Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
nine out
the boys celebrated their nine month birthday today with grandpa mickey and aunt paige who came in from san fransisco for the weekend. the weather has been gorgeous in austin - cool in the mornings and evenings and mid-70s and blue skies during the day. perfect!
the boys celebrated today with a visit to the playground and pond and general fun with grandpa and paige. mr. abie has been suffering big time with a tooth (or two) coming in, so he got LOTS of mom-time today. and ozzy capitalized on this by spending tons of time yanking and eating paige's hair, and playing follow the leader with her.
happy birthday, silverboys!
the boys celebrated today with a visit to the playground and pond and general fun with grandpa and paige. mr. abie has been suffering big time with a tooth (or two) coming in, so he got LOTS of mom-time today. and ozzy capitalized on this by spending tons of time yanking and eating paige's hair, and playing follow the leader with her.
happy birthday, silverboys!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
so much so fast
the boys are heading into their nine month birthday at the end of this week and all i can say is "holy moly!" things are rapidly changing around here. it seems like just a few weeks ago things were peaceful and quiet and then WHAM.
in a matter of days, ozzy is zooming around the house, standing on anything and everything, cruising on furniture, and it now takes at least 30 minutes to get him down for a nap because he MUST BE STANDING. and i thought rolling was an obsession for him at 3.5 months. that was nothing! oz continues to be the pickier eater of the two, mainly he declines vegetables. but he's voracious when it comes to his fruit and cereal and has even become adventurous with some finger foods. he can feed himself a "puff" but then gags on it (scary and funny!), and yesterday he tried my lomein noodles and loved them. oz is a bit reserved when it comes to strangers and gives them a skeptical look at first. he quickly warms up and then reaches out for whomever intrigues him. he loves the ladies who do the samples at costco! ozzy is a master raspberry blower and makes really cute, high pitched, "eh, eh" noises. if you imitate him, he'll imitate back and you can have a wild conversation for a few minutes.
where oz is a bit reserved, abie is an absolute flirt. he's more social then all of us combined! he'll smile and coo at strangers and when they stop to talk, he'll wave his arms up and down with the hugest grin you've ever seen. abie is the master at fine motor skills. he's been practicing clapping for a few weeks now and mastered it over the weekend. and it's not just a clap motion - he smacks those hands together and gets a good noise from it! he waves to people and he also has a good pincer grasp. abel is our communicator and will babble on for hours with his mamababararadadas. he LOVES toys that rattle or jingle and will often play with maracas or objects that shake in both hands. he has mastered getting into a sitting position independently and pulls himself to a stand easily from a sit. his crawl is slow and he still does a lot of inch-worming - which is fine by me! i almost think he might start scooting on his butt because he does this funny bobbing action while he's sitting and can really move! abie is a great eater. he's like mikey - he'll gobble up absolutely anything, including the veggies his brother refuses. his trademark noise is the lip smack. he smacks 'em when he's hungry, but also when he's tired. he also does this really high-pitched bird noise which is to die for.
the boys are in a great place as far as their relationship goes. we had some issues with ozzy stealing and abie getting upset, but abie has become much more assertive the past few weeks and will stand his ground. they smile and laugh at each other. they hold hands regularly in the stroller or in the shopping cart. they climb on top of one another. and they seem genuinely concerned when their brother is upset. the boys love to run errands with me - they just like being out and about. they definitely get a little stir crazy if they are inside for too long. they also LOVE being outside and are content to just hang out on the blanket or grass laughing at matilda, playing with leaves, or being mesmerized by the wind blowing through the trees. now that's a good life!
in a matter of days, ozzy is zooming around the house, standing on anything and everything, cruising on furniture, and it now takes at least 30 minutes to get him down for a nap because he MUST BE STANDING. and i thought rolling was an obsession for him at 3.5 months. that was nothing! oz continues to be the pickier eater of the two, mainly he declines vegetables. but he's voracious when it comes to his fruit and cereal and has even become adventurous with some finger foods. he can feed himself a "puff" but then gags on it (scary and funny!), and yesterday he tried my lomein noodles and loved them. oz is a bit reserved when it comes to strangers and gives them a skeptical look at first. he quickly warms up and then reaches out for whomever intrigues him. he loves the ladies who do the samples at costco! ozzy is a master raspberry blower and makes really cute, high pitched, "eh, eh" noises. if you imitate him, he'll imitate back and you can have a wild conversation for a few minutes.
where oz is a bit reserved, abie is an absolute flirt. he's more social then all of us combined! he'll smile and coo at strangers and when they stop to talk, he'll wave his arms up and down with the hugest grin you've ever seen. abie is the master at fine motor skills. he's been practicing clapping for a few weeks now and mastered it over the weekend. and it's not just a clap motion - he smacks those hands together and gets a good noise from it! he waves to people and he also has a good pincer grasp. abel is our communicator and will babble on for hours with his mamababararadadas. he LOVES toys that rattle or jingle and will often play with maracas or objects that shake in both hands. he has mastered getting into a sitting position independently and pulls himself to a stand easily from a sit. his crawl is slow and he still does a lot of inch-worming - which is fine by me! i almost think he might start scooting on his butt because he does this funny bobbing action while he's sitting and can really move! abie is a great eater. he's like mikey - he'll gobble up absolutely anything, including the veggies his brother refuses. his trademark noise is the lip smack. he smacks 'em when he's hungry, but also when he's tired. he also does this really high-pitched bird noise which is to die for.
the boys are in a great place as far as their relationship goes. we had some issues with ozzy stealing and abie getting upset, but abie has become much more assertive the past few weeks and will stand his ground. they smile and laugh at each other. they hold hands regularly in the stroller or in the shopping cart. they climb on top of one another. and they seem genuinely concerned when their brother is upset. the boys love to run errands with me - they just like being out and about. they definitely get a little stir crazy if they are inside for too long. they also LOVE being outside and are content to just hang out on the blanket or grass laughing at matilda, playing with leaves, or being mesmerized by the wind blowing through the trees. now that's a good life!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Saturday, October 20, 2007
da toof is in the house!
after an uneventful night, our lil' abie sprouted his first tooth today! it's been so uneventful, in fact, we didn't know it was coming until i caught a glimpse of it cutting the gum yesterday. it's funny because he had more teething symptoms three months ago then recently. goes to show you! we'll post a pic of his stubby white as soon as we can. yay abie!
our nation's capitol
one week ago today we set out for our capitol city adventure. our reason for traveling was my good friend anne's wedding - the anne who swore she would NEVER EVER get married. of course she's been with pete, one out of a handful of the sweetest guys on the planet, for almost 15 years now. she finally caved in and we had to be there to celebrate the occasion. it was an intimate, touching and joyful celebration set in the gorgeous mccrillis gardens in bethesda. here we all are with the beautiful couple:
the next day the couple hosted an awesome picnic at a farm out in the country. the weather couldn't have been more perfect - 70 and not a cloud in the sky - and the boys were thrilled to romp around on the soft grass (our texas grass is a thick, course bermuda variety). ozzy crawled from person to person and used laps and legs as a launch pad for showing off his standing skills. at one point he took off crawling - 10 feet, then 20 and 30 feet away. we couldn't figure out where he was going and then we realized he was chasing his shadow! our wonderful friend jeannie and her family came in from seattle for the festivities and we loved every second we got to spend with them. here's oz-man, jeannie and her beautiful clone (i mean daughter) elise:
monday was jamp-packed with site seeing in d.c. proper. both jordan and i had been to d.c. as kids, but had very little recollection of seeing the monuments. and while we usually take the roads less traveled (and our style is usually to tour the 'hoods instead of the obvious sites), we both felt compelled to see the mall. we were pretty overwhelmed with the, er, monumentality of it all. and the boys received an unprecedented amount of attention. we could hardly walk 5 feet without someone stopping to talk to the boys. and they indulged all their new friends, most of them elder tourists, with their trademark smiles.
the elevator was out at the lincoln memorial so we took turns running the boys up the stairs to see the giant statue. here's jordan's favorite picture - some guy captured j and abie but only managed to get lincoln's feet in the picture!
we took a rest next to the reflecting pool, fed the boys their lunch and gave them some room to move.
next stop was the willard hotel for a delicious al fresco lunch with our friend jamie. the willard boasts so many important moments, including where MLK finished his "i have a dream" speech, as well as where the word "lobbyist" was coined. oz decided it was the perfect spot to practice his table dancing skills.
after lunch we decided to take a drive to mount vernon, the home of george and martha washington. we were blown away with the beauty of the property - doesn't get much better than to hug the potomac. we were less impressed with the plastic ham displayed on george's dining table. the boys loved playing in george's backyard.
the finale to our three perfect days in d.c. was a not-so-perfect 2.5 hour traffic jam on our way back to the hotel and during the boys' bedtime. i did the cardinal sin and took the boys out of their car seats to nurse (not at the same time, don't worry!). we were barely moving so what's the worst that could happen. that and 45 minutes of ridiculous versions of "row, row, row your boat" helped the boys keep it together. we finally made it back to the hotel at 7:30pm, whisked the boys to bed and jordan and i relaxed with a strong caphirina. ahhh...now that's a perfect ending.
the next day the couple hosted an awesome picnic at a farm out in the country. the weather couldn't have been more perfect - 70 and not a cloud in the sky - and the boys were thrilled to romp around on the soft grass (our texas grass is a thick, course bermuda variety). ozzy crawled from person to person and used laps and legs as a launch pad for showing off his standing skills. at one point he took off crawling - 10 feet, then 20 and 30 feet away. we couldn't figure out where he was going and then we realized he was chasing his shadow! our wonderful friend jeannie and her family came in from seattle for the festivities and we loved every second we got to spend with them. here's oz-man, jeannie and her beautiful clone (i mean daughter) elise:
monday was jamp-packed with site seeing in d.c. proper. both jordan and i had been to d.c. as kids, but had very little recollection of seeing the monuments. and while we usually take the roads less traveled (and our style is usually to tour the 'hoods instead of the obvious sites), we both felt compelled to see the mall. we were pretty overwhelmed with the, er, monumentality of it all. and the boys received an unprecedented amount of attention. we could hardly walk 5 feet without someone stopping to talk to the boys. and they indulged all their new friends, most of them elder tourists, with their trademark smiles.
the elevator was out at the lincoln memorial so we took turns running the boys up the stairs to see the giant statue. here's jordan's favorite picture - some guy captured j and abie but only managed to get lincoln's feet in the picture!
we took a rest next to the reflecting pool, fed the boys their lunch and gave them some room to move.
next stop was the willard hotel for a delicious al fresco lunch with our friend jamie. the willard boasts so many important moments, including where MLK finished his "i have a dream" speech, as well as where the word "lobbyist" was coined. oz decided it was the perfect spot to practice his table dancing skills.
after lunch we decided to take a drive to mount vernon, the home of george and martha washington. we were blown away with the beauty of the property - doesn't get much better than to hug the potomac. we were less impressed with the plastic ham displayed on george's dining table. the boys loved playing in george's backyard.
the finale to our three perfect days in d.c. was a not-so-perfect 2.5 hour traffic jam on our way back to the hotel and during the boys' bedtime. i did the cardinal sin and took the boys out of their car seats to nurse (not at the same time, don't worry!). we were barely moving so what's the worst that could happen. that and 45 minutes of ridiculous versions of "row, row, row your boat" helped the boys keep it together. we finally made it back to the hotel at 7:30pm, whisked the boys to bed and jordan and i relaxed with a strong caphirina. ahhh...now that's a perfect ending.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
flying monkeys
last weekend we took a glorious trip to washington d.c. for a friend's wedding. i have to say i was pretty darn concerned about flying with the boys now that they are so mobile. they blew away our expectations and were content as could be both there and back! we were lucky ducks on the way home and had an entire row to ourselves. the boys got a serious kick out of having seats to themselves and took full advantage of the extra room. jordan and i were excited that we nailed our travel set-up. we didn't want the boys to be confined to their car seats in the airport and we wanted to have our side-by-side stroller with us for site seeing in the city, so we bungeed the car seats and bases to the combi stroller and carried the boys in the ergos. it made traveling a breeze! i'll post lots of pics and details from the trip soon. the battery on our digital camera went kaput on our first site in d.c. so we had to buy a disposable and are waiting for the prints. until then - here are the boys having a blast with dad on the plane.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
abie's day
today was a big day for our abie j. he crawled AND he pulled up on me and furniture into a stand! his smile while doing these things is so huge...you can tell how proud of himself he is. with these big changes, the dynamic between him and oz changed instantaneously. oz had been, more or less, bullying abie a bit. he just knew what he wanted and he was able to get it, whether that meant crawling over abie or ripping it out of his hand to get it! abie all of a sudden has become mister assertive and today was crawling and rolling on top of oz man and taking his toys!!! at one point, i reffed a crib wrestling match for about 5 minutes. they are having a blast together, giggling and squealing at one another, and not more than 1 minute after breaking up their match today they were snuggling and laughing.
here is abie getting his crawl on
oz is getting really good at pulling himself into a stand on just about everything. today he discovered he can climb on top of, and over, matilda. you can see that matilda is really bothered by all of this!
here is abie getting his crawl on
oz is getting really good at pulling himself into a stand on just about everything. today he discovered he can climb on top of, and over, matilda. you can see that matilda is really bothered by all of this!
Monday, October 08, 2007
paranoid freak
my subconscious has a nasty way of playing tricks on me. at least once a night - and sometimes twice - i wake up patting the covers, pillows, and even jordan, looking for my babies. i am convinced they are in bed with us and are smothered in the plethora of fluff on our bed. and it's funny because the "fluff" equals a sheet, a blanket and two pillows. but i guess compared to their sparse accommodations consisting of a white fitted sheet and a 12 inch square open knit blanket (SIDS approved, thank you), our bed is pretty darn cozy. each and every time i wake up, the boys are sleeping soundly and silently in their cribs. but every single night (and i mean EVERY NIGHT) my subconscious thinks otherwise. it's starting to annoy poor jordan, and i truly feel bad and apologize profusely when i realize what i'm doing. but honestly, i can't help myself! is this some weird transition my brain is making now that i am a mother? my protective instincts rearing their heads while i'm trying to relax and we're all most vulnerable? am i some kind of paranoid freak?
Sunday, October 07, 2007
last summer hoorah
even though austin can stay balmy throughout the month of october, we took advantage of today to have our last official summer fling. with our family traveling to D.C. next weekend, followed up with halloween, this will probably be our last trip to the neighborhood pool. the boys got all decked out in their board shorts and hawaiian shirts (thanks lee-lee!) and showed everyone how to celebrate the last days of summer in style. sorry to make all you cold weather readers jealous - it was a fantastic 87 degrees today!
oz-man waves goodbye to summer
abie loves the pool!
ozzy scopes out abie's bumble bee, sees his in to snatch
oz scores the bee and abie wonders "what the heck just happened?"
abie gets said bee back and oz busts a move
oz-man waves goodbye to summer
abie loves the pool!
ozzy scopes out abie's bumble bee, sees his in to snatch
oz scores the bee and abie wonders "what the heck just happened?"
abie gets said bee back and oz busts a move
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