Month 7 Week 1

After the circus last week, things have calmed down around here.  Playdates have started back up and sleep schedules seem to be falling into place.  On Monday we went to Donna's house.  She has fraternal boys that are a week older than Alex and Zach, but a few weeks ahead on things like sitting unassisted and teeth.  Either way, I think the boys had a ton of fun playing with new toys and watching all of the kids around them.  There were two other sets of twins and a singleton, so the head count was 5 moms, 6 boys, and 3 girls.  I had a good time, too.  It had been a while since I had seen anyone from the group and I had missed them.

I broke out the steam mop (my Christmas present to myself) and some non-toxic cleaning wipes this week.  I cleaned the floors and wiped down all of the boys' toys to rid the play areas of any lingering germs.  This included a good scrubbing of the exersaucers, too.  It's amazing how gross kids stuff can get, plus I think someone (I'm looking at you, Alex) has been stealth spitting up on things.

I have a correction to make from the post last week.  I thought that both boys were getting the same tooth in but I was mistaken.  Alex has the bottom left and Zach has the bottom right teeth poking through.  And then already this week they're both getting the other bottom tooth in as well.  The second teeth are just bumps right now.  The teething has come with a price, though.  Both boys want to be held and give you huge hugs.  They're happy just sitting in my lap, playing with toys and shooting me funny grins.  Yes, it's just awful having to hug the boys all day.  hehe

These first teeth have changed their grins.  Instead of open-mouthed baby ones, they're doing a more traditional smile and showing off their gums.  It'll look more normal once they have more teeth, but for now it's pretty funny looking.  Plus, Zach has started scrunching up his nose when he laughs.  It's crazy cute.

Another new thing as of this week is diaper rash.  Even though we use butt paste and I try really hard to change their diapers at the first sign of needing it, both boys have some level of redness.  Alex is actually in worse shape.  One night his behind was actually bleeding a little and he has been crying when we gently wipe his bottom.  It breaks my heart.  I have a three prong plan to get rid of the rash.  First, we bought some new triple paste that's supposed to help.  Second, I'm trying to actually wash their rear ends with mild soap and water after they poop.  Apparently normal wipes don't do a good job of getting rid of the irritating bacteria.  Third, I got a shower curtain and flannel sheet for the floor in the living room.  I'm going to try to give the boys at least 30min of naked time everyday so things have a chance to dry out.  Bacteria can't live without moisture.

I know that diaper rash is more common once babies start eating solid food, but part of me wonders if maybe there's a food that's aggravating the situation.  I mean, we've been eating solids for a while now without this level of problem.  One thing I did reintroduce was sweet potatoes (but I've since stopped feeding them just in case).  I'm not sure if volume matters, but the boys are up to eating 2oz of solid food per meal, and they eat lunch and dinner now.  What they deposit in their diapers seems pretty thick compared to a milk only diet, but I think that's normal.

Modified Cry It Out (CIO) seems to have been a success.  The boys don't cry at all when we put them in their cribs now, even if they wake up when we put them down.  Also, getting them back to sleep during the night is a piece of cake compared to the holding/bouncing/rocking/swaying we were doing before.  You just set them down, they look at you and roll over like "I'm tired.  You can go now."  Jim and I are pretty stunned at how well they both are doing at bedtime.  If they do cry or complain (like when Zach had a fever), a little extra rocking helps, or they'll put themselves to sleep within 10min.

This doesn't mean we're issue free when it comes to sleeping, though.  They still wake up a lot at night to eat - like every 2-3hrs.  They act starved, so I'm not sure how to get them to cut back.  And since I'm not sleeping with them around the clock (yay!) they tend to get up earlier now, like 5:30am instead of 7am.

We tried cutting back to two naps and I just don't think they're ready, no matter what the books say.  What we need is to get enough sleep during the day so they're not cranky but not too much that they're not sleeping well at night.  So far three 1 to 1.5hr naps has been the most successful.

On the days we have playdates, we'll leave early and the boys will take an hour nap in the van.  Then we'll do a couple hours of playing and they'll take a second hour nap on the way home.  We'll eat some lunch and rough up our toys before grabbing a 1.5hr nap in the early afternoon.  On the days we don't have playdates, sometimes the first two naps will get combined into one.

I went to the dermatologist this week about a chronic rash I get on my face and hands.  I've been dealing with it for years and the last time I had a flare up, I was referred to an allergy doctor who said it was a reaction to cats.  Well, last week I had the worse outbreak I've ever had.  My face was swollen, red, very painful/itchy/burning, and covered in blisters.  I couldn't kiss the boys because my lips hurt too much, and I had to keep them at arm's length because even brushing my cheek would make me tear up.  The swelling was also around my eyes, so I was quite the sight.

Anyways, the dermatologist diagnosed me with eczema, which means I'm super sensitive to anything with scents or dyes.  Apparently my face had been attacked by a nice smelling, pretty looking bar of soap.  We had sort of figured this out in bits and pieces on our own, so this makes much more sense than a cat allergy.  Even though I looked terrible, the boys didn't seem to notice.  I got just as many grins and laughs as normal.  If anything, they were mildly frustrated I wouldn't let them honk my nose.