Top Teeth

OPA suggested and the New Family Parents agreed to take pictures of the Twins top teeth.

A Hike Around Goose Poop Lake

IT was a beautiful weekend and Mom and Dad made the most of it, getting the Twins out and about in the backpacks. Dad loves it and could do it all day. Mom is uncomfortable and so can only do it for about an hour.

Known for its Canada geese, and the ample feces they leave behind, the "lake" is actually a retention pond in the area of home.

The sky was beautiful.

Buzz. Can you spot the bee?

"I heard it through the grapevine." See the grapes?

Park Trip

TOO small to ride individually, they fit perfectly back to back.

Heh heh, having a sibling has its advantages.

About the Lack of New Posts

THE New Family is caring for Opa while he recovers from the his most recent trip to the hospital. This has consumed a great deal of their time. That is why there are so few new posts. Opa has had complications since his knee surgery last March and has been in and out of the hospital several times. He has a blood clot in his leg, in his lungs, a hematoma in his knee, difficulty swallowing, severe weight loss, and has been fighting depression that has resulted from this ordeal. While Mom cares for him, Dad cares for the Twins. They too have become more demanding as they have matured, so independent play has declined.

It has also been hot too and the Twins have spent most of their time in an inappropriate state of dress for photographing. That hasn't helped.

Dad will return to regular blogging when life normalizes.

The First (Successful) Reading Lesson

DAD was thrilled when on a recent occasion, Liesel sat calmly in his lap while he read her a book. EJ looked on but was not interested. Dad pointed to the words while Buggy followed along. By the end of the story, she too was pointing to individual words, in the correct sequence, and vocalizing along with Dad.

Happy Birthday Mommy!

MOMMY is celebrating her 29th birthday today! Yeah right. She is somewhere slightly north of that number.

Grandma Woodall sent her these gifts:

Liesel & EJ

Is that not Liesel and EJ? Compare the face shape of the figurines to their pictures on the blog.Their hair is different and skin tone is correct for him but not for her. But otherwise that is them. It is like Dad commissioned a sculpture.

Of course they are way beyond the sit immobile or crawl stage now. They are busy constantly walking, jumping, and bouncing.

Grandma bought this too.

Again, the Twins are way beyond this stage, but it will serve as a nice reminder of the way things were. Well, that is the way things were in their ideal sense, which is the purpose of capturing it is figurine form.



If Dad had a figurine, it would be a slender tall dad in polo and cargo shorts, with a smirk on his face and in mid stride carrying two giggling babies over his shoulder - upside down and facing out.


Thank you Grandma!

Food

DAD decided meatloaf was a way to use up opened and partial amounts of various ingredients. He would usually cover the meatloaf in BBQ sauce, but decided instead to use pasta sauce and whole milk mozzarella cheese.

He quickly discovered he did not have enough panko breadcrumbs. So he substituted crushed Cheerios instead.

They lose their distinct flavor when cooked.

On the left, here it is just out of the oven ready for red sauce and cheese.

 

 And here it is with the sauce and cheese. Delicious!

So really, it is just a giant cheese covered meatball.

Playin' in Sunshine!

THE Family took to the back yard for some fun in the sun.

Buggy as usual wanted to explore and wandered away. Buddy was fairly content to examine the grass under his feet.

Long Haired Hippy Freak

BUDDY needs a hair cut.

Their hair is not so much getting longer as it is getting thicker. But Buddy could use a trim.

Buggy in a Basket

SHE crawled into the wicker basket while it was on its side and managed to up right it.

Dad and Son do Tub Time

DAD and son had an impromptu bath together recently when the younger had a blowout.


Dad picked EJ up to do some now long since forgotten task. Dad, shirtless in the warmth of summer, swung Buddy around to his hip and immediately felt the icky wet coolness of his bottom. Buddy had pooped, it leaked, and Dad failed to notice in time to avoid the mess. Taking it in stride he headed for the changing table.

Dad is somewhat proud of not being bothered by any kind of mess the Twins make. Shortly after they were born, Buggy sneezed into his open mouth. He had an immediate choice to make. Gag and indulge in the disgustingness of it, or calmly excuse himself to the washroom to gargle mouthwash. He chose the latter foreseeing this as one of many incidents to come.

The mess was everywhere so Dad called Mom for help. When she arrived she was unsure of what she could do to help. Dad said Buddy needed a bath, she could ready it while he got the bulk of the matter off of himself and his son. She observed that they both could benefit from a bath.

Ahem, the implication was obvious - father, son together in the tub. Humiliating. But he would have had to shower anyway, and why waste water and energy?

To add to the humiliation, Mom thought it was too cute to pass up an opportunity to photograph her two men in the tub together.

Really? What is so cute about a grown man and his toddler in the tub? How could this turn out in any way other than badly?

Well it turned out hilariously actually. 

Mom is not familiar with how to frame a shot. Dad instructed her to avoid filming the parts decent people cover up when at the pool. Shoot from the waist up. But the first few shots seemed designed to emphasize exactly what he wanted to avoid. The wash cloth fig leaf covered far too little.

Finally one shot turned out well enough to keep.

Update: Buggy Blue Eyes

Update: Grandma says her face is maturing. It is. And she is also trying out a wide array a expressions and watching Mom and Daddy's reactions.

"They laugh so hard it immobilizes them."

DAD is chasing the Twins around. They love it. They are running in different directions trying to get him to chase them. They are laughing and giggling. He shared the experience with Mom. Her response was incredibly accurate. They can't laugh and toddle away at the same time.

New Behaviors

LIESEL has not recently started it, she did it as long ago as April, but she has definitely increased her rejection behavior. When she does not want something, more food, or another sippy cup for example, she will swat it away. Place food on her high-chair tray that she does not like, and depending on her mood she removes it by swatting it over the side. If she is feeling magnanimous, she will pick it up and drop it over the side. EJ, on the other hand, simply ignores unwanted bits. He doesn't feel the need to remove the offending piece.

Liesel cares about others. She tries to share her favorite foods with EJ, even going as far as to try and feed him. It melts Dad's heart when she tries to pass her favorite bit over to his tray or when she puts a bit of food in his mouth. He is generally oblivious to her offer. She loves hotdogs (nitrate, nitrite free) and when done engorging on them herself will offer a piece to him or Dad. How can you not love that?

Both EJ and Liesel are practicing using their faces to elicit various responses from Mom and Dad. Liesel in particular has made a few expressions that resemble an extreme seriousness. These expressions are fleeting and Dad never knows when they will come so capturing them is difficult.

EJ has taken to using his mass to bully her. Bigger and stronger, when he sets his sights on something she has, he will take it from her, usually knocking her over in the process. But recently she has figured out that she can take it back. This results in his crying in protest. Dad is not about to referee who had what first or act as judge on equity issues. Life is not fair; get over it.

One of Mom's friends observes that boys are more clingy and needy than girls, hence the friend prefers her all female brood. Her observation of boys is certainly true of EJ, though Dad would use different adjectives like attached and affirmation seeking. Moreover, that is just fine by Mom and Dad. Their arms may fatigue from extended huggy lovey, and it is occasionally inconvenient to hold him while trying to accomplish some tasks, but they love being parents and the intimacy of close contact with him. He'll be asserting his independence all too soon. They make the most of it while they can. Plus, clingy here means EJ literally clings to you. Dad says you can almost let go of him and he wouldn't fall. Let go of Liesel, even a little bit, and she begins to slide down.

Liesel is much more independent, too independent for Dad's liking. Her attitude, much to his consternation, is "I do it myself Daddy" and by herself too. Well sweetheart, Daddy didn't have children simply to provide you room and board while you raise yourself. There will be Daddy guided fun!

EJ now spends more time free toddling than crawling, i.e. no handholds or supporting devices at all. He goes up and down the "race track" usually without falling. He also crawls up on the couch in two swift motions in under two seconds and stays in the safe zone without correction. While on the floor, Dad feels confident enough to leave him unobserved for multiples of seconds at a time. But that is a false security. He knows that the Twins are changing daily and what was safe yesterday may not be tomorrow.

Buggy toddles a bit and usually from hand hold point to hold point, but she finds crawling to be more efficient and so still does that more often. She gets up on the couch with effort and has yet to learn the limits. She immediately heads for the no-safe zones (the end tables) and requires constant, close monitoring. She still wears Thudguard. Every time Dad thinks she may have outgrown it, she goes down hard and in such a way that Dad is grateful she had it on. Her bruise has since receded, but she is not the embodiment of grace.

After nap time and upon awakening in the morning, Buggy runs around her crib trying to get away from Dad. She LOVES being chased. She wants to be picked up and released from her crib space, but the excitement of evading Dad supersedes her the that want.

They usually play well together with a minimum of fuss. They make each other laugh and they love to "talk" to each other. They'll shriek to each other even when they are in separate rooms.

EJ was the first to unload toys from the laundry basket (pressed into service to corral the growing number of toys). And now, just today, he is the first to gather them up and put them into the laundry basket.

Nice.

Sleepy!

MONDAY brought rain and cooler temps, what some would call good sleeping weather. Ethan and Elizabeth decided that it was and left Dad alone to ponder the usefulness of his existence while they snored. He had very little parenting to do other than a routine meals and diaper changes.

Dad knew it was a different day when he heard no sound at 7:05 after his second waking. Mom had long gone to the office. He stayed in bed cherishing the peace believing that it would not last long. Sleep returned shortly thereafter while he listened to the thunder and raindrops. At 8:20 his internal alarm went off. One of the Twins should have been up by now demanding food, huggy lovey, or just plain old protesting boredom. Everyone up for a well-being check if nothing else!

They roused shortly after he did. And just as quickly began to fuss in that trademark way indicating their need to sleep. After a liquid breakfast they both returned to bed where they slept for hours. Dad spent this time cleaning the clutter off of his computer desktop. Not knowing how long they would sleep, he could not undertake a larger project.

After rising from their unusual nap, they lunched early and immediately began to crab again. Frustrated, Dad put them down again. He was surprised that they went right to sleep, again. He noted the outside temp, 66.7 Fahrenheit. The storms had come through and were continuing at that hour.

Afternoon saw them awake again. Buggy was up first and quietly playing by herself in her crib, and again sleepy irritability returned. So again they went down. 

What was the cause of the sleepiness? The weather? No. Mom noted just before he went down for the night that he was warm. A check revealed a100.3 F temperature.

Update: Them's Fightin' Words

DAD saw this article from Wired.

Grilling Over Gas Is Objectively, Scientifically Better Than Grilling Over Charcoal

By Mark McClusky 07.04.13

http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/07/gas-grilling-is-objectively-scientifically-better-than-charcoal/

Actually, the author makes a coherent argument for the convenience of gas and readily admits to charcoal's advantages, so Dad won't pick a fight. "Objectively" and "scientifically" are purely a matter of opinion.

McClusky writes:

I can walk in my door with a bag of groceries at 6:30, and have grilled chicken on the table at 7, a happy family praising a delicious dinner. The most precious commodity in the world, the one resource that none of us has enough of, that’s constantly dwindling until we die, is time.

And it will not heat up the kitchen and force the air conditioning to run to remove all of the waste heat generated.

But Dad prefers charcoal, not just for the enjoyment of the process, but for the smoky taste hardwood lump charcoal impart to food. Adding hardwood chunks or chips to a gas grill is difficult.

McClusky again:

Charcoal purists will try and tell you that their preferred fuel leads to better flavor. This is, well, nonsense.

Your food doesn’t know what’s creating the heat below it, and once charcoal is hot, there aren’t any aromatic compounds left in the coals. According to the food science bible Modernist Cuisine, “Carbon is carbon; as it burns, it imparts no flavor of its own to the food being grilled.”

The characteristic flavor of grilled food comes from the drippings, not the fuel. When those drippings hit the heat source below, the oils, sugars, and proteins burst into smoke and flame. That heat creates new complex molecules that rise in the smoke and warm air to coat the food you’re grilling.

Dad is not convinced. Gas powered grills do not impart the smells and flavor a wood and petroleum powered one does. 

Update: The same publication published this.

Grilling Over Charcoal Is Objectively, Scientifically Better Than Grilling Over Gas

• By Joe Brown 07.05.13 8:25 AM

http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/07/charcoal-grilling-is-objectively-scientifically-better-than-gas/

Yes! Yes! Yes! Bias confirmed!

What? You aren't anti-science are you?

Brown writes:

To understand why [gas creates less flavorful food], you first need to understand that flavor and taste are not the same thing. “Within flavor, we have taste compounds and we have aroma compounds,” says Gavin Sacks, associate professor of food science at Cornell University. “Our brains just aren’t designed to decouple them.”

That seems about right. He continues:

What charcoal brings to the party is a healthy heaping of aroma compounds, the other half of the power couple that is flavor. In fact, aroma might be the super starlet in that relationship, because our tongues are actually pretty limited. “There are only five taste receptors that are well-agreed-upon to exist within your taste buds,” says Sacks. He’s referring to sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and the new kid: umami.

So to account for the many complex flavors we enjoy, we need to include our sense of smell.

Ever had a cold and noticed nothing tasted right? Your nose isn't supplying all of the flavor data you need to your brain. Hence it did not taste right.

So, to feed the family on a tight schedule during the weekday, fire up the propane. But to enjoy the weekend (a process) and make great food start the coals.

Frittata

frit·ta·ta  

/frēˈtätə/

Noun

Italian word for overcooked eggs.

 

Yuck.

 

Now this is more like it. 

 

 

Dad likes his omelet brown on the outside and custardy on the inside. Carryover heat applies to eggs too. If they are set in the pan, they are overdone on the plate.

For this Dad browned some onion and mushroom. He fried some butter, in butter. He added Mexican style shredded cheese and bacon bits. 

Tip: if cooking in butter, let the water boil out of it before commencing cooking. The water will boil your eggs but not brown them. You'll know its ready when you see no more bubbles and it smells like butter. Better yet, if you fry in butter frequently, clarify some butter and have it on hand just for that purpose. 

Updated: Heterosexual Biological Families are Best for Child Rearing

"NEVERTHELESS, the mounting evidence in the social sciences continues to teach that, as important as processes and dynamics are, family structure is still strongly correlated with the well-being and flourishing of children. And the evidence is clear that the structure setting the standard for child well-being is the intact married biological family."

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765581791/Editorial-Family-structure-counts.html

This seems intuitively correct so Dad is on guard for bias confirmation. Heterosexual married couples model their relationship to their children. Children of same sex couples, it would seem, lack that modeling and must learn it elsewhere assuming they wish to pursue a straight relationship when grown.

We should disavow the notion that “mommies can make good daddies,” just as we should disavow the popular notion…that “daddies can make good mommies.”… The two sexes are different to the core, and each is necessary—culturally and biologically—for the optimal development of a human being - David Popenoe

David Popenoe, Life Without Father: Compelling New Evidence That Fatherhood and Marriage Are Indispensable for the Good of Children and Society (New York: The Free Press, 1996), p. 147
Accessed 7/2/2013
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/03/marriage-what-it-is-why-it-matters-and-the-consequences-of-redefining-it


Moreover the differences between the sexes complement, i.e. they complete, each other. Whereas dads can emphasize certain attributes in rearing their children, risk taking for example, mothers can emphasize counterbalancing attitudes, e.g. security seeking.

Update: Alternative family structures, like the New Family neighbors, two single sisters that just completed adoption of a girl from China, can be better situations for children than other circumstances. Dad recognizes that. Still the girl is disadvantaged by not having a father. Thus he believes the intact heterosexual biological family is the gold normative standard.

"We go outside now Daddy?"

"NO, not yet Liesel. We have to wait until your brother finishes his nap."

"Hmmm, okay."

"Now?"

"Not yet."

"I know you're bored. Want to pose on your bench?"

Mom and Dad likes the little details on her dress.

Buddy is Up

WELL rested from his long nap. The Family still can't go outside. It is too close to lunchtime.