mo Mo (Elmo), Oh baby, shoes, cheese, and no no no (as she shakes her finger)

* Reading with her is like a quiz.  She points at things so quickly and won't let it go until you say the word.  If you hesitate or get it wrong, she keeps going back to it until you say it.  Hey!  Who's the one learning to read here?

* Christopher has learned to throw.  We're having a hard time getting him to understand that it's OK to throw the soft ball.  Not so OK to throw the blocks and basically anything else that's hard which, invariably always hits Kendall in the head.

* The twins 2nd birthday isn't until October and I've already started putting together ideas.  No, I'm not a planner. Not me.  Not at all!   I think the front runner at the moment is a local zoo that has some smaller zoo animals as well as a petting zoo and wagon and pony rides.  I had their 1st birthday here at the house with family only and I decided this year, we're going out.  It's just too hectic to try to plan and host.  And, don't even get me started on what a scam it is to pay for these birthday parties!  Good grief!!  We're looking at close to $500 if we do the zoo.

* My niece's 3rd birthday is coming up in a few weeks and we're planning a trip to the National Zoo.  Depending on how that goes, the above point might get thrown out the window.  What if my kids have some random phobia of zebras or something?!

* I was climbing into bed the other night (don't worry, I'll keep it clean) when the phone rang.  I thought to myself, "Who in the heck is calling this late?" and then realized it was only 8:30.

And, speaking of 8:30.... it's time to hit the hay!  This old Mama needs her beauty rest.