Intrepid Murmurings

There are not many toys more aptly designed for twins than a teeter totter...

Hey, just put a permanent link to my gear recommendation store above.  Filled with our favorite gear for babies & toddlers, favorite TOYS, parenting books, and a special section on stuff for twins/multiples!  I will be adding stuff as I think of it so check in occasionally if you are in the market for something (but are not sure what, heh!).   Definitely check around second hand for most of this stuff  -- this is how I get most of our gear these days! But if you ARE going to buy something anyway, feel free.... 

While I'm at it, over on the Top Baby Blogs site I have made it to page 3!  Its been fun to see my blog slowly creep upward and to get a bit more traffic around here -- which is why I am trying to move ahead just a bit more.  I have no freaking idea how those top blogs get so many votes, and there is no way I will ever make it up that far!  They must be full time bloggers, that is for sure!  But vote for me and maybe I can break 50 or so....ha ha!  

Tonight, I start another poem
that will not be finished.
Yes, there will be something --
a knock at the door, a teakettle whistle --
it will catch my attention
and I will put down the pencil,
rough lines left hanging,
words making only half sense.

Then the phone will ring,
or I’ll decide to take a shower.
These thin sheets of paper
will flutter softly, touched by sunset
and a breeze from the open window.
Honey colored shadows will creep across the floor,
the deepness of night swallowing
table, desk, and chair.

Tomorrow I might find this half-poem
sitting here alone and think it ugly.
Or I will touch it and it will stir, alive again,
breath whispering words I haven’t yet thought,
scolding me for my negligence,
forgiving, with a kiss.

KWH 1999 

One of the presents to our girls this Christmas was a set of wooden people ("peeps") that Lonnie and I worked on together.  It was a really fun project!  I had first seen something like them on Etsy, and showed Lonnie.  He liked the idea and decided to try it out in his shop.  He spent a lot of time researching, practicing, finding the right wood (he ended up using the wood from the cherry tree we cut down last year!), and finally crafting 9 little people, each a different size and shape.  He sanded them with steel wool until they were super smooth and ready for painting.  

My job was the painting.  Lonnie had also researched this and we went with non-toxic watercolors, which we had on hand already (a bunch of those plastic paint sets from back when I was teaching, in fact!).  We decided on a simple style and I did some practicing, then started in on the final products.  After that was done, Lonnie added several (well 6) layers of shellac (also non-toxic -- since Elsie and Delia still put stuff in their mouths we wanted to be really careful about that!).

Practice people (note the head tower, ha ha)

We did encounter a few roadbumps -- one of the types of wood Lonnie bought was too wet and cracked, making the toys unusable.  The watercolor paint was kind of a challenge -- no white to mix with, not great for adding layers on top of layers. The practice people were a different kind of wood that sucked the paint in differently -- on the real ones some of the paint went on too thick and would smear, even when dry, so I had to wash some of it off and use it more like a "stain" than a paint.  

Final versions in process, with the testers observing

But!  I think they turned out great!  It was really fun to have a shared project to work on for the girls.  5 of them are our family (Lonnie with a ponytail and beard, me with glasses and a bandana, Emma with pigtails and barrettes, Elsie and Delia are the babies with hats)  and 5 are non-specific "friends".    The girls love them and I can't wait to see them play with them more!    

Our family 

The whole bunch

Ponytail detail on Lonnie and Emma peeps!  

Opening the peeps on Christmas day! 

Elsie's peeps giving hugs

Delia looking at Daddy peeps 

Way too many more photos here. 

And more specifics of that last present tomorrow!  Our wooden handmade people turned out great! 

Hey y'all, I am working on some minor changes around here and it may (or may not) cause some wonkiness.  Mainly we eliminated the "categories" section and are moving towards tagging posts instead (welcome the 21st century, I know) which should be a lot more flexible and fluid.  But with that I am going back to some old posts to retag, and also to fix some weird formatting things, which means those old posts might reappear in some newsreaders...?  Maybe not?  I know it used to do that though, hence the warning.  

Changes I am also hoping to enact:  a tab to my Amazon store up above, a drop down archive button (wishful thinking perhaps?) and changes to the blogroll to show each blogs most recent post titles.  Maybe an update to the blogging software. Since we use Roller blog software (which is awesome for some reasons), its a bit less user friendly than some.  Which means doing these things is a bit more of a process (especially for me, ha ha, who can't keep track of my "divs" I am told, heh heh).

More fun stuff soon!   

Soon after I learned we were having twins, I joined our local twins/multiples club.  I figured it would be a good way to reach out and meet other families with twins or more, and also really wanted to get the benefits of getting in early to the baby gear sales that they offer twice a year.  

It was absolutely worth it just for that -- I LOVE the sales!  The gear and clothes are often gently used and very well priced, and you get the thrill of going in ahead of the big general public line to swipe these awesome deals.  Wheee!  In the early days I got things like strollers, bouncers, cloth diapers, etc at the sales -- now, I always go straight to the shoe section and stock up on that and our next round of clothes.  I could also sell some of our gear at the sales, but so far the time commitment and organization needed for that has been too much for me!  

The club also has other benefits, like an online message forum, which is a really great support when you are shut in at home all day.   I have other online parenting forums I am partial to, but for things specific to twins or multiples, its nice to have other folks to bounce ideas off of, or to just get sympathy and support.   There are things like nursing and sleep issues, as well as general getting out of the house challenges, that moms (or dads) of singletons just don't get.  

The aspect that has mostly eluded me so far, however, is meeting up with other parents and families of twins face to face, in real life.  I would love to have a bunch of twin/triplet mamas to hang out with, to swap stories and ideas have our kids play -- part support group, part playgroup, or just mama friends to get together with on a more individual basis.   I had this when Emma was a baby, and it was great!

If the twins had been my first kids, it would have been easier to do this.  Both the twins group and another parenting group in the area has meetings or twin groups like this, based on age of the babies.  But, you can't really bring older children!  Even if it was allowed, in the early days (the first year or so) if I did get out to something like that, I spent almost all my time entertaining or managing my 2 year old (not to mention the two babies!) and couldn't follow a conversation with other adults to save my life.  I think a lot of the more organized groups tend to cater to first time parents, too, so they were sometimes discussing things that were more first time parent concerns, not twin/multiple kid concerns, necessarily -- which is what I needed!  

So awhile back I volunteered with my multiples club to help work on playdates and outings -- for kids 12 months and beyond. This is when I finally was able to start taking my kids somewhere and actually have fun -- maybe because Emma is a bit older and easier to handle, and also that the babies are so much more flexible and easy in terms of feeding and sleep (hallelujah!).  We are trying to get some playdates going in various neighborhoods around the city, and also outings to places like the zoo or children's museum, where we meet up and hang out together.   My main goal is to start seeing people on a more regular basis, so we can get to know each other better and maybe make some new family friends with multiples.  Unfortunately, its been a bit harder than I expected!   

Part of it is that my efforts have been half-hearted --  after a few initial failures (just no shows, due to a variety of reasons) I haven't put in the time organizing the events as well as I should.  Its easy to put off something when there are not others banging down your door to have it done! There are tons of folks that love the IDEA of getting together, but coordinating interests, ages of children and schedules (with many folks working part time) can take time and a lot of organization.  And then there's the size issue -- if you get even get 5-6 families worth of kids and parents (each with 2-4 kids), thats a BIG group! Where do you go?  Who has room and is willing to host?  

I think the biggest issue facing us, and certainly my number one problem, is that its HARD to get two or more kids out of the house and to organized events, especially across town.  Its hard working around naps, mealtimes and school schedules times two or three.  There's the illnesses that crop up one after the other and last for ages, leaving you to what feels like a life in quarantine!  When everyone is healthy, there is still big allure for groups and events within your neighborhood, but with our club and this specific demographic (people with multiples 1-4 years old-ish), we don't have enough critical mass in any one neigborhood (at leat not mine!) and some folks are going to have to travel.   

But!  I do have hope!  We just got some more volunteers from the club to help, and got a bunch of dates on the calendar.   I am really hoping we can make some kind of schedule for regular, re-occurring get-togethers that folks can start putting on the calendar and planning ahead for.  I think it would be awesome for my girls to know some other twins, and I'd love to make some twin-or-more mama friends.   Where else will I get the hot tips on what parks are totally fenced in, what stores have carts for two or more kids*, or what twin umbrella stroller is the awesomest?   We'll see if this time we can get the ball rolling...

Anyone out there have experiences with playgroups for multiples?  Ideas for outings thats fun and managable?  Where did you meet your mamas of multiples friends, and how and where do you meet up?  

*  In my area I know that Costco and Safeway have two-seaters,  while QFC & Target have a FEW that seat four!  I am always on the lookout for more...  

Delia: "more more more!" (holding up milk cup).  I pour some more.  "Thank you, mama"

Me:  "Elsie, do you want more pear?"
Delia "I do I do I do I do!  I do, mama!"

Me: "Elsie, sit down in your chair please"
Elsie: shakes head "I pooped"

Emma, discussing having tried (one small bite) of her breakfast burrito:   "I even tasted some onion, and I MIGHT have said mmmmm!"  Pause.  In a quieter voice to herself, "But, probably not...."

While many folks I know avoid regular sized Christmas trees with toddlers, we decide to brave it.  So far, so good!  The girls LOVED the novelty of a TREE in the HOUSE, and had a lot of fun looking at and "helping" with the decorations.  Every day, I do have at least 10 ornaments to rehang, but that seems pretty manageable! 

Emma and Delia inspecting the new tree 

Bunny Bun Bun holding the star 

Emma putting up the star (failed attempt, but worth a shot!) 

All 3 admiring the lights 

Emma loves it! 

Emma hanging decorations 

Elsie enjoying a doll ornament: "baby!" "baby!" 

Giving the "baby" a hug 

Elsie admiring a tree ornament.  

(I promise Delia was there too -- just didn't get any close ups of her this time!)  

Yesterday, while geese were flying south
I heard your name and looked up;
in steady lines they were squawking
and there was one white wisp of cloud strung across the sky. 

Later, when I was walking home
leaves were everywhere, falling out of trees
and scattering like feathers floating.
A wind swept in and I saw you chasing it;
me, laughing.

Funny how things happen now.
You appear in all these forms,
even before I long for you.
Leaves, geese, wind, the sky,
they know; they're in on it too.

All this, just yesterday,
while geese were flying south. 

Its my birthday!  And the kids gift to me has been an awesome afternoon nap (them not me, though I enjoyed it nonetheless), woohoo!  Emma has been Very Excited and keeps telling me 33 is kind of like 3 and a half.  Um, okay, kid!  She is mostly focusing on CAKE but I have had to inform her that we are not having cake, we are having brownie sundaes.  So much better than cake, really...  

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One of Lonnie's presents to me was all my long lost poetry, mostly written in college and grad school, which had gotten sucked away into various dead computers.  He tore apart some computers to get my stuff off the hard drives, and even printed it and put it into a binder for me!  What a sweetie!  I am so glad to have it back and am going to be posting some of them in the near future.  I keep meaning to get back to poetry writing so maybe this will inspire me.

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I am getting excited about Christmas!  By the time my bday comes around you know its getting CLOSE!  I just scored an AWESOME brio train set for cheap on craigslist for Elsie and Delia, woo hoo!  Lonnie and I (mostly Lonnie up until now) has been working on some cool handmade toys for the kids too.  My job (the painting) is what is left and I need to get on it.   I would LOVE to post pics but this is all I am allowed to post about it until after the big day...  

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Oh man, the talking is ramping up here and its just so amazing and funny to see what they will say next, and how they interact and copy or build on each others speech.  Delia pretty much echos everything we say, and is starting to narrate what she does whenever she knows the word.  I REALLY need to start writing this stuff down because its really funny sometimes, but I always forget by the time I sit down to blog at night.  

One thing she gets Very Excited about is ice cream (at this age Emma didn't even know what ice cream WAS!), which she calls "cone!"because Emma always talks about ice cream CONES (even though we don't always eat it that way).  Today I was busy with something in the kitchen and had left the freezer door open and she stood there peering in and hollering CONE! CONE! CONE!  I think she was probably sad to realize what I was getting for her right then was frozen peas...  

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Elsie is also talking more and more, in her sweet little chirpy Elsie voice (I think its a bit higher and she uses more inflection than D), and one thing she is always saying is "read!" "read!" Pretty much any time she sees Lonnie after he has been gone or working, which is pretty cute.  She is really into books and reading and can sit for a long time looking at books.  

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Have I mentioned how freaking much I love Emma's preschool? She loves it too and is doing really great there.  I am sad we will be on holiday break for a few weeks after this Thursday! It is literally 3 minutes from our house (driving), and it turns out they are modeled after the Reggio Emilia approach, something that I learned about in grad school and always thought sounded fabulous.  It is just the right size, and I love that its such a fun, happy place and has such an awesome community that we are now able to be a part of.  I really want to start hanging out with folks there more (doing some playdates and making some new "mom friends", ha ha) but its just hard since I am always running late AND chasing after two toddlers when I want to be schmoozing with the other grownups.  Ah well.  I am taking all three kids to a family potluck there on Friday by myself, we'll see how it goes and if I get to talk to anyone!  I know the girls will have tons of fun, in any case...  

Part I

Family gathering at our house, tons of food, family, cousins, aunts and uncles, grandmas.  Kids played and ate, everyone had fun. House is clean and festive.  Hooray!

Part II 

Grandma babysits!  Happy (early) birthday to me!  Wandered around browsing little shops, did a little toy store shopping, checked out a new library, walked in the snow.  Talked without distraction!  Eventually dinner in a new place with candles, STRONG margaritas and beef tenderloin (grown up food, yeah!).  So great.  Thanks mom! 

Oh, blog, after such lovin' last month I am feeling bad about my neglect!  Alas.  It is the holiday season and all my spare moments have been filled by (online) shopping and gift brainstorming, tree and decoration wrangling and family event planning, among other things.  Tomorrow we are hosting a crowd of extended family for a casual holiday get-together, and I'm sure it will be lots of fun.  We'll see if the floor gets cleaned or the pile o mail filed(hidden), but there WILL be yummy food, at least! 

Elsie and Delia are talking up a STORM, holy moly.  I love this stage, but also am so sad to see babydom go.  It is insane how fast they can pick up language though.  I think often one will hear the other say something (and see our response) and then give it a go themselves.  Which is the same as most devlelpomental things (sitting, crawling, walking, cup throwing), I've noticed.  They are always right on each others heels with this stuff.

Here are a few pics from last week to tide you over until I get a proper post up:

  Elsie exploring the utensil drawer

   Delia coloring  Emma being goofy Me, Emma and Elsie