Big League Dreams

Last August when the twins were learning how to walk, Daddy Dave and Grandpa Edds took the boys and their walkers to First Baptist Church’s Christian Life Center gymnasium. There they had plenty of room to roam. When we went to Southern Little League’s ballpark recently to take photos it occurred to us that this was a perfect place to let the boys run and play. The area is large with plenty of room to run. Chain link fencing prevents any toddler escapes and there is no landscaping to climb, eat or damage. After about 45 minutes of running around in circles and exploring, the boys were ready for an afternoon nap.

Take me out to the ballpark

We needed a photo for the May blog header, and a baseball park seemed like a good backdrop. We chose Southern Little League’s diamond because it is close and may be the sight of the boys’ future baseball exploits. Uncle Steve and Daddy’s cousin Marc Edds played baseball at Southern Little League and his cousin Rodney Edds was a score keeper and public address announcer. We borrowed equipment from our next door neighbor Jacob Roberts, whose Southern Little League team almost made it to the Little League World Series a few seasons ago. They looked right at home in the ballpark and mugged for the camera like big leaguers. Now all they have to do is learn how to throw, catch and hit the ball.

Oh, Hi Daddy

After lunch we went upstairs to play in the blue room. The boys were being very good and sitting on the floor reading books aloud. Since all was calm and orderly, I slipped out and padded down the hall to answer the call of nature. Half way through a sudoku puzzle I realized the house had become very quiet. It was nowhere near nap time, and the boys hadn’t acted tired. As I quickly finished my business and headed back I could faintly hear muffled giggling. Entering the room I discovered our smart boys had negotiated the hidden room’s door latch and gone inside to investigate. Seeing me, Benji beat a hasty retreat while Trey Davey smiled and raised his hands in resignation. He knew he had been busted in the forbidden zone.

Shopping with an Singing Octopus

Mommy and Daddy don’t care for stores with narrow isles. We avoid them when possible. Our stroller is like an octopus with eight arms and legs reaching in all directions for shinny objects. It can be very challenging to negotiate a store with narrow isles without interesting items being gathered in the cart. So far we haven’t broken anything valuable mainly because we haven’t dared take our octopus into china shops. Also, sometimes when we’re happily shopping we sing (in our outside voices), and shushing won’t stop us. I suppose when a tune is in your heart, you just have to let it out. Heading for the exit is the best remedy. Recently we were in Lowes, a wide isle store, purchasing painting supplies when we temporarily parked the stroller too close to a display in reach of brochures.

Spring Blooms

Sunday was such a beautiful day. After church we toured around the city admiring the full bloom of spring. This season especially, after all the storm damage in the last year, one can clearly appreciate the growth and renewal at work. New foliage is beginning to hide the scared trees. Workers have trimmed and hauled away the dead branched and planted new trees and bushes to replace the lost. The landscape is certainly different with some setbacks and some improvements. This change is good, but not without its challenges. Likewise, the boys have changed dramatically too since last spring. Gone are the precious infants we treasured so much replaced by adorable toddlers full of energy. They are blooming into little boys, and this change is good but not without its challenges.

Breakfast Takeout

As far as the boys were concerned, Mommy and Daddy broke the cardinal breakfast rule: They ran out of bananas. Since we needed to go out anyway to grocery shop before breakfast, we decided to take our breakfast to the park. It was a beautiful spring morning and the temperature was perfect. There is something exciting about getting out of the normal routine occasionally. It is like we went on vacation for the morning. Before we were even finished with breakfast, Benji was pointing to the swings. Mommy suggested that we walk around the park for a few laps to settle our breakfast first. After Mommy and Daddy’s walk, the twins attacked the swings with glee.

Happy Birthday Pa Pa

Being a grandfather fits Hugh David Edds like a glove. He loves his three grandsons and shares his stories and photographs with everyone who will listen. Strangers have actually approached us while shopping and asked “aren’t these David Edds’ grandsons?” They recognized them from his photos. It is unusual for Grandpa to go a week without stopping by to see the boys at least once. Whenever called to watch the boys for an hour or join us for an afternoon nap ride, grandpa makes the time. They have always enjoyed singing together and as the boys mature their activities are broadening. Pa treated the twins and their Daddy to a Kentucky Wesleyan College basketball game this year and hopes to introduce them to more sporting events before his next birthday.

Asleep at last

Both boys have been sick with runny noses and coughing the last few weeks, but Benji has been worse. After discovering spots all over his body on Monday, we took Benji to see Dr. Neel. While the spots issue was deemed minor, the doctor found infection in Benji’s right ear and prescribed the same antibiotic that Davey took for his ear infection last month. Unfortunately, we know one side effect of this medication is extreme diaper rash, which we are treating with cream. With all of his sinus drainage, Benji has also had problems sleeping. One solution is for our sick boy to sleep with his head elevated. Daddy Dave is happy to spend a few nights sleeping in the chair with his snuggle buddy in his lap if it helps his baby sleep.

Taking a Couple of Swings

Because the weather was so wonderful, Daddy Dave took the boys to Legion Park after lunch. It was a perfect 72 degrees with light 5 mph winds. The grass was incredibly green from the Spring rains and all the remaining trees, those not destroyed by last year’s hurricane and this year’s ice storm, were blooming and colorful. The boys were happy and noisy to be outside as I pushed the stroller around the half mile walking track. As we approached the playground two left hands emerged from the stroller and pointed to the swings. Voices said “This, This”. Because the swings were occupied, I elected to go around the park again. On our third lap the swings became available so we took the opportunity to take a couple of swings.

Porch View

The weather this week is supposed to be warm, sunny and clear. After lunch, Trey Davey and Benji ask Mommy if they could go out on the screened porch. Like puppies, their asking method involved padding the porch door and wining. Once allowed on the porch, they found the patio furniture our friend Al Bell hand-made for us. The boys quickly discovered that the curved ottomans were ideal ladders for climbing into the chairs, a feature Al likely never considered. From the chairs the twins found the perfect shady spot to watch and call to Daddy Dave while he painted.

Grand Theft Tractor

Ok Benji, we don’t get to come with Daddy to Lowes very often without Mommy, so here’s our chance. While he’s loading the minivan, let’s take this baby out for a test drive. We can do this. Mommy said Cousin Tyler and his dad used to go to Home Depot every Saturday and ride the tractors, so I figure Lowes won’t mind. Also, you’ve heard the stories a hundred times about how Daddy and Uncle Steve raced tractors on Saturday mornings at Grandpa’s hardware store. We can’t get in trouble with Daddy if it’s something he used to do too as a little boy. So here’s the plan. You get it started and work the throttle while I steer.

Benji by a Length in the First

The competitors are in the gate and they’re off. Early in this first race of champions, Benjamin James takes a slight lead in the stair climbing event. It’s not surprising that twin boys would be naturally competitive, and this brotherly rivalry is only just beginning. These golden boys were bred for achievement and competition encourages reaching higher and discourages complacency. Ahead of them are scores of contests in every imaginary field both athletic and academic. For boys as different as these, individual skills and talents will emerge. Hopefully, each boy will help teach his weaker brother how to master the area of his strength. Together, they can form a well-rounded team of excellence that will prepare them for later competition in a world market. Our job as thoroughbred trainers is to keep these inevitable competitions friendly and fun.

Shampoo For Two

We were running a little late on a Saturday morning and needed to economize. Time could be saved, we theorized, by bathing both boys at once. It was a tight squeeze in the sink as the twins have grown substantially. They love baths and bathing together again was really exciting. Note to self, exuberant children are a handful, especially in the bath. Face to face they giggled, squealed and splashed each other enthusiastically. Water went every where from the ceiling to floor and all parts in-between. That made quite a mess that took additional time to clean. We tried turning them toboggan style, facing the same direction, in order to tone down the horse play. One unexpected development was Trey Davey’s willingness to help shampoo Benji’s hair. We’re glad they enjoy bathing together because when they outgrow the sink they’ll be bathing together daily in the bathtub.

Fun at the Office

Daddy Dave took us for a ride the other day and we stopped at Grandma Ondra’s real estate office for a visit. She showed us around the building, and then let us explore the foyer while she talked to dad. It was a really cool place with windows all around that gave us a great spot to watch all the activity going on outside on the busy street. Unfortunately, the furniture they had was made out of iron and not very comfortable. We found a gumball machine, but it was empty. Trey Davey’s a pretty analytical guy and speculated that if the office had comfortable furniture and food in the foyer, the employees would hang out there and watch traffic rather than work. I told him I wanted a job like that.

And He Does Windows Too

This week the rain finally stopped and the temperatures rose high enough to allow Daddy Dave to paint outside. He hired a contractor with a bucket truck to trim the ice storm damaged trees, repair the chimneys, and paint some of the house’s higher, hard to get to places. Using his handy lift, the contractor took off the second floor storm windows to allow Daddy Dave access to paint the double hung windows. Trey Davey and Benji interpreted Daddy’s appearance on the ladder outside their playroom window to be an elaborate form of peak-a-boo. They kept tapping on the window, pointing and saying Da Da, Da Da.

Like Herding Cats

About 2:00 pm Sunday, we opened the front door and began the Easter Egg hunt. The front yard was full of colorful eggs and each boy was given a small collection basket. Daddy Dave was shooting the action on video while Mommy took still photos. Grandma and Grandpa were assigned the task of keeping the boys away from the street and quickly learned that shepherding twins is hard work. At first the toddlers grasp the activity and put eggs into their baskets, but then they realized that they were loose in the front yard for the first time. Suddenly the eggs and baskets were forgotten and the exploring began. Each boy ran in random directions and squealed with each new discovery. You would think four adults could easily contain two toddlers, but the task was almost too much to handle. After a while everyone was exhausted and the egg hunt was abandoned. Later that afternoon all six of us enjoyed a much deserved afternoon nap.

Easter Baskets by Request

For some time, Mommy and Daddy have been thinking about Easter Baskets. They wrote a letter to the Easter Bunny and asked for no candy this year. Our twins haven’t been introduced to candy yet so they’d prefer the boys receive other types of treats. They asked first for sandbox toys. Daddy plans to fill the sandbox as soon as the weather allows. Next, they requested some small cars for the boy’s parking garage. Mommy suggested the Easter Bunny could put Sesame Street Crackers in the baskets as treats, and Daddy added a request for baseball cards. He promises to keep good care of the collectables until his sons were old enough to appreciate them. After lunch, the boys were excited to find their Easter baskets.

Easter Dinner with the Grands

The First Baptist pastor’s message Sunday was that Easter is the most important holiday to Christians. For them, Easter is the Super Bowl, Daytona 500, Final Four, World Series or any Championship game. While Christmas is important to Christians, Easter is more important. Without taking away from Christmas, he challenged us to do more with Easter. This was a good message for our young family as we begin to establish traditions. Emphasis on quality family time was already on our mind. Rather than waiting all afternoon for a restaurant table, we chose to have Easter dinner at home. Sandy sat a beautiful table and cooked a delicious breakfast casserole that didn’t veer too far from our diet. While the dishes were warming, Grandpa and Grandma delighted in feeding their grandsons.

Happy Easter Girls!

We didn’t attend a sunrise Easter service, but theoretically, we could have. Trey Davey started calling for his morning bottle at 5:30 am and everyone was awake by 6:00 am. Over the next few hours, we had breakfast and took our baths, and then an interesting thing happened. Both boys voluntarily took their morning nap an hour early. This was wonderful because we thought they would miss it due to church and be fussy all afternoon. Instead, the early nap refreshed the boys who were in good spirits as we dressed and headed for church. We chose to worship this Easter at First Baptist Church with Grandma and Grandpa Edds. This allowed them to show off their grandsons to their friends. We also like all the pretty girls in the nursery there.

Benji’s First Haircut

One characteristic the boys certainly don’t share is their hair. Where Trey Davey’s is thick, dark and coarse, Benji’s is thin, light and fine. Not all Davey’s birth hair fell out and by 11 months old he needed his first haircut. Sandy gave him his second haircut in January and he was overdue for another one yesterday. Benji was also ready for a haircut, not because it was thick, but because it was so long on top. Curls were forming behind his ears and a few people asked if he was a boy or girl. This clearly indicated it was time for Benji’s first haircut.

Just as we had done with Davey in November, we made a haircut appointment with Kim Haire who works at the House of Hair. As this was going to be Benji’s first time, we truthfully went into this task with not a little trepidation anticipating that our little temperamental one would have a major melt down. Quite to the contrary, Benji sat still like a big boy until Kim finished his trim. Sandy saved the clippings in a letter sized envelop.

Benji demeanor was serous during the ordeal. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on or why Daddy was photographing it, but he was up for the challenge. Once his haircut was completed, Benji’s fun-loving personality appeared. He flirted and visited with all the folks in the salon while Davey was having his haircut. Kim’s mother Ellen stopped by to see the boys. Ellen worked with Daddy Dave for five years in the 1980’s.

I wanted Trey Davey’s hair cut to the same length as Benji’s, but that didn’t happen. Davey was not in the mood for a haircut on this day and resisted. This was partially my fault for making the appointment during his scheduled nap time. Given his twisting, turning and crying, it’s remarkable that Kim cut as much hair as she did. Both boys looked beautiful with their new haircuts.

A Festive Feast

Just as we did for Daddy Dave’s birthday, the family gathered at The Olive Garden for Mommy Sandy’s birthday. Some would say we lack variety and imagination, but this is our favorite family-friendly restaurant. From the moment we walked in, heads turned. The twins were wearing matching outfits, red baseball caps and big smiles. Just as they often do, the hostess seated us at a center table and the boys easily charmed the other patrons seated all around us. Since we’ve been on a strict diet for the last couple of months, the food on this evening tasted especially good to us. Sandy prefers low-key affairs, so she passed on the singing servers and birthday cake this year. Instead, she opened a large stack of birthday cards from family and friends. It was fun!

Happy Birthday Mommy

Her t-shirt and her smile say it all, “MOM”. That’s what Sandy has become, and a wonderful mother she is. Before the twins were even conceived Sandy took the necessary steps to insure these boys would be born as healthy as possible. Since their birth, she has studied early childhood development data and charted their course for success. In spite of her work load, Sandy is ever present in their daily lives making goals and adjustments to optimize her boys’ mental, physical and spiritual growth. When not working, she looks for every opportunity to be with the boys. She reads to them, plays games with them and encourages them to learn about everything they can. Both boys study her and try to imitate what she does. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them both study engineering one day, and that would be the ultimate tribute to their loving mother Sandy.

Learning to Throw

One of the more surprising item’s on the babies’ motor-skill development list is the ability to throw a ball. I’m pretty sure Uncle Steve and I were much older before we learned to toss a ball, but if the experts think it’s a good idea, then I’m all for it. Benji hasn’t shown much interest yet, but Trey Davey loves throwing. He has a pretty good ball grip, but hasn’t yet developed the proper release. Sometimes he drops the ball behind him and other times he spikes the ball in front of him, but occasionally he tosses one straight and true. We really don’t like the ball thrown in the house, but right now it’s too cold to go outside. Soon, warm weather will allow us to have a catch outside and before we know it our boys will be signing up for t-ball.

Play Ball!

It was opening day for the Major League Baseball season yesterday, and we got into the spirit. The St. Louis Cardinals baseball caps that were too big last year fit perfectly this morning. We saw part of the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 defeat by the New York Mets, then later watched the Baltimore Orioles fly all over the New York Yankees 10-5. What Daddy Dave likes about baseball is its on everyday throughout the day and provided a wholesome alternative to other TV programming. Unlike crime shows, baseball offers no sex, violence, profanity or reruns. Each game is new and unpredictable. You can leave the room for 30 minutes and pick it right back up when you return.

The “Calm” before the Storm

Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day with temperatures reaching into the 70’s. A very cold front was supposed to bring much rain on Sunday and threaten snow on Monday; however Sunday morning was very sunny if just a bit windy. After lunch Daddy took the opportunity to finish a few painting projects outside and Mommy decided to take us out for a walk though the neighborhood. All the rain has caused the grass and flowers to grow and bloom. We checked out the construction at the high school, greeted and visited with several neighbors working in their yard, and practiced using out outside voices. When the skies became overcast and the winds speeds increased and a few sprinkles splashed on our heads we headed for home.

Birthday Benchmark – 16 Months

We now have two sweet little sixteen month olds. It’s almost too much to believe. Each has their own distinctive personalities, preferences and talents. Those around them most all agree that they are very smart and understand an ever increasing number of words. They have learned that some behavior is rewarded with a positive reaction from adults in the form of hugs, laughter and praise, while other behavior provokes a negative reaction that may result in a timeout. They are mastering basic social interactions like waving, smiling and peek-a-boo, and they are beginning to return affection by hugging and kissing. They can follow simple instructions like “bring me the ball”, if they’re in the mood. Both boys point to what they want and smile if you get it for them. Both have climbed the staircase and run short distances. It’s going to be a fun summer.

What are the odds?

I was in the backyard talking to a neighbor Friday morning when my cell phone rang at 11:30 a.m. Glancing at the caller ID I recognized Carol Cox’s name. She’s our morning babysitter and she was inside upstairs with the boys. I wondered why she’d be calling me. Carol is more capable than I am of addressing any baby issues. I answered the phone, but there was only silence on the other end. It was noisy outside, so I began walking towards the house repeating “Hello, hello, hello.” This concerned me. Why couldn’t she speak? Was she ok? Had something happened to her? I cut the connection and continued towards the house with increasing urgency. Then my phone rang again, and again the caller ID said Carol Cox and again no one replied to my greeting. Reaching the back door, I raced up the stairs and into the play room to find…..Benji on Carol’s phone. He lifted her phone from her purse, and then somehow our little genius punched just the right buttons to call me. Sandy calculated he would have to push at least four buttons in the correct order to call me from her phone’s address book. Only two pushes were required for the redial. The odds that he could randomly do this are phenomenal. But, I would never bet against this determined little boy.

Under here Mommy

Sometimes it’s a battle to put the toys away. To do this chore one must place toys in the toy box. Unfortunately, this simple task becomes complicated when the container is already occupied, as it was last night. We keep two plastic tubs of toys in the living room for after-dinner play. Commonly, the boys will pour all the toys onto the floor and play only with the boxes. This complicates the tidying-up process. After several requests for the box’s use, Mommy decided to just put away the toys anyway. Thinking the child would become annoyed and vacate the space she was surprised by his overflowing delight.

It’s fun to get out of the routine

Erin Ford usually baby-sits while we attend Monday night Bible study, but this week she watched the boys on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. This was possible because the city school system is on Spring Break. Daddy Dave has been trying to paint the house’s exterior, and he seized the opportunity of a few sun shiney days and Erin’s availability to get a few full days of work completed. Unfortunately, rain prevented a full week’s worth of painting. For Erin, afternoon babysitting is a much different routine than in the evenings because the boys play half the time and sleep half the time. They don’t nap on her evening shifts. Trey Davey and Benji loved playing with Erin so much that they crashed after bottles without delay.

Cover Boys

You might want to pick up the April 1st edition of Scientific American magazine. The cover story is about our own Trey Davey and Benji Edds. We were approached just after the twins’ birth to participate in the HANDS program. This free service sends a nurse to our home weekly to measure the children’s development and offer advice to new parents. Apparently what we didn’t know was they were sharing their test results with childhood researchers at the University of Kentucky. We came to these scientists’ attention initially after a newspaper article detailed our meeting through match.com and our exceptional couple’s compatibility test score. They wondered if perfect mate selection produced perfect offspring. Quietly, they monitored our efforts to have children, and then commissioned the HANDS people to test the twins’ intellect and athletic ability. Their findings show these scientists to be nobody’s fool.