theallennuggets

Shared Birthday

October 15, 2015October 15, 2015lallen2882Leave a comment

My two tots are two.

My post is late – it should have been up last week but my best friend had an emergency C-section.

On October 9th.

So my new niece, will share her birthday with The Nuggets. What are the odds?!

In the aftermath, it’s humorous. But at 11:55am, I received a text from my forever friend, informing me she needed prayers as she was going in for an emergency C-section. I kind of freaked out. I knew she’d been having nausea and her ribs were hurting the past few days but she contributed it to heartburn and normal pregnancy woes (baby in the ribs). Other than that, her pregnancy was perfectly perfect. Uneventful and totally normal.

I immediately responded with a request to call her, which was denied as she was being prepped for the C-section at that very moment. I waited anxiously for an answer from either her or her husband with reassurance of both their safety.

When I finally got to talk to her, I was already on my way to the hospital, with or without permission to visit. When I saw her, I cried. I felt stupid, I shouldn’t be crying, she should be crying. She is the one that just had a baby five weeks early and had absolutely no idea this was coming. I was worried. It was good to assuage my concerns, tears of relief.

When it was all over, The Hubs actually teased me, he thought I was being an overly dramatic woman. He didn’t realize that Erin had no leading symptoms of preeclampsia. And she might not have gone to the doctor, if it wasn’t for her regularly scheduled OB appointment that morning. She later told me that her labs showed her liver and kidneys were operating well below normal. Maybe I am overly dramatic sometimes but Erin is part of my family and there is no way I want to grow old without her.

Even though preeclampsia is a “common” worry for preggo ladies, it is a real reason to worry. The Mayo Clinic has a great information page on it. It is most common in first pregnancies when women think it’s just part of pregnancy. Educate yourself.

Thankfully, I don’t have to worry because Erin is well and so is her new daughter, Vivienne Cate.

So The Nuggets will share their birthday with the sweetest little peat, my best friend’s daughter. What are the odds?!

Welcome to the world baby girl – you are so loved.

XOXO

Two Years of Life

October 7, 2015lallen2882Leave a comment

My nuggets turn two on Friday!

They’ve been part of our world for two years already. Well, they were part of our world in uterine as well but you know what I mean. Two years went quickly.

I was telling my preggo bestie that she shouldn’t be concerned if she doesn’t have the whole heart-bursting-with-love feeling immediately upon her babe’s birth. I’m not sure if I ever admitted it out loud but I didn’t. It was confusing too.

When I found my wedding dress, I thought it was the prettiest dress I had ever put on but I didn’t cry or even get misty eyed. That is saying something since I cry at a good commercial.

I was quite loopy from having not slept more than two hours and a c-section but I remember the exact moment the boys were put on my chest in recovery.

Although I was excited to meet them, hold them in my arms, I didn’t burst with emotion. After the fact, I was confused again because I read all these stories about the intense emotions tied to having a baby. I didn’t have postpartum blues because I was SO happy to have them, I just had these expectations based on others’ experiences. Oh how I’ve learned to not compare myself to others.

Those over flowing feelings came pretty quickly though, it was probably the strongest and most noticeable to me when they took the boys to the NICU.

But now, now I have the heart bursting with emotion moments on the regular. I’m tearing up even now. Every morning when I go into get them (even after a rough night). Every time I came home from work. Each time they learn something or say something new. When they share without asking. Pretty much all the time these days.

If we were to be blessed with another child, I have a feeling the post birth emotions would be different. Mostly, because I know what my heart is going to get to experience in the near future.

Our Nuggets, that we long prayed for, are about to turn two years old.

My heart is B U R S T I N G.

XOXO

Struggling

October 1, 2015October 1, 2015lallen2882Leave a comment

This little blog here started after our infertility journey had begun. It was a long journey, so that’s not surprising. I actually started writing prior to turning 30…which magically, I have still not done. #still28

Since the beginning of the infertility challenges, we kinda went through it all. Along the way we “passed” people that were lucky enough to not have to take all of the steps we took.

First, was trying for a year. At the time, we were young and all the numbers checked out fine so the docs said, “get.it.on”!! For the record, no doctor actually used that terminology.

Next, was Clomid cycles. We actually had good friends that (at the same time) were successful using Clomid to get things going. I’ve read several blogs with other medical challenges (which we don’t have) who have also had success, multiple times, using Clomid.

There were months where we “stopped trying“, like so many people advised as well as months of holistic paths, which didn’t work either. As time went on and more invasive procedures and even exploratory surgeries to take a more aggressive approach, Dr. Le felt like we needed more intervention. Which ultimately lead to IVF and THANKFULLY The Nuggets.

That story has already been written though. My struggle comes from almost a jealous place. Forgive me Lord. I hear people talk about infertility and I immediately think,”well what’s the story, because if it’s not like mine… then they had it “easy””.

I seem to forget I’ve also read stories about couples going through 4, 5, or 6 cycles of IVF and others who never conceive and I can only imagine they think my struggles were easy.

I want more children. At least one more but it’s not like everyone else and its not easy. I hoped we’d be one of those couples that, as Dr. Le put it, just had to get things going and would be able to conceive the old fashion way but alas, that has not been the case.

We have limited chances and I’m scared of what happens when those chances run out. Sometimes, I don’t accept my infertility and that it’s a problem. When no one can tell you why, it leads me to false hope.

I’m SO grateful for my Nuggets and I have to remind myself it’s not my story to write. God has written it already and it’s perfect. If the boys are the completion to our family then I will learn to accept and cherish all I’ve been granted.

Xoxo

A Day In the Life Of

September 18, 2015lallen28821 Comment

I want to start this post with

G O T E X A S R A N G E R S!!!!!

My “back up” MLB team is the Astros (raised in burbs of Houston) and it’s always fun with interstate rivals, and this series is late in the season making it an important one and we OWNED it!

I digress. A fellow twin mama asked me recently about the Nugs’ schedule back when they were 12 months old. It was a challenge to think back a YEAR ago and recall. I thought maybe I had a blog post on it but lo and behold, I did not.

I’ve done well to document the boys’ growth and progression but only randomly have I done a routine/schedule type post. I can assume it was because I worked all day long M-F and the nanny spent all that time with them. I provided her a nap and eating schedule but all the in between time was up to her. Not anymore!

So a day in the life of The Nuggets looks like:

6:30/7:00 a. Wake up. Luckily, the boys are both still sleeping really well. We have an occasional 4 am wake up, but they’ll just talk a little while and go back to sleep. On those mornings they usually sleep even later (and its amazing when it falls on a Sat/Sun). We change diapers, get dressed and head out for milk and breakfast.

7:30/8:00 a. Boys will usually drink a cup of milk and play while I am getting breakfast ready. We load up into high hairs to eat. Breakfast (this morning) consists of scrambled eggs w/cheese, toast and pineapples. Breakfasts include a protein (yogurt, nut butters, eggs, etc) whole grain carbs (cereal, toast, granola, waffle, oatmeal, etc) and a fruit (any/all of them). If there is one meal they consistently eat well, it’s breakfast. If they won’t eat breakfast, there is usually something wrong.

8:30/9:00 a. If I have any errands to run, this is when we load up and get out of the house. Or head to the park for a run and playground time. If we aren’t leaving the house, they’ll play inside and/or outside depending on the weather. Thank the Lord the 100°+ days are over for this summer.

10:00-10:30 a. Snack time. Depending on their moods and if we’re home, this is also when we will watch about 20-30 minutes of Baby First TV or Sprout. Snack today was water, plus raisins and Gorilla crunch. Snack can consist of Larabars, Annie’s crackers, Fig bars, Pirates booty, fresh fruit, cheese stick, raisin box, etc. I really try to keep them to whole wheat and/or whole food snacks but we’ve been known to eat graham crackers too and if Daddy is in charge, they’re probably eating Fritos and bean dip.

10:30-11:30 a. Play time. Free play is usually over for the morning. They both need to be interacted with for this play time. We will color, play with dominos, practice shapes and colors, work on a craft (this is new now that they’ve stopped trying to eat everything) or just chase each other around the house.

11:30-11:45 a. Get lunch ready. This is usually a challenging time because they want my attention and they’re getting tired. I’m trying to prepare lunch with two crazy nuggets at my feet. This is when fights break out and a lot of whining happens. I’ll put them on the counter to watch if it’s safe enough or I turned the TV back on for a few minutes when it’s really bad.

11:45-12:15 p. Lunch. Who knows if they’ll eat. I never know. Lunch today was half a cup of milk with a jelly and almond butter sandwich, 1/2 mini baby bell cheese, wheat thins and sliced peaches. I’ve been working on trying to get their nap pushed back to 1:00 but we haven’t been too successful. Some days they barely make noon and how tired they are really effects how they eat.

12:15-12:30 p. Change diapers, snuggle a minute (to try to keep them awake) and down for a nap. They usually fall asleep in about 5-10 minutes.

12:30-2/3:00 p. Nap!! It varies from 1.5-3 hours and usually depends on their level of activity that morning and how they slept the night before. Rarely is it any less though. I think all moms are totally different on the subject of sleeping but a degree of sleep training/CIO was used with the Nuggets and I truly believe they are better sleepers (and happier/healthier) tots because of it. It’s what worked for us!

2:45 p. Wake up (today), change diapers.

3:00 p. Snack. Pretty much the type of menu as the AM snack. In the afternoon though they are more tolerable to the blender, so we do smoothies too (any fruit combo with spinach and Greek yogurt).

3:00-5:00 p. Anything goes. Not really but kinda. They are always in a great mood immediately after nap. Unless the Amazon delivery rings the doorbell (I might have an online shopping problem…) I digress, this timeframe also seems like they want more individual play time. This is super important. I find the only way they do it well, is in separate rooms or that’s kind of how they migrate. That’s hard because I cannot see both of them at the same time, so I find myself going back and forth to each room. This, in turn eventually, leads to one of them following me to the other and ending the solo play.

We always love outside time too.

Depending on the meal, I start cooking dinner around 3:30. Sounds crazy but with 84736 interruptions, I figured out if I didn’t start uber early, I wasn’t ready anywhere near 5ish.

5/5:30-6:00 p. Dinner. Dinner is ALWAYS a challenge. They must hate this meal. Most of the time I attempt to give them whatever we are having for dinner. Last night was ham, turkey and cheese pinwheels and they devoured them. Tonight, I made a sundried tomato, spinach and sausage pasta and that was a resounding no go. Since they don’t eat most pasta (gah), I offered them baked mini meatballs instead. Corbin ate all of his and I thought Weston had until I got him down and found about 5 of them hidden behind his back. They also had Dr. Prayers Spinach bites and a veggie cookie for dessert.

I try to offer a vegetable at dinner as well but, unless it’s carrots, it must be hidden. I still blend up green beans and frozen mixed veggies and hide it in applesauce. I’m not above trying anything to get some green stuff in their diets. I’ve “hidden” broccoli under the cheese of their pizzas too. I try really hard not to get frustrated but I’ll admit, its super difficult.

5/6:00 p. Daddy arrives home from work!

6:00-7:00/7:30 p. Play time with Daddy. Inside or out, the boys eat up their time with Daddy. Depending on what time the The Hubs arrived home, this is also the time when we will try and sit down and eat. We try to make it the same time the Nugs are eating if traffic treats him well.

7/7:30-8:00 p. Bath time and bed time routine. We try to watch their cues and consider what time they were up from nap, will drive their bedtime, it is rarely ever past 8 pm. The routine every night is; bath tub, brush teeth, get dressed, read stories, prayers, kisses and then lights out. They will usually talk to each other for a bit, roll around trying to get comfy and then fall asleep. This process is anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes.

We battled with that for a little while and we started putting them to bed later and later but they still took their time before falling asleep, even with the much later bedtime. They would also wake less rested. They do not cry but just need sometime to wind down.

The Hubs and I will then work on our kitchen remodel….oh wait, that’s wishful thinking. We will eat if we didn’t get a chance to earlier or watch baseball or catch up on bills/blogs/chores/etc. Bed time for either of us is around 10-11ish. Then we wake up and do it all over again and love every minute of it.

So that’s what our schedule looks like at 23 months.

Xoxo

Time is FLYING

September 10, 2015September 14, 2015lallen2882Leave a comment

My little Nuggets are twenty three months. Although I’ve said a hundred times not to focus the future but live in the now, I cannot help but realize these guys are about to turn two! Some days it feels like forever ago when I was on bed rest, then dealing with the NICU and navigating the challenges of twin newborns. Other days, it feels like yesterday that we were there.

Their one year birthday definitely feels like yesterday. I sat in the playroom at 6:00 AM and it was still pitch black outside when I took this picture and I remember that moment clearly.

Look at that snuggle tooth and those bald heads!

Weston

Weston has always had these incredible expressive eyebrows. He can raise one or do both in what I lovingly call the “Jack Nicholson crazy eyebrows”.

90% of the time he is showing extreme concern about something. Whether it be a bug on the ground or something in a book or the food he is eating or most commonly, his brother stole a toy, this guy wears a miniature scowl constantly.

Weston is still trying to talk but not making a lot of progress. To get you to listen to him, he gets right into your face nice and close and then walks away, so you’ll follow him. He understands everything you’re saying and is helpful when he ~~can~~ wants be helpful. I ask him to pick things up, or throw something away, and he is ready to help. Unless it has to do with picking up the magnets off the floor.

Speaking of the magnets, he can identify and say the letters J, L, M, O, U and T. I find it very cute that his favorite letters are J and L. He will walk around with them all day. Unknowingly that they are his momma and daddy’s initials.

Since we don’t watch much TV with the boys, when I do turn it on for them (trying to do dinner or lunch) West’s reaction is quite ridiculous. He screams in excitement, wiggling his arms around and laughing. I’ve never seen that much excitement out of him over anything but TV. He then proceeds to turn into a teenager and not move a muscle, while completely absorbed into the TV. Another reasons why I only turn it on for 30 minutes here and there. When West doesn’t get what he wants (or the TV is turned off) he has taken to hitting things or climbing on furniture to get a reaction out of me. His fits are pretty epic.

Corbin

Corbin’s expressions are awesome.

I’m pretty sure it’s a direct reflection of all the faces I make at him. He’s always got his eyebrows up and excitedly pointing at something and has to tell me all about it. Cue a lot of grunting and pointing.

Corbin also received his first haircut this month. He did really well but at one point his lip started to wiggle and he had a few tears. I think he was just a little bit frightened. It was over before he knew it because he still doesn’t have too much to cut. I just wanted the newborn hair that was remaining to be cleaned up.

Corbin has also been trying to talk. I can ask him if he can say something, “Corbin can you say, black truck” and he will say something that he thinks is equivalent and be quite proud of himself. Sometimes it’s close and I can understand him and other times not so much. Corbin will surprise me though with new words and once he starts saying them, Weston will echo him. Even though Corbin is my more cautious boy, it seems like he is the one to try something first. Weston is his copycat in all things.

I addition to what they’ve been saying their newest vocabulary includes: Pop pop – Poppy (my dad), choose – shoes, back-back – backpack, cookcook – cookie, baaaackboom – vacuum, ahhhlbowbow – elbow or Elmo if we have our toothbrush out, dict – stick, gaaaga – goggles

And lots of very specific grunts/strange noises which mean certain words for truck and car. They also moo for a cow, squeak for a mouse, meow for a cat, quack for a duck, roar for a lion, and baahaha for a sheep. Oh and monkey and gorilla are the cutest!

They are starting to play independently. What I mean by that is, they don’t need me to entertain them. They play solo or with each other for up to 20 minute increments. They’re opening and closing doors (that was a bittersweet day, I’ve resorted to locking the doors to rooms I don’t want them to get into). they love to vacuum, color and take showers! Both boys love to make the other laugh. If one of them does something that gets a reaction out of the other, they will go back and forth in fits of giggles and it’s the cutest thing E V E R.

So much of life is an adventure for them and I try to keep busy. We visit the parks in the area at least 3 times a week and we’ve been going the play areas at the mall too when it’s 100º. They get a chance to interact with other kids there too and they do really well.

It’s been two and a half months since I stopped working and we’re having a lot of fun. Time doesn’t stop so I’m grateful for this chance to spend my days with these Nuggets while they’re still small-ish.

I’ve had a bit of a dry spell on blogging and it’s not because I don’t have anything to say…I just cannot find the time. It’s more like, I’m not making the time but after dinner and a full day with the Nugs, I’m beat. I haven’t been working on my photography either. On top of all that, we’ve been in the middle of remodeling our kitchen for months now, so stopping to blog just isn’t happening. I’ll get back into the swing of things, promise.

XOXO

Swim Lessons

August 25, 2015lallen2882Leave a comment

Y’all know we have a swimming pool in our backyard.

The set up for our pool is pretty desirable for having small children. Kind of.

The pool isn’t right out the back door. This is good because once they figure out how to get the backdoor open, they cannot access the pool immediately. There is a gate (locked) and steps that lead down to the pool area. The major pitfall is you cannot see the pool from the house, in case a nugget somehow got down there.

Either way, if you are a parent, you know that even just the thought of something happening to your child can take your breath away. I knew I wanted the boys in swim lessons at an early age. Around the nine month mark, I made the move to put them in lessons. At the same time, I got a new job. The two schedules were not working out and I held off on enrolling them. Time went on…and on, and then the weather changed (most people don’t think swimming in the winter time) and lessons just got put on the back burner.

This year, I struggled with scheduling conflicts again. By the time I realized that summer was here, the classes at Emlers were all full. Grrr. A friend of a friend knew a lady (certified, taught for a 20 years, etc) that does lessons at her house. But she only does kiddos that are 2+ years old. Then I started to think, there has to be more than one “lady” that has tons of experience and offers private lessons. So I hit up Craigslist and found Ms. Jody.

Ms. Jody was a competitive swimmer, taught at MIT for 16 years, and is still an instruction. She is F A N T A S T I C ! She comes to OUR house every Saturday for a brief 30 minute session (all lessons for little tots are short and sweet because they tire quickly). We’re on week seven of lessons and the boys are learning the following:

Seated and “swimming” kicks – 85% mastered
Reaches (arm strokes) – 30% mastered
Bubbles – 100% mastered – when they feel like it
Keeping our lips closed when they jump in the pool – 30% mastered
Monkey walking (holding on and moving along the side of the pool) 98% mastered
Kicks on their backs – 5% mastered – they hate this
Putting entire face in water – 50% mastered
Jumping from the side – 75% mastered

As you can tell from the pictures, it is a “mommy and me style lesson” (I am in the pool swimming with them). This is her preferrance at this age but next year, I won’t participate.

I’m so glad I found her! She is energetic, timely, convenient and priced fairly. Again, she comes to OUR house! Most importantly, The Nuggets like her and are excited when she gets here on Saturday mornings.

The boys made a lot of progress in just a two month period and with very limited vocabulary and being not even two years old yet! I would definitely recommend swim lessons at an early age with or without a backyard pool. I feel the exposure has made them total pool babies who are not afraid of the water. Next year should be so much fun!

For my fellow central DFW folks, if you are interested in Jody, please let me know and I can put you in contact.

XOXO

Tasty Recommendation

August 19, 2015August 19, 2015lallen2882Leave a comment

First off, I am not a food blogger.

I am all about restaurant reviews and recommendations. You haven’t seen a restaurant review out of me since we moved to Arlington. Practically. That’s because 1. we don’t get out to eat as often post Nuggets and 2. we go to Lupe’s Tex Mex almost every time we get a chance to get out. So. Good.

Anyways, back to my recommendations. Since staying home, I’ve been able to really expand on my dinner cooking skills. I am not a master chef but I can get around a kitchen and I can follow a recipe. My problem is, I have gotten into a habit of making the same “X” items on the regular, because I know how to make “fill in the blank” item(s). Although Pinterest can be a time suck (What, nap time is over already?!), it’s really helped me organize and expand on my menu ideas.

All of that to say, y’all have to try this slow cooker Teriyaki Chicken recipe from Gimme Some Oven. So good and since it’s still uber hot, no oven needed to heat up the case.

And get this, THE NUGGETS ATE IT! Weston even ate it first, before his fruit and then grunted at me that he wanted more. That is a miracle of some kind, God’s work, I’m tell’n ya.

YIELD: ABOUT 4 CUPS SHREDDED CHICKEN

SLOW COOKER TERIYAKI CHICKEN

This Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken recipe is simple to make, full of great flavor, and made with natural sweeteners.

PREP: 10 MINS COOK: 4 HOURS 10 MINS TOTAL: 4 HOURS 20 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce (use low-sodium if desired)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup cold water
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
(optional toppings: sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds)

DIRECTIONS:

Add the chicken breasts to the bottom of your slow cooker in a single layer.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the garlic, onion, honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, and black pepper until combined. Pour the mixture on top of the chicken breasts. Cover slow cooker, and cook on high for about 4 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with a fork. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl and shred it using two forks. Transfer the remaining teriyaki sauce from the slow cooker to a medium saucepan.

Meanwhile in a separate bowl, whisk together the cold water and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved and no longer lumpy. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the teriyaki sauce mixture, and whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, and let it boil for about 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat, and pour the sauce on top of the shredded chicken. Toss to combine.

It was E A S Y to make too. We ate it slider style on take and bake rolls from Target and it was so good that I haven’t tried is styled over rice. I also made this coleslaw recipe (also found on Pinterest) from Love Grows Wild to top the chicken. I slightly modified this recipe by just reducing the mayo to 3/4 a cup and it was plenty creamy.

The Hubs told me we could start a food truck, and serve just this slider as a single menu item and we’d be successful. Needless to say he liked it. Again, not a food blogger so if you want to see gorgeous pictures of this recipe, click on over to Gimme Some Oven.

XOXO

Texas is Hot

August 17, 2015August 17, 2015lallen2882Leave a comment

This summer had been “mild”. Mostly because our spring was so wet and that rain continued all the way into June. That kept the temps in check more than usual.

But August has been its typical Texas August where is 105° for several weeks. And though many people will tell you we Texans don’t have four seasons, I disagree. We have a fall, it’s just short and sweet and typically warmer then most location’s fall.

August everywhere else is the “end of summer” and not just because school starts but because September brings cooler weather. Not Texas. I will continue to use my pool until probably October. Then October will bring a series of cold fronts on and off that has us bouncing from 60° to 85° until about January. I don’t complain. That is perfect for me.

What is not perfect for me is 105°. It’s too hot. We skip all outdoor activities unless they involve being submersed in a body of water. On Sunday, we had a cold front that brought the tempature to 95° and The Hubs wanted to take the boys to play putt-putt golf. They’re little cheeks were bright red after 20 minutes.

I wouldn’t recommend this game at this age. The Hubs and I couldn’t play and the Nugs lost interest immediately and just wanted to run wild. Lucky for us, the course was deserted (“cold front” did nada and it was still too hot) so they could roam freely.

We went home and submersed ourselves in referenced body of water.

If you live in the central DFW area I would totally recommend Golf Center of Arlington. It’s a family owned and operated business with a great driving range and (in the process of being updated) putt-putt course. The environment is awesome there and The Hubs and I both enjoy the location.

Now, bring on cooler temperatures please!

Xoxo

Twenty Two Months

August 10, 2015August 10, 2015lallen2882Leave a comment

Holy wow.

We’ve had a lot going on in August with friends and family. We had my uncle visiting from Thailand with my cousin attending the Dallas Cowboys summer camp. Then my big brother and his fam came to visit last weekend and then this past weekend my parents and my younger brother, plus his girlfriend came up.

Everyone is trying to squeeze in time for us on their busy calendars before the summer season is over.

It’s Texas though, so last week and this week is 100 degrees. A L L week. Thank the good Lord we have a swimming pool in our backyard. Although, the pool temperature is resembling a bathtub these days at 94 degrees. Believe it or not, when it’s 104, the pool is refreshing. I don’t know if I ever want to live without a pool in my backyard.

On Sunday the boys turned 22 months old. Do you realize that is only 2 months away from turning T W O ? What? I have to stop myself though. Just enjoy twenty two months. Focus on the present and be grateful for the future.

Weston

I paused here for a few minutes to think where to start. Weston is becoming a lot less aggressive. He will still see something Corbin has and go take it from him but Corbin will relinquish it and move on. If that were the case all of the time, anyone would probably just go take what they want. If Corbin runs away, Weston then comes over to me whining that he wants it. I have to explain sharing. Corbin is not giving up as much these days.

Weston’s vocabulary hasn’t expanded too much in this past month. He is saying bye-bye instead of just waving and continues to use all the words he has learned up to this point. Most of the time though, he isn’t saying much. BUT you can tell he wants to reeeeally badly. This leads to a lot of meltdowns because he is so frustrated at me for not understanding him. 80% of the time it is grunts and points. About 50% of the time, I can figure out what he is referring to, and after asking him to say whatever it is, I give him whatever he was pointing and grunting for. I do wonder if this is hurting his vocabulary growth…?

Weston makes me laugh all of the time. He is a SUCH a copy cat and will make funny faces to get you to make the face in return. If I jump, he jumps. If Corbin does something that makes me laugh, West immediately does it, in attempt to get me to laugh at him. He is definitely a mama’s boy, he picks me every time.

Corbin

The first thing that pops to mind, is he is my sweet boy. He loves to snuggle and gives me kisses, when I ask for them. He is very sweet and he still looooooves his daddy more. He isn’t as kind to his womb-mate. Corbin wants to play solo sometimes. Weston does not want to grant that wish and that leads to Corbin getting frustrated, which equals a bite. His bites are ruthless. Last week, when they were sitting side by side in the grocery cart, Cor bit his brother for no apparent reason. The only thing I could come up with, as this happened right in front of my face, was Corbin wanted his own space. He isn’t a meanie towards Weston all of the time, he is actually the best at sharing. If he has two toys, he will seek his bro out to give him one of them.

Corbin chooses to say the strangest words. Last month was lawnmower and this month it’s remote. He is really trying to say more, even though it rarely comes close to the word he is wanting to say. Chee is cheese, ra-mo is remote, bo-bo is elbow and eee is knee.. Then again, that’s what makes it so stink’n cute. He is definitely getting there.

Even though neither are speaking a whole lot of actual words, these two have their “twin talk”. They stand on top of their slide or open the bedroom door and yell down the hallway in something that sounds like, “daadaaayaa, yaayaa aahhdaaya“. The both say it the same way too, like they know what they’re saying even if we don’t.

The Nuggets are both into cars and trucks (aren’t all boys?) and are particular as to which matchbox car they want to play with – Corbin’s is red and West’s is yellow. If I cannot find the right car, watch out. Meltdown commence. They love music and dancing. The 30 minutes of TV we do watch consists of the Notekins (Baby’s First TV) or Sesame Street — which I haven’t watched in like twenty five years but, in my opinion, is still the best children’s content on television.

Both boys are T A L L. Nothing is safe anymore. They can reach up onto the bar top and countertops where we used to put anything we wanted to keep away from them. No such luck anymore. They’ll climb onto chairs to get anything on the kitchen table. Nothing is safe.

Neither has gained much weight in the last month, still weighing in around 27/28 lbs each. Which is killer when they want to be held at the same time. Which coincidently is always when I’m attempting to make dinner.

These kiddos make me very happy. I used to think I was a total dork for missing The Hubs after the weekend. We spend two whole days together and then have to go our separate ways for work on Mondays. Now, I’ll miss The Nuggets when they take a 3+ hour nap, I get excited when they wake up. These three boys are my whole heart.

XOXO

Sippy Cup Review

August 3, 2015lallen2882Leave a comment

Last week, as I was throwing a particular sippy cup across the kitchen, I thought I should tell someone how much this cup sucks.

We have a lot of sippy cups. We have twins, so we have two of everything but I think we’ve tried quite a few of the cups on the market. We have a few favorites and we have a few that we absolutely hate. Before I got rid of the ones that make my life hell, I figured I’d tell someone. Or everyone. The world wide web.

The boys started with a sippy cup right at the one year mark. We had been washing bottles, and all the bajillion parts that went with them, for an whole year and I was ready (and hoping the boys were too) for cups.

The boys have always been pretty open to trying new things. We had no problem switching off formula to whole milk. It was seamless. Actually, after a few days on milk, they began to refuse the formula. Oh the savings! We introduced the cups around the same time and they actually preferred to drink out of the sippy cup. Good riddance bottles! (I might have cried a little bit).

Nuby ($13 – 2 pack)

We started with these Nuby cups. They had handles on both sides so it was easy for the Nugs to hold onto them and there is a soft “nipple”. The Hubs hated them but I didn’t think it was any big deal. At first.

The reason for the dislike is the nipple part. It’s soft and rubbery – like a bottle’s nipple (which is good) but after several uses, they were quite difficult to get into place. I took the cup apart after each use to ensure they were cleaned well and it was a b*%$^ to get them back in place. And Nuby states, “Listen for the click to ensure it’s locked into place“. This is a joke. If the nipple isn’t on juuuust right, then you don’t hear the click. You unscrew it, try to manipulate it back into place, try to screw it back together to end up with the same issue. Over and over again. Then you give up and give it to the baby and it leaks like a sieve.

Tommee Tippee ($12 – 2 pack)

Pretty quickly we moved on to the Tommee Tippee. We really liked these but remember how I said I was tired of cleaning all the bottle parts? Well Tommee Tippees have a little plastic and rubber inserts that have to be put together and then placed in the lid (to be spill proof). We messed up a few times (there are little pieces that have to fit together correctly or else…) but got the hang of it pretty quickly. These were our go-to-cups for six months. The Nuggets had little problem adjusting to the hard spout to drink, maybe a day or so of practice.

Pros: They are incredibly durable. The Hubs even ran one over with the stroller and drug it along for a minute before realizing Weston had thrown it out. Looks a little rough but works fine. The boys were able to finally crack one of them after several months of use and one of them rocket launched it across the kitchen. Cons: it’s hard for the boys to get the last couple sips of milk. Unless they are laying down, they cannot get their heads back far enough to get the remainder of the milk. Also, if you lose one of the insert pieces, you cannot replace them. You have to buy a new cup. I hope Tommy Tippee changes and starts selling just the inserts because spill proof is a MUST.

Tommee Tippee ($7 ea)

The next step was for them to learn more “active drinking” via a straw. I went to the brand I had success with and looked for the “next step” It was these cups. They do not have a straw in them, so the cups still have to be tilted backwards to drink. That’s not exactly the next step. Although the boys drink out of the cups just fine, they can be confused with the actual active drinking cups we have. Any of the cups that have a straw like top, the boys have learned they have to hold them down to get the milk out – not these. Again, same cons as above. I don’t use these as much anymore.

Munchkin ($6.50 – 2 pack)

Then, I bought these Munchkin cups. The Nuggets really hadn’t gotten the hang of the straw yet – we even tried giving them water out of a regular straw but it just wasn’t clicking for either of them. The only semi-negative to this sippy cup is the child has to have a strong suck. Since the boys weren’t catching on how to suck via the straw, these cups didn’t work at first. We put them away for a while and now that they have straws mastered, these cups rock. We rarely use the little piece that holds the straw down (for travel and sanitary reasons). Both boys just pull it off so I stopped putting it on the cup, unless we go out.

Nuby ($8 – 2 pack)

Here we go again. Same problems, different cup. This was one of the cups I launched across the kitchen this week. The same issue with the rubber aspect of this cup. I bought these because the aforementioned cups were too hard to suck and this would help them learn “active” drinking. It’s not as much of a “straw” but it’s not a nipple either. The boys do have to hold them down, and there is a straw on the inside. I rarely get the “click” and they leak far too often. I’ve retired them.

Wow Cups ($10 ea)/Munchkin Miracle 360 Cups ($12 – 2 pack)

On Valentine’s Day my mom brought The Nuggets little gifts. One of them was a Wow cup. There were four grown adults in the kitchen and none of us could figure out how this cup worked. The Hubs gave it to Corbin and he put it right up to his mouth and took a sip. Doh!

These cups simulate drinking out of a regular cup. There is a rubber insert that connects to a plastic piece, that then is screwed on to the cup. The boys just put the rim up to their mouths (like you would put the rim of a cup to your mouth) and then suck. The rubber then lies back down and when they drop their cup, it keeps the liquid from coming out. SUPER COOL. The WOW cups quickly became our favorites. They are really easy to clean too. So when I stuck my finger through the rubber insert of one of the cups, I was quite sad. I went to purchase a new one and found the Munchkin brand (less expensive).

Both brands are pretty much all pros. Once, we were out shopping and the cashier saw Corbin drinking and asked if the cups held hot liquid because she wanted to use it for her coffee cup. There are only two cons: 1. The Wow cup: if you’re not careful, it’s easy to push through the rubber piece. The Munchkin brand has the plastic to back up the rubber piece so you don’t stick your finger through it. 2. If these cups are thrown and hit the ground hard, they are not spill proof. Example: Dropping them from the highchair. Since it’s the rubber laying across the plastic, it doesn’t bode well when it’s pitched across the room. Still though, these are my favorite sippy cups and probably the best for teaching the boys how to actually drink from a cup.

The First Years ($7 – 2 pack)

The Hubs bought these cups because (believe it or not) he thought we didn’t have enough cups. The boys didn’t take too these well. He bought them when they were still exclusively using the Tommee Tippee and these cups had a very different type of spout. I also realize quickly, not quickly enough, that they’re not spill proof. So we’ve put The First Years cups in the cabinet and we can pull them down in a few more months. The big pro to to this cup is it’s the only one we have that is insulated.

So there you have it. Hopefully I’ve saved you from having to buy 89 types of cups like we did. Each child is different though and you may go straight to a straw or stay with the double handled cup until they’re 5. That’s just my two cents.

XOXO

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SLOW COOKER TERIYAKI CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

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