I want that job!

The only job I can think of where you can be utterly and completely wrong and not get fired...that's the job I want. Sign me up for meteorology classes!! Where is the 2-4" of snow that we were supposed to get?? We barely got a dusting that melted almost as soon as it touched ground. Not that I'm complaining. The western and southern counties in our viewing area actually received enough snow that schools were either closed or had delayed openings. We were just fine here, schools were open right on schedule. The cubs and I ventured out in the cold to go to their speech therapy, so as far as I'm concerned, it was just another day in the neighborhood. Thank you, Mr. Weatherman, for being WRONG!

Seriously????

We are expecting more !@&# snow. When did I move up north??? We are expecting snow again after midnight and we are under a winter weather advisory until tomorrow at 9pm. I am SO OVER IT!!! My roses all have leaf buds on them and they are ready for Spring just as much as I am. This weather stinks. FYI...this is TEXAS!!

Mom feels the love

Emily loves to go "bye-bye". LOVES it. She often brings me her shoes, or she puts them on herself, and stands by the garage door chanting "bye-bye, bye-bye" because she wants to go somewhere. When Daddy is at home, if he even attempts to walk down the hallway that leads to the garage, Emily has a FIT. She is so afraid that he is going someplace without her. By fit I mean tears, red face, on the ground kicking and screaming FIT. I had a dinner date with several girlfriends at Coal Vines last Thursday. As I was leaving I told the Cubs that I was going "bye-bye". I thought Emily would get upset, but instead she walked to the garage door, opened it, and waved to me and said "bye-bye". Steve asked Zach if he wanted to come tell me "bye bye", so Zach came to the door, looked directly at me, and then proceeded to slam the door in my face. OUCH! Mom feels the love. Dad certainly doesn't get this reaction when he goes somewhere. I pretty much got the "don't let the door hit you on the way out" reaction. Yep. I feel SO loved.

The mother-load of all temper tantrums

One of my friends was in town on Sunday and I agreed to meet her at the mall. Steve was working, so I strategically planned to meet her after lunch. My plan was to put the cubs in their stroller and they would take their nap while we did some window shopping. Of course, Heather's Law (similar to Murphy's Law) intervened. Nothing went as planned. I arrived at the mall a little early, strapped the cubs in, and off I went. I managed to find a few shirts (I hope they fit because I sure didn't get a chance to try them on) and was still shopping when IT happened. The mother-load of all temper tantrums. I was THAT mother with THAT screaming child. Emily did not want to be in her stoller. She did not want to be carried. She wanted to walk, but she didn't want to hold my hand. Can you picture me trying to keep track of a very mobile Emily while trying to push Zach in a double stoller in between clothing racks that are shoved way too close together? This was not happening. I picked Emily up, put her in her stoller, and tried to get her strapped in as she was squirming and screaming at the top of her lungs. All the while as people stopped to look and shake their heads with sympathy and whisper to each other that thank goodness they weren't me. I have been that person. I have often shaken my head (especially in grocery stores) and wondered why the parent wouldn't do something to get their kid quiet. Now I was THAT mother with THAT child. The madness. So I grab my purchase, go to the cashier (thank goodness there was not a wait) and proceeded to check out. Then the guy asks "Would you like to apply for our credit card?". My jaw dropped as I asked him "Are you kidding me?". I should have asked for his longest application so I could fill it out right there at his counter while my daughter was having an out of body experience.

Some more catching up.

I just realized that I have been neglecting my blog...again. So far so good on the bottle elimination. We have been getting him to drink his Pediasure from his straw cup which is good news. I washed the last of the bottles and have packed them all up. Good riddance.

Last week we had a play-date with Kelli and her girls Maddie and Izzy. They recently moved towards the Dallas area, so it was a little further drive than before, but it was pretty driving through some areas that haven't been over-developed yet...there were still some trees! We spent the entire day with the girls and had a lot of fun. We love our play dates!

Matt and Beth Ann came over last weekend for a visit too. We always enjoy seeing them and the cubs love them. Emily Bear crawled all over them, she's such a funny monkey.

We have tried some new medications with Zach and none of them have really worked. We tried Nexium and what a disaster that was. It came in a powder that I had to add to a tablespoon of water, let it sit for two minutes to thicken, and somehow get Zach to drink it. I eventually used a medication syringe but I still had to put him in a wrestling hold to get it down him. Not going to work here. At $50 for 15 days worth of medication, I was happy to try something different. Or so I thought. Next we tried Prilosec. It came in a capsule that I could open up and put the "seeds" in a small spoonful of applesauce. Also created a horrible experience. I had to force him to take it in the morning and then he refused to eat anything off of the spoon after that. I guess he associates the spoon with his medication. It was HORRIBLE. It made him extremely fussy, he started skipping naps, and was just not fun to be around. So we stopped that too. I'd rather he eat and possibly throw up, than be fussy and refuse to eat at all. Now I am trying to re-educate him to eat again from the spoon. He still pushes me away without even trying the food first. So frustrating. I have finally contacted an eating clinic at Baylor to see if he would qualify and now I'm waiting to hear back from them. There has to be something someone can do to help him eat. It baffles me that he won't even try cheerios or Gerber Puffs, yet he knows to feed them to his sister. He has no desire to try new foods (or basically any food for that matter). Yet he'll put toys in his mouth, and things that obviously don't belong there (like cat hair). The other day I caught him playing with a strand of my hair, and of course he put it in his mouth just as I was trying to get to him, but I managed to get it back from him. I guess it's time for Mom to get a haircut. WHY???? Why would he eat hair and not food??? For the first time ever today I put him down for his nap without lunch. I tried three different foods and he wouldn't try any of them. I can understand if he tries it first and then pushes me away, but he won't even take a taste. I'm starting to think that going back to work and putting the cubs in daycare may not be a bad idea. Maybe he'll do better for someone that is not me.

I found a preschool for September but registration is not until March. I hope we can get in. It would be twice a week from 8:45 until 11:45. They have another class that ends at 2:45, but that would require someone else to feed them, and I can imagine that after a day or two, the preschool staff would be calling me to come pick Zach up. Non-eaters not allowed. Emily could do that one but I hate to split them up. I guess we'll just have to think about our options.

Cub progression

It's interesting how people always comment on twins. Steve and I got pretty used to it when the cubs were infants. It always seemed like we were our own traveling circus....people always had to stop us and remark on the cubs..."Oh look, twins!".

When the cubs were around a year that changed to "Oh, are they twins?", which was understandable since Emily outweighed Zach by 3 or 4 pounds.

Now that there is 5 to 6 pounds difference I get "Wow, you had them really close together!", to which my response is always "yes, two minutes". Then they always respond "Oh, they're twins?" or "They don't look like twins." **SIGH** Do people always have to comment? Yes, they are twins and yes, one eats much better than the other. Why do I always have to explain this to people, complete strangers no less? It's not really any of their business why my twins don't look like twins. Just smile, keep walking, and keep your comments to yourself.

Where are they now? Snack craving alert!

I have recently been having cravings for two things I can no longer find:

1. Black Pepper Jack Doritos. I haven't had these since our last trip to New York in 2006. I always look for them in every grocery store I go into but can never seem to find them anywhere. I know they are still made because I saw them in a grocery store advertisement. Seems like a cruel form of torture since they don't even stock them.

2. Mr. Salty stick pretzels. Remember these??? They used to come in a blue box. I loved the fact that they were so thin and crispy. I actually found a close second...Salty Stix made by Shultz Pretzels. I used to buy these in a 3 lb. bag from Garden Ridge. They no longer carry them at the two stores near our house. BOO....HISS!!!

If anyone in the D/FW area has located either the Black Pepper Jack Doritos or the Salty Stix please let me know! I am having a snack craving!!

For the record, our cubs are NOT identical.

I am going to share this bit of knowledge with everyone and I hope that no one is offended. I shared my Hobby Lobby story with some friends because I thought it was so funny. It was several months ago, and some are probably wondering why I'm bringing this up now. It's because it has happened AGAIN. For the record, boy/girl twins can in no possible way be identical. End of discussion, no ifs, ands, or buts. It can't happen. Separate eggs = separate DNA. Identical means alike in every way. Anatomy 101 proves that boy/girl twins CANNOT be IDENTICAL. Not to mention that our twins look nothing alike. One is very much a redhead and the other is definitely a blond. Oh, and P.S. the one in PINK is a GIRL! (Steve's pet peeve!)

My Hobby Lobby story:
So I bravely ventured out and took the cubs to Hobby Lobby. My mistake to take them just before lunch time. I (of course) got in the slow line and the cubs were starting to get a little fussy. So I finally get to the register and the clerk comments "Oh look, twins! And you have a boy and a girl". I'm really not in the mood for small talk...did I mention the cubs were getting FUSSY?...so I just smile and nod, silently begging for her to speed this along. Now it's important to note that our twins look nothing alike. Besides the huge weight difference, Emily has bright red hair and Zach is a blond.

Then she says: "Are they identical?"

WHAT?!?! No one has ever asked me this before. Are you kidding me? She must have noticed the look of sheer astonishment on my face. How do I respond?

I compose myself and kindly tell her that they are fraternal, not identical. I must have had a hint of annoyance in my voice because she asked me "What? Can't they be identical?"

So I inform her that "In order to be identical, they would need to be IDENTICAL!!!"

I think she finally got it.

Couch-climbers....our little miracle monkeys

What an eventful weekend! Grandma and Grandpa Bear (and Baxter Dog) visited this weekend. It's always great to see my parents and I know they really enjoy spending time with the cubs. Plus Grandpa Bear always brings me some egg rolls from my favorite little Chinese hole-in-the-wall. YUMMY!

Emily, Zach and Baxter:


Another "first" occurred on Sunday evening. As I was doing some work on the computer, I heard Steve say "Oh God, Zach!". I thought something was horribly wrong. I ran into the living room in time to see Zach crawl up on the couch all by himself. We officially have our first couch-climber!! Not five minutes later we had our second couch-climber. Emily quickly figured out how to do this by watching Zach do it a few times. Now this may not seem huge to some, but to Mom it is beyond huge. It totally changes the dynamic of daily life here at Cub Central. I used to be able to do small tasks in the kitchen or perhaps do a load of laundry while the cubs entertained themselves. I knew they would be reasonably safe. NOT ANYMORE. I am going to have to play catcher of two cubs who like to bound off the couch at the same time. These cubs have no fear. This may be a simple thing for a parent of one, but when two are doing it at same time from opposite ends of the couch, it is quite frightening. Mom desperately needs a longer arm span.

Zach crawling up Mt. Couch:


Zach reaching the summit of Mt. Couch, and he's very proud of it:


Emily scaling Mt. Couch in a single move:


Emily at the summit of Mt. Couch:


Emily took her first tumble off the couch on Monday morning. Mom just wasn't fast enough as she fell and rolled off onto the floor. Luckily she wasn't hurt...she jumped up and smiled, and crawled back up on the couch. WHEW! Trauma avoided.

Soapbox time: I found another house to look at last week and when we called we heard the dreaded words "Sale Pending". My plea to realtors, please update your website so I don't continue to waste my time. If it is no longer available, don't list it on your site!!! UGH!!!

Zach's gastroenterologist suggested adding Carnation Instant Breakfast to his milk for extra calories, so we started that last week. He seems to be tolerating it pretty well. It's more budget friendly than the Pediasure, but I'm still going to give that to him as well for the nutritional value it is supposed to have. Since we started the Carnation he hasn't been eating his solids as well, so I'll be keeping an eye on that. I guess it is pretty filling. He has also been battling the dreaded runny nose (again) this weekend. I can't wait for that to clear up.

Steve switched the carseats around yesterday so they are now forward facing. We're pretty sure Zach has finally reached the 20 lb. minimum requirement. He now has the best seat in the car. Poor Emily gets a lovely view of the back of Daddy's head.

Grandpa Bear gave this monkey to Emily but it seems that Zach has adopted him instead:


Our little girl has a built-in homing device when it comes to our remote control. I used to be able to put it on the top of the recliner, but now her grubby little paws can reach it there too. She's very determined:


Husky had a bath this weekend courtesy of Grandpa Bear, and the poor thing needed it. Thank you Grandpa Bear! Emily cannot sleep without her Husky and it's nice to have him all clean and sparkly. Here she is giving Husky a kiss:

What a week Wednesday...be prepared, it's a long one!

Wow! What a week this has been! Daddy is out of town all week on business, and even though my mom (Grandma Bear) has been here to help, it has still been a little tough. It's been a mixed bag so far...the cubs are waking up before the roosters (UGH), skipping naps, and suffering from teething pain, general crankiness, and sheer exhaustion. I don't know if it's a full moon, or daddy being gone, or perhaps they have been possessed, but my cubs sure aren't acting like themselves. Yesterday was the worst, so thank goodness today was better. I don't think I could have handled another day like yesterday.

Steve left on Sunday (July 13) for a trip to D.C. I think our downward spiral started then. We took him to the airport and after having to switch terminals once we got there, it got even worse. I spent Monday tracking down his lost baggage. The airline refers to it as "delayed baggage"....let's call it what it is....it's LOST. I must pat myself on the back, after a few phone calls and the help of a clerk at Reagan Airport (calls to the airline were a colossal waste of time), I found the lost bag. I see some real shortcomings with the way airlines handle their luggage tracking (or lack thereof). UPS handles packages worldwide and is able to offer real-time tracking. The airline couldn't even tell me if the baggage ever made it on the plane...."we don't really know where it is"....and even though I managed to track it down on Monday, the airline's website at this very minute still says "Your bag has not yet been located. Please check back later for an updated status." Hmmm...let's talk about consumer confidence. I'll get off my soapbox now.

I do want to mention that Steve and I had a "date night" before he left for DC. My mom watched the cubs on Friday (July 11) evening while Steve and I had dinner at PF Changs. We then went to play Putt-Putt (he won) and air-hockey (he won) followed by ice cream at Baskin Robbins. YUM! It was really nice to spend some alone time together. We should really do it more often.

Zach had two appointments on Monday (July 14). One with his Gastroenterologist and one with an occupational therapist. Those didn't go much better. Zach is having an issue with thickened and lumpy/chunky textures. I read where this may be caused by oral trauma, and our poor little boy has had his fair share. He was tube fed for the first days of his life, then we subjected him to an upper GI, EGD and pH probe test trying to find out why he was throwing up entire bottles. So we have another challenge to overcome. While the OT was here we tried vanilla pudding and soft apple bits (jarred in juice), and he forced himself to throw it all up. It's such a mystery to me, because he actually swallows the food, and then forces himself to throw it up. He even did this on Tuesday when we tried lemon yogurt and even some ice cream. I am so desperate to get him to eat that I offered my child ice cream, and he threw it up. What kid doesn't like ice cream??? I read that other children with oral aversion issues have even worse symptoms than Zach, so I count my blessings that this is not the worst it could be. On a brighter note, I think he has finally made the transition from formula to whole milk. He started milk-only bottles on Sunday and those have been going pretty well. I am still adding powdered formula to increase the calories, but that's it. Two bottles of milk and one bottle of Pediasure a day. We're making progress. Please cross your fingers and say your prayers that he continues to gain weight. I let him try to feed himself with a spoon today, and to my surprise he did pretty well with it. He tried with both hands, but he seemed to do a better job with his left hand. His daddy thinks he'll be ambidextrous. His walking is improving, and it's so funny to watch him follow his big sister around the house. He is Emily's shadow.

It's been such a bizarre week that even little Emily Bear has been fussy. She's even had a few temper-tantrums. I finally realized that there is nothing I can do for her when she's mid-temper-tantrum, so I just walk away. She then stares after me with this shocked look on her face. The girl can turn the tears on and off like a water faucet. Such a drama queen. Let's not even mention the drooling. It has returned. I have to follow the poor girl around with a mop. I guess a tooth-check is in order...some more must be coming in. She likes Spaghettios, she just inhales them, and she's so adorable because she tries to chew on them with her front teeth. She is still walking backwards, which is really cute, except the girl doesn't ever look where she's going, so this has resulted in a few bumps and bruises. She understands when I tell her to sit on the floor and she's pretty good with the cat. I can hardly believe how fast she's growing, she looks like a little person walking around the house. She's so unbelievably curious, not sure which parent she gets that from (hehe), and she is pretty stubborn, especially when it comes to sharing.

Wednesday is finally coming to an end. The cubs are soundly sleeping, storing up all their energy for an early wake-up call in the morning. I miss the days when they would sleep in until 8:30. I imagine I won't have late mornings very often...certainly not often enough. I must take advantage of this quiet time and get some sleep myself.

We miss Daddy and can't wait for him to come home on Saturday.