Guest Blogger

Megan is away for almost a week on a work trip to Seattle, so it's just me, the kiddos, and Jorge struggling on our own. Things are going fairly well so far, but damn these three little creatures sure know how to wear me out!

On Saturday we went to a birthday party (Ellie turned 2!). The kids had a ton of fun playing with the crayons and eating cupcakes (big, BIG mess -- I ended up cleaning each kid in the kitchen sink, and Ian basically had a chocolate cake beard by the time he was finished).

On Sunday, or big outing was an all to short of a trip to Target for more milk and diapers. The rest of the day, we went a little bonkers in the house.

Today was different. We went to an open gym at a local community center and played with a lot of balls with some other kids, and daddy got to show the kids how to shoot some basketballs (I think I impressed them with my skills). After that, we went upstairs to a "Parents Resource Center" and played in a crowded room with a ton of toys and other kids and stuck around for circle time. I was the only man in the room. This outing must have totally worn them out 'cause they are currently pushing into hour #3 of their afternoon nap!

Since Mamma has been away, the main thing that has changed has been our bedtime ritual. Before, we'd give them baths (most every other night) and then Meg would take one up to bed for stories and some breast milk while I'd take the other one downstairs for cleaning up and reading stories until Momma would come down stairs and give him/her some breast milk before bed. Then I would take that one up and tuck him/her into bed.

This routine has been going rather smoothly for us for some months now.

This big trip, for Meg, however, may be the weening of the little ones (although I think Meg still thinks there's a chance it will last longer when she returns).

For the past few nights our routine has been to play for a little after dinner and have some milk while we clean up the toys. Then we go upstairs for a bath. This has been the hardest part. I think every night there has been one (if not both) of them who has been naked and peed somewhere along the short distance from their bedroom to the bath tub. After the bath, I get them into their pajamas, read a few books with them, and then we brush teeth with new toothbrushes and some training toothpaste.

All goes pretty well until the moment I turn off the lights in the room and then they both scream like mad. But this screaming rarely lasts more than a minute or two.

In addition to the bedtime routine change, to let them know they're living the "bachelor" lifestyle, we have cold pizza for breakfast, but other than that, most everything else is normal.

Occasionally, one of them (most often Ian), will blurt out "Mamma!" I explain to him that she's in Seattle, and that she'll be home on Thursday, but I don't think he understands (although they're always surprising me by how much they comprehend).







We'll Mamma, we are surviving, but we do miss you and look forward to seeing you on Thursday night!

Halloween

In the run-up to Halloween, Eleanor and Ian became acquainted with their Halloween costumes. We left them in the living room with their toys. Everyday, they would hold up their costumes, requesting that we put them on them. Nannie Perese got a preview when she was here the weekend before Halloween.

Ladybug and Zebra

Dog in Zebra's clothing

We spent Halloween on our front porch with our neighbors. There were lots of exotic little animals. It was a bit more chaotic than usual.

Zebra tries a KitKat

Ladybug, Zebra, and Cow gang up on Farmer

Dog wants Halloween treat

Spring Park Rocks!

Last week, I took the kids to nearby Spring Park. For the first time, they actually enjoyed the play equipment slightly more than the wood chips on the ground! We were there for two hours and the time flew by. I took lots of pictures of them enjoying themselves.

Visitin'

My dear friend from high school came down to meet Ian and Eleanor a few weeks ago. Kara is now the mother to two adorable boys. Her youngest, Ashland, made the trip with her. We had a very low-key weekend because the three babies were on totally opposite nap schedules.

Kara and Ash

The following weekend, Kevin and Eleanor went camping with the Penn State crowd. Ian and I weren't feeling very well, so we just hung out with friends in the neighborhood. We took a walk with Aaron and Milo and attended Isaiah's first birthday party.

Eleanor watches the older kids play

Over Columbus Day weekend, we packed up the kids and the dog and went to Pittsburgh. The weather was lovely so we went to the zoo. Ian was so excited about the animals. He screamed and pointed for much of the visit. Eleanor was quite and wide-eyed.

Ian, PopPop, and GiGi at the Pittsburgh Zoo

Eleanor and Kevin at the zoo (with GiGi in the background)

A very happy birthday

Eleanor and Ian turned one last month. The occasion gave us an excuse to throw a little party. And by little, I mean big. It was the biggest party we've ever had! Folks were spread throughout the house, porches, and the backyard, so it didn't feel like a crowd. It was wonderful but we needed lots and lots of help to pull it off. Thanks to everyone who made it happen (especially the Pereses who brought food, and cooked, and cleaned with us on Saturday morning).

During the party, Ian and Eleanor played with friends and family, napped a little, and dined on some delicious treats. They loved the tomato and spinach pie and their iced birthday cupcakes.

They were like deer in headlights during the Happy Birthday song

A boy and his cupcake

A girl and her cupcake

The day before the party, Ian started to walk. But he didn't do it regularly or confidently until a few weeks later. He's still a bit shaky, but it is now his preferred method of transport. And now we've got two toddlers toddling all around!

Adios, Summer

The babies are having an eventful August and September. Some of the highlights include:

The Mini-Reunion. A subset of Gallaghers, including the New Yorkers, Takoma Parkers, and Annapolitans, got together in early August. We cooled off at the community pool ('cool' is the word for the dudes in the image below), feasted on grillables, and enjoyed each other's kids.

Uncle Mannie, Uncle Chris, and Kevin catching some rays

Aunt MG and Aunt Elisa relaxing by the baby pool

Cousin Gabriel (in the stroller), Ian, and Eleanor rest after frolicking in the pool

Cousins Hugh, Finn, Gabriel, Eleanor, Ian, and Owen

The Professor. My dear old friend and college roommate Amy Johnson came to visit us last month. She is a professor and researcher now and came up from Columbia, South Carolina with her dog Ella. At the Montgomery County fair, we bought cheap sunglasses, ate greasy food, and watched the pig races.

Amy and I

The pig race (or trot)

Ella and Eleanor

The Surprise Party. We celebrated PopPop Perese's 60th birthday with a party at the Pitners in mid-August. The babies ate picnic food for the first time - hot dogs, baked beans, and corn salad were big hits. (But I forgot my camera I don't have pictures of the event.)

The Teeth. Both babies have teeth emerging from their upper gums. It's definitely giving me a sense of what they'll look like as kids.

The Walk. Eleanor has become a walker. She likes to hold something in each of her hands as she walks around the house. She looks like a little tiny drunken sailor.

Watch out - here she comes!

The Talk. Ian has become a talker. He has specific words for ball (BAH), dog (DGIDGIDGI), and banana (NANA). I also think he's saying guitar (TAH) but I've been accused of hearing things before so I will wait until I'm sure before reporting with certainty.

The Virus. We had out first stomach virus a couple weeks ago. Ian had diarrhea for days, which we thought was due to teething his top front two teeth. But then he started throwing up, and became more lethargic. His dad took him to the emergency room where he was deemed mildly dehydrated but treated only with a anti-nausea drug. A couple days later, his appetite and personality reappeared. Just in time for Eleanor to get it. She didn't have it nearly as bad, but it was ugly around here for about a week.

The Lancaster Reunion. The Gallagher clan got together in Lancaster, PA to celebrate cousin Maeva's first birthday. It was SO good to see Bernie and Kate - and to get a "grab and sniff" of Maeva. My mom's back had recovered enough for her to make the trip. Kevin stayed home with Ian so that Eleanor and I could make it. It was a great trip but way too short.

Cousin Maeva and Eleanor focus on grass

Cousin Gabriel and Uncle Mannie work the camera

GiGi, PopPop, and Uncle Bernie

Cousin Maeva and Aunt Kate

Aunt MG and Eleanor

The Beach. Eleanor and Ian had a blast on the beach with PopPop (Perese) and MomMom last weekend. The weather was windy and overcast but that didn't bother us one bit.

Happy beach babies

PopPop and Eleanor dodge waves

Walking on the promenade with MomMom

MomMom and PopPop take a (brief) rest

Family portrait

And finally, The Car. Our 1994 Honda Civic was stolen from a side street while we were at the beach. Kevin loved that car. We're sad and pissed about it. And we think that the babies are disappointed, too.

(Oh, yeah, this is also the eve of their FIRST BIRTHDAY. What a wild and wonderful year it's been.)

Yikes!

I'm sure I'll eventually acclimate to the world of toddler-hood, but I am completely freaked out by it at the moment. It seems like Eleanor and Ian were infants such a short time ago and now they're doing things that I didn't imagine they'd do for months.

For example, Ian discovered that he can climb up and stand on the little table in the dining room where he used to enjoy playing with pots, wooden spoons, empty food containers, and whatnot. Kevin and I don't know exactly how to approach this - we don't want to discourage his physical development but we don't want him to get the idea that he can climb anything and everything he sees. Any suggestions?

Ian is a bad influence on Eleanor

Their new abilities are thrilling as well as scary. When I brought a couple of push toys up from the basement this morning, I never thought that the babies would embrace them so quickly. I guess they were ready for them.

Riding the firetruck

I am hoping to post soon about the fun we've had over the past two weekends with friends and family. Last weekend, Amy Johnson and her pooch Ella came up from Columbia, SC. The weekend before that, Mannie, Elisa, and Gabriel came down from Brooklyn for a visit in Annapolis. Unfortunately, my camera was not present for much of the fun so I am counting on my sibs to share their images. Stay tuned.

Things they both like (@ 10 months)

1. cheerios
2. hummus
   
3. standing at the end of their cribs to visit after naps
   
4. images of animals and babies
   
5. sippy cups
   
6. mulch
   
7. stealing toys from each other
   
8. "dancing"
   
9. watching birds from the back porch
   
10. black beans
11. infant Tylenol
    
12. turning pages of board books
    
13. the pool
    
14. Jorge's water bowl

Things she likes (@ 10 months)

1. eating firm food
2. squishing soft food
   
3. pointing and touching with her index finger
4. scrunching up her nose
5. sticking out her tongue
6. screaming
7. kissing
8. textures
   
9. Daddy's water bottle
10. making bubbles with her mouth when she says "mom"
11. the recycling bin
12. massaging food into her hair (behind her right ear)
13. digging in potted plants
14. climbing her brother
15. saying "bob"

Things he likes (@ 10 months)

1. food (everything, and in unlimited quantities)
2. talking to his food
   
3. smiling with his whole face - so hard that his eyes close
4. taking time out from playing to snuggle
5. taking time out from playing to rest his heavy head
6. babbling and shrieking
   
7. standing up in his high chair
8. pinching
9. pulling (Kevin's) chest hair
10. crawling over your shoulder when you're holding him
11. pooping in the baby pool
12. putting his hand over his face after a scrumptious bite of food
13. biting
14. dragging his pacifier along the slats of his crib
15. saying "ta"

The Unknown Comic

There's been a preponderance of video on this blog lately, but this one captures a fun moment at the Perese-Gallagher residence.

The wave pool

When I was growing up in the South Hills of Pittsburgh, there was a "wave pool" that simulated ocean waves. It was an exciting alternative to the regular old public pool. I haven't heard about another wave pool since that time. This video made me think of it:





Thanks to my boss Sue's spring cleaning, we have a sweet little kiddie pool. Getting it home from her house was a bit of a challenge, but yesterday's fun alone made it well worth the hassle.

Funny Bone(s)

The babies are cracking us up these days - tickling our funny bones.

Last weekend when John and Maria came down to visit us, Eleanor learned John's name immediately. She said Pop-Pop all weekend. Here's a little video clip:


On Sunday evening after they went home, Ian developed a strange little behavior during dinner that we captured on film:

Summer fun, that is

Summer has been good to us so far. In fact, we've been having so much fun that we keep forgetting to share our experiences with you. This is what we've been up to since May:

Construction on the back yard started right after Memorial Day and was completed on Father's Day weekend. It's a true makeover- the whole yard was leveled, a retaining wall was built, a new fence was installed, and sod was laid. What does this have to do with the babies??? They'll be able to play in their own backyard some day (not just yet because the sod is still taking root). We have to do some planting, mulching, and fence-staining before we're all done, but we are pretty darn happy. Here is a before and after shot of the far right corner...

Before

After

Nannie came to town and had a great visit with the babies at the end of May. Kevin and I got out for a dinner date, which was nice too. Below is a video of Nannie bathing Eleanor. I don't think I've ever seen or heard Eleanor laugh this hard.

In the first week of June, the babies and I had our first road trip without Kevin. We drove to Pittsburgh to see GiGi and PopPop Gallagher. The kids were great in the car and slept like little angels during our visit. Plus, GiGi and PopPop were game for lots of play time on the floor, so it was a really nice visit for all of us. Great Grandma, Aunt Sue, and Aunt Cathy and Uncle Ron came to visit. Eleanor decided to start crawling (forward) while she was in Pittsburgh and she hasn't stopped since. Below is a nice picture of GiGi and Eleanor on the front lawn (Eleanor is wearing an outfit that I wore as a baby!).

GiGi and Eleanor in PopPop's beautiful grass

While I was in Pittsburgh with the babies, Kevin worked like a dog around the house but also had some much-needed rest. And that was a good thing, because I took my first business trip that week. I went to New Orleans early Monday morning and returned Wednesday night after the babies went to bed. Kevin stayed home on Monday, and then their nanny Yanick spent Tuesday and Wednesday with them as usual. Much to his surprise, Kevin was wiped out when I got home on Wednesday night.

Only two days later, I rounded out the week with a visit to Philadelphia. We all went up to see PopPop Perese for Father's Day. One of the highlights was Jackie's inflatable pool. We ALL got in it!

PopPop Perese and Ian

Aunt Karen and Eleanor

Since Father's Day, the babies started pulling up. They love pulling up and standing at the activity table that makes music and sings to them in Spanish and English. And they just started pulling up on everything else. Frightening.

In the past couple weeks, let's see ...Ian's two bottom teeth showed up, I got my hair chopped off, we celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary, and we had our first Waterbabies swimming classes.

Below are a couple of images of the babies when they got back from swim class earlier today.

Eleanor playing with a Pringles can

Ian, playing with the center of an "O"

Singin'

Sort of. We discovered that when we sing in monotone, the babies join along. It's hilarious. But don't worry, we are working on their consonants all the time. In fact, we think that Eleanor may be saying "Mom" and "DaDa" to us already.

The three of us are making noise in the video below - until Eleanor excitedly grabs Ian's face. He seemed fine at first, but then I had to intervene.

Singin' and grabbin'

Swingin'

My neighbor Laura showed me how to swing both babies at one time. We all think it's the coolest thing - the babies seem to prefer it to swinging alone!

Eleanor's side



Ian's side

A window into the near future

This afternoon we're going to visit our former neighbor who has 14-month-old twin boys. Each time we visit, it's an eye-opening experience. I remember watching her feed them at the same time as newborns and thinking I'd never be able to pull it off. Then, when they came to our baby shower in Annapolis as five-month-olds, I remember wondering how they made it out the door that morning. And when I last saw them, they were 9-months-old - only a little older than Eleanor and Ian are right now. Both boys were scooting on their bellies to get to their mother and whining to be picked up. At the same time. I remember thinking that it looked a little tricky.

Ian's scooting and whining now (not literally right now - right now he's sleeping peacefully in his crib upstairs). He likes to check out shoes, dog toys, and electronic gadgets. Yesterday morning, in the course of an hour, he made four frightening moves:

1. Crawled over to the outlet in his room where the humidifier is plugged in
2. Crawled onto a bookshelf in the living room (I was freaked out but impressed with this)
3. Crawled over the threshold of the back door, which we leave open for Jorge (this left my little guy dirtier than I've ever seen him - it was his first mid-day clothing change that wasn't the result of a bodily function)
4. Crawled over to explore Jorge's food and water bowls

By the time their morning nap came around, I felt like I'd had an entire day's worth of new experiences.

Thankfully, Eleanor still enjoys sitting and rolling. The scooting she does tends to be backwards, lodging her under furniture. She gets very frustrated, but at least she doesn't get very far.

I don't know what I'll do when they're both moving ... I'll have to watch the other twin mom today for some strategies.

Where we've been

(Where haven't we been???)

We apologize to all of you who have visited Two For Fun only to find the same old post. It has been a very busy six weeks for us, so we beg your pardon for neglecting you. We’re going to attempt to make up for some lost time in this post. Below is a (not-so-brief) photo essay of major Perese-Gallagher events since mid-March.

1) We all went to Pittsburgh for Easter. That Saturday, my mom and I got out for pedicures and a little shopping while Kevin and PopPop took care of the babies. On Easter Sunday, we went to Aunt Mary Pat and Uncle Tony's to visit with the O'Connell clan.

Great Grandma O'Connell and Ian on Easter

Great Grandma O'Connell and Eleanor on Easter

2) The following weekend, Kevin and I went to Chicago for Ayelish and Aziz’s wedding and left the babies with GiGi and PopPop Gallagher. It was such a treat to get away for a long weekend and leave the babies in such capable and loving hands. We had a wonderful, restful time (once we recovered from imbibing at the wedding). GiGi and PopPop had a great time too, but they were exhausted by the time we got back home.

Millennium Park

Ayelish and Aziz at their wedding reception

PopPop and GiGi with Eleanor and Ian

PopPop with the kids on the porch

3) The week we got back, both babies started sitting up on their own...

Ian and Eleanor munching away on pieces of their play mat - a favorite past time

4) Then Ian started crawling...

In this video, he's crawling to the tune of Kevin's guitar and my cackle (you'll have to cock you head to the left to watch!)

5) And Eleanor cut two bottom teeth. (We have no decent pictures of them, but they sure are cute and sharp!)

4) In mid-April, we celebrated Uncle Joe Perese’s birthday in Philadelphia. (Again, we have no pictures of the event but we had a great time seeing the Perese clan!)

5) During the following work week, our old friends and housemates Dylan and Gina came through town. Dylan came over with our old friend Ruben after a job interview in DC. It was awesome to see both of them and we're excited at the prospect of Dylan possibly returning to DC. Only a few days later, Gina and Daniel and their two-year-old daughter Zoe came and stayed with us. Zoe is adorable.

Zoe and Ian

5) In the last weekend of April, Kevin and I went to Connecticut for Beth and Patrick’s wedding and left the babies with Aunt Karen and Nannie Perese. On the way back, we met Kara and Dylan’s new baby Ashland and visited with Mannie, Elisa, and Gabriel in Brooklyn. (Unfortunately, we lack documentation of Ashland, Aunt Karen, and Nannie Perese.)

Beth and I at her wedding reception

Gabriel napping on his dad's chest

7) And finally, this past weekend, we went car camping with friends at Caledonia State Park in Pennsylvania. It was fun to hang out with the old Penn State crowd and their offspring. We slept in an embarassingly large tent with enough space to accommodate two adults and a pack-n-play. It was a challenge to take care of the basic business of camping (setting up and taking down the tent, cooking, eating) while wearing a baby, but folks were quite generous in their willingness to hold Eleanor and Ian, so we managed to pull it off. And it's a minor miracle that all of our gear fit into the Camry. Who needs a minivan when you've got a Camry?

SuperDad!

The Boys

The Girls

Baby Zoe, Ian, and Eleanor

(Dirty) Family Portrait