Every week my mom and I set aside a night to talk on the phone together. We typically talk for at least 2 hours, sometimes more. We’ve been doing this for several years now, and I always look forward to it.
This week, she asked me about the boys singing along to the CD that I mentioned here. I said that I had gotten a little video of it on my ipod and she begged to see them.
So by request, here are 3 little videos of the boys singing!
This one is the first video I took. I am amazed that they knew the words. We sing this often at their school. Please excuse the goldfish eating.
This next video is of a song they heard for the first time. It was SO cute how they were laughing at the animal sounds.
This last video the school always ends with. I amazed that they knew the words!
What fun, cute kids we have.
Safire
PS- I guess it pays to mention that we were parked listening to the music and I was not driving at the time. ‘Cause that would be dangerous.
When Butterfly turned two, we gave her a cool little trike. So when the boys were nearing their 2 year mark, I knew I wanted to get them trikes too. I convinced Butterfly of giving one of the boys her old trike, and then I got another matching one at the twin sale. We had one in the house for awhile (they fought over it, pushed each other around, and Professor cried when he had to put it outside). Tonight we finally got both the boys out and on them at the same time! Guess which bike was in my house?
Don’t you love their helmets? They are a gift from their Nana. Pirate’s has skull and cross bones on it (hello, Pirate theme!) and Professor’s has fish on it. They look SO cute in them and wore them 80% of our walk.
So we took them to the baby park up by our house. We didn’t go far because it’s cold, windy, and looked like rain. About half way there, I was pushing Professor and he started going crazy, “Bike! Bike! Bikebikebikebike!” I kept saying, “Your riding your bike!” or “Yes, a bike!” I figured it out though, he was excited that there were 2 bikes. And it is really exciting. It means that I don’t have to make them share the bike.
That doesn’t mean I don’t make them share other things though.
The other day we had both boys in their high chairs getting ready for dinner. Butterfly had set out the plates and given the boys their forks (her chore) and we were just bringing the food to the table. Butterfly called out, “Let’s pray!” Both the boys folded their arms with big happy grins on their faces.
It was so adorable.
Butterfly said the prayer with Professor muttering along with her. She mentioned in her prayer that he was saying it with her and how happy she was that he learned to pray.
That was also so adorable!
Once she said “amen” both boys yelled out, “men!”
The fun thing about this is that we haven’t taught them prayers. With Butterfly we folded her arms for her and taught her how to do this. We didn’t do it with the boys. Mostly because they out number us now and mostly because we are too tired/hungry/frustrated to make them fold their arms.
Apparently we’re doing something right because now any time anyone says, “Prayer time!” they fold their arms.
Seriously it’s so stinking cute I’m going to have to record it.
It’s H week at our house. My friend Lolli had a great idea that we should take the kids hiking! Fun! I love to hike. Butterfly was a little less than thrilled with the aspect but after me telling her “We’re going! End of story! Put your boots on!” she complied. Both boys, on the other hand, had me put on their shoes (Shhh??) and were pounding at the door while she dilly dallied. Did you know both the boys know where their coats are? I didn’t. But I do now! No pictures of Butterfly because she is being camera shy for me.
Also, I may not be around for the next few days. Off on an adventure!
Last night as I was giving the boys a bath I was looking at the back of their necks. (They were putting their faces in the water and blowing bubbles…so cute!) I noticed that Professor had a very long tail of hair that went almost down to the base of his neck. I knew they had needed hair cuts for awhile but I had been putting it off. I don’t know what got into me because the next minute I was kneeling over them with a pair of sharp scissors in my hands. Snip, off went that long tail of hair. Snip, off went the long piece of hair hanging over his ear. Snip, off went the other long piece of hair by the other ear. I was thinking I was doing pretty good at this so I decided to take some hair off the top.
Now remember that I had both boys in the tub who were playing at the moment. This is an important point.
Through the whole thing Pirate is grabbing at his hair and saying, “uh-oh!” and pointing at the scissors. So I switch over to snipping at Pirate’s hair. He thought it was so funny and laughing the whole time. He thought it was time to play. So when I moved from the back of his neck to the top of his head, he was pretty high on laughter.
I pulled the hair up and went to snip. He decided to duck or squirm at that moment or something and off went A LOT of hair. Oops. It didn’t look too bad but I did put the scissors away at that point.
Both boys out and running around in their froggy towel and piggy towel and straight over to their daddy. He pulled Pirate’s hood down and asked me, “What did you do to his hair?” Um, yeah. It didn’t look too bad when his hair was wet. Now that it’s dry, it looks terrible. Professor’s too.
No pictures because they are taking a really early nap. I’ll try to get some after they wake up. Until then, I’m going to watch this again!
In our church, the babies aren’t allowed to be in the nursery until they are 18 months old. The boys turned 17 months on Friday (can you believe that?!) so they are basically a month away from nursery. We have been in the hall for weeks now because trying to keep these two boys out of trouble during class is impossible. They still come to sunday school with me (since I have 2-3 teenage girls and that’s it…they love these boys!) and then I walk the halls with them for the 3rd hour. Mostly because my classroom has curtains (so. much. fun.) and Juice’s class is on the stage. That’s a sure fire way to make sure no kids go into his class…make it a safety hazard.
In any case, we have basically 2 more weeks of walking the halls with them. (Next week, the first Sunday in October we have a big general meeting where we don’t go to the church building but watch it on tv or the internet, and the second Sunday in October.) They turn 18 months old on the 3rd Sunday of October this year so I am excited to see them off on their next step and actually be in class.
Our leaders gave us two sheets to fill out for them and I thought it would be fun to copy them down here.
Pirate (next to his name I wrote “has brown eyes”)
Does your child have food allergies? no
Does your child have a favorite toy? his thumb (please make sure it’s clean if possible!). He also likes music and books.
What is your child’s favorite food? string cheese and meat
What food do they really NOT like? bread
Please tell us anything else or any concerns you have: He’s still not very steady on his feet. He can climb onto chairs but can’t get down. He will destroy his snack when he’s done so watch out. He steals toys and can push or hit when frustrated. (welcome to twins!) A firm “stop” will get him to stop, though. He’s quick to smile and has a sweet laugh. He does not say much but understands a lot. Thanks!
Professor (has blue eyes)
Does your child have any food allergies? no
Does your child have a favorite toy? His pacifier. He also likes balls and cars.
What is your child’s favorite food? cheese, cherrios, crackers
What food do they really NOT like? meat
Please tell us anything else or concerns you have: He likes to climb and can get on top of tables if you leave a chair near it. He is sensitive and will get his feelings hurt easily. He will put his head into the floor and cry if that happens. He can be pushy and grabby with toys (welcome to twins!). Trading toys works well for him if he gets too pushy. Please come and get me if he won’t stop crying. He does not say much but understands a lot. Thanks!
It’s so fun to see the differences in the boys. I am excited for them to go into nursery because I think they will have a lot more fun playing with toys than wandering the halls with me and taking screaming turns at the drinking fountain. The poor nursery leaders get a little wild in the eyes when I talk to them about the boys coming into their class, though. It’s hard to add two to anything!
Wow time is flying! The boys turned 15 months old this weekend. They are such big cute fun boys. We are so lucky to have them in our family!
We were able to go to the doctor’s office for their 15 month check up today. We took the whole crew (as I always do) and the nurses and doctors commented on everyone being there with me. Yep, we all come. Besides, Flower is a big help!
Pirate is doing great. He weighs 21 lbs 1 oz which is 2 pounds up from last visit. He is 31 and 3/4th inches long. One inch longer. Head is 18 1/2 inches around. He is tall and skinny, as always. He is also very curious. He had a few shy smiles for the doctor while she was poking and prodding him. He tried to grab all of the tools she used. He got 2 shots (HIB and Prevnar) and only whined a little bit at the second shot. Everyone cooed over him and his stoicism. He’s so cute! He is standing on his own and taking a few steps. He really loves to be walked around and cries for your fingers whenever you walk by. He is also a champion whiner and has started to hit just a little. Mostly he hits Professor but I think he gets frustrated with Professor. And vice versa. He loves to scribble with pens and thinks the phone is totally amazing. He says, “uh-oh!” about 300 times a day. Our little “uh-oh” bird. He loves to eat pretty much anything and is starting to master using a fork. He favorite thing to eat is any kind of fruit. Boys does he love blueberries and raspberries and bananas. Yum!
He had his first haircut in Utah and boys does he look different without his big long forelock. He looks so much like a little boy. He loves to climb up and down stairs, standing up. He hangs from handrails as much as he can. The other day we went to the park and there was a small staircase with a kid sized hand rail. He climbed up and down that about 40 times, each time jumping up and down because he was so happy. That little happy kick and developed into a happy little jump and it’s completely adorable. He screams really loud. Butterfly gets him going and then he just ramps it up. His laugh is infectious, and he smiles and laughs because you do. He doesn’t want to miss out on the joke, even if he has no idea what’s going on.
Professor is my little lap bug. He loves to sit in your lap. If you are on the floor, your lap is his! He loves to be held, carried, or walked around. He has the most adorable little chirp when he sees something that interests. Especially if it’s a ball. He loves balls. And sticks, and dirt. And his binkie. He does the toddler squat all the time and stands in the middle of the room without any help. He started taking a few steps in Utah, and seriously started walking here. He took about 24 steps in a row yesterday and he is starting to prefer walking to any other mode of transportation.
He weighs 19 lbs 11 oz and is 31 inches long. He has completely dropped off his growth curve and is now into the 1% for weight. The doctor (who was not very good…she was very distracted!) says I’m supposed to feed him more high calorie food…but what that is I have no idea. He is just a mover! He is not supposed to be forward facing in his car seat and I got yelled at over that. Seriously, he is 5 oz away. He probably drinks more than that at a meal. So I’m not going to turn him back around. (My scale puts him at over 20 pounds with his clothes on. Since he’s not going to be riding in the car seat in his birthday suit (hopefully) I think we’re safe.) He is the only one of my kids that likes Pedia*sure so I guess that’s a good thing. He’s going to be getting that for awhile.
The doctor was concerned that he is not saying anything. Yes he chirps and babbles a little bit but no words are forming. He should say at least 2-3 things. He does say, “uh-oh” a lot but it often sounds muffled or from down a long tunnel. He doesn’t really respond to his name and you often have to tap him to get his attention. They are having me call First Start which is the county run physical therapists. They want him to be checked out for hearing and speech. I have yet to make the call but tomorrow that’s my goal. I honestly don’t think much will come from it but if there is a problem, then he’ll get help early.
I am seriously loving this stage of the boys. They are so curious about everything. They fight, they help, they make messes, they love their mommy, and sleep well. What a great time of life!
My friend Lala (not to be confused with Lolli, or maybe you do…either way, different people) came over today to exercise. We typically get together twice a week, once at her house and once at mine. She has a fascination with Belly dancing for fitness so that is what we have been doing. It’s been a lot of fun.
Today she mentioned she wanted to do some deep stretching so I convinced her we should do my post-natal yoga tape. Well, she consented to watch it, I did the yoga. She made funny comments about the ladies and their babies, I worked on stretching out my back and shoulders. She left feeling a little better, and I ended feeling A TON better. I do so love to do my yoga.
Also today, we went to the resource center with Lolli and AJ. And although we didn’t have the chance to talk a ton, the kids all had a great time. My 3 even took a 2 hour nap when we got home! Yay! (That was when I did my yoga.)
Butterfly insists lately on playing surprise. She makes up these elaborate “sets” full of her toys she has hidden underneath blankets and buckets. We are then to say, word for word, her script and she acts totally surprised. It’s very cute and fun the first 3 or 4 times. After that, I get bored and tell her to either change the toys or change the words. She opts for neither and changes the people involved. In other words, she lets me go do something else while she acts out all the parts, word for word.
Today she insisted on playing surprise at the resource center and I had to flat out tell her to play something else. We probably spent a good half hour playing surprise with the lamb, pig, chicken nesting toy. Pirate spent most of his visit slack jawed and having a great time. And Professor got himself stuck in the play house while trying to go through the door. What a fun family I have!
Book club tonight! I’m going to be tired tomorrow.
I just can’t believe that the boys will be a year old in one short month. I’ve been trying to get their birthday videos put together and they have changed so much! I feel like they are still babies in many ways, but big kids too. Like they are standing on the edge of babyhood and toddler hood already!
Pirate. What to say about Pirate. He is my sweet, happy, smiley, whiny, clingy, independent little man. He has the most amazing smile. We are constantly asking him if his jaw is unhinged because it is wide open about 10 hours a day. A few hours of amazed wonder, and a few hours of complete happiness. His teeth are big and his mouth is big and his smile is big to match the big happy feeling he has inside. He has decided that Mommy is best and only Mommy will do lately. He cries every time I move away from him. But he does his amazing smile when I come near him. I still feel like the whole house checks in with him. He and Butterfly have an amazing bond, and Professor frequently crawls on top of him just to be close. He has become serious about his food and cries when Professor takes too long to eat his bite. He does not want to be forgotten or left behind.
He is getting better at picking things up while eating. He has decided he does not like bread, only soft things. He loves anything noodle related or avocado related. He has started to click his tongue when he wants what you are having to ask you for some. He would nurse all day long if I let him and is calm when he’s eating. His happy little kick disappeared with the cast and it’s a little sad for me. But he can’t kick while he’s crawling or standing and he does that about 90% of the time. He is determined to catch up to Professor in both mischief and speed. He is so tall and when he pulls himself up on things, I wonder at his length. He just seems so long. Looking back at Butterfly’s 11 months, he’s not as tall as she was but he seems longer. He is super strong although he is very gentle. He loves the fridge and makes a bee line to it every time it’s open. He also loves to see what Butterfly is doing, loves her play food, and loves to take things out of the toy buckets and put them back in. The other day I tried to clean up the living room and gave up because everything I put in the bin he just took right out. He weighs 18.5 lbs (so I’d say the cast weighed about 4 lbs) and is about 28 1/2 inches long.
Professor is my monkey. Not only does he hold on so tight when you pick him up (you can almost let go and have him stay on…handy when I have to pick up both of them!) he is into everything! He has discovered balls and absolutely loves to chase them around the room. He chirps happily the whole time. Lately he thinks it’s funny when Soot plays fetch with us in the house. He tries very hard to chase down the ball with Soot and ends up giggling so hard when she passes him that he can’t crawl. He talks all day long, with his “adadadadad” and “huh? huh? uh!” The past few days he’s been holding his tongue funny in his mouth like he has something in there and I’ve been annoying him sweeping out his mouth to fish out any paper. But no paper. This evening, I took a good look in his mouth and his gums are horribly swollen where his molars will be. Can they be old enough for molars?!
He has started to stand for a few seconds on his own. He still falls pretty regularly and cries wholeheartedly when it happens. He never stops moving, even in his sleep. I hear him rolling and sighing and scooching over the monitor when he naps. He is forever fiddling with his hands or wiggling while I am nursing him. Much to my dismay and his brother’s. He has 8 teeth now and still has his tiny crescent moon shape in the back of his ear lobe the size of his infant nail. He had that when he was born and the doctors say it will never go away. Apparently he was jammed in my belly with his hand on his ear and his pinkie just made an impression. He has decided being fed from a spoon is for babies and absolutely refuses it. Unless he’s completely starving. Or it’s something he loves. Otherwise, forget it. He’s great at feeding himself though. He is just starting to figure out a sippy cup without a valve in it. He weighs 18.2 lbs, and is 27 1/2 inches long. They are starting to be the same size again! I’m so excited that he seems to be growing.
They are starting to chat between themselves and I hear lots of conversation and laughing during their “naps”. They are either great at naps, or not so great. They are content to entertain each other through the bars of their cribs so I let them play as long as they want to. They have started looking around for their brother while we nurse, and often won’t fall asleep completely if I only have one at a time. They pull each other’s hair, ears, poke out eyes, climb on top of and push over any baby in their way. When we get together with friends, this is startling to the other babies but they really just don’t see anything wrong with it. Together they are a force. Professor pulls everything out and hands it to Pirate to dismantle it if it can. They’ve pushed over Juice’s computer tower a few times and he is trying to figure out where to put it so they won’t get into it. (Their room was the computer room.) They don’t bother it as long as it’s not on with it’s cool blinking lights! I put them together in a swing at the park today for the first time and they loved it. I put Pirate in first, and he was very unhappy until he was joined by his brother. Professor has taken to reaching over to Pirate in the car and patting him if he can manage it. They really do check in with each other and want them to be together. Now I know that won’t always be the case, but right now it is and I love it.
I can’t wait to see what they are like when they are a year old!
