Month 10, Week 3

Up until this point, the boys have only been able to be reactionary to the world around them.  If I put them in a toy they don't like, they'll cry.  If I feed them something they don't want, they'll let me know.  This week, though, they've started to cry because they want something, and it doesn't even have to be in their visual range.  Alex has started complaining during meals because he wants a drink of water.  I'll get up, get a glass, and fill it from the fridge.  You'd think I was about to hand him the best thing ever.  He'll wiggle in his seat and squeal with glee, then grab the cup and just about drown trying to drink it.

The downside of this new found decision making is they can get pretty serious about what they want.  We had our first major meltdown in Wal-Mart, all because Alex wanted my phone.  He screamed at the top of his lungs, tears streaming down his face.  I think if he was able to reach the floor, he would have thrown himself down on it and done some kicking.  Nothing I did seemed to matter.  He wanted the phone.

Out of options (besides just letting him scream the rest of the trip), I gave it to him.  Almost immediately Zach reached for it.  This caused a whole new round of preemptive screaming.  Just in case Zach did manage to get the phone, Alex would already have the complaining well underway.  Alex also was holding the phone away from Zach, another new development.  Normally they just try to play with whatever item they have and then react once their brother takes it away.  In the end I just had to take the phone away.  Eventually Alex stopped screaming, when he saw people looking at him.

They seem to be taking different tracks in their motor development.  Zach is leaning more towards crawling.  He spends a lot of time on his belly after diving for a just-out-of-reach toy.  He's also started sleeping on his tummy at night.   He still can't crawl, but he does scoot around backwards and has managed to get one knee under him at different times.

Alex, on the other hand, is fully focused on standing and eventually walking.  He started cruising this week, doing a side-step around some activity tables we have.  If he hits a brother roadblock, he'll try to shove Zach out of the way so he can complete his journey.  So far he only seems to go counter clockwise around things, but will also take a few steps towards me or Jim if we're nearby.  He's also discovered he can lean into the activity table, causing it to slide towards Zach.  Zach will start yelling to alert me that he needs saved, but sometimes I can't get their fast enough and he'll get pushed over.

Zach has a bunch of teeth coming in - top front two and bottom left.  Despite this, he slept for about 8hrs straight two nights this week.  It's only happened while he was sleeping on his tummy.  Alex, who seems to be in a dental holding pattern, continues to wake up every 1-2hrs for either milk or holding.

The boys' wagon came in on Monday and we've used it everyday except one (due to rain).  They love it and will happily sit in it for walks around the neighborhood.  They sit facing each other and are just barely in reach of heir brother to do some scratching and biting, so I have to keep an eye on them.  Alex and Zach know their names and they know what "No" and "Stop" mean.  Whomever I address will immediately halt their assault and look up at me innocently.

As far as talking goes, I would consider their first word to be "Daddy".  They'll yell it whenever they seem Jim, although they sometimes use it for me as well.  I've also heard Alex whispering "Cat" at Frodo as he walks by.  By far their favorite thing to say is "Da da da" and they'll use it pretty much non-stop throughout the day, whether Jim's here or not.  If it seems like they're asking about him, I'll say "Daddy's at work but he loves you very much."

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?

Month 10! (+ 1 week)

Ok, so where to begin...  The boys have sworn off all purees, including fruit.  They want to feed themselves and don't want me to help.  I can't even get them to taste anything unless I pin them down and force it (which I won't).  Luckily they'll try most anything I put on their trays.  I've been trying to come up with enough foods that are finger friendly but aren't all carbs.  Zach likes green beans from a can.  Alex will happily munch on steamed broccoli.  Neither like cheese, but they'll eat shredded chicken.  Of course they like bread, and these cheddar cracker things.  Both ate some little cubes of watermelon, too.

We've also experimented with spinach and artichoke dip (love it!), mac 'n cheese (Alex is ok with it), garlic bread (cats are a fan), and rice krispies with milk (love it!).  They're pretty much addicted to cheese curls.  Both boys will just about leap out of their chairs when I get the bag out.  Zach grabs one and immediately starts biting pieces off.  Alex will drive it around his tray then lick all of the cheese off before sucking on the corn puff.  I even busted Furball doing cleanup on some pieces that fell on the floor.

Jim and I are going back and forth on whether to get the boys an outdoor playset for their birthday this year or to wait until they're able to fully use one.  The pro's for getting it now is that we have some money from my grandma, and the boys really, really like to swing.  The con's are that they can't really use much of it and it'll take up a lot of space.

I'd also like to get them a wagon.  I think they would really enjoy cruising around in one, based on how much they love the cart things at the grocery store.  It would also let them be able to take some toys with them that they could retrieve on their own if dropped.  Toys R Us seemed to have one with a canopy that might work.

The boys continue to do well.  Both are experts at pulling up and standing.  They'll also take a few steps towards me to get hugs, then whip around and go back to their toy.  I haven't been able to get them to willingly take my hands in theirs, though.  When I reach for them, they'll pull them away.  Once I hold them, they'll grab on.  I've been trying to get them to give me five or ten, and they think its funny.  Part of me worries that they have a tactile aversion or something.  Of course this is silly because they hold toys and pick up things all the time.  Maybe it's a developmental milestone of some sort, wanting to hold someone's hand.

Each boy is working on a third tooth.  Alex has a bottom right nub poked through, while Zach has his top left front showing.  It also looks like a couple more teeth might be on deck.  This has pretty much destroyed any hopes of the boys sleeping through the night.  They're even boycotting some morning naps.  I've tried Motrin, in case they're in pain, but it didn't seem to help.  On top of teething, they also have runny noses, which results in snoring and even more night waking.  Every night for the past week or two the boys have ended up sleeping with me for a few hours.

All in all, the boys are doing pretty well.  They seem to say "da da da" and "ma ma ma", plus "oh no no no" with intent.  They're scooting around on their behinds a little, and are stuck in reverse when on their bellies.  They're really into playing with each other.  Alex managed to bite Zach's toes the other day.  They'll also lick each other's head, grab hands, and try to hug their brother.  It's pretty cute when no one gets injured.

Month 9, Week 3 & 4

Sorry for the radio silence for a bit.  I've pretty much been in zombie mode and that colors my posts towards the grumpy end of the spectrum.  I'd rather keep things upbeat and positive than write a bunch of complaints (since that's what it was going to turn into).

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

Month 9, Weeks 1 & 2

The boys have been doing some pretty cute stuff the past couple of weeks.  Zach likes to say "Oh, no no no" and Alex will chime in with "Da da da dat."  They don't really know what they're saying.  They'll just as happily say "Da da" when sitting on my lap, as Jim's.

Their favorite toy has become each other.  Alex managed to grab Zach's arm and bite it before I could stop him.  Zach had two red marks for a few days, like he had a run-in with a mini vampire.  Zach's not completely innocent, though.  Should Alex fall over, he'll immediately try to lick Alex's head, pull his ears, or claw his face.  He'll also extend his arm and try to bait Alex into taking it.  More than one breast feeding session has turned into a tug of war or arm wrestling brawl.

The boys continue to love the couch.  I heard some crazy noises coming from the living room one afternoon.  I look in and see Alex sucking on his hand, making a sound that would otherwise be embarrassing to most people.  Zach is just sitting there, watching him, and laughing and laughing.

Bath time is a lot better than it used to be.  Zach has really started to enjoy himself.  He splashes more than Alex at this point, but they are both pretty energetic about it.  There's usually water running down both of there faces and the walls by the time they're done.  I have to hide behind the edge of the tub so I don't end up equally soaked.

This week Alex fell out of the inflatable tub backwards and bonk his head on the drain.  He was reaching for a toy and when he flopped back, he started kicking Zach in the chest. I tried to pull his legs away and he went over backwards.  There was lots of crying and the bath was stopped short.

Alex has become an expert puffs chomper.  He'll grab one in his palm and stuff it in his mouth.  Or, if he's feeling adventurous, he'll use his index finger and thumb to pincer one.  Sometimes he'll forget to let go and end up pulling it back out.  Occasionally once it's in, he'll decide he really wanted veggies instead and try to spit the puff out.  He'll eat just about anything happily, opening his mouth wide for each bite.

Zach, on the other hand, doesn't seem to like eating solids as much.  I'll get a couple of spoonfuls in him then he'll start blowing on the spoon, spraying food everywhere.  I have to force the food in his mouth and then hold the spoon there for when he spits it out.  Normally I wouldn't make him eat, but if he doesn't then his iron make his tummy upset.  He'll start spitting up stomach acid.  Avocado and peas are no longer favorites.  Both boys seem to want fruit like prunes and apples.

The 360 exersaucer has turned into the cats' worst nightmare.  The contraption is located near the couch, close enough to create a gauntlet they cats have to pass through on the way to the kitchen.  The boys will move into position when they see a cat approach, then run and try to catch it as it races by.  Zach managed to run into Frodo once.  Poor kitty.

The boys' 9 month pictures are up on their website (see the link in the sidebar).  I think they turned out really well this month, even though they were pretty tired.

Month 8, Week 3.5

I'm not sure what to call this week.  It's not week 4, but it's not week 3, either.  I guess when there isn't exactly 4 weeks to every month, you get hiccups like this.

On Monday we took a day trip to Ikea in Charlotte.  Our friends J and Anna went with us.  J is a stay-at-home-mom and Anna is a crazy cute 6mo old with tons of curly brown hair.  We all piled in our van for the adventure.  We arrived around 11am and proceeded to directly to the restaurant.  The boys were hungry and had peas for lunch, with some puffs for dessert.

Surprisingly we made it out of the store with only a few items - pot racks, popsicle holders, and a hippo rattle.  While we were there, we got to test out Anna's cart cover thing.  The boys seemed to like it pretty well.  It was definitely a bigger hit than the car seats ever have been.

Tuesday was my Mothers of Multiples meeting.  Jim decided to watch the boys by himself.  He got home around 5pm.  Around 6:30pm he fed them dinner and then got them ready for bed.  Since he's not so good at the breast feeding and they won't take bottles, that pretty much left him with some hugs and putting them in their cribs.  There was a lot of crying, but in the end they slept better than they have in a long while.  I think they only got up to eat maybe three times.

On Wednesday we finally made it to a music class.  The boys had a pretty good time.  I took a quilt for us to sit on and Zach didn't fall over once.  They really liked the jingle bells on sticks.  We sang songs and did some dancing (sort of).  While we were at Earth Fare I picked up some apples and veggie puffs for the boys.

Thursday we had a playdate with D and her two boys, who are 7 days older than Zach and Alex.  One of her boys is already crawling, while the other has been rocking back and forth.  I don't really see either of ours doing much like that, but I'm not too worried about it.  Once they start crawling, my life is going to get a million times harder.  I like how they stay put right now.

Friday was the boys' 9 month check-up.  Both boys weighed an even 20lb, putting them in the 45th percentile.  Alex is 28.5in (65th%) and Zach is 28in (47th%).  Both boys got a couple of booster shots and a clean bill of health.

Their infant car seats only go to 29in and 22lb.  So...  We went to Babies R Us and bought them convertible seats.  I did a bunch of research and ended up going with the Safety 1st Air Protect.  They were on sale and we ended up getting a really good deal.

So my babies are growing up.  No more car seat carrying.  No more Double Snap 'N Go stroller.  We picked up a little umbrella stroller so I can transport them around for short trips.  Otherwise it's just us and the Bob now.

The boys tried out some egg yolk this week.  I think the jury is still out on whether they like them or not. They've also been experimenting with drinking water from a straw.  Alex is really into the water and yells if I'm letting Zach have a turn.  They both like the veggie puffs, more so than the fruit ones.  Zach would probably prefer to eat them instead of anything else.

The boys had their hematologist appointment today.  Rather than the finger and heel pricks like at the pediatrician, they had to do the intravenous kind with a needle and vials.  Alex was a real trooper.  He cried initially when the tech put the rubber band thing on his arm but didn't even let out a peep when she stuck him with the needle.  Zach started screaming when she put on the arm band.  Unfortunately the tech had a hard time finding the vein.  It was sickening, watching her dig around in his arm with the needle.  I know it had to hurt because he started fighting her.  She had to call another tech over to help hold his arm.  In the end she did find the vein and fill the vials, but it was pretty terrible.  I hugged and hugged him.  Within about 5min, though, he didn't seem to care at all and just wanted to look around.

The initial diagnosis is iron deficiency anemia with underlying Beta Thalassemia Minor.  What this means is the boys did have low hemoglobin counts due to low amounts of iron, but they also have a hereditary condition where their red blood cells are smaller than normal.  According to the tests, their iron levels are right where they should be, but because of the Thalassemia, their hemoglobin levels will never go much above 10.5 (normal adult is 13-15).  This isn't a big deal.  There are no symptoms and there's no treatment.  In fact, since it's genetic Jim or I must also have the same condition.

Since their iron levels are where they need to be, the doctor reduced the supplement dosage down to 2.5ml.  We'll go back for a follow-up visit with the hematologist in June.  One thing that was funny was how many of the staff stopped by to see the boys while we were waiting.  Apparently word had spread about their cuteness.  hehe

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.