After the circus last week, things have calmed down around here. Playdates have started back up and sleep schedules seem to be falling into place. On Monday we went to Donna's house. She has fraternal boys that are a week older than Alex and Zach, but a few weeks ahead on things like sitting unassisted and teeth. Either way, I think the boys had a ton of fun playing with new toys and watching all of the kids around them. There were two other sets of twins and a singleton, so the head count was 5 moms, 6 boys, and 3 girls. I had a good time, too. It had been a while since I had seen anyone from the group and I had missed them.
I broke out the steam mop (my Christmas present to myself) and some non-toxic cleaning wipes this week. I cleaned the floors and wiped down all of the boys' toys to rid the play areas of any lingering germs. This included a good scrubbing of the exersaucers, too. It's amazing how gross kids stuff can get, plus I think someone (I'm looking at you, Alex) has been stealth spitting up on things.
I have a correction to make from the post last week. I thought that both boys were getting the same tooth in but I was mistaken. Alex has the bottom left and Zach has the bottom right teeth poking through. And then already this week they're both getting the other bottom tooth in as well. The second teeth are just bumps right now. The teething has come with a price, though. Both boys want to be held and give you huge hugs. They're happy just sitting in my lap, playing with toys and shooting me funny grins. Yes, it's just awful having to hug the boys all day. hehe
These first teeth have changed their grins. Instead of open-mouthed baby ones, they're doing a more traditional smile and showing off their gums. It'll look more normal once they have more teeth, but for now it's pretty funny looking. Plus, Zach has started scrunching up his nose when he laughs. It's crazy cute.
Another new thing as of this week is diaper rash. Even though we use butt paste and I try really hard to change their diapers at the first sign of needing it, both boys have some level of redness. Alex is actually in worse shape. One night his behind was actually bleeding a little and he has been crying when we gently wipe his bottom. It breaks my heart. I have a three prong plan to get rid of the rash. First, we bought some new triple paste that's supposed to help. Second, I'm trying to actually wash their rear ends with mild soap and water after they poop. Apparently normal wipes don't do a good job of getting rid of the irritating bacteria. Third, I got a shower curtain and flannel sheet for the floor in the living room. I'm going to try to give the boys at least 30min of naked time everyday so things have a chance to dry out. Bacteria can't live without moisture.
I know that diaper rash is more common once babies start eating solid food, but part of me wonders if maybe there's a food that's aggravating the situation. I mean, we've been eating solids for a while now without this level of problem. One thing I did reintroduce was sweet potatoes (but I've since stopped feeding them just in case). I'm not sure if volume matters, but the boys are up to eating 2oz of solid food per meal, and they eat lunch and dinner now. What they deposit in their diapers seems pretty thick compared to a milk only diet, but I think that's normal.
Modified Cry It Out (CIO) seems to have been a success. The boys don't cry at all when we put them in their cribs now, even if they wake up when we put them down. Also, getting them back to sleep during the night is a piece of cake compared to the holding/bouncing/rocking/swaying we were doing before. You just set them down, they look at you and roll over like "I'm tired. You can go now." Jim and I are pretty stunned at how well they both are doing at bedtime. If they do cry or complain (like when Zach had a fever), a little extra rocking helps, or they'll put themselves to sleep within 10min.
This doesn't mean we're issue free when it comes to sleeping, though. They still wake up a lot at night to eat - like every 2-3hrs. They act starved, so I'm not sure how to get them to cut back. And since I'm not sleeping with them around the clock (yay!) they tend to get up earlier now, like 5:30am instead of 7am.
We tried cutting back to two naps and I just don't think they're ready, no matter what the books say. What we need is to get enough sleep during the day so they're not cranky but not too much that they're not sleeping well at night. So far three 1 to 1.5hr naps has been the most successful.
On the days we have playdates, we'll leave early and the boys will take an hour nap in the van. Then we'll do a couple hours of playing and they'll take a second hour nap on the way home. We'll eat some lunch and rough up our toys before grabbing a 1.5hr nap in the early afternoon. On the days we don't have playdates, sometimes the first two naps will get combined into one.
I went to the dermatologist this week about a chronic rash I get on my face and hands. I've been dealing with it for years and the last time I had a flare up, I was referred to an allergy doctor who said it was a reaction to cats. Well, last week I had the worse outbreak I've ever had. My face was swollen, red, very painful/itchy/burning, and covered in blisters. I couldn't kiss the boys because my lips hurt too much, and I had to keep them at arm's length because even brushing my cheek would make me tear up. The swelling was also around my eyes, so I was quite the sight.
Anyways, the dermatologist diagnosed me with eczema, which means I'm super sensitive to anything with scents or dyes. Apparently my face had been attacked by a nice smelling, pretty looking bar of soap. We had sort of figured this out in bits and pieces on our own, so this makes much more sense than a cat allergy. Even though I looked terrible, the boys didn't seem to notice. I got just as many grins and laughs as normal. If anything, they were mildly frustrated I wouldn't let them honk my nose.
1.14.2010
1.11.2010
1.08.2010
2
Month 7
You know those posts where I whined and cried about how hard of a week I had? How the boys wouldn't sleep all night? Man, did I SO not know what I was talking about...
The boys (and the rest of us) have been fighting a cold since a few days after Christmas. Sunday night they started getting worse instead of better. After eating his bedtime milk, Alex vomited all over everything. All I could do was hold him while he repeatedly pumped his little tummy dry. He had thrown up the previous night, too, but had no problems keeping food down during the day. Sometimes if he's feeling bad, he'll use nursing for comfort. The issue is he'll overeat and then throw up, which is what we think happened here.
Zach spent about 15min in his crib before waking up crying. Both boys went to bed with me. Around 5am I woke up and felt Alex's head. He had a fever. I gave him some Tylenol and agreed with Jim they were going to the doctor the next day.
At the pediatrician's they weighed the boys. For the first time, Zach weighed more than Alex. You could also tell that Alex just felt worse. Zach was happy and smiling, although his nose was running something fierce. Alex, on the other hand, just sat in my lap and stared at the doctor. He didn't want anyone but me holding him. His little eyes were red from rubbing.
The doctor gave them a once over and said it looked like they might have sinus infections. There was a chance they would get better on their own, but it was also possible they needed antibiotics to get over what they had. We opted for the medicine since we felt like they had already taken a turn for the worse. He also showed us how to flush out their noses with saline spray.
By Wednesday they were both feeling better. They still had a productive cough but most of the lethargy and runny noses were gone. Alex doesn't mind taking the bubble gum flavored medicine but Zach has figured out all kinds of ways to avoid it. Besides the obvious turning of the head, he'll also stick out his tongue, cough (and spray me with the sticky pink stuff), fend me off with his hands, and generally try to escape from whatever is holding him. He'll also refuse to swallow what's in his mouth unless both of his cheeks are full of the stuff.
I think the antibiotics were the right choice this time. I am not a huge fan of medicine in general, but Jim was suffering from the same stages of illness and he's still hacking and coughing. The boys, on the other hand, just have a little runny nose and the occasional cough.
Wednesday also marked the end of the "Let's sleep with mom!" era. Jim and I decided it was time for them to sleep in their cribs again. Our original method of putting them to bed (milk until asleep, transfer to crib for more sleeping) wasn't working. As soon as Jim would pick one up to move him to the nursery, his eyes would pop open and he would start crying. After some book consultation, we opted for Modified Cry It Out. Basically you put your baby in their crib sleepy but awake. If they cry (ha! like there's an "if"), you wait 5min then go in and comfort them. Once they're calm and sleepy, you put them back down. If they cry, you wait 10min before repeating the process and keep adding 5min every time.
Wednesday night, it took 3 tries before the boys put themselves to sleep (i.e. 30min of crying total). Thursday night they were asleep within the first 10min. I know a number of parents think CIO is cruel, and we own books that talk about how scared and emotionally damaged our kids are, being left to cry. I think it really depends on your babies, though. I know what their cries mean and their reaction to CIO was anger and frustration at not getting their way. At no point was there any "I'm scared!" or "I'm sad!" crying.
They also slept for longer stretches than they have in a LONG while. Alex only got up twice all night, and Zach was at a manageable four times. I did have to put Zach down for a little CIO around 2am but it lasted less than 5min before he was back asleep. They went to bed around 9pm and got up at 7:30am. The bonus? I actually got to sleep in a position other than pinned on my back!
We've had some food adventures this week. On Sunday we went to Whole Foods and picked up the next round of fruits and veggies for the boys. Besides the normal pears, bananas, avocado, and apples, we got mango, acorn squash, and carrots. I've also figured out that both boys will woof down their apples if I add a little cinnamon. I searched the frozen food section for saltless peas and the best I could come up with was a peas and carrots combo. They've been eating that for dinner all week and seem to like it. Mango also seemed to be a hit. I was initially worried since it can be a fibrous fruit, but the blender made short work of it.
Also, on the topic of eating... WE HAVE TEETH! Ok, really we just have tiny little spikes that will be full teeth at some point, but still! This is what 3mo of drooling and chewing have netted us. So, it looks like the first teeth for both boys will be the bottom left incisor. Alex's is a little farther along, but not by much. They're going to look like country bumpkins with one bottom tooth. hehe
In other baby news, the boys have started doing this weird thing with their arms. They'll extend their arm, wave it in a circle, then bop themselves on the head. They'll do it over and over while they're trying to fall asleep for naps. The bead bonk is really light, almost like they're trying to touch their hair but forget exactly where they left it.
Alex has been screaming with glee a lot more, especially during bath time. This scares Zach to the point of tears. Of course, the full-body splashing doesn't help, either. I think Alex loves baths but Zach just tolerates them. Zach turned the tables with some screeching of his own during lunch. You could see the tears welling up in Alex's eyes.
The boys (and the rest of us) have been fighting a cold since a few days after Christmas. Sunday night they started getting worse instead of better. After eating his bedtime milk, Alex vomited all over everything. All I could do was hold him while he repeatedly pumped his little tummy dry. He had thrown up the previous night, too, but had no problems keeping food down during the day. Sometimes if he's feeling bad, he'll use nursing for comfort. The issue is he'll overeat and then throw up, which is what we think happened here.
Zach spent about 15min in his crib before waking up crying. Both boys went to bed with me. Around 5am I woke up and felt Alex's head. He had a fever. I gave him some Tylenol and agreed with Jim they were going to the doctor the next day.
At the pediatrician's they weighed the boys. For the first time, Zach weighed more than Alex. You could also tell that Alex just felt worse. Zach was happy and smiling, although his nose was running something fierce. Alex, on the other hand, just sat in my lap and stared at the doctor. He didn't want anyone but me holding him. His little eyes were red from rubbing.
The doctor gave them a once over and said it looked like they might have sinus infections. There was a chance they would get better on their own, but it was also possible they needed antibiotics to get over what they had. We opted for the medicine since we felt like they had already taken a turn for the worse. He also showed us how to flush out their noses with saline spray.
By Wednesday they were both feeling better. They still had a productive cough but most of the lethargy and runny noses were gone. Alex doesn't mind taking the bubble gum flavored medicine but Zach has figured out all kinds of ways to avoid it. Besides the obvious turning of the head, he'll also stick out his tongue, cough (and spray me with the sticky pink stuff), fend me off with his hands, and generally try to escape from whatever is holding him. He'll also refuse to swallow what's in his mouth unless both of his cheeks are full of the stuff.
I think the antibiotics were the right choice this time. I am not a huge fan of medicine in general, but Jim was suffering from the same stages of illness and he's still hacking and coughing. The boys, on the other hand, just have a little runny nose and the occasional cough.
Wednesday also marked the end of the "Let's sleep with mom!" era. Jim and I decided it was time for them to sleep in their cribs again. Our original method of putting them to bed (milk until asleep, transfer to crib for more sleeping) wasn't working. As soon as Jim would pick one up to move him to the nursery, his eyes would pop open and he would start crying. After some book consultation, we opted for Modified Cry It Out. Basically you put your baby in their crib sleepy but awake. If they cry (ha! like there's an "if"), you wait 5min then go in and comfort them. Once they're calm and sleepy, you put them back down. If they cry, you wait 10min before repeating the process and keep adding 5min every time.
Wednesday night, it took 3 tries before the boys put themselves to sleep (i.e. 30min of crying total). Thursday night they were asleep within the first 10min. I know a number of parents think CIO is cruel, and we own books that talk about how scared and emotionally damaged our kids are, being left to cry. I think it really depends on your babies, though. I know what their cries mean and their reaction to CIO was anger and frustration at not getting their way. At no point was there any "I'm scared!" or "I'm sad!" crying.
They also slept for longer stretches than they have in a LONG while. Alex only got up twice all night, and Zach was at a manageable four times. I did have to put Zach down for a little CIO around 2am but it lasted less than 5min before he was back asleep. They went to bed around 9pm and got up at 7:30am. The bonus? I actually got to sleep in a position other than pinned on my back!
We've had some food adventures this week. On Sunday we went to Whole Foods and picked up the next round of fruits and veggies for the boys. Besides the normal pears, bananas, avocado, and apples, we got mango, acorn squash, and carrots. I've also figured out that both boys will woof down their apples if I add a little cinnamon. I searched the frozen food section for saltless peas and the best I could come up with was a peas and carrots combo. They've been eating that for dinner all week and seem to like it. Mango also seemed to be a hit. I was initially worried since it can be a fibrous fruit, but the blender made short work of it.
Also, on the topic of eating... WE HAVE TEETH! Ok, really we just have tiny little spikes that will be full teeth at some point, but still! This is what 3mo of drooling and chewing have netted us. So, it looks like the first teeth for both boys will be the bottom left incisor. Alex's is a little farther along, but not by much. They're going to look like country bumpkins with one bottom tooth. hehe
In other baby news, the boys have started doing this weird thing with their arms. They'll extend their arm, wave it in a circle, then bop themselves on the head. They'll do it over and over while they're trying to fall asleep for naps. The bead bonk is really light, almost like they're trying to touch their hair but forget exactly where they left it.
Alex has been screaming with glee a lot more, especially during bath time. This scares Zach to the point of tears. Of course, the full-body splashing doesn't help, either. I think Alex loves baths but Zach just tolerates them. Zach turned the tables with some screeching of his own during lunch. You could see the tears welling up in Alex's eyes.
12.31.2009
0
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.
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.
1 comments
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.
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.
12.17.2009
1 comments
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
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)
12.07.2009
1 comments
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)!
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)!
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