The Calf Path

From time to time, I like to post things that really get me thinking, like a message that I heard at church yesterday.  I hope that my kids will read some of these some day and that they will mean something to them.

Yesterday, Steve said,"God doesn't beat people over the head until they relent; He loves them until they see who they really are."  And he posted this poem on his blog:

The Calf Path

Sam Walter Foss (1858-1911)

One day, through the primeval wood,

a calf walked home, as good calves should;

But made a trail all bent askew,

A crooked trail, as all calves do.

Since then three hundred years have fled,

And, I infer, the calf is dead.

But still he left behind his trail,

And thereby hangs my moral tail.

The trail was taken up next day

By a lone dog that passed that way;

And then a wise bellwether sheep

Pursued the trail o'er vale and steep,

And  drew the flock behind him too,

As good bellwethers always do.

And from that day, o'er hill and glade,

Through those old woods a path was made,

And many men wound in and out,

And dodged and turned and bent about,

And uttered words of righteous wrath

Because 'twas such a crooked path;

But still they followed- do not laugh-

The first migrations of that calf,

And through this winding wood-way stalked

Because he wobbled when he walked.

The forest path became a lane,

That bent and turned and turned again.

This crooked lane became a road,

What many a poor horse with his load

Toiled on beneath burning sun,

And traveled some three miles in one.

And thus a century and a half

They trod the footsteps of that calf.

The years passed on in swiftness fleet,

The road became a village street,

And this, before men were aware,

A city's crowded thoroughfare,

And soon the central street was this,

Of a renowned metropolis;

And men two centuries and a half, 

Trod in the footsteps of that calf.

Each day a hundred thousand rout

Followed that zigzag calf about,

And o'er his crooked journey went

The traffic of a continent.

A hundred thousand men were led

By one calf near three centuries dead.

They follow still his crooked way,

And lose one hundred years a day,

For thus such reverence is lent

To well-established precedent.

A moral lesson this might teach

Were I ordained and called to preach;

For men are prone to go it blind

Along the calf-paths of the mind,

And work away from sun to sun

To do what other men have done.

The follow in the beaten track,

And out and in, and forth and back,

And still their devious course pursue,

To keep the path that others do.

They keep the path a scared groove,

Along which all their lives they move;

But how the wise old wood-gods laugh,

Who saw the first primeval calf!

Ah, many things this tale might teach-

But I am not ordained to preach.

Hide-and-Seek

I'm not sure where the kids first played hide-and-seek.  I think it was probably here at home with Daddy, but it could have been at their grandparents' house.

A note from Daddy: We first played hide-n-seek at home with Daddy.  It started as a game where the kids were running into the family room and I would jump out from behind the chair and surprise them.  It was a lot of fun watching them squeal with delight, turn around, run into the kitchen, turn around and run back into the family room to be "surprised" again.  One time I hid around the corner just before they came running into the family room.  They were a little confused why I wasn't there to greet them.  After a few seconds, I jumped out and surprised them.  They LOVED it and wanted more.  As the game evolved, I would hide farther and farther away from the original surprise spot.  Soon it turned into a full fledged game of hide-n-seek.  And they have been requesting it regularly ever since.

Lately, this is one of their favorite games, and I have to say that we think it is adorable.  They love to count, hide and try to find one another (and us).  Lately, Vivienne loves for Mommy or Daddy to hide with her while Miles does the counting and seeking.  Luckily, Miles is eager to oblige.  I guess that's one of the greatest benefits of having a twin - at least as a young child - that you have a built-in playmate with you all the time.

The "hiders" aren't incredibly discreet.  Vivienne will yell, "I'm over HERE!" while she is hiding.  Needless to say, this reveals her hiding spots rather quickly. 

We're loving that they are at an age where we can play simple games with them.  It's an incredible joy to hear them giggle and watch their little heads bobbing as they run.  We're halfway through them, but I don't think the two's are so terrible.

Beginning Potty Training

We have slowly begun to potty train Miles and Vivienne.  For a while now, we have had a couple of little potties in the downstairs bathroom.  The kids mainly just dragged them into the family room to play with them.  I know it sounds gross, but they had never really been used before.

Suddenly, Vivienne showed real interest in using the potties.  I started asking her if she wanted to use it, and she said that she did.  She has had a few days where she only wet her diaper during her naps, but most days she just uses it a handful of times.  Miles has just recently started using it a couple of times per day, too.  Each time they use it, they get a Skittle.  That seems to be a good incentive for them, but often they will refuse to use the potty for some reason.  I don't push it, because I feel that we should just wait for them to be ready for these types of things - makes it less painful for them and for us.  I know that they will be using the potty before they turn 18, so it will all work out in time.

We're hoping that they slowly start using the potty more and more, and we're looking forward to the day when we only have one child in cloth diapers (or even NO children in diapers, but that seems so far away).  In the meantime, I really don't mind washing them that much.  Using cloth diapers has been very manageable for us, and I'm so glad that we do it (for cost savings and the environment).

So we're making baby steps toward potty training.  No pun intended.

Toddler Photo Session Shenanigans

Well, I got one with everyone looking in the same direction, but NOT the best face on Vivienne.

Evelyn is 6 Months!

Evelyn had her first half-birthday a few days ago.  This year seems to be flying by, in great part due to the two 2-year-olds that keep me on my toes all day.  Almost every day, we are going to a museum or going to a playground or having a play date with friends... and often we are doing more than one of those things in the same day.  We basically never have a day where we stay home, unless someone is sick. There is just too much to see and do, and getting out and about helps the kids burn off energy, gives them the opportunity to learn and gives me the opportunity to maintain my sanity (even though it is exhausting sometimes).

Evelyn is an incredibly sweet, easy-going baby.  She rarely cries, and usually it's just to tell us that she is hungry or needs a nap.  She loves to smile and giggle, and she has very expressive eyes.  She adores her brother and sister, who frequently bring her toys and tickle her and make her laugh.

Evelyn sleeps fairly well at night.  She had her very first 12-hour straight stretch of sleep a couple nights ago - sleeping from 7 pm until almost 7 am without feeding.  Wow - what a difference 8 hours of sleep makes for me!  Since we're not doing bottles, I always have to feed her myself.  I love nursing her, but I will say that every now and then it would be nice if someone else could feed her at 4 am.  Evelyn also doesn't take a pacifier at all, but she does suck her thumb.  I guess we just like to avoid plastic nipples in all forms.  :)

Evelyn's 6-month doctor's appointment went very well.  We have no concerns with her at all.  She rarely spits up, and she seems to be moving right along with the rolling over and sitting up and vocal skills.  Here are her stats:

• Height: 26.5 in (76%)
• Weight:  17 lb 1 oz (69%)
• Head Circumference: 16.8 (65%)

She can easily roll all the way over now (both directions), and she has almost mastered sitting up.  She needs a bit of assistance with balance, but she can sit up on her own for short periods of time before toppling over.  Evelyn loves to stand if we hold her under her shoulders for balance, but she has a long way to go before she could stand on her own (or even holding onto something like a table for support).  She locks out her knees, so she doesn't bounce much yet.

She has gotten very vocal over the past few weeks - with lots of squealing and a new affinity for the "b" consonant sound.  We hear a lot of "ba ba ba ba" around here.

Evelyn's hair is really growing in, and she has a head full of dark, crazy fuzz.  She has the warmest deep brown eyes... definitely my brown-eyed girl.  Her complexion is dark and smooth, and she has rolls on her legs that just won't stop.

We haven't really begun to feed her any solid foods yet.  I have given her the occasional taste of yogurt or other foods that we're eating, but she basically still only nurses.  I have no plans for starting her on solids any time soon.  I mainly just don't want to add something else to my plate (no pun intended), and she can develop perfectly well on my milk so I feel no need to rush it. 

Evelyn has the sweetest disposition, and I can't wait to get to know her better as her little personality blossoms.   Thanks for being a part of our family, baby girl.  And thanks for being so mellow and taking it so easy on Mommy.  Love you!

Perpetuating Mispronunciation

How is that for a long title?

Well, we generally try to gently correct the kids when they mispronounce words.  They usually have pretty clear pronunciation for 2-year-olds.  However, I have to say that some of their mispronunciations are just downright adorable.  Miles asks us to pick up the "remote cachine" (like "remote machine" but with a "c" sound) to turn on the "TB."  And Vivienne will often look up at me and say,"Carry you, Mommy!" instead of "carry me."  I correct Vivienne's English, but I think our family may permanently call it a "remote cachine" from now on.

Twin Dynamics and Sharing

I absolutely love the relationship between Miles and Vivienne.  They make my heart melt at their generosity and love for one another.  We recently realized that in their entire 2.5 years, they have only been apart from one another long enough for one of them to go to the doctor (never more than 2 hours).  They still sleep in cribs right next to each other.  They have never slept in separate rooms, not even for a single night.  It is easy to see how they have such a strong connection to one another, and they think of each other very often.

For example, at Grandma's house, if Vivienne gets a cookie, she will say,"Miles?"  Grandma will hand her another cookie and she will rush over to give it to her brother.  She does this almost without fail when she is getting a snack or treat at home or at Grandma's house.

At church today, the teacher said that another child took Vivienne's snack from her.  The teacher went to get another snack for Vivienne, and when she returned, she realized that Miles had given his snack to Vivienne.  And, believe me, Miles loves to eat.  He just has a soft spot for his sister.

After church, the kids were playing in the yard.  They were actually playing in the mulch around our sugar maple.  (As an aside, it is very hard for me to let the kids simultaneously mess up my mulch while they are getting their church clothes dirty, but I make a conscious effort to allow them to do things like this.  Having fun is worth a little laundry and raking afterward to clean up their mess.)  Vivienne ran to the garage to get a pail for her dirt.  Without any prompting, she brought back two buckets - one for her and one for her brother.

Of course, Miles and Viv also have their moments every day where they are fighting over a balloon or a bike or toy, but they are generally very kind and thoughtful and generous with one another.  I love having twins, and I hope that they keep this closeness forever.