Month 1, Week 2

The boys have been busy bees this past week. We made a second trip to Ikea but this time the Charlotte one. I had forgotten to get them a changing table when we stopped in Atlanta. The boys did well on the drive up but once we got there Zach had a mini meltdown. He was tired of being in his car seat and when Aunt Lucy took him out to burp him, it was very difficult to get him back in. We cruised around the entrance area until he settled down, then went to get our loots.

With all of the stuff we've picked up at Ikea, the living room needed an overhaul. Otherwise people would be sitting in a forest of baby equipment, barely able to see each other or move around. Lucy and Jim took charge of the situation and furniture began to fly. It's surprising how big our living room is with the couch against the wall.

Jim's family has a lot of July birthdays so we all went out to Sticky Fingers to celebrate en masse. There were 14 of us, with 6 being kids. That's a lot of ribs and BBQ eaten. hehe Our boys behaved themselves but Zach did start to get upset when Preston did. I guess he's just sensitive to crying in general, not just Alex's. Most of the family came back to our house for dessert. As the evening went on, our boys got fussier and fussier. This has started to be the trend lately.

In general, most babies get fussy in the evening but no one knows exactly why. We've been trying to figure out ways of keeping them calm and happy (or at least not crying). The Moby's have come in really handy. We have two now, so Jim and I each wear a baby. It's a lot like being swaddled to one of us. We also got a new swing that seems to be able to keep them asleep. The poor pack 'n play just doesn't work anymore.

Being outside also helps, so we've done everything from swing with them on the back porch, to take them for a walk around the neighborhood. Both of them love looking at the sky. We've been lucky to have cooler-than-normal temperatures so being outside isn't too bad.

Part of their discontent seems to be related to tummy pain. We started them on gas drops yesterday and they seem to help. They still grunt a lot but it doesn't seem to hurt them like before. I also brought out The Happiest Baby on the Block book for Jim and Lucy to read. We've had a couple of harrowing nights while I was napping and I think they've gotten good tips from the book. I need to reread it and get some myself.

I've posted some candid shots of the boys from the past two weeks. You can check them out on their website (pw: jma&z). I wish I hadn't left the camera in the van for the wedding, but oh well.