Chill in the Air

Visits to the grandparents often necessitate breaking out the cold weather clothes. Jackets and hats that are rarely worn at home become daily requirements. Here, Ryan models his Scandanavian headgear (actually, a great hand-me-down from cousin Maggie). And when it's just too cold to go outside, you can stay indoors -- Grandpa and Grandma have a castle!



In their nearly 16 months of life, Lucie and Ryan have been on 16 flights. That seems like a lot of plane rides especially since L & R know one certain fiancé who has only taken two flights in his entire life and he's in his mid-20's! To be fair, he did visit Lucie and Ryan on that trip.

No matter how often we fly, we always look forward to going back home. Fortunately for us, it's a quick flight with just enough time to read a book.

Packing on the Holiday Pounds

Ahh, there's nothing like relaxing on the couch after a good meal. Especially if that meal included big bites of cheesecake at Gigi and Papa's, or nuggets of sugar cookies from Grandma and Grandpa. We've all been known to put on a few extra pounds in December, and Lucie and Ryan are no exception. With all the delicious treats they encountered, these two little tummies are a bit rounder.

We didn't notice the change until we got home from our travels. I tried to put both little dudes in their high chairs, and what do you know, the straps were too tight. The same goes for the stroller and car seats. After some quick adjustments, all straps fit again (much to R & L's dismay). Hopefully the weight gain will show up on the scales at our next doctor's appointment, especially for Miss Lucie who had some making up to do after her recent illness.

Merry Christmas From the Cookie Monster Hotline

Like Lucie and Ryan last year, cousin Tate's first Christmas was all about sleeping, eating, and looking cute in his holiday wear (which he does so well). Lucie and Ryan's second Christmas involved a fair amount of sleeping and eating too, with a touch more interest in presents, tree lights and Santa music boxes.

I think it'll still be a few years yet before Christmas morning becomes a much anticipated event. In the meantime Ryan and Lucie had fun checking out their cousin, playing with new toys, and attempting to eat ribbons and wrapping paper. A popular gift for L & R was talking baby cell phones -- hmmm... I wonder if our families are trying to tell us something?

Looks like Uncle Jason didn't get the memo about striped shirt day in the second photo.

Lucie's Tough Luck

Poor Lucie has been hit hard by illness this month. On our way to a holiday party several weeks ago, she got carsick for the fourth time. Even scarier, she started choking as we were getting her out of the carseat. That necessitated my first fingersweep intervention -- good thing we remembered those infant first-aid/CPR lessons.

Two weeks later, Lucie was diagnosed with a double-whammy: an ear infection and mild pneumonia. Our first major illness and our first visit to Urgent Care. I think seeing her so lethargic and listless was most unsettling -- our little Lucie just wasn't Lucie. No talking, no walking, no eating for several days. Though she has made a full recovery, our medicine cabinet is now stocked with a few additional items: nasal saline drops, Benadryl, and prescription antibiotics.

R & L Cleaning Service

It turns out that Ryan and Lucie like housework. Lucky us! Two of their favorite chores include unpacking groceries (a.k.a. moving soda cans in and out and in and out of the fridge) and cleaning up for baths (a.k.a. flinging toilet paper).

And when it comes time to clean out my wallet, I know two little dudes I can always count on for help. Sometimes I don't even have to ask for it. Hey, who slobbered on my smoothie punch card?

A Boy, a Girl, and Their Wagon

When we don't go for longer trips in the stroller, I take Lucie and Ryan for short cruises in their Radio Flyer. They wave their little Snack Traps (another ingenious invention) full of Cheerios in delight as the wagon starts cruising out the door. I'm sure we drive our neighbors crazy with our constant clunk-clunk-clunking, but as Uncle AJ would say, that's how we roll these days.

Lucie points out the trees and bushes, while Ryan practices his "Woof, Woof" with dogs we meet along the way. Sometimes we stop to watch an airplane pass through the sky, or to pick up discarded sippy cup (wait a second, is this a game?), and then it's on to the next discovery. The world is a great, big exciting place to L & R right now, and it sure is fun to watch them enjoy it.

Here Sis, Have a Spoon!

Now that we're home from our trip, Ryan and Lucie don't have quite the same mealtime audience they had come to enjoy at both grandparents' houses. Most of the time, it's just me hanging out with them in their high chairs, stealing glances at magazines or Christmas catalogs in between spoonfuls.

R & L quickly took matters into their own hands and recreated the mealtime excitement. This game of pass-the-spoon went on for about ten minutes, with giggles, smiles and enthusiastic leg-kicking punctuating each pass. Once again, the built-in entertainment potential that comes with twins makes my day.

(on a side note, I thought Baby Bjorn only made infant carriers, but they also make many other baby products including these great toddler spoons. The chubby handles are perfect for little hands and quite tasty to chew on between courses.)

Gobbling Up Fun Times

This Thanksgiving meant a wonderful long week with family for Lucie and Ryan. Now that they are so mobile (and squirmy), we weren't sure what to expect during our air travel, but they did great. A diaper bag full of snacks and books, along with a good old Southwest drink cup, did the trick keeping them occupied and happy in our laps. We'll see if we make it to age 2 (the required age to buy tickets for children) before they get their own seats.

Highlights of this trip included seeing Grandma Great (over Lucie's shoulder), adventures at the parks by both grandparents' houses, and of course, meeting Cousin Tate. He is one sweet little guy who we all loved to hold and make faces with. As you can see here, he has that post-Thanksgiving sleepy look down already. Sweet potatoes next year!

These Robeez Are Made For Walking

While Lucie has been taking unassisted steps since mid-October, we've hesitated to officially call her a "walker" until just the past few days. This hesitation comes partly from reluctance to admit she's no longer a baby, and partly from fear of what life will be like with twin walkers, most likely going in different directions.

However, there's no more hiding from it now - our girl's a walker, and pretty good at it too. It's only when she really wants to get somewhere fast that she resorts to crawling, otherwise she's perfectly happy to toddle along.

As you can see here, Ryan is not far behind. With a little help from Gigi last weekend, he had fun practicing his steps and staring down birds he met along the way. He might not look too menacing now, seagulls, but beware the soon-to-be walking/running Ryan!

Cool Toys: Crabbie Sandbox

With our two little crawlers/walkers (more on Lucie's new found abilities in a future post), we are always looking for ways to expand our condo. Since buying a 3 bedroom house on 1/2 acre isn't exactly feasible in today's housing market, we decided to transform our patio into an impromptu playground.

Of course, that meant cleaning up the patio first. While not exactly a dump, mountain bikes, a barbecue, and assorted tools make it an unfriendly place for toddlers. So the bikes went underground, the bbq to storage, and the toolbox secured. After I mopped the area, I realized we needed to soften up the floor. Combining a few quick measurements and the wonders of the Internet, I bought 32 square feet of 3/4 inch play mats from Step 2.

Next up was entertainment. Borrowing a tip from Erick (and his parents Rick and Kathleen), we bought an outdoor sandbox intending to fill it with plastic balls. Another a few clicks online and we ordered Crabbie Sandbox from Step 2 and 200 Magic Balls from PlayHut. So far everyone is very happy with the latest additions.

Democracy (and pretzels) in Action

Ryan and Lucie joined me to vote this year, though not as a lesson in civic responsibility (maybe in a few years), but more out of pure necessity (I didn't get my absentee ballot request in on time).

We arrived at the polls in the middle of the afternoon to a substantial line of waiting voters. So much for beating the before/after work crunch. As I nervously counted voting booths, the woman in front of us looked at Ryan and Lucie, shook her head disapprovingly, and said, "They're never going to make it". Things were not looking good.

Despite these ominous signs, I successfully cast my vote. Ryan and Lucie were fantastic, due mostly to a well-stocked bag of pretzels and some friendly poll workers happy to give out "I Voted" stickers in every possible language. Now R & L can proudly say "Yo Vote" and "Toi Da Bau" at the early age of 13 1/2 months. (And, I can also tell them that their inaugural voting experience coincided with the first woman being elected to speaker of the House - truly a momentous occasion.)

Bathing, Phase II

Forced to abandon our previous bathing routine this summer when Lucie and Ryan outgrew the infant bathtub, we started bathing them in a larger inflatable tub.

As easy as that sounds, there were a few problems. The first issue was the faucet as the running water really scared them. No problem I thought -- just a quick trip to the hardware store to buy a new faucet with a hand shower attachment. Seven hours, three trips, and an entire Saturday later (in our house, this phenomena is known as Megan's Law of Home Depot), I had replaced the faucet, shower head, most of the plumbing mounts, and used approximately 100m of plumbers tape. But now our little toddlers could bathe without fear of faucets (and show off their Doctor Seuss-inspired hairstyles).

The second problem was the screaming. Everyone use to enjoy bath time, but now it triggered a full-body stiffness and ear piercing screams. Fortunately, adding a sibling to the tub eased the pain. A built-in buddy system must be nature's way of helping out the parents of multiples.

More Tales from the High Chair

Since Lucie and Ryan spend quite a bit of time eating (not unlike their mom), there's always something new to report. We've recently turned the spoons over after many not-so-subtle suggestions (firmly closed mouths, shaking heads, screams of dislike) that it was time. "I want to do it myself" - isn't that the toddler mantra?

Our pediatrician said that learning to use a spoon, like potty training, is something you hope they figure out by kindergarden. Not really words of encouragement, but at least she warned us that it's going to be a long process. In the meantime, these little guys sure are having fun, and the word messy has reached a whole new meaning.

Send in the Clowns (and Ladybugs)

For almost 30 years, Grandma Laura has been storing the handmade Halloween costumes she made for me and my brother. Today she finally gets rewarded.

While we skipped the trick-or-treating this year, Lucie and Ryan were clearly in the spirit. The hats were quickly discarded, but both were facinated by the pom-poms adorning Ryan's clown outfit. And, needless to say, Lucie makes a much cuter ladybug than either me or Greg.

Dining Alfresco

There's something romantic about eating outdoors - chocolate croissants at a Parisian sidewalk cafe, mai-tais on the lanai in Maui, soggy graham crackers and grapes at the park. Wait a minute, soggy graham crackers? Oh, how life has changed.

Lucie and Ryan love to eat their lunch out and about. They enjoy the change of scenery and easy access to each other's food & drink; I'm thrilled about the effortless clean-up. Once I put lunch down, it turns into a free-for-all as little hands, sippy cups and crumbs fly everywhere. I sit back, relax and think about the two fewer high chair trays I have to scrub - now that's romantic!

One Year Stats

Lucie and Ryan had their official one-year pediatrician's appointment in early October. After a ridiculously long wait (more on that in another post) and subsequent exam, we get little slips that list their vitals. Like most premies, they remain small in comparison to the entire baby population with all those full-term singletons :> In any case, our babies are long, lean, and most important of all, healthy.

Lucie's in the 5th percentile for weight at 17 pounds, 3 ounces, but 29.5 inches tall (75th percentile). Ryan weighs 19 pounds, 13 ounces (10th percentile) and is 30 inches tall (75th percentile).

P.S. Champagne again tonight, but no burp clothes. A welcome change from last year.

Our Little Monkey

While Ryan and I enjoy the smoothie stand at the mall (yum, pumpkin smoothies!), Lucie keeps an eye on the teenage girls cruising in and out of Claire's Accessories. She's becoming quite an accessories fan. She loves examining Gigi's bracelets, touching my earrings and grabbing her Dad's baseball cap.

Just today she showed an interest in one of her own accessories - this funny monkey hat. Though it wasn't exactly cold out, Lucie pulled this hat out of her drawer, put it on, and wouldn't take it off during the entire twins playgroup at the park. Maybe she was inspired by this morning's reading of Curious George? Who knows, but it sure was cute to watch Lucie proudly sport one of her own fashion choices.

Hooray, Tate's here!

Last Thursday was a great day. After months of waiting, Lucie and Ryan's first cousin entered the world just in time for mid-lunch celebrations. From all reports, Tate Logan is doing great and spending most of his time learning how to eat. We know he'll catch on in no time, and will someday soon be smearing sweet potatoes all over his face just like his crazy cousins.

We haven't met him yet, but here's the photo R & L have been looking at to get to know their new cousin. Welcome Tate!

The Latest on Sleep

It's been a rough few months in the sleep department. Ryan and Lucie consistently slept through the night in March and April. But after a series of trips in May, June, and July, they became dependent on midnight feedings. So for the last five months, a typical night meant 1 to 2 nighttime visits from Megan.

On the advice of their pediatrician, we decided to show some tough love with Lucie and Ryan. A weeks ago, we re-implemented a cry-it-out policy -- a 10 minute waiting period for all night-time crying. The first night was disasterous with at least 4 attempts to wail through the waiting period. We're fortunate our neighbors didn't call the police. But after a few nights, the crying jags dropped to one per night. And, just in time for the weekend, Lucie and Ryan slept from 7pm to 7am on both Friday and Saturday nights. Ahhh!

Cool Toys: Radio Flyer Wagon

Another much enjoyed birthday present came from Grandpa and Gigi -- the latest in wagon technology. With built-in storage, cupholders (4!), and seat-belts, Lucie and Ryan are sure to enjoy their new Radio Flyer Pathfinder Wagon for years to come.

They both enjoy riding and pushing the stroller -- I'm happy to have the help. But we have found that their favorite wagon activity is to drop items on the sidewalk as we roll to the local park. Must be great fun to watch mom as she scrambles to pick discarded cups, balls, and other flotsam and jetsam.

Look! An Elephant!

We took Lucie and Ryan to the zoo last weekend for just the second time. With so much to see and do close to home, we haven't ventured very far for baby outings. And while I doubt they'll remember much from this trip, at least they didn't sleep the entire time like the first visit.

Turns out, zoos are not designed to maximize animal viewing opportunities from a stroller. That meant that Lucie and Ryan could really only see the large animals so we spent most of our time looking at the elephants, giraffes, and zebras. Never having seen something so large, they were facinated just watching the animals eat. In fact, you can see their disappointment at being turned around for a quick photo op.

Nothing Boring about Twin Toddlers

We're only a few weeks into parenting toddlers and one thing's for sure - it can be very unpredictable. (I bet our parents could have told us that.) One day Ryan can't eat his chicken fast enough, the next he can't spit it out fast enough. Lucie goes for weeks sleeping until 6:30 am, suddenly she's waking us all up at 5:45 am.

Here's a little more about their latest likes - but watch out, they could change at any time...

Ryan LOVES: cantaloupe, opening and closing drawers and doors, rubbing noses with Porter the Puppy (more on him later), giving high-fives, watching his Dad shave in the morning and remote controls.


Lucie LOVES: hanging upside down, reading books, dancing (preferably ended with a dip), turkey meatballs, trying on clothes, and sucking her fingers (here she's showing her buddy Owen the best fingers to choose).

Cool Toys: Corn Popper

Lucie and Ryan received so many exciting toys for their birthday that we've decided to showcase their favorites in a new series: Cool Toys.

Through experience we've learned that the best toys for twins are the ones both kids can play with at the same time. While we will eventually need two of everything to avoid squabbles, it's nice to keep the living room clutter to a minimum. Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma, one new favorite that meets that criteria is the Fisher Price Corn Popper Ride-on (a classic since 1957). It's perfect because one baby can sit while the other pushes. We help them switch places and directions once they reach the other side of apartment.

Just Cruisin'

While Lucie and Ryan prepare to walk, there's a lot of cruising going on. All that's needed is a solid piece of furniture, and the babies can quickly cover ground by holding on and shuffling their feet. Sometimes they move from one piece to the next, or in Ryan's case here, the pantry to the fridge. Lucie is now on to one-handed cruising, which will surely become hands-free soon.

Combine cruising with lightning-speed crawling, and these babies are all over the place. No wonder we've become accomplished baby-proofers - check out those corner guards!

Lucie's First Girls Day

Lucie's not one to miss a party. But what's a girl to do when her Aunt Rach's baby shower is 600 miles away? Fly up for the day, of course! It's not usually the sort of thing we do, but since we had just recently spent a long weekend visiting family, it made sense to do a quick trip. Leaving Ryan and Chris, we hopped on the plane with promises to be home by bedtime.

Lucie was a joy, both during the flights and at the party. She had a great time playing with cousins Gabriella, Maggie and Emily, and kept a close eye on her future cousin's loot as the presents were opened.

Though Lucie enjoyed the day's adventures, I could tell she missed her brother. When Chris picked us up at the airport, the babies were very excited to see each other, and chatted in their car seats all the way home. You'll definitely come with us next time, Rye-Rye.