Little moments, big changes
It really does just keep getting more fun. Talia and Jordan learn at the speed of light these days. Some of their new favorite things to do are “wash hands” after dinner. I save this activity for only after dinner because next is bath and since washing hands turns into soaked toddlers getting straight into bath rather than having to change outfits is just easier.
The girls are all about climbing these days. Pushing chairs around our great room to see what they can get access to. Like the kitchen island, the upper bookshelves and over the sides of the couch. Of course I am constantly worried that they will fall and get hurt and most of the time they do. I try to remind them that chairs are for sitting but the truth is kids climb and they will always climb and I really love that they have this sense of adventure. I just try to make sure that there are no sharp corners to fall on. I can deal with a bump, a cut, on the other hand gets me a little worked up.
There are a few other changes that have happened in the past month or so, the girls switched from liquid vitamin D, we have used poly-vi-sol since the girls were born, to chewable fruity multi vitamins, we get the whole foods 365 brand, plus a chewable fruity vitamin D3 supplement. The girls now sit in boosters at the table with us rather than in their high chairs. We still have the high chairs handy since we only have four dinning chairs we need them available when we have guests. And a new favorite activity is play dough! The girls will cut and mush and break the homemade play dough from this Pinterest link for a good twenty minutes before they get bored.
Winter cold and the sicknesses that have come with it are starting to get old. As the start of March approaches we are getting excited to spend more weekend days hiking on the great trails around our city. And being able to play on the deck in the mornings early hours before we head to work.
And to leave you with a 6 sec video from my vine. You can follow me on Vine by searching username smilingwatermel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZCrw7HIFYY

Using your best judgement
Being a parent, especially a new one is an on going lesson in using your best judgment. I struggle constantly with how much freedom to give my girls. Where should I draw the line between letting them explore and keeping them safe.
Sure I could expertly baby proof every square inch of our home and make sure that nothing except baby tested and certified toys get into their hands, but I don’t think that’s the best way to raise independent, creative children. And despite the fact that the girls have toys that are safe and developmentally appropriate within arms reach at all times they would always prefer to get their hands on something new.
I read in a parenting book to try, as much as possible, to only say “no” to a child if they are in real danger of hurting themselves. It’s a way of keeping the word “no” a serious and meaningful one. Jordan is really good at listening when either of us says no, it kinda startles her. But she was always the one to jump at the slightest noise, even when she was a brand new infant. She is also a very cautious and careful child so she doesn’t get herself into dangerous situations too often.
Talia on the other hand is a little dare devil. She will jump off anything and everything. She automatically assumes that if we are within arms reach we will catch her. She is always climbing and falling and hurts herself many times in a day.
When you have a new baby the last thing on your mind is the day that they start running, usually with a small object in their hand, and then they fall. The thing is, it hurts little knuckles a lot when you land on them because the little hand was busy clenching a tiny toy and there is no way to prevent it. They will fall, they will get hurt and you, as the parent, just have to try not to freak out.
The girls have lots if toys that could present a hazard, we try as much as possible to supervise them when they are playing with these toys such as the Melissa and Doug stacker with its wooden stick or the drum sticks from their music set or even the bristle blocks that when stepped on hurt a good bit.
I took this video of the girls this past weekend. I can’t believe we are here already, they take turns so nicely until the very end when it starts to get ugly. But for a while they each take their turn. Talia starts out with a stick in her hand, which I took away because eyes are really hard to replace. But the whole time I was filming this I was saying to myself Talia, please sit before you go down the slide. And, begging for those little rubber soled shoe to not get stuck on the plastic slide. And for no one to fall off while climbing up and for none of the other hundred things that an go wrong in a second to happen. If you turn the volume way up you can probably hear me gasp a few times.
Oh, and to all the stranger that wished us good luck when they saw us out with our infant twins, we will take it now, we need it for their toddler years.

A new video

A playtime video

Baby kickboxing

a new project and a cute video
My husband is helping me transfer my blog to a self hosted server and make it have a new fun look. So over the next few months there may be some technical difficulties and days without updates. But I will do my best. One thing that I would like to do is support my readers! If you or someone you know has a blog or a website that you think people should check out send me a link by commenting and I will look into linking up to them. Thanks and wish me luck!
Here’s the cute video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8ZHygrSsfM

Twins are twice as funny
