Jealousy

Having twins is a balancing act. Each of the boys has a distinct personality and different needs. Gray likes to be cuddled while I am standing and rest his head on my shoulder and Will likes to cuddle in my arms while I am sitting and play with my face.

Although they are not crawling yet, they are getting adventurous with their backwards crawling and attempts at standing which results in quite a few face plants and bumps on the head. Currently there is a disconnect between their confidence in their ability to do things, and their actual ability to do the things they would like to do, so there are plenty of spills and tears.

Lately I have seen the boys get jealous of each other. I knew it had to happen at some point, but I just hoped it would have been later. The hardest thing is that they are not jealous of things like toys which I could easily buy two of, they are jealous when one s being held and the other is not. Gray has mastered the quivering pouty lower lip and Will hangs his head on the floor and whimpers. It breaks my heart when I can't comfort both of them.

As their spirit of adventure continues to develop, I am sure they are going to need more comforting, and this is just the beginning of the jealousy I will likely see as they grow up. Now I just need to develop some tricks to give both boys the attention they need...or at least a distraction...

"Look Mom...I Got Him...maybe he won't steal my soother anymore"

Rub-a-Dub-Dub Two Boys in a Tub!

These little Pisces sure enjoy bathtime! In a matter of seconds we can take two cranky & crying boys and turn them into very happy campers ful of laughs and giggles.

First Snow

Friday Night Ramblings...

Ever since getting pregnant, I have been getting daily emails from a variety of sources on infant development. Some of them are very relevant, others are completely irrelevant, some make me feel like a horrible parent & others make me feel like a superstar parent. I don't know what it is like to be a parent without the internet - often I wish I did, but in such a connected world, 'Dr. Google' is always going to be my best friend and worst enemy when it comes to raising my kids. Today's email was on using puppets to develop imagination and encourage pretend play. Since Gray & Will had recieved a few puppets as gifts for Christmas (thanks Amy & Evan), I pulled one out and used it for some entertainment over breakfast this morning. The boys were very responsive to "Milk the Mealtime Moose", so perhaps he may show up again sometime.

Here are the boys and "Milk the Mealtime Moose"

The Moments I Live For....

As a parent we often stress about out children's sleep. Are they napping enough? Why are they not sleeping through the night? Why won't they sleep in their cribs? etc... When Will woke up still exhausted after only having napped for 15 minutes, rather than stressing over getting him back to sleep in his crib, I decided that a shower and chores could wait. I scooped him up, and less than a minute later he was sound asleep in my arms. I am cherishing this moment...and thanking Gray for napping in his crib and giving me some cuddle time with Will. This has been a great use of my 'me' time.

Twins & Malls

Ever since Gray and Will were a few weeks old, we have been mall walkers. They both love strolling around the mall, looking around and smiling at strangers. On an average mall outing we will be approached by at least half a dozen people who tell me how cute the boys are and ask me a variety of questions such as "are they twins?", "are they identical?", "double trouble", "you have your hands full", "two boys? Too bad you didn't have a boy and a girl", "how old are they?, "do twins run in your family" etc... I don't really mind people coming up to chat as sometimes I need the adult interaction, but I find it odd that people seem so fascinated by twins, especially when twins are not really that rare.

One of the oddest things is the number of people who "congratulate" me on the boys arrival. I really thought this would have ended months ago, but even with my babbling wide-eyed 9 month olds, I am still congratulated at least once or twice a week, even when I am with singleton babies who are several months younger - including newborns.

Although I normally dress the boys in similar or complimentary outfits, yesterday I took the boys out in outfits that did not match. You would think that would be acceptable, but I had 3 people ask me why my twins were not dressed as twins. Including one woman who said that I should always dress them the same when I take them out. Who would have thought that a stranger knows what is best for my kids?







Look...we are not dressed the same...and we are surviving!







I think this video sums up the multiples experience quite well. Sometimes I really do feel like a freak of nature.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT-lgB_HGEE

Dinner Time!

These kids love their food! Current favourites - cream cheese, hummus, flax bread, mandarin oranges, mangos, peaches, strawberries & sweet potato puffs.