Month 6, Week 3

As I sit here writing this, both boys are asleep, nestled together on our bed.  I can hear Jim snoring from his pile of blankets on the floor behind me.  Light shining out between the bathroom doors reflects off two cherub faces at peace with the world.  There is little remaining of the complaining, crying, laughing, squealing, coughing, sneezing, grunting, tooting, slurping, and flailing that led up to this point.  Three days of family visits have defeated our immune systems.

Contrary to the galavanting we did leading up to the holidays, we've stayed home all week (sans a much needed grocery store run).  There has been no naps in the van; no meals perched on foreign furniture.  Baths have been taken and daytime sleep has been a primary goal.  We're taking 3 - 2hr naps again, at least for now.

We've even managed to get back to chomping some solid food.  Peas are a new addition.  I still haven't been able to find salt free ones to make my own so they're eating packaged organic ones.  They love them, though!  We retried apples and discovered Alex will happily eat them if they're still partially frozen (think apple slushy).  He'll also grab and lick fresh apple slices.  Zach doesn't like them any way, though.  It was hilarious watching him back away from an apple slice once he knew what it was.  I have never met anyone that didn't like apples.

You can really see their personality differences when they're eating.  Alex will try anything and opens his mouth for every bite.  You have to almost wedge the spoon into Zach's mouth, even for foods he likes.  He'll stick out his tongue to taste what you're offering and makes funny faces when trying something new.  He also insists on shoving two or three fingers in his mouth when he's eating.  Most of the time the food ends up on them and he sucks it off.  By the end of the meal, Alex will have a little food around his mouth and on his chin.  Zach will have it smeared through his eyebrows, up his arms to his elbows, and all over his high chair tray.  He is the reason they wear bibs.

Alex continues to hone his sitting skills.  I can leave him on the floor with a pillow behind him, 95% confident that he'll be in the same position when I return.  Zach uses the pillow as an excuse to lay back and be lazy.  Both boys want whatever toy I flash in front of them, resulting in many tug-of-war matches.  There's no sore looser (at least not yet) and their limited attention spans don't allow for grudges.

Zach has figured out how to whistle.  These boys don't like to stick to the normal milestones I guess.  He's been experimenting with pursing his lips and while on the changing table today he combined it with some heavy breathing.  The result is a soft, light note.  Of course I told Jim about it as soon as he got home.  Sometimes I wonder if he thinks I make these things up, but sure enough, a few minutes later he got his own mini recital.

A number of the new Christmas toys have really challenged the boys' fine motor skills.  They're having to learn how to grab things with an open palm instead of bear hugging it to their mouths.  The boys are on the cusp of understanding object permanence, where things still exist even if you can't see them.  We have a couple of toys that I can stick their rattles and keys inside.  Then we practice opening the doors and getting them out.

Both boys LOVE books and we've been reading to them everyday now.  We have some cloth ones that are good for chewing, a plastic bath time one that's apparently good for licking, and then some board ones that are real page turners.  The regular ones are with direct supervision only since they enjoy ripping and crumpling paper.

Their old toys haven't lost their appeal, though.  They still spend plenty of time exersaucering and jumperooing.  Zach has slightly longer legs than Alex, and can just reach the hanging bird on the jumperoo now.  Sometimes Alex or Zach will get a little too over stimulated by everything there is to do, so we'll relax in the bouncy chairs.

Their hair has started to come in and it's the most marked visual difference between them.  Alex has a cow lick right in the front, so his hair parts towards the left.  It also makes some of it stick straight up.  hehe  Zach doesn't have this feature so his hair just falls forward onto his forehead.

Between the new toys and books, my days are a little easier.  I managed to do a load of dishes and laundry, plus eat breakfast and lunch today.  My next goal is to add a shower in there somewhere.

The Christmas Post

Last year at this time, I was pregnant with the boys. I was dealing with morning sickness that lasted all day and trouble sleeping. We didn't even make it to Poppa and Granny J's house for dinner because I was too ill. My, how things have changed!

On Monday the boys and I ventured out to get Jim a gift for Christmas. I had been waiting for blue-ray players to go back on sale, and now was the time. Traffic was terrible. It took us close to an hour to get to the store, which is twice as long as normal. Once we got there, it was wall-to-wall people. I had the boys in their stroller and they were doing ok, but not great. I ask one of the store employees if they have any of the specific player that Jim wanted. He looks around and says they're all out. So here I am, comparing boxes and trying to learn about these things on the fly because we ARE NOT coming out into this chaos again.

Alex starts flipping out. A lady stops by and asks if she could help me somehow, like by holding one. I assure her I have everything under control. I totally don't, but I'm not comfortable with strangers holding them and it hurts my pride a little that they're so obviously upset. I finally pick out a new player and head towards the DVD section. On the way we come across a whole stack of the player Jim wanted. UGH! So we take back the one we have and grab the blue-ray player we came for.

And then I notice the line to checkout. Let's just say that it was so long that a picture of it made the newspaper. No kidding. So I'm bouncing, entertaining, and trying my best to keep the boys from having a total melt down. I get Zach out of the stroller since he's on the verge of crying. Alex sees this and gets mad. I look around in desperation and grab the closest thing I can think of to make him happy - a bag of peanut M&M's.  Yes, it was a very ghetto moment, but it sort of worked.  I would shake the candy and he would grab it from me and chew on the bag.  We got comments from people nearby, so the lack of quality parenting was pretty obvious I guess.

To get everything done that I wanted for the holidays, I had a pretty full schedule for every evening this week.  The boys had other plans, Alex especially.  It has become extremely difficult to put him in his crib without him immediately crying.  Even if he's in a deep sleep, he wakes up and starts wailing.  They're also back to their old habits of waking every 2hrs to eat.

Things came to a head about 5am one morning.  Zach refused to sleep in his crib, even though he was really tired.  I had been working with him for 1.5hrs, feeding, changing his diaper, and holding him.  Jim had also taken his turn trying to get him down.  At our wits end, we just put him in his crib and let him cry.  I felt terrible and he screamed in anger for about 45min before going to sleep.  Alex was also put down and cried.  After an hour I got him up.

The actual Christmas festivities went pretty well, though.  We went to Jim's grandma's for Christmas Eve dinner and present opening.  Jim and I were both surprised at how much the boys seemed to like ripping the paper off their gifts and playing with the contents.  You just had to get things started then help them along when they go stuck.  They got a book, kids keys, and outfits from Grandma Pat.  Great Grandmama got them a musical ball and stacker rings that light up.

So, once we got home and put the boys to bed, I decided we should probably have wrapped their presents from us after all.  I clad their smaller toys and books in festive tissue paper.  We also took everything out of their boxes and had toys assembled for ease of play later on.  Patience is not on the list of things the boys are good at.  hehe

We stacked all of their gifts in front of the fireplace, while loot from my family occupied the space under the tree.  The highlights from us were a xylophone, ball pit, sorting blocks, pop up pals, hand bells, and an activity table.  My family got them stuffed animals that sing/count/say the alphabet, many many books (including 2 that my mom recorded herself reading!), balls they can grab, a driving toy, and a piano toy.  It took Alex and Zach about 1.5hrs to unwrap everything.  It was incredibly cute how they would tear the paper off and put it to their mouths.  They wouldn't actually try to eat it most of the time, just feel it with their lips.  We would set the paper aside and once a toy was nekkid, each boy wanted to sit and play with it.

Later that morning we headed down to their cousins' house for brunch.  We had a good visit and left in the early evening.  The next day we all ventured out into the chaos to purchase a new gift for one of the nephews.  He had already gotten the car we got him, so we picked him up some trains.  It was cold, so we bundled the boys up in hats and blankets.  They really don't like putting on the hats, but forget about them once they're in place (unless they fall over their eyes).  We have matching mittens but haven't used them due to how much they like to chew on their fingers.

The Sunday after Christmas we met at Jim's dad's house for dinner.  Poppa recently had some surgery related to his prostate cancer so he was still in recovery mode.  I'm not sure if the whole family plus rambunctious kids were what the doctor ordered.  Either way, we opened even more gifts there.  The boys got stuffed sheep, a book, a ride-on giraffe, and wooden toys from Jim's brother's family.  Jim's sister and her son got them really cute outfits.  Poppa and Granny J got them some cloth books, pop 'n blocks, an activity table/exersaucer thing, and most of their new 12mo clothes.

We also found Jacques I!  Apparently he had been living on their mantle since Thanksgiving when we forgot him.  Jacques II really wasn't the same.  His beak was low on the stuffing, he had crooked feathers, and he just wasn't the first toy we had bought the boys.  So, now we have two peacocks.

Month 6, Weeks 1-2

'Tis the season for over achieving. This means that I've been trying to make this post for almost a week now, but holiday things keep getting in the way. A blog can be put off another day; getting your kids gifts for Christmas cannot (since they'll all be shipped). So, I chose the option with the least amount of sad faces. This also means that things haven't slowed down (gifts won't wrap themselves), thus I am doing something I've never, ever done in a blog. I'm giving you lists.


Firsts

• Inviting over moms and their kids, then totally ditching them to put the boys down for a nap. Yes, the whining and crying was that bad. I still think people had fun, though.
• Attending a kindermusik class. The boys really liked the songs, bells, and scarves. We'll most likely enroll in a 12wk music class in January. This also inspired me to get the boys hand bells and a xylophone for Christmas.
• Our first major fall. Zach took a nose dive off his cousins' couch. There wasn't even a red mark on his head but I doubt the guilt I feel will ever go away.
• The boys lunging for toys, cats, etc. This is the cause of the previous bullet point and I totally should have known better than to prop up a boy that doesn't know about gravity and sees something shiny.
• Zach completely rolling onto his belly in his car seat if he's not strapped in immediately. He wants to lick the animal prints. Ditto for the bouncy chairs and the ruffles along the top.
• Alex flapping his arms. I checked the baby books. Flight does not seem to be a milestone.
• Zach tossing his head side to side when he's trying to get comfy for sleep. This isn't a cute, gentle shake. We're talking a serious thrashing where his little cheeks make a slapping sound on my arm. Also not in the baby books...
• Bananas and pears for lunch and dinner. They love pears more than me.
• Our first boo boo. Alex managed to get a paper cut on his finger at Babies R Us. No, I don't know how. I end up in Target, asking the pharmacist if I can put Neosporin on a 6mo old. (The answer is yes.)
• Figuring out how to keep Alex from sucking off his band-aid and choking on it. See picture below.
• Riding in their car seats without those infant head support things. You'd think being able to turn their heads would make them happier to be in the van. It doesn't.
• Loosing a toy. Jacques I, you will be missed. Jacques II is already en route.
• Wearing overalls, thermal onesies, hats with ears, jeans, and sweater vests (but not all at the same time).
• A lady saying that Zach looks like a girl.
• Another lady saying that they're not identical because she can easily tell them apart. One has a redder face (Alex had been crying).
• Still another lady saying I didn't look like I had been pregnant with twins. I love you, Wal-Mart customer service.

Second Tries

• Weaning from nursing during naps. This is step 1 in my 217 step plan to get the boys to sleep in their cribs during the day.
• Sleeping (almost) through the night. Their noses are FINALLY not runny enough to keep them up and make them impossible to put back down.
• Figuring out a way to not end up with both boys in our bed every morning at 5am. I still don't know how/why this is happening.
• Sweet potatoes for lunch/dinner. Neither boy is a fan but they don't spit them out.
• Peas. Apparently only baby food manufacturers have access to legumes that aren't salted. Yes, I'm looking at you, over priced frozen organic brand.
• Fisher Price daytime diapers. They leak just as much as the Cruisers. I'm still beyond happy with the nighttime ones, though!
• Lotion. I can't begin to describe how much they hate the stuff, but I've managed to sneak some onto their cheeks after a bath when they're not looking.
• Bibs. The ones we have are too big around the neck. I got some velcro ones that wipe clean. So far they would rather chew on them than take them off.

Cute Pictures to Distract You

Zach and Alex fell asleep while eating.

Alex wearing a toy sock over his band-aid. Zach wanted that sock SO bad.

Alex playing with a free bear.

Zach and Alex sporting plaid and jeans.

Yes, Alex can put his foot in his mouth (just not for the camera)

Zach wearing some of his lunch in his eyebrows

This is the face of pear nirvana.

Amen, Alex, amen.

(Click the photo to read his shirt)

Six Months!!

The boys turned six months old on Friday. I seriously don't know where the time has gone. I feel like yesterday we brought them home from the hospital. It's amazing how our lives have changed since June. I wake up every day looking forward to the boys' smiles, even when it's still dark and the clock reads 5:15am. Jim and I also have a lot more conversations about poop than we ever imagined!

While last week led up to the big 6 month mark, it wasn't all fun and games. We caught some serious sinus colds and were miserable most of that time. Alex came down with symptoms first, followed by Zach, then me. There was no fever but the runny nose and sinus headache made up for it. There were a number of rough nights where the boys couldn't sleep because of their noses. We bowed out of all of our playdates since the last thing we wanted to do was make others sick. That left us bored at home, though, so we were sick and grumpy.

By Thursday I was feeling better enough to take the boys out for some holiday shopping. We stopped by Best Buy, then hit up Kohl's and Wal-Mart. At Wally World, we began our mission to buy a blender. The boys' peas aren't going to puree themselves! So here were are in the small appliance aisle. I'm rocking the boys with one hand while talking to Jim on the phone with the other. I needed some urgent Christmasy input from him. From behind me I hear "Ooooo Look!!! Twins!!!" Over walk a grandma, a mom, and a daughter. The youngest is pretty much oogling and cooing at the boys. The grandmotherly lady launches into 20 questions. Are they twins? Are they identical? Do they run in our family? She then begins telling me her family history of twins and how they apparently multiply like rabbits where she's from. I make a little joke about how her family has enough twins to make up for the lack of them in mine. Apparently this is the opening she needed to tell me about her "woman parts" not producing any pairs of her own.

The entire time Jim's sitting on the phone at work, listening to this rabble. I'm holding the phone to my ear, so it's not like they can't tell I was talking to someone. A woman was coming down the aisle towards us, and these ladies were going to have to move so she could get through. I shot the shopper a look of gratitude, since this was the break I was looking for. Unfortunately for her, she became their new target. They had to tell her all about my twins, and of course their family of doubles. I just sighed, got back to my conversation with Jim, and grabbed the nearest blender.

Friday the boys had their six month check-up. Alex weighed 18.06 lbs and was 26.5 inches long. Zach weighed 17.75 lbs and was 26.25 inches long. This puts the boys in the 55th-60th percentile for singletons. Yay for average! The doctor did note that our boys are looking pretty chunky and working on their second chins. He wasn't worried, though. They'll thin out once they start getting more mobile.

These visits always crack me up in that Jim and I use them as our tie breaker. If there's some non-urgent issue that we can't decide, we ask the doctor and he sways us one way or the other. This time the big question was me making their baby food. I've only made one veggie for them so far - sweet potatoes. They weren't ideal since the baby food grinder left little lumps (thus the story about the new blender). I think Jim's concerns are that by making them food at home, I'm pitting my low amount of baby food experience against the big name companies that have been doing it for years. Obviously Gerber and similar brands know the right foods (marked by "stages"), the right consistency, etc. They have teams of people working on this stuff. And then there's me and a potato I got from Publix. Jim just wants what's best for the boys and I totally get that.

I tried to convince him on my own. I think I successfully made a batch of food (sans the little lumps). I also bought a jar of the stage one sweet potatoes. The ingredients on the label were sweet potato and water, which was exactly what I had in mine. So I set up a blind taste test. The jarred stuff was pretty bad tasting, and Jim agreed. I thought I had won, until the doctor's visit. Jim rats me out that I'm making their food. The doctor replies "That's great!" haha This was not the answer Jim expected. Apparently Mrs. Doctor had done the same thing for their first kid. He even recommended a book for me to read.

Jim did win the battle of the ear swabbing (outside only to prevent wax build-up) and we both got support to get them their H1N1 vaccines in a couple of weeks. The boys got their normal round of 4 shots and one oral dose, although one shot was for seasonal flu. They were knocked out that evening and went to bed about an hour earlier than normal. Near as I can tell they didn't have any other symptoms.

On Saturday we went to Babies R Us in search of a tub of Butt Paste. It's been harder and harder to find it in local stores. They're either sold out or only carry the tubes. With two boys and the frequency I change them, a tube isn't going to last long and they're a lot more expensive for what you get. Of course we couldn't find any at BRU, either. While we were there, I saw some of the new Fisher Price night time diapers. I figured since I've tried everything else and they're relatively cheap, we should probably get some. We've used them for 3 nights and there hasn't been a single leak. Not one. I can't even remember the last time that happened. It seems like one of them always pees out the side (they sleep on their sides, so it's easy to do). So far, so good!

Sunday Chii-Wey came over to do the boys' pictures. Do to a miscommunication (I'm looking at you, Facebook), it was later in the day than I had hoped. The boys were pretty fussy and didn't want to do much of anything, especially change clothes. She still managed to trick the camera into capturing smiles. I don't know how she does that. You can check out their Christmas photos and their candids here (pw: jma&z)!

Month 5, Week 3

We had an action packed Thanksgiving week! On Monday we had a playdate at a local mom's house. Per normal, we were the only ones that weren't sitting up yet. I think most other babies are in the 9mo to 10mo range, so some of them are even trying out crawling and pulling up. It makes our boys a little jealous. They'll try to copy what they see and end up doing face plants. hehe

The playdate went pretty well. At one point I needed to feed both boys, so we took over the couch. I'm sure we were quite the sight. It's hard to cover up much in that situation, especially when the boys like to turn any cover into a fun tent. Later I knew it was time to head home when Zach fell asleep sitting up in my lap. His little head just kind of leaned to one side against my arm.

On Tuesday I had a meet-up scheduled for Herdklotz Park, the one with the baby swings. We got there about 10min late and didn't see anyone else. It was a little cold to do anything outside, really, so the boys and I went to the mall instead. There weren't many people there at 10:30am, but the one I was counting on was - Santa. The boys sat on his lap and got their picture taken. Zach was nearly jumping for joy at the whole thing. I don't think he could have grinned any wider. Alex, on the other hand, would only stare blankly. There was no smile but there wasn't crying, either, so I took what I could get. Looking back on the situation, I think I went wrong at letting the picture lady put Alex on Santa's lap. That seemed to have thrown him and he wasn't going to be happy after that.

We met up with Jim for lunch at Don Pablos. We've been testing out eating in restaurants with the boys. So far it hasn't been too bad. They'll usually end up in our laps, playing with the table or Jim will walk them around to see things. I like when we're given a booth and we can set their car seats next too us, assuming there's enough room to slide them in. There's been a couple of tight fits.

Jim took Wednesday off to hang out with us. We went to Toys R Us to see what potential Christmas gifts were out there for the boys. I've also been trying to pay attention to what they play with and seem to like when we're at other houses. I think they're on the cusp of wanting things like block and balls. Zach was pretty entertained with the stacked ring toy, and both boys were mesmerized with a toy xylophone. Most of the toys they have right now are plush or for teething. There's not much that's fun to just hold and look at.

They've also started being interested in books. I bought one that you can insert pictures into. I thought it might be fun to fill it with photos of the family, especially faces. Tonight Jim and I were reading to them and the boys kept squealing with delight and trying to turn the pages. They only have two books that are safe for them to chew on, though.

Thursday we went to Jim's grandma's for Thanksgiving. It was the first time many of his extended family got to meet Alex and Zach. When we first got there, Zach got overwhelmed with all of the people and noise. He burst into tears. Alex was just silent and staring, like a deer in headlights. They were a bit fussy for the duration but seemed to do ok when others held them, at least for a little bit.

On Friday we went to Lowes. One of our baby proofing projects is to get doors for the fireplace. We got some information but there wasn't a very good selection on display. I picked up some lights to decorate the outside of the house, and some hooks to hang our stockings. Maybe not this year, but maybe for the next Christmas we'll replace our cheap bulb ornaments with shatter proof ones.

Saturday we went to Jim's Dad's house for Second Thanksgiving. Everything was going pretty well on the way down until we had to stop for gas. The boys woke up from their short nap and never really recovered. They were fussy the whole time we visited. It seemed like which ever I held was fine, but the other would start crying. Food and diaper changes didn't help. We managed to get them to sleep on us for about 30min but it wasn't enough.

On the way home, Zach refused to close his eyes and cried off and on. We even stopped to be sure he wasn't hungry (he wasn't). Of course, that caused Alex to wake up. I pulled out all of the stops on the entertainment front and that barely sustained them. Once we got home, I noticed Alex had a stuffy nose. He had a really hard time sleeping and woke up about an hour after we put him down. I tried the normal feeding and rocking. He decided to work on his diaper during this time, so I took him downstairs for changing. On the way he let out a HUGE burp. Once we got down there, I realized he was soaked over half his body and needed new clothes, too. So who knows what woke him up!

Alex's nose still ended up being the ultimate issue. He spent most of the night sleeping with us. I tried multiples times to put him back in the crib but every time his little eyes would pop open. Of course, when you don't get a good night's sleep, you wake up grumpy. It's a vicious cycle.

I'm not sure if it's the cold or teething, but Alex had a rough time today. He didn't want to take any naps, and when we made him lay down, he cried and cried until I would nurse him. He would fall asleep for maybe 15min at a time, then wake up rooting. If he didn't find what he wanted, he would burst into tears. This wasn't hunger - it was comfort nursing.

Tonight when we tried to put him to bed, it was the same thing. He just didn't want to go to sleep and unplugging him from me woke him up. We tried Orajel for the possible teething, and Vic's Rub for the nose. I gave him some Tylenol in case the Orajel wasn't working. He immediately projectile vomited his entire tummy all over the living room floor. That seemed to help and I was able to get him to sleep. He's been in his crib for about 2hrs now without waking.

For dinner tonight the boys tried some sweet potato. I steamed, mashed, and diluted it with water. The looks on their faces were hilarious! They weren't sure what to make of it. At one point, Alex had potato on his nose and Zach was wearing it on both hands. Zach would open his mouth and try chewing it. Alex, on the other hand, would see the spoon coming and close his mouth. He even went so far as to pull his lips in, like I would somehow use them against him. I'd slip bites in when he was grinning at Jim. He wouldn't spit it out, so I considered it a win.

The boys can really laugh now, not just grin and squeal. Jim can get them to do it when he gets their bellies. It's one of the best things I've ever heard. Alex can jump in the Jumperoo pretty well now but it's not his favorite toy. He still prefers the Exersaucers and uses both of them. Zach thinks that he can jump anywhere, not just in the Jumperoo. This includes when you're holding him up to stand.

They have discovered the cats and track them whenever they walk by. You'll see their little heads swivel and they'll strain to watch them. Frodo walked up to Zach once and Zach's face exploded into a HUGE grin. Of course, Frodo could care less and walked away. Later Furball hopped up on the end table. Zach and I were on the couch. I was holding him up to stand/jump. Well, he immediately started trying to take steps towards the cat. I held him as he essentially walked across the couch to get to her. Once he got there, he made a fist and totally clocked her in the jaw. hehe She didn't know what to do and backed away. I guess we'll have to work on the idea of "gentle with the kitty."

I can't believe the boys turn 6 months next week. The time has gone by so fast. It feels like yesterday we brought them home. They were so small and kind of boring compared to now. They just get more interesting and fun everyday.

Month 5, Week 2

On Monday we went to a Greenville Stay At Home Mom's playdate. For get togethers across town, I leave early and have them nap in the van on the way. This one was right down the road, so I figured it would be better if we took our nap here at home instead. Well, the boys didn't get the memo. We were in the van just long enough for them to get settled in for some shut eye. This resulted in sleepy, harder-to-please babies when we got there.

The playdate was at a om's house with 4 moms total. We were the only twins and all the rest of the kids could sit/crawl, but I expected that. We always bring our own toys to share with the group just in case. The hostess was nice enough to get out some of her baby toys for the boys to play with, though. Alex did some playmat playing while Zach flirted with one of the girls. He would shoot her grins and every time she crawled by, he'd reach out and try to grab her arm. She found him pretty entertaining, too, even after he clamped onto her sleeve, pinning her in place.

We only lasted an hour before the boys' fussiness had reached levels bordering on full-out crying. I started packing their things up and headed home before we ruined the fun for the rest. As soon as we got home, the boys were happy and excited to play. I don't know if they were just bored or what but it was a little frustrating.

On Wednesday we went to the Mother Goose On the Loose program at the local library. This was the thing we tried to go to last month but were too late to get in. Bound and determined not to let that happen again, we were a good 30 min early. Everything seemed to be going ok waiting for the story time to start and we ended up sitting on the floor next to a mom I knew. Each spot on the floor had a book, so the boys and I read through ours. It was a counting book and the boys loved it. I even had to wipe drool off of it a couple of times.

When it was time to start the stories and songs, the librarian went around and picked up all of the books. Alex and Zach got pretty upset when their book went into her bag. I sort of got them settled, but when they realized that her attention wasn't always going to be on them, there was no consoling in the world that would help. She's up there singing a song about "quiet and loud" and all you can hear during the soft parts is "WHAAAAAAA" in stereo. We lasted all of 10min before I was packing their things up.

A mom I didn't know came over and offered to help me take them out of the room. I really hope I wasn't rude or didn't have a look on my face, but all I could think was that I was fully capable of handling my boys and that didn't she have a kid somewhere unsupervised? I guess you could say I was offended. Yes, I had two crying babies. But wasn't it obvious that I could tell that we needed to leave and was doing just that? Of course, I'm sure she was just trying to help. I don't know why I was sensitive about it. If someone I knew had offered, it probably wouldn't have phased me.

So after 2 less than stellar outings, I was pretty scared for Friday's get together. I had invited over 4 moms - 3 with twins and 1 with a singleton. Jim and I worked on getting things ready all week (Halloween decorations are finally down!) and I even managed to make some cookies for the event. Well, the morning of, the boys woke up at 5am. I got them back down for their morning nap by 6:30am but their little eyes popped open at 8:15am. They were ready to par-tay and I could read disaster on their little faces. People weren't going to arrive until 9:30am, right when they were going to start getting tired again. Ugh!

Different scenarios started going through my head. Do I tell them all to just play without us while we go upstairs for a nap? Do I have them all leave? Do I just pretend that they're not fussy and wailing? Compounding things, Alex was already unhappy with things and he had just gotten up! I went to vacuum and he COMPLETELY freaked out. He started screaming at the top of his lungs while staring wide-eyed like he was beyond scared. Now, he's been around a ton of vacuuming, so I really don't understand, but I couldn't just stop. We were going to be playing on the floor.

I got the boys semi-calmed down when the doorbell rang. It was J with her 3 mo old daughter, Ana. I hear suspicious silence from the living room. We go in and the boys are just staring at Ana. The more people that arrived, the happier the boys got. The love people to begin with, and combined with all of their toys, they just didn't have the chance to get bored. Alex got a little fussy at one point, so I rocked him in the bouncy chair. He just closed his eyes and took a 30 min nap! Once he woke up, Zach did the same thing! Who were these babies?? Had aliens taken over their bodies??

Everyone seemed to have a good time. The 2 month olds played on the playmat or on the couch. Alex, Zach, and Ana tried out the exersaucers and jumperoo. The older 10 month olds practiced pulling up and generally had fun exploring the living room. The moms ate cookies and swapped war stories. I don't think it could have gone much better. It was the ego boost I needed after Wednesday.

On Saturday we stayed in and watched the Clemson game. Normally I don't allow any tv but we make an exception for football. They love watching the movement and will let out the random yell of glee. Jim sits down on the floor with them and tells them what's going on. They don't get to see an entire game due to naps, but seem to love what they can get.

Sunday it was cold and raining but we went out for a little bit. We drove over to see the Big Load, a power generator part that's slowly being transported across the state to NC. It was stopped in Greenville for the weekend. It was pretty big, although Jim expected it to look more massive. Afterwards we went to Swoozies and ordered Christmas stockings for the boys. We got them monogramed with their names. One of the girls behind the counter was at the last Moms of Multiples meeting. She's over 30wks pregnant with identical boys. I cannot imagine working at that point but she seemed to be doing just fine.

We got home, turned on the Christmas music, and put up the tree. Yes, it's a little early but we figured the boys would enjoy the lights. Naturally, they seem to have cared less about it. hehe They were much more interested in the cats walking by. They just discovered their furry friends a day or so ago, and stare them down whenever Furball or Frodo come near. The cats still don't have any interest in them, though.

Alex has almost gotten jumping figured out. He can bounce once or twice before stopping to stand in the jumperoo. Zach jumps like a mad man, but I'm not worried. I don't recall "Jumping" being on any of the developmental charts. Alex makes up for things in the exersaucer. He can work all of the toys and can get 99% of them in his mouth from brute force alone. He's also really good at standing and using his arms for balance.

We've stepped up things on the boys eating solid foods. They get rice cereal when we eat dinner at home. Alex tries to thwart me with his tongue but once it's in his mouth he'll eat it. Zach will open his mouth and let me shovel it in. They ate most of a bowl of cereal the other night. We're trying to decide if we should do oatmeal cereal next or just move on to something with taste, like sweet potato. Honestly, the cereal is pretty icky in my opinion.

We're looking forward to Thanksgiving this week and seeing the family. Hopefully everyone will be healthy.

Month 5, Week 1

It's been kind of a quiet week, especially compared to the craziness that was the last one. Last Saturday we went to the local apple farm with the Mothers of Multiples group. Who knew we had one about 15 minutes out the road? I guess not us! It was sunny but on the cool side. The boys seemed to have a good time looking at everything.

Jim and I have been working to come up with a schedule that works for us. This week was the first test. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday the boys and I have things to do during the day. Then on Tuesday and Thursday we would go out in the evening. That way the boys get their out-and-about time but things are kept in moderation. We also got them two new toys to keep them from getting bored: Jumperoo and a walker.

The Jumperoo has been a big hit with Zach. It took him a day or so to get the hang of jumping, but now he just bounces and bounces. His legs were a little short so I put a blanket underneath. Even when he's tired of being in it and complaining. he still doesn't stop jumping. It's rather funny to watch. I have to stand there, waiting to pick him up, until he holds still long enough for me to grab him.

Alex likes it well enough but seems to prefer the Exersaucer. He's happier much longer in it than the Jumperoo, which is just fine with Zach. Alex has been getting into shouting matches with the purple toy on the Exersaucer, though. I can't identify exactly what animal it's supposed to be - a purple hippo with leopard spots and a rhino horn? Either way, Alex wants to chew on it. Unfortunately it won't reach. So after getting frustrated, he started yelling at the top of his lungs, right in its face. He's done it a few times now and I have to hide in the kitchen so he doesn't see me laughing. Even Zach will stop jumping and stare at the spectacle.

The walker hasn't been an instant new favorite because our boys are too short to reach the ground. hehe

Jim got us a book about what it's like to grow up as an identical twin. It's a compilation of interviews by an author that's an identical twin herself. I'm about three-quarters through and it's not what I expected. It's much more of a cautionary tale than an optimistic take on things. I knew we had a challenge ahead of us, being sure to treat them as individuals, but I didn't realize the details.

One thing that has already rang true is to resist the urge to label them. Labels, like stereotypes, mean you feel like you know someone without actually getting to know them. We get it all the time from strangers. Zach is very social, so he tends to smile and coo a lot when getting attention. Alex does the same thing with us, but not with people he doesn't know. So we get "Oh he's the happy one and he's the serious one." I don't want either of them growing up trying to live up to a label, or trying to disprove it.

There's also an emphasis on doing things separately with the boys, be it one-on-one with a parent, or two-on-one while one boy stays with others. We need to get to know them as individuals, basically. We've done a little of that, but mostly we travel in packs. I think once they're a little older and can do things, it'll be easier. Right now I'm not sure they'd know the difference if we had one or both with us.

The boys played on their first playground on Friday. We went to a park that had little kid swings. Here's a picture of the extreme cuteness:



Jim and I got the H1N1 vaccine Saturday at the health department. Since the boys are under 6 months, we qualified for the nasal spray. That saved us about 2hrs of standing in line for the shot. The slight downside is the nasal spray contains a weakened live virus, instead of a dead version. Jim and I both ended up with "The Nose Flu", which is just a runny nose. I also got a mild headache and a bit of a sore throat, neither of which lasted long.

We arrived at the health department around 11am and people that had gotten there at 7:30am were just getting their shots. The line wrapped around the building and around the rear parking lot. Some people brought lawn chairs. Kids were climbing all over the decorative trees planted around the perimeter. We were given numbers 1005 and 1006 for the shot, but when we switched to the nasal spray line, our numbers were in the 245 range.

We mounted our megatron tv to the living room wall on Sunday. This is our first major step towards kid-proofing our house. We ended up doing the installation ourselves, saving about $400. It wasn't particularly difficult, just time consuming to be sure everything was done correctly.

In developmental news, the boys have started hugging around the neck. They also like to cup your face in their hands and plant kisses on your cheeks. We're all quite wet and slobbery by the time we're through.

They're going through a phase (I hope!) where they don't want to sleep as much. Naps this weekend were a struggle and even then they were only down for about 30min at a time. They're also getting up every 1.5hrs to eat during the night, and ready to start their day at 5:30am. It's been hard and a little discouraging since this obviously isn't the direction I was hoping we'd go in. I was really hoping by now they would only be getting up once or twice during the night.

Alex has decided that he still likes the playmats but Zach doesn't want much to do with them. They've ogtten really good at playing with Jacques and Freddie (the firefly version) in the car. I'll hear "Crinkle, crinkle crinkle." until they fall asleep - usually holding onto their toy. They have little difficulty grabbing things and sticking them in their mouths.

Not Pink, and the Social Babies

Apparently I still have more to say. I'd like to think you're surprised by this but I know better.

Having boys and 4 nephews has made me realize the amount of pink kids clothes at any given store is severely disproportionate to the amount of non-pink. I can easily find 5 pink, flower-encrusted, girly outfits that I just LOVE for every 1 boy one that I don't hate. My dreams of purchasing similar-but-not-identical clothes for the boys are gone. I'm lucky if they even have two of the same thing in the right size.

So, when Melissa posted about her husband's blog about resisting pinkification, I pretty much had to read it. Go team blue!

There were two developmental items I forgot to post about last night. The first is that Zach now likes to hug me around the neck. He'll just reach out and wrap his little arms around me. The downside is sometimes he likes to also grab on with his hands and gives me a good pinch or hair pull. I'll take what I can get, though.

The second thing is that the babies now expect people to stop and say hi to them when we're out. They have begun preemptively greeting strangers to help the process along. How, you might ask? They can say "Hi!" or "Hey!" No, really. I'm not making this up. We were in the grocery store the other day, walking down the pop and chips aisle. I had Zach in the baby carrier and a woman was coming towards us. Zach yells "Hi!" and the woman, without missing a beat, says "Hey!" and keeps on going. I'm not hearing things or reading into their baby babble if strangers think the same. The boys might not know what "hi" means specifically, but they know it's something you say to people to get attention.

Something similar happened on our Best Buy trip. We went to the customer service desk and Zach did his "Hey!" thing to the Geek Squad guy behind the counter. The guy responded in kind and Zach just grinned and grinned. Tonight Jim and I were talking about their desire for attention. Jim mentioned that he kind of feels bad when we don't get stopped, since the boys love it so much. I didn't realize it until he said it, but I feel the same way. I don't like sticking out in public or drawing notice to myself, but the boys just beam and chat up anyone they come across.

Month 5, Day 3

It's been an interesting week. Tuesday morning Zach came down with a fever and stuffy nose. I meant to check Alex's temperature but forgot before I put a new diaper on him. So I lay him in his crib, strip him back down, and start the temperature taking. He figures this is a good time to pee. Well, I've got one hand on his legs and the other holding the thermometer, so all I can do is watch as he does his best impression of a frantic fountain. He hit just about everything in a foot radius. Another new diaper and fresh clothes get applied and I start a load of laundry. On the bright side, he's fever free.

We went down for our usual morning nap. Zach woke up with a diaper leak. I take him downstairs to change him, then strip the bed. While trying to remove his clothes, I manage to smear poop clear up his back, into his hair. It's also all over the changing table. I give him a ghetto bath via some wipes and start my second load of laundry. It's not even noon yet.

The day got a little better until Alex also came down with a fever. Both boys were kind of sluggish and wanted to be held. We took a long afternoon nap together and that helped some. I wiped little noses and tried to baby them as much as possible. Tuesday night was more of the same. Both boys were up every hour or so. They HATE stuffy noses and wake up a ton every time they're sick. Finally around 5am I brought Zach into bed with me. Jim fetched Alex the next time he cried and I held him, too. Jim did what he could with a comforter and the floor.

Wednesday Chii-Wey came over to do their 5 Month Photo Shoot (pw: jma&z). Despite their colds, both boys were in really good moods and we got a bunch of smiles. Unfortunately Alex scratched his face the night before, so he has a red mark on his cheek in all of the pictures. Jim even came home for lunch so we could get an updated family photo (see left!). We got 40 pictures this time. I think that's a record! Happy babies equals good photos I guess.

Wednesday night was similar to Tuesday but worse. I couldn't get Alex to sleep by himself for more than 30min. So it was me and three boys in the bed again. By this point my neck, shoulders, and back aren't happy. I'm not designed to lay motionless all night, every night.

Thursday the boys and I met up with Melissa and Amber at the Swamp Rabbit Trail in downtown Greenville. It's a paved, mile long path that winds along the Reedy River. We ended up walking the entire thing and the boys were somewhat behaved. I ended up putting one in the baby carrier for half then swapping them out. Hopefully at some point they will love the stroller, but I'll take limited toleration over immediate crying any day. At the trail head is a children's garden. The boys and I plopped down on a blanket while Melissa and Amber fed their kids. Alex and Zach really loved looking at the tree overhead and the sky.

I put them back in the stroller (in prep to head back to the van) and looked around. Melissa and her girls were ridiculously cute, all piled up on a bench, nom nom'ing some bottles. Amber and her kids were having fun eating Cheerios and laughing. Then I look over at my babies. This is what I see.



Zach is trying to fit all of Jacques into his mouth and Alex is on the verge of a total meltdown. We weren't very cute - more like animalistic. This should have been a sign to not meet Jim for lunch. We went to Cracker Barrel where both boys had total and complete breakdowns. Jim stood outside with one wailing boy while I held the other and woofed down what food I could. Oh, well.

Friday I managed to catch the boys' cold. Yay. Jim came home from work at lunch so I could get a break and drown my sorrows in a box of tissues. It's amazing how well rested I was after only an hour nap WITHOUT THE BOYS! I love them with all of my heart but apparently 3.5 days attached at the hip with no break is my max.

We're in the early stages of toddler proofing our house. The first step is getting the megatron tv mounted to a wall. We went to Best Buy Friday night on a scouting mission. The boys LOVED that store. They were literally drooling all over the place, staring at everything with big eyes. They enjoy tv (even though I'm mean and they don't get to watch more than Clemson football), so their little minds nearly exploded with glee at a whole wall of them. They're definitely our kids.

Afterwards we decided to tempt fate and go to a Chinese buffet for dinner. After the previous day's experience, you'd think we'd be gunshy. You'd be wrong. hehe We only had one minor crying episode when I accidentally bonked Zach's head on his car seat handle. Other than that, both boys sat on our laps, bellied up to the table, reaching for plates and toys. Zach was totally busted flirting with some girls at another table, too. He'd shoot them smiles and they'd giggle and wave.

In developmental news, I sure hope they're teething. Otherwise, I don't want to see the amount of drooling that'll happen when they are. Both boys are voracious in the gnawing. They'll grab anything they can get their hands on and jam it in their mouth for chomping. This includes but is not limited to your arm while you're changing their diaper. They bite down pretty hard, too.

We sort of tried them out on rice cereal. They each got maybe one tiny baby spoon full total. The whole situation wasn't planned very well and they were really tired of being in their high chairs by the time I got the food ready. Zach did what I expected and ate most of what I gave him. Alex was really perplexed and you could tell he was trying to decide whether to spit it out or not. He chose the former, which was good. I'm planning on trying it again later this week and seeing how it goes.

I think we're pretty much done with the play mats. They're just not as fun as they used to be. Zach will take two toys and smash them together, but really they just lay there, looking around. I've tried changing out the toys, and we do have two mats, but none of it seems to peak their interest. They just want the exersaucer. I'm hoping they'll also like the jumpster but so far they don't really know what to do with it.

Jim weighed the boys this week. Alex is 16.8lb and Zach is 16.4lbs. You can't overfeed nursing babies, can you?

Month 4, Week 4

Ok, this is going to be another one of those mega posts. You might want to grab a snack. This could take a while. If you'd rather get a pictoral version, I've updated their Fifth Month Candids and added Halloween shots (pw: jma&z)

Waaay last Saturday was Preston's second birthday party at Wayne and Nina's. There was something in the water because none of the babies would take naps that day. Our boys were pretty cranky most of the time, with brief periods of happiness. They slept pretty well on the way home, though.

Monday was our first official playdate with other babies. We joined the Greenville Stay at Home Mom's group at their organizer's apartment Melissa G). There were 5 other babies besides our two. A few could sit, one was experimenting with crawling, and two were in the same boat as us. Alex and Zach attempted to make friends by sharing their toys. Jacque the Peacock was a fan favorite and two other moms said they had one at home. Initially I held Zach while Alex worked on his shyness from his carseat. Once Alex seemed more sure of himself, I got him out and Melissa held him.

Melissa's two boys are older, in the preschool to kindergarten range but she was hosting the playdate to be sure all of the GSAHM members had something to participate in. Her boys were particularly interested in Zach and Alex. The littlest one would try to play with them by bringing them toys. At one point I had Zach sitting in a recliner beside me. I hear talking and look over to see Melissa's oldest boys just chatting away with him. He was telling Zach all about how he knew these other twins and how they were friends. It was very cute, especially since Zach was transfixed on him.

The playdate went really well with only a little fussing here and there. I got to talking to Jasmine, mom to Annika. Her daughter's about a month older than the boys and crazy cute. We kind of hit it off and will probably try to get together in the future. Alex liked staring at Annika. I think he was jealous of how much hair she had.

Tuesday was the Mother of Multiples meeting. Jim dropped me and Alex off, and took Zach to the mall. Alex and I had a pretty good time. We sat together during the Bellies and Babies part, then went picnic style on the floor for the actual meeting. I met Melissa A and her two girls, Bronwyn and Aeralind. They were so tiny at 7 weeks old. It's hard to remember the boys being that small but they were. I held one of the girls while Melissa held Alex. I think we were both surprised. I felt like I wasn't holding anything, while Melissa was probably getting a workout. I can remember the early days with all of the bouncing and holding - feeling like my arms were going to fall off. That's nothing compared to the mini-beasts we have now!

Jim reported that the mall trip went pretty well initially. Zach really liked looking at all of the people and the window displays. They stopped by Panera and Zach's cuteness scored Jim a free coffee. They covered both floors before Zach started to get fussy. This is where things stopped being much fun. Zach started crying and wouldn't stop no matter what Jim did. To make matters worse, Alex and I had all of the good toys with us. I didn't think they'd need them at the mall.

Jim called me and I could hear screaming in the background. Alex and I packed up as fast as we could and headed for the entrance. I got the in van and held Zach until he calmed down. I'm still not sure what got him so upset. He wasn't hungry and his diaper wasn't bad. I wonder if he just missed me, but I don't know if he's even capable of that yet. I thought they were still working on object permanence and once something was gone from view, it no longer existed.

So, we've tried Jim watching both boys, and me taking one. Neither option has been successful. For the next meeting we're going to attempt both boys coming with me and see how things go. In theory it shouldn't be much different from our outings together but they're usually much more cranky in the evenings. I can't nap/feed/go as easily.

Thursday we went to Bouncing Baby Boo Bash at the downtown Greenville Library. Amber (with Gabe and Graycen) and Mellissa (with Bronwyn and Aeralind) met us there. It was a costume party with stories, songs, and dancing. Ninja Alex and Pirate Zach just kind of looked around. Bat Gabe and Ladybug Gracen had some fun with bubbles and musical instruments. Pumpkin Bronwyn and Bunny Aeralind held a blanket down, but they did it in an extremely cute way. We were there for about an hour before heading home for naps.

Saturday was Halloween. We hosted a family party at our house, per tradition. This year it was more kid-centric and we didn't do a separate adult party. The whole week pretty much led up to the party, from decorations to food prep. It was right before Halloween last year that we found out I was pregnant, so that's added another memorable aspect to the holiday. The nephews came over for Trick Or Treating and cupcake decorating. We had finger foods that everyone seemed to enjoy. Nina told Thomas that the punch was Magic Potion. I warned him that it would turn him into a frog if he drank it. When he asked if I was kidding, I admitted that I was. It would really turn him into a newt. muhahaha

We all went Trick Or Treating while my sister manned the door. Jim held Alex while I carried Zach. We didn't have buckets for them, since they couldn't eat candy and we didn't need to be eating it either. Mainly I just wanted to watch the nephews go from house to house. It was the first year I went with them. Weird, I know.

I'm still recovering from Halloween. I wonder how long it will take to get a letter from the home owner's association about our decorations still in the yard. Packing things up takes so much more energy than unpacking.

In developmental news, the boys have been hard at work learning new things and perfecting the old. They've gone from punching their toys to opening their fists and grabbing them. I looked over at Zach on the play mat the other day and he was slamming two toys together. This also means you can't stuff things into their hands to be held indefinitely. They can let go now. Um, not that I've been doing that with rattles... hehe

Alex likes to hold out his hand for kisses. I'll plant a big, squeaky one on it and he'll pull it back quickly. He'll do this right before falling asleep for his nap. It's funny watching him laugh at the kisses but complain about the nap in between them. He's been really Hold-Me-Love-Me this week. He just wants to sit in my lap and snuggle a lot of the time. I don't really even need to do anything while he's there. He's content to just sit. The bouncy chair and swing are liked less and less everyday.

Zach has started holding his left foot with his left hand. I've taken advantage of the situation and have him hold his own leg for diaper changes. He does pretty well and really tries hard not to let it get away from him. When it does, he gets big eyes and tries to catch it. I don't know why, but I find it really funny.

Zach also has started squealing with glee. We pulled out the exersaucer this week and Zach just goes to town in it. I never knew one kid could have so much fun. He yells and squeals at all of the toys, at Alex, at me, and at anything he thinks might need it. The downside of only having one exersaucer is Exersaucer Envy. One boy will look wistfully at the other while he plays. I'll usually hold the non-exersaucering boy up to the side of it so he can play, too. I've looked on craigslist and there's plenty of used ones for sale. I don't want to wear out the magic of that toy. though. I try to pace them as we rotate through their toys so they don't get bored too fast. Taking turns makes the fun last longer.

Both boys have taken chewing and drooling to the next level. A number of people have commented that they must be teething. I don't see any red gums or increased crankiness, but it's possible. Zach has been having a tougher time sleeping at night. They're really ferocious about the gnawing. They'll grab anything and stuff it into their mouths. They'll just turn on you and start sucking on your arm or hand. If no toy or parent is available, they always have at least one finger in their mouth and spit running down their chin.

Along with that, I think we're going to try rice cereal soon. They have a strong interest whenever we eat and have been reaching for out plates during dinner. Jim once joked that we'd know they were ready for solid food when they snatched the pizza off our plates, and it's just about getting to that. hehe I may try to set up the video camera for their first food attempts. I expect wide eyes and lots of spitting.

Month 4, Week 3

Whew! It's been a busy week around here!

Last Sunday we all went down to Wayne and Nina's for a visit. The boys were pretty good for the first couple of hours but their tiredness caught up to them. Both were crying and my only option was to put them down for naps. I felt bad to leaving Nina with all of the nephews, but I knew the crying wasn't going to stop. We hijacked their bed for over and hour while the boys slept.

I thought there was a Mother's of Multiples meeting on Tuesday. Everyone brings a snack, so the boys and I went to Publix to get chips and the materials to make dip. This was the first time I took the boys anywhere by myself and it went pretty well. Now, we were only in the store for about 15min and I fed them before we went, so I had stacked things in my favor.

When we first walked in, one of the deli workers was leaving. She saw the boys and got this huge grin on her face. She stopped and asked me if they were twins (yep!). I was kind of worried that standing and talking to this lady was going to make the boys fussy, so I started pushing the stroller forward a little, to kind of rock it. I guess she understood (or thought I was in a hurry), so the next thing she says is "I'll walk with you!" Uh... Ok. hehe So here I am, walking through Publix with her while she asks me questions about the boys. Apparently a co-worker is expecting twins, so she wanted info I guess. The whole thing was pretty funny.

We made it through the whole trip with no crying - not even any grouchiness in the van. I was surprised. When we got home, I put the things away and we took a nap. About 2hrs later, we got up and started making the dip. I put the boys in their bouncy chairs and stuck them up on the island in the kitchen. I showed them all of the utensils I was using and talked them through the chopping and mixing. They really liked the red bowl I used and gave it big, wide eyes every time I held it up. We also sniffed all of the ingredients (except the onions!) and talked about what color they were. I don't think they like parsley much.

Dip in the fridge, we took another nap and woke up just as Jim was getting home. The plan was to divide and conquer. I'd take one boy to the meeting while Jim took the other to the mall. We got everything packed up and headed to the Greenville Hospital (they use a conference room there). Jim dropped me and Alex off. I head to the room and it's empty. Ugh. I come to find out I was a week early. I called Jim to come get us. Alex had a good time looking around, though. We headed to Target instead, our default destination when plans go awry.

Jim and I increased our life insurance policies so the boys are covered if either or both of us get mowed down by a turnip truck. To be sure we're not playing the system, they sent over a nurse on Wednesday to take some samples. The boys were on their playmats and were streeetching their necks to see her. It was pretty cute.

Thursday was a big day for me and the boys. Publix earlier in the week was kind of a practice run. This was the real deal. I took the boys to the mall by myself. We met another mom there who had 9mo boy/girl twins. We walked around for about 30min while the babies chilled in their strollers. After that we met up with the Greenville Attachment Parenting group, who were also walking the mall that day. All in all, we spent 2hrs walking around. Both boys were pretty good. I got some minor fussiness from Zach about 1.5hrs in. By then Alex was asleep.

I was really surprised at how well they behaved, considering they had been up for about 4hrs total before we headed home. Normally they start getting cranky after 1hr at home, but I guess there's not as much fun stuff to see here. We also walked briskly, which they prefer to slow grocery store walking. We were quite the sight, too - a caravan of about 5 strollers and 8 kids doing laps. Luckily there's not much traffic on a Thursday morning.

We're on week 2 of The Bedtime Routine. They know that a bath is coming and as we walk towards the tub they get all squirmy with excitement. I fill our garden tub with a couple of inches of water, put a towel down, and stick them both in. Their initial reaction is to give me big eyes and pee. hehe After getting used to the water, they'll kick and splash around. Tonight Alex got fired up and really went for some full body flailing. He ended up splashing himself in the face, which stunned him. The look on his face was hilarious, like "Who just did that?!?!"

They both still cry during the post-bath diaper/moisturizer/dressing part. Man, do they really hate moisturizer. I've read all of this stuff about baby message and it's obvious they weren't talking about our boys. They LOVE having their heads and cheeks rubbed, but apparently that's their limit. Zach even took it up a notch with some good screaming tonight as I tried to rub him down.

The next step in the sleepy time saga is getting them to sleep in their cribs for naps. I wanted to get them back to their normal sleep schedule first and we're almost there. Hopefully Jim will be able to help me kick start crib napping this weekend. In other sleep news, they've started waking up at 4am-5am and not going back to sleep unless I hold them. After rocking them for 30min, they still pop their eyes open when I try laying them down. So... I take them back to bed with me and Jim is banished to the floor. This needs to stop before it becomes an expectation.

They've been working on their development to-do list. Zach has decided that sitting is his preferred method of contact with the floor. Laying down is for babies. He's been practicing all week with a Boppy pillow around him for when he falls over. I'll sit in front of him with Alex on my lap. They'll just coo and laugh at each other, although Alex does try to reach for his face. After a few minutes, I'll switch their places so Alex can practice. They're getting ok at it but still tend to lean on an arm or two for support. They expect to be able to sit up anywhere, so there's a lot of grunting when they try to sit up in their car seats. The bouncy chairs have lost some of their fun since they don't want to lean back as much.

Both boys have also been working on their outside voices. I had them on the bed, facing each other this afternoon. They were only about 1ft apart but you would have thought it was a mile with all of the yelling. Alex will just let out a big, gleeful yelp every once in a while. Zach was practically shouting in return. They find each other HILARIOUS and constantly laugh. Like I mentioned before, Alex will try to reach for Zach and I'm careful he doesn't grab his face or anything.

Alex in general likes to reach and grab for things, while Zach likes to just look at it for a bit first. Someone told me that Zach is the one to watch out for - he's a planner. hehe Both boys will grab and chomp toys pretty well now. I gave Zach his peacock toy this afternoon. What I got in return was a much wetter version. While Zach munched on it, Alex was watching with a sort of jealous look, even though he had a toy of his own. When I swapped their toys, he still was watching Zach's toy more than his own. I don't think this was full on jealousy, just a grass is greener situation.

Both boys are almost constantly chewing on a hand. Alex is up to 3 fingers at a time, while Zach prefers 2. They'll suck their thumbs but not very often. A game Alex likes to play is to hold out a fist. Jim or I will give it a big, squeaky kiss. He'll laugh and pull it back for a minute before extending it again. They also love having their cheeks kissed. Sometimes it's a way to get them to stop crying, even.

I've been telling them the story of the Three Little Pigs. I considered having the Big Bad Wolf catch Swine Flu at the end, but Jim thinks that'll mess them up once they go to school. hehe

Month 4, Week 2

It's been a rough week. My parents headed out on Tuesday and I think I was a little shell-shocked. My "here-can-you-watch-him-while-I..." option was gone. Long gone.

I think parenting is a little like operating in a fog. Every once in a while the mist lifts and you see things for what they are. For me, the boys' sleep schedules (well, lack of them) came into full view this week. We used to follow the sleep-eat-play method where you feed them right when they wake-up. This works great because they don't associate eating with sleeping, so in theory anyone can put them to sleep. Then they started crying when it was nap time. The easiest way to quiet a crying baby? Feed him!

From there things just snowballed. I found myself pinned to the bed Tuesday. One baby was literally on top of me, nursing while sleeping, the other at my side, doing the same thing. They had been nursing for an hour, with 45min of that on auto-pilot while they snored softly. Cute? Yes. Painful for me? Also yes. I tried unplugging one boy. He immediately started rooting around with his eyes still closed. When he couldn't find his human pacifier, he woke up screaming. This woke up the other boy. The crying got so loud that I had to get them up and focused on something else, even though they only had half of their nap. The constant nursing needed to stop. I wanted my sleep-eat-play back.

I spent Tuesday evening reading a book Jim got me about sleep schedules. I felt trapped, not only by the excessive nursing but because they require me to sleep with them during the day. So I decided to try to get them to sleep in their cribs with the Cry It Out (CIO) method. It sounded easy the way the book put it. I don't know what I was thinking, trying to make two major changes at one time...

Wednesday morning Jim gets a call at work from me. I'm bawling. I made it through 15min of CIO before I broke down. It wasn't the crying that bothered me. Zach was giving us his angry/stubborn cry and that doesn't phase me at all. I can do stubborn, being good at it myself. It was Alex. He was just laying in his crib, giving me a heart wrenching sob. When I bent over to comfort him, the little boy tried his hardest to smile at me, even with tears running down his face. He just wanted held and loved. I burst into tears and didn't know what to do. The book doesn't want you to pick them up. Jim, the voice of reason, told me to forget the book and get those boys to our room for proper holding. Tired from the crying, they almost immediately went to sleep. Alex was sure to give me more smiles and some snuggling first, though.

I'm still working with them on the no nursing to sleep thing. There's lots of crying involved for naps, but it's all the angry type which is loud, but ok. We've also started them on vitamins for vitamin D. Zach makes a face but eats them. Alex cries and tries to spit them out. He'll also cough them in my face, so I'm covered in yellow goo. More tummy time is on my agenda, but I think I'm already at my quota for crying.

Wednesday night was also miserable. The boys were exhausted so we tried to put them to bed earlier. You'd get them to sleep, put them down, and their eyes would instantly pop open. Then they would start crying. After the 2nd attempt at putting them down, we couldn't find anything to calm them. Not even walking them around the house would help. Alex ended up crying himself to sleep in his crib. Once they finally passed out, Jim headed for some wine while I hit the ice cream pretty hard. We had aged about 10yrs in the last half hour.

So... Add to the list establishing a bedtime routine! Thursday I was supposed to go to a Mom's Night Out and Jim's mom was going to come over to help watch the boys. With what happened the day before, I didn't think it would be the best thing for the boys if I was gone for bedtime. Jim's mom still came over, though, and brought his sister and her son with her. It was nice having the company but I was still in my PJ's and hadn't found the time to shower yet - at 5:30pm. Luckily the boys were all about the grins and babbling, so they were distracted.

The bedtime routine is a work in progress. The idea is to get them calm and sleepy so the crying is minimal. Combined with the amount they spit up during the day, I thought a nightly bath might be a good option. They'll tolerate the bath but get upset once we take them out of the tub. Their hatred of clothes is well known, and it doesn't get better when you add in being wet and cold.

Today went fairly well. Alex has accepted that there is no more nap time nursing. Zach has not and cries every time. I've been trying to pay closer attention to when they should go down for a nap. According to the book, if you try to put them to sleep when they're just getting sleepy, there's less crying. Apparently if they're rubbing their eyes, they're already overtired. I look for that kind of staring off into the distance thing, then I take them to bed. This happens about 45min after they wake-up. That's not much time to change, feed, and play with them.

They've really started getting into their toys, especially any that rattle or have crunchy fabric. They'll grab the toy with both hands and try to stuff it in their mouth. Jim calls it Dino Chomp. They'll also wiggle and squeal with glee when they get excited. Zach was practicing his outside voice in the van tonight, while Alex is working on his yelling. Both boys have become expert grocery store babies. The last two trips have been cry free, even including the van ride.

I had to adjust the straps of Alex's car seat today. He's gotten taller and they needed moved to a new shoulder slot. I guess he has a longer torso than Zach since they're the same total length.

I have prints of the boys' 4mo pictures. I just need to meet up with everyone to pass them out. There wasn't a good (i.e. both babies smiling) shot of both of them, so I combined two individual pictures. That's what you get with one being grumpy.

Month 4, Day 7

Well, we discovered the reason they went through their 3-6mo outfits so fast (and they've moved into size 3 diapers). They grew 3.25 inches in two months! Wednesday was their 4mo check-up. Alex is 15lb 14oz and Zach is 15lb 4oz. They're now officially average height and weight babies, as compared to full term singletons!

The doctor's visit was a good one. He said the boys were doing remarkably well. The only thing he dinged us (well, me, really) for was not enough tummy time. They should be doing more like 15min per day, not 5min. So... I guess tummy time will start to follow every play mat session. He also recommended they start taking a multivitamin, mainly to be sure they get enough vitamin D. Unfortunately the drops taste really bad, to the point Alex even cried the first time. When I tried them on Zach, he coughed most of it back in my face. Mmmm, I love the smell of vitamin goo in the morning!

The main downside to the check-up was their booster shots. They got the same round as month 2, so two shots in each thigh plus a liquid they had to drink. Their reaction was worse this time. Their fever was a little higher (but not dangerous) and lasted longer. It was hard on our hearts when we would pick them up and they would whimper because their legs were sore. They sobbed for about 30min before falling asleep Wednesday night. Around 4am Alex woke up crying. I held him until his Tylenol kicked in. Their fevers didn't break until mid-way through the second night.

My family came to visit for the past week or so. My parents came down, followed by my sister for a few days. It's been really good watching them get to know the boys. The last time they saw them in person was the week after they were born. Needless to say they've changed a lot! They're pretty good at telling them apart already, though!

Jim's grandfather, Red, passed away this week. He had been battling cancer. He was a really wonderful person, and as Jim told me, the world is a bit dimmer without him in it. He got to see and hold the boys over the past few months and I'm grateful for that. I only wish they could have spent more time with him.

Chii-Wey finished their 4 month pictures and sent them our way. You can view all of them here (pw: jma&z). I was a lazy mom and only did one set out outfits. They were a little grumpy to begin with, but by the end I managed to coax a couple of smiles out of them. I also uploaded their month 3 and 4 candids, earning me a second worst mom award for not only being late with them, but also not taking many pictures because the camera was full. You can't tell, but I'm hanging my head in shame.

We spent a couple of hours at Fall for Greenville today. I'm hoping the boys will learn to like the new stroller but so far they prefer to be held via the baby carriers. My mom and dad wen with us and ended up pushing an empty stroller while we bounced babies down Main St. The event was pretty fun and we got a few "Oh, are those twins?" comments. I was standing in line for a sandwich and the couple in front of me was expecting twins, too. I was holding Zach most of the time, and his main focus seemed to be covering my shirt completely in drool. He reached 85% completion before falling asleep.

Like I mentioned in passing, the new stroller did finally come in. I really, really like it and it's crazy easy to push around. The boys enjoy it if the conditions are right. I've been able to walk them around the neighborhood for 45min at a time with no crying or fussiness. The grocery store didn't work out quite as well. There was much back arching and gnashing of gums by the second aisle.

They're getting better at tolerating things in general, though. Crying in their car seats is at an all time low. Our last Publix trip had zero crying and they loved looking at all of the pretty food on the shelves. I can entertain them, or as Jim calls it, Babytain them. They're just starting to smile at Peek-a-Boo, rather than giving me wide eyes of surprise when I suddenly appear from behind a burp cloth. Alex loves to reach for things, while Zach prefers to stare at them. Both like to taste whatever they can get their mouths on.

Month 4, aka The Big Update

Ahhhhh! How did I miss 3 weeks??? Where did the time go?

Most of that time the boys have been either getting sick, being sick, or slowly getting better. We still have a bunch of stuffy noses going around. For the most part they've taken it in stride but they've been having a harder time sleeping at night. Jim set up their humidifier to add a Vicks scent and that's helped some. Zach's been sicker than Alex. I've spent a number of nights just holding him while he slept, to help his breathing.

In developmental news, I think the boys went through a serious growth spurt. They are already stretching their 3-6mo outfits to their limits. We had to replace them with 6-9mo ones this week. I guess when Nina said they wouldn't be wearing them long, she wasn't kidding.

A couple of days ago the boys saw each other for the first time. We had just woken up from a nap and they were laying on our bed. Zach looked at Alex first, and started laughing and cooing. A few seconds later, Alex turned and did the same in return. They laid there for a few minutes, giggling at each other. It was really wonderful to watch. They're not constantly aware of each other, but kind of catch each other's eye and enjoy moments here and there together.

Tummy time has continued to be forced upon them and slowly they're lasting longer before crying. The record is Alex rolling over 3 times. He's also been trying to roll from his back to his belly but hasn't quite pulled it off. Zach prefers to move laterally. We'll put him down on the play mat or in his crib, and it's only a matter of time before he's turned 45 or even 180 degrees. He also managed to nearly pull the whole play mat down on top of himself by tipping it with his feet.

I don't see any signs of teeth coming in but chewing is going full force. They'll try to snag burp cloths when you're dabbing their faces. After his bath tonight, Alex grabbed the towel with both hands and went to town. They'll suck on toys, hands, and even Jim's arm. Their tongue thrust reflex keeps them from really getting much into their mouths, though. It's all surface gnawing and drooling.

We've had a number of adventures this month. The first was a mom's night out for me. Grandma Pat came over to help Jim watch the boys while I spent a couple of hours at a paint-you-own-pottery place. The boys now own a frame with the world's ugliest sheep on it. Things went well, with only a little fussiness before I came home.

This was the success that Jim needed to boost his confidence at watching them. When the Mother's of Multiples meeting came around, he decided to watch them solo while I went. The boys were sleeping when I left, but it was only their 30 min evening nap. Unfortunately after that, they spent the rest of the time crying. They wouldn't eat the bottles I pumped for them, nor would they settle down. Both wanted to be walked around, which is impossible to do by yourself. Jim tried everything but nothing would work. About 5 min before I got home, the boys passed out from exhaustion. I felt really, really bad. The boys don't hold grudges, though, and greeted Jim with giant smiles the next morning, just like always.

Mornings really are the best time with the boys. I'll hear them stirring around and go in. From their cribs I'll get big grins, then squinty eyes when I turn the light on. One will lay there and coo at his mobile while I change the other one. Jim will stop in to say good morning, garnering tons of grins and laughs. The boys will wiggle in delight when they see him coming. Then we'll all head downstairs. Jim will eat breakfast and make his coffee while we play on the mats.

The boys still sleep a lot, more than they're awake. They'll be up for 1.5hrs before taking a 2hr nap during the day. At night they've worked up to sleeping 3-4hrs at a time. That doesn't give us much time to do things during the day.

On Saturday we went to the Simpsonville park as part of a Mother's of Multiples playdate. The boys were missing a nap to be there and got fairly grumpy. At home, their grouchiness doesn't bother me, but it seems like when we're out, it really stresses me. I'm not sure what my problem is, but I need to stop getting like that. It doesn't help the boys, and it certainly doesn't make the trip pleasant for anyone else if I'm snapping orders.

We ran into the same problem at a friend's birthday, too, where I kept comparing our boys to the other baby there. The other baby is a month older and a lot calmer than ours. While Alex and Zach were demanding to be walked around, Eli just happily sat there in his car seat. Sure, the boys are known to sit in their bouncy chairs for 5 to 10 min, but not anywhere near as long as Eli did. I need to get over this idea that our boys will ever be anything other than what they are, which is energetic and cute.

Well, I have more to write but I'm going to call it a night here. Hopefully their 4 month pictures will be ready soon and I'll finish the mega update!

Month 3, Week 1

I attempted my first outing with just me and the boys today. The local library has a Mother Goose on the Loose book reading every Wednesday. My goal was for us to attend. I was pretty nervous and kept going over different scenarios in my head last night, stressing myself out.

The boys woke up from their nap at 9:45am, pretty much the perfect time. I fed them and plopped them in bouncy chairs while I took a shower. They think the bathroom is so cool, probably since we never have them in there. Afterwards we went downstairs, changed some diapers, and headed out. There was a little initial Zach fussing when I put him in the carseat, but otherwise they were happy. The library is about 15min from our house. By the time we got there, Alex was asleep, so Zach and I voted him as the carseat baby. I put Zach in the baby carrier and we all headed in.

Unfortunately, there's a limit on the number of people that can attend and they were full. I managed to get a shower and have two happy babies at a place 5 minutes early and we were turned away! I'm STILL disappointed. I went ahead and got a library card in prep for lots of baby book reading in the future. By now the boys are looking at me (still happy!) like "Now, what?" I called Jim and we picked him up for lunch. So the trip and the stress wasn't a total loss. I got to eat lunch with my favorite boys.

Dispite the lack of actually getting to participate in the event, just practicing getting the boys up and about was good for me. I feel a lot less trapped in the house. If I need to, we can always pack up and go somewhere. I'd feel a lot better if my stroller would come in. Supposedly it'll be here early next week. I've heard that twice now, though.

In less Marcie-centric news, Alex and Zach continue to hone their toy batting skills. Both are able to pick out a dangling toy and hit it with either hand. It's hilarous watching them get all focused and intense on a blue jingling elephant, then reach out tentatively with a fist. Sometimes they miss and hit another toy, or they get too excited and the fist they weren't watching will fly out and hit things.

We've started rigorous tummy time training this week. Each boy gets 5min on a playmat. Zach is really good at holding his head up high, but tends to get tired pretty quickly. He'll just lay there like a splat, waiting for the time to run out and for me to pick him up. Alex is able to roll onto his back once before getting too tired. By the time they're done, they're so exhausted that they have to take a nap. hehe

Alex will practice sitting while I support him but Zach only wants to stand. Neither want to sit in the baby tub for baths (that I do by myself now). I have to keep one hand on their mid section and say "We sit in the tub." about a million times. Maybe eventually they're get it.

Zach is close to discovering his feet. He likes to stick his legs up in the air so I think it's only a matter of time. Normally the boys wear footed sleepers but we've been doing some diaper time during the day, too, which they love. There's so much kicking and arm waving when they're in their skivvies.

Both boys try to do an open mouthed kiss when you smooch their cheeks. I'll do an exaggerated kiss then hold my face still while they slobber all over it. hehe I've also been doing raspberries on their tummies during diaper changes. Theiy're not sure what to make of it. I just get surprised, wide eyes.

I went through all of their baby clothes the other night, sorting out what they can't wear and getting what they can fit into organized. I have the 0-3 mo clothes from Nina and Stacy ready to go back to their respective owners the next time we see them. It was so sad, packing away their little clothes. They were so small and contain such good memories.

Month 3!

The boys turned 3mo old this past Friday! Chii-Wey came over for their photo shoot. Right now the boys have semi-predictable eating and sleeping schedules, so we were able to get some good smiles in. This was MUCH less stressful than the last two times. You can view their pictures here (pw: jma&z). I hope to have their 3 month candids up there soon.

I've already mentioned that the boys graduated into size 2 diapers, but over the past few days their clothes have also gotten tight. We broke out the 3-6mo outfits yesterday and they fit much better. Target was having a baby sale so we stopped by today and got a few more sleepers.

We also decided that they've pretty much reached full capacity on the co-sleeper. It holds 30lb and combined they're at 27lb (Alex 14lb, Zach 13lb). They've also started waking each other up in the co-sleeper. When one of them gets fussy, they like to lift their legs waaay up in the air then slam them down, causing the entire thing to shake. A couple of those and you've got two boys trying to bring the house down.

So tonight we moved them into the nursery. I'll admit that I'm a bit sad to see them go. I like having them close by and have been known to just sit and watch them sleep. It'll be a good thing, though. The boys aren't quiet sleepers and this should give Jim better rest for work. Likewise, sometimes Jim's snoring startles the boys. I'll probably be the only one that doesn't improve their sleep. hehe

So... Our little boys are growing up. I know they're still small, but for some reason I expected them to stay really small a lot longer. Goodbye Dino On The Loose outfit. We barely knew you.

In other baby-related news, I officially quit my job last Thursday. I left on good terms and my boss wants me to give him a call when I want to get back to engineering again. I'm now a stay-at-home mom, a sentence I never thought I'd type. It feels good, though - far better than the alternative. I'm pretty passionate about the boys. I can't say I ever felt that for any of the engineering jobs I've had.

I started on the boys' Halloween costumes this week. Alex is going to be a ninja and Zach is going to be a pirate. I'm making them out of fleece so they can wear them over normal clothes and be warm enough. I think they'll turn out ok. I'm not the best at sewing but they should at least hold together long enough to go around the neighborhood.

We ordered a double jogging stroller last week and I hope it comes in soon. I have no problems with taking care of the boys 24/7 but I'm starting to climb the walls around. One weekly grocery trip isn't enough non-home time for me. With the stroller I should be able to at least walk around outside for a bit. I'm hoping (and praying) that the boys like it. They enjoy the outside and watching things go by, so it has a chance to work.

Trips in the car have gotten a little easier. I can shake various toys and the boys will stop fussing to watch them. The toys we have for this are pretty limited, though, so I ordered some car toys from Amazon. The first "toy" is a set of wrist bands and striped socks that rattle when the baby moves. They love eating their hands so I hope they like these, too. I also got a activity bar that clamps on their carseat and a peacock that's supposed to be good to chew. hehe

In baby development news, the boys have been honing their chomping skills. Fists and individual fingers get gnawed on a lot. Alex spent some time today just staring at his hands, tasting them, then staring some more. Zach has started sucking on his hands before going to sleep. They have also become more particular about things. Alex refused to nurse in the cradle hold, and would only start eating when I moved him to the football hold. It looked pretty silly feeding one baby like that, but whatever works I guess. Zach will fuss and fuss until I'm holding him just right to go to sleep.

One last tidbit. I came across this picture the other day. It's me when I was 3mo old. I think the boys look a little like me, especially in the no hair department.