Anyways, there's a TON to catch up on. First, the boys went to the Greenville Zoo with their Grandma Pat. While not every exhibit was baby friendly, they enjoyed watching the bigger animals like the elephants and the giraffes. I think they even spotted a couple of monkeys in between their people watching. They weren't too thrilled about their sun hats or riding in the stroller, and we had to do a milk stop part way through, but overall I think they had a good time. It was like going to Publix, but outside and with less food.
The next day we had a playdate at J and Ana's. They have this wooden activity cube thing, with the wire and beads on top. I sat Zach in front of it, thinking he'd play with the stuff on the side. Instead, he just reaches up, grabs the wire, and pulls himself into a standing position. Uh... I guess they're standing now! Alex does the same thing but is more cavalier about it. He'll hold on with one or even no hands. So we went out and got our own cube, plus a crawl and cruise jungle toy. Both boys will hold onto the monkey's ear and play with the other hand. They'll also play this game with me where they'll turn and walk to me (I'll catch them) for hugs, then walk back to the toy. It's only a couple of steps but they seem to be decent at it.
We haven't given up on crawling yet, though. I have them on the floor most of the time now, with toys spread out around them. We've had a number of belly flops when they try to reach for something and fall over. Both boys can spin around on their rear ends, so any item within a 360 degree radius is fair game. This includes the newspaper, a book Jim's reading, and a cat tail that got too close. Zach has been rocking a lot while sitting and has managed to scoot a tiny bit. When he's on his belly, Zach will push up with his arms and slide backwards.
Alex doesn't seem to have the same interest in transportation. If he's on his belly anywhere but our bed, he'll body surf and cry until we rescue him. If all of his toys are out of his reach, he'll just play with his hands (or the carpet), and cry when he gets bored. He's lightning fast in the walker-exersaucer, though. He managed to run Frodo over one day. I think he just prefers to stand and has a bit better balance in that department.
Feeding them solids has gone from a relaxing, fun event to something akin to a food fight. After one or two spoonfuls, Zach will no longer open his mouth unless it's fruit from a jar. Alex wants to eat (and will chomp just about everything) but waves his hands around and smacks the spoon, sending puree flying. Both boys feed themselves puffs and bread now. They really, really don't like yogurt or cheese. Orange food is good. Green food is bad. Fruit is worth sucking the spoon dry. If an adult stands, it means you're available to pick up a boy from his highchair and they get very upset when they realize you're just getting a refill on your drink. Bibs are a creation of evil and must be yanked, pulled at, and otherwise loathed. If you think they're covered in food now, just wait until one has an itchy eye or ear.
We continue to work on their sleep habits. We've made some progress with the "Stuff Them Full of Solids So They're Not So Hungry At Night" plan. Now they'll sleep from about 8pm to 12:30am in one stretch. After that, though, all bets are off. I'm normally up at 2am, 3am, 4am, 5am, and 8am. Why the 3hrs at the end? Because I'm too tried to argue and I take them to bed with me. They've also decided that 2hrs a day of naps is all they need. I miss the iron-deficient 6hrs of naps I used to get... Runny noses and Zach sprouting a top left front tooth haven't helped, either.
So between the lack of sleep and the frustrating mealtimes, I got pretty burnt out on the whole stay-at-home-mom gig. I had a good cry over the whole thing, then my mom (who's been visiting us!) offered to watch the boys while Jim and I went out to dinner. It was exactly what I needed, 2hrs away from the pulling, grabbing, and crying. Of course, we both started missing them during dessert and I was really happy to see the boys when we got home. I'm still not 100% back to normal but my attitude has improved some.
So, like I mentioned, my mom has been visiting. It took a couple of days but the boys have warmed up to her. Zach will even ask her to pick him up and will give her wet kisses. Alex is a little more reserved but still enjoys it when she plays with him. She's been a big help around the house and with the boys. I can leave them to play while I get a shower, and she's there to help entertain them where ever we go. She even rubbed their heads until they went to sleep in the van one day.
So that's kind of our lives in a nutshell right now. I'm still trying to figure out how to get them to sleep through the night, and they're learning to stand. And while I really want them to learn to walk, it's going to open this whole other can of worms. hehe
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