Clara has figured out how to start making new sounds! She is doing a ton of "da-da" noises, which are super cute. She started this yesterday, and when she awoke this morning, she is continuing her sound exploration. I get the feeling when she starts talking "for real", she is never going to stop.
Hank is also making big improvements. He started rolling over, which we are super excited about. The only trick is he can only roll from back to stomach. In his crib, this makes a few complications. Once he gets onto his stomach, he scoots a bit backwards, making it so that his legs end up pushed through the slates of the crib. Once in this position, he can't roll back over to his stomach. Needless to say, this completely stresses him out. We are working to get him to roll both ways--for his own sanity!
The food explorations are continuing. The kids have started yogurt, which is going over really well. The next step will be starting beans and meat, but we are holding off on that until we get back from our trip to San Francisco. We have spent a lot of time this week just chatting about how to get ready for the trip. It's going to be great to see everyone, though the preparation and packing is a bear.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Weekend Update
Yesterday was a crazy busy day. We had swimming in the morning followed by attendance at the Twin Picnic. Our local chapter of the Mothers of Twins Club held their annual picnic yesterday in one of the nearby towns. There was a decent turnout, despite the rain. It was one of the few events we could attend where were aren't really a novelty with the kids. Everywhere you looked, there were families with at least two kids running around. What I found particularly impressive was the mom who had triplets. How she does it is beyond me.
The twins club has been a good organization for me. I have met some nice moms and have picked up some good tips on how to just manage life with twins, like how to feed them both at the same time or witty comebacks for the odd comments you get when out with the kiddos.
Today is the Lebanese Festival, which we hear is suppose to be great. We hope to attend after the babies' morning nap. Of course, Hank went down immediately for his nap, and Clara is fighting it hard--despite having been yawning before we put her down. Gotta love how that works. It's a constant battle to figure out who to put to nap when. They are just about 30 minutes off between how long one wants to stay up and one wants to nap. Of course, I could theoretically put them down at different times, but that would pretty much result in chaos when they wake up. Someday, I will have this nap schedule down, but probably only once the kids are beyond needing a nap!
In homage to nap discussions, here is an older nap related picture of Clara from when the swing was the nap place of choice:
The twins club has been a good organization for me. I have met some nice moms and have picked up some good tips on how to just manage life with twins, like how to feed them both at the same time or witty comebacks for the odd comments you get when out with the kiddos.
Today is the Lebanese Festival, which we hear is suppose to be great. We hope to attend after the babies' morning nap. Of course, Hank went down immediately for his nap, and Clara is fighting it hard--despite having been yawning before we put her down. Gotta love how that works. It's a constant battle to figure out who to put to nap when. They are just about 30 minutes off between how long one wants to stay up and one wants to nap. Of course, I could theoretically put them down at different times, but that would pretty much result in chaos when they wake up. Someday, I will have this nap schedule down, but probably only once the kids are beyond needing a nap!
In homage to nap discussions, here is an older nap related picture of Clara from when the swing was the nap place of choice:
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Wasting the Night Away...
Okay, so this evening has been pretty much an effort in wasting time on the computer. I had a productive day of running errands, hanging out with the kids, and even napping a bit. Once we got everyone to sleep, I pretty much just made dinner than lost HOURS on the computer. I just got a Facebook account and have been goofing around on that for far too long. Following that, I spent some time catching up on some long delayed digital scrapbooking for the kids. Now, I am blogging. Yup, the computer can take hours away so quickly.
But, I must admit. I am really loving the digital scrapbooking. It's a lot faster for me than just doing the regular scrapbooking. I don't have to go down to the basement and gather all the equipment, clean up afterwards, etc. Instead, everything is centralized on the computer, and pages come together really quickly. The bigger problem is that it is horrifically addictive. I keep thinking of more and more pages I should make! Here is one of my favorites so far:
I finally found a good printing company, so I'm getting around to ordering the pages I have done so far. Yet another things where it is impossible to know whether in the years to come, the babies will like having them.
Today, Hank and Clara tried yogurt for the first time. They seemed to like it and had no apparent adverse reaction. Awesome. We also let them play with some cherrios. Hank figured out how to get a few in his mouth, while Clara pretty much was more interested in scratching the table and staring at Mark and me. We will try again another day.
But, I must admit. I am really loving the digital scrapbooking. It's a lot faster for me than just doing the regular scrapbooking. I don't have to go down to the basement and gather all the equipment, clean up afterwards, etc. Instead, everything is centralized on the computer, and pages come together really quickly. The bigger problem is that it is horrifically addictive. I keep thinking of more and more pages I should make! Here is one of my favorites so far:
I finally found a good printing company, so I'm getting around to ordering the pages I have done so far. Yet another things where it is impossible to know whether in the years to come, the babies will like having them.
Today, Hank and Clara tried yogurt for the first time. They seemed to like it and had no apparent adverse reaction. Awesome. We also let them play with some cherrios. Hank figured out how to get a few in his mouth, while Clara pretty much was more interested in scratching the table and staring at Mark and me. We will try again another day.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Things I Wish I Had Known About Feeding Babies...
A friend recently asked a few questions about feeding babies in advance of introducing solids to her little boy. It got me thinking about the whole feeding process. It's pretty crazy. I feel like I have learned a lot about feeding babies just by comparing Hank and Clara's various approaches. Hank is tougher to feed. He eats great in the beginning, but then slows down and adopts a mouth shut technique. The only way to get him to eat is to pretty much push the spoon against his closed gums. No fun.
Clara opens her mouth for most of the bites, but when she is done, she is done. She will start doing raspberries with the food in her mouth. Translation: the food is no longer in her mouth but all across me. Today, my shirt is peppered with an interesting apple/blueberry stain from this morning's noisy efforts.
But, all in all, here are my main tips for feeding, at least for my babies:
* Bigger spoon: those baby spoons are super ridiculous small
* Thicker is better: since our babies started solids at 6 months, we went straight to stage 2 foods. SOO much better.
* Oatmeal is better for boys than rice cereal. Don't ask why. You don't want to know why. Just trust me on this.
* If oatmeal isn't enough to help with boy's, uhm, processing, peaches do a better job of helping the situation than prunes.
* Variety is the key. Our kids eat a lot more if we give them three different things at a meal than a lot of any single thing.
* Accept a mess. It just will be a mess. Even when the kids get used to eating, then they want to play with their food more, which is equally a mess.
* Go as fast as possible. You have a limited window that the babies stay interested. Shovel as much as you can, as fast as you can, during this window. Once this window ends, all the laughing, blowing on their face, and singing doesn't really help.
I'm sure there are 10,000 other tips I can think of, but those are all I can come up with on a Sunday night after making a bunch more baby food.
We have friends in town this weekend, and it has been wonderful to see them. Hank and Clara have a preference for Mark and me, but they are willing to be held by others still. It will be very unfortunate when that ends!
Clara opens her mouth for most of the bites, but when she is done, she is done. She will start doing raspberries with the food in her mouth. Translation: the food is no longer in her mouth but all across me. Today, my shirt is peppered with an interesting apple/blueberry stain from this morning's noisy efforts.
But, all in all, here are my main tips for feeding, at least for my babies:
* Bigger spoon: those baby spoons are super ridiculous small
* Thicker is better: since our babies started solids at 6 months, we went straight to stage 2 foods. SOO much better.
* Oatmeal is better for boys than rice cereal. Don't ask why. You don't want to know why. Just trust me on this.
* If oatmeal isn't enough to help with boy's, uhm, processing, peaches do a better job of helping the situation than prunes.
* Variety is the key. Our kids eat a lot more if we give them three different things at a meal than a lot of any single thing.
* Accept a mess. It just will be a mess. Even when the kids get used to eating, then they want to play with their food more, which is equally a mess.
* Go as fast as possible. You have a limited window that the babies stay interested. Shovel as much as you can, as fast as you can, during this window. Once this window ends, all the laughing, blowing on their face, and singing doesn't really help.
I'm sure there are 10,000 other tips I can think of, but those are all I can come up with on a Sunday night after making a bunch more baby food.
We have friends in town this weekend, and it has been wonderful to see them. Hank and Clara have a preference for Mark and me, but they are willing to be held by others still. It will be very unfortunate when that ends!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Swimming Babies!
Clara and Hank had their first swimming class last Saturday. It went well. The class was far from structured. We were simply told to work on kicking, so all the parents went off with their youngin's and did whatever. Hank liked it so much that he was just relaxed and about to fall asleep. Clara was very alert, and she tolerated it a lot better than I would have thought--given that the first time she went to the pool she hated it! The class is weekly, and our friends Jen and Jeff are also there with their son Timmy. Here is a picture of our swimming class efforts:
Hank and Clara are doing great. During Mark's parents' visit, the kids have been working on sitting up and rolling over. Both Hank and Clara are making big progress. They are also doing a lot of work on getting bigger. All their eating is paying off. It is going to be sad to see Mark's parents go. Their company and help has been so welcome and invaluable. It's amazing how much the babies have grown in the last month. Here is a video from their recent pool time in the backyard. A lot bigger, no?
It's hard to believe the summer is halfway done. In many ways, it feels like Groundhog's Day. Each day is often a variation and theme on the day before. But, as I look through photos and think through the various achievements the kids have been, I start realizing how much time is really moving along. It's amazing.
Hank and Clara are doing great. During Mark's parents' visit, the kids have been working on sitting up and rolling over. Both Hank and Clara are making big progress. They are also doing a lot of work on getting bigger. All their eating is paying off. It is going to be sad to see Mark's parents go. Their company and help has been so welcome and invaluable. It's amazing how much the babies have grown in the last month. Here is a video from their recent pool time in the backyard. A lot bigger, no?
It's hard to believe the summer is halfway done. In many ways, it feels like Groundhog's Day. Each day is often a variation and theme on the day before. But, as I look through photos and think through the various achievements the kids have been, I start realizing how much time is really moving along. It's amazing.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Road Trippin' Babies
We made it to Betsy's on Monday night with little problem. The drive took about 11 hours after all the stopping. But, the kids were great during the entire experience. They took their regular naps along the way, and they seemed to play pretty happily during their wake up time. So far, the kids have slept okay at night during this trip.
Hank and Clara got to see where I used to work. Lots of changing at the firm, as the offices are expanding. The babies met lots of my friends, as well. Tonight, Betsy is having a few people by, so the babies get to meet even more people.
There is something interesting about being back in DC but this time with the kids. It is almost like two parts of my life intersecting in a new way. I suspect that will be even more true when we head out to California in a few weeks. The timing of having the kids and moving to Buffalo makes it seem so much like Buffalo is where the kids are, whereas SF and DC are were the other parts of my life remain. It is just the adjustment of having a new family, I suppose.
We leave early tomorrow morning to head home. It will be another long day of driving. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the kids do well on the travels. They have their first swimming class on Saturday morning, so let's hope they get some good rest tomorrow.
Hank and Clara got to see where I used to work. Lots of changing at the firm, as the offices are expanding. The babies met lots of my friends, as well. Tonight, Betsy is having a few people by, so the babies get to meet even more people.
There is something interesting about being back in DC but this time with the kids. It is almost like two parts of my life intersecting in a new way. I suspect that will be even more true when we head out to California in a few weeks. The timing of having the kids and moving to Buffalo makes it seem so much like Buffalo is where the kids are, whereas SF and DC are were the other parts of my life remain. It is just the adjustment of having a new family, I suppose.
We leave early tomorrow morning to head home. It will be another long day of driving. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the kids do well on the travels. They have their first swimming class on Saturday morning, so let's hope they get some good rest tomorrow.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Happy Plump and Festive 4th of July!
Hank and Clara celebrated their very first Fourth of July yesterday. Unfortunately, they missed out on the fireworks, as they were asleep. We went in to nurse around 10:40, and neither of them even seemed phased by the sound of fireworks outside. Perhaps next year.
Thursday, the kids had their follow up with the pediatrician to check their weight. Apparently, all this eating is paying off. Both kids gained over 2 lbs in 3 weeks! That's more than they usually gain in two months! The solids are going a lot better each day. Hank seems a lot more interested, and Clara continues to be a good eater. The trick now is getting them to stay interested throughout the entire meal. Often, about half way through, they started zoning out, looking outside, watching Norm... pretty much anything but paying attention to their food. Clara's newest trick is to try and eat her toes during the feed. She is surprising good at this maneuver!
We leave for a trip to DC on Monday. After the mess that was our trip to Montreal, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this goes a little smoother. I am trying to be cautiously optimistic.
Few things are as challenging as packing for the kids, the dog, and myself. I find that it takes a lot longer than I would ever think. So far, I have gotten their clothes and food packed. That's it. Now it's time for all the little things, like their bibs, diapers, wipes, washclothes, etc. For little guys, they sure do have a lot of stuff that goes with them, even when I am trying to streamline the packing!
Thursday, the kids had their follow up with the pediatrician to check their weight. Apparently, all this eating is paying off. Both kids gained over 2 lbs in 3 weeks! That's more than they usually gain in two months! The solids are going a lot better each day. Hank seems a lot more interested, and Clara continues to be a good eater. The trick now is getting them to stay interested throughout the entire meal. Often, about half way through, they started zoning out, looking outside, watching Norm... pretty much anything but paying attention to their food. Clara's newest trick is to try and eat her toes during the feed. She is surprising good at this maneuver!
We leave for a trip to DC on Monday. After the mess that was our trip to Montreal, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this goes a little smoother. I am trying to be cautiously optimistic.
Few things are as challenging as packing for the kids, the dog, and myself. I find that it takes a lot longer than I would ever think. So far, I have gotten their clothes and food packed. That's it. Now it's time for all the little things, like their bibs, diapers, wipes, washclothes, etc. For little guys, they sure do have a lot of stuff that goes with them, even when I am trying to streamline the packing!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
