Synchronized Swimming

Summer weather has already arrived here and we are ready for it with our new swimsuits! We have matching sets, but the girls are modeling one each.

I Dream of Genies

Now all we need are magic lamps to accompany our turbans.

Rolly Polly

Up to this point, Anni has always rolled over her left shoulder and Elli over her right. This would always mean that the girls either rolled time after time until they were on opposite ends of the room, or that they rolled on top of each other, instigating a battle of the wills. Either way, one or both girls would end up rolling on or under something they didn't like and crying would ensue.

But, yesterday was a big day.

First, both girls rolled in their lesser-preferred direction. Anni only did it once, but Elli found herself at the foot of the bouncer, considered her situation, rolled over her left shoulder and hasn't stopped since.

Second, both girls started to "aim" their rolling. Elli can get herself to just about any toy I've thrown out on her quilts. But, why bother when you can roll yourself to your toy box and pick the one out you want yourself? Anni later rolled into the toy box and cleared out all of its contents.

Elli does a toy box check.

Third, they each decided that their feet were pretty cool. Not cool enough to put in their mouths, but they enjoyed doing air splits all day long. They have been touching their feet for a while, this just seemed to be done with more intent and accuracy than ever before.

Elli and Anni do air splits.

It amazes me that these little, but monumental developments just happen. And to both girls, simultaneously. It's as though they've been considering how to do it for awhile, and after strategizing, decided to proceed together.

Anni: I think today is the day.

Elli: Ob, goody! We've been keeping this under wraps for so long!

Anni: DON'T reveal too much.

Go forth and conquer, my little ladies!

Onomatopoeia

The girls have a favorite book about animal sounds. They LOVE it. I read each page to each girl, one on either side of me, and they give me the sweetest grins for every sound.

Unfortunately, my impression of the moos, meows, and roars is really lame. I guess onomatopoeias are not my strong suit. All of my animals seem to have an accent to them. The worst of which is the rooster, who always sounds so Irish that when I read "cock-a-doodle-do", I immediately follow it up with a hearty "top-o-the-mornin-to-ya"!

I thought I might have better luck with more literal interpretations of animal noises, but this only served to frighten my babies. They looked at me in horror that I had suddenly been possessed. (I had best save my amazing Chewbacca impression for later. It's seriously good.)

So, I'd better do it "by the book" and continue reading the woofs and neighs as I have been. I'm just concerned that the girls will fail to make the associations between animals and their socially accepted sounds later on. Or think that all roosters are Irish. Or that all Irish people are roosters. Or, when at the petting zoo, chase the roosters wishing them a happy morning in a thick, Irish brogue.

Food For Thought

The Cafe Doubleshot continues to offer up a new menu every few days. Here are more "firsts" from the past couple weeks.

Prunes: Not a favorite. The girls actually seemed to dread every bite of them.

Apples: They like them enough, but I suspect they find them a bit sour from the faces they make.

Avocado: A definite favorite.

Tax Credits

We have had a lot going for us this year in terms of our tax refunds. House purchased. Baby 1. Baby 2.

I think we are also owed another credit from the government, because we have been actively contributing to the agricultural community here.

If you were to get a satellite image of the atmosphere above our house, I'm fairly certain there would be a huge nitrogen cloud there. If you were to do a diagram of our area's Nitrogen Cycle, Anni and Elli would have a big input arrow. It's hard to believe that two little people can create so much flatulence, and enjoy it. And when it rains? It all comes back down and into the soil.

The farmer with fields adjacent to our house is getting USDA certified organic fertilizer for free, courtesy of the Doubleshot twins.

Juicy Juice

We've been practicing using sippy cups since the Easter bunny visited. The girls are not big fans. Elli took the day off today, because she was having a hard time breathing and drinking simultaneously. Anni was more devoted to practicing today because I introduced diluted apple juice.

Anni gets the hang of this sippy business.

And she always tries to do it herself.

But, as usual, she'd rather just drink it like Mama.

I'm pretty sure that if their little arms would hold steady, the girls would rather skip right to regular drinking cups. They actually get a lot less messy this way than when they use the sippy cup tops.

Did you notice Elli cheering Anni on in the background? She is also the source of the heavy breathing... Speaking of which, her cough and sleep have been much improved today. Other symptoms got a bit worse, but it was a very good day considering. Thanks to all of our well-wishers!

Day Two

Elli got high today. Twice.

Poor little Elli came down with a nasty rattling cough yesterday, and spent the better part of the past two nights screaming. When she started having problems breathing this morning, I knew this was more than a common cold. Turns out, her oxygen levels were low enough that the doctor admitted her to the hospital. She was nebulized, issued her very own nebulizer to keep, and now we're home.

The doctor warned me that the drug passing through the nebulizer would make her high. Since her face is too small for a mask, I simply hold a wand in front of her mouth and let her breathe in the fumes. Without thinking about what I was saying, I asked the doctor: "Can I get high from this too?" Crickets chirped. (See my "Note to Self Addendum" below.)

With her symptoms, it wasn't clear if this was a case of some type of bronchiolitus, or asthma or allergies. I'm hoping it's just a bronchial infection, because the girls are genetically predisposed to the other two options. If it is the infection, the doctor told me she might not exhibit the worst signs until day 5. "But it's only day two...", whined my internal voice.

So, I'm considering introducing the girls to their first "sick day" tomorrow. You know: put on your favorite comfy clothes (funfetti?), don't keep any schedule, sleep when you want, eat what you want, and possibly watch TV all day. (The girls haven't watched TV before, and I have a few weeks worth of DVR shows to catch up on...) Oh, and, of course, get a secondary high from Elli's nebulizer. I hope I have some Cheetos in the house.

Notes to Self Addendum #1:

Dear Alexis,

Asking "Can I get high from this, too?" insinuates that you might like to toke with or in the presence of your babies. This is not acceptable, especially within the walls of a military medical facility. "Will I feel any affects from the nebulizer?" would have been a much more appropriately formed question. I really thought you'd learned your lesson the last time you visited the very same office.

You're still awesome,
Alexis

Wiggles-N-Giggles

You may recall that I got Elli's first real gut laugh playing Peek-A-Boo. Well, yesterday after bath time, I got Anni's first little one. (These count to me, anyway.) The girls are quite the wiggle-worms both during and after baths, completely soaking the table, floor and chairs surrounding their portable bathtub. Here, Anni was very entertained that I was trying to increase the amplitude of her wiggles. Enjoy, but, again, forgive the cinematography.

I Do Exist

In case you were beginning to think that I am just an arm in Doubleshot videos... This was taken yesterday, prior to taking my own advice about being Faux Fabulous.

It's awfully difficult to get in pictures when you are the primary photographer and there aren't any other adults in the house. (Plus, I've been sort of camera shy with all of the skin treatments I've undergone since the pregnancy. They're working!)

Faux Fabulous

Have you ever hosted a wild party at your crib and not gotten enough sleep? Did you indulge a little too much and wake up with drool on your clothes, or, heaven forbid, vomit? Or perhaps you are the supposedly responsible adult chaperone of this party, who spent all night taking care of merry-makers and not sleeping? And now you have somewhere to be, and cannot possibly fly under the radar looking like a hot mess because you travel with a parade?

The Andersons' Doubleshot proudly presents: A Guide to Being Faux Fabulous

Step 1: Put your pants on. Everything else is moot if you forget to put on pants. And not just any pants. These must be your very best fitting, cutest pants. If you are afraid you might forget, lay them out the night before, prior to partying.

You'll look like a fool if you leave your pants on the ground.

Step 2: Practice your one-liners. These are clever phrases you have in your arsenal to pull out on just such an occasion as this: when you should not be allowed to have any human interaction. Bonus points if you have them written on your shirt to remind yourself while you're out and about. (No one will know, as you'll learn in Step 3.) Double-bonus points if you have them written upside-down so you can look down and read them. Triple-bonus points if you remembered to wear your one-liner shirt to the party and slept in it.

True statements. Thanks for our one-liner onesies, Auntie Miki!

Step 3: Don your cutest hoodie. The benefits of this are two-fold. First, you hide your one-liners (refer back to Step 2). Second, you hide your bed-head while gaining a certain mystique.

So hood.

Step 4: Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. Your skin will tattle-tale on your indulgences, so be sure you take your water bottle. This also makes you appear to care about the earth in a yuppie sort of way.

Step 5: Put your stunner shades on. The Doubleshot's maternal genes dictate a small nose and big eyes, making the search for shades proportional to features nearly impossible. To overcome this conundrum, we have the biggest, baddest, blinging-est shades around, and we own them. Without them, your look says: "I don't care". With them, your look says: "I care enough about your ego to not wear the wardrobe complimentary to these shades, which might make you feel inferior."

Thanks for our stunner shades, Grandma & Grandpa B!

P is also for...

Pears! The first fruit served up at the Cafe Doubleshot. They went over well. Very well.

First tastes.

MORE PEARS NOW! (Please note there are no pears wasted on bibs.)

More Bounce To The Ounce

The girls are finally tall and heavy enough to reach the floor when they sit in a bouncer. Barely.

As is typical, Elli was gung-ho to get busy bouncing...

And Analytical Anni will have to observe and evaluate how to best enjoy her bouncing experience over several bounce periods before having a proper bounce.

Happy Easter!

A few days ago we received our first Easter bunnies in the mail, which got us thinking about how exciting our first Easter might be...

Thanks for our bunnies, Uncle Zack!


Easter basket spotted!
Thanks, Mommy, for the Easter basket you stayed up late nights and disassembled your sewing machine to get done!

Investigating the goods. Inside were our first puffs, our first Vera Bradley bags (bottle/snack carriers), our first sippy cups, and a couple Dr. Seuss books.

Checking out our puffs. We haven't had them before, but they sure do make a fun sound!

A bit skeptical of our breakfast attire.
Thanks for our ears, Grandma and Grandpa A!

Donning bunny bibs and eating oats (for the first time) for breakfast.
Thanks Aunt Liz and Uncle Dave for our bibs!

Every bunny needs her carrots!
We do love you, Auntie Miki!

Did you have a great Easter? We did!

Happy Easter, Daddy! Love, Your Bunnies

Notes To Self

Dear Alexis,

Here are a few things you need to stop doing immediately, though it will be very hard for you.

Love you girl!
Alexis

You must stop:

1. Licking the peanut butter knife. Little people are watching you.
2. Drinking straight from the carton. Even though no other adults are in the house, use a glass, because the little people are still watching you.
3. Acting surprised every time you wake up and there are 2 people totally dependent on you. You're a mom. Get it in your head.
   
4. Saying "mama needs a drink" out in public, especially in the pediatrician's office. You say it a lot to the girls when you need water, but you never realized what it actually implied until you got the stink-eye from another parent. If you accidentally slip, follow it up with an immediate and deliberate swig from your water bottle.
5. Saying "just a minute" to the girls when you really mean something else. Remember? This happened when you taught 7th graders, too. You'd say, "just a minute" and then you'd get lost in what you were doing, look up, and find a tween (or 10) gawking at you and the clock. Instead, you learned to say something like "I cannot assist you at this time, but I will remember that you approached me. I will seek you out when the opportunity is right. You don't need to worry that I have forgotten you, unless I don't come to you within x minutes."
6. Saying "word" as an affirmation or request for affirmation. Little ears are listening. Examples-

Friend: Alexis, are you tired?
Alexis: Word.
-or-
Alexis: This weather is whack, word?


Anni: Word.

Good Afternoon, Girls

I know it's going to be a good afternoon when the girls wake up from their morning naps like this. (The alternative being that they wake up screaming.)