Battle of the Crayons

Every magazine, book and email blast I get about 18 month olds, talks about developing fine motor skills. They talk about how children should practice holding silverware, check! They also talk about scribbling and using crayons. Well that's where we have issues. I thought by 18 months children stopped putting everything in their mouths? Not my children. Don't get me wrong, they scribble with crayons and love it! After about 5 minutes, this happens....

I know that we are supposed to eat all of the colors of the rainbow, but something tells me that this does not include crayons. I tell them "no", and even show them how I color on paper. They seem to get it and go right  back to scribbling their little hearts out until a few minutes later, the crayons go back to the mouth. I hope that with time and practice we can increase the actual time spent drawing on paper, rather than eating the crayons. I would love to experiment with paint and other things, but we need to conquer crayons first!

Twin Talk

Have you seen the YouTube video of the talking twin babies? Here is our version of talking twins. I snapped this video last night during bath time. I wonder if they have any idea what the other is saying.  Enjoy!!

An Eggcellent Day

Yesterday, we had a blast during an Easter celebration at my parent's country club. I was a little worried, since the timing was right in the middle of the twin's only nap, but they did GREAT!

There was a buffet full of Sydney and Ben's favorite foods. It included: chicken fingers, pb&j,  mac and cheese, mini pizzas, fruit and much more. There was also an ice cream sundae bar, where the kids enjoyed ice cream and rainbow sprinkles.

The Easter Bunny was there to see all the kids having fun! I couldn't believe how much Ben and Syd loved him!

After a brief egg hunt, the kids were all cutting loose on the dance floor. Sydney's favorite song was Miley Cyrus "Party in the USA". Ben was having fun looking at all of the pretty girls on the dance floor! He tried to impress them with his moves!

The day was a huge success. The twins were exhausted when they left, but it was worth it. They had such a great time! We cannot wait to do it all again next year!

Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate:)

Snack Time Fun

This past weekend, we took a family trip to Costco.We were in the freezer section by the fruit, when the hubby said "why don't you buy some fruit and make the kids smoothies?" I told him that I have frozen berries in the freezer at home, but it dawned on me that I had never thought to make the kids smoothies. Why haven't I tried  it before? The kids LOVE fruit, yogurt and milk. This was a no brainer!

So I looked up basic smoothie recipes on the internet and tried one out on Sunday. The recipe I followed was:

1 cup of  whole milk
3/4 cup yogurt ( I used Stonyfield Farms Organic low-fat Vanilla. I figured they would get the fat from the milk)
1/2 cup frozen strawberries and blueberries

The kids liked it, but I personally thought it looked a little soupy. So today I tried again and I made a few changes:

1 cup whole milk
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1 whole banana

The consistency was much better ( I am thinking it had to do with the banana). The kids LOVED it! I think we have a new healthy snack favorite! I am excited to experiment with different kind of fruit and see what they like best!

Got Cake?

Yes, my daughter is obsessed with cake. Not only does she say the word all the time, but she inhales cupcakes and sweets like no other. Here are some pictures from her friend Ryan's birthday party today.  She is probably shoving the cake in her mouth because her brother has been on a bad streak lately and she knows once his tantrum starts, we are out the door!

Bloggers Beware

Seriously, blogging is going to make me gain some weight. If it isn't bad enough that there is Easter candy EVERYWHERE, now I have discovered some great baking blogs with amazing recipes. I have always liked to bake and now I am into baking things that you don't just cut out of a pan. Some of the things I made recently were Cake Pops and Oreo Truffles. I also found the most delicious Red Velvet Cupcake recipe:
http://www.food.com/recipe/bobby-flay-throwdown-red-velvet-cupcakes-and-cream-cheese-icing-303890

These cupcakes were AMAZING! I have a long list of recipes and cute decorating ideas I want to try. Now I just need to find an excuse to bake all of these things (and not eat them all).

Heart of the Matter

Today at the twins 18 month check up, we got some unsettling news. The Dr. referred Ben to a Pediatric Cardiologist to rule out circulatory problems. This is because his face, ears and lips sometimes turn blue. This happens almost always when he is cold, but sometimes his face, back and tummy feel warm when this occurs. The Dr. thinks it is just superficial and that there is really no reason for concern. He just wants to error on the side of caution.

I have to say that I really trust our Pediatrician and his judgment. I believe him when he tells us that there is nothing to be concerned about. With that said, there is still something super scary about my little guy having to go see a cardiologist. I am sure he will be ok and this will just confirm what we already know, that Ben is a healthy little guy. It's just going to be a little worrisome until we actually get down to the bottom of this.

R.I.P.

R.I.P. iphone

Unfortunately my beloved iphone was suddenly killed in a bath incident last night. The two little killers were caught red handed. Since it was so sudden, it still hasn't really sunk in that he is gone. We had some great times together. All those sleepless nights and daylight hours surfing the internet and Facebook. All the pictures and videos that he kept for me to enjoy and the apps that he lovingly stored for me such as TMZ, Us Weekly and Old McDonald and Animal Noises (for the little ones).

It turns out it that it was an accidental drowning. The little people were having so much fun in the tub that they wanted iphone to come join in the fun. His memory will have to live on through his replacement (which we had within an hour of his departure), because the pain of life without him was too much to bear. I have to admit that it is nice to have a shiny new screen, and a phone that doesn't freeze up because of the long term wear and tear. I guess it was just time for him to go. He lived a good life!

To go or not to go?

This picture was taken on Father's Day 2010 at my parent's country club pool. You would never guess that this happy little girl was sick. After swimming, she took a nap and woke up with a 103.6 fever. She was so miserable. I called the Dr. since it was the first time she had a fever that high and he told us to come in the next morning. The next day, he said she probably had a virus and if the fever was still there in two days, we should come back. She still had a fever a couple days later, so we went back. The Dr. tested and confirmed that she had a UTI. It was so scary because he ordered an ultrasound and an x-ray test of her kidneys due to the fact that she was only 8 months old. This was to make sure that the urine wasn't pushing back into her kidneys, which could cause a serious infection. The tests were very unpleasant (more for myself than little Syd). Luckily everything came back fine and we had no other issues. Fast forward to a week and a half ago, and she had a high fever again with no other symptoms. I took her to be tested for another UTI and it came out negative. The Dr. said that if she broke out with a rash in a few days it meant she had something called Roseola.This is also known as sixth disease (very common with little ones). Sure enough that is exactly what happened and she is now better!

I immediately was concerned for my little guy. They said the incubation period was 10-14 days, ugh! Yesterday he woke up with a high fever and no other symptoms. We had a rough night because he wouldn't sleep and my first instinct was to take him to the Dr's office. Before I put him in the car I realized it has been exactly 10 days since Syd had gotten sick with the same thing. So I decided to ride this one out for a few days.

Being a first time mom, I know I am not very good at deciding when to take them to the Dr. One time I took Sydney and she magically perked up the second we walked in the office. Now don't get me wrong, I don't take them often but there is something about high fevers that makes me nervous. I guess I am still learning when to go and when not to go. Hopefully I do not regret my decision this time.

Sydney and Ben are 18 months old!

Now

October 9th, 2009

Although I am a few days late (should have posted April 9th), Happy Half-Birthday Sydney and Ben! 18 months ago, I was in the hospital giving birth to the most amazing little babies! I guess I blinked and now they are a year and a half old. It is so crazy how fast time flies but at the same time so many things have taken place. I don't even know how I survived some of it, but it was all worth it. I mean how in the world did I get up and nurse two babies for 3 months? How did I function with no sleep and no night nurse? How did I go back to work full-time for 5 months and still take care of two babies? But most of all, how did I get so lucky? When you want something so bad and your journey is a bumpy one, it makes you really appreciate what you have!

I am amazed by Sydney and Ben each day. Sydney is my easy going, sweet child with a great sense of humor. She loves to be silly and just goes with the flow. She loves to dance, play and mimic every single thing that you say. I am amazed at all of the things that she is saying, even though some of those things sometimes sound like bad words (like "shit" instead of "shirt").
Ben is my busy body. He gets into everything and anything. Ben loves to try and figure out how things work. While he is always on the go, he is also the most affectionate little guy. He gives the best hugs!!

I look forward to what the future brings, but I hope the present doesn't move to fast!