Picking Food Up Off The Floor

On Dogs and Cats0

So this really odd thing happened the other day. One of our neighbors was out walking her cat (yes I really said “walking”, leash and all). For some reason the cat decided to dawdle behind our van. As most normal animal behavior goes, Noah went crazy barking at the back gate. I mean come on, there’s a cat basically in his driveway doing who knows what. That wasn’t even the oddest part. What was really odd was that the woman, rather than moving her cat along, or picking it up and carrying it further down the lane, put her fingers to her lips and tried to shush Noah! Watching out the window, I could see her continually trying to get Noah to calm down and be quiet. Well I have an idea for how he might be quiet, move your cat!

Posted: Miscellaneous

The Boys2

It’s a laugh a minute around here…

From around 4:00pm, through dinner and until the evening bottle, the boys can be quite frustrating. After the evening bottle however, it’s been a laugh a minute lately. We’ve spent the past few nights just rolling as we’ve watched the boys play.

Drew has figured out how to stand on his little car. A few nights ago he got on, stood up and slowly put his arms up in the air (think “Karate Kid” style here). I jokingly said to Mike, watch him jump kick. Well… he did pull up his leg (it looked more like he was trying to balance on one foot), and promptly fell off.

Last night the boys got to stay up a little bit later as we watched the Steelers game (no comments please). They spent a good 20 minutes chasing each other around the the game table in the basement, just laughing and squealing at each other. Their PJs are a little too long so as they ran, the feet starting flopping around in front of them. It was hilarious!

Bran has either taken to mimicking me, or he’s giving me a hint about my cleaning. The other day he got out an umbrella (closed) and starting “sweeping” the floor. He was good, he even got into those hard to reach places between the oven and the cupboards! So the next day while I was sweeeping I gave him a feather duster. He went to town, even trying to “sweep” the dirt into the dustpan with me. Of course he kept knocking the real dirt out so after a while his “broom” went away, while I finished.

Posted: Drew & Bran

It’s Too Quiet in Here…3

Yesterday I was in the kitchen doing something. Probably reading email. And I noticed that it had gotten really quiet in the house. That never happens in our house! I look over into the living room and notice the boys huddled together on the floor at the end of the couch. That also never happens without someone fighting over a toy. Upon inspection I found our answering machine had been pulled off the back of the end table, dragged under the table and out the other side, and was now being poked and prodded by excited little fingers.

Their fascination was quite evident as was their dismay when I returned the answering machine back to it’s rightful place.

What I found amusing was not their delight in finally getting their hands on this thing, but that in their curiosity they forgot to fight over who was touching it!

Posted: Drew & Bran

The Boys2

Head, …, …, & Toes The boys and I have been singing the “Head, shoulders, knees, and toes” song. Drew is really good at putting his hands on his head at the right time. Bran really didn’t seem to care. Today we were singing while waiting for their dinner to cool down (distraction technique) and Brandon started touching his knees and toes in time with the song! And I thought he wasn’t paying attention. He’s not quite consistent with the knees, but he’s got the toes down. Now if Drewie can do his shoulders they have 1/2 the song done between them!

Andrew

Our Little Monkey. Drew is a climber. He especially loves to climb onto the kitchen chairs and the rocking chairs. He gets this really proud look on his face when he’s sitting in the chair. He also likes to sit on the edge and swing his feet. It’s really quite cute. But…now begins the discipline of “no standing!” The other day we were at a party and he climbed all the way into their son’s highchair without help.

Beans Beans the Magical Fruit. It would seem that aside from goodies like cheese, Drew’s favorite food is beans, especially the tooty kind. Kidney beans, black beans, chick peas… For a week he was eating a bean salad every day. He had his little bowl of beans and whenever it was empty he would ask for more!

Talking. The boys aren’t really saying much, but they’re coming along. Here’s what you might find Drew saying on an average day: Doggie (it sounds a bit like dada, but we don’t think he’s confused), done (used when he’s finished eating, sounds like daa). He also uses sign language to say “more” and “finished”. Twice he’s used the sign for eat (once when asking for some crackers and today when he saw corn muffins on the counter and wanted some). He kept signing eat over and over. He also knows sign for diaper change and when I make it he will often come over to get a change, unless he’s being stuborn.

Sliding in public. Drewie loves the slide, but he won’t go down when other kids are around. I always tell people “Drew loves the slide” and then when we’re out at the park with friends or at Sunday School (they have a little slide), he won’t go down. He’ll even go up, and then come back down the steps. Although he is still learning one important fact, that sliding requires one to either sit or lay on the slide, not walk down it. Last week he tried to walk down the little slide at church. He landed on his face, got a little red mark, but is perfectly fine.

Brandon

It’s a dog’s life. Bran loves dogs! He is happiest when playing catch with Noah. This is what it looks like, Noah lets Bran sneak up and grab the ball. Bran starts running, he manages to dodge a couple of Noah’s advances, but then in his excitement he drops the ball. Much giggling ensues and the fun begins again. The other day we were on Campus, Bran and I were walking around the sidewalk and he caught sight of a couple with a big dog, for what amounted to about a block Brandon kept repeating his word for dog over and over while following behind as fast as his little legs would take him. It was really cute! Thankfully the dog and his owners walked around a corner and out of sight. After a bit more chasing, the little one gave up.

What would you do for an…apple?! Our wonderful neighbor Fiore has been bringing us over boxes of apples from his tree. Bran found the box on the deck one day and grabbed two apples (one for each hand). A little while later I noticed that he was 3/4 of the way through one of them. They’re pretty small and he had eaten all the way through, core and all! So for the next several days every time we would leave or come into the house, he had to grab some apples. He took two with him when we went to get his stitches out and left them in his seat in the car. After that ordeal I offered him some crackers, no…he didn’t want any, so I offered cookies, after all a little boy who just got his stitches out should be able to have a cookie, but no…he refused. When we got back to the car, his face lit up and he started eating his apples!

The Stitches. Bran got his stitches out a week ago Thursday. That was not a good afternoon. The stitches had been done very well and they were very tight. So we had to swaddle Bran with his good hand inside. I held him down and sang songs to him while one nurse held his hand/finger and another nurse pulled up the stitches and put the tip of the scissors through to cut. Needless to say Brandon did not enjoy this one bit. The last stitch was really tight and the nurse with the scissors needed both hands, so I had to hold the stitch up! When the boys were in the hospital I left all of this kind of thing to Mike while I sat with the other baby. Now I’ve had to hold Bran down twice in two weeks (once for the IV and then stitch removal) Yuck! Sorry Bran!

What’s This? What’s That? Bran’s newest thing is pointing at objects so that I will tell him what they are. Every morning he points to the different animals on the border in his room, we go through almost all of them. After naps we often do the same. He’s quite a curious little fellow.

Posted: Drew & Bran

Becoming One of “Those” People7

You know “those” people… the ones with their kids, riding in their vans, watching their dvd player… What!? Yes, we have become “those” people. Mike and I are now the (I won’t say proud) owners of a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan with Stow & Go seats and (note the eyes to the ground) a DVD player. Whew…got that out! Many of you are probably wondering what the big deal is. Others of you who have known us for years are whispering, “sell out”, or, “I knew they’d never be able to hold out.” What is the big deal anyway? Well, for many many years, we have publically proclaimed our distaste for the van lifestyle. Growing up, owning a van had Soccer Mom(TM) written all over it and that is a title I am firmly steering clear of. Besides, vans cost more; they take up more space; they’re annoying to other drivers (how many times have you waited in a parking lot for a van to be able to pull in or out of its space?); and they’re not as environmentally friendly as say, our little Honda. So, “no way”, we said. “That’s not for us”.

So what happened? A torn soft shell carrier, destoyed camping equipment, and a long walk down the highway in the rain… Plus, the fact that living so far from home means we get lots of visitors who don’t arrive in their own car. We looked into station wagons but the make we wanted cost more than our van and didn’t solve the people problem. Now we have the space to get us all in. I have to say the Stow & Go seats are great! And the DVD player has worked amazingly well to keep the kids awake when I don’t want them to fall asleep until we get home. Although we have a rule that it’s not turned on every time we get into the van. I think in this case we were just unrealistic about what we needed as a family. Part of it was that when we were having these conversations we didn’t have twins, or live 2,000 miles from home. But Mike still takes the LRT (subway) and the boys and I walk to the grocery store quite often, so we’re trying to do our part as best we can. Just please don’t confuse me for a Soccer Mom. That may be another post for this category… but not today.

Posted: Eating Your Words

Who can pass up Pirate shoes?3

So there are these shoes, called Robeez. I really like these shoes, however they cost $25CAD. Multiply that times 2 and one pair of shoes for the boys sets me back $50! Target sells the same kind of shoe (Circo brand) for $12.99USD. Well who can pass that up? So the boys have been wearing knockoffs for the past 6 months. And I love them. I decided it was crazy to pay twice as much for the same kind of shoe and that I would always buy those shoes from Target. Well…the boys are due for a new pair, so I went to the Target website to choose the new shoe. Unfortunately my options were very limited. I could get them the same puppy shoe, a striped one, or ones with a dragon with a red ball on his head. Not so exciting, but doable for the price. Then I made a mistake, I decided to check out the Robeez site. They have so many varieties! I was overwhelmed and filled with consumeristic excitment! But I stepped back and decided to get their shoes when I was feeling poorer, maybe that would help me make a better choice. After all wasn’t I rebelling from senseless spending when I could get the shoes cheaper elsewhere?

A few days later I walked into Once Upon a Child looking for some nice, used kahkis for the boys. Wouldn’t you know it, an entire display of Robeez. And then I saw them…Pirates! They actually had shoes with a little pirate face on them. I was gone, over the edge, no coming back…I had to get the pirate shoes. I could justify it a million ways…it’s not like I was spending a fortune, the boys needed shoes, I just bought them cheap pants…In the end Drew got Pirate shoes and Bran got dinasaur ones ( I couldn’t get one the expensive ones and the other the cheap ones…). I proably won’t do it again. It’s not like he always needs Pirate shoes. But it would be really nice if Target got a little more variety. Maybe then I won’t be tempted away by pirates! Perhaps I was a little hasty in my “I’ll never spend that kind of money on baby shoes!”, but I think I was also pleased with the idea that my kids would have fun shoes. Is that bad? I’ll have to check the budget.

Posted: Eating Your Words

The Boys2

Andrew

Mother’s Helper. Drew has become a “mother’s helper.” He has always enjoyed “sorting” the laundry. But lately he has been helping me water the apple tree (he sits on the ground and holds the hose over the mulch). The other day at Ariel’s house he was helping with the watering can and Monday while I was cleaning the cupboards I gave him a paper towel and he wiped them all down for me!

Mornings. Drew has started having some interesting morning routines. After getting out of his crib the first thing he wants me to do is open their blinds so he can see the sunshine outside. He’ll often look at the window and make the sign for light while he’s waiting for me to pick him up. His other routine is to climb onto his little table in the living room and look out that window. He really likes to check on things and see what’s happening. He’ll stand there for up to 5 minutes before going on with his play. The rest of the day he completely ignores the window unless he can hear the neighbor’s dogs barking, then he wants to see them.

Temper, Temper. Drew is defintely the more emotional of the two boys. He gets very upset when things don’t go his way, even falling to the floor in a tantrum. At this point I haven’t found any way to lessen these episodes. If we can’t redirect him before it happens, we usually just ignore him until he’s done and then give him a big hug and try to direct him to something else. He’s so dramatic that I fluctuate between being frustrated and just wanting to laugh.

Sliding Boards. Drew loves slides! It doesn’t matter how tall, he’s gone on them all, all by himself. On the taller ones we hold his arms until he is lying flat and then he goes down. On the smaller ones, he climbs up and goes down without hellp (by smaller I mean anywhere from a 3 step one to the one that’s about 5 feet high.) At our playground he’s now turning around on one of them halfway down so he ends up on his belly.

Brandon

Driving Around in My Automobile… The boys have a little riding car with a handle on the back that allows them to push each other around. Recently they both figured out how to make it go backwards when they were sitting on it. Today Bran was puttering around the house going both backwards and forwards. He was so excited! He rode back and forth between the living room and kitchen several times. Drew got a little upset because he wanted to push, but Bran didn’t need his help! : )

Changing Roles. Months ago Mike and I were watching the boys and made the statement that Drew would think up the things to get into trouble and Bran would do them. Such as climbing the bookcase, etc. It turns out we were wrong, at least for the moment. Bran doesn’t like to swing high, doesn’t like slides, has no real interest in climbing on the furniture. Instead he prefers swimming, playing quietly, running around the house and chasing the dog. He also really likes to play with the woodchips under the tree. Who would have guessed?

First and Ten. Bran’s current favorite thing to do is play with balls. He and his dad play tackle with the football. Bran runs up to Mike with the football and Mike tackles him. He also really likes to kick his Pooh ball around the backyard. He does a good job of running up to the ball and kicking it. He can do it in stride and keep it up for several kicks.

Hugs. Brandon’s become a hugger. He’s always crawling up into my lap for a little snuggle. The grandmas should really enjoy this! Although don’t expect any long term holding or rocking, you get about 30 secs, but you get them often!

Posted: Drew & Bran

Is This Life With Two Boys?8

Around 1:30 this afternoon Drew closed a door in our living room. Unfortunately Bran’s left ring finger was caught in the hinge side. Because it hurt and because he’s an impatient 15-month old, rather than wait for me as I ran across the room, he decided to pull his finger out. The result was a torn off finger nail and the skin at the tip of his finger. I will never be able to get the picture of his little finger out of my mind. Four hours and five stitches later we came home. Bran seems to be doing fine. He’s getting back to his jolly self (this was somewhat inhibited by the Ketamine he had been giving during the surgery) and he’s learning how to play with a hand so bandaged it looks like he’s wearing a mitten. I guess he’s getting practice for playing in the snow this winter. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so awful, and other than the first 4 weeks they were born, so helpless. I was so blessed that my neighbor Kim was home and able to come with me and take care of Drew until Mike could get there. Thank you Kim, you’re an angel!

I was also very pleased at how well we were cared for at the Royal Alex, how quickly we were seen and the bedside manner of the nurses. I have only one complaint…is it really necessary to do construction outside of the main entrance to the emergency room? And why is it so hard to find the emergency parking? I had to stop right before the emergency doors while they let cars out because they only had room for one lane. Ummm…emergency? Could you at least figure out how to block traffic a little further down please? I know it was probably a necessity to improve the hospital and no it wasn’t life or death. But to a mother with a very small child with a very small finger it was a very big deal!

But thank the Lord, we actually got in just before a rush of people, we were well cared for after getting in, and my boy is home sleeping in his own bed. My only question now is, “Is this life with boys?”

Posted: Drew & Bran

Eating Your Words0

How many times have you said “I’d never do that!” or “that’s just not for me”? There are some things that Mike and I tend to think we’re taking a stand on in one season of life only to come to a completely different conclusion at another point in life. Sometimes those seasons are many years apart, other times… months. Over the past two weeks one or both of us has had to “eat our words” in regards to some purchases that have been made. This made me realize that I probably do this more often than I realize and I have decided to try and keep track of it. One of my questions is “do I make too many blanket statements about what I will or won’t do?” The other is “Am I being true to my beliefs or ideals? Or were they unrealistic to begin with?” If you’re interested, you’ll find those posts under this category.

Posted: Eating Your Words

Folk Fest2

I just have to say that Edmonton summers are so awesome! Long summer nights, low humidity, an amazing number of festivals… This summer we went with our friend Dan to the Folk Fest. We heard Feist, Bruce Cockburn, David Gray and others. The music was just wonderful! But the evening was made even better by a meteor shower. I think I was in high school the last time I spent an evening looking up at the stars. So I had the delight of seeing a meteor shower, learning a new constellation (new to me), and just being mesmerized by the night sky with Bruce Cockburn and David Gray playing live right in front of me. I think that will be one of my most favorite memories for a long time!

Posted: Edmonton