We were watching the news tonight and saw a feature on language between multiples. They said about 40 percent of multiples share a language. See the clip below:
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/talk-baby-talk-13251305
Zach and I have observed about three different versions of twin language with Brooks and Adlyn. When they were less than a year old, they communicated using a series of grunts. They would go back and forth with their grunting, and were clearly communicating something that was foreign to us.
Then, a lot of their communication was non-verbal. Rather a series of gestures.
Since last summer, they have been communicating to each other by saying, "Ah-nuh, ah-nuh, ah-nuh." Then the other would respond, "Nooooo." They will repeat that pattern several times. In the past couple of months it has changed slightly. One will say, "Ah-nuh, ah-nuh, ah-nuh, this!" The other will repeat the same phrase. Zach and I have been trying to figure it out, but can't! After they communicate, we will ask them what it means, and they won't say.
It is an interesting event to watch, something that many people may never experience.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Spring is Near
It has been so refreshing to see the snow melt. I like winter, but this year I am really looking forward to spring. We've been enjoying lots of walks outside in the past week. Brooks and Adlyn both like to ride in the stroller, although Brooks likes to help push it until we get to the busy street. At the stop sign, he hops in without a battle.
Brooks and Adlyn like to go for a walk to the "wah-wee" or the "wah-why". That would be code word for "water". They used to say water...but now prefer their newly invented phrase. They like to go for a walk to the river to see the "quack, quack". They won't say duck! We have noticed so many deer. They are everywhere around town. Seeing the horses is also an exciting part of their walk.
Today we decided to stop and let them play at the park. We haven't played at the park since last fall, and they were truly happy. They were running everywhere. I was amazed at how much they have grown since last fall. They didn't need help to go down the slide, and can reach things they couldn't reach before, and they enjoyed the park in a whole new way. It made me smile to see them so happy and joyful. They could care less that it was getting cold outside and the sun was going down. They were just having fun.
Brooks and Adlyn like to go for a walk to the "wah-wee" or the "wah-why". That would be code word for "water". They used to say water...but now prefer their newly invented phrase. They like to go for a walk to the river to see the "quack, quack". They won't say duck! We have noticed so many deer. They are everywhere around town. Seeing the horses is also an exciting part of their walk.
Today we decided to stop and let them play at the park. We haven't played at the park since last fall, and they were truly happy. They were running everywhere. I was amazed at how much they have grown since last fall. They didn't need help to go down the slide, and can reach things they couldn't reach before, and they enjoyed the park in a whole new way. It made me smile to see them so happy and joyful. They could care less that it was getting cold outside and the sun was going down. They were just having fun.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Royal Flush
A little background about the Cabbage Patch Doll... As a youngster, I never had one. We had the impostor Cabbage Patch Kids that mom's must buy a kit for at the local craft store and make. They worked just fine, but it wasn't the real thing. When I was the age of 12 or so, Grandma started letting us pick out our own Christmas presents since we were getting too hard to shop for. She would give us $20 and then we were to go to Ogallala to find something for her to wrap. Sounded like a brilliant idea to me! Mom took me to Alco one day and I knew just what I was going to get - a real Cabbage Patch Doll. Trust me, I was way past the age of playing with dolls at that time, but it was something I was going to put on the shelf. I sent in the adoption papers that came with it, and I think I named it Annabelle or something like that. As a kid, it was one of the best Christmas presents!
Someday, I would give this very special doll to my kid to play with. Well, that day came several months ago when my mom came to visit and brought a box of stuff, which included the doll - probably trying to empty out my room at the house. I figured I mine as well let Adlyn play with it. The clothes on the doll didn't last long, they preferred to take them off. Good thing - as it took a trip to the potty today. Luckily it was big enough so it didn't plug up toilet. So much for my special doll that I gave to my daughter...it must be loved.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Don't Cry Over Spilt Milk
I usually come home for lunch during my workday excited to see Brooks and Adlyn. But, there are some days that you walk into the door and you wish you could just turn around and go back to work. Earlier this year I had one of those days.
I walked into the front door and noticed an empty milk jug sitting in the front room. It did seem a little strange as we always put empty milk jugs at the back door. Then, whoever is going outside puts the recyclables in the bins by the deck. I passed off the situation as a misplaced milk jug. Brooks and Adlyn consume about one gallon of milk per day. We should just open up a dairy farm.
During my lunch hour I pick up the scattered toys and get the house back in order. Towards the end of my hour, I was putting some items away and I noticed my sock was all wet. That's strange. I looked down to see a large puddle, probably two feet by three feet in size. Hmmm... Then, I notice a red milk cap on the floor. I quickly put it all together. Brooks and Adlyn got into the fridge, took the gallon of milk to the front room, and dumped it on the carpet. I'm not for sure what time it happened that morning, but obviously Zach wasn't keeping a close eye on them at the time. Great - just what I want to deal with - cleaning up a puddle of milk on the already white carpet. We soaked up as much as we could. We sprayed it with Resolve carpet cleaner. We soaked up more milk. It was horrible. I know the milk jug was at least 3/4 full that morning before I went to work.
A few days after the initial incident, they did it again. They dumped about a half full jug of milk on the front carpet while under Zach's supervision. Obviously they didn't learn the first time. Needless to say, despite our cleaning efforts, I could still smell milk for several weeks when I walked in the front door. The carpet now has a nice crunchy texture in the milk locations.
Zach's mom was up last week to visit and brought her carpet shampooer. Zach shampooed the front room, and the water it collected looked more like milk than anything. He went over the two milk areas twice that day. I'm must happy I don't smell milk anymore!
Tonight I got home from work and Zach told me the news...they have done it a third time. I really do want to cry over spilt milk.
I think I will Google 'fridge lock' to see what I can come up with.
I walked into the front door and noticed an empty milk jug sitting in the front room. It did seem a little strange as we always put empty milk jugs at the back door. Then, whoever is going outside puts the recyclables in the bins by the deck. I passed off the situation as a misplaced milk jug. Brooks and Adlyn consume about one gallon of milk per day. We should just open up a dairy farm.
During my lunch hour I pick up the scattered toys and get the house back in order. Towards the end of my hour, I was putting some items away and I noticed my sock was all wet. That's strange. I looked down to see a large puddle, probably two feet by three feet in size. Hmmm... Then, I notice a red milk cap on the floor. I quickly put it all together. Brooks and Adlyn got into the fridge, took the gallon of milk to the front room, and dumped it on the carpet. I'm not for sure what time it happened that morning, but obviously Zach wasn't keeping a close eye on them at the time. Great - just what I want to deal with - cleaning up a puddle of milk on the already white carpet. We soaked up as much as we could. We sprayed it with Resolve carpet cleaner. We soaked up more milk. It was horrible. I know the milk jug was at least 3/4 full that morning before I went to work.
A few days after the initial incident, they did it again. They dumped about a half full jug of milk on the front carpet while under Zach's supervision. Obviously they didn't learn the first time. Needless to say, despite our cleaning efforts, I could still smell milk for several weeks when I walked in the front door. The carpet now has a nice crunchy texture in the milk locations.
Zach's mom was up last week to visit and brought her carpet shampooer. Zach shampooed the front room, and the water it collected looked more like milk than anything. He went over the two milk areas twice that day. I'm must happy I don't smell milk anymore!
Tonight I got home from work and Zach told me the news...they have done it a third time. I really do want to cry over spilt milk.
I think I will Google 'fridge lock' to see what I can come up with.
Ahhhhh Cookie!
I do have to say that my husband can make a really good batch of chocolate chip cookies. I'm not for sure why he started experimenting with the cooking process, but he did, and he found a method to make them taste great. Generally he makes a batch of cookies, hides them in the fridge, and they are all gone within a few hours. Like I mentioned before, we typically don't let the twins eat sweets. Before they were two, it was pretty easy for us to sneak into the kitchen and eat a cookie without them knowing. Now, they follow you around like vultures, limiting your ability to eat something you don't want them to see.
A few months ago, we noticed when we would sit on the couch with them to read stories or play, they would come up to our mouth, pry it open with their fingers, and say, "Ahhhhh Cookie!" Yes, they are now big enough to realize we were sneaking cookies, and they know just what to say to get us to open up our mouth so they can search for cookies.
In case this entry is making you hungry, I am adding the recipe for Zach's Chocolate Chip Cookies. I encourage you to read the instructions, as that is the secret to success.
Zach's Chocolate Chip Ahhhhh Cookies
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup milk chocolate chips
Brown the butter on the stove over medium-high heat. A good indicator when the butter is beginning to brown is when it stops boiling and begins to froth. Pour the hot butter into a mixing bowl. Add brown sugar and stir and allow it to sit for precisely three minutes. Stir again and let it sit for three minutes. Add the baking soda and vanilla and let the mixture cool before you add the egg. (or else the egg will cook) Add the flour and chocolate chips and stir. Roll into small balls and bake in a 350 degree pre-heated oven for exactly ten minutes and take out the pan. Immediately place the cookies on a plate or cooling rack and place them in the fridge. Store the cookies in the fridge. Cookies are very tasty if warmed in the microwave for 10 seconds prior to eating.
A few months ago, we noticed when we would sit on the couch with them to read stories or play, they would come up to our mouth, pry it open with their fingers, and say, "Ahhhhh Cookie!" Yes, they are now big enough to realize we were sneaking cookies, and they know just what to say to get us to open up our mouth so they can search for cookies.
In case this entry is making you hungry, I am adding the recipe for Zach's Chocolate Chip Cookies. I encourage you to read the instructions, as that is the secret to success.
Zach's Chocolate Chip Ahhhhh Cookies
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup milk chocolate chips
Brown the butter on the stove over medium-high heat. A good indicator when the butter is beginning to brown is when it stops boiling and begins to froth. Pour the hot butter into a mixing bowl. Add brown sugar and stir and allow it to sit for precisely three minutes. Stir again and let it sit for three minutes. Add the baking soda and vanilla and let the mixture cool before you add the egg. (or else the egg will cook) Add the flour and chocolate chips and stir. Roll into small balls and bake in a 350 degree pre-heated oven for exactly ten minutes and take out the pan. Immediately place the cookies on a plate or cooling rack and place them in the fridge. Store the cookies in the fridge. Cookies are very tasty if warmed in the microwave for 10 seconds prior to eating.
Boo-bies
The twins have always been good eaters. I'm the parent who would never let them have anything sweet. You'd be surprised how many times people offer them candy, cookies, suckers, pop, etc., before they are even big enough to walk. People look at you funny when you say, "No, they can't have that." Zach and I have stood our ground on this topic fairly well. I will say that I have relaxed just a little since they have turned two.
I try to keep healthy options available for Brooks and Adlyn to snack on. One of their favorites is blueberries. If we don't have fresh blueberries in the fridge, they can typically find frozen ones in the freezer. They are now expressing interest in things flavored blueberry - such as yogurt. Adlyn has always liked eating yogurt for breakfast, and Brooks wouldn't touch the stuff. Then, one day I bought some blueberry yogurt and he saw the picture of blueberries on the label, tried it, and loved it!
Do you know what I find funny about their interest in blueberries? They both call them boo-bies.
I try to keep healthy options available for Brooks and Adlyn to snack on. One of their favorites is blueberries. If we don't have fresh blueberries in the fridge, they can typically find frozen ones in the freezer. They are now expressing interest in things flavored blueberry - such as yogurt. Adlyn has always liked eating yogurt for breakfast, and Brooks wouldn't touch the stuff. Then, one day I bought some blueberry yogurt and he saw the picture of blueberries on the label, tried it, and loved it!
Do you know what I find funny about their interest in blueberries? They both call them boo-bies.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Your Daughter's Eye is Super-Glued Shut
First, you must understand that I have only been away from home for a week at a time only twice in my working life. Once was to California for a conference when I was just a few weeks pregnant with the twins. Since the twins have been born, I have only been away from them for one night when I had to be gone for work, and I was home by 9 AM the next morning. The kids were about 6 months old at the time and I really didn't want to leave them. The second time I was gone for a week was this January when I went to Phoenix for a conference. Brooks and Adlyn had recently turned two years old, and now I could come up with a lot of reasons as to why going to this conference for a week would be good for me.
1. I could really use a break.
2. It will be good for me to know that my husband is fully capable of taking care of all of their needs for one whole week.
3. This conference is going to be very good for my job.
(not necessarily in that order)
The conference was great, and I was ready to come home on Friday, January 28. Unfortunately, my flight leaving Phoenix was late, which caused me to miss my flight from Denver to home so that I could arrive to the house just prior to Brooks and Adlyn's bed time. I had to catch the really late flight home, and came home to quiet house of two sleeping kids.
I was excited to see my husband, Zach, and we caught up on the happenings of the day. Then, he mentioned to me, "Adlyn's eye is super-glued shut." What??!?!?! The first thing that pops in my head is a trip to the Emergency Room! Story goes...they were downstairs playing in the basement and Zach must of been tying flies or something along that nature. They got a hold of the super-glue on the laundry room shelves, somehow opened the container, and Adlyn ends up with her eye glued shut. I don't know how we lucked out, but the glue never touched her eye-ball...which would have required a trip to the ER. Now that I am home, I try to assess the situation but Adlyn is sleeping so we'll have to wait until morning. You have to understand that by now I am really missing the kids and can't wait to see them when they wake up. The next morning, Adlyn is up, and only about a 1/4 of her eye can be cracked open. Her eyelashes are glued every which way, and the upper and bottom eyelids are mostly sealed. Not exactly how you want to see your daughter after a week! I have to say, her eye looked like a matted eye of a cat.
Zach and I were brainstorming as to how we go about fixing her eye. Of course, the only things we can think of to remove super glue would be very bad for us to rub on it, especially if that got on her eye ball. (Fingernail polish, Goof-Off, etc.) Zach decides to post the situation on Facebook, and we got a really great suggestion that morning from a friend - vegetable oil. Ta-dah! That worked pretty good. At least she can see better now. We continue to use the vegetable oil throughout the day and the next. By Sunday, she can open her eye. Hooray - my daughter is back to almost normal! At least I can take her out in public without feeling like a bad parent.
It is now two months later and there are still remnants of the super glue on her upper eyelashes. She refuses to let us touch it. This past weekend I tried showing her how cool it is to use an eyelash comb. Of course Brooks was all about it, but Adlyn didn't let me come near her eye with it... I just hope it wears off by the time she goes to Kindergarten!
So back to the beginning of the story, maybe I shouldn't have went to the conference, in reference to reason number two.
There you have it - my first blog entry about the twins. Have a good evening. It is after midnight and I should really go to bed.
Welcome to my Blog!
Welcome to my blog where I will be recording stories of mishaps, mayhem, and merriment of our experiences raising twins. In case you are wondering, "Why are you writing this blog?", I have one simple answer. A story too funny to not record happened in January this year, and it made me realize that I need to record what is happening before I forget. Plus, I really want to share our experiences with others for their enjoyment, and be able to have a place for the twins to read their stories someday when they are teenagers or decide to get married.
A little history to bring you up to date...
I met my husband while at college in the Cornhusker state of Nebraska, got married, and we later moved to his home state of Wyoming to enjoy the beauty and mountains. We love it here and decided to start a family. I still remember going to our first doctor's appointment where we found out we were having twins. Our nurse said at the end of the appointment, "You guys handled that news really well, most couples walk out mad at each other after hearing they are having twins." We were excited, nervous, and really didn't know what we were getting in to. Now I can fully understand why a couple might walk out of that initial appointment mad at each other, especially if they already have one child at home and know better than first-time parents. The pregnancy was progressing well despite a few bumps in the road, and I quite honestly was expecting a full-term delivery in February 2009. They were due on Super Bowl weekend and I had visions of being in labor at the local hospital and watching the game. We didn't have television at the time, so for me, it sounded like a great solution to find a place to watch the game! My plan was to get everything ready over Christmas Break 2008, which would include washing clothes, blankets, putting the crib together, etc. Little did I know that God had a different plan... Our doctor called Flight-for-Life in Denver to come and get us on a Friday afternoon in early December and they were born via emergency C-section early Sunday morning. We were blessed with a boy we named Brooks and a little girl named Adlyn. Despite being two months early and being on the small side, they did thrive quite well. We spent Christmas, New Year's, and several more days in the NICU. Five weeks after they were born, we got the news they were ready to go home. We made the normally 6 hour drive home, which took more like 12 hours! We were new parents, it was our first time taking care of them on our own, and add a long car drive and you can imagine the time it took. Brooks baptized the truck for us that day while we tried to change his diaper near Muddy Gap.
Time was a blur until they slept through the night at 4 months old. Raising infant twins is a whole blog in itself, except no one would be able to write it in real-time. Flash forward to 10 months and they both started crawling on the same day, just a few hours apart from one another. Brooks started walking a few weeks after his birthday, and Adlyn a few months after that. Before you know it, they turned two years old in December 2010, and then I decided in January that I really have to start writing a blog.
March is now here and I am going to have to back-track on a few stories to get caught up, and then I plan to make regular posts from here on out.
Sit back and enjoy - I hope you can put a smile on your face by reading a few of our stories at the end of your long day. Please note...we love Brooks and Adlyn very much, and wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. No matter how many mishaps and how much mayhem takes place, it is worth every second of merriment we have experienced.
A little history to bring you up to date...
I met my husband while at college in the Cornhusker state of Nebraska, got married, and we later moved to his home state of Wyoming to enjoy the beauty and mountains. We love it here and decided to start a family. I still remember going to our first doctor's appointment where we found out we were having twins. Our nurse said at the end of the appointment, "You guys handled that news really well, most couples walk out mad at each other after hearing they are having twins." We were excited, nervous, and really didn't know what we were getting in to. Now I can fully understand why a couple might walk out of that initial appointment mad at each other, especially if they already have one child at home and know better than first-time parents. The pregnancy was progressing well despite a few bumps in the road, and I quite honestly was expecting a full-term delivery in February 2009. They were due on Super Bowl weekend and I had visions of being in labor at the local hospital and watching the game. We didn't have television at the time, so for me, it sounded like a great solution to find a place to watch the game! My plan was to get everything ready over Christmas Break 2008, which would include washing clothes, blankets, putting the crib together, etc. Little did I know that God had a different plan... Our doctor called Flight-for-Life in Denver to come and get us on a Friday afternoon in early December and they were born via emergency C-section early Sunday morning. We were blessed with a boy we named Brooks and a little girl named Adlyn. Despite being two months early and being on the small side, they did thrive quite well. We spent Christmas, New Year's, and several more days in the NICU. Five weeks after they were born, we got the news they were ready to go home. We made the normally 6 hour drive home, which took more like 12 hours! We were new parents, it was our first time taking care of them on our own, and add a long car drive and you can imagine the time it took. Brooks baptized the truck for us that day while we tried to change his diaper near Muddy Gap.
Time was a blur until they slept through the night at 4 months old. Raising infant twins is a whole blog in itself, except no one would be able to write it in real-time. Flash forward to 10 months and they both started crawling on the same day, just a few hours apart from one another. Brooks started walking a few weeks after his birthday, and Adlyn a few months after that. Before you know it, they turned two years old in December 2010, and then I decided in January that I really have to start writing a blog.
March is now here and I am going to have to back-track on a few stories to get caught up, and then I plan to make regular posts from here on out.
Sit back and enjoy - I hope you can put a smile on your face by reading a few of our stories at the end of your long day. Please note...we love Brooks and Adlyn very much, and wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. No matter how many mishaps and how much mayhem takes place, it is worth every second of merriment we have experienced.
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