Month 10, Week 2

It was a bit of an unusual week for us.  We had zero playdates.  Instead we worked on getting all of our naps (2) and meals (3) in.  The situation with eating hasn't changed much.  Both boys want to eat what they can feed themselves.

One glimmer of hope is they're really, really interested in trying what's on our plates. If it's on a plate and we offer it with an adult utensil, they'll at least try it.  For Zach, "trying" means sticking out his tongue and testing the edible waters.  If it somehow makes it into his mouth and he changes his mind, he'll spit it out.  Alex will open wide and seems unable to spit it out, even if he thinks it tastes terrible.  He'll complain but keep right on chewing.  If its obvious that he really, really hates what he's eating, I'll fish it out for him.

They've been trying all kinds of new things.  Chicken quesadilla, yogurt with fruit jam, Cheerios, corn flakes, Rice Krispies, black olives, mashed potatoes, meatloaf, rice, beans, soy/rice cakes, and spinach snack pizza.  I also picked up these squeeze pouches of fruit puree.  Zach seems to really like them and has sucked a couple of them dry.  Alex has been wanting water so I've been letting him drink out of a cup.  He's getting pretty good at it and doesn't spill or choke much.

I submitted the paperwork to the HOA for a play set.  We decided on a rainbow kit with swings, a slide, and a clubhouse thing.  Right now they won't be able to use much of it beyond the swings, but they really love being outside.  I bought them a little splash pool, too, for some backyard fun.  After dinner in the evenings we've been spreading a blanket in the grass.  The boys just sit and squeal with delight.  They'll rotate around, watching birds or the cat rolling on the patio.

Sleep hasn't been their strong suit and that continues to be the case.  Zach has both a top front left and bottom front-ish left tooth coming in.  Alex has a bottom right tooth poked through, and I suspect he's working on some top canines.  I can't even remember the last time I got to sleep the whole night without two little boys ending up beside me in bed.  This also means Jim spends a lot of time wrapped in a blanket on the floor.  We've tried Motrin, but it doesn't seem to help.

I've updated the boys' pictures to their website (pw: jma&z).  There's some really great ones this time.  We met up with Chii-Wey at Heritage Park in Simpsonville.  Unfortunately, about 30min before we got there, Alex threw up all over himself.  He kept throwing up for the next three hours.  I spent most of the photo shoot holding him (which is all he wanted), although he did perk up for about 5min at one point.  Immediately after I took him to the pediatrician.  He got some medicine to keep him from throwing up and seemed fine from then on.  Can you get a 3hr bug and not pass it on to your brother or mom?