Month 4, Week 4

Ok, this is going to be another one of those mega posts. You might want to grab a snack. This could take a while. If you'd rather get a pictoral version, I've updated their Fifth Month Candids and added Halloween shots (pw: jma&z)

Waaay last Saturday was Preston's second birthday party at Wayne and Nina's. There was something in the water because none of the babies would take naps that day. Our boys were pretty cranky most of the time, with brief periods of happiness. They slept pretty well on the way home, though.

Monday was our first official playdate with other babies. We joined the Greenville Stay at Home Mom's group at their organizer's apartment Melissa G). There were 5 other babies besides our two. A few could sit, one was experimenting with crawling, and two were in the same boat as us. Alex and Zach attempted to make friends by sharing their toys. Jacque the Peacock was a fan favorite and two other moms said they had one at home. Initially I held Zach while Alex worked on his shyness from his carseat. Once Alex seemed more sure of himself, I got him out and Melissa held him.

Melissa's two boys are older, in the preschool to kindergarten range but she was hosting the playdate to be sure all of the GSAHM members had something to participate in. Her boys were particularly interested in Zach and Alex. The littlest one would try to play with them by bringing them toys. At one point I had Zach sitting in a recliner beside me. I hear talking and look over to see Melissa's oldest boys just chatting away with him. He was telling Zach all about how he knew these other twins and how they were friends. It was very cute, especially since Zach was transfixed on him.

The playdate went really well with only a little fussing here and there. I got to talking to Jasmine, mom to Annika. Her daughter's about a month older than the boys and crazy cute. We kind of hit it off and will probably try to get together in the future. Alex liked staring at Annika. I think he was jealous of how much hair she had.

Tuesday was the Mother of Multiples meeting. Jim dropped me and Alex off, and took Zach to the mall. Alex and I had a pretty good time. We sat together during the Bellies and Babies part, then went picnic style on the floor for the actual meeting. I met Melissa A and her two girls, Bronwyn and Aeralind. They were so tiny at 7 weeks old. It's hard to remember the boys being that small but they were. I held one of the girls while Melissa held Alex. I think we were both surprised. I felt like I wasn't holding anything, while Melissa was probably getting a workout. I can remember the early days with all of the bouncing and holding - feeling like my arms were going to fall off. That's nothing compared to the mini-beasts we have now!

Jim reported that the mall trip went pretty well initially. Zach really liked looking at all of the people and the window displays. They stopped by Panera and Zach's cuteness scored Jim a free coffee. They covered both floors before Zach started to get fussy. This is where things stopped being much fun. Zach started crying and wouldn't stop no matter what Jim did. To make matters worse, Alex and I had all of the good toys with us. I didn't think they'd need them at the mall.

Jim called me and I could hear screaming in the background. Alex and I packed up as fast as we could and headed for the entrance. I got the in van and held Zach until he calmed down. I'm still not sure what got him so upset. He wasn't hungry and his diaper wasn't bad. I wonder if he just missed me, but I don't know if he's even capable of that yet. I thought they were still working on object permanence and once something was gone from view, it no longer existed.

So, we've tried Jim watching both boys, and me taking one. Neither option has been successful. For the next meeting we're going to attempt both boys coming with me and see how things go. In theory it shouldn't be much different from our outings together but they're usually much more cranky in the evenings. I can't nap/feed/go as easily.

Thursday we went to Bouncing Baby Boo Bash at the downtown Greenville Library. Amber (with Gabe and Graycen) and Mellissa (with Bronwyn and Aeralind) met us there. It was a costume party with stories, songs, and dancing. Ninja Alex and Pirate Zach just kind of looked around. Bat Gabe and Ladybug Gracen had some fun with bubbles and musical instruments. Pumpkin Bronwyn and Bunny Aeralind held a blanket down, but they did it in an extremely cute way. We were there for about an hour before heading home for naps.

Saturday was Halloween. We hosted a family party at our house, per tradition. This year it was more kid-centric and we didn't do a separate adult party. The whole week pretty much led up to the party, from decorations to food prep. It was right before Halloween last year that we found out I was pregnant, so that's added another memorable aspect to the holiday. The nephews came over for Trick Or Treating and cupcake decorating. We had finger foods that everyone seemed to enjoy. Nina told Thomas that the punch was Magic Potion. I warned him that it would turn him into a frog if he drank it. When he asked if I was kidding, I admitted that I was. It would really turn him into a newt. muhahaha

We all went Trick Or Treating while my sister manned the door. Jim held Alex while I carried Zach. We didn't have buckets for them, since they couldn't eat candy and we didn't need to be eating it either. Mainly I just wanted to watch the nephews go from house to house. It was the first year I went with them. Weird, I know.

I'm still recovering from Halloween. I wonder how long it will take to get a letter from the home owner's association about our decorations still in the yard. Packing things up takes so much more energy than unpacking.

In developmental news, the boys have been hard at work learning new things and perfecting the old. They've gone from punching their toys to opening their fists and grabbing them. I looked over at Zach on the play mat the other day and he was slamming two toys together. This also means you can't stuff things into their hands to be held indefinitely. They can let go now. Um, not that I've been doing that with rattles... hehe

Alex likes to hold out his hand for kisses. I'll plant a big, squeaky one on it and he'll pull it back quickly. He'll do this right before falling asleep for his nap. It's funny watching him laugh at the kisses but complain about the nap in between them. He's been really Hold-Me-Love-Me this week. He just wants to sit in my lap and snuggle a lot of the time. I don't really even need to do anything while he's there. He's content to just sit. The bouncy chair and swing are liked less and less everyday.

Zach has started holding his left foot with his left hand. I've taken advantage of the situation and have him hold his own leg for diaper changes. He does pretty well and really tries hard not to let it get away from him. When it does, he gets big eyes and tries to catch it. I don't know why, but I find it really funny.

Zach also has started squealing with glee. We pulled out the exersaucer this week and Zach just goes to town in it. I never knew one kid could have so much fun. He yells and squeals at all of the toys, at Alex, at me, and at anything he thinks might need it. The downside of only having one exersaucer is Exersaucer Envy. One boy will look wistfully at the other while he plays. I'll usually hold the non-exersaucering boy up to the side of it so he can play, too. I've looked on craigslist and there's plenty of used ones for sale. I don't want to wear out the magic of that toy. though. I try to pace them as we rotate through their toys so they don't get bored too fast. Taking turns makes the fun last longer.

Both boys have taken chewing and drooling to the next level. A number of people have commented that they must be teething. I don't see any red gums or increased crankiness, but it's possible. Zach has been having a tougher time sleeping at night. They're really ferocious about the gnawing. They'll grab anything and stuff it into their mouths. They'll just turn on you and start sucking on your arm or hand. If no toy or parent is available, they always have at least one finger in their mouth and spit running down their chin.

Along with that, I think we're going to try rice cereal soon. They have a strong interest whenever we eat and have been reaching for out plates during dinner. Jim once joked that we'd know they were ready for solid food when they snatched the pizza off our plates, and it's just about getting to that. hehe I may try to set up the video camera for their first food attempts. I expect wide eyes and lots of spitting.