Sentences

Jack said his first (understandable) four word sentence today. He said "I see the sun". Unfortunately we were driving around in the dark at the time. Claims of genius may be premature at this point. But we remain optimistic.
Kaelin, on the other hand, sticks to primarily one word sentences, her all time favorite being "Mine!", followed closely by "NO!". And though her sentences don't plumb the depths of the English language at this point, her message comes through loud and clear.

Jack has H1N1

Jack has H1N1. His symptoms are mild at this point. They are so mild, that we almost did not take him to the doctor and when we did, the doctor almost did not test him for the virus. We have both him and Kaelin on medication. I'm home with them today. We're hoping for the best.

From Wikipedia -

The 2009 flu pandemic is a global outbreak of a new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1, termed Pandemic H1N1/09 virus by the World Health Organization (WHO),[2] that was first identified in April 2009. The disease has also been termed 2009 H1N1 Flu by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),[3] and colloquially called swine flu.
The outbreak was first observed in Mexico, [4][5] with evidence that there had been an ongoing epidemic for months before it was officially recognized as such.[6] The Mexican government soon closed most of Mexico City's public and private offices and facilities to contain the spread of the virus. As the virus quickly spread globally, clinics were overwhelmed by testing and treating patients, and the WHO and the CDC eventually stopped counting all cases and focused instead on tracking major outbreaks. On June 11, 2009, WHO declared the outbreak to be a pandemic.[7]
Only mild symptoms are experienced by the overwhelming majority of victims,[7] but there are exceptions. Some persons are in higher risk groups, such as those with asthma, diabetes,[8][9] obesity, heart disease, children with neurodevelopmental conditions[10], or persons who are pregnant or have a weakened immune system.[11] And there are small subsets of patients, even among young persons previously healthy, in which the patient rapidly develops severe pneumonia, typically 3 to 5 days after initial onset of symptoms. Deterioration can be very rapid, with many patients progressing to respiratory failure within 24 hours, requiring intensive care and ventilation support.[12] And there is a somewhat different pattern in which a child, including a child who is generally quite healthy, seems to be recovering and then relapses with high fever. This can be a secondary infection of bacterial pneumonia, which needs treatment with antibiotics.[13]
Like other influenza viruses, novel H1N1 influenza is spread by coughing, sneezing, or touching contaminated surfaces and then touching the nose or mouth. Symptoms, which last up to a week, are similar to those of seasonal flu, and can include fever, sneezing, sore throat, cough, headache, and muscle or joint pains. To avoid spreading the infection, the CDC recommended that those with symptoms stay home from school, work, and crowded settings; in general, wearing facial masks was not recommended, except in health care settings.[14]

Yo-Yo's and Peeps

Immediately when we came in the house last night, Jack started pointing to the kitchen cabinet saying "yo yo" over and over. The problem was there were no "yo yo's" to be found. When I explained that to him he let me know that this was unacceptable by saying "yo yo" faster and louder. Of course I panicked. Why is it that at work I remain calm when people are running around with their hair on fire, but when my kids start throwing a tantrum I freak out a little bit? Who knows. Anyway, it turns out the whole thing was a big misunderstanding. "Yo Yo's" and Cherios are apparently the same thing. I gave Jack (and of course Kaelin) some Cherios and we all had a big laugh over the thing. Not really. They didn't think it was funny at all. But I did laugh a little.

Laura's Mom and Dad arrived yesterday. Laura and I had a celebration dance in the kitchen. We're looking forward to a vacation although I already am starting to miss the kids and we haven't left yet.

On another note, My Dad is painting the kitchen for us. It looks great.

Picture Day - part 2

Yesterday was picture day here at the house. A friend of mine, Mandy, is a professional photographer and she and her husband came over to the house to photograph the kids. Jack pretty much immediately threw up on the nice outfit his Mom picked out for him so most of his pictures were in his tye-dye shirt. Kaelin kept pulling on the $30 dollar sweater that her Mom bought for her saying "stuck, stuck". Finally Laura took that off her. But they still looked very cute and the pictures went well. Nice coincidence, Mandy's husband actually helped install the wiring closet in the house we are living in and is going to help me get this place wired for sound ... and video. Today Laura's parents should be arriving. They are going to watch the kids while Laura and I go to Chicago to her friend KT's wedding.

Picture Day

Yesterday was "picture day" at daycare. We knew about it but apparently did not grasp the significance. Jack wore a Gap sweat suit and Kaelin wore her Puma sweat suit. Very cute. What we did not expect is what all the other kids would be wearing ... their Sunday best! When they prepared all the kids for breakfast, the day care workers took the clothes off all the kids so as not to get them dirty prior to the pictures. All the kids, that is, except ours. It was a small part embarassing and a large part funny. At least the kids aren't old enough to be scarred by the event.

October 5, 2009

Back to work today. I did not get there as early as I would like so I ended up staying later. The Kids got a 5PM pick up which is late for them. It was a short night. They ate tuna, sweet patatoes, carrots and cereal for dinner. Laura got home around 6PM and we played outside after dinner. Jack stayed out a long while playing t-ball. Kaelin and I came in early and watched the new Elmo, "All About Faces". There's a boy on that video who REALLY LOVES HIS FACE. Who knew? Uneventful bath and bed time and then ... Jack decided he wanted to get up and watch Elmo at 11PM. He could not be persuaded otherwise and as it usually happens with these two, Kaelin isn't going to let Jack do something she can't do. 11:o5 PM, two Kids, two parents, 1 Elmo "All About Faces Video". At 12 midnight, following a lot of snacking and crying (mostly me), the kid's where back in bed. Needless to say we are getting a late start this morning.

Just the Facts

Today Laura fixed pancakes and sausage for the kids and I for breakfast. We went to church. Laura worked two shifts in the nursery and kept the twins with her. We all took a nap after church. Laura fixed stir fry for lunch and fish for dinner. We spent a while playing in the back yard and then at Yellow Creek Park. We hit the tee ball in the back yard. They love to watch me hit the balls. Kaelin is so good at getting the balls and bringing them back, Jack too, but Kaelin seems to take special pride in it. Jack took a couple of swings himself. He picks up the bat from the wrong end, but he is trying and will no doubt master this like he has mastered the jump shot. The kids loved the jungle gym at the park. They are getting very good at climbing around on it. I love to watch the big old smiles on their faces while they run around on the equipment. Occasionally they will come to loggerheads with one wanting to go one direction and the other wanting to go in the opposite. When that happens they look at each other and laugh hysterically like someone has told a very funny joke ... twins. Jack is preparing himself to go down steps. Every time he finds a small step off (curb etc.), he practices stepping down it and then back up and every time he steps down and eventually regains control of himself, he looks back at his Mom and I to make sure we are watching. He is very proud of himself.

Oh Wawa

Jack has been speaking a lot in the past month. He has learned "Wawa", "Duck", "Dog dog", "Mow" (Meow), and "Moo" to name a few. Lately there is a new development however. He has learned to put the word "Oh" in front of other words to make a "sentence". Now "Wawa" has become "Ooooh Wawa" and "Duck" has become "Ooooh Duck" and ... well you get the point. It is great fun to watch. One of the words he uses routinely, "Wawa" has Laura and I a bit perplexed. Each day on the way home from "skoo" (daycare), when we get off the bypass and onto our exit, Jack will shout out "Ooooh Wawa"! The problem is, we can never see the "Wawa" ourselves. We know from experience that he knows what the word means, but we're not sure where the water actually is. It has gotten to the point that I have almost run off the road a couple of times trying to see what he sees or where he is looking. I think he is just messing with us. He probably realizes that there is no water there and is playing a joke on us. The problem is, he doesn't know how to say "I made you look" yet. When he does, I for one believe that this mystery will then be solved. Until then, I'll probably still be looking for "wawa".

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend



It's been an eventful Memorial Day weekend so far. Friday we took the kids to the doctor. They both had ear infections. Kaelin we knew because we could see the drainage. Jack was a suprise. Our rule of taking both kids to the doctor when one of them is sick paid off once again. Saturday we went to the pool with the kids. Kaelin loved it. Jack was less enthusiastic. He wasn't feeling well. Sunday was a blur ... Church, Laura at the Grocery, a trip to the mall, Laura took the kids for a walk while I mowed part of the yard. The trip to the mall was note worthy. We decided to give the kids gobs of ice cream while we were there. Man did they love it. And as expected, approximately 10 minutes after they ate the ice cream they both went off like bottle rockets. Thankfully the mall was deserted and there was a large and relatively self contained area that we kept them in. They had a ball running around. It was fun to watch until ... the smell. Jack filled his diaper which leads to the next rather unpleasant subject ...



Poo talk



Bath time Saturday was fun. K had a suprise poo in her diaper that I did not discover until I step in some of it and found the rest of it floating in the tub with the two of them. Upon evacuation of the tub, Laura watched two naked babies in their room while I sanitized the tub. No suprise, Jack took this opportunity to take his fourth poo of the day and this time on the carpet in their room. This is all part of a larger trend started by the Bug who is now routinely relieving herself in the kids play area.

Happy Easter

More Pictures

The Twin's 1st Birthday