At the end of april, Drew is dry 2/3 of the nights now - really close. But, during the day, you have to remind him to go potty. He's starting to get the hang of just going when he feels it. The other night, he disappeard upstairs. For the first time, he climbed up and went poo on the big potty all by himself. He didn't even pee outside of the toilet - everything went in there. He forgot to put the seat down, so he was parked on cold porcelain, but still - it's the action that counts.
After the surgery, and after valentines day, Daddy got to escape to see uncle Luke in England fora week. This year, we we spent 6 days driving around France with a 4 month old in a car. We saw Carcassonne (medevial walled city), Avignon (14th century papal palace), Chateau Chambord, and many other things along the way. Much fun. The kids are much easier to deal with at home now that they are so independent.
As many of you know, Drew's had (since infancy), uretral reflux. Actually,
both kids had it - found inutero due to the many ultrasounds. Tori outgrew
hers. Drew was not. So, the urologist thought the best course of action
was to reimplant his ureter into his bladder so the reflux back into the
kidneys wouldn't happen. And, since the Urologist, Dr. Pergament, is the
best around and retiring in March, we decided to go quickly. So, beginning
of Feb, drew went in. The procedure took an hour, and the doc (who has
done hundreds of these exact procedures) was thrilled about how well it went.
I asked what would happen if this didn't work. His honest answer was "I've
never seen such good
We took the kids to see "If you give a mouse a cookie..." at the Children's theater. They LOVED it. They got to wear nice clothes and see a "movie." Drew giggled and was having a blast. His favorite part? The dust bunnies and throwing toilet paper around the audience at the end. Tori? She was frightened of the dust bunnies, but enjoyed the funny mouse.
The sledding incident. After a fresh snowfall, we decided to go sledding down the hill in the back yard. Seems innocent enough. Last time we did this, the big poofy snow made for a leisurely coast down the mountain. This time, however, the snow was wetter and colder. So, it packed down. Daddy was cleaning off some driveway parts while Mommy took the kids to the hill. A few seconds and a screech later, everybody was back in the front. It seems that Mommy's aiming took the kids right towards the birdhouse, which they narrowly avoided hitting. The tracks then led towards a tree in the yard, which they also narrowly avoided hitting. I'm still not sure how they managed to miss both of those and go between them from their angle. Anyways, the sled trail then continued unabated into the tooly-weeds, where 2 sets of little footprints wandered out. There's a lot of room on that hill to slide down and miss everything now that the swingset is gone. So, it was apparently Daddy's turn to aim them. Using my putting-green-reading expertise, I surveyed the slope and aimed them a bit left of where Mommy had aimed them. The curvature should keep them away from the trees and away from the porch - gliding safely to the weeds at the end of the long hill. So, the two kids climbed in and got positioned. Tori was in front and beaming. Drew was in back and holding onto the sled. Ready to go? Yup. Off they went. Mommy and I watched as the sled with our offspring started to pick up speed and follow along the predetermined path. All was going to be well. Or so we though. Ever so briefly. Unlike a golf ball on an undulating green, children in a sled on the snow move around quite a bit and can really affect the direction of said sled. The nano-second we realized this, the sled took a major left-bank and headed right towards the porch stairs. Oh crap. There's three possible outcomes of this - none of which we can do anything about except watch. Option 1 - hit the base of the stairs head on (the side of the stairs, actually), where it will be like running into a wall. That'll probably break the sled, and the kids will slide to an abrupt halt. Not too bad. Option 2 - they'll go far enough left where they's safely slide onto rock under the deck without hitting anything. This is clearly the option we want. Option 3 - None of the other two. Thankfully, the sled kept going left and was heading to a 4' opening where they'd go under the porch and onto the rocks. Whew. Oh crap! They movd again. Sled took a slight right adjustment and was heading towards a 3' high triangle opening where the stairs come down to a point. Maybe there's time to lean one way or another and hit something. This does not bode well. Sure enough (oh crap), the sled makes a bee-line for the dead center of that opening. The pink marshmellow that is Tori, in the front of the ill-fated craft, recognizes her opportunity to, for lack of a better phrase, duck. Drew, riding in the back and enjoying the scenery suddenly realizes that Tori is laying down and there's a large immovable structure coming right for him. There is no option. Thud. Cries. Panic. Mommy runs down the hill. Daddy covers the 40' in about 3 steps. The cries get louder. They've disappeared under the deck. We round the stairs and see the pink girl - about 4' beyond the sled. She's screaming. Really screaming. Oh no. What did she hit? She ducked. Drew brings his hand to his mouth and starts to cry. Oh crap (not my exact words - use your imagination there). Focus on loudest kid first. "Tori, are you okay?!" "Waaaah. I got snow in my mitten." "Are you hurt? do you have an owie?" "Waaaah.. No. I have SNOW IN MY MITTEN AND IT'S COLD." Mommy - you get this one. "Drew, where's your owie?" "Waah. Right here [points to left cheek.]" I scooped him up and went inside. After all that, he had a scrape on his cheek and a fat lip, which went away after 20 minutes with a cold compress. After a cup of hot chocolate, he was playing rough with Tori inside like nothing happened. For a month, you could see the sled mark veering and then disappearing under the stairs. Could have been worse. Could have been better. That was the longest 5 seconds of watching a sled ever. The picture in the April spot was from 20 minutes after the bonk.
It's been a while. Potty Traning is done for Tori. If she needs to, she gets up in the middle of the night, goes on the big potty and then goes back to bed. Drew, on the other hand, still can't make it through the night. Going to have to figure out how to do that. During the day, he's good. Both of them actually made the trip to Duluth without having to stop and go. Impressive for 3.5 year olds. Even daddy had to stop.
I have to mention some activities at school. The past couple days (today is 11/16), the teachers have questions that all the kids answer. Yesterday, it was : "What is your favorite restaraunt?" Some kids responded with McDonalds. One girl said "the car." Another said Applebees. Another said "The chinese one." What did our little Tori say? "The park." Apparently, going on picnics is one of her favorite meal times. And Drew? Well, he responded with "Walmart." We have no idea where that came from since he has never been to a Walmart. In fact, we have only driven by one maybe twice in the past 3 years. We're confused by this one.
Today's question was "Where do you live?" Many kids named Rosemount or Eagan or Inver Grove Heights. Some even said Minnesota. Both Tori and Drew know of the state and the city. But, the list had Tori saying, "Me too." So, I assumed that Drew answered first. I found his name, and his response. He said, "The place where the eagle is way up in the sky." What the heck does that mean? I asked him and he said He'd show me when we got home. Okay. We went over to the globe at school and he pointed to MN on the US portion. That's good. What is with this eagle thing? The teachers were very confused. And, with good reason. However, once we got home, I looked at our US state puzzle. What do you know... There, on the MN piece, is a picture of an eagle flying in the clouds. He came over and said, "See? Dat's where we lib." I asked him what the place was. His response, after seeing the letters on it was "Minnesota." To be a smart alec, I asked what the capital was. Tori chimed in "Saint Paul." Well, good. They know where they live. But, my gosh, what they remember and symbolically link in their little minds. On Monday, we'll have to bring in the MN piece and show the teachers. They'll get a kick out of that.
Every day when I'd get them from school, one or the other would run up to me and scream "I went in the potty today." They'd tell EVERYBODY that they passed - which is great because they are proud of it. Actually, now, when they go in the diaper, the get very uncomfortable and want it changed - even at night. There have been a few accidents at school - most involve the playground and being outside. There was a pooh accident from Tori, also on the playground. Then there was the incident that I need to speak to the director about. Drew just doesn't have a poop accident. He knows hwen he's trying to go, and so do you. He's always had a problem with it; he only goes once every other day or so. So, when it came out in his shorts at school, somebody wasn't paying attention. But, accidents do happen, so whatever. I brought home the clothes in the bag to wash. To my surprise, the poop WAS STILL IN THERE. Come on! I should have kept it and brought it back. That shouldn't happen.
They had a carnival at school, too. Drew had an accident on the same playground. Tori was fine - we got her to the potty in time. They're still amazed at the progress in less than a week. Also there, our longtime friend from college Tris showed up. His daughter Kyra starts there next week. They're in the same level, but different rooms (there are two preschool rooms.) Tris' kid gets Miss Kylie. Drew had his heart set on being in Miss Kylie's room. That was a big incentive to get him trained. But most of his closer friends are going to the other room (I'm not real sure about that teacher yet. She seemed a bit abrasive in the first few minutes I talked to her.) Time will tell how that goes. They start there on 9/17.
The kids were the talk of the school. On Friday, they had diapers and no interest in going potty at school. Today, they were in underwear and using the potty. Well, at least Tori was. She did a few times, and had one accident out on the playground - it's a long way back to their short potty. Drew had no accidents. When I went to pick them up, I found out why. He didn't go all day. At 5:00, he finally went for the first time because I made him sit for a half hour on that potty. Meanwhile, the other kids came and went (some twice) on the other potty. But, me with Drew allowed the teacher to see how things went with Drew - he screams a lot because he holds it for so long.
They were so proud of being in underpants. That means they get to move up a class because their new room doesn't have a changing table. The directors of the center and the teachers (even of other rooms) asked how this weekend transformation happened. There are a lot of books out there, but it is pretty easy. The next step, though is getting them to use bigger potties and having Drew stand up. I'm hoping the cheerios in the toilet will provide a fun target for him to go with.
The kids walked for 5.5 hours without riding! We brought a wagon and a potty chair, along with extra clothes and 2 diapers just in case. We didn't need the diapers. At 10 in the morning (Tori's pretty regular), outside the kid farm, Tori wanted to go potty. So, we undid the chair from the wagon and found a place on the grass behind a big piece of Farm equipment. She went within 2 minutes. Cleaned that up (watered the grass...) and went on. Drew didn't have to go yet. A while later in the Horticulture building, Drew had to go, so I grabbed the potty again and went into the bathroom and parked him in front of a sink in the corner. He went within a few mintues then washed his hands and was good to go. Nice. Later on, we tried outside the grand stand and outside Empire Commons (milk/malt booth). There, Tori sat for a good 35 minutes while Jody checked out "one quick booth." The large guy in the Golden Plump costume scared them so we had to relocate to the other side of the street. She didn't actually go there. Drew tried one more time, too, but didn't go. After 5 hours of wandering, they decided they wanted to sit, so them and the potty were in the wagon for the last hour of stuff. (Tori loved the mini donuts - she ate the whole bag. Drew had 2 things of ice cream.) On the way out of the fair, we put them on the potties in the parking lot and they both went. No accidents today!
Both kids awoke and wanted to use the potty. Tori did. Drew tried. Today, was asking a lot and making them sit every half hour or so. Tori had one accident (more on that later) and Drew had none! We decided to load up the wagon with a potty and walk to the park about 3/4 mile away. They were so excited. We got there and tori climbed up the stairs and immediately start to go. With tears running down her face, she looked at us and said "I going." We got that cleaned up and they played for a while. By the end of the day, they both knew when they needed to go, but still need to have their signs watched for. Drew dances around a long time and fidgets. But, he can hold it for a long time, which gives you time to get to a bathroom. Tori gives you about 20 seconds. But her signs are obvious - cross the legs and grab the crotch. Very lady-like.
By now they know what needs to happen. Drew holds it and lets it out in one burst. But, to do that, requires him to be on the potty for 30 minutes all the while rocking back and forth saying "I don't need to go." and "owie owie owie." Going poo for him will is still difficult. Tori just wanders over and goes. If you ask her if she needs to go, she says "I already goed." I do believe she's got it down - including poop - if you watch her.
The kids get to move up to the next room at school - PreSchool. However, they can't go until they are potty trained. All of their friends transition up at the beginning of September, too. They are to follow when they don't need diapers at school anymore. Pretty tall task for two toddlers who showed no interest at all (and one of them just has a hard time going poo).
On Friday, the 24th, we decided to do a crash-course in potty training. Potty Boot Camp. Diapers are gone in the morning. They wear underwear and sit on the potty every 15 minutes - regardless of whether they have to go or not. By the end of the day, they've got that feeling where they don't like to wet themselves and they know what the urge to pee feels like.
The day started out about 8:00 with underpants and two proud kids. Try to keep them dry was the slogan. Tori had 3 accidents and Drew had one. By the evening Tori asked to use the potty and knew what the urge felt like. Drew knew, too, but he tries to hold it for a long time and then go at once. That makes for an uncomfortable Drew. Back in diapers for the night-time sleep.
Tori used her potty! Drew had to go, and he was interested in sitting on his potty, so he did. Then, Tori really wanted to use hers. In fact, she was dancing and crying. She waited while I removed her diaper, then she sat down, gave me a dirty look for making her wait, and releived herself in the potty. The potty then made the musical medley sound and she was all happy. We were flabbergasted. Peer pressure at school is sometimes a good thing - most kids in their class are learning that skill now.
During dinner tonight, we were having leftovers, with some substance. The meal involved chicken nuggety things (popcorn chicken) and carrots from a can (wolfgang puck I ain't). There were also two pieces of cheese pizza left from the weekend. So, I heated those up and gave them to the kids, too. They gobbled that up and wanted more. The last of it was then handed out. Drew finished his and (with a full mouth) said "More pizza." "There isn't any more," I replied. He started to pout and frantically ask for more pizza. Then, from the side of the table, a little hand reached over and deposited the last remaining piece of pizza onto Drew's plate. I was astonished. I praised Tori for her thoughfulness, and then asked Drew, "What do you say to Tori." He looked at her, and in a very sincere tone, said "Thank you, Tori." I couldn't believe it. Sometimes, they can be going at it tooth-and-nail. Then this happens. Wow. Maybe, as parents, we are doing something right...
Drew was playing on the deck and Tori was playing Legos in the living room (atta girl!). I was sitting at the kitchen table working on a sudoku. Drew poked his head in the patio door and said "Tori. Come here. I need you." Tori replied "No. Legos." Drew repeated his plea. Then, Tori scooped up an armful of legos, grabbed her bunny and went to play legos on the deck next to Drew.
Easter had a profound affect on the princess. Anything bunny related must be hugged and adopted. She carries a bunny everywhere. She has a bunny pillow. She has bunny clothes. She petted a real bunny at the zoo (wouldn't touch any other animal). Kangaroos are just big bunnies. Koala's are bunnies, too. The best bunnies are "pinka bunnies." Rabbits are everywhere.
Both kids are parrots. Drew will repeat any 2 words you have just said. You never know which 2 words, so it is best to be careful. I'm teaching him the state capitals. Right now, he knows Augusta, Maine, and St. Paul, Minnesota. He also has it in his mind that Omaha is the capital of Nebraska. Well, at least he's got a city in the state. Tori is getting good at yelling at things. She lowers her voice to a gutteral sound and says "No cat kitty!" or "Drew. Come here." She gets this stern look on her face. Very entertaining.
Every day after daycare, we grab the toddler push-bikes and run up and down the driveway. Tori is quick. She puts her bunny and whatever else she happened to bring to school (sunscreen bottle, bear, golf ball...) into the seat compartment and takes off. Drew usually grabs a particular rock and a golf ball or two and heads out. In fact, one of those rocks made its way upstairs and got napped with on the weekend. And, the next Monday, I went to adjust my alarm clock and there was a rock sitting on my night stand. Apparently, Mr. Drew decided it was a good storage place. He stashes things.
Phrase update for Drew... He, in the last couple days, has started saying "Oh
my gosh!" and "Holy cow." He uses them correctly, too. Not sure where he
picked them up because we don't say those things. But, he sure does. We were
hitting wiffle golf balls in the yard (all 3 of us) and I hit one over the
garage roof. Drew chimed in "Oh my gosh! I'll get it!" and he took off. The
next one I hit high, he responded with a "holy cow" (at least we think that
was what it was - sounded right). Drew will also point something out and
name it. Like dirt for example. There will be a pile of dirt on the ground,
and he'll squat down and point at it, saying "dirt." Then, he'll stand up
and casually say "I wike dirt." Then he'll repeat the process with airplanes,
or golf balls, or peaches. He says "I wike
Yesterday morning, Tori was upstairs and was asked what she wanted for breakfast. Her response - "Froo Poops." Jody was a bit confused and didn't realize just what they were until Tori was at the pantry wanting to "pick" a breakfast. She grabbed the "Froo Poops." That is Tori speak for "Fruit Loops." She had Froo Poops again for snack on Sunday.
It has become apparent, too, over the past couple weeks, that Tori has inherited (for lack of a better term) the wonderful combination of mommy's stubborn-ness and daddy's temper. This proves entertaining to mommy and daddy sometimes. Every now and then, though, we do have to put a stop to it and then put up with the barage of "No!" and the screams and the tantrum on the floor and the throwing of the nearest thing - which fortunately is usually a stuffed animal. The teen years ought to be... interesting.
Both kids now, at school, use big-kid cups. No sippies. They took to that right away. At home, we still use them. Tori has a tendency to dump hers and play with it. Daddy doesn't like to clean that up too often.
Drew is a parrot. A parrot with inflection. Since he repeats what we say, I decided to warp him... er.. have a little fun. He knows where his body parts are, so I added one that most kids don't normally know. You can ask him where his pancreas is, and he'll point to his tummy and say "pankee us." This proved quite entertaining for grandma, and the doctor. Tori insists that her pancreas is her nose. We've got a little work to do. Along the same lines, you can ask Drew what the biggest city in Nebraska is, and he'll say "Omaha." A two year old is great for entertaining at parties. Drew also speaks with great inflection. That is impossible to describe it in words, but imagine every word you are reading that has more than one syllable, and end each last syllable on a higher octave. That's how Drew speaks some times. Hillarity.
Tori had one of her sickness things again. This time, it got a little worse. We brought her in and the doc gave her an antibiotic for releiving the wheezing that she was doing. About 4 days later, we called back up and got her on the sinus infection med again. That's what I thought she had the first time, but the doc is the doc. She was better shortly thereafter. We did take her in for her allergy test, though. Had to be 2 to do it. Results aren't back yet.
At the doctor for the 2 year checkup, they had to get the finger stab for a small sample of blood. That wasn't too bad. The band-aid on afterwards provided much entertainment for us. Well, not entertainment. Tori had a real fit. Kicking and screaming and yelling and more kicking. She did not want that band-aid on her finger and tore it off once. It took 3 of us to get it on her a second time and about 5 minutes later, she stopped bleeding enough to take it off. She was, well, really really pissed. On the way into the office building, Drew happily walked across the parking lot and got into the building foyer. At that point, he put on the brakes, turned around and started saying "no doctor. no doctor." We promised him no owies (I didn't know about the finger stab...) and he was eventually okay with it. He even let the doctor listen to his chest and look in the mouth and ears!
We had their birthday party (I know this is 3 weeks late...). It was a lot of fun for them and hectic for us. There were some mylar baloons that said Happy Birthday. Drew picked up on this and shortened it to "hap bur day". He would say that loudly at random intervals for the remainder of the day, week and month. Tori picked up on it later, and started singing to Drew - "Hap bur day doo." The day was fun and they loved it. They actually understand the presents and love to open them. The clothes get tossed aside to see if there is anything else in there, but they're two so it's allowed.
During dinner today, Drew picked up a corn dog in each hand. He then proudly extended his left hand and said "one." Then, he extended his right hand and said "two." He can count to his age! When asked to count to three , he proudly says "three". Apparently, it is more efficient to just skip the earlier numbers.
We went to meet Grampa Earl for his 60th birthday brunch in Red Wing, with some other relatives. We had done this before, so it wasn't a big deal. After eating at the St. James hotel, the kids like to run around in the downstairs common area and play. The restaraunt has pretty good food, so when the whole crew showed up (Doug, Sally, Lou, Tom, kids, Helen, Jim and Earl and Lenore), we ordered food. Tori is a breakfast-food junkie, so, at noon, we figured we could get a plate of french toast for them to split. Then, they each got a bowl of applesauce and some fresh fruit. While waiting, Tori colored up a storm, while Drew put the crayons back in their plastic bag over and over. The waitress brought the applesauce and fruit first. That was a mistake - the kids were very hungry. Tori inhaled hers and asked for more. Drew ate his, then saw the fresh fruit and started chowing. Fortunately, the real food came. I quickly cut up 2 half-pieces (the order was 3 whole pieces of bread) of toast and split it amongst the kids. I ate two bites. It was pretty good. The rest of our food came, and everybody was eating. Drew was begging grapes from Jim's salad. Tori downed her toast and asked for more. So did Drew. After a little bit of time, Tori asked for more. This was her 4th half. We figured she'd be slowing down. Drew was pretty much playing at this time, so he was done. Doug passed a half-a-pancake towards Tori, and she gladly took that. Soon, that was gone, too. Helen's french toast and Lenores extra french toast made its way to our table. Another fresh piece was cut up and put on Tori's plate. There was one problem, though - she was out of syrup. Hey, that little silver jug had syrup in it and I saw daddy pour it, so I'll do that now. She did - and some of it went on the plate. The rest went on the table cloth. But, Tori had her toast and kept going. The waitress was clearing plates and cleared everybody's but Tori's current and food-in-waiting plates. She was still eating. It was then time for birthday cake. Drew had a small slice and ate it -frosting and all. Tori had a little bit. She was really leaning back in her chair now. That was one big belly. When the dust had settled, our little blonde princess had eaten 2 bowls of apple sauce, one glass of milk, one half of a 6" pancake, three complete pieces of french toast, some fresh fruit, part of a dinner roll, and a few bites of cake. She out-ate everybody at the table - including the 15 year old boy, the 12 year old boy and daddy. Did it slow her down - nope. After a few burps and a couple toots, she was off running around the hotel. Think about that meal in terms of weight. She probably ate 10% of her weight in food. Since the average male is 165 pounds, could that average male eat 16 pounds of food? Just thinking about it makes me go get the pepto bismol...
Not much happening. I got back from a weekend in TX with Luke. Drew's vocabulary grew a great deal while I was away. He also is getting a little more "two." He's definitely testing us. I was laying on the floor on my stomach, and both kids came over to play the great game of "jump on daddy." Drew climbed on, then stood up on my back. That's great balance for him. We were impressed. Speaking of impressed... Did you know that a 30 pound kid can put a gread deal of pressure down in a small area if all he stands on are the heels of his feet? It's true.
Last night, we made stromboli for dinner. The quick recipe called for a mixture of some mayo and some dijon mustard to be spread over the bread dough. So, I put the ingredients into a small custard dish and stirred it up. Well, the klinking caused two toddlers to wander over and want what daddy had in the bowl. See, in our house, when a bowl is presented, it always contains good stuff - usually applesause or soup or macaroni (easier to stab with a fork when it can't scoot across a flat surface). So, both kids would not stop whining. I tried explaining to them that it was icky and that it didn't taste good, and that they didn't want it. But they persisted. The little blond girl was especially defiant. So, I grabbed a spoon and gave her a sample. She made the greatest face, gave a quick shudder and was smacking her lips. I figured that would be enough. Nope. She wanted more. Even though it tasted like, well, you can imagine. She still wanted some. I gave her some more of it. She gave the same reaction and still wanted more. AT this time, Drew saw the reactions and wandered off to read a book. Smart Drew. Tori still wanted more. We decided to give them a nighttime snack of some applesauce instead of mustard and mayo. Be wary of what you put in a bowl. They may want some.
Well, I said I'd add something. I guess 'shortly' means a lot of different things. Christmas was exciting. The kids understood opening presents, but could only handle 4 or 5 at a time. So, with visiting relatives and several grandparents, the gift festivities were spread over several days. When it was all over, Drew actually asked for more presents. They made out pretty good.
December was sickness month. Drew started out with a cold, which turned into the Rotavirus. If you don't know what that is, for toddlers, it is 7-12 days of liquid poop. So much fun. During that time span, Tori had one of her coughing spells, too. Then, as Drew was getting better, Tori caught it. Another 2 weeks of the goo. On top of that, mommy and daddy had bad colds. Even more fun was the fact that all the sicknes hid the fact that Tori cut 2 more teeth (full upper row now). Drew also got another tooth or two. As we almost finish January, we are finally done with everything but the sniffles right now. Both kids are used to having their nose wiped (Tori almost blows hers). They are also good at taking nightime cough medicine, and amoxicillian for Drew's ear infection (very mild - first one in the family). They had a very mild case of pink eye a while back, too. It is a bad sign when the scheduling people at the clinic recognize your voice and simply ask 'which one?'
Will be adding something shortly. Busy month. Christmas, Thanksgiving. Talking. Rotavirus.
For the past couple of days, Tori would get really upset in her high chair at dinner. So, we tried the picnic table. That went over quite well. Now, we don't use them anymore - we eat only at the table (with a drop cloth under it for messy things). And, on this date, we tried a new night-time ritual. We just have some cold milk in the sippy cups before going to bed. It worked - both kids don't care about the bottle now. They just get cuddled for a bit with a cup, then up to brush teeth and go to bed (yes, they brush their own teeth - actually, they gnaw on the water in the bristles, but it works). So, after less than 20 months, we are no longer in high chairs or using bottles. We also feed dinner on paper plates that we pitch afterwards. Doing dishes just got a whole lot easier for daddy!
This was a challenge for daddy. We went to 6 local houses, then to two that were a few miles away. We walked for a little bit, but then then the streets got too crowded, so daddy had to carry both kids. Why didn't I bring a wagon? Because then I'd have to carry 2 kids and haul a wagon, and I only have two arms. By the end of the evening, they were two very tired arms. Both kids took it in stride, though. They didn't quite know what to make of walking up to strange houses and standing there with Elmo buckets. Drew does like his 3 musketeer bars, though. Tori preferred the Teddy Grahams that Grandma gave. A few of the neighborhood dads have the right idea, and I was invited along for the upcoming years. They walk down the street with strollers and wagons while the kids trapse from door to door. What's in the stroller or wagon? Why, of course, that's where the cooler of assorted malt beverages resides. I think I might like this halloween stuff after all...
We were outside in the driveway after school, before dinner. The kids wanted to play with the pumpkins and garden statues (the cat), as well as some frisbees. Well, Frisbees get boring after a while, so I dug out some balls. We had a bright orange broom ball (Tori's favorite) and a football which is great fun because it doesn't roll straight. We get really sad when the balls roll down the driveway, though. I decided to add something to the mix that they could easilly carry - golf balls. So, I rolled 2 orange, 2 yellow and 2 white ones down the asphalt. 2 happily screaming kids waddled after them (and they didn't fall!). Tori grabbed two - one for each hand and was content. Drew wanted the colored ones, so he picked up two orange and a yellow. He had two in one hand and one in the other. The problem arose when he had one other ball to pick up. He tried unsuccessfully to get 2 in the other hand. Next attempt had him placing one under his chin while he bent down to pick up the last one. But, as he stood up, that one fell out. [Side note - where he learned to do that, I have no idea.] After struggling for a bit - never getting really upset - he discovered something very handy. His jacket had pockets! He put one ball in each pocket, carried three of them (by this time, Tori had dropped hers and I had added more to the mix) in his hands. Tori saw this, then examined her jacket to find that she, too, had pockets. She put one ball in there and picked up 2 more and headed off to play.
Both kids are walking great now. Drew has mastered small hills in the grass. He has trouble with playground steps, though- has a fat lip to prove that he lost that battle. In fact, on rare occassions, I get to not carry them out of school (which is getting tough to do because she is 26.5 pounds and he is 28 pounds). One day, we were walking [slowly] out and they had this Halloween decoration thing out front. There is a scarecrow and some pumpkins. We walked by and both kids pointed and giggled at the pumpkins and scarecrow. About 50 feet later, we were at the car and I went to put Drew in his seat. Somewhere back at the display, Drew had picked up this big plastic pumpkin and was hauling it by the stem back to the truck. I didn't notice because I was holding 2 hands and trying not to step on them.
Lets talk mouths. Both kids are getting lots of teeth right now. Tori's got 4 popping through, while Drew has 5 or 6. He's almost got a full compliment - molars, inscisors, and the front. Tori's are scattered. Its funny - she's getting 2 molars where one is lower left and the other is upper right. She may be able to chew yet...
Vocabulary is growing immensly, too. In the last month, Drew has added so many new words such as
Figured it had been a while since I wrote, so here goes. Tori now has three teeth in the front (upper). Looks goofy when she smiles. Drew managed to pop through 2 upper teeth (eye teeth) and we think his molars are coming in because of the swollen-ness.
This past week has seen Drew become more of a bi-ped. He abandon the crawling and started walking. First, with a few steps, then more. He still has his arms up (like Clyde the orangutuan), but he motors all over the place. He carries stuff, too. Spent 20 minutes the other day walking counter-clockwise around the kitchen table carrying two cups of water. Runner in training? He know to stay hydrated during his trek, though. Tori was sitting in the middle of the floor, and Drew took off around her. Tori watched all this, and then decided that maybe she should stand up. She then did (we had never seen her do that before without support of anything), and took 4 steps. We're trying to encourage her to do it more, but her favorite method of transportation is still scooting to our feet, whining and flapping arms. Either she's a bird or she wants to get picked up.
A while ago, I mentioned the finger-in-daddy's-nose game that Drew played... Well, we have a few twists. Both kids know what face parts are (although ear and eye are sometimes confused). The game is to touch their nose, then touch Daddy's nose. However, sometimes the aim is not quite there and the eye gets poked. We don't play 'touch daddy's eye' very often. Also, while laying on the floor, Daddy learned another lesson. Previous lesson 1 was to not leave nostrils open to prodding. So, I've got my arm over my nose and eyes. Safe, right? Well, after running a half marathon in the morning, I was tired, so I was starting to relax and drift off. This happened several times, only to be interrupted by Tori-body-slams. Not too bad. The really fun one was Tori's newfound game. Since daddy's nose is covered, let's try to see if he can recognize, by taste, what I was sucking on. So, amidst dozing in and out of relxed consciousness, this warm, moist, fuzzy thing was forced into my mouth. Yummy. Turns out that it was only a little bird thing that is attached to a learning book. So, lesson 1 has been amended to include just not planning to fall asleep on the floor. It's just safer that way. Either that, or I'm going to start napping with a cup and a hockey mask.
Both kids are getting proficient at the walkers now. Tori still walks like Charlie Chaplin (no bent knees), but she goes fast. Drew has more of a controlled walk, and often carries something while using the walker one handed. Tori zips around obstacls and keeps moving (quickly). Drew tries to power over (or through) obstacles - including Tori. She does not like this. More than once we have had to say : "Drew. Stop running over your sister." The funny part comes with Drew's evasion of obstacles. He goes pretty straight. When he bumps into something, he'll move the walker left until he gets around it. Even if that means doing a complete counter-clockwise circle, he'll go left. Always left. Drew does not turn right. When you drive home tonight, imagine navigating the roads without making a right corner. That's Drew's navigational method.
And it wouldn't be complete without a Tori story. She loves to hug things. We asked her to see if Drew wanted a hug. She grinned, and went over to him. They bonked heads (in an attemped kiss). Then Tori reached out her arms to hug him, pulled him over and smother-hugged him. If she can't pull him over, we found out that she'll pretty much tackle him to get her hug in. She will race across the room to hug him. If he's not braced, she'll tackle and hug. They both think it is funny, so Drew's not too upset about it. But, when he doesn't want to get tackled, he'll maneuver so his back is against something like the couch or one of us. We're trying to get a movie of this.
The kids had their 15 month checkup today. That was accompanied by 3 shots. Each. They were not happy with Dr. Broeker. Drew is now 24 1/2 pounds. Tori's a bit lighter at 22 1/2 pounds. Both weights are considered average. Drew's height is a tall 32 inches; while Tori is a mere 30 1/4 inches. Drew is above average in height, while Tori is average. The other thing they measure is head circumfrence. Tori is average. Drew is in the 95th percentile. He's got a big head. Some of his shirts are a tight fit when they go over.
Today, we left for Uncle Luke's wedding in Houston. We thanked him alot for having a wedding in Texas... in June... outside... and Daddy was in Black Tux... with full vest. Anyway, mom and dad scheduled the plane trip for during nap time, so we could sleep. Lesson 1 - that doesn't happen. Each parent had a kid on their lap for the flight - fortunately, there was an empty seat between them. So, instead of napping, the kids spent 2.5 hours crawling around between the seats and laps. Every magazine and flight-instruction card was playeed with - some were destroyed. Tori got the biggest kick out of a barf bag. It was a crumpled mess by the time we landed. The air pressure caused maybe 2 minutes of minor discomfort for the kids. It's not that big of a deal - the A318 has a pretty good ventilation system. Both kids fussed for a little while, then settled into playing with things. Lesson 2 : in a confined area, kids need a lot of attention to keep them busy. We brough all these toys for them to play with. Did they use them - nope. Tori went nowhere without her fleece blanket. During the flight, they played cups, cpus with ice (that was a quick and wet game), barf bag, peek with the people behind us, grin at the guy across the aisle, flirt with the blond 2 rows up (Daddy stood with Drew for some time), cry loudly for 2 seconds, then giggle, and several other classic plane games. Lesson 3 - only have one open beverage container between the two parents. If this lesson is not followed, 3 of the 4 family members will be drenched. Mommy was the one who did not get wet. Lesson 4 - zip lock bags provide only so much entertainment before they are figured out, opened and smashed all over the seat. There were ritz cracker dinosaur bits everywhere. Drew corrolary 1 : You must fall asleep 15 minutes before landing. Tori corrolary 1 : you must fall asleep in the car 10 minutes before getting to the airport. Once we landed, we got the gear. Now, picture this. Mom, Dad, 2 infants, two umbrella strollers (nicely connected with these plastic clips that, for $10, are better than sliced bread), 2 rolling suitcases, 2 dufflebags (one with toys), diaper bag (backpack), and shoulder bag of plane stuff. Mommy grabbed the shoulder bag and the strollers. Daddy (aka human pack animal) started lugging the rest of the stuff through the baggage claim to the rental car shuttle. At the car place, the smartCarts are free. Whew. We got the car quickly - decided to pre-purchase a tank of gas. More on that later. The gear filled the trunk, and the kids were then in their seats in the car ( we rented them from Hertz). Off to the destination. Wait! It's dinner time. Okay, stop at Taco Bell. Kids had a soft taco between them, and left a trail of green beans on the floor. By the way, it was 95 degrees and humid when we landed. Drew's hair immediately became super curly. Now, we could go to the destination - which was the hotel near Luke. We also had to get groceries (food and milk) for night time snack. Dad knew his way around where the hotel was, so getting the milk wasn't a problem. We were running out of time, though. We had a family dinner to be at. So, quickly check in to the hotel and let the kids crawl around for a while. Nice big suite room. King bed, 10' by 15' area to crawl in, two cribs, sink/microwave/fridge equipped. The kids were so happy to be crawling around. That was short lived, though. We had to pour bttles (got milk at the corner mart) and head off to dinner. Good mexican food. Fed the kids there while we ate. Packed it in and went back. It was now around 9:30 and wayyy past their bed time - but they were going strong. Tosha and her friend Alissa were keeping Drew occupied by giggling. Tori used her energy to cautiously look at everybody while playing monkey on either mom or dad. She wouldn't let anybody else hold her much, if at all. By the time we left the parking lot, the kdis were pretty much asleep. We had to have the air in the car maxed for most of the trip. Finally, hotel and sleep. Wonder what time they'd wake up in the morning... Oh, and Drew likes to eat lemons. Yup, sucks on them like orange. Goofy kid.
I have some other information to put in here, but it is in an odd format, so I'll convert it tonight. The reason for today's entry is to mention last night. Recently, Drew has figured out how to climb things - stairs, chairs, slides, and whatever he can. He loves to sit on the couch. Tori just shuffles along the edge of it. Well, last night, Tori grabbed (was given?) those walker thingies (has a handle, and makes noise) to help. She started off on her knees going and pushing it. Then, pop, she was up and walking behind it. She can't turn it, mind you, but she maintained her balance and kept a decient pace. She smiled th whole way. We laughed because her left knee doesn't bend when walking. It's funny. Drew watched this from his perch and decided he wanted to try. We got the other walker (mail cart) and gave it to him. He knows what to do, but gets frustrated because he can't control the fact that he is bigger and heaveir and has a tendancy to get his feet behind him. When we put pressure on the cart to balance him off, he was still unhappy because we were helping him. We'll try again tonight. So, now we embark on the high-octane part of their childhood. If Tori's that fast crawling, she's going to be a blur when running.
We took the kids back to the neighborhood park in the wagon today. They have a big jungle-gym with multiple slides and a tube. Both Drew and Tori love to crawl in the tube. The scramble up the stairs and enter the tube. It is quite humorous to have the tube squealing at you, and the occassional little face peeking out of a hole that's about 6" in diameter. And once again, we didn't get pictures. Brought hte camera, but the memory stick was full. Anyway, Drew quickly went to the top of the stairs and sat on the platform. He noticed that there was a slide there. Well, this must be just like the little slide we have in the living room that he goes up and down 6000 times per day. So, away he goes. I was at the bottom just in case, and Jody was watching things from above. Did I mention that this slide is actaully an 8 foot tall corkscrew slide? Drew didn't realize this until he was coming down head first on his back. He was concerned, but he was smiling. He went down a couple more times, but only when I reassurred him that I was right there next to the slide and he could see me. He always looks at the slide now to see if it is what he expects first. This was the rare case of Drew not analyzing the surroundings before plowing into something. That's more of a Tori thing.
We took the kids outside today to play on a blanket and swing. Well, Drew loves the grass. He took off up the hill (down was more entertaining for us), and then headed over to his swing. He grabbed it, said 'up' and waited for us to come and swing. Tori was sitting on the blanket. Let me rephrase that - she was sitting in the geographical center of the blanket, careful to not let the evil, icky green grass touch her or even come close. She does not like the feel of it. Once again, opposite as night and day. Heck, drew was even picking up the grassclippings for me.
Both kids now have the two middle bottom and two middle top teeth. Tori is using hers well to gnaw off pieces of things. She did bite Drew once, but that was because he was curious about her teeth and was touching them. He only did that once. We think Drew is getting some incisors or molars. Something is producing an awful lot of drool.
Drew decided one day, after being able to crawl up one stair, that standing
would be the next logical step. So, he began pulling himself up on things.
Then, like all kids, he'd get stuck and whine to get down. Most of the time
we'd help him - show him how to bend his legs to get down. He eventually
figured out how to get down, so now he stands up next to whatever he wants,
including the walls, then gets down and keeps moving. He's a tall kid, too.
He can't stand up under the tables. When he does, he bonks his head.
He's doing that less, though.
Tori also started standing up, but not until she figured out how to get down
first. She wouldn't pull herself all the way up - more of a football stance
with locked knees. She'd then push backwards and land on her padded butt.
That taught her that falling from extended legs to your butt doesn't hurt.
So, that's how she gets down now.
Tori's favorite thing to do now is hug stuff. If it has a face, it must be hugged. Any stuffed animal, hard plastic thing - doesn't matter. It must be hugged. And, if it is the musical puppy (sings ABC's), then it gets dragged around by the ears and hugged on a continual basis. It's kind of turned into her security animal.
So, with a living room full of little people, legos and various song-playing things - not to mention a family room with other stuff in it - why do they decide that the best toys are to be found in the tupperware cupboard? Granted, it is the only cupboard they can still open. There is just something about bowls and pictures. Tori takes the little ones and crawls across the floor with them - one in each hand. Drew puts things into and out of pictures. It's a riot to watch. Tori takes various sized bowls and puts them on her head. We have a nice picture of her with a collendar. And bowl. And funnel. And...
Speaking of putting things on heads, Tori has mastered this. Bibs, washcloths, little blankets, bowls - you name it. She tries to put it on her head. She has this little pink blanket with a dog head on it that she got for her birthday (Drew got the truck). In one movement, she'll throw that blanket on her head and go screaming (litterly) across the floor. Sometimes it blocks her view, sometimes it doesn't. It is funny to watch though. One night, she grabbed a bib from the drawer and stuck that on her head. The main part blocked her view, but she took off anyways. The problem was that she didn't veer left when she reached the desk. Instead, she went right under the desk and into the wall - at close to top speed. 'Thunk.' She sat up, took the bib off her head and had a dazed look - more like "that wasn't supposed to be there." I was laughing too hard to do anything. So, she started laughing too. She put the bib back on - a bit off kilter - so she could then see out of at least one eye. That's one of those ones that you only get one shot at recording. Would have been a good one, too.
I forgot to mention this a couple weeks ago, but Daddy had a definite life learning experience. Some evening after woork in late March, I was laying on the floor after dinner. Both kids were crawling around and playing. Tori had grabbed some toy/animal and was sitting next to me playing with it. Drew was off playing with the pile of Little People, and having a grand old time. It got quiet. Maybe Drew was concentrating on something? Sort of. In his mind, he was thinking "I wonder if it will fit?" Then he tried. It did fit. The entire index finger on his right hand, all the way up to the webbing, fit into Daddy's nose. It was hillarious when Daddy yelped and sat up. Daddy no longer lounges on the floor without keeping one eye open for incoming digits.
I haven't added anything in a while. We've been busy. So, I will by
the 11th. Topics covered will include the new school, their one year
birthday, tooth count, tupperware fascination, standing practice (and falling),
and the stuff that can go on our heads.
We did switch daycare from an in-home to a center on April 1. It took the
kids a little while to adjust, but they have done it. They come home
exhausted. There is so much going on there - art projects (which are proudly
displayed on our fridge), story time, sensory table (stand at and play with
various things in it for touch/sensation), and more. It was a good decision
for them to go there - they love it. The downside is now we have to put shoes
on them (like trying to push a rope uphill), and the fact that our expense for
daycare nearly doubled. But they get really excited to go to school in the
morning and are unhappy when they have to stay home because of illness. They
also get to try a lot of new foods, which we love because we can feed them
much more at home, knowing they already like it. We found out they like
honeycomb cereal, and Tori liked mini corn dogs. She liked them so much that
when we were at the mall of America, we ate at A&W. Jody got an 18-piece
mini corn dog meal and was going to give the kids a few of them. Well, Jody
got 6. I got 3. Drew got 2. Tori ate the other 7 - plus a jar of veggies
and a jar of fruit, and some water, and some teddie grahams for dessert. So,
we give mommy a hard time that a 13 month old out-ate her. Drew eats a lot,
too, but he has slowed down a bit. I think he's done growing for a little while.
He's around 24 or 25 pounds right now - and solid. He's learned to use
his size to get where he wants to go (through whatever obstacle is there).
Tori goes for the agility route - she's quick. Actually, they're both pretty
quick - especially when they are just in diapers and you utter the magic
words of 'come here' which apparantly translates as 'crawl very quickly in
the opposite direction giggling.' I was unaware of this translation.
We had their one year party. It was a small affair - not too many people. Basically us, some grandparents and a great aunt/uncle. There were no other kids. There were probably too many people there for them to really have fun, but they did enjoy things after a while. They liked the baloons from a distance. Tori loved the present pile. She wanted to unstack them and dump them out (when they were in bags). Drew was more casual and just played with what was in front of him - until the truck. We got him a little truck with a boulder in the back. When you pull the boulder, the truck vibrates. It was in typical kid-package wrapping, so it was celophaned, and had 87 of those stupid wire ties. Drew really wanted to play with it, and started to get upset when Grampa Earl couldn't open it fast enough. For lunch, we put the kids in their high-chairs and gave them each a cupcake. Neither one really liked the frosting. Drew tipped his upside down and ate the cake part. Tori just, well, smeared hers all over her hair, the tray, everything. Then, they got a taste of some ice cream. We got body shivers, head shakes, one eye closed and the look of an ice-cream headache coming on. But, they each wanted one more taste, so we gave it to them. It was a fun day with lots of toys and people around to look at. The bad part was that both kids were kind of in the 'staying near a parent' mood, so not many people got to hold any of them.
I had to create an entry for this. It just shows how different these two kids are. We have this fisher price giraffe that goes with the sight/sound/touch sensations blocks (about 2" cubes with things in them). You put the blocks in the top of the giraffe's head, they fall down his neck and hit a switch in the bottom to make a noise. You can then open a flip door in his tummy to let the blocks come out. If the door is open, the blocks just tumble all the way through and make the musical noise en route. So, anyways, Tori was busy grabbing blocks and tossing them (they hurt, by the way) about. So, I showed her how to put one in the top. Well, she wasn't interested until it made the noise and came out the bottom back at her. Once it did that, she sat for 20 minutes (I had to hold the giraffe so it didn't fall over) plopping blocks in the top and squealing in delight as the sounds were made as the block tumbled back to her. I also showed her (and she got it) that if the blocks don't come back out, she can just open the door and they fall out. This was great fun. Drew was watching intently while all this was happening. Tori loved to drop them in, listen to the sound and have them come back to her. But, after about 20 minutes, it was time to play with something else, so she wandered off. I decided to get Drew to do it. I closed the door and dropped a block in. He opened the door, shoved the block out of the way, and started manually pushing the button that made the sound. The heck with the whole drop in and wait thing, he just wanted to push the button. So, I closed the door and held it shut. He couldn't open it, but his fingers found a different opening that he could reach the button and pushed it. Okay, fine. I dropped a block in so he couldn't push the button. He just pushed the block around so it made the sound. He never once put a block in the top. That apparenlty was too inefficient for him. Since Jody wasn't home, I couldn't get this on film. It was cool though. They are soooo different.
Working on it. Got busy recently. Drew has 2 teeth (bottom front). Tori got her second this weekend (end of Feb) - also both bottom. We finished up swimming lessons. Drew loves to lean and fall into my arms in the water. He also doesn't mind going under. Tori has entered into the stranger anxiety phase and is really not happy unless Mom or Dad are in sight. She does quiet down after about 20 minutes when Grandma/Grandpa come and babysit. They're the only ones we have left that can sit because Anutie Deb moved to Atlanta. We were all sad about that. Tori is crawling up on hands and knees. Drew still scoots with the commando crawl. Tori is pulling herself up onto her knees to play with things, but neither kid really wants to stand up anymore. Our house looks like a toy store, except everything is opened. We can't do anything in the kitchen without bumping into a kid. We pretty much high-step around the house now because they are right there. They are pretty mobile right now. Doesn't take them long to find you and get into something around you. For instance, all was quiet in the den when all of a sudden, the photo printer started doing its thing. Drew figured out how to turn it on and was quite pleased. Both kids chase after poor Lunchmeat. He's getting his exercise now. When he's up on furniture napping, they see him and have to come over to say hi. Speaking of saying things, Drew has got several syllables in his vocabulary. Hasn't quite got them forming anything yet, but he is close. A lot of things are 'dut' or 'dat dut.' He says something like 'kuck' which is either cracker or duck (not the other thing...). A few times he has mumbled something that sounds like 'uh oh.' I'm thinking his words are going to be 'daddy.' Right now, he calls me that. And the cat. And the chair. And the twangy door stopper thing. He also goes 'ahhhh pbththth' alot, which is really cute. Tori doesn't have nearly the vocabulary. She prefers speaking her stuff with a closed mouth, so it all sounds like whining. But, she is coming around with more things that she is picking up from Drew.
It is the week of their 10th month, and things have gotten interesting. Tori has mastered the commando crawl and loves going all over the family room. She can get to places the cat cannot. She also started swimmin lessons last week, and loves being in the big bath-tub. Water is fun to splash and kick. Drew will go on at least one of the lessons to see if he enjoys it as much. He's starting to really like bath time, so we'll give it a shot. He sprouted a lower tooth in the past couple of days, too (1/15 we're guessing). Didn't really whine too much, but was a bit warm. When he was warm, we gave him one of those cold teething rings and he went to town. Even through teething, this is the happiest kid. Both of them have learned to share, too. Tori picks up a toy, and Drew immediately shares it away from her. She's not happy when that happens, and begins crying. She has figured out that since he is not crawling around (just spinning in circles), she can go to the other side of him where he has discarded the desired toy and grab it. She then rolls away to play with it. She's sneaky. Drew has started to try the standing thing, too. Doesn't have much for jello legs anymore. Can't last as long as Tori on her feet, but he's working on it. I think he sees her zooming around and figures that mobility is important. We've got both kids eathing things like cheerios, puffs, grahamm crackers and toast. Drew is better with the finger/thumb picking up, so he eats them quicker. Drew loves to watch TV,and really gets into his baby einstien videos (especially the puppets). Tori is less interested in the TV and more interested in roaming around and making the door stoppers twang. We don't have the TV on much, except for football games, which Tori loves to watch. We are trying the sippy cups currently in hopes that they become accustom to them by sometime in Feb. The key for getting them into the other daycare center is to drink out of sippy cups during the day, and eat finger foods. We need to find out what other finger foods they will be feeding, get some, put down a big tarp and let them have fun.
Over the holidays, we had their 9 month appointment. Big kids. Drew is 21.5 pounds and 29" tall. Tori is a more sweldt 18.5 pounds and 27.75 inches tall. Growing so rapidly. For milestones, Tori has learned the commando crawl (pulling herself with her elbows). She gets to where she wants and can go up and over things if needed. She loves to stand, too. We still have to hold her, but she'll be there for a while if we let her. Drew has mastered the thumb-forefinger method of picking up things. He loves to sit there and pick at buttons, or grab small objects. Cheerios are his favorite because he can then eat them. He hasn't done the crawling yet, but spins like Tori did about a month ago. He is just starting to show an interest in standing - but only for a few seconds. We're trying to get them to take other finger foods and drink from a sippy cup. That's January's goal..
For milestones this month, Tori has decided that standing is a really cool thing. She'll sit for a while, then want to stand. We have to hold her up, but she really wants to be there. In the saucer, she jumps a lot. In typical Drew fashion, he decided one day that sitting would be fun. He never showed an interest in it before, and when we would prop him up, he'd slouch down to laying again. Well, on Monday, he didn't want to lay down. He didn't want to stand in the saucer. He wasn't wet or hungry. So, I put him on his butt next to some toys. He sat there for a half hour before he just got tired and fell over. He doesn't practice these things. He watches somebody else do it (Tori), and then just does it. I assume he'll want to stand next month because he can se his sister do it now. Drew has also gotten mobile. He rolls and spins to where he wants to go. Not crawling, but he'll just go to where he wants. Fortunately, he's pretty content within a couple feet of where he is currently. Oh, and drew spends a lot of time using his thumb and forefinger to test things out. Very carefully, he'll spin or flich something with just those two fingers - all the while in deep concentration.
The kids have gotten a lesson in sharing, too. Tori wants whatever you or Drew or anyone else has. Drew is easier to get it from, though. So, when both kids are sitting there she'll reach over and take what he's playing with. He's fine with that, and just grabs something else. She then takes that too. If he could shrug his shoulders and say 'whatever,' he would. Well, when he has something that he wants, and she tries to grab it, he won't let go. She'll attach herself to it, and pull it in to her. He won't let go, and when his arm gets extended (with kung-fu grip on said toy), he just pulls it back in and continues to play with it. She, surprised by this, usually gets pulled over with it and is then laying face down on the floor, still grasping the toy that he is playing with. She learned that when he doesn't let go, she had better. She's also not thrilled when he grabs something of 'hers.' He doesn't do it often (rarely in fact), but when it happens, the whole house knows.
Drew's spit-ups have decreased significantly since he spends a lot of time sitting or in the saucer thingy.We had no doctor appt this month, except flu shots. Neither kid was really thrilled with them. After the first one, they each wouldn't take their eyes off the 'lady in the white coat.' But, they were fine shortly thereafter when they got lunch.
For milestones this month, Tori has gotten pretty mobile. She's not crawling, but she rolls to where she wants to go. She does scoot backwards occasionally, which gets her stuck in strange places like under the crib, or in the corner by the ottoman. Drew rolls over and gets what he wants when it is within reach. He really doesn't care too much for those things that are far away. It is like he doesn't want to go through the effor to go get them. He is studying what Tori is doing (coming over and taking his toy), so he will soon figure out that moving is a good thing. Tori sits up for a long time when we prop her there.
Well, I wasn't far off. At their 7 month checkup (delayed from 6 because of vaccination timing), we have two very healthy kids. Tori is 26.25" long and 15.75 pounds. She's average length, but below average weight. She just went through a growth spurt, so we expect her to pig out soon. Drew, on the other hand, is by no means a small boy. He's 27.75" long and 19.5 pounds! He's an above average sized baby, that's for sure. Both kids have a cold right now but are doing well otherwise. What I wrote last week : We are guessing that drew will be 18 pounds and around 27.5" long. Tori will be a bit lighter at 16 pounds and around 26" long. Just estimates, of course.
We had the 4 month checkup on 8/5. Even the doctor was amazed at how big they have gotten. Drew is now 15.5 pounds, 25.5" long (which is in nearly the 75th percentile for both). Just a few months ago, he wasn't even on the charts! Tori is now 12.5 pounds and 24" long, which puts her in the 25th percentile. She's petite. Both are doing very well - healthy and happy. So much fun! They are also both pretty much sleeping through the night. Drew goes a good 10 hours or more at night. Sometimes, Tori has to wake up and have a snack, but it's a quick munch.
We had the two month checkup on 5/23. They are growing quickly. Drew is now 10 pounds, 8 ounces. Tori is still about 2 pounds back at 8 pounds and 6 oz. Both are very healthy. They also got their first round of vaccines. The needles did not go over well. Thankfully, there is childrens Tylenol! Picture will be up a bit later.
Went to doctor to get weighed. Drew is 8 pounds, 11 ounces. Tori is 6 pounds and 11 ounces. They have each gained almost 3 pounds in the 6 weeks. They actually look like the little round babies that they should look like. They do, however, have this habit of a reverse sleeping schedule. Awake time is fun when it is at 2 in the morning. Ugh. Here's us at 6 weeks. Tori is on the left. Drew is on the right. They are propped up for story time on the couch. They had to switch positions after a bit becuase Drew is much heavier and was squishing his sister.
We are now a month old. Drew had to go into the doctor with some baby acid reflux, so he got weighed. A week ago he was 7#10oz. I am guessing now that he is a good 8.5 pounds. Tori hasn't been weighed in a while, so we are going to bring both kids in soon and get it done. Tori should be a strong 6 to 6.5 pounds. Drew seems so big from before. Tori still seems petite, but she can sure scream!
We had our checkup. Tori is now 5#1oz and Drew is 6#14oz. Both have gained over an inch in length and a pound of weight. Tori doing fantastic. Drew has a little bit of development (kidney reflux and stomach reflux) to do.
We get to go home from the hospital! Here's our 2 week picture.
Both of them leaving hospital
In the NICU at United/Children's. Learning how to eat. Here's our
birth pictures and information.
Drew Emery Wetterlind. 3/22 at 23:32. 5 pounds, 7 ounces. 18.5 inches.
Tori Lynne Wetterlind. 3/22 at 23:37. 3 pounds, 13 ounces. 17.5 inches.
Both of them on day 4 (Tori on left, Drew on right)
