A mish mash of stuff

I have a lot of thoughts, but nothing I could really put together into a logical post.  So I'll do bullet points just so I can get my thoughts out.

• Micah has been such a "Mommy's boy" lately.  He's been very affectionate, giving me hugs randomly as he's playing.  He likes to snuggle a little bit after he wakes up from naps and sometimes in the morning too.  At night he really only wants me.  He's slept all night for several nights in a row, but then last night around 4 am he woke up screaming.  I went in there and he didn't even want me to pick him up - he laid right down.  He wanted me there and occasionally I would pat his back to settle him down.  I attempted to leave a few times but after a minute or two he realized I was gone and would start crying again.  I finally sent Glen in there.  I was tired and I thought maybe he'd go to sleep quicker since his preferred parent wasn't there.  Nope.  He screamed and cried the whole time Glen was in there.  I finally went back in and told him to lay down and he did.  Hmmm, poor Glen.  Because I was so tired I got him up and brought him to bed with us.  He cuddled with me for quite a while but didn't go to sleep.  I love that he's such a cuddle bug.  Eventually we gave him a bottle and then cuddled a bit longer and he fell asleep in my arms and slept the rest of the night.
• The last few days I've been feeling like I don't have the energy to deal with the boys' shenanigans.  They are just crazy.  They can both climb up on the couches now and think it's great fun to get on the end table and play with the lamp.  We've had to remove anything important from the end table, but we've left the lamp.  I may have to consider removing it too.  The rule is that they have to sit (or kneel) on the couch and they shouldn't be on the table at all.  But I just get so tired of telling them to sit and then getting them down off the couch.  The other thing they do to provoke me is shake the entry way table.  That table has a lamp too and a glass top, so it really is kind of dangerous for them to shake it.  I worry they'll pull it down on themselves, so I think we're going to need to anchor it to the wall.
• I've been wondering if I should be giving the boys a little more freedom in the house.  I think most kids their age get to wander through most of the house.  My kids are still confined to the living room or the play room and their bedroom upstairs.  As I've been wrestling with this I go back and forth.  Our house would need to be more baby-proof if I'm going to let them have access to other areas, but we're moving in a month so it's not really worth it.  But they've been practically climbing the walls in the living room and maybe they'd be better behaved if they had more space to play in.  But I have two kids and I can't keep my eye on both of them at the same time which is what would have to happen if they had free reign.  I also wonder if they need to be learning boundaries like not playing with the lamp cord (currently all the lamp cords and outlets are blocked with furniture) or the cat water.  When I do let them explore the kitchen or my bedroom I'm left with such a mess to clean up and it makes me crazy.  They love it, so I'm really trying to consider their needs and desires above my own.  Oh, and the other thing on this topic is that it's very likely that when we move we'll be in a house that's more open, so I think they, and I, should probably get used to being all over the place.  I'm trying to convince myself that the baby-proofing can wait until we're in our new house and then we can decide what needs to be done.
• Last weekend we took the boys outside to explore.  Last time they were outside Micah pretty much stayed on the blanket and Luke was crawling all over.  The few times we've taken them out in the past week Micah has been the explorer and Luke has been content to stay on the blanket.  Micah just likes to walk around.  There's a slight slope in the yard, so he likes to go to the top and kind of run down and then he claps for himself.  Luke is okay crawling on the grass, but he's just fine sitting on the blanket watching the action too.  It's getting hotter, so I think our outside time is going to be limited.
• I keep thinking Luke is going to start walking any day now.  He's able to take a few steps at a time.  He'll turn from a toy or piece of furniture he's standing next to and walk a few steps to another toy or furniture.  Sometimes he'll be standing with his back to the wall and take a few steps toward me.  Also, I can set him on his feet in the middle of the room and he'll either take a couple steps or he'll at least stand for a couple seconds.  We have ordered braces for his ankles to hopefully help him feel more steady which will make walking easier and hopefully strengthen his muscles in his legs and hips.  We'll probably get those in about a week and a half. 
• My mom is coming for a visit next week.  She'll be here for two weeks.  I'm looking forward to it.  Selfishly, I'm excited because I'll have some help.  I'll also have some adult companionship during the days.  Glen will be gone for about 6 days while she's here so it will be nice to have her assistance with bedtime.  I'm also excited that they boys will have time with their grandma.  It makes me so sad when I think of how much of their lives their grandparents are missing out on.  So anytime that they can be together is very special.
• Luke continues in speech therapy.  She asked yesterday if he's saying any new words and I had to tell her no.  But then today I was sitting in front of them at lunch and he was communicating, vocalizing, I just couldn't understand what he was saying.  I don't really know what's expected at his age as far as number of words.  I really feel like he has more words, I just don't understand them.  I don't know if that's also a concern at his age (articulation).  Yesterday Micah was signing for "water".  He does it by sticking his index finger in his mouth.  Luke copied him - doing it wrong.  All of a sudden I could see how this "twin language" happens.
• I'm really tired and I wish I'd used this time for a nap.  Both boys have slept through the night a few nights this week, but it's always one or the other of them waking up, so I haven't gotten a full night of sleep in a while.  Luke slept all night last night, even through Micah's screaming fits, but he woke up the two previous nights when Micah slept through the night.  I guess I'd still rather get up once a night than twice a night or have the two of them awake and crying at the same time.
• The boys turn 17 months today! 
• Here are some pictures from December.  They're a little old, but they are worth sharing.  Or did I already?



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Down, down, down

The boys have been able to climb the stairs pretty well for a few months now.  It's been nice to put them at the bottom of the stairs and let them climb up.  The problem is that we usually have things on the stairs, so they have to stop and check everything out.  They have to taste the cat hair clumps, pick up crumbs, Luke likes to throw the shoes down to the bottom, so it takes a lot of time and I usually don't have the patience to wait for them and end up carrying them one at a time up the stairs. 

I've felt for a few months that I need to be working with them on crawling down the stairs.  If not for my own convenience, at least for their safety.  If they know how to safely get down the stairs, it's not so critical that we remember to close the gates at the top and bottom of the stairs.  It's also just a developmentally appropriate skill.  Over the last couple months I worked with them a couple times, but ended up pretty much pulling them backward, feet first, down the stairs.  It wasn't productive.  With Micah, because he's so steady on his feet, I tried showing him how he could hold on to the spindles and step down sideways.  They just always wanted to go up.

Yesterday I got down on my hands and knees and demonstrated how to go down the stairs.  They thought it was pretty funny and wanted to follow me down - head first of course.  All it took this time was turning them around and then they scooted themselves down backward on their bellies.  They'd go up a couple steps and then scoot back down.  I cheered them on, clapped for them, encouraged them.  Luke was the first to "get it" and Micah waited at the top for us.  Luke's only mistake is wanting to go down the small step between the two landings face first.  It works fine because it's only one step and he has enough space on the landing to get himself turned around, but then he wants to go face first the rest of the way down. 

This morning I decided to have them crawl down the stairs.  Micah would scoot down the first step and then stand up and clap for himself.  So funny!  Luke was awesome at it.  I had to show him how to turn around, but then he just scooted himself down.  Every once in a while after hearing me say "good job" he'd stop and clap for himself.  I think the boys were also clapping for each other.  I suppose it's probably time to clear everything off the stairs because I'm worried they'll get distracted by the shoes and stop and lose their balance. 

Memories

Last night and this afternoon I've been reading through old blog posts.  So many of the things I read seem like I just wrote them a week ago.  I remember the stories so clearly.  It's just confirmation that I need to be doing a better job of updating regularly and that even the mundane details will be interesting in a few months.

Luke is getting so close to walking.  Sunday morning (3/13/11) he was leaning back against the wall and then took about six steps toward me.  I couldn't scoot back fast enough, so who knows how many more steps he would have taken.  Then yesterday I set him down in the middle of the floor and he took about four steps forward before falling over.  Today he was standing at one push toy and then let go to turn to another push toy.  Tomorrow we are meeting with a doctor to get a referral (hopefully) to see an orthotist about possible braces for him.  I don't want him to have to have braces, but if it's going to help him in the long run, I'm all for it.  We saw his physical therapist about a week and a half ago and she talked about him being "low tone".  I hope that's something that just improves with time because I really think that's what's keeping him from walking independently.

Micah loves hats.  He knows the sign for hat and anytime he sees a person wearing a hat he does the sign.  We have a few hats around the living room that he'll occasionally put on.  Today he found four hats and wanted to wear all of them.  At the same time.  It was beyond cute.  Unfortunately he couldn't get them all to easily stay on his head.  Also, Luke wanted to wear a hat, so Micah was mostly limited to three hats.  Poor guy.

Babies and Puppies

On Saturday we went to visit one of Glen's co-workers who has 6 four week old puppies. We thought this would be a fun outing for the babies as they haven't been around puppies. We had visions of the boys sitting down and calmly holding a puppy in their laps while we snap pictures. It wasn't like that. We did get some cute pictures though.

Single Mom for the Week

Glen left on Sunday for 5.5 days.  I was really dreading this trip.  This is the longest I've been without him since the boys were born.  I like having him around, but now that we have kids I need him around too.  Unfortunately it takes his absence for me to realize how much he helps out.  And it's only Tuesday!  Thankfully the boys are sleeping so much better and have slept all night both nights.  (Last night I slept without waking for 8.25 hours!  I believe that's the first time that's happened in nearly two years!) 

Most days Glen leaves for work before the boys wake up so I'm used to being on my own for the majority of the day.  Even if they wake up before he leaves, he's busy getting ready and isn't able to help - and I wouldn't expect him to.  But usually he gets home around 5:15 and can help entertain them while I get dinner ready.  It's a tough time of the day because they're starting to get hungry and bored, but I can't really focus on them because I have to make dinner.  Often Glen will get them set up in their highchairs and get them started on dinner while I continue to work on our own dinner.  He'll play games with them or sing to them or show them videos on his phone to keep them happy.  After dinner he plays with them while I start cleaning up.  Sometimes I'll play too because I don't want to miss out on the fun.  And it's really the only time of the day that we are all together as a family.  The boys usually have about 30-60 minutes between dinner and bedtime so sometimes we play in the living room and sometimes we play upstairs (depending on how much time they spent in either place throughout the day).  Glen obviously helps with our bedtime routine (which I wrote about a few days ago).  And then once the kids are in bed we get to putting the house back in order.  Glen cleans off the bibs and highchair trays and sweeps the dining room.  He also picks up the toys in the living room.  I clean the dishes and put food away, wash bottles, start a load of laundry, and sometimes fold a load or two of laundry.

With him gone, all the dinner prep, serving, clean-up, and toy clean-up falls on me.  I'm trying to keep things a little better picked up so I don't have so much to do after the babies are in bed.  And I'm definitely not cooking such involved meals.  The babies don't really want to eat what I'm eating, so I don't have to cook for them.  This is my chance to eat what I like.  Speaking of...maybe I'll have spaghetti for dinner tonight.

Sensitivity

Luke is an especially sensitive kiddo.  He got it from me.  Poor guy.  But I'm sure he'll make a wonderful husband someday.  Someday, far in the future, many many years from now.  I do hope he gets married, but most of all I want what God wants for him.  We've already begun praying for our kids' future wives.

Anyway

The other day I was drinking my coffee in the living room while the boys were playing.  I was sitting on the couch and they were playing close by, standing up in the corner between the two couches and the coffee table.  I swallowed wrong or inhaled as I tried to swallow, or something, and choked.  My coffee came spewing out of my mouth all over myself and the couch and the coffee table.  I couldn't stop coughing.  I had tears running down my face.  I was a mess.  I looked over at Luke and could tell he was disturbed by this.  His face crinkled up and he burst into tears.  Loud dramatic crying.  Once I cleaned myself up a little, I picked him up to comfort him.  That's all he needed, to know that I was alright.

He's very sensitive to strong displays of emotion.  If we laugh too loud or too hard we can guarantee that he will burst into tears.  A few times when Glen and I have argued in front of him, he's burst into tears.  When my parents were here in November my dad had a cough and the coughing was even enough to cause Luke to cry. 

I don't mean to make it sound like he's a crybaby.  He is also the dare devil of the family.  He loves rough play.  One of his favorite things these days is when Glen puts Luke's belly on his head and shakes him around saying "Luke's my hat."  He laughs and laughs.  I just hope he isn't looked down on for his sensitivity.  It's a positive attribute, but sometimes kids don't appreciate that.

The non-title Title

The title is the hardest part about blogging.  I always had a hard time coming up with titles for writing projects in school too.

We've just had our sixth straight night of sleeping through the night!  It's amazing.  But it's kind of crazy because I don't really feel that much more rested.  I kind of feel like I'm not sleeping very soundly throughout the night.  Maybe I am, I don't even know anymore.  Maybe my body just needs a little more time to adjust to sleeping all night.  But if this "sleeping through the night" thing isn't going to last, than I'd just prefer that my body not adjust quite yet.  The boys are napping pretty well these days too.  As long as I can stick to our routine and regular nap times, they'll sleep 2-2.5 hours. 

Now that we're down to one nap a day I feel so much more relaxed about letting them sleep until they wake up.  I start getting antsy after a 2.5 hour nap and usually will go get them up if they sleep that long.  When they were taking two or three naps per day I was very intent on having them sleep at the same time, so I always worried that if they slept too much longer than their brother then it would be too hard to get them to sleep at the same time for their next nap or bedtime.  I always got the second one up no longer than 30 minutes after the first woke up.  While it was always hard to wake a sleeping baby, especially at times when I knew they really needed the sleep, I think this was one key to my sanity during the first year.  It ended up being quite stressful on days when Luke (for example) woke up at 6:00, well before he should have.  I knew he'd need his morning nap a little earlier than normal, but if I just let Micah sleep, he might not be ready to go to sleep at the earlier time with Luke.  Now with only one nap to deal with, we've gotten past those worries.

On the topic of naps, we've had two days with naps a little different than normal.  Yesterday we were driving home from speech around 11:15 and Luke fell asleep in the car.  He'd woken up around 6:00 that morning and then I think went back to sleep, but maybe he just played quietly for an hour, so he was TIRED.  He did not wake up when I carried him from the car to the living room.  I laid him on the pillow pet so he'd be ready for his bottle.  Micah made a few attempts at waking up Luke and Luke slept on.  Micah pushed on his belly, fell on his leg, and he still slept.  I finally decided to just put him to bed.  Micah went down for his nap early too.  Luke slept two hours and woke up incredibly happy.  Micah slept 2.5 hours before I woke him up.  Unfortunately for me, I only got a 1.5 hour break instead of the 2 hour break I've grown quite fond of.  Oh well, I'm thankful that I had any time to myself.  Today we met Glen for lunch and were driving home at the time the boys usually go down for their naps.  Micah fell asleep in the car and slept through me carrying him in the house and laying him down on the pillow pet.  Sound familiar?  Luke crawled over and patted on him and Micah slept on.  It did rouse him enough that he finally woke up enough to drink his bottle and then I took him/them up to bed.  Luke went right to sleep, but Micah goofed off for quite a while before I finally went in and rocked him to sleep.  I don't mind rocking him to sleep as long as it's not something I have to do every time.  And it's not.  I do like having an excuse to snuggle with him.

Boring stuff from today

This morning I had a doctor's appointment, so Glen planned to go into work late so he could get the boys up and ready while I was at my appointment.  We both got up early factoring in time to take care of the boys' needs.  Of course the day we get up early, they decide to sleep till 7:30.  Since I had to leave around 7:45, we decided to just have Glen keep them in their room until I had left.  They're pretty attached to me these days and don't like having me leave the room, let alone leave the house.  I guess they just don't like either of us to leave, because they cry when Glen leaves for work in the morning too.  It was so tough to leave without seeing them.  I guess I'm pretty attached to them too because it took everything in me to walk out of the house without telling them good morning.  Glen gave them their bottles and breakfast and got them dressed for the day and then drove them in to meet me after my appointment since it was on his way to work.  It saved him about an hour. 

The boys and I stopped at Target for some groceries on our way back home.  I have to do the double stroller for Target stops because I can't get them both from the car to the store for a double cart.  And then I don't know if there'll be a double cart available, so I just plan my list according to what will fit in the basket of the stroller and in the shopping bag I hook onto the stroller.  The boys are usually pretty good at letting me do my looking.  If I have food to offer them, even better.  We went down the craft aisle and I got some toddler crayons and construction paper and some paintbrushes.  My friend Stephanie suggested doing water with paintbrushes on construction paper.  They can see the "design" of their painting without me having to worry about the mess.  We'll probably try it this afternoon/evening if we need something new and interesting to keep them happy.

When we got home I had a few things I needed to put in the mail, so I loaded them into the wagon and walked down to the mailbox.  A few weeks ago we got them these adorable hats that they haven't been excited about wearing.  Since it was bright and sunny, I put the hats on them and they kept them on the whole walk.  I'm pretty sure I have the cutest kids in the neighborhood. ;)

I gave them their bottles and then it was time for lunch.  I feel like I'm failing them in so many ways when it comes to meals.  I don't offer them junk food, but their meals are pretty boring.  I'm trying to branch out.  For lunch I gave them cheese, diced hot dogs (you know, the healthy kind), and a bagel with peanut butter and sugar free jelly.  That was their first experience with jelly.  Micah had about 5 bites of bagel with the PB and J and then just started licking the PB and J off, leaving the bagel.  Luke had many bites of the bagel with the toppings.  Neither of them wanted the hot dog.  Both ate their cheese (Luke had shredded cheddar and Micah had string cheese).  I just realized I forgot the fruit.

They went down for their naps super easy.  Not a fuss.  Micah has been having more trouble going to sleep at nap time and a few times lately I've had to go in and rock him to sleep.  Yesterday I had to go in about three times and calm him and lay him back down.  Today they slept for 2 1/2 hours before I went in to wake them up.  Luke was sitting up in his crib playing with his seahorse.  Who knows how long he'd been awake.  He was very happy.  His happy noises woke Micah up and Micah was also happy.  It's amazing how much happier I feel after a long break like that too.  I've also had four straight nights of full nights of sleep, so I think that helps too.

Now they're just playing in the loft while I type this.  I offered them a snack and they both had a few pretzel sticks, but they'd rather play.  Micah just climbed up into the glider in their room.  I can see him sitting there pulling the books off the bookshelf.  Luke has the dresser drawers open and he's putting things in and out of them. 

Pretty soon we'll head downstairs for them to have their bottles.  For about a week I was giving sippy cups of milk for their 4:30 milk, but Luke basically wasn't drinking any milk.  Micah was maybe drinking half of what he drinks from a bottle.  I finally figured out about how much milk they need during the day to get them through the night without a bottle, so I hate to mess with that.  I'll keep trying the sippy every few days, but I'm not stressing about it. 

We'll head to the library to return a Baby Signing time DVD and come home and I'll start dinner while they play in the living room.  Glen will get home at some point during this.  I decided to offer the boys mixed veggies with every dinner in hopes that they would eventually try them and like them.  I'll also give them some crackers, freeze dried fruit, half a jar of veggie baby food, and yogurt for dessert.  After dinner we'll have some play time upstairs before bedtime.

Bedtime will be around 7:30.  Our current routine is that we change diapers and take clothes off and brush their teeth in their room and Glen reads to them in the chair while I get bottles ready and clean up their room.  Then we take them and their pajamas and sleep sacks and bottles into our room.  The master bedroom (bed specifically) is where I nursed them so that's how that part of the routine got started and we've just kept it up.  It makes it a little choppy, but they know it so we stick with it.  Each night we alternate which kid we dress in pajamas and give bottles to.  Glen has Luke on the odd numbered days and I have Micah, then the next night we switch.  Once they finish their bottles, we each pray for the baby we are holding and then take them to bed in their room.  Usually they do a pretty good job of going to sleep quickly.  Sometimes I have to go in and cuddle Micah for a couple minutes

Happy Luke after nap.

I put Luke in Micah's crib after their naps and he thought it was the best thing ever!

Micah discovered that his finger fits perfectly in his nostril.

I love my life.  When things are complicated, like trying to wander through Target and look at everything I'm interested in, it's easy to fantasize about my life before kids.  But the truth is, this is my new life and I do love it.  It's definitely more difficult and tiring than I expected it to be, but it's also so much more rewarding

Grandparents

My parents were just here for a few days visiting. They mostly come to see the boys, I think. Because of all the international travel they do, they're able to use their air miles to visit more often than they would be able to normally. I just love seeing my boys interacting with their grandparents. I did not have a close, comfortable relationship with my grandparents, so I'm very thankful that my boys grandparents are making the effort to have a relationship with my kids (and their other grandchildren as well).

They flew in on Tuesday afternoon. The boys were sleeping in their carseats when I picked them up and Luke woke up once we were almost home to find my mom sitting in the seat next to him. He always cries the first time his grandparents ride in the car, but this time he did not! I tried laying the boys down for their afternoon nap once we got home, but Luke and Micah were just too excited to have company that they would not go to sleep. I let them get up and they played with their grandparents. It was so cute to see them showing off. Micah was throwing all his toys, one by one. They warmed right up to them, which is so great to see. I was such a shy child that I never really remember playing with my grandparents. I know my parents are making such an effort to have a different kind of relationship with their grandchildren.

Wednesday Luke had a speech appointment, so my mom went with Micah and Luke and I. She got to see where he receives his therapy and watch Micah play in the waiting room. The boys had a regular nap and that evening we went out for burgers after Glen got home.

Thursday I had an errand to run, so my mom went with the boys and I and she took them for a walk in the stroller while I was inside taking care of business. We had a regular lunch and nap again. Glen was able to come home early. That night we had reservations downtown at a Brazilian steak house. We had planned to leave as soon as the boys woke up from their naps so we could show my parents the Alamo and my dad the Riverwalk, but we didn't get downtown until our reservation time. It was an amazing restaurant with a wine acrobat. The boys loved watching the girl do her spins and rolls. It was a busy place with lots going on to hold the boys attention, but that also made it difficult for me to enjoy my meal because I was having to get their attention to eat. It worked out well, though. We were able to see the Alamo and a little bit of the Riverwalk after dinner. That night after the boys went to bed we started the movie Inception. Glen and I are not night-owls, so we went to bed about half way through. I don't like staying up late because I never know how the night is going to go as far as wake-ups from the boys. (We finally finished the movie last night!)

Friday we went to the San Juan mission. My parents had been wanting to see the missions of San Antonio and we finally made it a priority. It's very interesting to see the old buildings and walls. I don't think Luke and Micah were terribly impressed, though. We went out for lunch at a local dive. It was pretty good food and the boys were a hit with all the older ladies eating there. I insisted on coming home for the boys to get their naps. After naps, we all went for a walk together and then had dinner at home. We let the boys stay up a little later because it was their last chance to spend time with my parents on this trip.

We had a great time and I am so glad they were able to make this trip. My dad doesn't plan to be back to visit us while we are in San Antonio. My mom is coming back next month to help out for a couple weeks. Glen will be gone for one of those weeks, so it will be nice to have another adult to help out.

Two years ago today

Glen and I one week after finding out we were expecting March 2009.
Luke and Micah one year ago. Luke

Micah

Luke shows off his belly.

My cuddle bug, Micah.

Two years ago today I found out I was pregnant. What a happy day that was! I love thinking back to that day because it was an answer to years of prayer. I think I wrote about that day last year. Last year on this date the boys were five months old. Life had changed drastically in the year between finding out I was pregnant and March 7 last year. Another year has passed and again, so much has changed. Luke and Micah are 16 months now. Last year they stayed where I put them. They were still tandem breast feeding, and that was all they were eating. They were waking up two to three times per night. Taking three naps a day. Holding hands when I laid them down next to each other. Using their infant carseats, which we used when going everywhere.

Now Micah is walking and climbing and Luke is crawling and cruising. They are saying a few words and signing a few words. They take four bottles a day of whole milk, drink water from sippy cups. They eat three meals a day in their high chairs and two snacks a day. They feed themselves and still sometimes let me feed them from a spoon or fork. They take one long nap a day and occasionally they'll have two naps (either sleeping in the car or have a short nap in their cribs if they wake up too early in the morning). They are mostly sleeping all night. Last night was the third night in a row that they both slept all night. I think Micah has woken up once in the last week and Luke has probably woken up three or four times in the last week. They typically go to bed between 7:30 and 8 and wake up between 6:00 and 7:30ish.

It's just amazing how they are turning into little people. I know they've been people all along, but it's fun to see their personalities developing and watch them learn new things. All those years that I prayed for a baby, I never really saw beyond the baby stage. I love babies and I loved having babies, but I think life just keeps getting more fun. I can't wait to see what the next year brings our family.