Month 11!!! (Only one more to go!)

First, how can it already be Wednesday?  You'd think with more daylight I'd have more time, but I don't.  If anything, we've been trying to jam in extra fun stuff.

Our big event this past week was getting a train table.  While the boys are too little to play with trains, the table is ideal for cruising.  It's just the right height and has a lip they can grab onto.  Best of all, we can cover it with their toys for playtime fun (or throw-it-on-the-floor-then-cry-until-someone-gets-it-for-you-then-throw-it-back-on-the-floor fun).

Since train tables can be pricy and it's not like a spoon or anything they would put in their mouth, I searched Craigslist for a few days trying to find a deal.  I found one "like new with just a little tear in the corner" for $45.  I called the lady and we went over to her house to get it.  Now, I hate haggling.  If I think the price is fair, that's what I'll pay.  If it's unfair, I don't even bother.  I could kid myself that I will talk someone down, but I know I won't.  I just didn't get that gene from my dad.

We get there and everything looks fine, although the table is a bit shaky.  Jim goes to load it into the van and it totally falls apart.  He's left holding one board while the rest is in pieces on the ground.  We look at each other.  Well, this isn't good.  We get the pieces home and I do a closer inspection of the table.  A lot of the screws are stripped out and some are missing altogether.  I replace the missing ones and move the brackets so we can use new screws.  Everything seems fine and Zach goes to town "dancing" with the table.

Fast forward 4 days.  I go to move the table so it's better centered on the carpet and one end falls off.  The new screws I put in were starting to come out.  Three were laying on the floor already.  I put it back together for the short term (and keep an eye on it) but I've officially written it off.  This table is going in the trash and we're getting the boys a new one.

At lunch we met Jim at Toys R Us and bought the boys a new table.  It's held together by bolts and nuts, not tiny wood screws.  Plus it seems to be made of wood, not particle board.  The lip on it is better for holding and it comes with a drawer.  Zach "dances" with it to his heart's content and it doesn't budge.

Alex is able to cruise both directions now but strongly prefers counter-clockwise.  Zach doesn't like to turn corners but will when he runs out of toys on his side.  The boys have tried to go double wide so Alex can pass Zach, but it ended with one boy on his rear end and the other with a bonked head.  Alex sort of knows to wait on me to move him around Zach, but that doesn't keep him from trying to push his brother out of the way.

I was in the kitchen this morning, trying to get their breakfast ready when I hear a "Uhh  uhhh...  waaaa!"  I look into the living room and only see one boy, and he's not the one making noise.  Alex, who was cruising the train table, is missing.  I walk around the table and see two little feet sticking out.  Somehow he managed to fall and land under the table on his back.  He wasn't hurt, just didn't want to e under there.

Couch time is officially over.  Zach was playing with my phone and dropped it over the side.  Before I could get to him, he went over the end of the couch after it.  He landed on his head/face and cried for a long time.  You can barely see the bruise two days later and he doesn't act like it hurts, but it pretty much freaked me out.  I held him for a long time, until he was pushing me away so he could go play.

The boys have been eating anything and everything.  I'll make them some food for dinner but most of the time they end up mostly eating what we are.  The hardest thing right now is to be sure they get enough veggies.  I got these potato and spinach cakes from the store and they seem to like them.  They're expensive, though, so I'm going to try making my own.  That way I can control the salt and which veggies are in there.

If I offer the boys something new that they like better than what's in the mouth, they'll try to spit it out to make room for the new food.  I have to be careful to keep them focused on one thing at a time or they end up not eating much.

I've been working a little with them and straws.  They're not very good at them and really just like chewing on them.  One day I was drinking some punch out of a to-go cup and the boys were going crazy for it.  I told them they could have some if they used the straw.  Of course, Zach immediately sucks up a whole mouthful of punch.  Red liquid is running everywhere.  I can't not let Alex try and he does the same thing.  Red is all over their shirts.  I dump out the punch and replace it with water.  They could care less about it now and go back to just chewing the straw.

We've been working this week to move our computer stuff to the front room and convert our office into a playroom.  I think that's the best option because that room can be quarantined with a gate and it is sunny in the afternoons.  It's been slow going due to the tons of junk we've been storing in there.  Plus we need to have a tech come out and move the DSL line to the living room.  I see an Ikea trip in our near future to get a couple of rugs for in there.

The boys birthday is coming up in a month and it's bittersweet for me.  I can't believe how fast they've been growing!  It seems like yesterday when we brought them home, although if you ask me at 4am when they're crying for milk, it feels like years since we did.  hehe  They're getting really good at walking while holding onto someone's hands, and they don't fall much when cruising.  I don't think it'll be too long before they're trying to walk.

Month 10, Week 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Month 10, Week 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

Month 10! (+ 1 week)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Month 9, Week 3 & 4

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

Anyways, there's a TON to catch up on.  First, the boys went to the Greenville Zoo with their Grandma Pat.  While not every exhibit was baby friendly, they enjoyed watching the bigger animals like the elephants and the giraffes.  I think they even spotted a couple of monkeys in between their people watching.  They weren't too thrilled about their sun hats or riding in the stroller, and we had to do a milk stop part way through, but overall I think they had a good time.  It was like going to Publix, but outside and with less food.

The next day we had a playdate at J and Ana's.  They have this wooden activity cube thing, with the wire and beads on top.  I sat Zach in front of it, thinking he'd play with the stuff on the side.  Instead, he just reaches up, grabs the wire, and pulls himself into a standing position.  Uh...  I guess they're standing now!  Alex does the same thing but is more cavalier about it.  He'll hold on with one or even no hands.  So we went out and got our own cube, plus a crawl and cruise jungle toy.  Both boys will hold onto the monkey's ear and play with the other hand.  They'll also play this game with me where they'll turn and walk to me (I'll catch them) for hugs, then walk back to the toy.  It's only a couple of steps but they seem to be decent at it.

We haven't given up on crawling yet, though.  I have them on the floor most of the time now, with toys spread out around them.  We've had a number of belly flops when they try to reach for something and fall over.  Both boys can spin around on their rear ends, so any item within a 360 degree radius is fair game.  This includes the newspaper, a book Jim's reading, and a cat tail that got too close.  Zach has been rocking a lot while sitting and has managed to scoot a tiny bit.  When he's on his belly, Zach will push up with his arms and slide backwards.

Alex doesn't seem to have the same interest in transportation.  If he's on his belly anywhere but our bed, he'll body surf and cry until we rescue him.  If all of his toys are out of his reach, he'll just play with his hands (or the carpet), and cry when he gets bored.  He's lightning fast in the walker-exersaucer, though.  He managed to run Frodo over one day.  I think he just prefers to stand and has a bit better balance in that department.

Feeding them solids has gone from a relaxing, fun event to something akin to a food fight.  After one or two spoonfuls, Zach will no longer open his mouth unless it's fruit from a jar.  Alex wants to eat (and will chomp just about everything) but waves his hands around and smacks the spoon, sending puree flying.  Both boys feed themselves puffs and bread now.  They really, really don't like yogurt or cheese.  Orange food is good.  Green food is bad.  Fruit is worth sucking the spoon dry.  If an adult stands, it means you're available to pick up a boy from his highchair and they get very upset when they realize you're just getting a refill on your drink.  Bibs are a creation of evil and must be yanked, pulled at, and otherwise loathed.  If you think they're covered in food now, just wait until one has an itchy eye or ear.

We continue to work on their sleep habits.  We've made some progress with the "Stuff Them Full of Solids So They're Not So Hungry At Night" plan.  Now they'll sleep from about 8pm to 12:30am in one stretch.  After that, though, all bets are off.  I'm normally up at 2am, 3am, 4am, 5am, and 8am.  Why the 3hrs at the end?  Because I'm too tried to argue and I take them to bed with me.  They've also decided that 2hrs a day of naps is all they need.  I miss the iron-deficient 6hrs of naps I used to get...  Runny noses and Zach sprouting a top left front tooth haven't helped, either.

So between the lack of sleep and the frustrating mealtimes, I got pretty burnt out on the whole stay-at-home-mom gig.  I had a good cry over the whole thing, then my mom (who's been visiting us!) offered to watch the boys while Jim and I went out to dinner.  It was exactly what I needed, 2hrs away from the pulling, grabbing, and crying.  Of course, we both started missing them during dessert and I was really happy to see the boys when we got home.  I'm still not 100% back to normal but my attitude has improved some.

So, like I mentioned, my mom has been visiting.  It took a couple of days but the boys have warmed up to her.  Zach will even ask her to pick him up and will give her wet kisses.  Alex is a little more reserved but still enjoys it when she plays with him.  She's been a big help around the house and with the boys.  I can leave them to play while I get a shower, and she's there to help entertain them where ever we go.  She even rubbed their heads until they went to sleep in the van one day.

So that's kind of our lives in a nutshell right now.  I'm still trying to figure out how to get them to sleep through the night, and they're learning to stand.  And while I really want them to learn to walk, it's going to open this whole other can of worms.  hehe

Month 9, Weeks 1 & 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Month 8, Week 3.5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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