There are a handful of activities that a mother of twins cannot easily participate in when her twins are young-- going to the park, playdates at an unbaby-proofed home, going to museums, and pretty much anything that requires the twins to sit still.
With Grandma as a constant playmate for a full week, we were excited to consider adding some new possibilities into our day. Our first activity to try was library storytime. Upon arrival, we were surprised to discover that we were the only ones there! Because of this, the librarian abandoned the normal storytime procedure and instead gave us a taste of their Books & Babies program.
We did a bunch of finger-plays and sang a lot of simple songs. Normally, they bring out a toy box and let the little ones wander around with the toys. Amy was excited to see that this program was potentially something she could come back to on her own with the boys. Having Grandma along to help us experience this was a big gift! Cody loved sitting in her lap as we listened to the stories and songs. Thanks for being a great library playmate, Grandma!
Our second new experience was going to a splash pad at a nearby park. We met some friends at the park, too-- "Kody with a K," as we like to call him, and his brother Ryder. At first, the boys were a bit tentative about walking into the spraying fountains.
When the water hit their faces, it was a bit surprising!
After a while, though, the boys grew to LOVE all aspects of the splash pad. This particular comb-like fountain quickly became their favorite.
Jaden tried in vain to hold onto the falling water.
The real fun came when Cody and Jaden realized they could reach through the water to grab one another.
Cody even tried pulling Jaden through the water.
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This video shows how much Jaden and Cody are enjoying themselves.
Cody was our brave little man who ventured walking right through the streaming water. He sputtered a bit when he emerged on the other side, and then went right back through again! Jaden (bending over on the far left) eventually went through too, but only on his hands and knees so he wouldn't get water in his face.
Our confident Cody then decided it was okay to run around the entire splash pad.
What an exciting new experience! All four of us were worn out when we returned home. Thanks, Grandma, for making this event possible by being our splash pad partner. We loved experiencing these firsts with you!
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It is hard to figure out what you can do by yourself and what is really hard. The library in the neighboring community had a storytime that was more like sing and dance time rather than sit quietly and listen to books. That was something I could do because they didn't have to sit still. Even if they do have to sit during a book, most other kids their age, aren't going to be sitting quietly so it won't just be your kids! Going to the park is more difficult but if you wait a couple months, it will become easier. Do you have any friends with older kids who you could meet at a park? If so, that mom could help you watch one of the boys. I do that now for some of my friends with younger twins. I don't really need to supervise my kids that much so I can help out with younger ones and I'm happy to do so. As for museums, do you have any that are designed for little kids? We have one by us that is a neighborhood museum and there are only 2 rooms and they can't leave from one of the rooms. It was pretty easy to watch them there when they were little. But if your town doesn't have that, it makes it harder. It does get easier in a couple months when they become a little more clingy to you because they won't want to get out of your sight and then both of them will stay closer together.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement, Becky. I already am glad that I CAN do more things with them because they can walk. It's nice to know that in a few months it may get even easier. Unfortunately, we don't have any nice community children's museums. I've heard rumors that one may be in the works, though! Hopefully it'll come just in time for us to be ready for it.
DeleteWay to use grandma's extra set of living hands to give your boys an even wider variety of fun experiences! That splash pad looks super fun! Looks like your boys had a great time!
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