Sunday, February 12, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Insta-Play
Last evening we had quite a rambunctious playtime, so I naturally grabbed my phone to capture it via Instagram!
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| The best picture of the 2 of them together. Too wiggly! |
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| Ben found his way behind the couch! |
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| Hannah going in for the good toys! |
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| Picking Ernie's nose? |
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| What mess?? |
Thursday, February 9, 2012
The Hardest Part of Parenting
No, not the sleepless nights.
Or the crying babies.
Or the shifting of priorities.
The hardest part of parenting (for me) is figuring how much sleep the babies need and when they need to get it. It's a constant question in my mind!
Since switching to 1 nap a few weeks ago, the babies have been getting better and better at sleeping long stretches during the day. At first they woke up after 2 hours like their normal nap during the 2-nap days. Then it got to be 2.5 hours, then 3, then 3.5. Today we're running on 4 hours. I've eaten lunch, watched TV, cleaned the kitchen, run down the battery on the computer, and taken out the trash. This blog post is really just a way to pass some time.
The question in my mind is always: "Should I wake them?"
Part of me thinks if they are sleeping, they must be tired and so I should let them go. But, if they sleep too much during the day, are they not going to be tired at night?
Oh, the struggles I go through!
For those curious, B&H start betime routine at 6:45, get lights out at 7:15, and are usually sleeping soundly by 7:30. They have been sleeping until 7:30 most mornings.
So, 12 hours at night + 4 hours of napping = 16 hours of sleep? WebMD says average is 14 hours a day. But are they above average sleepers? I guess. I mean average sleep needed for adults is what - 7 hours? I need 9 hours to function. 10 hours is ideal.
Who would have guessed? A mom worried her toddlers are sleeping too much. I'm not bragging, I promise! I feel for you other moms whose kids don't sleep much. When do you blog, Facebook and pin on Pinterest??
Or the crying babies.
Or the shifting of priorities.
The hardest part of parenting (for me) is figuring how much sleep the babies need and when they need to get it. It's a constant question in my mind!
Since switching to 1 nap a few weeks ago, the babies have been getting better and better at sleeping long stretches during the day. At first they woke up after 2 hours like their normal nap during the 2-nap days. Then it got to be 2.5 hours, then 3, then 3.5. Today we're running on 4 hours. I've eaten lunch, watched TV, cleaned the kitchen, run down the battery on the computer, and taken out the trash. This blog post is really just a way to pass some time.
The question in my mind is always: "Should I wake them?"
Part of me thinks if they are sleeping, they must be tired and so I should let them go. But, if they sleep too much during the day, are they not going to be tired at night?
Oh, the struggles I go through!
For those curious, B&H start betime routine at 6:45, get lights out at 7:15, and are usually sleeping soundly by 7:30. They have been sleeping until 7:30 most mornings.
So, 12 hours at night + 4 hours of napping = 16 hours of sleep? WebMD says average is 14 hours a day. But are they above average sleepers? I guess. I mean average sleep needed for adults is what - 7 hours? I need 9 hours to function. 10 hours is ideal.
Who would have guessed? A mom worried her toddlers are sleeping too much. I'm not bragging, I promise! I feel for you other moms whose kids don't sleep much. When do you blog, Facebook and pin on Pinterest??
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Fourteen Months Old
Can we slow down time, please? Seriously, I feel like it was just a short while ago that I took these pictures of the babies:
But, no. That was a year ago. When they were a measly 2 months old. We hardly even knew each other then. Now they are 14 months old! And I couldn't love them more!
You'll remember from last month that Hannah was just beginning to take steps. Well, now she's cruising. She's definitely a toddler. She is close to running. I'm sure I won't think it's as cute as I do now once she actually takes off and I need to catch up to her.
Ben is *just* walking. He's so cautious!
Other new things this month include self-feeding:
And learning body parts:
I also am convinced that Ben can say "quack" when asked what a ducky says. It comes out like "kak kak," though, which also means cracker.... And I am certain Hannah can pick out a cow when looking at pictures of animals. Aaron thinks she's just pointing in the right direction and I am reading into it for her. But, I think she's a genius. I mean, obviously she is:
It has been a *very* mild winter in Minnesota, which I don't mind at all. I am sure that God is giving us a break since last year was so awful! We like to think if last winter had been nice like this winter, we all would have felt so much better and might not have minded the multiple midnight feedings. :)
Life is good here. If possible, I think I love these babies (er, toddlers) more and more every day!
But, no. That was a year ago. When they were a measly 2 months old. We hardly even knew each other then. Now they are 14 months old! And I couldn't love them more!
You'll remember from last month that Hannah was just beginning to take steps. Well, now she's cruising. She's definitely a toddler. She is close to running. I'm sure I won't think it's as cute as I do now once she actually takes off and I need to catch up to her.
Ben is *just* walking. He's so cautious!
Other new things this month include self-feeding:
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| Mmm. That's some good yogurt! |
And learning body parts:
I also am convinced that Ben can say "quack" when asked what a ducky says. It comes out like "kak kak," though, which also means cracker.... And I am certain Hannah can pick out a cow when looking at pictures of animals. Aaron thinks she's just pointing in the right direction and I am reading into it for her. But, I think she's a genius. I mean, obviously she is:
It has been a *very* mild winter in Minnesota, which I don't mind at all. I am sure that God is giving us a break since last year was so awful! We like to think if last winter had been nice like this winter, we all would have felt so much better and might not have minded the multiple midnight feedings. :)
Life is good here. If possible, I think I love these babies (er, toddlers) more and more every day!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Sensory Overload
As I'm sure you're all tired of hearing, we are in nap transition right now. And since the babies are awake for longer stretches of the day, they tend to need more to do than just play with toys. I mean, God forbid their 1000 toys in the house aren't enough to stimulate their attention!
So, for the past few days, I've been digging up sensory activities to do (albeit in short spurts) to keep them engaged and entertained. Some are winners. Some are total misses.
So, I've learned a few things in our days with these sensory activities (and you'll remember we finger-painted on Friday). First, these activities make a HUGE mess. I'm mostly OK with that.
Also, it's best to introduce these activities when the babies are most awake, alert, and in good moods. I think the finger-painting debacle happened because they were overtired.
Lastly, Ben does not like to touch squishy, soft, or wet/mushy things. He had no interest in any of it. Maybe he's a boy who won't like to get dirty?? (Or, more likely, he was confused why I wasn't letting him eat things that I put on his high chair tray).
Nap transition is going .... okay. Today they made it from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. before eating lunch and heading to bed. They're chit chatting in their cribs now, hopefully will fall asleep soon! Then I hope they sleep until 2:30 or later. A momma can dream.
So, for the past few days, I've been digging up sensory activities to do (albeit in short spurts) to keep them engaged and entertained. Some are winners. Some are total misses.
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| Water sensory bag |
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| Baby's first play-dough (homemade) |
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| She liked it! |
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| More interested in the spatula than the dough |
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| Finger painting with colored yogurt. |
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| Not interested. |
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| She doesn't understand why he doesn't want to paint! |
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| Makin' a mess with flour |
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| Not interested. |
Also, it's best to introduce these activities when the babies are most awake, alert, and in good moods. I think the finger-painting debacle happened because they were overtired.
Lastly, Ben does not like to touch squishy, soft, or wet/mushy things. He had no interest in any of it. Maybe he's a boy who won't like to get dirty?? (Or, more likely, he was confused why I wasn't letting him eat things that I put on his high chair tray).
Nap transition is going .... okay. Today they made it from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. before eating lunch and heading to bed. They're chit chatting in their cribs now, hopefully will fall asleep soon! Then I hope they sleep until 2:30 or later. A momma can dream.
Friday, January 20, 2012
A Finger-Painted Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
It was cold here yesterday. Dang cold. We woke up to a frigid 8 below zero and "warmed up" to a tropical 5 degrees above. We're havin' a heatwave. A tropical heatwave.
Since it was so. dang. cold. yesterday - and the heater is still out on the Subaru - we had another stay-at-home day. I've grown accustomed to going here and there (mostly the Y and Target) during the day that I get so restless during the day, all day at home. I think my restlessness transfers to the babies and they get restless.
That, or their determination to skip naps makes them restless. Blah.
At any rate, I knew we needed something different to do to break up our day. Being the brave woman I am, I decided to try finger painting. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll let you judge for yourself how it went.
So, it was fun. But it lasted about 4 minutes total. Ben ate a bit of paint, which is why he was so crabby. Hannah appears to be a natural, which is amazing since I have zero art talent.
We're stuck home again today. (The heater is getting fixed!). What's your favorite "stay home" activity for young toddlers? We're getting bored.
Since it was so. dang. cold. yesterday - and the heater is still out on the Subaru - we had another stay-at-home day. I've grown accustomed to going here and there (mostly the Y and Target) during the day that I get so restless during the day, all day at home. I think my restlessness transfers to the babies and they get restless.
That, or their determination to skip naps makes them restless. Blah.
At any rate, I knew we needed something different to do to break up our day. Being the brave woman I am, I decided to try finger painting. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll let you judge for yourself how it went.
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| I added masking tape to canvas to make monograms. |
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| Ready to go! |
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| A messy success! (For Hannah anyway) |
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| Finished Products |
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| After drying, I removed the tape... |
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| And got these works of art! |
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| Displayed in the living room for all to see. |
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| Masterpieces. |
So, it was fun. But it lasted about 4 minutes total. Ben ate a bit of paint, which is why he was so crabby. Hannah appears to be a natural, which is amazing since I have zero art talent.
We're stuck home again today. (The heater is getting fixed!). What's your favorite "stay home" activity for young toddlers? We're getting bored.
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