Hello Terrible Twos

Today was one of those days. 

Everyone has them.  You know, the kind where you feel like crying?  Where you wonder, "now why exactly did I wait and pray for 5 years to get these babies?"  Can I handle this for how many more years?  Am I the world's worst mother?

At least I hope I'm not the only one with days like this.

It started off fine, in our routine, naps a little short, but with several hours to kill before it was time to pick up Tyler.  I decided to do a return at a store about 40 minutes away.  We got there, waited in line for the return, and all is well.  People are chatting with me--telling me what cute, well-behaved children I have.  I even foolishly think Brady has magically decided that the stroller is fine.  (I was able to get the straps even tighter, which I thought had solved my problem.)

So after my return, and since the boys were acting so well, I decided to look around.  I was really hoping to buy some flower stems.  Well by the time I made it to the stems, Brady had gotten his arms out, and was flailing back and forth all while screaming.  I spent maybe five minutes trying to get him to calm down, but once I realized it wasn't going to work, I left.

I got out to the car and didn't know if I should
a. laugh (because I've been told that I was the master tantrum thower at Brady's age--up to 10 a day according to my mom.  Mom--I love you!)
b. scream (I was so mad at him) or
c.  cry (I realize it is only the beginning of temper tantrums, and I pray we all live to see him turn 3).

So as I am mad and on the verge of tears, and just in a foul mood the rest of the day.  And then, I get a surprise.  My dear friend Kelsey, aka photographer extraordinaire, gives me our disk from last week's photo session.  And these are some of the images she captured:

I love these boys.  As I looked through the images, everything felt okay again.  Yes, it can be hard.  But this too will pass.  They won't be throwing temper tantrums in the store when they are 15.  Well, they'd better not be.  It is so worth it, and I feel privileged to be their mom.

The Very Hungry Baby

My twins love to eat, especially Carter.  If they see you eating, they want a piece of it.  Some mornings when I am trying to eat my bowl of cereal, I sneak off into another room so they won't whine for food.  Sometimes I give them a little bowl of dry cereal to eat along with me.  One weekend, I thought they were playing with Dad, so I just sat at the kitchen table.  Big mistake.  Here's what happened.

Boys, I love you, but get your own.

A Twin Tip and a question

I love my double stroller.

Seriously, it has been perhaps my greatest baby twin purchase.  I use it every day.  And I have about a million pictures of the babies in it, because they are in it all the time.  See:

Aww, look how little they look almost a year ago up there.

It is the Combi Twin Sport.  When the boys were first born, we went with the Kolcraft Contours.

The seats are removable, and can carry two infant carriers.  I liked this stroller and we used it for about 10-11 months.  But then, we were going on an airplane, and I was quite concerned about the size--how would we get it through the airport?  Not to mention into a rental car trunk?  That's when we bought the Combi.  I have used the Kolcraft twice since we got the side-by-side, both times to the zoo because I wanted the extra storage space.

So why do I love my stroller?  Here are the reasons:

1.  Side by side.  I know some people do not like the side by side, but I love it.  I like that they are next to each other instead of one in back kicking his brother.  People always ask if it is too wide.  I don't think so.  It is barely wider than the Kolcraft.  It fits through all doors (so long as the place follows disability guidelines).  Granted, I have found a few stores that are hard to move around in (like a pole in the middle of the lego row at Toys R Us and forget about going into Pier 1, but I think most places that stop the side by side, would stop any stroller.)

2.  Going along with the side by side, I like that it becomes a "bench."  For example, I take my stroller into church every Sunday.  I sit by myself, and there is no way I can corral both kids.  So I take in the stroller, and they face forward just like the rest of us.  And then I give them lots of cheerios, using the built in cups, to keep them quiet.  I am also able to put them in front of me and feed them if needed, when we are out.

3.  It folds up small.  It is easy to fold, and takes up very little room in the back of the car.  It fit through security and an airport easily.

4.  It's easy to push.  I don't know how other twin moms do it, but quite often I find myself doing the push and pull.  I can steer with one hand, so I push the stroller and pull a cart behind me.

The only thing I would change is to add more storage underneath.

But here's my question.  Does anyone know how to keep a child in the stroller?  Today, Brady learned to wiggle out of the straps and get out of the stroller.  It didn't matter how tight I made the straps, he was getting out.  This is a huge problem.  Like I said, I use this stroller everyday.  As I watched him climb out, I started to stress out.  How will I go shopping?  How will I manage church?  Can I take them to watch karate class?  Any suggestions?

A quiz

Let's take a little quiz.  It's one simple question, multiple choice.  Are you ready?

1.  Angela bought a bed this week.  What does it look like?

A.  A crib.

B.  A toddler bed.

C.  Bunk Beds.

D.  A queen-size bed.

Have you made your choice?  Alright, let's check your answers.  The correct answer is A.  A crib.

And now for the whole story.  And it does not involve a new baby at our house if that is what you are thinking.

About 6 weeks ago, one of our cribs bit the dust.  Brady started shaking the rail, and it became detached at the bottom.  I assumed it was part of the whole dropside/unsafe/recall stuff and got a stabliizer kit from my manufacturer.  Don't worry, Brady was sleeping in a port-a-crib this whole time.  The kit came, but when I went to fix it, I realized the real problem.  There was no stabilizer bar.  I think it some how got lost when we moved into this house.  I am nominating myself for mother of the year because I let my baby sleep in an unsafe crib for 20 months. 

So we were down to one crib and left with a decision. My first choice was let's go ahead and move them to toddler beds.  So I guess my quiz up there is misleading, because I did buy two toddler beds.  (From csn.com with a gift card I won in a blog giveaway by the way.)  Well they came, we set them up, and faced disaster.  I wasn't sure if I should switch both boys at once, but decided to try for one at a time.  Carter wouldn't even climb on the toddler bed, so we let Brady.  Two nights.  Both nights resulted in a little boy working his way down to our room in the night.

Third night:  Brady cries--he doesn't want to go in the bed.  Carter cries--he is such an empathetic boy.  I set up the port-a-crib and ask Brady if he wants to sleep in it.  He nods his head, is put in, and settles down immediately.

So what now?  I decide to find an inexpensive crib.  Hopefully they will stay in cribs for another year--it sure is easier for me if they do.  And up there is the very crib I bought--$100 off walmart.com using site to store.

I didn't want to spend the money, but now I'm glad.  I like any excuse to keep the babies my babies.

It's Spring!

The 4-6 weeks at the end of March beginning to April almost make up for the hellish summers in Houston.

Needless to say, we have been doing our best to soak up the sun before it gets unbearable.  We've hit the zoo, the park, lots of bubbles, talking walks, dusting off our bikes, and tuning up the wagon.  Here's just a few pictures to prove it.

via iphone

via totally awesome app instagram on iphone

another instagram shot