Summer Spontaneity

Like most infant twin families we are on a Schedule. The Schedule is sacrosanct - especially when one of the kids naps on oxygen. But the kids are napping a little less (more on that to come) so we feel like we have a few hours here and there to Do Things. According to Husband, Mommy, Esq. can overschedule that free time but we have had some spontaneous moments.

Last Sunday the kids were cracking up over a video Husband was showing them of monkeys eating poop. Since we had an as-of-yet unused family membership to the Stone Zoo we said "let's go there!" The kids lasted about an hour and a half - perfect for the rather small zoo. The more active animals were interesting - like the flamingos - but the kids pretty much just sat in their stroller and Ned drank an entire straw sippy cup of water. Maybe inspired by the camel-like Zebu?

And last night Husband moved their highchairs to the back strip of lawn and the kids dined al fresco.

Advertising, Electricity, and Child Development Schemes

Husband here...

I love Google AdSense. Not for the money, of course. At current rates, it will be another 4 years before Mommy, Esq. gets enough clicks racked up to get a check from Google.

No, I love it for the awesome ideas it spawns. Like this one that showed up for reasons that are obscure to me:

How to make electricity
Don't pay for electricity,
you can make it simple
& cheap at home.
Power4home.com

Aside from the brilliant poetic quality of the copy, it gives me great ideas about how to make sure Ned and Penny grow up big and strong...and generate free electricity for the Esq. household at the same time. Anyone remember the Wheel of Pain from Conan the Barbarian?

Buying for Babyproofing

Husband here...

Wife, Esq. has vetoed my revolutionary new childrearing idea: house-proofing the babies...something about giant plastic hamster balls making the diapers hard to change.

So, instead we have to babyproof.

I think the key item in the short term is one of those kid jails. If we get two and assemble them together, we can pretty much corral off the whole middle of the play room. Plenty of room for both of them to lift weights, play the harmonica, rattle their sippy cups against the bars, and fashion shivs.

I like the looks of this one:

North States 3 in 1 Wood Superyard- 3 Gates in 1

Anyone have anything positive or negative to say about this one, or any alternate recommendations?

Batten Down the Hatches

It's time to baby proof.



He can get himself into a sitting position but he cannot pull himself up yet. One baby step at a time...

Vampire Baby

Ned's new expression as demonstrated below. I can't tell if he does it to show off his 5 (almost 6 - the top left middle tooth is coming in) teeth or because he wants to suck my blood. He has become a "biter". It's gentle but we have been telling him "no" firmly and putting him aside if he bites (usually on my shoulder, some times a toe). One of those gestures that seems so cute but could turn Ned into vampire baby.