"Wayne-Deer" and "San-TA!"

After two wonderful, adventure-filled weeks visiting family, it's been a bit tough for Lucie and Ryan to get back into the routine at home. Two tired parents and a bowl of Cheerios pales in comparison to the entertaining relatives and homemade breakfast goodies they had come to enjoy each morning over the holidays.

Lucie and Ryan aren't the only ones who miss waking up to grandparents, uncles, aunt and cousin just waiting to play with them. I sure miss that too — all the help meant a chance for us to relax and watch R & L soak in all the wonders of the holidays. Christmas through the eyes of twin two year olds is quite enchanting.

While they loved opening their many beautiful gifts, some of R & L's best moments were spent enjoying the little things in life we grown-ups sometimes forget are really fun. Here are some of Lucie and Ryan's highlights:

* Picking up the newspaper from the front step each morning with Papa
* Helping Gigi cook pancakes, "monkey bread", and cinnamon rolls
* Picking tomatoes (in December!) from the garden with Grandma
* Helping Grandpa put the flag out each day
* Enjoying all things with cousin Tate — from eating to bathing to playing with seaweed to jumping in their cribs after nap time
* Christmas lights galore in both grandparents' neighborhoods. As we drove by illuminated houses, Lucie and Ryan would yell out from their car seats, "I see 2 no-men mommy! I see 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 wayne-deer!"

Once again, Lucie and Ryan reminded me that the little details in life are often the most important and meaningful. Here's to more adventures with family and enjoyment of the small stuff in 2008!

Kitchen Help

Safe to say that Lucie and Ryan are into food these days. And while the food bill shows the cost of growing toddlers, our weekly trips to the grocery store have evolved from chore to anticipated family outing. Ryan and I take one cart in search of fruit, vegetables, "yellow wine", and sandwiches. Megan and Lucie head off in the opposite direction to pick up milk, yogurt, and pretzels.

But the fun doesn't stop at the store. Getting all of those bags from the car to the condo often requires a team caravan with the wagon or stroller. Putting away groceries gives them another chance to spot their favorites and make lunch requests.

We have documented L & R's many cooking successes, but sometimes things do head in the other direction. A few weeks ago their latest culinary creation ended with me discharging a fire extinguisher for the first time in my life. One morning, our little sous chefs-in-training insisted on filling the entire muffin tin with paper inserts even though only half of the tray was filled with blueberry muffin batter. As Megan tried to surreptitiously pick out the extras, a few fell down and ignited on the heating element.

Important note to fellow toddler parents: when this happens to you, and I'm sure it will, simply close the oven door and let the small flames burn themselves out. Something capable of withstanding 500 degrees will not be damaged by a paper fire. After all, it's an oven! Pulling the pin and hitting the oven with multiple blasts will make you a hero, but it will turn a two minute cleanup effort into a multi-hour ordeal.

The First Train Cake of Christmas

When I greeted Ryan post-nap with the news that we were going to make a cake, he almost jumped out of his crib with glee. He's been very interested in the hand mixer, as well as every other appliance in our kitchen, and has been longing for a chance to see it in action. So far he's only been able to try out all its buttons while unplugged. He's had a lot of fun with that, and even insisted it accompany him to watch "Elmo's World" a few times. But that's definitely not the real deal. I kept telling him that we only plug it in when we're making a cake. Hooray - this was his chance!

We made one of R & L's favorite cakes - a train cake (thanks for the pan, Uncle Greg and Jessica). Once the cake was out of the oven and cooled, the two little bakers started the decoration. It went something like this - one chocolate chip on the frosting, two in Ryan's mouth; one squirt of red icing here, another in Lucie's mouth - you get the idea. That's why our cake looks a little under-decorated. Oh well, everyone agreed it tasted great.

And so began the tradition of the Christmas train cake!

We Have Pee!

The morning after introducing potties back in October, Lucie successfully peed. Unfortunately, since then we have had a grand total of zero successes. Until tonight when Ryan made up for two months of potty ambivalence by peeing 6 times over a 30 minute span following baths. We'll see what tomorrow brings, but the idea of a diaper-free house is mighty attractive. Especially since our trusty Diaper Genie just bit the dust after handling some 8500 diapers in the last 2+ years.

And it's nice just to see them use the bathroom for something other than the "stick your fingers under the door while Mommy or Daddy is using the bathroom" game.

Ho, Ho, Ho

Just when we thought it was no longer allowed out of the closet, our vacuum cleaner (a.k.a. The Black Beast) received a warm welcome when pulled out for a clean up recently. Chris and I were both floored (no pun intended) — how could something that was once so feared now become a coveted ride-on toy?

It used to be that Ryan and Lucie wanted nothing to do with the vacuum. Whenever it was on they had to be in the other room being held and comforted by one of us. If the closet door was left open by accident afterwards, R & L would both cry and point until the vacuum was safely out of sight and forgotten. This all seemed funny to us. The one thing that would calm them down as infants, especially Ryan, was a white noise CD with the vacuum cleaner track on continuous repeat. Weren't there any happy memories there?

Fortunately for our carpets, the vacuum is no longer feared. But it seems some one else has taken its place — Santa Claus. I took Ryan and Lucie for a photo with the jolly, bearded man and he was not well received. As soon as they saw him, they both grabbed on to me for dear life and started crying. Lucie screamed, "I wanna go HOME! I wanna go HOME!" Not even a high-five and a candy cane from Santa would calm them down. I can understand their fear. He has all the traits of a frightening stranger – big, booming voice, fake beard, bells on his shoes. I have to admit he kind of scares me too.

So, until we find a Santa we'll all tolerate, it looks like a relaxing moment in Christmas pj's will be the closest we get to a holiday photo this year.

The Evolution of Play

While we meet friends to play each week, it's rare that much "playing together" actually goes on. I know that's normal for toddlers, and that most play is in parallel, not together in the way we all think of play. Recently I've had a few glimpses of Ryan and Lucie engaging in more active play with some of their little buddies, and it's a blast to watch. (Can you tell I majored in the Social Sciences?)

We've been getting together with Logan (six months older than R & L) since my guys were babies. The last time we met we saw something new in their interactions. After about a half an hour of doing their usual thing (watching each other in the sand box), they began to play a game together. Logan would run back and forth, while Ryan and Lucie chased him, everyone giggling. Next, anything that Logan would do (eat lunch, jump, etc.), Lucie and Ryan would do too. My guys idolize anyone bigger, faster, and stronger than them, and were thrilled about their morning with Logan.

Ryan and Lucie see their twins playgroup one to two times a week. Sometimes there can be as many as 16 to 20 toddlers there which means lots of parallel play. Again, there have been recent glimpses of interactions lately that remind us of how much everyone is growing and learning.

Last week a bunch of them set off on a stroller pushing parade up and over the hill. On the way back Ryan saw a dog and started talking about our friends' dog who we had just seen this weekend. I reminded him that Sadie (in the blue striped shirt) had dogs and here's what followed (with some prompting from me):

Ryan: "Sadie, dogs? Names?"
Sadie: "Tyson and Canyon"
Ryan: "Kingston...peanut butter" (Kingston is our friends' dog who once enjoyed some of Ryan's PB & J)
Sadie: "Tyson and Canyon...dog food!"

It was a short and sweet conversation, but had a big impact on Ryan. Ever since he's been talking about Sadie and her dogs who love "dog food". What will they all say next week?

Reindeers and Woo-Woo's

I love baby and kids pajamas, especially the footed ones. There's nothing sweeter than a big hug from a warm, cuddly, pajama-clad toddler on the way to bed.

It seems Ryan and Lucie agree. Ever since Chris bought R & L some footed pj's a few weeks ago, they've been crazy for their new bedtime wear.

Lucie's favorite are her reindeer pair, partly because she's learning about Santa and Christmas lately, but mostly because her Dad picked them out for her.

Ryan loves his newest firetruck pajamas, though they weren't easy to find. While he'll tolerate dino or football pj's occasionally, most nights he insists on a pair with a big hook and ladder truck (one of his favorites being the long johns Uncle Greg and Jessica gave him for his birthday). We couldn't find footed woo-woo pj's anywhere in stores - it seemed firetrucks were out and bulldogs, basketballs and reindeer were in this season. At least that was good news for Lucie.

I finally found a firetruck pair online and bought a few. When they arrived yesterday afternoon, they had to go right on. Apparently bedtime is too long to wait for a new pair of woo-woo pj's...

Giving Thanks

With two happy and healthy toddlers, it's almost overwhelming how grateful I feel for all that has been given to us. We are very fortunate to be Ryan and Lucie's parents, on Thanksgiving and the other 364 days of the year.

What were our little ones thankful for this holiday?
* My Aunt Betsy's delicious turkey (Ryan practically ate an entire leg) and fruit loop necklaces
* Woo-woo sweater and socks (if you have to wear dress-up clothes, at least they have firetrucks on them) and patent leather mary jane's
* Hugs and kisses from their idol and cousin, Maggie
* Lots of playtime with cousin Katie's old doll house and Scott's old firetrucks
* Stairs galore to climb up and down, up and down, up and down...

I must admit, there was one other thing I was thankful for this year - more time at the dinner table. While I have very sweet memories of our last holiday at my aunt and uncle's, Thanksgiving 2005, those memories are mostly of Katie's room and my breastfeeding pillow. I was happy to spend more time enjoying family (and second helpings of dinner) this year. It's amazing to think how much has changed in two short years.

Thanks to Betsy and Saul for a wonderful day.

Chatterbox Girl

Seemingly overnight, Lucie has gone from grunts, points and single words to full sentences. Her longest phrase used to be "Daddy...office", and we thought that was pretty exciting. Just this week she's turned into our own little sportscaster, giving us the play-by-play on everything. Watch out, Al Michaels.

Here's a sample from an afternoon with Lucie (all sentences followed with an exclamation point so you can truly appreciate how thrilled she is about talking):

In the stroller — "I'm singing A,B,C,D!"
Playing with Ducky & back-up Ducky — "I'm kissing two duckies!"
At the park — "I climb, I go down, I meet mommy!"
Mixing food in her milk at dinner — "I'm cooking dinner for Ryan! I cook it in the microwave!"

No wonder we're all so tired (in a good way) at the end of the day. It's hard to keep up!

Ryan's talking a lot too, though not quite in full sentences yet. With such a chatty twin, it'll be interesting to see if he gets to this point really quickly, or instead lets his sister do all the talking for him. I've heard that sometimes happens with twins. Language acquisition is such an amazing process to watch - especially with two kids at the same time.

Going with the Flow

Chris and I often joke about who's the "push-over" parent of the day. We tend to flip-flop, alternating between saying "no" or "later" and saying "okay, but only one more time" (a common expression after the 5th request for another reading of Cars and Trucks and Things That Go at bedtime).

While we both know it's important to set rules for Lucie and Ryan, especially when it comes to safety issues, it's tricky knowing when to hold the line and when to give in. I often question myself - is this truly something I shouldn't let my two year olds do? Or, more likely, am I saying no because the request is inconvenient for me or super messy to clean up? It's usually the latter, which sure doesn't seem fair to two curious toddlers.

So, is it really that big of a deal if Lucie wants to eat frozen bacon bits for snack, Ryan wears too-big boots to the park (in 80 degree weather) or they both want to use a popsicle as an ice pack? Nope. Such requests are all an opportunity to explore new textures and tastes, appreciate cousin Maggie's hand-me-downs and come up with hilarious counting games ("1, 2, 3, 4, trade") – why say no to that?

Smoothies Save the Day (yet again)

Trips to the toddler play area at the mall once filled me with a mixture of hopeful anticipation (Ryan and Lucie will have so much fun!) and pure terror (what if they toddle off in different directions?). The toddler-sized slide, ride-on train, and foam flooring are all perfect for active and curious little guys, and certainly much safer than the tall slides and open staircases at some parks. However, once released from the stroller, Ryan would run one way, Lucie would run the other, and I'd end up frantically chasing after both of them in the middle of a very public mall full of strollers and shoppers. Some days I'd come home and wonder, "What was I thinking? That place is not made for one mother and two babies!"

With time, our little excursions have gotten better. I've developed a really good twins mom stance allowing me to watch both toddlers play from a distance, without being right next to either one. It reminds me a bit of zone defense on my junior high basketball team - not that I ever actually played in any games, but I did pay good attention from the bench. Who knew that'd be helpful for motherhood? I've also noticed that Ryan and Lucie tend to stay closer to me and each other now, which is a welcome change from the last 10-12 months or so. With a combination of R & L's maturity and more experience for me, we've been having lots of fun.

That's not to say that I don't have more "What was I thinking?" moments - today I had a big one. Everyone was having a great time riding the train and pushing buttons on the soda machine (their love for that rivals the train) when Ryan started wailing, "Mommy, hold you!" (translation: hold me, mommy) He's coming off a bit of a cold and has been more tired and fussy that his usual self lately. At first, Lucie was fine playing with the soda machine while singing out, "I like push-ing buttons! I like push-ing buttons!" Though once she saw Ryan crying, she started wailing too, desperate to be held.

Next thing I knew I was carrying two arms worth of crying two year olds while trying to push a double stroller - another thing I'm improving on with experience. On the way home, we hit the smoothie stand in hopes of distracting my crying two year olds. Luckily the breakdown was nothing a mango smoothie and a hug from Ducky and Bunny couldn't fix.

Bouncing off the Walls

No, we haven't installed a trampoline in our living room, much to Ryan and Lucie's dismay. (This photo is of fun times with their friend Skyler at buddies Vivian and Grace's 2nd birthday party.) Though if we did have one, R & L would love it, as their new nap past-time is jumping up and down on their crib mattresses - over and over again, sometimes for their entire nap time!

Ryan and Lucie have become quite "active" nappers lately. On many days, as soon as I close the door after tucking them in, I can hear both pop up in their crib and start giggling. Some days the giggling, jumping, and stuffed-animal-throwing goes on for a short period until they quickly succumb to sleep. Other days it goes on and on and on.

Ryan is usually the instigator of nap time fun. If Lucie is quietly settling in to sleep, he'll call out, "Sis? Wake up?" Sometimes she'll happily join him in goofing off, others she'll reply back forcefully, "Rye - lay down!" She takes her role as first born very seriously.

After a week of missed or mediocre naps went by, I started to get nervous. Was this just a phase? Could they really be dropping their one and only nap at age 2? How would I ever survive? All the books I consulted assured me that most kids don't drop their naps until at the earliest 2.5 years old. Phew.

Thankfully, things are getting better and they've been taking more solid naps. An earlier nap time and lots of outdoor activities in the morning definitely help. They're back to the peaceful little sleepers that they used to be - at least for now.

L & R at the Library

We all were pretty excited about our first trip to our new neighborhood library. I was happy to have a new toddler-friendly destination for our morning outings, and Lucie and Ryan couldn't wait to "buzz" their books through the machine like Lola does in Lola at the Library.

What did Lucie and Ryan remember most from our library trip? The book drop by the front door (they thought that was really cool), carrying their selections to the front desk for check out, and handing over my library card, or "money" as they like to call it.

I loved to watch which books they each decided to check out. Lucie went for a few books about babies, Max's Christmas and The Matzah Man: A Passover Story. Evidently, she really liked the holiday book section. Ryan wanted to check out all his favorites from home, including How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? When he saw the copy of Danny and the Dinosaurhe started shouting excitedly, "Grandma! Grandma!" remembering that Grandma Laura likes to read that book to him.

While I don't have any photos from our recent trip, these shots are from story hour at a library close to my parents' home. They had a wonderful program created especially for toddlers – a combination of short books (no more than a sentence or two on each page), rhymes, songs and playtime. We haven't made it to our new library's story hour yet, but hopefully Lucie and Ryan will find it as fun as this one.

Equal Opportunity Halloween

With a little boy and girl in the house, stereotypical gender roles are constantly challenged. And who says firemen can't feed and hug their babies or little girls can't dream of race car driving?

Uncle AJ's old costume (circa 1987) fit Lucie even better than her brother. Though she'll probably choose her "rina" tutu and crown today, she enjoyed her stint as a young Danica Patrick. Between fighting fires, Ryan is caring and attentive with his sister's doll — definitely a trait he got from his Dad.

Happy Halloween to all!

Halloween Comes Early

After six days, the weather finally provided an opportunity for Megan, Lucie, and Ryan to leave the house. And since Megan is on the board for the local twins club, we spent Saturday at the club's annual fall party — held this year at a nearby pumpkin patch.

Pumpkin patches have changed a lot from when Megan and I were young. While there are still lots and lots of pumpkins, today's experience also includes train rides, petting zoo, and catered lunch from Rubio's (nothing goes better with pumpkins than fish tacos). Lucie kept her distance, but Ryan gradually warmed up to the baby goats, sheep, and rabbits populating the petting zoo. And everyone enjoyed the merry-go-round and train.

Of course, no L & R outing would be complete without at least one outfit change which explains Lucie's simplified costume in the family photo. In the meantime, Ryan lives in his fireman outfit 24/7.

Cabin Fever

The recent poor air quality in our area has forced all of us to stay inside for 4 days straight. Actually, all things considered, we're lucky that cabin fever is the worst of our problems right now.

And while I'd never complain about getting to spend extra time with Megan, Lucie, and Ryan, after a while you begin to run out of interesting activities. Every book has been read and toys all played with. So necessity fosters creativity and suddenly Ryan and I spend the better part of an hour chasing Megan and Lucie around the house as "Tunnel Man". On another afternoon, we used our combined engineering genes to build a multi-room fort using every couch cushion, pillow, and blanket in the house. The game of "Pillow Pile" was invented by stacking up pillows and blankets and then running full speed into the pile. Thanks to the wonders of Google (and that extra time off work) the world can now see a first-hand account of how the game is played.

Loyal readers may also recognize that this post marks my long overdue return to 20 Fingers & 20 Toes. I wish I had a good explanation for the 5 month absence, but changing jobs (hooray me!), traveling about with the family, and assembling a top-notch fantasy football team didn't really take up all of my free time.

Wish Us Luck!

The time has come to slowly begin potty-training, or at least start getting the four of us comfortable with the concept. It seems a daunting task with twins! About a week ago Lucie and Ryan helped place their order for potty-chairs. Ryan went with a blue chair, while Lucie preferred the yellow. Though when we recounted our day to Chris that evening, Lucie claimed she picked the green chair, so I crossed my fingers that this wasn't a bad omen.

Much to my surprise, they seemed to understand the fact that their online selections wouldn't arrive instantly, but they'd have to wait until the "Man" delivered them the next week (translation for L & R's "Man" - any man not related to them, most often referring to delivery guys or men at the park walking cute babies or dogs.) And so we waited for the "Man"...

The anticipation ended this afternoon when a big box of goodies was delivered to our door. L & R were practically skipping with excitement as they set up their chairs in the bathroom and sat right down. No major accomplishments from there on out, but they sure enjoyed reading all about it while camped out on their little chairs. Oh yes, and like any major event in L & R's life, Ducky and Bunny were there to join in on the fun.

UPDATE: We have our first successful pee! Ms. Lucie achieved the milestone the next morning. And while we haven't had a repeat performance, we remain optimistic.

Two Going on Sixteen

Toddlers are famous for their declarations of independence - "Me!" or "No!" shouted to the rooftops. Our two are definitely no exception. "Me!" is a very active member of our household, declaring his/her desire to empty the dishwasher, operate the blender, push buttons on the dryer (our appliances are quite popular) or climb in/out of the stroller or car seat.

Lucie has been cracking me up lately with her independent statements. Her favorite is "No Waaaayy!" which she'll use to answer just about any question, sometimes with a little smile and giggle, others with a foot stomp (depending on how much she doesn't want to do what you're asking her to do). I love replying to her with "Yes Way!", which she finds hilarious and invariably sends her into another laughing fit of "No Waaaay, No Waaaay!"

When we were visiting my parents recently, she noticed my mom calling me by my name and decided this would be pretty fun to do herself. Now whenever she really wants to get my attention she'll come right up to my face and say "Megan!", "Megan!" Or, if she really wants to stop me in my tracks, she'll simply call me "Mom". Not long ago she could barely say "Mama", and suddenly I'm "Mom". It sounds so grown-up.

Age two and she's already using surfer girl lingo and calling her mom by her first name - how soon until she asks to borrow the car?