Monday, September 19, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Differences: Four months
I keep meaning to post these and then forget. Then I don't bother because I figure it will always be like this. But maybe not, and then it would be fun to remember what it used to be like. So here goes....
Theo is very interested in talking. He makes a lot of eye contact while being held up at eye level, and his face is very expressive. He makes "ah-goo" and "gu-gu-gu" and "goo-bee" noises while smiling and laughing, and often appears trying very, very hard to say more. His whole face scrunches up and struggles to say what he is thinking. Beckett makes "hi" and "ah-goo" noises and then smiles broadly. Theo will often make eye contact for a very long continuous period, whereas Beckett often catches your eye, smiles a huge (Bryn) smile, and then looks away as if being shy.
Both babies are very stable on their feet and can hold their own weight when helped to balance while standing. Beck often throws his head back while standing, without looking at whomever is holding him. Beck reliably reaches up to grab the rings on the activity mat, but Theo often just watches Beckett grabbing for rings, rather than grabbing for them himself, when they are together on the mat. Beck doesn't mind hanging out on the bed or the floor while I am getting dressed or folding laundry or diapers, but Theo more often gets grumpy when left alone without anything to do. Both LOVE ceiling fans and especially love the one at my parents' cottage, where they can watch it for literally hours.
For a while Theo was spitting up a lot after feedings while Beck just produced monster trucker burps that were dry, but now both seem to spit up a small amount after about half of their feedings. They also both hold on to spit up for a long time after feedings, sometimes spitting up curdled chunks of breastmilk just before eating again.
And, I think that's about it. That's our babies!
Theo is very interested in talking. He makes a lot of eye contact while being held up at eye level, and his face is very expressive. He makes "ah-goo" and "gu-gu-gu" and "goo-bee" noises while smiling and laughing, and often appears trying very, very hard to say more. His whole face scrunches up and struggles to say what he is thinking. Beckett makes "hi" and "ah-goo" noises and then smiles broadly. Theo will often make eye contact for a very long continuous period, whereas Beckett often catches your eye, smiles a huge (Bryn) smile, and then looks away as if being shy.
Both babies are very stable on their feet and can hold their own weight when helped to balance while standing. Beck often throws his head back while standing, without looking at whomever is holding him. Beck reliably reaches up to grab the rings on the activity mat, but Theo often just watches Beckett grabbing for rings, rather than grabbing for them himself, when they are together on the mat. Beck doesn't mind hanging out on the bed or the floor while I am getting dressed or folding laundry or diapers, but Theo more often gets grumpy when left alone without anything to do. Both LOVE ceiling fans and especially love the one at my parents' cottage, where they can watch it for literally hours.
For a while Theo was spitting up a lot after feedings while Beck just produced monster trucker burps that were dry, but now both seem to spit up a small amount after about half of their feedings. They also both hold on to spit up for a long time after feedings, sometimes spitting up curdled chunks of breastmilk just before eating again.
And, I think that's about it. That's our babies!
Visit with Deb, Rich, Emily and Kelsey
Jeff's Aunt Deb and Uncle Rich and their daughters Emily and Kelsey came to visit Saturday. We had lovely weather so everyone except me was able to take a nice walk around the neighborhood. I was able to take a nice nap and watch the last seven or eight games of the Federer-Djokovic US Open Semifinal, for which I was grateful. Thanks for coming, guys!
Kelsey and Emily with Beckett.
The whole fam damily on the way out for a walk around the neighborhood.
Outtake!
Kelsey and Emily with Theo.
Kelsey and Emily with Beckett.
The whole fam damily on the way out for a walk around the neighborhood.
Outtake!
Kelsey and Emily with Theo.
Friday, September 9, 2011
A day in the life
I have been debating writing this post for a while, but I delayed it because I kept thinking, we don't have a schedule YET.... Well, just when I think that we are in a routine, it changes. Parents of older children tell me this is normal, and that it will continue for a very long time. So this is basically what we're doing these days:
The boys wake up sometime between 6 and 7am. They wake up later if it is darker out, so days when it's rainy or cloudy they sometimes sleep as late as 7:45. They eat and then play on the activity mat or do tummy time for 30-45 minutes. Sometimes I try to take a shower or eat breakfast downstairs and so Jeff sits with them or brings them on our bed to watch him get ready for work. When they get tired of the activity mat in the nursery, we get on our bed and we do baths, one at a time, every other day. We usually read a few books (favorites are Where the Wild Things Are and Llama Llama Red Pajama), which means I lay down next to them and put the book up above us. They love looking at the pictures in the picture books, so I usually linger at least a minute on each page so they can scour the entire page before I move on. After a few books they are usually ready for a nap, and they sleep for 30-60 minutes. That's when I put a load of laundry in the washer or stuff some cloth diapers with the inserts, or I eat breakfast or take a shower. They wake up from their naps and we read or try out the Bumbo seats or do some twin time--where I put them close to each other so they can coo and giggle and smile at each other. Tuesday mornings we usually go to the Downtown Farmers' Market, where I either put one of them in the front carrier and use the empty double stroller spot for veggies and fruit, or I put them both in the double stroller and have them "help" by loading up stuff on top of them in the carseats. Sometimes they take a nap between 11:30-12, which sometimes lasts as long as two hours. In the afternoon we often go for a walk in the neighborhood, either alone or with another family. They usually take another nap mid-afternoon. When Jeff gets home I breathe a sigh of relief to have a better baby-adult ratio, and we each take turns with each baby. They usually eat every 2-3 hours during the day and evening. Lately they have been taking an evening nap for an hour or two, which allows us to prepare and eat dinner like childless people. Sometimes one of them doesn't really wake up after the evening nap, and so I sleep-feed him, we dress him in the nighttime diaper, and then put him down without another alert period first. They usually wake up once in the night, and if we are lucky I can get into the nursery while only one is awake; otherwise Jeff has to come in and calm the other one while I finish feeding the first. We are usually lucky enough that they fall asleep again while eating, so I do a perfunctory burp and put them back down with little ado. I'm generally getting two chunks of 3-4 hours of sleep in the night, which I think is pretty good. I would like to move toward a more reliable nap schedule where they are both asleep for a chunk of time in the morning and the afternoon, but I am torn because it's also really nice when they sleep at different times and I have alone time with both.
They are very happy babies, generally, and spend much of their days smiling and giggling. Beck especially is starting to grasp things put in front of him. He stares very intently at the object and swings his hands closer and closer until he wraps his fingers around it. Theo is still happy most of the time to watch things brought close to him without trying to grasp them. Theo gurgles and coos with more inflection than Beck does, staring at us with intensity as if he is really trying to tell us something. Theo looks more frustrated with his inability to communicate effectively with us. Both of them can fully support their own weight standing, and sometimes can stand unaided for a few seconds. While Theo reliably poops every day, Beck often goes 3-4 days between giant blowouts. So far the cloth diapers have contained all but the most explosive and infrequent poops. They smile at strangers and seem to enjoy their life so far!
The boys wake up sometime between 6 and 7am. They wake up later if it is darker out, so days when it's rainy or cloudy they sometimes sleep as late as 7:45. They eat and then play on the activity mat or do tummy time for 30-45 minutes. Sometimes I try to take a shower or eat breakfast downstairs and so Jeff sits with them or brings them on our bed to watch him get ready for work. When they get tired of the activity mat in the nursery, we get on our bed and we do baths, one at a time, every other day. We usually read a few books (favorites are Where the Wild Things Are and Llama Llama Red Pajama), which means I lay down next to them and put the book up above us. They love looking at the pictures in the picture books, so I usually linger at least a minute on each page so they can scour the entire page before I move on. After a few books they are usually ready for a nap, and they sleep for 30-60 minutes. That's when I put a load of laundry in the washer or stuff some cloth diapers with the inserts, or I eat breakfast or take a shower. They wake up from their naps and we read or try out the Bumbo seats or do some twin time--where I put them close to each other so they can coo and giggle and smile at each other. Tuesday mornings we usually go to the Downtown Farmers' Market, where I either put one of them in the front carrier and use the empty double stroller spot for veggies and fruit, or I put them both in the double stroller and have them "help" by loading up stuff on top of them in the carseats. Sometimes they take a nap between 11:30-12, which sometimes lasts as long as two hours. In the afternoon we often go for a walk in the neighborhood, either alone or with another family. They usually take another nap mid-afternoon. When Jeff gets home I breathe a sigh of relief to have a better baby-adult ratio, and we each take turns with each baby. They usually eat every 2-3 hours during the day and evening. Lately they have been taking an evening nap for an hour or two, which allows us to prepare and eat dinner like childless people. Sometimes one of them doesn't really wake up after the evening nap, and so I sleep-feed him, we dress him in the nighttime diaper, and then put him down without another alert period first. They usually wake up once in the night, and if we are lucky I can get into the nursery while only one is awake; otherwise Jeff has to come in and calm the other one while I finish feeding the first. We are usually lucky enough that they fall asleep again while eating, so I do a perfunctory burp and put them back down with little ado. I'm generally getting two chunks of 3-4 hours of sleep in the night, which I think is pretty good. I would like to move toward a more reliable nap schedule where they are both asleep for a chunk of time in the morning and the afternoon, but I am torn because it's also really nice when they sleep at different times and I have alone time with both.
They are very happy babies, generally, and spend much of their days smiling and giggling. Beck especially is starting to grasp things put in front of him. He stares very intently at the object and swings his hands closer and closer until he wraps his fingers around it. Theo is still happy most of the time to watch things brought close to him without trying to grasp them. Theo gurgles and coos with more inflection than Beck does, staring at us with intensity as if he is really trying to tell us something. Theo looks more frustrated with his inability to communicate effectively with us. Both of them can fully support their own weight standing, and sometimes can stand unaided for a few seconds. While Theo reliably poops every day, Beck often goes 3-4 days between giant blowouts. So far the cloth diapers have contained all but the most explosive and infrequent poops. They smile at strangers and seem to enjoy their life so far!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Vaccine clarification
A couple points I should have mentioned, which factor into my decision about vaccinations:
1) All infant and child vaccines are now available without thimerosol, the preservative put into many adult vaccines so they last longer without refrigeration which contains mercury. I find it absolutely insane that companies are allowed to put mercury into drugs that are intended to be injected straight into a person's muscle, and so I have refused any shots not made without thimerosol. I have been getting thimerosol-free flu shots for many years. If they don't just give it to me without making a big deal about it, I come back a different day and tell them I am pregnant, because for some reason they recognize that pregnant women should not get mercury vaccines, but think it's perfectly fine for non-pregnant people. I have been claiming pregnancy for many years for vaccine purposes. Non-mercury vaccines are non-negotiable to me, both for me and my children.
2) My kids are not in daycare and will not be for the foreseeable future. If Theo and Beck were going to go to daycare in the immediate future, I would probably reconsider whether they should get the pneumococcal and/or the rotavirus, because they would be exposed to lots of germs because of being around more kids and adults. I cannot imagine any scenario in which they would be in a care situation with other children or many other adults, so I have not factored this into my decision. They will certainly be around other children, but not on a daily basis.
1) All infant and child vaccines are now available without thimerosol, the preservative put into many adult vaccines so they last longer without refrigeration which contains mercury. I find it absolutely insane that companies are allowed to put mercury into drugs that are intended to be injected straight into a person's muscle, and so I have refused any shots not made without thimerosol. I have been getting thimerosol-free flu shots for many years. If they don't just give it to me without making a big deal about it, I come back a different day and tell them I am pregnant, because for some reason they recognize that pregnant women should not get mercury vaccines, but think it's perfectly fine for non-pregnant people. I have been claiming pregnancy for many years for vaccine purposes. Non-mercury vaccines are non-negotiable to me, both for me and my children.
2) My kids are not in daycare and will not be for the foreseeable future. If Theo and Beck were going to go to daycare in the immediate future, I would probably reconsider whether they should get the pneumococcal and/or the rotavirus, because they would be exposed to lots of germs because of being around more kids and adults. I cannot imagine any scenario in which they would be in a care situation with other children or many other adults, so I have not factored this into my decision. They will certainly be around other children, but not on a daily basis.
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