Due to our successful eliminating of the soother during the Christmas holidays, my parenting confidence was at a high! Why not conquer the bottle next!
This time, I took a bit more of a planned and prepared approach. I started talking to the girls on a regular basis about what big girls they were and how they were growing up! Our neighbour Renee had just recently bought the girls baby dolls and strollers for their birthday. This worked well into my conversation that "babies" used bottles, not big girls. We also visited with our "very pregnant with twins" friend Stefania. I explained to the girls that these babies would need bottles so we would have to pass our bottles on to them! When Sofia and Quinn arrived we couldn't be more excited. The girls and I packed up our presents for the babies along with a bottle for each one. The girls spent a lot of time explaining to Stefania that they were big girls now, and her babies could use the bottles! Once again the girls shared their experiences with anyone that would listen. If they were asked "How are you?" or "What's new?" the girls would immediately explain "I a big girl now, I gave my bottles to the babies!"
This transition was a lot smoother than the elimination of the soothers. Since the girls were drinking milk during the day, they never really asked for the bottle at bedtime and we didn't have to replace it with milk before bed, it sort of just disappeared. The best disappearance was the washing of the bottles each night!! AWESOME!
Saturday, 4 April 2015
Convincing The Turkettes They Are "Big Girls Now"! Part 1
As 2014 was drawing to a close, my husband and I reflected on our comfortable, cozy life with Molly and Abigial. Routine, routine, routine was our mantra and the girls were thriving, but CHANGE was upon us. Not the simple change, where you decide to wear a different shirt. But the life-altering kind of change where you know the end product is going to be worth it, but you're uncertain of the journey. Now that the girls were two we realized we had four major transitions to survive. Eliminating the bottle, the soother, the diaper and the crib. I've listed them in the order we thought was going to best to attack them.
We chose the bottle as the first transition for a few reasons; the soother seemed like a battle I didn't feel like waging over the Christmas holidays and potty training or playing the "get back in bed game" didn't seem all that fun either. So the bottle was our first plan of attack. (It helped that we were both tired of cleaning them, LOL.) It was also becoming increasingly obvious that the girls didn't need or sometimes even want milk before bed anymore. We set the date, Saturday, December 20th, our first day of Christmas vacation and my god-daughter's birthday!
Of course, that's when the girls thought it would be best to throw us a curve ball. After a great birthday party with lots of fun entertainment for the girls we arrived home to make two glaring discoveries that put a halt to our plan. Our first discovery, the girls were having so much fun playing at the party, they barely did any eating at the party! When we started getting the girls for bed they started asking for their bottles. We were just discussing the option of retracting our plan and giving them a bottle anyway when Shawn discovered one of the soothers had been chewed almost
completely through. Since we were down to two soothers and if they've started chewing them, they're just going to continue, I decided at that moment that it was time for "no more soothers".
Talk about a plan diversion! No warning for us or for the girls...(maybe band-aids are better ripped off quickly!) we just gave the girls their bottle and then calmly explained that their soothers, or sue-sues as they affectionately referred to them, were broken and we had to throw them out. For the first few minutes the girls were very logical, thing that were broken needed to be thrown out, makes sense. But then the cute pleas from Molly came, "Daddy, fix it. Fix my sue-sue!" I'm not exactly sure how Shawn managed not to cave or run out to Shoppers and buy a replacement but we held our ground. Thankfully the girls only used their soothers for naps and bedtime so we only had two tricky times to overcome. Each time a nap or bedtime approached we would calmly explain that their soothers were broken and they were big girls now. The first three days were the hardest as the girls would complain a bit in bed before falling asleep. Then there was the sharing of their feelings where everyone from Grandma to the cashier at Zehrs had to hear the story about how the sue-sues were broken, Daddy couldn't fix it and they were big girls now.
It took about a week for the girls to stop talking about it on a daily basis. We thought it was going to be a painful journey but now that I'm not searching endlessly under a crib with a flashlight and a mini hockey stick for a soother at two in the morning, it was worth the transition!!
We chose the bottle as the first transition for a few reasons; the soother seemed like a battle I didn't feel like waging over the Christmas holidays and potty training or playing the "get back in bed game" didn't seem all that fun either. So the bottle was our first plan of attack. (It helped that we were both tired of cleaning them, LOL.) It was also becoming increasingly obvious that the girls didn't need or sometimes even want milk before bed anymore. We set the date, Saturday, December 20th, our first day of Christmas vacation and my god-daughter's birthday!
Of course, that's when the girls thought it would be best to throw us a curve ball. After a great birthday party with lots of fun entertainment for the girls we arrived home to make two glaring discoveries that put a halt to our plan. Our first discovery, the girls were having so much fun playing at the party, they barely did any eating at the party! When we started getting the girls for bed they started asking for their bottles. We were just discussing the option of retracting our plan and giving them a bottle anyway when Shawn discovered one of the soothers had been chewed almost
completely through. Since we were down to two soothers and if they've started chewing them, they're just going to continue, I decided at that moment that it was time for "no more soothers".
Talk about a plan diversion! No warning for us or for the girls...(maybe band-aids are better ripped off quickly!) we just gave the girls their bottle and then calmly explained that their soothers, or sue-sues as they affectionately referred to them, were broken and we had to throw them out. For the first few minutes the girls were very logical, thing that were broken needed to be thrown out, makes sense. But then the cute pleas from Molly came, "Daddy, fix it. Fix my sue-sue!" I'm not exactly sure how Shawn managed not to cave or run out to Shoppers and buy a replacement but we held our ground. Thankfully the girls only used their soothers for naps and bedtime so we only had two tricky times to overcome. Each time a nap or bedtime approached we would calmly explain that their soothers were broken and they were big girls now. The first three days were the hardest as the girls would complain a bit in bed before falling asleep. Then there was the sharing of their feelings where everyone from Grandma to the cashier at Zehrs had to hear the story about how the sue-sues were broken, Daddy couldn't fix it and they were big girls now.
It took about a week for the girls to stop talking about it on a daily basis. We thought it was going to be a painful journey but now that I'm not searching endlessly under a crib with a flashlight and a mini hockey stick for a soother at two in the morning, it was worth the transition!!
Sunday, 14 December 2014
Update on the Turkettes
The past few months have flown by with many great developments but unfortunately little time to blog about it. The girls have been learning like sponges, absorbing everything we say and do! Here are some of the exciting things the girls have been up to the past few months.
We can't wait until Christmas time and all of fun we will have together!
- Gymnastics at Club Jump: the girls LOVE being able to swing from the bars, jump on the trampoline and crawl through the tunnel. It is amazing to see how much their skills have developed just by participating in gymnastics once a week.
- Dancing at Fusion: along with their friends Blakely and Guiliana, the girls have started dancing at Fusion Dance Studio. Little dancing outfits, tiny tap and jazz shoes and a little bag complete the picture. It is hilarious to see the girls randomly trying out their dance moves at home from a tap, tap, tap to a heel, heel, heel and the odd hands on hips. Although the first few months brought tears at the beginning of each class, the girls have adjusting to 40 minutes of dance time while Mommy and her friends catch up over a cup of tea!
- Daycare at Debbie's: Every Wednesday's the girls travel to Debbie's house for daycare! Their friend Blakely from dance is there so it is a great opportunity the girls to play together. Blakely even made the girls special birthday cupcakes!
- Playing in the Snow: last year the girls were only able to sit in the snow and enjoy a sleigh ride. This year, however, the girls have LOVED the snow! We've attempted to make snow angels, build snowballs, jump in piles of snow and had some good laughs as the girls attempt to walk and run in the snow. The snowsuits are definitely making the girls look like little munchkins.
- Birthday Party: This year we held the girls' birthday party at Mount Carmel, Nana's home. They have a great basement hall that was perfect for the number of family and friends we had. The girls were able to sing Happy Birthday, enjoyed the Care Bear Cake and were overwhelmed by everyone's generosity!
We can't wait until Christmas time and all of fun we will have together!
Sunday, 7 September 2014
The First Day of School Photo
Every September, children take a photograph to mark their first day of school! Thanks to the great idea of my teaching partner Kristin, the girls have their own adult t-shirts to recognize that they will be the graduating class of 2030! Hopefully we can repeat this picture every year!
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| September 2013 |
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| September 2014 |
The Play House
Watching the girls play can bring endless hours of entertainment. The water table is currently the best attention grabber for the girls. Endless toys have made their way through the water table and the girls are more than happy to scoop up some water in a cup to cool down your feet! The only toy that could possibly top the enthusiasm for the water table is the plastic play house.
While venturing out on play dates this summer to visit the Vinc's, the Hulan's or the Gentile's the girls always made their way into the plastic play house. Molly in particular was quite taken with these homes and the girls would spend the majority of their visits walking in and out of the house, looking through the windows and playing with the gadgets inside. Thus began our quest to find a house for the girls to have at home. We tried Kijiji, the odd garage sale and finally posted our request for a play house on twitter. Shortly after one of our friends, Lazar, responded with a free house for the Turkettes. With the help of Greg and Nik we brought the DELUXE play house home! Assembling the house after the girls went to bed, we anxiously awaited their joyful reactions the next morning! Here are some pictures of the all the fun!
While venturing out on play dates this summer to visit the Vinc's, the Hulan's or the Gentile's the girls always made their way into the plastic play house. Molly in particular was quite taken with these homes and the girls would spend the majority of their visits walking in and out of the house, looking through the windows and playing with the gadgets inside. Thus began our quest to find a house for the girls to have at home. We tried Kijiji, the odd garage sale and finally posted our request for a play house on twitter. Shortly after one of our friends, Lazar, responded with a free house for the Turkettes. With the help of Greg and Nik we brought the DELUXE play house home! Assembling the house after the girls went to bed, we anxiously awaited their joyful reactions the next morning! Here are some pictures of the all the fun!
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| Loving the new house! |
Peek-a-boo!
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| Have your people call my people! |
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| This is AWESOME! |
Saturday, 2 August 2014
Why Every Toddler Should Own One of These!
Look at the absolute joy on these faces!
Screams and shouts of happiness!
Every toddler needs to experience this, including their parents. The sheer joy of hundreds of bubbles (effortlessly) flying through the air! You would hyperventilate before you could blow this many bubbles. The best part was sitting back, watching their wonder and awe as bubble were all around them. For under $10 the girls screamed, ran and chased bubbles all over our front porch...until the fish bubble maker was left out in the rain one unfortunate day.
Today She Said "No, No No!"
Five months ago, I sadly had to say "no" to blogging to maintain my sanity, the balancing act of working mommy became too much. As you can imagine, much has happened since my last post in March. Recently over the past few months, as the girls have become more curious and more active, a certain phrase has dominated our interactions; "no touch"! This phrase works wonders for all areas not baby proofed, while in the checkout line grocery shopping, when one little angel tries to steal a toy from her sister, when they are near the oven, or try to make a move for my cup of tea. The phrase was so effective, it would halt my daughters in their tracks, followed by big brown eyes searching for an explanation to which I would reply "Hot", or "Molly's", or "Careful".
Today however was different.
For the first time, and no less than 20 times today, Abigail told us NO! No she didn't want to be picked up, no she didn't want her towel and no she didn't want any more to eat. While this increased level of communication definitely makes her intentions more clearly known, she now also knows that I know what she means. After about a dozen NOs, it has become clear my daughter has no problem telling me all the things she doesn't want to do now that she's finally figured out how to tell me.
I'm sure it will only be a matter of time before Molly starts to echo her sentiments. Perhaps the terrible two's are upon us already!! What are we going to do about it? We have NO idea!!
Today however was different.
For the first time, and no less than 20 times today, Abigail told us NO! No she didn't want to be picked up, no she didn't want her towel and no she didn't want any more to eat. While this increased level of communication definitely makes her intentions more clearly known, she now also knows that I know what she means. After about a dozen NOs, it has become clear my daughter has no problem telling me all the things she doesn't want to do now that she's finally figured out how to tell me.
I'm sure it will only be a matter of time before Molly starts to echo her sentiments. Perhaps the terrible two's are upon us already!! What are we going to do about it? We have NO idea!!
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