It's time for my annual post, "What I did all day." I started this tradition when the boys were first born and I'll keep going as long as I remember :) On the first Friday of January (that is not January 1st), I record everything I do over the course of the day. Since my kids are generally with me, it's also a log of their activities.
The rule I have for myself is that I should try to have a normal day - not doing special things just because I want everyone on the internet to know how cool I am. And I don't have to publish every single happening, especially if it involves something like bodily functions that may embarrass the children in the future.
I can tell I have more time on my hands these days and/or more functional brain cells b/c my notes from today are rather long!
January 5, 2018
Location: Pasadena, CA
12:00a All quiet on the sleeping front
6:48a I wake up, just 2 minutes before DF's alarm. This is progress! I had been waking up at 6 but just hiding under my pillow to read Facebook on my phone. Sleeping is a better use of time. Today I read a couple parenting articles while DF takes a shower, even though I've told myself I need to stop reading so much and just be a parent...
I take a shower and get dressed. The kids are still sleeping so I address our last Christmas card to send out (returned due to old address) and make some coffee.
7:43a Hear a cough from the boys' room. They've been a bit congested lately. I wonder if anyone is sick. Put away dishes and eat some breakfast. We don't have a dining room table, so I sit on the couch to eat my cereal and don't slosh milk anywhere. Yay!
8:10a Hear more coughing, so I go into the kids' room to find they are both awake. Gus immediately reports that Gibson has been coughing. Is he worried about his brother? I get them both out of their cribs.
8:20a OH MY WORD I have already heard the word "me" at least 40 times, including "me-self," "me do it," "me first," "me chair," etc.... I was thinking about recording how many times they say "me" in a day but realize I would drive myself insane so give up on that idea. They are eating frozen microwave mini pancakes for breakfast, which the boys insist on helping make (so I have to lift them up and down to reach the microwave buttons). The pancakes are driving wheels and castles today, I am told.
8:40a Start getting boys dressed and changing diapers
8:55a They are both finally clothed. Interlude there where Gus wants yells "ah! ah!" at the trains from the balcony. They start fighting over their toy cash register and want to take out the batteries. I try to explain the concept of batteries to them. They don't care.
9:00a I realize we need to go to the grocery store b/c we're almost out of bread. Then I look at the Vons ad and see all these deals I can't pass up. Vons is the only store where I'll take the boys by myself because they have 2-seater driving wheel carts.
9:20a depart for store. We get the fire truck cart today. They sing "wee-ooh! wee-ooh!" with gusto up and down the aisles and only yank one item off a shelf. Not a bad shopping trip! But I buy way too much stuff.
10:20a back home. They help me carry the groceries up from the parking garage, sort of. At least they both walk the whole way. They eat a yogurt snack while I put the food away. Gibson refuses to eat the blueberries in his yogurt, which is unfortunate as the brand I bought is advertising "now with more fruit."
10:40a I turn on the TV so I can cook in peace. I bought a bunch of ground turkey, so I'm cooking it now and will freeze it in 1 pound packs for future meals.
11:10a We go down to the leasing office to pick up an Amazon package that arrived yesterday. Along the way, we visit the pool, outside fountain, mailbox, and the dry cleaning drop off with beeping buttons on their lockers.
11:30a Home, and time for lunch. They mainly eat cantaloupe and smash up their peanut butter sandwiches. They add an extra "w" sound and pronounce it "swan-wich," which I find adorable.
11:50a Done with lunch, so now they are using the momentum of rocking their bodies back and forth to roll their high chairs across the kitchen floor, and cracking themselves up. After they get down, they want me to play with them in their closet where they close the door and turn on two singing toys, but not to the same song. This is not my favorite game! They pretend to fix things, ask me to read the same book 3 times, and start fighting over a bus toy.
12:35p I'm tired of listening to fights, so I turn the TV on and give them a snack while I eat some lunch, clean the kitchen.
1:05p In bed for nap time. I eat some more, start a load of laundry, and hide the fruit cups I just bought in the back of a cupboard.
1:15p Gus is squealing. I give him some books to look at. Gibson is already asleep.
During their nap, I cut up some chicken to go in the freezer, take out a precariously full sack of garbage, throw my other neighbors' trash down the chute that they leave in the trash room b/c apparently I'm the floor mom, and wash dishes. I have a weekly chore chart for myself, which I do allow myself to slack on but not this week b/c we're just back from 2 weeks of vacation and I was slacking before that :) So today is cleaning the countertops and dusting, plus laundry. Then I sweep the kitchen because of course when I wipe off the counters, I make a mess. I go down to the garage to retrieve the last load of groceries. It takes 4 minutes. I hope no one is going to judge me too harshly for leaving my sleeping children unattended... Then I eat a snack while checking FB/IG. Send some emails and make a phone call for general life stuff.
2:50p Everyone is still asleep, so I sit down to read chapter 1 of my new library book, The Cross & the Lynching Tree. It seems like a good complement to another book I read recently, Just Mercy.
3:20p Hear a creature stirring in the bedroom. Both of them are awake, but Gibson doesn't want to get out of bed for awhile. We all play trucks.
3:55p Applesauce snack, then off to the park. There's a park across the street from our apartment complex, which is one of my favorite things about our location! I pull the kids in their wagon. A drunk guy greets us at the crosswalk and tries to get high 5s from the boys. They eye him warily, as do I. At the park, they go on their favorite things - swing, rolling slide, bouncy bridge. I help them on the monkey bars, and their grip strength is improving.
5:00p Finally back home. It takes us about 15 minutes from the entry door to our apartment b/c they have to admire everyone's decorations, run up and down the hallway, spin in circles by the elevator, try to reach out a window and grab a tree...
5:15p DF arrives home. Boys have been screaming a lot the last 15 minutes. He convinces them to eat some dinner. After they are done, they crawl and DF pretending he is a car while I eat dinner. Then we switch places, except I don't know how to be a car as well as Daddy does, according to the boys.
6:20p Gibson sounds a bit hoarse. I'm worried he's getting croup. His temperature is 99.0. WebMD says to keep him calm, but the boys are currently climbing on a cushion fort. He is coughing so I nix the cushion play and tell them they can pick a movie to watch instead.
6:30p They pick Caillou...siiiiiigh. Luckily it's a video with a bunch of short episodes and they agree to switch to Land Before Time after the first little show. I clean up dinner while they watch TV and eat snacks, then we all snuggle on the couch for awhile.
7:40p Bath time. Lots of roaring dinosaur splashing inspired by their recent viewing, I suspect.
8:10p Out of the bath, try to get them to play calmly with trucks and avoid cushion chaos. Gibson still sounds like his throat is scratchy.
8:30p Bedtime. The routine includes brush teeth, read a Bible story + 2 books, songs, prayer, hugs, goodnight. Gibson's temp is 99.3 but he's not coughing very much. While I'm finishing up with the boys, I send DF downstairs to our local tap house to fill up our growler because TGIF.
9:00p Boys in bed. This time schedule is pretty normal for us, lately. While we were traveling for the holidays they kept staying up late and sleeping in. It's working ok, I guess, but sometimes we do need to get moving earlier in the mornings. Hmm, we shall see how it goes.
DF returns with a beer called White Ghost. It's a Berliner Weisse, a sour. It's different than what I usually drink, but it's pretty good.
I move a second load of laundry to the dryer, start the dishwasher, and type of this novella of my day.
I hope I don't jinx myself by publishing tonight! If anything noteworthy happens in the next 90 minutes, I'll be sure to update the post. As it is, I'm about to head off to bed, after I fold the mountain of laundry currently covering my sleeping surface...
Showing posts with label parks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label parks. Show all posts
Saturday, January 6, 2018
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
2.5 Years
I'm a few days early on this post, but we'll be in Oregon visiting family on the boys' actual half-birthday. Figured I better record these observations now so I don't forget later!
(For any of my newer readers, note that "Gus" and "Gibson" are blog pseudonyms for the twins. Hopefully you can figure out which one is which, if you know them IRL!)
As is my tradition, I shall now reflect on what the boys are up to these days. Two and a half is a pretty fun age, in my opinion. Yes, it's also dramatic. But for the most part, life is good. I decided to make a little chart here. (Hope it displays ok on whatever browser/device you're using.) I know the experts say not to compare your kids...that's really hard when you have twins, though! How else are you supposed to talk about them, when they're really similar?
(For any of my newer readers, note that "Gus" and "Gibson" are blog pseudonyms for the twins. Hopefully you can figure out which one is which, if you know them IRL!)
As is my tradition, I shall now reflect on what the boys are up to these days. Two and a half is a pretty fun age, in my opinion. Yes, it's also dramatic. But for the most part, life is good. I decided to make a little chart here. (Hope it displays ok on whatever browser/device you're using.) I know the experts say not to compare your kids...that's really hard when you have twins, though! How else are you supposed to talk about them, when they're really similar?
As you can see, they are certainly continuing to develop distinct personalities! It's interesting to me how they aren't exactly turning out the way I thought they would though, based on baby-hood. Gus used to be a bit more chill. As he's gotten older, I feel like he's embracing his role as the older brother, becoming bossy sometimes and demanding his own way. Since I'm also an oldest child, I can't really fault him for it, haha. Gibson, meanwhile, is kind of fulfilling his role as the baby of the family by being a little jokester! They both love to laugh, but Gibson especially has a humorous/mischievous streak about him.
Activities: playing all the time, everywhere. Current fixation is taking all the cushions/throw pillows off the couch to build houses, castles, cars, etc in the living room. They could do it all day long, except that they also fight a lot over who is going to use which of the (identical) cushions, among other things.
Language: Since their pacifiers have been relegated to their cribs, I've definitely noticed an increase in their vocabulary. They can ask for a bunch of different foods/drinks, name animals, and tell you about various vehicles. And they use verbs, too :) The longest phrase I've heard one of them say is, "No, my wee-oo truck!" (that's a fire truck, if you don't speak toddler-ese). I try not to stress out when I hear other kids of a similar age stringing together whole sentences, though. We were at the library where a girl remarked, "This one doesn't fit" about a gear toy she couldn't get to work. Her mom said she's two and a half. I was like, wow! My kids would just say, "ahh!" or "help!" or "mama!" about that situation...
They understand some opposites like up/down, on/off, and empty/full. Hmm, but that might be more of a cognitive skill than language. I think they also know the numbers 1 and 2, sometimes.
Sleep: They are still taking an afternoon nap, thanks be to God, for about 2-3 hours. These days, they've been going to bed around 8:30-9pm and sleeping till 7:30-8am. I would prefer that schedule to shift a bit earlier, but it's working out ok so I won't complain. I usually am awake by 6:30am so I just try to get stuff done in the morning, quietly, before they wake up.
Eating: Per the above list, you'll note both kids love lentils - specifically, split red lentils, simmered in chicken broth, with curry powder. They've become increasingly picky, but they still like those legumes! Otherwise, they pretty much are subsisting on toaster waffles, peanut butter, dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets, cashews, applesauce, and the occasional carrot. They don't like crunchy carrots, which means I'm still cutting them into pieces and steaming them. Way easier than purees, though! Oh yes, and they would eat popsicles and cookies all day, every day, if I would let them.
Social skills: We've had a few play dates lately where I've been able to watch them around other kids. It's kind of comical because they are fairly good about sharing with each other, but rather oblivious to sharing with new playmates. We were at a kid's house who had a ride-on toy car. Gus and Gibson kept hopping in and out of it, taking turns with each other. When I suggested that the other kids also wanted to play with the car, they were incredulous and protested loudly!
At parks, they have started interacting positively with the other kids sometimes, especially older kids. They got into a game of chase/tag a few weeks ago with some kids who were about 8 or 9, and there was much giggling all around.
Physical development: According to the bathroom scale, Gus is 26 lbs and Gibson weighs in at 25. They are not quite 36" tall yet. (Learned that the hard way after we waited in line 20 minutes for the Ferris wheel at Knott's Berry Farm...) They're wearing size 2T for most clothes, though 18 months pants. Shoes are size 6 toddler. I wish their feet would hurry up and grow into size 7 b/c the size 7 shoes we have are way easier to get off and on than the 6s. Live and learn, Mom!
They can't jump yet. We just checked yesterday. Gibson stood on his tiptoes and laughed while DF and I hopped up and down. Gus just kept climbing on the couch cushions.
They're a lot better at running without falling/tripping these days, even going down an incline. That's a nice skill to have. Gus is decent at catching a ball from a close distance, but he thinks it's funnier to stand with his hands clasped together and laugh at you when you get ready to throw.
Emotions: parenting literature these days is all about teaching emotional intelligence/understanding/regulation, and I've totally jumped on that bandwagon. We talk about our feelings a lot. Here's a sample of what happened earlier today.
Me: "Gus, look at your brother's face. He has a sad face because you took the cushion he was using. Hmm..." <pause for comprehension> "What can you do to help him feel better?"
Gus: thinks, then says, "Toys?"
Me: "Gibson, do you want a toy?"
Gibson, sighing sadly: "No" (Gibson has a reeeeeally good sad face, I must say)
Me: "Gus, could you share the cushion?"
Gus: thinks a bit..."Uh huh. Share!"
Me: "Gibson, Gus says he can share the cushion with you! How do you feel now?"
Gibson: "Happy!"
Me: "Oh good, I'm glad you found a way to play together" <yes, that's a phrase from Daniel Tiger. I use it a lot.>
Gibson: "Happy!"
Me: "Oh good, I'm glad you found a way to play together" <yes, that's a phrase from Daniel Tiger. I use it a lot.>
We also play a game where we make different faces, like happy, sad, angry, scared, and surprised. They seem to like it.
So, there's life in a nutshell. I always like looking back at these reflection posts. Hope you enjoyed reading it, too :)
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Action-Packed Day
I use this blog to remind myself of things that happen (example: I had totally forgotten how horrendous the end of DST was last year!), so I shall now chronicle what we did this past Sunday.
Uncle Junior Fuzzy flew down from Portland for the weekend for his birthday because he wanted to have some California fun! We did our best to entertain him. Usually on Sundays, we go to church and that's about it for the day. Instead, we decided to see how much we could get the kids to do before they lost it (or at least, that how it seems in hindsight).
The boys woke up earlier than usual due to the time change, so everyone was ready and raring to go before 9AM. First stop was Griffith Park. I did not realize how gigantic that place is! For my Memphis readers, it's nearly the same size as Shelby Farms in terms of acreage. Both parks also have numerous outdoor recreation options and are popular local attractions. That's about where the comparisons end, though. Griffith Park is up on a bunch of hills so you really can't get a sense of where anything is just by looking around. It's surrounded by densely populated neighborhoods, which means it's kind of tricky to get from one part to another.
At any rate, we decided to take in the views of the city from the highest point in the park, Griffith Observatory. Because I don't know how to read signs, I paid an unnecessary $4 for parking (meters weren't in effect yet). Oh well, it was my contribution to the parks budget. We walked around to check out the scenery.
Uncle Junior Fuzzy flew down from Portland for the weekend for his birthday because he wanted to have some California fun! We did our best to entertain him. Usually on Sundays, we go to church and that's about it for the day. Instead, we decided to see how much we could get the kids to do before they lost it (or at least, that how it seems in hindsight).
The boys woke up earlier than usual due to the time change, so everyone was ready and raring to go before 9AM. First stop was Griffith Park. I did not realize how gigantic that place is! For my Memphis readers, it's nearly the same size as Shelby Farms in terms of acreage. Both parks also have numerous outdoor recreation options and are popular local attractions. That's about where the comparisons end, though. Griffith Park is up on a bunch of hills so you really can't get a sense of where anything is just by looking around. It's surrounded by densely populated neighborhoods, which means it's kind of tricky to get from one part to another.
At any rate, we decided to take in the views of the city from the highest point in the park, Griffith Observatory. Because I don't know how to read signs, I paid an unnecessary $4 for parking (meters weren't in effect yet). Oh well, it was my contribution to the parks budget. We walked around to check out the scenery.
Those big clouds never did rain on us
The observatory building didn't open till 10:00 but by then the kids and their uncle were ready to move on. So, we didn't get to see any of the interesting astronomy stuff inside. Some other day, I guess!
Junior Fuzzy was itching to watch the Rams' football game (he's a big fan), so our next stop had to include TVs tuned to the correct channel, food that all family members would eat, and a place for the kids to run around. We found all these + bonus of beer at Golden Road Brewing. I was impressed that it was such a family-friendly brewery! They have this whole covered patio area with corn hole, ping pong, giant Yahtzee, and probably other games I didn't notice. And, they were playing the Rams game. Everyone had fun! There was a birthday party for a three year old going on at the table next to us. Our kids had fun running around and chasing birds with the birthday party guests.
At half time, we decided the kids needed a nap, so we headed back to Pasadena. I dropped off DF and JF at the Dog Haus so they could watch the second half of the game. (Now would probably be a good time to mention that we don't have cable, so that's why we were looking for restaurants to watch football.) Conveniently, they were able to walk home afterwards, then I made a quick Trader Joe's run. Well, semi-quick. The parking situation was ridiculous. Maybe that's normal for a Sunday afternoon?
The boys slept forever, so by the time they woke up, we were ready to get some dinner. JF is a big fan of beans. I decided to introduce him to Salvadorean food at a place recommended to me as "authentic LA," Las Cazuelas. We arrived just before 5 but still had to wait 20 minutes for a table. Sheesh! We entertained the kids by walking around outside and looking in the windows of nearby shops. Dinner itself went OK. I really find it stressful to dine out in a restaurant with my children. This meal was no different. They only ate chips, though Gibson did dip his in beans at least. They wouldn't even taste their bean and cheese pupusa, even though I called it a "bean pizza." (They love pizza.) Instead, they ate peanut butter cracker sandwiches that I'd tossed in the diaper bag in case dinner was a bust. By the end of the evening, they were both crawling on the floor under the table yelling "Doo dah! Doo dah!" (This is their new favorite word. I do not know what it means, only that they think it is hilarious.)
Let this be the record that we took our kids to do three different things in one day and lived to tell the tale! It helps that we had a 3 adult : 2 kid ratio going on, I'm sure :)
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Parenting at the Park
We spend a lot of time exploring the parks around our new neighborhood. I've really got to hand it to the city of Pasadena - they are doing an awesome job in the parks department! This city of just over 140,000 residents has 23 parks. Wow! (We've ventured slightly further afield to South Pasadena, and their parks are also pretty cool.)
Let me describe a typical park here for you.
Let me describe a typical park here for you.
- Two play structures - one for ages 2-5, and one for ages 5-12
- Bark chips covering the ground
- Shade trees
- Variety of items to climb up, over, and through - plus slides
- Swings
- Maybe a sand play area, or water, or see-saw
- A couple driving wheels
- Nice landscaping
- Clean and well-maintained
And don't forget all of this is outside under that gorgeous California sun! Can you tell I'm enjoying our SoCal lifestyle?? :)
Now, let's talk about what parents do at the park. Usually we encounter lots of other toddlers and preschoolers at parks, since we tend to go in the mornings. I've observed these cultural norms so far:
- Parent has a beverage with them, usually coffee
- It's not all moms. I see lots of dads, and some grandmas, grandpas, and nannies. And I see two parents more often that I would have expected on weekdays.
- Most people have 1 kid, some 2. We've actually met a lot of twins!
- Parent follows child around the play area
- Parent engages child in playing and talking
- Many people speak languages other than English
- Parent feeds child a snack. Most extreme example of this I've seen was the dad trailing his kid with a yogurt parfait from McDonald's, trying to get the child to take bites while playing
- Child is often dressed more warmly than my kids (long pants/sleeves even when I think it's warm)
- Parent intervenes quickly in fights/sharing disputes amongst children
- Children in the sand area are expected to share their toys with others
- Parent takes pictures of child
- Parent intermittently looks at phone, but most parents aren't totally sitting on a bench zoned out in phone land
Meanwhile, I don't bother bringing any beverages with me because I need both arms free for catching my little daredevils! Gus totally flung himself headfirst down a big slide yesterday while Gibson was off and climbing up a 5-foot tall apparatus. At least I can tell they're getting better at climbing with all this practice, but more confident, too...eek!
toddler-friendly play area, except for that ladder-like part where
Gibson got to the top and tried to jump off
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