4 year Checkup

Keeping the updates coming has been a bit of a chore this year.  I'm so far behind, but need to make sure I keep posting for posterity.
In October the Wondertwins turned 4.  A milestone indeed for those parents wanting a bit of independence as having a 4 year old brings a bit of self imposed need to "do it myself!"
Fine with me!  Do it yourself then - I get to relax a bit - right.?  ha.  Think again.
This newly found - or newly imposed independence also brings free will.  And most of us know where free will leads:  Challenging the status quo, and the dreaded (and constant) question of "WHY?"

It's time for bed.
Why?
Don't write on the carpet.
Why?
Stop kicking your brother/sister
Why?
Finish your dinner
Why?
and on and on.
I feel the grey hairs growing!

They both went for their 4 year checkup on October 17th.

Audrey

Height: 40 in

Weight: 33 lbs

Ben

Height: 39 in

Weight: 30 lbs

Audrey did pretty well and is staying on track.
Ben didn't gain weight and the doctor showed some concern as his chart flattened out in the weight category.  We'll need to keep an eye on this and check back in in a couple months.
Truth be told he is a VERY picky eater - especially compared to Audrey who will try anything at least once and enjoys a wide variety of foods.
Ben has only a few mainstays: pasta, bread, raw spinach, and anything with salt on it - namely fries and chicken.  Hopefully his pallet will improve over the next few years so we can eat one meal as a family!  Stay tuned...

Bad news is, they received 4 shots this year - including the flu shot.  Good news is - only one more year of shots, then they get a break for a few years.

They were in pretty good spirits for their 4year checkup

They both did really well, considering it was a trip to the doctor's office... I told them way in advance that they would be going to the doctors for a check up and that they would need to get shots.  This was the first year where they actually could comprehend the idea of "getting a shot"  And although I hesitated telling them at first, I was glad I told them.  Ben even made a joke about it.  He said that he was going to tell the Doctor "Hey!  That's not fair!  Giving a guy a shot down there!"  (Thank you School House Rock!!!)
They ended up having to get 3 shots each - plus a flu shot - which wasn't part of the original bargain.
By the time we were ready for the shots Audrey had to go to the bathroom - which ended up being a godsend as Ben was sable to get three of the four shots done before Audrey could realize what was going on.  It came as a bit of a surprise when Ben saw the second shot and then the third he was quite hesitant.

Ben has always been the better at getting shots and only cried for his 4th and final shot.  By the time Audrey was in line Ben had finished and was wiping the last tear.  Audrey took it like a pro as well.  Crying for only a brief moment.  (It does hurt, you know!)  But before we left they were both smiling and wondering about getting stickers for their bravery.

So we carry on and try to keep up with the ever challenging, always rewarding Wondertwins!

We're 4!

The Wondertwins united once again for their 4th birthday.  We decided to forgo a big celebration and made plans to celebrate 4 years of fun at Disneyland instead.  We ended up having a small celebration at home as well, inviting just the neighbors kids and my close friend Leanne.  Paco jetisonned out once again for a long weekend to help in the celebrations.
This year Ben went with a Star Wars cake, surprising us all, as we were expecting a superhero.  (But I guess you could say that Luke has some pretty cool super powers... and he was a twin as well!)
Audrey's latest kick is butterfly's.  So she went with a butterfly cake.  That, I thought, I could handle.  So I decided to take on Audrey's cake and leave the Star Wars cake to the "proffessionals." -  though after seeing the handwriting on the cake, I had second thoughts :(  Not matter - cake is cake and everyone enjoyed the day and the sweets.

Ben, Audrey, Jagger, Ethan, Jack

Makin' Monsters

We're 4!!!!

Their birthday landed on a Sunday this year, so the home celebration was on their actual day.  Disneyland was the next day.  We got tickets for the Mickey's Halloween Party, where you dress up the kids, they have special spots where they hand out candy, have meet and greets with lots of characters, a cool parade and of course, the rides.  Needless to say the kids had a blast.  BTW -  Disney doesn't spare anything on the candy - they were handing out shovel fulls of M&M's, snickers, milky way - not that sugar stick crap! :P
We ended up sticking around until 10:30 - not able to close the place down, but having plenty of good memories and leaving them wanting more.  Which, given it's proximity, I would guess will be happening quite a bit in their lives!

Happy Birthday
 Ben & Audrey!

Summer Daze

The not-so-long summer is coming to a close.  And with it comes more milestones.  The biggest being Audrey's independence.  By that I mean the official end to potty training and the official start of a diaper free household!!!!  Huzzah!!!!!
If you are looking for an official day of infamy, as was the case with Ben, then you're outta luck.  I'll give A&B one thing - they are truly individuals.  By that I mean, they are staying the course in the "we do very little, if anything alike" category.  Quite opposites if you ask me.
So it was with little fanfare and a bunch of fits and starts over the span of a year that Audrey's potty training finally clicked in her brain.
In previous posts I mentioned my will to get her out of diapers by her 3 1/2 year mark.  That of course was foolish on my account.  Where Ben molds easily, Audrey goes her own path.  If she was to let go of her precious panties it would be on her schedule, thank you very much.  I acknowledged our inability to "force" her to go in the porcelain god rather than her princess panties early on and probably ended up saving a few years of my life as a result. 
So we waited patiently.  Constantly encouraging her on her success stories, quietly crying when she digressed.  For a while there I had visions of begging her to go on the potty two years from now as we brought her to kindergarten. ;(
It was a change of venue that finally helped her click - that and I think a maturity that seemed to emerge over the summer.  So starting in August, on our summer vacation, she independently went to the powder room all on her own.  Not only was she going to do it on her own schedule, but she didn't need any of our antiquated help either!  And that was fine - I didn't care how she did it - as long as she did it!  And she continued, despite my skepticism and doubt that it would last.  It's been one month now and no set backs!  Nicely done Audrey!

Audrey Multi-tasking

In addition to being the summer season, the last few months have brought a big change in the twins.
They are truly a joy to watch.  And as they begin to interact and play better with other kids, I am forever grateful that they have each other to entertain and enjoy.   It really is priceless watching them play, wrestle, converse and laugh endlessly together.  They both have sprouted upward in height as well as expanded in their verbal communication.  It's easy to have conversations with them now.
Ben can negotiate with the best of them.  Whether it's how much more of his dinner he has to eat, how much TV he can watch, or how late he can stay up, he is constantly negotiating the terms.  Lucky for him he's pretty cute and has a fairly good sense of humor, otherwise I think his days would be numbered. 
Audrey's imagination has exploded.  She is constantly coming up with new names and scenarios and discussing them like they were always a part of our lives.  Recently we discovered that she has a sister Kayma who has the same birthday as Audrey, although is a year older.  Kayma has pink hair and two dogs - (both pink)  Carabesco (love that name - no idea how she thought of it!), who is big and has 5 pink puppies with red tails, and Alyna who is small.  (Audrey made a point of telling me they are ALL girls by the way.  Also that Kayma was with a "K" and Carabesco was with a "C".)
She goes into pretty elaborate stories about where Kayma lives and what she is doing: "At night Kayma sleeps in Ben's bed - that is why Ben ends up coming to Mom & Dad's room to sleep..."

They will be 4 years young in less than a month.  I was told that though the two's and three's can be "terrible," that 4 is the "magic" year.  We've had quite a bit of magic this past year, so I'm really looking forward to the next amazing feats that the Wonderwins astound us with!

Happy 3.5 Birthday!

Sunflower Cupcakes

Before

After

 

Our Wondertwins are half way to 4! Does that make me an optimist?
I surely could have said they are halfway done their 3's.
Either way you think about it, Audrey continues to lead the height category by staying a solid half inch higher than her younger brother:  

Audrey

Height: 38 1/4 in.

Weight: 31.4 lbs.

Ben

Height: 37 3/4 in.

Weight: 31.5 lb.

Since they were born I've been compiling a monthly picture of the two of them with the intention of putting them together for a slideshow. I finally got the chance to compile the pics for their 3 1/2 birthday celebration. It's fun to see the big changes in growth in just one month during their earlier years. The changes are certainly still happening albeit just a bit more subtle.
As I look through the slideshow myself, I'm reminded how especially difficult it was to get them together and sitting still for a picture from about 9 months on. (go figure!) The most difficult age I would say was around 20 months. They just had no reason to sit still for more than a second - let alone sit next to each other AND smile for the camera! I think that is reflected in the quality of pictures during what I call "the futile period." Recently it's become just a bit easier as they enjoy hugging each other and saying "cheese!" Of course this usually creates some very disturbing facial gestures. But at least they are sitting still!
I'll continue to snap for posterity. If only to amuse myself.

The Wondertwins Muses

The Wondertwins are really becoming close friends and have a great time playing and interacting with each other. They constantly ask where the other is when they aren't in view. Since they were conceived I can count on my one hand the amount of times they've been apart for any significant time. I figured they could use some individual time to feel confident in an atmosphere without their other half. I was a little concerned as to how they would react on their own - breaking the cord they've shared this last 3 plus years.
As a response to my concerns and a need to encourage their interests, recently we decided to put Audrey into dance class. She loves to sing and dance and tickle the ivories. So what better way to encourage her passion than to enroll her into a ballet and tap "organized" class.
At first I wasn't sure if she would take direction, she certainly enjoys giving it and doing her own thing, but what would happen if you asked her to do specific things for 45 minutes straight? Now after a full 8 weeks of dancing her heart out, I have to say she is doing great. She absolutely loves the class and this week will be bumping up to the next level. Which is really not much of a jump, but hopefully she will be challenged a bit more and learn some cool dance moves in the process! In June she will be in her first dance recital. Given her love of the craft, I suspect we are in for a long and wondrous barrage of recitals in Audrey's dance career.



Since Audrey was going to dance, we didn't want Ben to feel left out. We won a 4 week coupon for a Gymnastic school here in town. I thought he would be hesitant to participate in anything with out his sister. But since he observed Audrey going it alone for a couple weeks and the fact that we framed it as Superhero school he was on board pretty quickly. He too is doing great and this week was recommended to advance in the next level.



They both exceeded my expectations are are having a great time in their new classes. I have to admit seeing them grow and experience new things on their own without any issues was a big relief and makes me feel calm and assured that they will enjoy anything that they put their mind to.

A Day of Infamy!

January 9, 2011.
The day that will go down in Infamy!!!!!!
(At least in this Mom's books.)

That is the day that our Ben said no to diapers and went full force, head strong and all or nothing into wearing big boy underwear!!! Woot!!!!
And there was no looking back. It's been a long haul, I must admit. But even given that it took a full year of fits and starts, when he put his mind to it, he did it with ease and excitement.
For all you who say - "yawn - big deal." I tell you in my opinion, it is probably the single most biggest deal in their little lives since they started breathing on their own. It is that big for me, and made my year...
Now if only his sister would follow suit.
By everyone's account, Girls were supposed to be the easy one's. If you made me place a bet when they turned 2 of who be the first to be potty trained, I would have jumped at the odds and shouted Audrey! The girl of course! Ben, with his clingy, almost shy nature would never delve into uncharted ground without his sister paving the way. Audrey's head strong will to be independent would surely entice her to want to be free and clear of the baby hand cuffs called diapers.
Now given the results, I realize I would have lost the house - and all the diapers in it.
So I'm setting another goal for Audrey. April 2nd 2011. It is their 3 1/2 year birthday. I have faith she can do it. I just hope she is up to the task and uses some of her independence to embrace the big girl underwear. Because I fear the alternative, I have no choice but to bet she will break us free of diapers for yet another day of infamy!
What would the odds be this time around?