For Uncle J

A few weeks ago, friend remarked to Sean about the conspicuous lack of posting here at Twins, Lah? I believe his words were something along the lines of, "It's not a blog unless you actually write". Well, he's correct, so here goes.

What is my excuse for not writing for over two months? First I had to complete my continuing education required for my pharmacist license renewal. This took longer than I anticipated, and by the time I was done in the beginning of December, my mom was about to arrive for a two and a half week visit. Just before my mom got here, my maid did something stupid while we were out of the house and lied three times about it, causing me to no longer trust her. I let her go, and then my mom got here, followed shortly thereafter by my stepdad. We stayed very busy running around Singapore and doing the Christmas thing, while I was looking for a new maid. I found one, but she couldn't start until the 31st, one day before our guests left. A few days before that, I started injecting powerful hormonal medicines for IVF which made me feel like I had PMS times 10 (yes, we're trying for a third, and last, child). Alas, I was not a very nice person when provoked, but I did try to be decent.

By the end of December, I had super-PMS, several blood draws and ultrasound appointments, a new maid to train, and two crazy toddlers who had not been sleeping well due to the excitement of grandparents visiting as well as all of the fun and spoils of Christmas. I had egg retrieval on January 9th, which is minor outpatient surgery, followed by embryo transfer on the 12th (one transferred, three frozen - I've already got one set of twins, thanks). I'm now on different hormonal meds, and I don't feel quite as bad as before, though still not great. We then had friends visit from January 13th through the 16th.

Oh yeah, in the midst of all of this, I became a Twilight fan. The movie was opening here the middle of December, so I decided I wanted to start reading to see what all the fuss was about. It turns out the books are not great literature by any means, and are targeted toward teenage girls, but I became hooked on the story. I had to know what happened, so I read all four books, plus the author's excerpt of the first book written from the vampire's point of view, and then saw the movie. So yes, I have to admit, I could have blogged instead of reading/watching/lurking on fan websites and IMDB, but I do think that my strange Twilight "distraction" has helped me with the stress of the past month.

Okay, enough about me. I know you're really here for news about the boys. Graeme and Liam continue to be an amazing mixture of hilarity, energy, strength, impatience, whininess (okay, that's not amazing nor wonderful), intelligence, and cuteness. Most of time they're great, but when they're tired, they will whine and occasionally pitch fits that will make me think they'll sprout horns any second. Sounds like 2 & 3/4-year-old kids, right? Yes, they will be three in three months! It's hard for me to believe.

I'll finish for now with a few anecdotes and mispronunciations:

I read a Batman story to the boys a few weeks ago, and soon thereafter, Liam would spontaneously say, "I'm Datman!". Sean and I found this particularly hilarious because the moving company we used in Singapore, KC Dat, has a handyman division called Datman. We've used a Datman handyman twice to hang artwork because the concrete walls in our home are a bit resistant to nails and screws. Whenever Liam says that he's Datman, we both think that he needs to pull out his huge drill-powerful-enough-for-concrete and start hangin'.

The boys are sometimes allowed to watch a video when they have been behaving well. Liam calls the DVDs "dideos", which always brings a smile to my face. His cute little voice just gets to me - "I get to watch the space shuttle dideo!", or "I want to watch the Huckle and Lowly dideo today!" They are big Richard Scarry fans now, just like I was when I was little. They have many of his books, and I somehow managed to find six videos of his material here at the local Toys R Us, and for a reasonable price for once. These are among their favorite Christmas gifts.

And now, the best. A couple of nights ago during bath time, Graeme looked at me and said, "I'm big, and you're fat!". Now, I was feeling bloated from the medicines I've been on, but I really didn't think I was that big. Somehow I kept a straight face and told him that it wasn't nice to call people fat, even if they were. I figured it's never too early to try to prevent the embarrassing comments that my kids will likely yell when we're trapped in the grocery store checkout line in the future ("Look at that huge fat lady, mommy!", or some such). Sean was present for the comment, and he managed to not laugh too, though he did crack a smile which Graeme could not see. Is there an explanation for the comment, you ask? I have been telling the boys that they are becoming big boys, so I know where the first part came from. As for the second part, I'm hoping that Graeme overheard me telling Sean that I feel fat from all the meds. Otherwise, he would be a bad little leprechaun, wouldn't he?

Happy Birthday to Mommy

For those that know, today is Tiffany's XX birthday. I won't tell what the XX is for, but it is a milestone less than 40... We love her more every year any way. We have to because we get harder to put up with.

The boys and I composed this musical tribute to what a wonderful wife and mommy we have. Take a listen and then I will share the caveats.

Okay this was harder than it looks and I know it looks rough. One thing is for certain. The boys could use a better vocal coach and video editor. Note the following:

1. Catching them right after a nap may not have been ideal.

2. There was some coercion involving watching videos afterward involved.

3. Yes, I should have combed their hair. And changed their shirts.

4. Less than three-year-olds are not the most cooperative vocalists.

5. Did you hear Graeme wander off and start singing to the "air con"? That's what they call air conditioning over here.

6. The "pfffff" at the end is the boys attempting to blow out candles. They don't quite get it yet. They are convinced we have friends coming over for cake tonight.

7. I am not a professional video editor and I had exactly the length of "The Big Plane Trip" DVD run time to complete this project.

So Many Traffic Signs, So Little Time

This is a quick post to explain why there are no pictures on the blog yet. Sean and I are taking the test for our Singapore driver's licenses on Thursday afternoon. It's a computerized test which actually requires studying, something I need to resume in a few minutes.

We've been to three Halloween parties in four days, the last of which I hosted this morning for the AWA playgroup. I'll be posting pictures hopefully this weekend or the beginning of next week. We'll be trick-or-treating on Friday near Singapore American School where many Americans live - they actually start around 4:30 or so, unlike the rest of Singapore which waits until it gets dark at 7:30. Since the boys are usually in bed by then, we'll be heading up north to nab some candy while it's still daylight, then turn the lights off here when we get home. On Saturday we're attending a rocket-themed birthday party for our three-year-old twin Aussie friends. If the boys don't expire from pleasure, I'll have some pics of that party too.

Three quick moments of random craziness:

Sean belched at the table a couple of days ago and promptly said "Excuse me" before he could get the evil eye I inherited from my Nana. Liam then pretended to belch and excused himself repeatedly for a minute or two. Weird, but polite.

I've been trying to teach the boys to sneeze into their bent elbows instead of all over the place or into their hands. So far they've manage to sneeze on their inner wrists, like they're smelling perfume they've just applied. They then say, "I sneezed on my elbow!". Looks like we've got to review a few body parts.

Finally, a few minutes ago, Liam fell asleep for his nap before Graeme. I thought Graeme was asleep, but when I looked in on them, Graeme was sitting in Liam's bed, kissing the bottom of Liam's foot. You read that correctly. Liam was facedown with one knee bent and his foot up in the air in Graeme's hands, and Graeme was kissing Liam's foot! Sorry, I just don't know if I believe it either, and I actually saw it. My children are bizarre.

Same Old Song and Dance

Good news: Both Liam and Graeme have been accident-free for several days, excluding night-time issues. Hopefully I haven't jinxed myself by putting that in writing.

Bad news: Night-time issues. For the past three nights, Liam has peed while sleeping and hasn't woken up. He wakes up in the morning reeking of urine, so I've had to shower him off before breakfast. I think he's sleeping so soundly because he's catching up on his lost sleep from the previous three weeks.

Graeme got up two nights in a row to pee (waking me up first) , and woke up the following mornings with a dry bed - yay! Unfortunately he peed in his bed last night, then rubbed his urine-soaked pajama top on my sheets when he woke me to tell me about it. There's been a lot of extra laundry lately, and I still haven't slept through the night (over a month now). Sean is getting to sleep through the night this week only because he's in Shanghai. Also, Graeme is stuck on waking up between 5:30 and 6:00 am now. This too shall pass, I tell myself, as I struggle to stay awake each afternoon around 3 pm when the exhaustion hits. Coke Light (Diet Coke to Americans) has again become my friend.

Random stuff:

Sean opened a book on rockets and spaceships the other night at bedtime, preparing to read, but waiting for Liam to finish in the bathroom. Graeme, with the impatience of a toddler, pointed to the words on the page and said, "Talk about that, Daddy!" in his best Micro voice. He obviously wasn't content just looking at the pictures for a couple of minutes.

Liam now makes anything into a rocket which he will then fly around the house making a rocket/blast-off noise. Examples include forks or spoons during lunch or dinner, the drain plug to the bathtub, the wooden stick used to play his frog instrument, his fiddlesticks during Kindermusik class, and his Lego Duplo rockets that he builds himself. Future astronaut? Maybe, if he turns into a math and science geek like his mom was in school.

Both Liam and Graeme now see imaginary animals. Liam started this a few weeks ago when he first talked about a peacock being in his room. This past weekend, the boys were talking to a peacock apparently hiding behind Sean's nightstand. There's a peacock in their Elmo video on wild animals, and a peacock in the Tails book. I guess that's where Liam got the idea, which he has shared with Graeme. Liam has also had an imaginary dog sitting next to his chair while he ate. Whatever works, I say.

A little girl fell down and bit her lip at playgroup on Tuesday, and her mom took her into the bathroom to wipe off the small drop of blood. Graeme was very concerned about her, and he asked me, "Is she okay?" several times. It's good to know that he's empathetic to others besides Liam and me. Liam, who is usually concerned about this type of thing, was instead focused on a kid-sized pretend electric guitar. He put the strap around his body and said, "I have a guitar!" about twenty times. Rock star or astronaut? Here's hoping for the latter.

The boys turned 2 and 1/2 on the 17th. It's hard to believe that these funny little people were my tiny babies not so long ago. I can't wait to see and hear what's next with them. Now, if they would just sleep...

Feels Like the First Time

The first time we were sleep-deprived by our children, that is. We've been woken up in the middle of the night by one or both boys for three long weeks now. They usually don't cry - they just appear standing next to the bed quietly or with a whine of "hug, hug". Graeme will go back to sleep almost immediately, but Liam needs to be held for a few minutes or wants one of us to sit next to his bed.

I think it's a combination of their second molars coming in and the normally desired effects of potty training, meaning perhaps they are becoming sensitive to the need to pee even in their sleep, so they're waking up. It's hard to determine what is causing the boys to wake up without them telling us anything. We've asked if they are hurting, but get a negative response. Sean and I have decided to ask whoever wakes up tonight if he wants medicine (maybe he'll respond if it's worded this way) or if he wants to pee (bladder sensitivity). We'll see what happens. At this rate, I may be removing the night diapers sooner than I planned and teaching them to go to the bathroom and then back to bed. Wish me luck on that one!

On the potty training front, Graeme is pretty much completely trained. Liam has resisted pooping in the toilet lately, though he did it early on during the first few days of training. He finally pooped in the big toilet yesterday, but then pooped on the floor an hour later while clearly having some GI issues. It was not pretty. Liam sometimes still has pee accidents too, but I think it may be due to tiredness. However, both boys have remained accident-free while in public, though, for which I am grateful. I'm pleased with their progress. Now if they'll just sleep....

Random cute or funny things from the past week:

When Graeme was putting on new pajamas with fitted cuffs on the ankles, his feet got stuck inside the ribbing. He asked very seriously, "Where are my feet?", as though they disappeared for good.

On our way out of the neighborhood to go to My Gym yesterday, three domestic helpers were walking veeerrrry slowly across the neighborhood entrance way. Usually when I see people taking their sweet time (yes, I'm southern), I will mutter something under my breath like, "Does anyone over here know what hustle means?". However, I said nothing this time. Instead, without any prompting from me, Liam said, "Hey ladies, watch out!".

When we got to My Gym, Graeme ran excitedly through the hallways to get to the gym. Once at the door, I opened it, and he yelled, "I'm here, I'm here!" while running toward the warm-up circle. Everyone looked up and laughed. Throughout the class he loudly volunteered for every demonstration. Now that the boys will be 2 & 1/2 in two weeks, they'll be moving up to the 2 & 1/2 to 3 & 1/2 group. I'm sure they will hold their own with the older kids, between Graeme's confidence and Liam's physical skills.

Wednesday was a holiday here, so Sean was home and we were all worn out and grumpy from the long night before. We decided to go to the Air Force Museum in the afternoon to get out of the house, but when we got there it was closed, of course, because it was a holiday - it's hard to think sometimes when you're exhausted. Since we had promised the boys that they would see planes, we headed to the airport. We viewed a plane pulling away from its gate, rode the monorail train between two of the terminals, played in a children's play area, stood transfixed in front of a small fountain with jumping water, and then went to McDonald's for dinner because the good child-friendly restaurants are past security. The boys got their first Happy Meals, which have changed in some ways (you can choose apple slices on the side), and not in others (the toy was a Millennium Falcon or Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter). I think those were the toys back in the early 80s when I was a kid. During the meal, Sean looked at Graeme, who was eating his cheeseburger, and made a remark about how he was just feeding the boys baby food with a spoon, and now they're eating burgers with two hands like little adults. Time, it goes so fast when you're having fun...

Tonight at dinner, Sean asked Graeme a question, and in answer, Graeme said "Thewheelsonthebusgoroundandroundallthroughthetown" very quickly with a straight face. Sean and I laughed for a solid minute.

And finally, Sean was putting the boys to bed tonight, and Liam didn't want to stay in his bed. Sean laid down beside Liam to block him from getting out, and Liam immediately said, "Get out of my bed NOW", in his sweet little voice but with a commanding tone.

Ah yes, those are my boys! They wear me out, but they're worth it.

I Say Poop

Dinner conversation Monday night:

L: I say pee pee and poo poo.

G: I say poo poo and pee pee.

L: I say salad.

G: I say salad dressing.

L: I say cup.

G: I say bowl.

L: I say spoon.

G: I say fork.

L: I say light.

G: I say lightbulb.

L: I say pickle (there were no pickles in sight)

G: I say pee pee and poo poo.

Well, at least the conversation came full circle. There has been a lot of potty talk since starting PT, and last night I finally figured out where the "I say" part was coming from. The boys were in bed not going to sleep, and they started the "I say pee pee" conversation again. We have an Elmo video about potty training, which they watched several times in the days before going straight-to-underwear. One of the segments features children talking about which words they use to describe bodily functions. My personal favorite was "I call it dookie!".

While I'm on the subject, the boys have been waking up dry from their naps most of the time. However, Liam was particularly tired on Sunday after a morning visit to the zoo. He fell asleep in the car on the way home, and I decided that I'd rather chance him peeing during his nap than wake him up before the nap and ask him to go. He does not wake up pretty when he's tired, so straight to bed he went. Almost two hours later, he stumbled into my room, and the front of his hair was wet. Upon inspection of his head and his bed, I determined that he peed twice and moved his head into one of the pee puddles during his nap. Now that is heavy sleeping!

Why Yes, I Do Frequently Burst Out in Song

So I've joined Facebook. A person new to Singapore invited me to join, and I ended up finding half of my high school class on there, as well as many of my friends in Atlanta and Singapore. It's been fun catching up with everyone, though it reminds me that I am now twice the age I was when I graduated from high school. Anyway, there are groups that you can join which will be shown on your profile to give friends an idea of your interests. I've joined high school, college, and pharmacy school alumni groups, plus a few random "just for fun" groups, one of which is the title of this post.

I joined this group because I do like to sing (though not well at all), and I do enjoy musicals, but mostly I joined in honor of Graeme and Liam. Graeme is singing more than his ABCs now. He started entertaining us with hilarious renditions of "Happy Birthday" sung into anything remotely resembling a microphone. Liam soon joined him, and now they both sing while in funny little stances like tiny Elvis's, wearing T-shirts and Elmo/Nemo/Cars/Thomas underwear instead of sparkly jumpsuits. Grandma Arlene and Grandpa Denny were lucky enough to witness a short demonstration while webcamming a couple of weeks ago. Graeme has added "Wheels On the Bus" and "Where is Thumbkin?" to his repertoire just in the past couple of days. And, yes, he just sings whenever he feels the need.

While I'm on the subject, Liam has a developed a reaction to the rest of the family's singing. Whenever Graeme, Sean, or I sing, Liam adopts the talk-to-the-hand pose and whines, "Noooooooo" as though his ears are bleeding. We're not great singers, but I didn't think we were that bad. He doesn't do this when his Kindermusik teacher sings, so maybe we are terrible instead of just mediocre.

The boys' language development continues to amaze us. Before Grandma Ar and Aunt Mar's late July/August visit, the kids would speak in several short sentences. After the visit, their sentences and words were more complex. Liam now says things like, "I want to go downstairs and play with my digger in the playroom".

This past week, the boys began narrating on a regular basis while playing, and their play has become more imaginative. They talk about going places a lot, particularly by plane, boat, and cable car. Evidently our cable car ride to Sentosa Island made an impression. And, unfortunately for our discipline approach, the boys have declared the Group W bench an airplane, which they fly in every day. The laundry basket is a boat, and a small ride-on car is the cable car. They go shopping for food often, and they have afternoon tea with their new dinosaurs. The boys also pretend to spray us with water like firefighters. And, of course, they play with their airplanes, rocket, and Tonka trucks every day. We're doing lots of reading of the Mouse Cookie anthology too, with "If You Give a Pig a Pancake" their current favorite of the series.

As for the terrible twos phase, Liam's the whiner and Graeme is tantrum/angry boy. Overall, they're good kids, but today I had to give Graeme a you-better-shape-up-or-I'm-taking- you-out-of-this-room speech at Kindermusik, and later Liam whined and needed a "hug, hug, hug" for 30 minutes after he woke up from his nap. Graeme's reaction lately when he doesn't get his way: scream or get extremely frustrated in one way or another. Liam's reaction: whine and act put-upon. Alas, I am subjected to both common annoying toddler habits, though it could certainly be worse in terms of frequency.

That said, there are so many sweet, hilarious moments with the boys that all the annoying stuff is (mostly) forgotten. When he wasn't showing his rear in Kindermusik today, Graeme was telling the teacher what to do in a helpful way and putting away the instruments. After the teacher announced quiet time, Graeme repeated "quiet time" loudly and told her to turn off the lights. Later this afternoon, Liam cuddled on the couch with a baby doll after pretending to feed her a bottle. He then collected a few plastic dinosaurs and managed to hug them and the doll at the same time. I'll write in my next post about the crazy dinner conversation tonight.

And finally, a potty training update: We've managed to go to My Gym last Thursday, the zoo yesterday, a picnic at the Botanic Gardens yesterday, and Kindermusik today without accidents. Today was completely accident-free for both boys, and they both pooped in the "big potty" as they call it - the regular toilet with a plastic seat insert so they don't fall in. Yay! They're growing up.