There's days I'm not sure I'm cut out to be the mom of twin boys. And then there's days I know I'm not.

During dinner, an otherwise fussy E discovered the funnest thing ever - spitting mouthfuls of applesauce at his brother. Meanwhile, H thought it was the funnest thing ever to be on the receiving end of said spitting. Naive mom thought surely, if I give him another bite he'll actually eat it. Only to wind up cleaning most of the full serving off of H.

Dinner was followed by a little playtime, which entailed H showing off his ever-more-stable walking ability by pushing the kitchen chairs around the floor. It was actually quite helpful when he pushed the highchair back into it's storage space. On the otherhand, it wasn't terribly helpful when he began pushing a chair and intentionally blocking E into a corner. Again and again.

And finally, off to bed. So, with Dad out of town for work, it was just us three. In their bedroom, I get E in his jammies and let him crawl on the floor as I turn my attentions to H. H decides that he'd like to continue demonstrating his abilities and stand on the changing table while I'm changing his diaper. Not content with just standing, he decides he wants to explore the top of the armoire while he's at it.

As he begins reaching into a position that will surely end with a face-plant on the floor I hear a loud thud behind me followed by E crying. I turn around to look and there E is trapped underneath a nightstand that he has somehow managed to pull over on top of himself. I grab H put him to the floor, a move which makes him quite unhappy, and pull the nightstand off of E. Amazingly enough, E rolls over, crawls a few feet away, grabs a book and sits against the side of the crib and literally looks like he's sitting to read the book. He even begins turning pages. His gaze, however, never leaves the nightstand which is on the receiving end of what can only be called a 15-month-old's best icy stare.

After multiple calls with the ER, we determine he's probably okay though need to wake him every few hours throughout the night to ensure that he can be roused.

By midnight Dad rolls in, I'm exhausted, he's exhausted and we still have several wakings ahead of us til morn. Ethan is amazingly cooperative as he decides to get up on his own multiple times throughout the night (the result of congestion from his cold).

Our doctor called us in the morning, having received the notes from the evening calls to the ER. She suggests we bring him in for a once-over just to make sure. And indeed, he survived what was, I'm sure, the first of many, many similar incidents.

How boys actually survive to adulthood, I'll never understand. How their mom's survive...God help me as I find that out.

A family portrait

The cure for fussy babies

Anytime the fussies start, our sure-fire cure is to get a little perspective, usually an upside down one. But, when strapped in the stroller, we do what we can.

At least I had my dignity

I admit. I haven't always handled this whole mother thing with grace. Little sleep, two very active babies, a demanding schedule. Admittedly, Todd probably was on the receiving end of more than a few snappy comments. But, at least I have my dignity. Or, should I say, had my dignity.

So one of H's favorite things lately is belly buttons. Heaven knows why but he takes great pleasure in lifting someone's shirt and sticking his finger in their belly button. E's, Todd's, Gma's, mine.

And so it was Saturday morning as we were relaxing on the floor. I was on my back and H crawled over, moved my shirt and started playing with my belly button. Then, he slapped his hand down on my belly and, well I'll be honest here, saw it jiggle. And then he started to giggle. Hysterically. So he hit my belly again and it jiggled, he giggled. Slap. Jiggle. Giggle. Slap. Jiggle. Giggle. And so it went.

I didn't know whether to laugh along, or cry. At least now I can say that those extra cookies I nibbled were ultimately serving a greater purpose -- endless hours of entertainment for H.

Part of us, anyway

As we're posing for Gma, H suddenly decides to exact revenge for that bite lo' those many weeks ago. Apparently he had been saving it up...

Going for a walk with their cousin

It was the boys first time meeting their cousin during a visit to Gma and Gpa's. They seemed to enjoy each other's company.

You Do What You Have To

Safety Dad looks disapprovingly in the background...