Month 8, Week 3

Really?  This is the last week they'll be 8 month olds?  But I just wrote about their first week...  I don't want them to be 9 months yet!

For a little while now the boys have been "trading" toys.  It seems that there's no toy better than the one your brother has.  This week marked the first time that the looser in the toy fight got upset.  Alex and Zach were sitting on the couch, surrounded by toys and remotes.  Zach had the coveted satellite remote and was busy chewing on the end.  Alex, unsatisfied by the taste of the Xbox controller, reached out with both hands and procured his brother's.  Zach immediately burst into tears.  Seriously - tiny little baby tears were streaming down his face.  I gave the remote back to Zach but the damage had been done.

Which brings me to a similar topic - their love of the couch.  It has become one of their favorite places to play, even more than sitting on the floor.  I don't know if it's because they can see around the room better, or it's more comfortable, or it's the only place with a plethora of remotes, or what.  One day Jim came home from work to find Zach sitting on the couch in a diaper, while Alex and I played on the floor.  Yep, you guessed it.  That's the only way (naked and on the couch) that he was happy.

The baby babble continues.  Alex prefers "da da daddy" and Zach is all about the "mm mm ma."  In fact, they're so set in their ways, I thought I was changing Zach this morning until I heard 10 seconds of "daddy" and realized my mistake.  They don't associate what they're saying with me or Jim but it's still crazy cute.

The boys got an inflatable bathtub this week. Up until this point the boys have laid down to take their baths.  Over time some problems have developed.  For one, Alex constantly splashes Zach, or hits him while doing his full-body flailing, resulting in Zach crying more times than not.  They also can't really play or see more than the ceiling while prone.  They would get bored and the tears would start.  They LOVE the inflatable tub.  They're facing each other, have floaty toys to chew on, and seem to think splashing each other is hilarious.  What used to be 15min dunk-and-scrubs are now 30min soak fests.

They also got a second toy bar for the van.  It's nearly identical to the one we have and was purchased to stave off jealous looks.  The worst part about having twins isn't the sleepless nights, crying in stereo, or the diapers - it's having to pick one boy over the other.  They get so excited when I pull out that toy bar, I stopped using it at all because of how sad it would make the boy left with a regular toy.  I hear happy rattling, crunching, and squeals of glee from the back of the van now.

The boys had their first lunch at a restaurant.  We met up with Jim's brother and his family at Sticky Fingers in downtown Greenville.  I made them some avocado and packed it on ice.  They've also started eating cereal puffs, although I cut them into quarters because I am worried about choking.  Our nephews thought the avocado looked like green slime.  hehe  The boys ate about a half of avocado and I was impressed they managed that much with all of the distractions.  Sometimes I can barely get them to take a bite if the cat walks by at home.

Zach really likes the puffs and Alex tolerates them ok.  Right now I'm putting them in their mouths, although we scatter some on their trays so they can practice feeding themselves.  I don't think either have managed to get one in their mouth yet, though.  I held one in the palm of my hand, hoping Zach would grab it.  Instead he face planted and licked it off.  That boy is a mess.  Zach also really likes jarred prunes, while Alex likes the jarred apples.  If I switch them, I get a round of sour faces and an instant distrust of the next spoonful.

I wish I could say that we've solved all of our sleep problems but I can't.  They still wake up to eat every 2.5hrs and after about 5am they're ready to party.  On top of that, Alex doesn't want to nap beyond about 1hr, if at all.  He's been acting like his tummy is hurting, although I can't get a burp out of him.  He's been throwing up some, too.

The boys have their 9 month check-up this Friday and an appointment with a hematologist early next week.  I'm hoping their hemoglobin still looks good.  It'll also be interesting to see how much they weigh and how long they are.  Their feet are starting to hang over the end of their car seats and I think we need to bump up their exersaucers' height a notch.