Tough Days for Clara

Clara pretty much went from getting a cold, to getting a new tooth, to getting a new cold. Needless to say, she is not loving these days much at all. She has become particularly grumpy--though I can't say a blame here.

The sick bug seems to have hit Hank, as well. He is handling it a little better than his sister, though he isn't his cheery self. I am crossing my fingers that all ailments will be over before too long.

It seems that the kids get sick pretty routinely a week or so before their next wellness visit. It is just the right timing so I can't decide whether to take them to the doctor, being that they will be heading right back there in less than a week. But, we are keeping a close eye on them.

One positive thing about sick babies: they still can find moments of happiness. Even yesterday, they were willing to hang out under the tree and try to enjoy the day a bit. Here is a photo. You can tell that they are both just trying to breath out of their mouths!

Neverending Food!

I am just shocked by the volume of food the kiddos are eating these days. Clara has always been willing to eat a good amount, and now Hank has caught up and overtaken her eating tendencies! We are making it through the equivalent of 12-15 jars a day. I'm trying to continue to make a good portion of their food, but their food demands are exceeding my time allowances. We did start quinoa this week, which they liked. Have you ever tasted that stuff? I can't say I was much of a fan, but I'm glad they like it at least.

We get them weighed at their nine month appointment in less than two weeks. I am super curious to see how much they weigh at this point. I tried to dress Hank in a six month outfit today, and it was too small. Unbelievable! I feel like my little, tiny babies have actual turned into good size infants all of a sudden.

As the summer is coming to an end, we went on a short day trip earlier this week. We found a little dinner in the middle of nowhere that made wonderful pie. We then went for a short hike. Here are the kids taking a break on the hiking trail:



Both the kids have figured out how to crawl backwards at this point. It's great and amusing. They move slowly but enjoy the slip-slid of the hardwood floor. Hank is beginning to rock on his back legs, so I wonder if crawling isn't too far away!

Two Little Piggies and Always Going to the Market

How is it possible that my two little, tiny babies can eat as much as they do? Over the last few days in particular, Clara and Hank are eating just a ton more. I'm impressed being that they are also combating a cold, which I think would compromise most people's appetite. I feel like we are going through food like there is no tomorrow. Though I try to make a good portion of their food, practical realities also require that I buy some of it. I'm surprised by how I constantly feel like I'm on the verge of running out of baby food in the house. I cooked for them last night, and I still found myself cooking for them today. It's wonderful that they love food and are far from finicky eaters. It is also great, particularly given their smaller weights, that they enjoy a fair volume of food. All I know is if they don't weigh a lot more than before come the ninth month visit, something crazy is going on!

We are super close to finishing up the babies' new playroom. It's funny how much life changes: when we first moved into the house, we worried over where everything goes. Now, our main focus has switched fully from whether to hang my favorite picture in a room or Mark's to whether the kids will find a way to pull down the frame and try to eat it.

UPDATE: Here is a photo of the finished playroom:

Babyproofing, Olympics, and Eggs

I suppose I am not alone in getting a little sucked into the Olympics. I don't know if it is a time zone issue, but a lot of the things I want to watch are far later than my bedtime with the kids. I did get to see Phelps win last night, and I'm hoping to watch a little gymnastics tonight. But, the rumor is that it won't be on until way too late for me.

Now that the kiddos are 8 months old, I'm working through a new slew of food with them. They have tried chicken, turkey, and lentils. Today, they tried eggs for the first time. Both thought they were a little disgusting, but hey: maybe it is an acquired taste? I give them credit, though, because they finished their one yolk each despite some seriously questionable faces.

Both Hank and Clara are still working through their colds. As a result, I'm holding off on introducing cheese. I do look forward to seeing what they think of that. We are continuing to work on finger foods, though it is slow progress. They find it difficult to actually get the food into their mouths, but they are definitely intrigued by the effort.

Our big project this weekend was to create a playroom. We cleared out our dining room and decided to just gate it off. It's a good size room that gets nice light, particularly in the winter. I like to think of myself as fairly handy, but that baby gate installation is beyond my grasp. It took Mark and I both over an hour to just get it half way installed. I highly recommend pressure-mounted gates if possible. Our problem was that we needed an extra-wide gate. Hank has started crawling (backwards), so it will good to give him a nice wide area. Clara is not quite crawling, but her rolling expertise is growing. She also is enjoying standing a lot. I wonder if she will walk before she crawls?

Our regular computer came to a crashing demise this weekend, as well. I'll post when I can, but it may be a bit tardy with the computer limitations. I lost a bunch of photos of the babies, but I'm trying not to be too devasted. As is life.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Okay, so there weren't any trains, but there were plenty of planes and automobiles during our visit to California. Both our flights out to SF and returning to Buffalo were travel nightmares, though no fault of Hank and Clara's. Let's just say that United Airlines should be expecting one heck of a nasty letter when I get a little time to put it together. I kid you not: it took 24 hours to get to SF, and the way home was better but still involved a seven hour delay in Chicago. I did learn that Hank and Clara could care less if they are in an airport or not. In fact, I think they kind-of enjoyed it. They particularly enjoyed our time at Rochester Airport (don't even ask why we ended up there). Here is a pictures from our time there:



It was wonderful to see our friends and family. It reminded me so much of everything I love about California. Life has changed incredibly since living there, granted. But, the feel of San Francisco is unparalleled. I realized on this trip that I couldn't imagine how I would handle twins in that city. More power to all those able to traverse the city ways with two babies. Regardless, I will always have a part of me that is wed to that city. I hope that we get to show Hank and Clara the beauty of that place as they grow up.

As for traveling with twins, it was surprisingly better than I would have thought. The kids adjusted to the different time zones very quickly. The hard part, it seems, is getting back acclimated to our time zone. Last night was a long one. It doesn't help that the kids got sick on the trip, but I'm hoping that by week's end, we are back into our normal routine.

California!

After a crazy 24 hours of traveling, we finally got to California. The babies are enjoying their visit, but I'll have to provide a lot of the details later. Just checking, and mentioning that we got here. The babies did a wonderful job on the plane. They are star travelers.

Another Round of Packing

With a trip to California scheduled for tomorrow, today is the last day of frantic packing. I think I have everything I need, but I'm sure I'll forget something important regardless of all the lists and notes around the house. Traveling with a baby is intimidating enough, but traveling with two just seems silly. I have all kinds of fears about TSA giving us trouble for the breastmilk or the food or something. Keep your fingers crossed!

Hank is now a rolling machine. He still doesn't really love rolling from his stomach to his back, but under duress, he will do it. His preference is just to cry and have us help him over. Clara, on the other, has it down. She can roll pretty much wherever she wants. They are both now expert sitters, as well. They like to play sitting up a lot more than before. Before long, I suspect they will be doing all kinds of new things.

I am amazed by how much these babies learn in such a short amount of time. Mark and I often discuss it. If I had to learn how to roll over anew, I doubt I would have it figured out in the span of a few short months. Let alone, learning to babble, hold my head up, eat, etc. These little creatures are incredible.