picky eaters

Hello cyber cruisers,

Our pumpkins are carved and the Halloween costumes are in the mail. Right, Oma? She graciously offered to hand sew Kendra and Layla's costume for this year. I won't spoil the surprise for how the 4 Webbs plan to dress up this Saturday, but I'm excited to see how well our plan turns out.

Since the twins are 20 months old we are unsure how well they will do trick-or-treating. They walk, but don't obey commands. That is troublesome when wandering through neighborhoods with cars and people whizzing by. I put Layla down in the grocery store this afternoon and she took off like a wind up toy. As I raced to catch up with her she was almost squished by two separate carts. The grocery store patrons laughed because I said, "stop!" and Layla was screaming "STOP!" and repeatedly making the motion for the sign language of the word, "stop"... as she was running at warp speed.

I learned she knows what the word stop means, can speak it and sign it, but refuses to do it. The answer I've heard of is "time and consistency of parenting". Well, guess what? Kendra and I have all the time in the world so we'll keep on keepin' on.

Easton and Layla are always ready to sit quietly in our lap as we read their books. I am grateful for these times because they are calm and I can get a picture or two in without the blurring effect from their motion.


Easton is the ultimate cuddle bug. He takes his thumb out of his mouth long enough to comment on the pages of the book which interest him. He even curls his cup in close with his arms. That's my boy...

The make-shift Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is already starting to deteriorate as they slowly destroy it. The sign ripped off and the structural integrity is in question due to the twins rough-housing while inside. As long as the music is playing, we'll keep on dancing!


We entered the stage most experienced parents are calling, "the picky eater" stage. I didn't realize this, but at some point in a toddler's life (now for us) they become picky about what they will and won't eat. They cheered and made "yummy" noises yesterday, but today they dump it out on the high chair tray. So Kendra is caught in this guessing game of what to cook for each meal.

The twins are not old enough (i don't think?) to "go hungry" and skip a meal. But they are old enough to understand "if you eat xyz meal, then you get cake". So they give a meager attempt to choke down the main course knowing dessert is on the way.

It's not a huge issue, but it does cause extra stress on Kendra and she gets frustrated trying to guess an option Easton and Layla both will eat. I hope this stage passes soon... please...

Other than picky eaters, the twins are healthy and growing wonderfully. Easton is making huge advances in organizational skills. He removes 7 or 8 blue balls from the kiddie pool of plastic balls. Then he lines them up neatly. Layla sings all day long and appears to be picking up harmony and melody tones. She loves music and her piano so we'll keep playing the songs and helping her develop whatever area she wants to pursue.

Now, if we can just get figure out how to get her through the weaning stages for the pacifier???


Kendra and I should seriously start trying to figure out how to make it through that maze of emotions and processes. I'm convinced there is a right way and wrong way to kiss the pacifier bye-bye for good... The only advice I've heard is to throw them all away and go cold turkey. Maybe it is that simple.

As always, I'm very open to ideas and discussions so feel free to help me out with comments or emails.

See you soon!