Month 5, Week 3

We had an action packed Thanksgiving week! On Monday we had a playdate at a local mom's house. Per normal, we were the only ones that weren't sitting up yet. I think most other babies are in the 9mo to 10mo range, so some of them are even trying out crawling and pulling up. It makes our boys a little jealous. They'll try to copy what they see and end up doing face plants. hehe

The playdate went pretty well. At one point I needed to feed both boys, so we took over the couch. I'm sure we were quite the sight. It's hard to cover up much in that situation, especially when the boys like to turn any cover into a fun tent. Later I knew it was time to head home when Zach fell asleep sitting up in my lap. His little head just kind of leaned to one side against my arm.

On Tuesday I had a meet-up scheduled for Herdklotz Park, the one with the baby swings. We got there about 10min late and didn't see anyone else. It was a little cold to do anything outside, really, so the boys and I went to the mall instead. There weren't many people there at 10:30am, but the one I was counting on was - Santa. The boys sat on his lap and got their picture taken. Zach was nearly jumping for joy at the whole thing. I don't think he could have grinned any wider. Alex, on the other hand, would only stare blankly. There was no smile but there wasn't crying, either, so I took what I could get. Looking back on the situation, I think I went wrong at letting the picture lady put Alex on Santa's lap. That seemed to have thrown him and he wasn't going to be happy after that.

We met up with Jim for lunch at Don Pablos. We've been testing out eating in restaurants with the boys. So far it hasn't been too bad. They'll usually end up in our laps, playing with the table or Jim will walk them around to see things. I like when we're given a booth and we can set their car seats next too us, assuming there's enough room to slide them in. There's been a couple of tight fits.

Jim took Wednesday off to hang out with us. We went to Toys R Us to see what potential Christmas gifts were out there for the boys. I've also been trying to pay attention to what they play with and seem to like when we're at other houses. I think they're on the cusp of wanting things like block and balls. Zach was pretty entertained with the stacked ring toy, and both boys were mesmerized with a toy xylophone. Most of the toys they have right now are plush or for teething. There's not much that's fun to just hold and look at.

They've also started being interested in books. I bought one that you can insert pictures into. I thought it might be fun to fill it with photos of the family, especially faces. Tonight Jim and I were reading to them and the boys kept squealing with delight and trying to turn the pages. They only have two books that are safe for them to chew on, though.

Thursday we went to Jim's grandma's for Thanksgiving. It was the first time many of his extended family got to meet Alex and Zach. When we first got there, Zach got overwhelmed with all of the people and noise. He burst into tears. Alex was just silent and staring, like a deer in headlights. They were a bit fussy for the duration but seemed to do ok when others held them, at least for a little bit.

On Friday we went to Lowes. One of our baby proofing projects is to get doors for the fireplace. We got some information but there wasn't a very good selection on display. I picked up some lights to decorate the outside of the house, and some hooks to hang our stockings. Maybe not this year, but maybe for the next Christmas we'll replace our cheap bulb ornaments with shatter proof ones.

Saturday we went to Jim's Dad's house for Second Thanksgiving. Everything was going pretty well on the way down until we had to stop for gas. The boys woke up from their short nap and never really recovered. They were fussy the whole time we visited. It seemed like which ever I held was fine, but the other would start crying. Food and diaper changes didn't help. We managed to get them to sleep on us for about 30min but it wasn't enough.

On the way home, Zach refused to close his eyes and cried off and on. We even stopped to be sure he wasn't hungry (he wasn't). Of course, that caused Alex to wake up. I pulled out all of the stops on the entertainment front and that barely sustained them. Once we got home, I noticed Alex had a stuffy nose. He had a really hard time sleeping and woke up about an hour after we put him down. I tried the normal feeding and rocking. He decided to work on his diaper during this time, so I took him downstairs for changing. On the way he let out a HUGE burp. Once we got down there, I realized he was soaked over half his body and needed new clothes, too. So who knows what woke him up!

Alex's nose still ended up being the ultimate issue. He spent most of the night sleeping with us. I tried multiples times to put him back in the crib but every time his little eyes would pop open. Of course, when you don't get a good night's sleep, you wake up grumpy. It's a vicious cycle.

I'm not sure if it's the cold or teething, but Alex had a rough time today. He didn't want to take any naps, and when we made him lay down, he cried and cried until I would nurse him. He would fall asleep for maybe 15min at a time, then wake up rooting. If he didn't find what he wanted, he would burst into tears. This wasn't hunger - it was comfort nursing.

Tonight when we tried to put him to bed, it was the same thing. He just didn't want to go to sleep and unplugging him from me woke him up. We tried Orajel for the possible teething, and Vic's Rub for the nose. I gave him some Tylenol in case the Orajel wasn't working. He immediately projectile vomited his entire tummy all over the living room floor. That seemed to help and I was able to get him to sleep. He's been in his crib for about 2hrs now without waking.

For dinner tonight the boys tried some sweet potato. I steamed, mashed, and diluted it with water. The looks on their faces were hilarious! They weren't sure what to make of it. At one point, Alex had potato on his nose and Zach was wearing it on both hands. Zach would open his mouth and try chewing it. Alex, on the other hand, would see the spoon coming and close his mouth. He even went so far as to pull his lips in, like I would somehow use them against him. I'd slip bites in when he was grinning at Jim. He wouldn't spit it out, so I considered it a win.

The boys can really laugh now, not just grin and squeal. Jim can get them to do it when he gets their bellies. It's one of the best things I've ever heard. Alex can jump in the Jumperoo pretty well now but it's not his favorite toy. He still prefers the Exersaucers and uses both of them. Zach thinks that he can jump anywhere, not just in the Jumperoo. This includes when you're holding him up to stand.

They have discovered the cats and track them whenever they walk by. You'll see their little heads swivel and they'll strain to watch them. Frodo walked up to Zach once and Zach's face exploded into a HUGE grin. Of course, Frodo could care less and walked away. Later Furball hopped up on the end table. Zach and I were on the couch. I was holding him up to stand/jump. Well, he immediately started trying to take steps towards the cat. I held him as he essentially walked across the couch to get to her. Once he got there, he made a fist and totally clocked her in the jaw. hehe She didn't know what to do and backed away. I guess we'll have to work on the idea of "gentle with the kitty."

I can't believe the boys turn 6 months next week. The time has gone by so fast. It feels like yesterday we brought them home. They were so small and kind of boring compared to now. They just get more interesting and fun everyday.