Year 1, Month 2, Week 1

Ok, I have no idea where the last 3 weeks went.  Everything is a blur.

Both boys are officially toddlers and prefer to walk everywhere now.  They've walked into the grocery store a few times and get mad when I put them in the race car cart.  I'd let them keep walking but they move like tiny old men and have to stop to look at everything.  I didn't even think we'd make it into the store at all last trip because a car alarm went off and Zach couldn't look away.  If I let them clomp around in their new shoes, it would take about 12hrs to get our shopping done.  hehe

Of course this means the wagon has lost a lot of luster.  They'll happily push it around but don't really want to be strapped in it at all.  We got them real walking shoes so we could practice balance more often and I wouldn't have to carry them as much.  At the Stride Rite store I bet you could hear the screams 15 stores away.  It sounded more like a foot amputation than a foot measuring.  They also hated wearing them the first day and refused to walk at all.

Now when I pull out the socks and shoes, they grab them and either hand them to me or try to put them on their feet by themselves.  They get really excited because they know it means we're going somewhere and walking is involved.  The initial resistance, followed by an especially funny high-step gait, is gone.  Shoes are happy times!

Their new-found walking skills have also brought around an unexpected surprise.  They can now navigate and steer the push toys by themselves.  No more lassos or tethers.  They just grab a bus or whatever and take off.  Sadly, it hasn't stopped the fighting over the same toy, though.  I guess that would be asking too much.

I've been feeling guilty lately about the stuff they've been eating.  There's been meals of just chicken nuggets and fries, or pizza.  About the only meal I feel good about is breakfast.  Cheerios with fruit, peanut butter on whole wheat, or eggs with turkey sausage are reasonable (and the only time I can get Zach to eat fruit).  I need to come up with some better lunch and dinner options.  It doesn't help that they won't eat the same thing twice in a row, like lunch leftovers for supper.

I tried making my own refried beans today, all 8 cups.  I've never been good at judging portion sizes.  They turned out alright and the boys happily ate them.  I've been reading about BPA's in canned food, so I figured I could try this and freeze the extras.  Plus, you can't beat $1.50 for 1lb of dried pintos!

We've developed a good routine for naps and bedtime, maybe too good.  Alex has discovered crib jumping and Zach thinks it's the funniest thing he's ever seen.  One morning they were laughing and giggling for over an hour before going to sleep.  I'll also hear them pressing the paws on their dogs.  I'll think they're asleep until I hear barking followed by laughing.  I'm not complaining (who doesn't want 2hrs to get things done?) but it can be tricky getting naps in if we have to be somewhere in the late morning.

The boys now associate sleep sacks with going to bed.  They'll take off as soon as I pull them out.  I have to chase them down and combat the heavy complaining.  Once they're wrapped up, they'll just lay on the floor, play peek-a-boo, and laugh at each other.

Alex and Zach give really, really good hugs.  They'll walk over, grab you around the neck, and hold on. They'll also use their hands to tilt your face to theirs for a kiss from you.  It's crazy sweet.

I got braces a few weeks ago and quickly learned they weren't boy compatible.  I've had numerous busted lips and the last one has taken over a week to heal (until Zach reopened it this morning).  The dentist didn't have much by the way of options beyond just covering my lower brackets with wax.  Early on the boys would try to get me to open my mouth so they could see the braces.  Zach especially wanted to touch them and try to pull them off.  Now they don't even notice them I don't think.

Jim's dad passed away since I made my last post.  He had prostate cancer and will be missed.  The boys didn't get much time with him and never did make it on a tractor ride unfortunately.

We also took a mini vacation last week.  Jim's mom rented a house in the Smoky Mountains and invited us and all of the boys' cousins (and their families).  There were 7 adults and 6 little boys running around.  Alex and Zach had an absolute blast.  They stayed up late just about every night playing with their cousins.  It was also good for them to spend time with their grandma, aunts, and uncle.  It really helped them be less afraid of strangers.  They haven't cried at people since we got back.

We took them to the aquarium and they loved the stand alone tanks but not the walk-thru shark part.  I just don't think it was as brightly lit for some reason.  Zach bonked his head trying to look behind one of the jelly fish.  They ate their morning snack with the sting rays.  We let them walk everywhere and didn't even take the wagon out of the van.