Our "Glasses Weekend"

In all honesty, Daddy has done the work thus far, following Gracie around, consistently and firmly telling her she MUST wear her glasses, putting her glasses back on her head, etc. By Sat. night,though, just before the twins' bedtimes, Daddy said, "She's killing me" (after he put the glasses back on her head for the "fortyleventh" time).

On Friday night, Daddy started the "glasses weekend" by putting them on Gracie and telling her that she couldn't go outside with Chance and Mommy unless she wore them. Gracie wailed and cried. Then it was Mommy's turn. Mommy put the glasses on Grace, then sat her on her kiddie car, which Mommy pushed so fast Gracie had to hold on with both hands (and couldn't pull the glasses off)--she wailed and screamed during the rides. Then Matt and Mindy (our neighbors) came out and distracted Gracie. On Sat. morning, we took Grace to get the glasses adjusted at the optician's office, then had brunch at Alex's diner (in Mt. Pleasant) where they sat in booster seats for the first time--see pictures!

We're still working on Sunday/today--she's still taking them off, and we're putting them back on. Repeat. repeat. repeat.
Friday night: glasses-wearing and goldfish-eating ("blub blub") with Nestle

Sat. afternoon, we went to the mall, where the kids rode on the mini merry-go-round. Gracie said "weeeeeeee" the entire time while Chance munched on a cookie.

Grace 'n Her Glasses

No surprise that Grace hates her new glasses. She wouldn't even let the optician adjust them to her face. Daddy succeeded in getting her to keep them on for about 15 minutes while she played with the ice cubes in a glass on Wed. nite--hence, this pic. Mommy can't seem to convince her to wear them at all. But whenever Chance wants to wear them, and puts them on briefly, she'll wear them for a few minutes . . . Any suggestions on how to keep glasses on this baby girl? Daddy and Mommy plan to consistenly put them on her over the weekend.

On a happy note, the family finally seems to be healing up! The doc said Mommy probably has had a sinus infection for 4+ weeks, and the pediatrician thinks Chance has had back-to-back viruses (sick for 4-5 weeks with a few "well" days in between). Daddy and Grace seem to be holding their ground!

Got Glasses?

Grace is getting glasses! Chance will be the only soul in our house without them (except the dogs), starting tomorrow. Let's hope she'll wear them. Perhaps the ability to see better will overcome her dislike for the physical "discomfort" she feels. The only glasses really suited for 17-mo-olds are these bendable plastic frames with plastic lenses (and elastic headband) . . . we could buy metal frames, but those would last a day before breaking, esp. with Chance around. This pic shows a sample of the frames, as well as Gracie's unhappiness in wearing them, but these are NOT the shape we bought . . . we bought a smaller, rectangular frame, also in pink (color options were blue, white/transparent, pink). We'll post a pic of her wearing her actual glasses later this week.

After the trip to the opthamologist and then frame store, we stopped at Baskin Robbins for ice cream. Mommy needed it. She bought quarts of Rocky Road and Pralines 'n Cream, our favs!

A bit of history: Since Gracie's birth, Mommy has incessantly worried about her eyes. Her first official (i.e., noticed by Mommy) "social smile" didn't occur until about 5 months old. Her eyes sometimes "shimmered" (still do) when she tries/d to focus on something close-up after looking at something far away. No one else worried or even really noticed it until Mommy insisted. Of course, Mommy took her to pediatricians and to pediatric opthamologists, the latter telling us in late January that she was farsighted more than "normal" but not enough to warrant glasses. We were to check back in 6 months. So, after finally getting an appt., we saw the doc again last Thurs., when he said her eyes were beginning to cross slightly (when she looks at something up-close)--thus, glasses, which will "correct" this and probably means she'll stop wearing glasses eventually, so say the docs. (That is, Mommy says, until she turns about 13 yrs old and she's nearsighted, like Mommy and Daddy!)

On a different note:

Aunt Manda gave Gracie this ADORABLE outfit with Dots (the candy) on it. (Right after the twins were born, Mommy ate some of these and ferociously protected her boxes of them--now a family joke.) Gracie has finally grown into the outfit, though she does NOT like the hat. (She doesn't like things on her head--um, glasses?) She does, however, love her brother--see pic of her kissing him.

Chance likes the hat more than Grace does.The chair was only warm (didn't want you to think Mommy let her sit in a burning-hot seat!).

Happy 17 Month B-days (on Sept. 11)!

Mommy has been editing a fiction book in her "spare" time, thus, less blogging--but the twins just got more and more active during their 16th month. In fact, Mommy declares the 16th month to be one of the most dumbfounding so far. These babes began to play together for longer periods of time--without Mommy . . . something precious to watch yet odd for this mother who hasn't had the time (or energy--i.e., twin pregnancy) to even take a shower for over 2 years! (Well, let's clarify: Mommy has taken showers, usually daily, but only when Daddy or someone else was home with the twins . . . Mommy was going to say that her brain even seems to be in working order again too, but maybe that's arguable).

Chance tried chocolate Teddy Grahams the other day (Another Mommy, Alex, gave some of her son's to the twins), but he's such a messy, sloppy eater--food falling out of his always-slightly-open mouth--that even Alex determined that dark-colored foods probably aren't such a good idea to give Chance in public (we were at the play area in the mall). Here are pics of him eating them at home, goofing off when Mommy told him how "silly" his messy face is.

Mommy and Aunt Juju purchased blank canvases and acrylic paints the other day, then Daddy painted pictures for the twins' rooms--Gracie, a fish ("blub, blub") and a turtle ("durdle").

We also hung the turtle poster (from Grandpa, purchased at the SC Aquarium) in her room alongside the teddy bear net that Aunt Carla gave her.

Chance's painting was of two airplanes--one big, one small. He tried to "grab" them before we could stop him . . .

Before we go in the car or on a trip, Mommy or Daddy say, "Put on your shoes," and the twins run to retrieve their shoes, sometimes trying to put them by themselves. Chance decided he wanted to wear Daddy's shoes the other day and actually tried to walk in them--to no avail.

Gracie's hair has grown considerably, though it's so spindly (i.e., thin, fine hair like her Mommy's) that it's not easily shaped or stayed into a mohawk at bathtime!

Success! (Or was it?)

As some of you know, Mommy graduated from the panic-and-anxiety class and moved on to the "I-LAUGH-at-your-ONE-baby!" class . . . or perhaps it's just the "must-have-VERY-low-expectations-when-you-have-twins" class . . .

Trying to stay ahead of Hanna/Ike/Josephine (i.e., hurricanes), Mommy decided she had to return her too-big shirt for Susan's October wedding a.s.a.p. and drove 45 minutes (NOT even during naptime!) to the Mt. Pleasant Towne Center, an outdoor shopping heaven. During the drive, though, she realized she'd forgotten the stroller. Still, she surmised, certainly they rent strollers--no, they don't. A Mommy of Twins doesn't give up, though, so she parked near the Belk store, where they offer shopping carts, which can serve as a stoller in a jiffy, despite the "Do-not-place-children-in-cart" sign. She ushered/cajoled/redirected the dawdling/walking twins past 4-5 stores, including a jewelery store with teddy bears in the window (curses on that store!), and finally arrived at Belk.

Pushing Chance in the cart into the Acorn store (they're closing nationwide, btw, the Mt. Pleasant store by the end of the month!), she shoved the shirt toward the clerk but then paused to stare at the new "50% off everything in store" signs. Mommy grabbed almost anything in her size and locked herself and the twins (and the cart) in a dressing room. About 10 minutes later, 3 new items in hand, she picked up Gracie--and felt a spongy diaper. Stripping the tyke, Mommy reached for a clean diaper just as Gracie stood up and announced "Pee pee!", after which a stream of liquid trickled down the babe's leg and onto the carpet. Mommy then saw Chance with his sippy cup upsidedown, pushing the nipple against the bench and enjoying the view of juice/water leaking all over.

After hastily paying for her purchases (where the clerk said her cousin with twins, now 10 yrs old, never thought she'd live through the age our twins are now), Mommy decided that she was deserving of a cappucino from Atlanta Bread Company.

Heaving the cart through another set of doors, she set up two highchairs, pulled food out of the diaper bag for the kiddos, then waited for the chicken soup to cool and for the cappucino to arrive. Chance quickly discovered that if he pushed against the table, his highchair would roll backward, a major breakthrough that called for repetition and much grinning. Somewhere in this, the cappucino arrived, and as Mommy turned to pull Chance back to the table, Gracie reached for the hot drink, announcing "copy" (aka "coffee"). Simultaneously proud of Gracie for her verbal acuity and yet confused over the feeling of hot droplets on her leg, Mommy turned back to Gracie and saw--in horror--the coffee cup turned sideways, brown liquid flowing from the lid . . . thankfully, though, NOT onto Gracie (huge sigh of relief). A patient and kind couple brought napkins over to us--several times over. God bless that man and woman!

As challenging as this morning seems, Mommy never felt stressed or upset or angry. In fact, it was quite fun. Our twins were just being themselves, and as their Grandpa says, "It's a great story for later!"

"Our Pets"

Your eyes are not deceiving you. The twins are stiting in the dog feeder. Lest any of you germaphobes freak out, know that Mommy removed the bowls and cleaned the plastic--and let the twins be the active 16-mo-olds that they are. (Besides, Chance and Mommy already had a summer cold. Ha.) Chance crawled in and out, in and out, and Gracie splashed and splashed. Sooooo much fun!

Gracie loves her "Bubba" immensely and reached out to touch him with a squeal.

Eventually, though, the competition of "king/queen of the mountain" began . . .

It ended in a tie, declared Mommy.

Can you see those LOOONG EYELASHES? Just like Daddy's (so handsome)! :)

VIDEOS below:

1) Chance and his buddy Nestle (the latter happily accepts ANY from attention from the twins without resistance). Gracie, btw, pets Nestle and says "good boy"; she also helps Mommy call the dogs back inside with "Come 'ere, Nessie" (Nestle) and "Come 'ere, Root-ie" (Ruthie).

2) Mommy had unpacked a mirror and let the twins run around and draw on the paper, to their delight. Chance is screaming "Go!"