Month 3, Week 1

I attempted my first outing with just me and the boys today. The local library has a Mother Goose on the Loose book reading every Wednesday. My goal was for us to attend. I was pretty nervous and kept going over different scenarios in my head last night, stressing myself out.

The boys woke up from their nap at 9:45am, pretty much the perfect time. I fed them and plopped them in bouncy chairs while I took a shower. They think the bathroom is so cool, probably since we never have them in there. Afterwards we went downstairs, changed some diapers, and headed out. There was a little initial Zach fussing when I put him in the carseat, but otherwise they were happy. The library is about 15min from our house. By the time we got there, Alex was asleep, so Zach and I voted him as the carseat baby. I put Zach in the baby carrier and we all headed in.

Unfortunately, there's a limit on the number of people that can attend and they were full. I managed to get a shower and have two happy babies at a place 5 minutes early and we were turned away! I'm STILL disappointed. I went ahead and got a library card in prep for lots of baby book reading in the future. By now the boys are looking at me (still happy!) like "Now, what?" I called Jim and we picked him up for lunch. So the trip and the stress wasn't a total loss. I got to eat lunch with my favorite boys.

Dispite the lack of actually getting to participate in the event, just practicing getting the boys up and about was good for me. I feel a lot less trapped in the house. If I need to, we can always pack up and go somewhere. I'd feel a lot better if my stroller would come in. Supposedly it'll be here early next week. I've heard that twice now, though.

In less Marcie-centric news, Alex and Zach continue to hone their toy batting skills. Both are able to pick out a dangling toy and hit it with either hand. It's hilarous watching them get all focused and intense on a blue jingling elephant, then reach out tentatively with a fist. Sometimes they miss and hit another toy, or they get too excited and the fist they weren't watching will fly out and hit things.

We've started rigorous tummy time training this week. Each boy gets 5min on a playmat. Zach is really good at holding his head up high, but tends to get tired pretty quickly. He'll just lay there like a splat, waiting for the time to run out and for me to pick him up. Alex is able to roll onto his back once before getting too tired. By the time they're done, they're so exhausted that they have to take a nap. hehe

Alex will practice sitting while I support him but Zach only wants to stand. Neither want to sit in the baby tub for baths (that I do by myself now). I have to keep one hand on their mid section and say "We sit in the tub." about a million times. Maybe eventually they're get it.

Zach is close to discovering his feet. He likes to stick his legs up in the air so I think it's only a matter of time. Normally the boys wear footed sleepers but we've been doing some diaper time during the day, too, which they love. There's so much kicking and arm waving when they're in their skivvies.

Both boys try to do an open mouthed kiss when you smooch their cheeks. I'll do an exaggerated kiss then hold my face still while they slobber all over it. hehe I've also been doing raspberries on their tummies during diaper changes. Theiy're not sure what to make of it. I just get surprised, wide eyes.

I went through all of their baby clothes the other night, sorting out what they can't wear and getting what they can fit into organized. I have the 0-3 mo clothes from Nina and Stacy ready to go back to their respective owners the next time we see them. It was so sad, packing away their little clothes. They were so small and contain such good memories.

Month 3!

The boys turned 3mo old this past Friday! Chii-Wey came over for their photo shoot. Right now the boys have semi-predictable eating and sleeping schedules, so we were able to get some good smiles in. This was MUCH less stressful than the last two times. You can view their pictures here (pw: jma&z). I hope to have their 3 month candids up there soon.

I've already mentioned that the boys graduated into size 2 diapers, but over the past few days their clothes have also gotten tight. We broke out the 3-6mo outfits yesterday and they fit much better. Target was having a baby sale so we stopped by today and got a few more sleepers.

We also decided that they've pretty much reached full capacity on the co-sleeper. It holds 30lb and combined they're at 27lb (Alex 14lb, Zach 13lb). They've also started waking each other up in the co-sleeper. When one of them gets fussy, they like to lift their legs waaay up in the air then slam them down, causing the entire thing to shake. A couple of those and you've got two boys trying to bring the house down.

So tonight we moved them into the nursery. I'll admit that I'm a bit sad to see them go. I like having them close by and have been known to just sit and watch them sleep. It'll be a good thing, though. The boys aren't quiet sleepers and this should give Jim better rest for work. Likewise, sometimes Jim's snoring startles the boys. I'll probably be the only one that doesn't improve their sleep. hehe

So... Our little boys are growing up. I know they're still small, but for some reason I expected them to stay really small a lot longer. Goodbye Dino On The Loose outfit. We barely knew you.

In other baby-related news, I officially quit my job last Thursday. I left on good terms and my boss wants me to give him a call when I want to get back to engineering again. I'm now a stay-at-home mom, a sentence I never thought I'd type. It feels good, though - far better than the alternative. I'm pretty passionate about the boys. I can't say I ever felt that for any of the engineering jobs I've had.

I started on the boys' Halloween costumes this week. Alex is going to be a ninja and Zach is going to be a pirate. I'm making them out of fleece so they can wear them over normal clothes and be warm enough. I think they'll turn out ok. I'm not the best at sewing but they should at least hold together long enough to go around the neighborhood.

We ordered a double jogging stroller last week and I hope it comes in soon. I have no problems with taking care of the boys 24/7 but I'm starting to climb the walls around. One weekly grocery trip isn't enough non-home time for me. With the stroller I should be able to at least walk around outside for a bit. I'm hoping (and praying) that the boys like it. They enjoy the outside and watching things go by, so it has a chance to work.

Trips in the car have gotten a little easier. I can shake various toys and the boys will stop fussing to watch them. The toys we have for this are pretty limited, though, so I ordered some car toys from Amazon. The first "toy" is a set of wrist bands and striped socks that rattle when the baby moves. They love eating their hands so I hope they like these, too. I also got a activity bar that clamps on their carseat and a peacock that's supposed to be good to chew. hehe

In baby development news, the boys have been honing their chomping skills. Fists and individual fingers get gnawed on a lot. Alex spent some time today just staring at his hands, tasting them, then staring some more. Zach has started sucking on his hands before going to sleep. They have also become more particular about things. Alex refused to nurse in the cradle hold, and would only start eating when I moved him to the football hold. It looked pretty silly feeding one baby like that, but whatever works I guess. Zach will fuss and fuss until I'm holding him just right to go to sleep.

One last tidbit. I came across this picture the other day. It's me when I was 3mo old. I think the boys look a little like me, especially in the no hair department.