Kacie's Story: "Kacies 1st time babysitting Emma and Ethan"

This post is written by Kacie Ashing:

Kacies 1st time babysitting Emma and Ethan

When I first got to the Garland's house, I thought to myself this is going to be fun. Later Aunt LeeAnn told me to feed them because it was their dinner time. I fed them Ethan ate really good. Emma did not. When LeeAnn started to leave Emma saw her mom and dad go out the door and she started to cry. Then I picked her up and walked her around and I was telling her its going to be okay. Later she stopped crying and we went in the living room and Emma ran to me and I picked her up and she went in the air. Ethan wanted to do that to. I let him. They both did that for a long time. Then we finally quit. We were all wore out. LeeAnn told me that I could go get a drink out of the garage if I wanted to. I decided I needed a drink. I put the babies in the kitchen right by the garage. I started to go in the garage and Emma had got up on the bar stool without me knowing. Then she flipped off. But surprisingly, it was before I was out the door to the garage. Emma was not screaming crying. She was just whining. So I picked her up and walked her around and was saying it's going to be okay again. She stopped whining. She had a red spot on the side of her leg. She did not hit her head. I was thankful for that. Then later I took them into their bedroom Ethan was whacking his drums. Emma was playing with her doll. We played in there for a while. Then later we went back to the living room. Emma was watching tv. I was letting Ethan click the button on my phone to turn the screen on. Justin Bieber was on there. I told Ethan that is Justin Bieber. Then he repeated it. It was so cute! Then both Emma and Ethan began to watch tv. I just sat in the chair and watched too! Later Emma came and got into my lap and was acting tired. Then Ethan came and got into my lap too! Then I thought they both must be getting sleepy. So I took them back into their bedroom we were all playing in their toddler bed. Emma was laying down and I decided to lay on Emmas tummy. Then I jumped up and said Peek a boo! both Emma and Ethan started to laugh. I did that over and over. Ethan would tell me to lay back down and do it again. It was funny! Later I took them back into the living room to wait till their mom and dad got home. But first I changed their diapers, brushed their teeth and put them into their pajamas. Later their mom and dad walked in. Emma jumped up and screamed. Then later Aunt LeeAnn took them to bed. Both babies gave me a hug before they went. Then me and LeeAnn and Rodney talked about what happened during the babysitting and they talked about the scary movie. Then later my mom walked in to pick me up. Then I went home and told my mom what happend on my first time babysitting.

Wax On, Wax Off!

I have dark hair, so I kind of have a little bit of dark-ish peach fuzz on my upper lip that I call my mustache. Embarrassing, right? Ew. It's not that noticeable, but I notice it and I hate it. I use those wax strips from Walmart or wherever, you know, the plastic ones that you heat with friction and then separate the two-ply plastic, apply...and then RIP them off! There's no better way to do it. It lasts for a long time, and it doesn't grow back prickly. Ahhh, I feel somewhat liberated from having shared this so publicly.  Well, semi-publicly. Not that many people read this little blog, so those of you who do are sort of like my anonymous, faceless family. :)  So there you have it. I wax my upper lip from time to time, lol.

So, one morning, I was just going about my business, getting ready to rid myself of the peach mustache and Emma and Ethan happened to be in the bathroom with me. They like hanging out in there when I'm getting ready, especially when I'm listening to music. I started rubbing the strip between my hands, heating it up, and that got their attention. They watched carefully as I quickly moved my hands back and forth to the beat of the song on my iPod. Then I pulled it apart and told them it was like a sticker, one of their favorite things.

"Sticker!" they said. They started reaching for the other half of it, wanting to use it themselves, I assume. "No, babies. Trust me, you want no part of this sticker," I said. I began pressing it on one side of my upper lip and rubbing it on really well. Then, I closed my eyes and braced myself--"UHHHNNN!!!" I growled as I RIPPED it off as quickly as I could in the opposite direction of the hair growth.

Both of my children had horrified expressions on their faces. "UHHHHH!!" Emma mocked.
"Hurts really bad!" Ethan noted. I laughed out loud at their reactions. They were just standing there side-by-side, staring at me in the mirror with their hands up by their faces, gripping the bathroom counter. I guess I have done this so many times that I didn't think of just how dramatic it could be for two little first-time observers. Emma looked really sad for me. So did Ethan. "Hurts really bad!" he repeated with the cutest little scrunched eyebrows.

"Yes, it does hurt really bad. But I'm okay," I smiled even though my eyes were watering from the sting.

Round two.

I repeated the process for the other side and I still had their full attention. I guess they were going to have to learn of the harsh realities that women put themselves through in the name of beauty some time. It might as well be now and it might as well be from me...right?

"MMMM!" I tried to control my outward response this time, but it is so ingrained in me...and it really does hurt really bad. This had become too much for Emma. She poked out her bottom lip and started to cry. What a sweet angel she is. "It's okay, baby! Mommy's okay. I should not hurt myself on purpose, huh?" It seemed really ridiculous as I imagined what she had just witnessed and what she could be thinking of it. Am I impressing on this little tiny girl too soon some sort of odd and morbid self-hatred that she'll never forget? Lol, I hope not.

I read an article the other day about a woman who had decided to start telling her daughter that she was beautiful. She started saying, "Sweetie, I'm feeling very beautiful today," and so on. She wanted to stop the hateful comments against herself and the perpetual dissatisfaction with herself from infecting her daughter when she reaches adulthood. I think it's a really good idea. People tell me all the time that Emma looks like me and I think she is the most beautiful girl in the world.

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3. I'm feeling very beautiful today. Go, me!

Sugar Baby

The first time Emma had something sweet was when she was about 2 months old. Rodney let her suck on a piece of watermelon...or was it cantaloupe? Anyway, her eyes got really big and she grabbed on with both hands and wouldn't let go. It was hilarious to see her so aggressive. When her daddy pried it away, she was devastated. So he gave it back.

Later, we let her have a bite of ice cream or a lick of an orange cream popsicle. She and Ethan are now hopelessly drawn with great magnetic force to every popsicle or ice cream bowl they ever see. Once on the playground, Emma spotted an old mini Blue Bell ice cream container in the gravel. She picked it up and immediately raised it to her mouth. She knew what that was--birthday party ice cream! I was watching from above on the big toy, so I caught her before she could taste the sticky, dirty vanilla--"EMMA, NO! That's dirty trash!" She threw the cup down hard and ran away, startled, irritated, humiliated.

If they see you having a treat, they each make a beeline to your side. One perches on the arm of your chair and the other crawls up in your lap. They lick their lips and open their mouths like little baby birds. They chant, "bite o' ice cream, bite o' ice cream, bite o' ice cream...mmmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm...." When you pull it back to take your turn, they pine and pine, stare at what remains of the popsicle, puff in and out, move their faces closer and closer. You'd think I'd give them some discipline for their bad manners. We all have our weakness. Theirs is sugar. Mine is them.

After the popsicle is gone, Ethan moves on, but Emma is terribly upset. She suddenly forgets how nice you were to share, and she focuses on how mean you were to run out. She starts in with the guilt trip. It's already gone? You take bigger bites! Isn't there any more??  Sugar is her kryptonite. Her bones turn to mush, causing her to drop to the floor in a puddle of despair. She may even bang her face on the carpet for extra effect. Then, she picks herself up and drags her limp body over to the couch and throws her upper body on the cushion, wailing and wailing in the highest pitch with her arms overhead like in one of those dramatic dying scenes from a black and white movie. Poor little damsel in distress. She looks out of the corner of her eye to see if I'm getting all of this. She is so expressive and sensitive like her momma. Her brows are pulled down and raised in the middle as if she is thinking, "OMG! I cannot believe this is happening to me! How will I ever live?"

I try not to laugh at my daughter when she's upset, but it's pretty funny. "Ohhh, I know. I'm so sorry, sugar baby," I say, and I really am.  I start jokingly telling her she is "going to have to face it. It's gone." Pretty soon, Ethan starts repeating me:

"Face it," he says. "All gone. Face it." Such a realist.

Emma starts getting over it very gradually. First, her brows relax, but she keeps wailing for several more minutes, hypnotized by the siren song. Soon, her mouth relaxes too and the pitch drops to her normal tone. A minute or two later, she's finally quiet. Defeated. No more cookies come, no more candy, no more orange cream popsicle.

Just Emma with a sugar hangover and an orange mustache.

Tubby Time-Out

Ethan acts up during baths and he thinks it's so funny. He stands up over and over and I harshly tell him to sit down over and over as I help him to his seat. Or he lays down over and over and I tell him to sit up over and over. I don't want him to slip and fall or get water in his ears, get swimmer's ear or something. I lift him up by the back of his head again and again and he laughs himself silly no matter how serious I try to look and sound. I have this fear of a "dry drowning" ever since I watched that Oprah episode of the 10 year old child who went swimming, unknowingly got water in his lungs and died hours later of suffocation. I can't imagine a tragedy like that. Actually, I imagine tragedies like that more often than anyone should. They say information is power, but information can also be terrifying.

If he slips and falls, gets water in his nose, or gets choked on water from his antics, it's very scary for him and me, and he immediately panics, stands up and wants his mommy. I would think that would teach him to heed his mother's warnings. But it doesn't.

Nothing I say upsets him, and none of my threats have any value. One time, I swatted his butt during his game, and he didn't even seem to notice. He just kept right on breaking tubby rules and laughing all the way.  A little red mark appeared on his little butt where I'd swatted him, and I felt terrible. I knew that had to have stung, but he didn't show it. Still laughing like a little hyena. Emma even joins in sometimes too. They are in the tubby and that's like home base. They seem to know that time-out is not happening because I can't just leave one in the tub alone or put them in the time-out crib soaking wet. And time-out after the bath doesn't happen either. I have to hurry and get their diapers back on and get them dressed before they pee all over the house. By the time I have them dressed, the time-out I promised in the tub is long forgotten or feels too removed from the incident.

Tonight I decided to try something new, a tubby time-out. He started his laying down game and I told him he's gonna get time-out in the tubby if he does it again. Of course, he did it again. So I lifted his head as usual, and slid him in his seated position to the corner of the tub and the wall. "Tubby time-out," I said. I held him in place with his nose in the corner for probably about 20 seconds. He cried and cried just like he does in regular time-out. I kept tubby-time-out shorter than regular time-out since I was having to hold him in place. I felt a little like a bully on the play ground as I did it. But he seemed to see after two tubby time-outs that Mommy was winning the game now and it was no longer fun. 

Mommy-1

Ethan-50

Game over. Mommy wins!

Note From Nannie and Pawpaw Hodge

Papaw and Gramma

 Rodney's mother lost her battle with breast cancer about 8 years ago. It is heartbreaking that she was not able to meet Emma and Ethan in person, but I believe she is with us. She sees them. She loves them. There are moments when I am holding the babies that I can honestly feel her presence and I know that she is smiling. This may sound a little far-fetched, but when they were infants, there were even moments that I could swear the babies might even have seen her spirit standing there.

I show them her picture in the hallway and tell them, "That's your grandma, Nancy," and they repeat me. From the rocking chair in their room, they can see the picture down the hall, and on a few occasions when I've been rocking them at night, Emma has looked down the hall and said, "Grandma." It makes me happy.

I know that she's proud of the man her son has become, and I know that she is happy that her parents are able to spend so much time with her twin grandbabies. I also know that she approves of her husband's progress in his life as well, and that she smiles on the partnership he has found in his new wife, Janis. She is in a place where there is no jealousy and no bitterness. She is in a place where there is only love. The kids call Janis "Gramma." Janis loves them very much. We all love her too. She didn't have children herself, so I know it must bring her special joy to be called Gramma and to watch them grow.

They live out of town so we don't get to see them very often, but when we do, we enjoy ourselves so much. We always have so much to catch up on. They live on a beautiful piece of property by the lake about an hour and a half away. The kids enjoy exploring all over the place. This summer they loved walking through the vegetable garden and digging in the dirt for potatoes with their dad and their Papaw.

Emma is very affectionate with her Papaw and it amazes me. She is very selective with her affection and she doesn't get to see him that much. He must have that special Papaw Magic. Maybe it is because he turns his attention towards them for most of the time that they are together. He speaks in a loving tone and tells them that they're Papaw's babies.

On our most recent visit, Gramma let Emma play with some old colorful glasses with the lenses popped out, and she thought it was the greatest thing ever. Mommy never lets her play with her glasses. She even let her play with some pretty, old watches. Emma walked around the living room like a queen with her glasses that fit her face surprisingly well, and her arms bent out in front of her, so as not to drop her bracelets. Papaw said she looked sophisticated and I said she looked like she had freshly painted fingernails and didn't want to mess them up.

Papaw let Ethan play with all of his duck calls. He showed them how they all sound and Ethan said, "Loud sound!" and "Loud sound again!"  Then he hung them all on Ethan's neck. He was so excited! But he just couldn't seem to make a loud sound himself. His wind pipe wasn't strong enough to make the duck calls work. We kept trying to tell him to take a deep breath and really puff! Finally, he was able to and he didn't stop for a long time. "Loud sound again!" Papaw even gave him a very special duck call, one that his dad had given him. Now, when we're at home, Ethan wants his special duck call all the time and makes plenty of loud sounds whenever he wants.

After we played inside and ate a big Thanksgiving dinner, we all went on a walk through the yard by the garden plot and out past the shed.

When Papaw sat down at the picnic table for a rest, Ethan took him by the hand and pulled him, pushed at his body, telling him to "get up." Papaw let himself be led by the tiny child on another walk. For some reason, Ethan kept stopping to scratch his back on the trees, much like a bear does. Emma followed along and started scratching on the trees too. Then, Papaw even scratched his back on the tree! It looked like Emma and Ethan were trying to teach Papaw the ways of the wilderness, The Three Bears. I wonder where they learned that!

After their walk, Ethan wanted Papaw to sit in the swing and let him run back and forth into his arms and back to Momma. Then, he gave his papaw a walnut from the ground, a reward for his good behavior. "Did you get a gift?" yelled Gramma from the picnic table.

Papaw smiled, nodded his head, held up two fingers and said, "Two."

Mimi's Story: "A Weekend with the Garland Twins"

This post is written by MaryGail Nelson:

A Week-end at Mimi’s and Pappy’s House

The twins have come to stay at Mimi’s and Pappy's for the weekend. They are two years old and we are always excited to see them. Their first order of business upon arrival is to take care of the spice cabinet. Ethan and Emma do not feel that I have that cabinet organized correctly. The reason I know this is because they roll that cabinet open first thing each time they visit and "shake, shake, shake" each spice and then proceed to put each container in another spot, usually not in the spice cabinet. I have found spices in the drawers with the pots and pans, in the living room, on the counter tops, in the toy box, etc. On this particular visit Ethan grabbed the pepper shaker when my back was turned and took it to the living room table and proceeded to "shake, shake, shake" it everywhere. I didn't discover the problem until Emma came up to me with pepper in her mouth. She had her hands in her mouth and was trying her best to get the pepper out. She wasn't crying but she was very uncomfortable. I gave her milk in her sippy cup and then a drink from Pappy's iced tea but that wasn't working. What really worked after I wiped as much as I could off of her face and tongue was a piece of ice. That worked. She loved it. Note: Never turn your back on a two year old!

Generally we explore the toy areas in the house. One area is in their bedroom and the other is in Mimi’s and Pappy's bedroom in cabinets under a window seat. That one was just recently discovered. It is the cabinet where some of Kacie's and Karli's toys are. Wow, Kacie and Karli have great stuff. Binoculars (pronounced neck- u-lars by Ethan), a camera (Emma always says "say cheese" when she plays with a camera) and balls, and books, and ELMO! and a big blue bat, and birthday hats! The "birt-day hats" were identified by Ethan and he gave each of us one. Pappy and I both put ours on and wore them even though they are not really birthday hats. They are safety cones that belonged to Lee Ann when she was a safety patrol in grade school. Yes we grandparents revert to a couple of silly-willies quite often when the twins come to visit. I think we have more fun than they do.
I asked the twins if they wanted to go outside. "Okay" . The twins don't answer with a yes or no. Well, yes they do if the answer is no. They like to say no. But if the answer is yes they say "okay". Going outside at Mimi's and Pappy's is lots of fun. There are chickens (bwauk) and cows (moo) and cats (meow) and a dog (woof, woof). When identifying animals one is required to make the sound that the animal makes. It's an Ethan and Emma rule. Anyway, before we went outside Ethan got a net sock from the kitchen. It was netting that tomatoes came in at the grocery store. I put it on his head like a stocking cap but he insisted on pulling it over his face like a bandit. He wore it while we played outside. He was very comfortable in it as it was a perfect fit. He had no qualms about meeting the neighbors and saying hello with his mask on. All activities outside on that occasion were played with his mask on. I wish I had taken a picture of it. He was so cute.

One of the places we like to play is in the cypress trees north of the house. We have a game we play in the trees. They run through them and hide behind them and I say "Ethan, Emma where are you?" and they appear through the trees with big grins on their faces and they squeal with delight. "There you are!" I say. Emma is especially fond of hiding. She moves into a bushy tree with her back to me and says "Where's Emma"? And then she happily squeals again as she turns around to see me. All the while she is quite visible to me. As far as Emma is concerned if she is in the bushes and she can't see me, she's well hidden.

Another place to play is what we refer to as the 'tee box' in the back yard. There are steep little hills on each side of the tee box that Ethan and Emma love to run up and down . They laugh and run and don't seem to mind if they lose their balance and fall. They just hop right up and do it again. Ethan discovered some droppings that Hank the dog had left at the bottom of one of the hills. He carefully inspected it and pointed to it and said "Poo-poo....Poo-poo nasty" . He says this quite often at his own house too when he spies Daisy's poo-poo. Very observant and smart young man. He steers clear of poo-poo.

When we get back into the house the twins get into high chairs for a quick bite. They like to have their chairs facing the TV so they can watch Sesame Street as they eat. Ethan allowed me to remove his bandit mask in order to eat thank goodness. I hid it after that so he wouldn't want to wear it the entire weekend. After cleaning their faces and hands and getting them down they began 'free play' again. Ethan likes to go in circles. He goes through Mimi's and Pappy's bedroom, through the closet, through the laundry room and kitchen over and over. He has his little football in his hands. Emma begins to follow him but somehow takes a shortcut into Pappy's bathroom unbeknownst to Mimi for a minute or two. When I go looking for her I find her in the bathroom with her back to me with some Kleenex in her hand. "What are you doing?" I say when I see her. She jerks around and has a quick little "oh-oh she's caught me" kind of look and drops the Kleenex and runs to me. Of course she gets a big kiss from me. Didn't see until later that she was pulling all of the Kleenex out of the box and stashing it behind the cabinet. Those little looks are so special to me and I left the Kleenex where it was for a few days so it would remind me of her sweet sheepish little mischievous face. How fascinating a Kleenex box is to a little two year old. It continually keeps popping up another Kleenex for you to pull out. The feel of it and the sound of it are just too much for Emma to ignore! What a precious child.

Now it's time to go to sleep. Since they haven't really had a nap it wasn't difficult getting them down. We brushed teeth and watched "The Princess and the Frog" Disney movie. Emma fell asleep on me as we watched. Ethan was concerned with the villain in the show. "That's scary" he said. He did like the music in the show and paid particular attention to it. I picked up Emma and put her in the crib in their bedroom. Ethan followed but turned around and went back into the living room with his Pappy not sure yet that he wanted to go to bed. Then he came back into the room and I lifted him into the crib as well. They may have whimpered just a bit but Emma crawled up toward Ethan and wrapped her arm around him and they went to sleep. They are precious little angels and slept all through the night.


Ethan and Emma, your Pappy and Mimi love you dearly. It is such a joy to take care of you. You will both grow into gentle souls just as your parents have. I hope that you both have a chance to be grandparents because then you will realize what a special thing it is.

Merge of the Meals

I think I'm over my Feeding Disorder. I feel myself stressing less over it. I still prepare Baby Bullet recipes for during the day while we're at work or when we don't eat together, but we have been eating a lot of our meals together now. I've also chilled out about their diet. It is important to me for them to eat healthy food and to eat a variety of things, but I also let them have the good "kid food" now and then too, like corn dogs, chicken nuggets and pizza. I'm happy to loosen up a bit. On Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays, Rodney is home from work so we eat at least one meal as a family if not all three. On Wednesdays, and Thursdays, he gets home in time to eat dinner with us. So I've been making meals for all of us to share. We also got rid of our coffee table and our habit of eating in the living room. It feels really good. I feel a little like Super Woman when I have dinner ready for him when he gets home after I have been at work myself. Sitting down at the kitchen table as a family is something I want to continue. It's amazing how that setting change and a little flexibility has made my heart feel. It's nice to eat the same thing for a change. I feel like we are more in sync as a family. At Thanksgiving, I couldn't stop smiling while watching my kids eat in big people chairs with big people silverware by their little bitty selves.

Along with these minor changes, Rodney and I have been changing in our own separate ways for the betterment of our family. 

First, I went on a mission to silence my brutally self-critical inner voice by speaking to a counselor and my general practitioner. I'm so glad I did because I feel so much better. I feel happier, more able to enjoy my family, and less focused on my mistakes and weaknesses. I think it's been a gift to all of us.

And Rodney decided that it's time to get healthy. He's been toying with the idea for a while now... planting a vegetable garden for the last two years, introducing me to more veggies like eggplant and squash, making me see that veggies aren't just for babies, haha! In the last few months, he has totally changed his lifestyle and I am so proud of him. I can really tell that he is entering a new chapter of his life and becoming more of who he is and who he will be.

I have a limited list of what I can cook and what I like, and none of it is super healthy. I'm not the greatest cook. I'm really good at steaming veggies now though, thanks to the kids, hehe.... I guess I should've been paying more attention when my mother was in the kitchen. I have burned my share of meals, but usually they turn out okay. Most of the time, as I'm eating what I cooked, I'm thinking that it's not as good as it should be. It's not terrible, but it always needs more of something or less of something. I miss the mark, over-correct. Bleh.... I'm learning to let it go and just do my best. 

Rodney has been watching a lot of competitive cooking shows. I've been watching with him some. But the shows seem to have inspired his inner chef. He's decided that he will cook more of our meals which really takes a lot of weight off of my shoulders, and I have decided that I will try my best to eat whatever he makes and not make an alternative meal for any of us no matter what he cooks. That's a big step for me because I have always been a picky eater.

One Sunday afternoon when the kids and I came home from church, he had made us a lovely shrimp lunch. I was hungry, but I knew I couldn't eat it. It was too much for me too soon. Sea food is like level 50 for me. Baby steps. I did take one bite of one shrimp, but I couldn't make myself keep eating it. It tasted fine; I just don't like the texture or the smell of shrimp. I can't get past it. I ate the broccoli and heated up some left over spaghetti. I could tell that he had worked hard and he was disappointed. I hope he doesn't make shrimp again because I told myself that next time I will woman up. I'll just try to think pretty thoughts. Or maybe a few whiskey shots would make it easier. ;) Other than the shrimp, he's been feeding us very well. We're eating a lot more vegetables and fish, less salt, less pork, and less fat. I feel so happy about that. Go, Rodney. He's inspiring me to finally take that step into the right eating direction. He's taking me by the hand and making my eating dream come true. 

             My Fathers Day Painting, "Leader, Provider"

Song Birds

My mom told me once that one of the sweetest things about babies becoming toddlers is when they start singing. It was hard for me to imagine my babies being toddlers.

Before they were talking, songs were the main thing that really got their attention. So, I sang pretty much everything I said to them. I loved the look on their faces and having their full attention.  One song I sang a lot was "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." They loved it, especially Ethan. He learned those first three words fairly quickly and I loved hearing him sing! He really bobbed his head with it, too. He started singing it all the time.  When we were in line at the grocery store, a cashier heard him and knew right what he was singing. "Row, row, row," he sang, and she smiled very big and completed the lyric for him which he loved.
One time, he even tried to sing the high pitched part: "meh, meh, meh, meh!"
"Good job, Brother! Life is but a dream!"

I think the first time I heard Emma sing was during a commercial that featured a part of a song by a very cute child prodigy opera singer named Jackie Evancho. Emma and Ethan were both immediately captivated by her song. They both stopped what they were doing and stared at the little angelic girl on the screen. When the singing stopped, Ethan went back to his playing, but Emma turned to me and did her very best impression of what she had heard: "Ahhhhhhhhh...." It was the absolute sweetest thing ever.

Now that they understand what I'm saying, I talk more and sing less.  But they do love when I sing songs with motions, like "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes."  Emma especially likes "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." I just love her little singing voice. She raises her eyebrows and tilts her head back just a little. She is very good at remembering long speech patterns, but hasn't got all of the words down. She hits enough of the right rhythm and sounds for me to recognize where she is in the song. I hear, "Itsy bitsy spi'er...mamama...spout." And her little spider motion is such a cute little finger jumble.


They both love when I draw pictures on their Magna-doodle. It's like toddler flash cards. They love learning right now. I hope it stays that way. They are great at naming whatever simple shape, letter, or object I draw. The other day when I drew a star, Emma smiled and surprised me with a new song: "Twinkle, twinkle nee nee star, o-wa wona uhh are/ upa buh...high...." That little Emma is such a little sweetie. Mimi must have taught that to her because I have never sung it for her. It was the most beautiful rendition I've ever heard. She almost has the entire song memorized. It made me so proud. My little songbird.


 Emma is more of a singer than Ethan is. He loves music, but he's more of a dancer. He talks more than Emma does. He talks and talks all day. He'd make a better rapper than singer, I bet. There is one Sesame Street song he and Emma sing all the time that sounds like more of a rap: "I  Wanna Rock!" It's about a rock band made out of rocks. Emma loves singing. She sings all day, song after song that she knows from Sesame Street: "Preschool, preschool, preschool..." (Preschool Musical) and then she goes right into her favorite commercial: "Nigh-nigh-nigh-sah-sah-sah-seh-fee!" (National American University). She and Ethan both loved the song from "Signing Time" that says, "Try, try, try...to tell me what you're feelin' inside, side, side," and they would sing it randomly from time to time.  It was so sweet. I haven't heard that one in a while. In the mornings through the monitor, I have often heard, "Ee-I-Ee-I-Oh... and a moo-moo-moo, and a moo-moo-moo." It puts a smile on my face before I even get out of bed.

I have always loved singing too. When I was little, I would make up my own songs when I was by myself about my dog or whatever I was doing at the moment. I don't have much of a talent for singing, but it has always been something I do. I have a song in my heart, and Emma does too.

Baby Graces

Somehow, Emma and Ethan have picked up on some social graces. I have to take credit for a few of them, but some must have been learned from watching others or maybe from their television shows. I always say, "Good morning," when I come in to their room in the mornings. Occasionally, I get one back from Emma: "GUH-mornin'." They don't always respond to greetings, but I know they hear me and they are internalizing everything. I want them to speak right up when people address them or greet them, so I usually speak both parts. I want them to hear the rhythm of conversation, know that it is a responsive thing, sort of like playing catch. But I think I may just be confusing things. They say, "Thank you! A weckum!" together too. Or, if they hand me something, they say, "Thank you!" or "a-weckum" when I hand them something. But at least they are trying. I appreciate the gesture.

A few months ago, we were sitting in the pew at church and when Ethan was greeted with a friendly hello by one of the older men, he said without hesitation, "Good morning!" His voice was so strong and happy and genuine. I got that feeling in my chest like when I'm on a roller coaster because I was so proud. Another time in church, when the preacher greeted the congregation, Emma peered over the back of the pew in front of her and shouted right out, "Hi!" It burned my eyes with happiness to see her so confidently and happily responding. They both usually clap and say, "Yay!" when the choir finishes a hymn, and I think they really appreciate it. The director even patted them on the head as he passed one time.

At home, like many toddlers, they love to say, "Bye! See ya later!" and pretend they are leaving into the closet, and then say, "Hi!" when they return. That goes on and on and I'm always sure to respond very enthusiastically every single time.

A few weeks ago, during one of their baths, Ethan started greeting the turtle toy holder that is mounted on the shower wall. "Hi, turtle. Hi, turtle. Hi, turtle. Uma MEE-choo!" I was amazed. Where did he hear that? I know I've said it, of course, when I meet new people, but never purposefully in front of them, never in play, and definitely not to the bath tub turtle. Emma didn't want to be rude, so she then greeted the frog spout protector: "Hi, frog! Ehh-MU-choo!" What very polite children!

Ethan has always liked to push things in a circle around our living room (See Rocking Horse Whiner), but now, instead of getting angry when something is in his way, he politely says, "Smee-smee, table," or "Smee-smee, Momma." I love it! And if Emma should overhear you rudely burp or pass gas, she smiles and says, "Smee-smee!" She won't let you forget your manners.

Most toddlers learn the word "mine!" very early. I am proud to say that my children do not know that word. I am glad that I don't have to hear the relentless "mine-mine-mine!" every time another person picks up a toy or something they like. Being twins has excluded that word from their vocabulary. Although they definitely don't like to share, they have learned that they have to take turns. So, the word we hear SHOUTED when a toy is rudely snatched is:

"TURN!"