Yummy Yucky, by Leslie Patricelli

Do you have a toddler who always tries to put everything in his/her mouth? I have two! Being a bit of a germophobe, this is one habit that I really want Audrey and Antonino to break. Their pediatrician told Joey and me that it's completely normal for little ones to explore the things around them with their mouths and what we can do is explain firmly which stuff go in the mouth and not by saying something like "We don't put toys in our mouth." So when I saw the book "Yummy Yucky," by Leslie Patricelli, I knew at once that it would be the perfect companion for teaching the twins what's safe for them to eat.

Surprised by our favorite lullaby

When the twins were newborns, my go to song whenever they would cry was You Are My Sunshine. All I had to do was start singing it and they would instantly keep quiet. It was a win-win for everyone because the song helped me relax too. It worked in any given situation from the small stuff like when they would get cranky after waking up from a nap, to the big stuff like when they had to go through blood extractions during their hospital confinements. I must have sung the song at least 20 times a day in 2017.

 

Toys That Are A Hit For One-Year-Olds

When Audrey and Antonino turned a year old, they were both very eager to walk and raring to talk. They also showed a lot of interest in throwing, toppling, and banging stuff. Then after a few months, they wanted to climb all over everything. When they turned around 1 1/2 years old, they also picked up the habit of copying us - we sneeze, they fake sneeze, we scratch our heads, they do the same! Needless to say, the twins are in a very active phase right now. Oh and let's not forget the times when they would prefer playing with boxes over the toys inside. That is, except for these toys which they absolutely love:

Grandma Loves You!, by Helen Foster James

"Grandma Loves You!" by Helen Foster James is a sweet book for grandmas to read to their grandchildren. The tender rhymes and soft pastel illustrations capture the feelings of grandmothers from the moment they first see their grandchildren.

Audrey and Antonino love it whenever LaMom reads this book to them. They sit on her lap while fighting over who gets to turn the pages.  Right now they like looking at the photos and the snuggles they get when LaMom reads to them. But I'm sure when they're older and able to understand the text better, they will definitely feel how special they are to their grandma.

Simple, warm and sweet, "Grandma Loves You!" is a lovely gift for new grandmothers. In fact, I think parents can even use it to announce a pregnancy to grandmas-to-be.

Audrey and Antonino are lucky enough to have 2 grandmas and even a great grandpa around. My Lolo (grandfather) is already 90 years old. And although he may sometimes forget our names, he always remembers that Audrey and Antonino are twins. When we were in Ilocos to celebrate his 90th birthday, he would always ask "Where's the other one? They're twins, right?" whenever he would see only one of them running around. I find it really sweet that he's still able to remember that detail. So I have to give a special thank you to LaMom, Mima and GG Pin (Great Grandpa)! We love you! 

Happy Grandparents' Day to all the grandmas and grandpas out there!

The Foot Book, by Dr. Seuss

I've loved going to bookstores ever since I was a child. When I was younger, my mom and I would always drop by the bookstore whenever we would go to the mall. There, she would let me pick any age-appropriate book I wanted to read. Book shopping is actually one of my favorite mother-child bonding activities which I also hope to share with Audrey and Antonino one day.

Well, that one day came sooner than I expected. During a recent trip to the mall with the twins, we visited Powerbooks to check if there were any new arrivals we could add to their collection. As I was browsing the display, Audrey suddenly leaned forward and grabbed a board book from the shelf: The Foot Book, by Dr. Seuss. She wouldn't let go of the book when I asked if I could see it so I just picked up another copy. In true Dr. Seuss fashion, it has lots of clever rhymes which make it a great read-aloud book so we bought it.

Toys That Are A Hit For Babies 6 to 12 Months Old

As parents, we want to give our little ones the best toys that are appropriate for their age and will aid in their development. Between 6-12 months, I noticed that Audrey and Antonino began showing more interest in interacting with people, banging stuff, crawling and cruising. Here are the toys that kept them entertained during this age.

On The Night You Were Born, By Nancy Tillman

Like all parents, I want my children to feel loved and special in order to set them up for a healthy sense of self esteem in the future. "On The Night You Were Born," by Nancy Tillman has exactly what I want to say to Audrey and Antonino to make them feel like VIPs. The author just has a way with words that's simply magical. I mean just read a few lines from the book below:

Because I'm Your Dad, By Ahmet Zappa

Whenever the twins see Joey walk into the room, he might as well be a rockstar. Their faces light up, they scream daddy and they squeal in delight. And though I know it's not supposed to be a competition, I can wholeheartedly say that between Joey and me, he is the clear winner of the Fun Parent Award. Kind of like the dad in the children's book, "Because I'm Your Dad" which has become one of our regular reads.

You're All My Favourites, by Sam McBratney

It was a lovely surprise to see another book by "Guess How Much I Love You" author, Sam McBratney while I was bookshop browsing a couple of weeks ago. After reading the synopsis, I immediately went to the counter to ask if I could see the inside of the book. Good thing the lady who assisted me had to answer a call after she opened the book's plastic cover because I got teary eyed when I read it. I actually had to pause for a moment and compose myself before I could tell her I would be buying it.

"You're All My Favorites" is about three baby bears who start to wonder who among them their mommy and daddy bear like the best. In the story, each baby bear describes himself/herself according to birth order, color, gender, and size. These descriptions show how each baby bear is unique. However, in their young little bear minds, they tend to perceive their unique qualities as something that may prevent mommy and daddy bear from liking them best.

Baby Toys That Are A Hit For Ages 3 to 6 Months

Toy shopping for babies is a little tricky. When my twins were only a few weeks old, they were more interested in lying down, drinking milk, crying (too interested in this if you ask me), and staring at my and Joey's faces than playing with toys. But when they turned 3 months old, they started to become very curious about their surroundings. They began reaching for toys, mouthing them, and exploring different textures.

Here are the toys that kept my twin babies entertained from 3 to 6 months old, with some of them still on rotation even now that they're already over a year old.

Dinosaur Dance, by Sandra Boynton

One way to describe Dinosaur Dance, by Sandra Boynton is high energy. As the title suggests, the book is about dancing dinosaurs. After reading it a few times to the twins, Antonino would bounce up and down just seeing its cover and Audrey would start shaking sideways (unprompted) from the moment she hears the line "The blue Stegosaurus goes shimmy shimmy shake." 

That's Not My Baby, by Fiona Watt

Even though they cannot read yet, Audrey and Antonino have been showing an early interest in books. Whenever they see a book lying around their play area, they pick it up, flip and chew (oops!) its pages, and then hand it to me to read to them. With every page turn, they squeal with delight, imitate sounds and reach for colorful pictures.

Love is You and Me, by Monica Sheehan

This Wednesday is Valentine's Day so I think it's only fitting for me to share with you one of my favourite children's books about love: Love is You and Me, by Monica Sheehan.

Ten Tiny Tickles, by Karen Katz

There is nothing sweeter in the world than a baby's laugh. It just brightens your day making it impossible not to laugh along. Because of this, Joey and I always try to make the twins laugh through silly sounds, funny faces and of course, tickles. Tickles are a guaranteed laugh inducer for babies which is why we love reading Ten Tiny Tickles, by Karen Katz to the twins.

This Is One

One year with our two wins! The past year was a blur of exhausting, scary, stressful, amazing, happy and magical moments. I know it's been a year but I always find myself thinking, where has the time gone?  It seems like yesterday Joey and I were only looking at Audrey and Antonino through their incubators in the NICU and now we suddenly have two little humans who are growing and changing every single day.

On the statistical side, I'm really happy because the twins more than tripled their respective birth weights. Yay! But aside from that, I would like to share with you what they have been up to at one year old.

Tiny Blessings For Bedtime, by Amy Parker

As parents, we all dream of raising selfless and appreciative children. Today is Christmas Eve and as we focus on giving thanks for all the special blessings we have received, let's always remember that while Christmas only comes once a year, we can always choose to adopt the mindset of being grateful for everyday blessings. My current favorite children's book on gratitude is Tiny Blessings for Bedtime, by Amy Parker. 

Moo, Baa, La La La!, by Sandra Boynton

My mom read to me a lot when I was a kid. I guess it was the shared reading time with her that made me enjoy and love reading. A love for reading is also something I want to pass on to my twin babies, Audrey and Antonino. And so, I read aloud to them even when they were still in my tummy. Then, when we brought them home from the hospital, Joey and I included reading as part of their bedtime routine. There were even nights when we would read the same book to them 5 times straight because they would end up crying when we were done and the only way to calm them down was to read the book over and over. Reading has become a great bonding activity for our family and I can see that the twins have become very interested in books which is why I am always on the lookout for books that will cultivate this interest.