Toddler Meals: Part 2

The twins are eating us out of house and home already - and they're only 1 year old! It seems like I feed them 20 times a day now that they are eating solids (minus one bottle at bedtime) because they snack... all. the. time. We're trying to get out of that habit, though. 

Currently they wake up at 7 a.m. and have a 10 ounce sippy cup of whole milk and a handful of Cheerios. At 9 a.m. we eat a real breakfast - this is their biggest meal of the day... I swear I can't feed them enough in the morning! They eat a snack (Goldfish, Cheerios, share a pouch) at noon and real lunch at 1:30. Sometimes they need a snack while I'm cooking dinner... heck, even I like to snack while I'm cooking dinner. Dinner is at 5 p.m. and their bedtime snack is at 7:30 p.m.

Like I said, it seems like feeding them is an all day long event. I make as much of their food and pouches as I have time to, and keep very few processed foods in the house - mostly snacks like Goldfish and chicken nuggets (because, Andy.) Everything that I make for them or that I make for dinner is doubled and we eat every last bit of the leftovers! Making everything in bulk saves me a lot of time... less cooking, fewer dishes to clean.

Here's a sample of what they've been eating recently!

Leftover penne with meat sauce, sweet potato fried, peaches and pears

Leftover chicken alfredo, sweet potato fries, applesauce with pumpkin pie spice

Fish sticks with ketchup, black beans and peaches

Mac & cheese (boxed) with steamed veggies, hotdog (processed), tater tots (processed) and mixed fruits. Not my best meal!

 

Leftover penne with meat sauce, string cheese, green beans and peaches

Spinach stuffed grilled cheese sandwich, spinach and cheddar omelette slices and roasted sweet potato

Sweet potatoes are a huge hit in this house! Whether it is pureed in a pouch, mixed with yogurt and pumpkin pie spice, in fry form or baked... they'll eat it! And they'll eat it first!

Ways I like to sneak extra fruits and veggies into food:

• Pancakes - add pureed banana, carrot, avocado, blueberries, pumpkin, etc
• Omelettes - add anything! A little bit of cheese with almost any vegetable
• Sandwiches - grilled cheese with spinach, butternut squash, etc. 
• Pasta sauce - puree carrot, celery, onion, green or red peppers and add it to your sauce along with all of the tomato-y goodness
• Oatmeal - toss in any fruit
• Pouches - I make all of my pouch foods except for the emergency stash I keep in the diaper bag (doesn't have to be refrigerated) and blend yogurt, applesauce, and/or oatmeal with ANY fruit or vegetable. My kids love any of their various colored "smoothies!"

5 Nearly Free Toddler Toys

The boys are 13 months old now. They walk, run, play all day and need constant supervision. [Hence the recent decline in posts.] Luckily, there are two of them and they can play together quite nicely. But that also means twice the clean up, food prep and double the trouble to watch out for. At. All. Times. Seriously, all times. 

While the boys do have a butt-ton (ass-load?) of toys that they received for Christmas and their birthdays, I find myself constantly needing to come up with activities for them. Activities that will keep them occupied for AT LEAST a half hour. So I can have some peace and quiet, eat lunch or, heaven forbid, clean something!

Here are a couple of toys and activities I have come up with over the last few weeks that are free or nearly free, easy to create and provide at least a half hour of entertainment.

1. Old magazines and newspapers. Heck, even a couple of pieces of scrap paper of junk mail. Anything that they can carry around and then shred whenever they fancy works. One old magazine can be shred into thousands of smaller magazines if they really set their minds to it! Once the pieces get too small, they tend to bring them to me as though I have magical powers to put it back together. They used to try to eat the pieces but have since grown out of that stage so this is a great distraction for when I need to focus on cooking or even just run to the restroom. Yay!

2. Balloons. I bought a pack of 25 balloons the last time I was at the dollar store and they have lasted almost 2 months. A couple here, a couple there. The boys love kicking, hitting and throwing them around. The cats also get in on this action which makes it even more exciting for the boys. If I have the balloons out, I stay nearby so I can see or hear if any of them pop so that they don't become choking hazards.

Loving the balloons during their birthday photo shoot with Auntie Kara!

3. Sensory water bags. Put a couple of small trinkets and waterproof items in a quart-sized heavy duty Ziploc bag, fill with water, remove excess air, and seal. These are a hit and are actually quite durable. It probably won't even cost you a penny either considering most households have plastic bags and small junk items within an arm's reach. When/if they spring a leak you can either toss the whole thing in the trash or plop it into a gallon sized bag to extend the life expectancy.

This kept them busy while I wrote this post in its entirety... heck yea!

4. Food. Lemon and lime slices to be specific. If I'm cooking a recipe that calls for lemon and/or lime, I'm sure to save the slices for the boys and let the hilarity ensue. Be sure to video tape or capture some pictures the first time you do this because it is PRICELESS.

Really unsure, but going back for more.

So shocked that his hair stood up! ...just kidding, he has bed head.

5. Bottles with lids. Andy has these over-sized, durable plastic bottles for his Soda Stream. The caps are huge as well so we don't have to worry about choking hazards. The boys love to mix and match and put the lids on the bottles. They haven't figured out how to take the lids off yet, but they will bring them to me. It's a little work on my part but it keeps them busy for a good, long time with minimal effort and attention on my part. This one is a hit while I prepare dinner because they can be in the kitchen and close by to me while they work on this project.

Smart little cookie hard at work!

Also, in case you haven't seen this super cute twins video that went viral over the last few days, here it is. The Best Kept Secret - surprise gender announcement/twins announcement! If only this would have ever crossed my mind before we announced my pregnancy!

Life with twins at 1 year!

My baby boys are ONE YEAR OLD! We have officially moved out of the newborn/infant/baby stage and into the terrifying toddler years. [insert an ominous "oooooh" here]  They walk, they babble, they throw epic temper tantrums already! They learn something new everyday and you can almost see their little minds at work figuring things out, sometimes I swear they sit in their cribs during nap time learning new stuff just to freak me out. They also get this devilish little grin when you tell them "no!" and then continue to do what they were doing. Yup, full blown toddlers already. 

I was so scared to try to wean these guys off of bottles and on to real food completely. It didn't seem like they would be ready for it by the time they were a year old. Or maybe it was me that didn't feel ready for it emotionally.  Around 11 - 11 1/2 months old, they did the weaning for me! They started "declining" afternoon bottles and then fighting me to drink their breakfast bottle the following week. At this point we are offering them one bottle before bed and that's it. And, usually, they don't want it... but they have the option to drink it for the time being.

Until we go to the pediatrician in April and get the okay to be done with bottles.


Our Schedule:
7 a.m. - Wake up, 10 ounce sippy cup of whole milk and a handful of Cheerios
9 a.m. - Breakfast
10 a.m. - Nap #1
12 p.m. - Snack
1:30 p.m. - Lunch
3 p.m. - Nap #2... awake by 4:15 at the latest!
5 p.m. - Dinner
7 p.m. - Start bedtime routine. Bath, pajamas, offer a bottle, read a book
7:30 - 7:45 - Everyone asleep!

There is much more flexibility now that we're not tied to bottles - and I have fewer diaper bag necessities to carry with me at all times. Nap time is also more flexible although they still need 2 naps. No way, no how, would we get through the day without 2 naps. I have to limit their total nap time to 3 hours during the day to preserve their nighttime sleep. Oliver sleeps like a rock so I am always having to wake him.
Babies are a complex balancing act! 

Where we are now: 

• We walk, we run, we ...climb?! AH!
• We point, throw things, fetch (oops?)  and figure out how to use our toys
• We feed ourselves... sometimes with silverware!
• We have quite a vocabulary of babbles, sounds, screams and grunts
• We can respond to simple commands such as "give" and "where's the kitty?"
• We have 7 1/2 teeth each! 4 on top and 3 completely broken through on the bottom with a little canine tooth on its way in
• We clap, wave bye-bye and can help clean up... if we want to.

Here's what we've been up to!

We are legitimate crazy people!

Like, super crazy!

We sucker Dad into giving up piggy backs!

Learning new skills everyday

They're a huge fan of blocks!

And figuring out this gear-spinny-toy

Watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse every morning

My sweet Lizzie Kadeepah!

This just in! I caught Emmy putting lids on bottles!

These kids are hilarious (just like me?) and are getting into more trouble and having more adventures each day. I find myself staring at them for a good long time each day just wondering how they got so big and adult-baby-like so quickly. I'm sad that I'll never be getting these days back but I'm soooo excited to see what kind of fun we can have tomorrow.

Tips for Moving with Babies

We recently moved about 25 minutes away. With twin toddlers. Yes, we are crazy and yes, it was a really really really long but well-planned out event. I do not recommend moving with small children if you can at all avoid it, but you know that's not always possible. The boys were 11 months old, walking and eating solid food, with about 4 bottles a day still, so your experience may vary!  Here are a couple of tips I have for you - in case you ever need to go through this.

1. Pack up baby necessities last. We barely touched the boys' nursery until the morning of the move. Unlike adult humans, little humans tend to get grumpy if they don't have their specific crib to sleep in, their specific toy when they want it or enough outfits to last them a week. Adult humans can live out of a suitcase for a week if needed and don't need rails and pacifiers to go to sleep.

2. Set up the baby area first. Make sure their stuff is the first stuff you find and unpack so you're not looking for that one lovey or blankie come bed time, because it will have been a really long day and you will not want to try to find it. Not that your screaming baby will give you time to find it, anyway. Also, set up a baby-proofed safe spot for them first thing so they are not running around sticking fingers in electrical sockets or playing in a toilet. You'll thank me later for this idea, even though it seems like common sense. 

3. Keep their schedule as close to the same as possible. MAKE SURE THEY CAN NAP. We dealt with two overly tired babies because they did not nap well. Bedtime was a disaster. You'll also want to make sure they eat (pre-make a couple of meals that travel well so you're not scrambling trying to come up with food at the last minute!) around the same times they usually do. Don't let them skip a meal because they are too distracted by everything else that's going on.

4. Do as much as you can in one day. Instead of trying to deal with a week of out-of-whack-ness, try to consolidate and do everything you can in one day. Even if that day ends up being 20 hours long. Instead of having overstimulated, exhausted babies fighting bedtime for a week, make it a day or two. You're an adult, you can do it - I believe in you!

5. Enlist help. Like so much help. If you think you have enough help, double it. We called in every favor we could and had about 12 people helping us move in one day. I was in charge of unpacking as the man-folk brought loads of stuff from our old house. I had at least one person assigned to a baby at any given time and then extra people helping wherever and whenever they could. It helps that I have a big family and everyone has a significant other... so... lots of capable hands to do heavy lifting! Now we'll just have to pay back the favors whenever someone else is moving...