We have 18 month old little boys who have made it their daily mission to destroy our house. I am blessed that Grandpa Heitzman tackles my "items to be fixed" list and/or "items to childproof" list on a weekly basis. Actually Grandpa Heitzman never shows up at our house without his toolbox. It is great to watch the grandparents unload from the car at each visit. It is almost a guarantee that Grandma Heitzman will get out of the car with an armful of food for us and/or a new toy for the boys and Grandpa Heitzman will get out of the car with his toolbox and probably a roll of duct tape! You throw dogs into the mix who also like to destroy objects and you know to never expect a dull moment in our house.
We have had over a week of sickness at our house. It's only November and I am tired of runny noses and little coughs. Our boys can get really fussy when the noses start a running! And this is especially true for Mr. Alex who as an already "clingy" toddler requires a lot of special attention when a cold runs through our house. We actually let Alex sleep with us the other night because he just felt really cruddy. This is a rarity in our house. We might have little boys who fall into the "picky" eaters category but we also have little boys who fall into the "exceptional" sleepers category. And for that we feel extremely LUCKY! But I would be fibbing if I told you that I didn't enjoy every second of having my little boy snuggle with me in bed. But my stiff neck and headache the next morning quickly brought me back to reality that co-sleeping would never be the ideal sleep arrangement for our family.
The boys are participating in a research study at our local Children's Hospital. The research project, without giving out details, is basically studying the impact a specific nutritional supplement has on development in toddlers born at at gestational age of less than 35 weeks. It is a double blind study so we mix 2 packets of either the supplement or a placebo into the boys milk each day. We do this for a six month period. And during that period the boys make a few visits to the hospital for a developmental evaluation, a blood draw, and some body measurements. We are so glad that the boys are able to hopefully do something now to help other premature babies born in the years to come. I am giving you this background information because we had quite the adventure last week when we took the boys to the hospital for the initial study visit. I think it was 35 degrees outside and let's just say that when we finally left for the day I pushed Alex out the front doors in no more than socks, a t-shirt, and a diaper. And I could have cared less! The visit took over 4 hours and spilled over into nap time and lunch time. And for our very scheduled sleepers, who were also battling colds, a limit was reached about 2.5 hours into the visit. I was, at one point, carrying a sobbing Alex through the cubicles of this research office. I was like, "Please don't mind the sobbing toddler. This mess of a toddler is here to help you make an advancement in modern medicine. No worries. You can thank us later." I joke but the boys did great overall. I spent the entire time filling out paperwork. Let that sink in for a bit. Yes. There was really about 3 hours of paperwork for me to complete. But Kara was able to watch the boys go through the different developmental tasks. We definitely have little boys who are advanced in the physical department. But as a parent who constantly worries about the boys cognitive development I was pleasantly surprised to get feedback from Kara that the boys did a good job. They had to do a bunch of miscellaneous tasks. They did great with following directions. If the research assistant would show the boys how to do something the boys could usually demonstrate it back. The exception would be towards the end when Alex was in full on meltdown mode. I don't think throwing the toys at the research assistant earned us any brownie points for the day. Our struggle is with they boys identifying objects at this point. They have made improvements in the "body parts" area but still won't point out most objects in a book. But overall I was super proud of my little men. I also mention this research study because while the boys spent some time in the NICU after birth we have been more than blessed to have healthy children since coming home from the hospital. And for that I am grateful. I tip my hats to the parents of sick children. It was inspirational to watch from the distance the dedication I saw in so many parents that day tending to their children in different situations. I cannot imagine, as a parent, facing a health crisis with my child day after day after day. It breaks my heart. I hope in some small way we are giving back to the hospital that took such wonderful care of our boys.
I think we have made some improvements in the word department. I will be interested to see what comes from the boys next pediatrician appointment.
Jakob (six words) - hi, bye, mom, bottle, woof-woof (sound), vroom (sound)
Alex (three words) - bye, mom, vroom (sound)
We still have some very picky eaters. Though I guess some days they shock us with the amount of food they can put away. We have become very dependent on the food pouches for vegetable and fruit consumption. The boys do great with "finger" carbohydrates but will more often than not throw any vegetable or fruit on the ground. The exception to this rule is bananas! Some favorite foods at the moment include sausage, french toast, hot dogs, grilled cheese, quesadilla, dry cereal, marshmallows, fruit crisp bars, animal crackers, lil crunchies, fruit snacks, graham crackers, oyster crackers, and crackers. See why we depend on the pouches?? I would be lost without those. We can almost always get the boys to eat a pouch if we just hand it to them while they are wandering around the house.
My Favorite Things - Alex - 18 months
* If Alex gets really mad he will run through the house screaming with his hands raised over his head.
* His strong dislike for order.
* His ability to climb on anything. There is a wall ladder at gymnastics and he climbed to the top (with my assistance) and rang the bell last week!
* His obsession with the trash can. I often find myself digging socks and sippy cups out of the trash.
* His obsession with his lantern. This lantern goes to bed with Alex EVERY night (along with Mr. Monkey and Mr. Horse) and the lantern must be on before I leave the room.
* His love for being held.
* He lets me brush his teeth. This is big people!
My Favorite Things - Jakob - 18 months
* His obsession with Yo Gabba Gabba. I think obsession is an understatement. And Amazon On Demand only has season 1 to view for free. I think we have watched every episode a gazillion times.
* His strong dislike for Mark's Magic Pictures on Yo Gabba Gabba. I'm not sure the reason but Jakob always runs away from the television crying when this man appears on the screen.
* His love for cars.
* His love for reading.
* His love for Gretel and Leo. There is not a day that goes by that Jakob does not immediately go over and give Gretel a
* His big heart. This boy can share toys better than any kid I have ever met.
* His hair. It is out of control these days.
Mary
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