Storytime

Sorry for the long absence. First we were away at Loralee's Wedding (Wedding posts will come - we wouldn't skip over this important event), and then we got home and both of our computers died. Actually, our desktop got sick (a thermal event...), and the laptop battery died, and due to a short in the place where you plug in the charger, it refuses to be revived. So, I've been a little cut off, but our desktop is healed and we are back. And now, a few stories to fill in the gaps:

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'...

Perhaps it was an expression of independence after being held so much by loving family, but the twins' mobility suddenly increased when we got home. A few days after we returned, I left Allie on the floor while I changed Ryan. I looked to check on her, and she was several feet from where I put her, facing a different direction, on her stomach, pulling yucky things off the carpet & sticking them in her mouth (note to self: start vacuuming more!). And since I was changing Ryan, I couldn't leap over to stop her. Later that day, I laid Ryan on the floor to play while I changed Allie - who surprised me with a particularly nasty diaper. I was just diving into the mess when I heard Ryan cry out. I turned and he wasn't there! He cried out again and I turned farther to see that he had rolled all the way across the room almost under his crib. He was fussing because a rather thick board book had stopped him from rolling under the crib (note to self, find something to store under the crib so I don't always have to climb under to get my rolling babies)! Instead, I watched him scoot himself halfway under our blue rocker and start to suck on the fabric that was hanging down (EW!). And because I was changing Allie's rather messy diaper, I couldn't jump over to stop him. They are devious little beings, aren't they?

Artistic Expressions

I noticed that, whenever she could catch me not paying attention during mealtime, Allie would reach for the bowl and quickly dump its contents on her tray. If she managed to get this done before I noticed, she would joyfully spread her mush all over. This gave me an idea! When I worked in activities, we would often finger paint with pudding. It was an activity for our lower functioning residents who no longer were able to hold a brush and who had a tendency to put things in their mouths. It was more about the sensory experience than the art - and it seemed like it might be something I could do with the babies. So I stripped them to their diapers, taped some paper to their tray, dumped some mushed peaches (which I thought might give a nice color), and let them go to town. I learned a few things: Allie LOVES messes and making them. Ryan does not. Messes make him mad. Wasting food makes him mad as well. He knew peaches were for eating and he was devastated that they were being mushed around on a tray. He, however, was not beneath wiping them on his sister. Perhaps payback for making such a mess with his beloved food?

Voices in the Monitor

I know what you're thinking. We've heard this story before. You're going to think I'm super crazy, but the voices in the monitor are back and it is not just a baby crying! For a few weeks I would wake up during the night and hear music playing softly through the monitor. I would get up and go check (assuming some toy had somehow started playing), but I could never hear anything once I got to the babies' room. Once, when I went back to bed, I heard it again. Usually, all was quiet the rest of the night. This happened several times, usually around the same time of night. Also, several times I woke up during the night convinced that I had heard a man's voice. I would try sending Lucas out to check the house. This often made him mad, though...so I learned to get brave enough to check myself. Nothing. Ever. Strange. Last night I was home alone with the babies when suddenly I heard a woman's voice loud and clear. I looked and saw the monitor lights jumping. It was coming from the babies' room! I jumped up and dashed to their room...nothing. The whole rest of the night I was on edge. What was going on? This morning I was watching Regis & Kelly when I suddenly heard a man's voice loud and clear. Again I saw the monitor lights jumping. Then a woman's voice answered. I ran to the the room and there was my answer. See, the homemade noise machine I made with my digital recorder only lasted 1 hr. & we often found ourselves needing more time. So, we found a radio station with fuzz and we would use that. Apparently, the radio randomly picks up nearby stations for extremely short amounts of time. Since it's at the far end of the AM spectrum, it's anyone's guess what we might pick up. Usually talk (thus the voices), but I'm guessing they have a show that plays the same song in the middle of the night (the music I hear). Now, I'm not going to lie - it still freaks me out a little. But I am now committed to finding a real sound machine - not one that is homemade with crying babies, not one that might pick up nearby frequencies and freak me out in the middle of the night - one that plays simple white noise and that's all!!