Friday, May 31, 2013

i've got your back

Alex had a tough time with the transition to whole milk.  So much so that we are giving his belly a bit of a break and we have switched him back to formula.  I think when the time is right we will do the transition to whole milk at a much slower pace and then if Alex still seems to have problems we will talk to the pediatrician about some alternatives.  Anyhow I am sharing this information with you as a precursor to the magical moments I got to experience this week.  A reminder of how truly blessed I am to have two precious little boys in mylife.  So Alex had a tough time after any bottle of whole milk we gave to him.  A bottle often led to a dozy of a tummy ache for Alex.  We would often find Alex on the floor crying because his tummy hurt.  And sometimes he would get more upset if we tried to pick him up.  So I spent a lot of the time the last week just rubbing Alex's back and trying to reassure him to the best of my ability.  Well our gentle soul Mr. Jakob must have watched me do this the first couple of times that Alex would get upset.  And I guess he took some notes because one evening after a bottle I heard Alex crying in the playroom.  I was in the kitchen cleaning-up dishes from dinner.  I put my stuff down and headed to the playroom to take care of Alex.  But as I rounded the corner I saw Jakob crawling over to Alex who was laying on the floor.  And then I watched in amazement as Jakob reached Alex and reached over and started to pat him on the back.  There was even a moment where he was patting him on the head.  Yep.  I lost it.  It was such a magical moment between brothers.  I hope they always there for each other.  

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Happy Birthday Alex!

Dear Alex-

I cannot believe my little boy is 1 year old!

We gave you the nickname "Turtle" when you were first born.  Your Mommy gave you the nickname because you would stretch your neck out really long and it looked like a turtle popping out of its shell.  See?


You look just like a Turtle!  But it's weird.  Now as a 1-year-old toddler you still have a lot of "Turtle" characteristics but at the same time you have a very stubborn and spunky side to you.  And I'm not sure that is very "Turtle"-like.  So how do you still act like a "Turtle"?  

It takes you awhile to warm up to people.  You are not necessarily frightened of new people.  You are just curious about them.  You need time to watch a new person.  You want to learn about that person.  And you will just sit with a very pensive look on your face until you decide it is time to make the first move.  It's almost as if you are trying to learn that person's interests.  And then you will stick your neck out of your shell to play.  And then there are times where you refuse to come out of your shell at all.  If we are putting you in a situation that makes you uncomfortable you will lay down on the floor on your tummy and look at us as if to say, "No one asked me if I wanted to come here.  I didn't want to come.  So I'm not looking at anyone.  And I don't care what you think about it." That my son would be your stubborn side.  So maybe a Turtle is stubborn.  This is exactly what you do ...


You are very adventurous when prompted by someone else.  You are not going to be the first person to try something on your own.  But if someone you trust dares you to do it.  Then my little boy you always have a blast. No fear. And even though smiles and giggles were a rarity in the beginning from my quiet boy you now laugh more freely.  And it is the sweetest little giggle in the entire world.  You really love to swing at the park.  You would swing all day long if we let you.  And this is where your adventurous side shines through because as we swing you back and forth I can see you thinking about how we could make this time even more fun.  You are a thinker.  And then usually you end up trying to stand up in the swing.  Just like you like to do acrobatic moves in your highchair.  And then swing time comes to a prompt end.

  

Did I mention you like to scream?  So NOT "Turtle"-like.  I'm not sure when you learned the whole concept of screaming to communicate your feelings to us.  But guess what?  It works.  We can only take the screaming for so long and eventually you win and winning typically means you get carried around the house the rest of the day.  Do you know how hard it is to carry an 18 lb toddler around the house while trying to mop the floor?  It's quite the task.  And usually you just giggle away.  You know you are making life a bit more difficult and that just thrills you to pieces.  You also recently went through a screaming phase at bedtime.  And you threw in vomiting for good measure too.  Yep.  Mama did not enjoy those few nights when you decided that "sleep was for babies" and you would rather be up having fun with Mama.  So after screaming your lungs out for 45 minutes I would reach my breaking point and come into the nursery to comfort you.  And then you quickly learned that screaming was not enough.  Because while I would come into the nursery I would not pick you up.  So then the next night you learned that if you made yourself vomit when I came into the nursery you would get automatically picked up.  And not only that but Mama would put you on the floor to get you changed into new pajamas.  And then you got to crawl away really fast and play with all your toys.  Oh my very, very, very smart little boy.  You got me.

Did I mention that you were the quietest newborn ever?  So that's changed just a bit!

And my scrawny little boy you have finally put on the muscle!  What happened to this scrawny newborn?


You have grown big boy and you were solidly on the growth chart at your pediatrician appointment. And your Mommy and I were shocked because you are sometimes a very uninterested eater.  Why?  Because just like sleep you don't have time to eat when there is a world to explore.  But you do like your milk so I think that has helped us in the weight department.  Otherwise if it was up to you your diet would consist of yogurt, cheerios, and graham crackers.

You also love to stand at the window and watch the squirrels and the birds (and occasional bunny rabbit).  You will just laugh and laugh as the animals run in the backyard.  Your love for animals extends to your enthusiasm for your doggy brother and sister too.  You absolutely love to play with Leo and Gretel.  You will chase Leo all over the living room and just giggle away.  You will even throw the ball to Leo.  Did I mention you have a hell of a throw for a toddler?  You do.  I see baseball in your future.  You also love to feed Leo and Gretel your snacks.  Again you would rather play then actually eat your food.  I love to see your passion for the animals Alex.  That makes your Mommy and I very excited for the years of fun that are bound to come our way.

I am so excited to watch you grow this year Alex.  I am so very proud of all you have accomplished this year.  And always remember my world became complete when the doctor first told us "How about a two-something?"  because that "two-something" was you my precious little boy.  And I simply could not imagine my life without you in it.  You are amazing.

Love, Mama

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

that's not chocolate

I think I'm going to tell this story any time I hear, "I want twins."

Let me set the scene.  I take a walk with the boys every night.  And when we get back from our walk the boys go in the playroom and I get bottles put together and I also take the dogs outside and feed them dinner.  Then the boys and I play for a bit before we head upstairs for baths and bedtime.  Well tonight I decided to change it up a bit because Alex was being a fussy butt. 

I had just finished making bottles and taken the dogs outside.  Yep.  That part is important.  The dogs went outside.  I walked around the backyard for 10 minutes.  That was plenty of time for any four legged creature to do his or her business.  (Can you tell where we are going with this story?)  I fed the dogs when we got back in the house.  It was at this point Alex started screaming his head off.  He does this now because he doesn't want to be in the playroom.  He wants to be out in the kitchen and the family room so he can explore.  No big deal.  We have childproofed all the rooms.  Leo was not finished eating yet (he is the world's slowest eater) and I was tired of hearing Alex scream his head off so I put Leo's bowl of food on the kitchen table (mistake #1) and I let the boys out into the kitchen (mistake #2).  The boys are crawling around the kitchen and actually being very well behaved when I hear my phone go off.  I walk over to check the text message (go ahead and roll your eyes and tell me you have never checked your phone when your kids were around) (mistake #3).  I turn around after 5 seconds and Gretel is on top of the kitchen table eating Leo's leftover food.  Yep.  She is standing on top of the table.  I proceed to yell very, very loud for her to get her a** off of the table (again go ahead and roll your eyes and tell me you have never cussed in front of your children).  Of course this sends Gretel into a panic (and pisses her off) and off she runs to the corner of the family room.  I decide to just take Leo down to the basement and have him finish his dinner (mistake #4).  I leave the boys upstairs for the 10 seconds it takes me to run downstairs (mistake #5).  And then it happens.  And believe me when I say it all happened in slow motion.  I come back up the stairs and I think to myself, "What is all over the carpet? And why does Alex have chocolate in his hands. .... Holy Sh*t!  That is not chocolate!"  Yep.  Gretel went over to the corner of the family room and dropped a load.  And who was right behind her to investigate this magical gift in our family room other than my curious 1 year old son Alex.  I immediately scoop up both boys who are now crying hysterically and run them into the playroom.  I grab the baby wipes and just start going to town on Alex.  All his clothes come off and I start wiping him down all the while freaking out that he ate the poop.  I seriously start imagining every awful disease that he is now going to get.  I'm at this for about 30 seconds when I think to myself, "It's too quiet.  Where did Jakob go?" .... Yep.  Jakob has managed to escape back to the family room because in my haste (and while I was carrying 40lbs of baby) I forgot to put the safety latch on the baby gate.  And we all know Jakob can break out of prison in 5 seconds flat.  So I turn around and sprint back to the family room and manage to scoop Jakob up about 3 inches away from the poop that is now smeared all over my family room carpet.  We head back to the playroom where Alex is now playing with all the poop covered wipes that I had left sitting on the floor when I ran out to get Jakob.  It was at that point I sat down in the middle of the playroom and just gave up!!

So who still wants twin boys?? 

Mary

Note: My sister-in-law (a pediatrician) reassured me that the boys are probably not going to die from ingesting dog poop.   

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Happy Birthday Jakob!

Dear Jakob -

You are officially a toddler! Remember this little boy?


I think if I had to choose one word to describe you it would be joyful.  Your laughter is contagious!  It is a laugh that comes from deep within your little body.  It's a full on belly laugh.  And I think you are so joyful because you had a rough beginning in this world.  I've never ever been so scared my little boy.  There were nights where I thought that maybe God had gotten it all wrong and perhaps you were meant to have another Mama.  I just didn't think I could do it.  I was so afraid that I was going to make some terrible mistake.  I was so afraid that I was going to fail you.  You would look at me with those big blue eyes and there was nothing I could do to calm you down.  I felt like I was failing you.  But then one moment the world stopped spinning so fast.  I'm not sure of the exact moment.  I don't even remember how old you were at the time.  But there was a moment after you we had been crying for a long time where you grabbed on to my shirt.  And you would not let go.  There was no ripping your hand away from my body.  And then I realized that you really did need me just as much as I needed you.  And that maybe, despite all my flaws, I was doing a good job.  And that no matter what we would get through these rough days.  And we did get through them.  And from all the struggles emerged the happiest little boy in the world. 


And today there is not an adventure that you will turn down.  You are taking your first steps.  And you are so proud of yourself.  You can confidently walk about 5 steps before it all gets to be too much and you take a little breather.  But no matter how hard you fall down you pop right back up to try it again.  You really like to grab a walker toy and chase your brother (or the dogs) around the living room.  And you usually do it all while giggling to yourself.  You are learning to share your toys with your brother too.  But for some reason you are a bit possessive of the book collection.  Your favorite thing to do each morning is hightail it over to the bookshelf and pull down each and every book.  And you do not care what is in the way of this task.  This even means your brother who has gotten whacked on the head on more than one occasion.  I love to watch you guys in the morning sit on the floor and "read" to each other.  You are also big on "sharing" your toys (and already chewed food) with us these days.  As soon as we sit on the floor in the playroom you will share with us.  But just as much as you love a good adventure you are also very leery of any new people in your life.  And I can relate Jakob.  I held tight to your Grandfather's leg most of my toddler years.  Just know that I will be by your side as much as possible.  But even more than that I will teach you that the world is not as scary as it might seem at times.  There are a lot of good people in your life that love you to the moon and back.  I will also always remind you that you are a very intelligent little boy and it is okay to make mistakes.  We will love you unconditionally.


You are a champion sleeper!  And that has not always been the case.  We had many sleepless nights in our house a year ago.  There were some nights where the only place you would sleep was on Mommy's tummy.  Does this look familiar?


But you can sleep now!  Although you can get a bit grumpy when you are tired at night.  You will stand in your crib and just cry and cry with a look that means, "Get out of the room.  NOW!"  And you will usually sleep through the night with no problems.  I think you have nightmare every couple of months that really seem to scare you.  And I'm going to be honest.  I don't always get upset when I hear you crying in the middle of the night.  Why?  Because you are my little snuggle bug.  And when you are upset you will just bury your little body tight against me.  And I treasure those moments so much.  Because it's a rarity these days.  For one reason you are a toddler who never wants to sit still.  And for the other reason you have a twin brother who also requires my attention.  But it is those nights when it is just the two of us that I try to take a minute to remember the moment.

Did I mention that you like to eat?  I think you like to feed the dogs just as much as you like to feed yourself. You are still a fan of anything (well almost anything) that comes in the pureed form.  I'm starting to panic that you will be eating your vegetable pureed for your entire life.  But we are slowly working on introducing more finger foods to you.  You are a bit more adventurous than your brother when it comes to trying new foods.  And each time that we start a meal you will close your eyes tight and shake your head no as I bring the spoon to your mouth.  You automatically think I am feeding you the most disgusting food on the planet.  So I always have to put a little taste on your lips.  And only then when you realize it is yummy will you open your mouth up.  And if I am moving too slow during feeding time you tend to let me know.  You are also drinking whole milk these days.  You still drink from a bottle but I promise you will learn to drink from a cup before you learn how to drive a car.  And you drink your bottle like a big boy these days.  And even better is when you sit up after you finish your bottle and you reach up and hand it to me.  I always imagine you saying, "Thank You Mama.  It was very yummy."  

Here you are a "master" of the sippy cup.  (I promise we are working on it.)


I am so excited for the year to come.  We are going to have so much fun together.  And I am excited to continue alongside you on this journey.  Yes.  There are going to be many bumps on our journey together but I promise that we will work through those bumps together.  I am so thankful that God put you in my life Mr. Jakob.  I know now that he got it right!  You were always meant to be my little boy.

I love you.  Mama.



Thursday, May 16, 2013

quality pictures

Here are the results of our 12 month photo shoot.  The "good" pictures are posted on their individual pages.

Jakob: "CRAP! You should have told me this blanket wasn't super glued to the couch!"


Jakob: "Geez.  Can't you help a brother out?"


Jakob: "Hello Ladies."


Alex: "Hey Brother!  Watch me fly!"


Jakob: "Why are we on the ground?"
Alex: "I don't know.  I just heard Mama say, 'Let's put them on the floor.  It's safer.' and now here we sit."


Jakob: "Yep.  It's totally safer on the ground."


Mary

12 month stats

Jakob

Weight: 20 lbs 0 oz (9th percentile)
Length: 28.75 inches (13th percentile)

Alex

Weight: 18 lbs 15 oz (3rd percentile)
Length: 28.75 inches (13th percentile)

Mary