Every parent has developed their own bedtime routine to help get their little ones to sleep. I love hearing what other parents do and comparing it to our own routines. Do you bathe nightly and go right to bed after a bath? Do you sing to your little ones and rock them to sleep? Do they sleep with a lovey? A blanket? A pacifier? Or God forbid, do you lay them down with a bottle?
Shortly after having kids, I learned about how important it is to develop a good routine to help cue children that it is time to fall asleep. Luckily we have been blessed with three pretty good sleepers.
Alena's bedtime routine has evolved over the last 4 years. It is a LONG routine so we usually start the process at least 30 minutes before her actual "time to sleep" time. As she's gotten older, she attempts to delay her bedtime as much as possible. We bathe the little ones every other night. I know some people may think that is crazy, but honestly unless it's 100 degrees out and they have been rolling around in dirt, a bath every night is just not necessary. Plus, I love having a little extra time in the evenings to spend with my loves. Justin and I trade off nights putting Alena to sleep. She is so good at giving her brother and sister a hug and a kiss before she goes up for bed. There have been many instances where we put a twin to bed before Alena had a chance to give him/her a goodnight kiss. So we allow her to quietly go into their room and blow that twin a kiss otherwise she will not go to sleep! Because her bedtime routine is so long, she usually only has time for one book. Lately, she will get hooked on a couple books that we read over and over for many weeks before moving onto new books. After her book we turn the lights off for story time. She used to let us make up stories, which I found pretty enjoyable. My favorite was the story with the Chinese lady who found our lost cat, Milo. I had perfected my Chinese accent after telling this story many, many times. We both would end up cracking up during this story. Lately, she wants us to retell a story of something that actually happened, such as a recent wedding we went to or a trip we took. After the story, she usually needs to go to the bathroom again (she must have inherited my bladder), and have a drink of water. Sometimes applying chap stick and lotion comes next. Finally, she is tucked back into bed again. However, before she will fall asleep, she makes me give each of her teddys a hug and a kiss. We used to limit her to 2 animals, but lately a third has joined her in bed. After turning on her fan, and giving her a big hug and kiss, I'm finally free to leave the room. (We are big believers in white noise and have a fan running in each bedroom).
The twins usually give cues to let us know they are ready for bed. Many times Lauren is ready to hit the sack by 7:00 PM. We sometimes lay them down at the same time, but if we don't, we make sure the first twin is asleep before putting the other one down. I like to sing them a song while walking upstairs with them before turning on their lullaby CD and fan and laying them down in the crib with their lovey. Lauren is obsessed with sucking on her bunny's ears and Caleb just gives his lion a hug and rolls onto his tummy.
Lauren is definitely a deeper sleeper than Caleb and can sleep through Caleb crying if he wakes up from teething pain. Lauren, however, has a high ear-piercing cry that no one can sleep through! Caleb loves his little cat naps in the van on the way to and from school. I've also learned that he can sleep pretty much anywhere if he's tired. A few weeks ago he fell asleep in his high chair during lunch. A few months ago, he was in the infant room and Ms Pinky was looking for him and couldn't find him. He had crawled over to his crib, grabbing a stuffed panda on the way, and fallen asleep right in front of his crib. Just recently he fell asleep on the playground at school! The great thing is, he is always in a good mood, even after just a little cat nap.
We are so thankful that Alena continues to take a nap most of the time, but lately she has been protesting her nap. We still tell her she has to go up to her room for "quiet time" and 9 times out of 10, she will fall asleep. It is so nice on the weekend to have a couple hours of kid-free time. Justin and I usually hurry and get as much done around the house or outside as possible before anyone wakes from their slumber.
Now if only there was time during day for mom and dad to take a nap...
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Friday, November 15, 2013
"I think I'll Take This Moment To Celebrate My Life..."
"...the ending of an era and the turning of a page." - Phil Vassar
Wow, it's hard to believe I am 33 years young. I wish in high school I would have written down what I thought I would be doing in my 30's, 40's, etc. I wonder if I would have predicted to be where I am right now. As I look back over the years, I realize I really haven't done all that much.
I had a busy childhood full of activities. There were few sports I didn't try and I'm still not sure how my parents were able to afford everything, let alone get me and my brother to all of our practices, meets, competitions, and games. Competitive gymnastics required training at least 5 days a week, plus multiple competitions outside of the state of Iowa. I chose to stop gymnastics when I was a Freshman in high school to focus on high school sports. I likely gave up a gymnastics scholarship when I made this choice. Looking back, I wonder if that was the best decision, but at the time my heart was not in the sport any longer. Although, this gave me the opportunity to do high school sports including volleyball and track.
Thankfully, I was on the track team or I would never have met Justin. We first met prior to track season in the weight room. He soon became one of our hurdle coaches and a good friend to many of us. We reconnected after I graduated and have now been together for nearly 14 years. Finding someone you want to spend the rest of your life with is something we all hope to have happen some day. I recently read a blog about marriage, reminding everyone that you don't marry to make yourself happy, you marry someone to make them happy. I hope that Justin would say I make him happy.
I think I would have predicted I would have 2-3 little ones by the time I was 33 years old. I never would have predicted to have twins, but we got two for the price of one and are truly blessed. I love being a mother and hope that my children would say I'm a good mom. It is definitely more challenging, but more rewarding that I ever thought it would be.
So now that I am turning the 33rd page of my life and starting my 34th page, I have so much more I want to accomplish. I am looking forward to traveling more and cannot wait for our trip in 2 years to celebrate our 10th anniversary. I've always been jealous that my brother was able to backpack through Europe and visit so many countries. I am fascinated with the Holocaust and would like to visit Auschwitz some day. Some days I think to myself, "I can't wait until my children are older so we can do ___" Then I realize that they are already growing up too fast and I wish I could freeze time. I love each new stage of development and I want to keep them little for as long as possible. When things slow down, I'd love to find time to volunteer again. I also have lots of little projects around the home that I hope to find time to do (thanks to Pinterest).
I also need to change my mindset. I have always been a worrier, and busy body type of person. Lately, I've realized that I have missed so much. My oldest is definitely a "stop and smell the flowers" type of girl. She likes to take her time getting dressed in the morning, picking out the perfect snack and toys to bring for a two hour road trip, or walk slowly through the grocery store, when I have limited time to get the items on my list and get out of there. Why are we always in such a hurry?
Today my 90 year old dialysis patient reminded me of something we should all live by: Live for today, forget yesterday, and don't worry about tomorrow. I definitely need to start living in the present and "spend precious moments with the one that I hold dear." Here's to the next 33 years!
Wow, it's hard to believe I am 33 years young. I wish in high school I would have written down what I thought I would be doing in my 30's, 40's, etc. I wonder if I would have predicted to be where I am right now. As I look back over the years, I realize I really haven't done all that much.
I had a busy childhood full of activities. There were few sports I didn't try and I'm still not sure how my parents were able to afford everything, let alone get me and my brother to all of our practices, meets, competitions, and games. Competitive gymnastics required training at least 5 days a week, plus multiple competitions outside of the state of Iowa. I chose to stop gymnastics when I was a Freshman in high school to focus on high school sports. I likely gave up a gymnastics scholarship when I made this choice. Looking back, I wonder if that was the best decision, but at the time my heart was not in the sport any longer. Although, this gave me the opportunity to do high school sports including volleyball and track.
Thankfully, I was on the track team or I would never have met Justin. We first met prior to track season in the weight room. He soon became one of our hurdle coaches and a good friend to many of us. We reconnected after I graduated and have now been together for nearly 14 years. Finding someone you want to spend the rest of your life with is something we all hope to have happen some day. I recently read a blog about marriage, reminding everyone that you don't marry to make yourself happy, you marry someone to make them happy. I hope that Justin would say I make him happy.
I think I would have predicted I would have 2-3 little ones by the time I was 33 years old. I never would have predicted to have twins, but we got two for the price of one and are truly blessed. I love being a mother and hope that my children would say I'm a good mom. It is definitely more challenging, but more rewarding that I ever thought it would be.
So now that I am turning the 33rd page of my life and starting my 34th page, I have so much more I want to accomplish. I am looking forward to traveling more and cannot wait for our trip in 2 years to celebrate our 10th anniversary. I've always been jealous that my brother was able to backpack through Europe and visit so many countries. I am fascinated with the Holocaust and would like to visit Auschwitz some day. Some days I think to myself, "I can't wait until my children are older so we can do ___" Then I realize that they are already growing up too fast and I wish I could freeze time. I love each new stage of development and I want to keep them little for as long as possible. When things slow down, I'd love to find time to volunteer again. I also have lots of little projects around the home that I hope to find time to do (thanks to Pinterest).
I also need to change my mindset. I have always been a worrier, and busy body type of person. Lately, I've realized that I have missed so much. My oldest is definitely a "stop and smell the flowers" type of girl. She likes to take her time getting dressed in the morning, picking out the perfect snack and toys to bring for a two hour road trip, or walk slowly through the grocery store, when I have limited time to get the items on my list and get out of there. Why are we always in such a hurry?
Today my 90 year old dialysis patient reminded me of something we should all live by: Live for today, forget yesterday, and don't worry about tomorrow. I definitely need to start living in the present and "spend precious moments with the one that I hold dear." Here's to the next 33 years!
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Four Eyes
Glasses. I'm just not quite sure how people are able to wear them. I'm a little more than 1 week into my "three weeks out of contacts" phase before LASIK surgery and I'm going crazy! I feel like people are staring at me like I have coke bottle lenses.
I'm constantly pushing my glasses back up my nose because I often need to lean over to assess patients or pick up a little one. You'd think my long nose would prevent them from sliding down, but it doesn't. Apparently, glasses can really change your appearance. Patients I have been seeing weekly for the last three years have asked who I am. Does adding spectacles really make you look that different?
Working out with glasses on has been challenging. I've tried running with them on, but my face just gets sweaty, making the bridge of my nose slick, forcing me to constantly push my glasses up. I literally spent the entire run using my right index finger to slide my glasses up. So now I just choose to run without them, wearing bright colored clothes, hoping cars will yield to me. If only I had light up shoes. This past weekend my mom and I ran the 5 mile Hot Chocolate Run. I told her I was not going to have my glasses on so she'd have to lead me. She reminded me that she wouldn't be wearing her contacts or glasses either. The blind leading the blind. We survived.
Do most people have prescription sunglasses? What about those little clip on things? Are those still around? What if you're out shopping at an outdoor mall, going in and out of stores. Do you keep changing from your glasses to your prescription sunglasses? I'm sure I'd leave one of those at a store. Last weekend I started a new fad and wore my sunglasses OVER my glasses at the Hawkeye football game.
Little ones LOVE to pull glasses off your face. DQ thinks this is a fun game and spends nearly every evening taking my glasses off, trying to put them on herself or back on my face, while placing her slobbery fingers all over the lenses. I eventually just have to put them on the counter which usually causes her to voice a complaint.
I used to work with a PA who wore only glasses. He said he would never wear contacts after seeing pictures of corneal infections and ulcers at his ophthalmologist's office. I always thought he was crazy for saying that. Although these are rare it's possible. I think of all the years I have been sticking a foreign object on my eye, and praying my solution will kill any bacteria as my contacts take their nightly 8 hour bath before I wake up the next morning and pop them back in.
Here's to hoping I won't have to wear contacts again after 12/5/13. I know I will eventually need reading glasses, as we all will after having 40 some birthdays. (Seriously, does anything get BETTER as we age?). I'm hopeful that time will be many years from now. It's scary knowing I will be having this elective surgery just for the convenience of not having to wear contacts. My sight is everything. Without it, I can't work, drive, browse facebook, or watch my little ones grow (the latter which is most important of course).
So to those of you who wear glasses, props to you. I couldn't do it; hopefully I can survive these next few weeks. (A patient really did call me Four Eyes this week-it hurt my pride a little bit).
I'm constantly pushing my glasses back up my nose because I often need to lean over to assess patients or pick up a little one. You'd think my long nose would prevent them from sliding down, but it doesn't. Apparently, glasses can really change your appearance. Patients I have been seeing weekly for the last three years have asked who I am. Does adding spectacles really make you look that different?
Working out with glasses on has been challenging. I've tried running with them on, but my face just gets sweaty, making the bridge of my nose slick, forcing me to constantly push my glasses up. I literally spent the entire run using my right index finger to slide my glasses up. So now I just choose to run without them, wearing bright colored clothes, hoping cars will yield to me. If only I had light up shoes. This past weekend my mom and I ran the 5 mile Hot Chocolate Run. I told her I was not going to have my glasses on so she'd have to lead me. She reminded me that she wouldn't be wearing her contacts or glasses either. The blind leading the blind. We survived.
Do most people have prescription sunglasses? What about those little clip on things? Are those still around? What if you're out shopping at an outdoor mall, going in and out of stores. Do you keep changing from your glasses to your prescription sunglasses? I'm sure I'd leave one of those at a store. Last weekend I started a new fad and wore my sunglasses OVER my glasses at the Hawkeye football game.
Little ones LOVE to pull glasses off your face. DQ thinks this is a fun game and spends nearly every evening taking my glasses off, trying to put them on herself or back on my face, while placing her slobbery fingers all over the lenses. I eventually just have to put them on the counter which usually causes her to voice a complaint.
I used to work with a PA who wore only glasses. He said he would never wear contacts after seeing pictures of corneal infections and ulcers at his ophthalmologist's office. I always thought he was crazy for saying that. Although these are rare it's possible. I think of all the years I have been sticking a foreign object on my eye, and praying my solution will kill any bacteria as my contacts take their nightly 8 hour bath before I wake up the next morning and pop them back in.
Here's to hoping I won't have to wear contacts again after 12/5/13. I know I will eventually need reading glasses, as we all will after having 40 some birthdays. (Seriously, does anything get BETTER as we age?). I'm hopeful that time will be many years from now. It's scary knowing I will be having this elective surgery just for the convenience of not having to wear contacts. My sight is everything. Without it, I can't work, drive, browse facebook, or watch my little ones grow (the latter which is most important of course).
So to those of you who wear glasses, props to you. I couldn't do it; hopefully I can survive these next few weeks. (A patient really did call me Four Eyes this week-it hurt my pride a little bit).
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
"The Wheels On The Bus..."
Music has always been a big part of our every day life. It's amazing the way listening to music can make you feel. Different music can make you excited, calm, energized, happy, or melancholy. I love that there are so many different genres out there that I find it hard to believe that there is someone out there that doesn't like to listen to music. If you don't like one station, just flip to another.
On our way up to Rochester a couple of weeks ago, Justin and I were reminiscing about the many, many concerts we attended before children. Living in Iowa City, there were always great concerts coming to town, or just down the road in the Quad Cities. Anything that we were remotely interested in we bought tickets to. This included Creed, Lonestar, Kenny Chesney (5 times!), Jimmy Buffet, Dave Matthews Band, Guns and Roses, U2, Montgomery Gentry, Phil Vassar, Keith Urban, Brooks and Dunn (and many more that I'm forgetting). I'll never forget my very first concert, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, at Carver Hawkeye Arena. I wasn't allowed to go to any concerts in High School so I took the first opportunity that came around and went with my roommates when I was a Freshman in college. There are many memories from these concerts: 2nd hand marijuana smoke at the Guns and Roses concert, having a few too many cocktails at our last Kenny concert, and losing Justin during our first Jimmy Buffet concert. Don't worry, we found him after the concert sitting in the back of the truck eating taco salad out of a bowl the size of Texas without a utensil. Apparently he needed a snack.
Without trying, music has become important in the lives of our children too. Instead of having the television on, we usually have the radio on. Alena has always loved music and looks forward to music class at school. After she was born I bought a three pack of CDs with over 100 children songs. I'm surprised these CDs even work anymore because we have listened to them so much. Alena knows nearly every word to each song and she picks up on song lyrics much faster than her mommy does. (I still believe the lyrics to the Zach Brown's song Chicken Fried are "Biloxi sunrise" not "I like to see the sunrise"-my version makes much more sense). Lately she has been interested in listening to our music and her new favorite songs are "Call Me Maybe," "Cruise," and "Firework."
I think the babies are quickly following in her footsteps. I love watching them sway to music and nothing cheers them up more than singing "Wheels On The Bus." I always sing the same song to them at night and play their lullabies on their CD player when we lay them down. When I found myself alone with them during maternity leave, not knowing what to do, I often would make up any silly song, while they stared at me like their mom needed to be committed.
Thank goodness for electromagnetic radiation and frequencies-they keep us sane and entertained!
On our way up to Rochester a couple of weeks ago, Justin and I were reminiscing about the many, many concerts we attended before children. Living in Iowa City, there were always great concerts coming to town, or just down the road in the Quad Cities. Anything that we were remotely interested in we bought tickets to. This included Creed, Lonestar, Kenny Chesney (5 times!), Jimmy Buffet, Dave Matthews Band, Guns and Roses, U2, Montgomery Gentry, Phil Vassar, Keith Urban, Brooks and Dunn (and many more that I'm forgetting). I'll never forget my very first concert, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, at Carver Hawkeye Arena. I wasn't allowed to go to any concerts in High School so I took the first opportunity that came around and went with my roommates when I was a Freshman in college. There are many memories from these concerts: 2nd hand marijuana smoke at the Guns and Roses concert, having a few too many cocktails at our last Kenny concert, and losing Justin during our first Jimmy Buffet concert. Don't worry, we found him after the concert sitting in the back of the truck eating taco salad out of a bowl the size of Texas without a utensil. Apparently he needed a snack.
Without trying, music has become important in the lives of our children too. Instead of having the television on, we usually have the radio on. Alena has always loved music and looks forward to music class at school. After she was born I bought a three pack of CDs with over 100 children songs. I'm surprised these CDs even work anymore because we have listened to them so much. Alena knows nearly every word to each song and she picks up on song lyrics much faster than her mommy does. (I still believe the lyrics to the Zach Brown's song Chicken Fried are "Biloxi sunrise" not "I like to see the sunrise"-my version makes much more sense). Lately she has been interested in listening to our music and her new favorite songs are "Call Me Maybe," "Cruise," and "Firework."
I think the babies are quickly following in her footsteps. I love watching them sway to music and nothing cheers them up more than singing "Wheels On The Bus." I always sing the same song to them at night and play their lullabies on their CD player when we lay them down. When I found myself alone with them during maternity leave, not knowing what to do, I often would make up any silly song, while they stared at me like their mom needed to be committed.
Thank goodness for electromagnetic radiation and frequencies-they keep us sane and entertained!
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