me and the boys with anne, amy and andy
my boss larry with ozzy (larry grabs a hold of these babies and just won't let them go - he's the grandfather of 1 year old twins, so has LOTS of experience!)
Friday, June 29, 2007
work
i was intent on going back to work after having the boys, however within minutes of giving birth, jordan and i started talking about how we could make it work for me to stay home. we own a rental property on the other side of town and have put it on the market to supplement my salary for a few years. hooray! i will dearly miss all my friends and colleagues at the texas historical commission, and hope to go back to work when the boys get a bit older and start school. at the beginning of the month, the wonderful folks at the agency threw me a delightful farewell party in the garden of the 19th century building we office out of. i think it was just an excuse to see the boys!
me and the boys with anne, amy and andy
my boss larry with ozzy (larry grabs a hold of these babies and just won't let them go - he's the grandfather of 1 year old twins, so has LOTS of experience!)
me and the boys with anne, amy and andy
my boss larry with ozzy (larry grabs a hold of these babies and just won't let them go - he's the grandfather of 1 year old twins, so has LOTS of experience!)
Thursday, June 28, 2007
happy birthday boys!
the boys turned 5 months yesterday and in celebration we took them to get weighed (i know this won't cut the mustard for b-day celebrations in the future!). for posterity sake, ozzy weighs 13lb 7oz and abie is right behind at 13lb 4oz. i am getting so excited about the prospect of feeding them solids in just one month. we frequently talk about all the delicious things they will try - sweet potato, banana, fresh green peas, apricots, plums, pink lady applesauce - what a gastric delight!
growing up
i feel like every day the boys do something new - or something clicks inside their brains, and all of a sudden they are playing with a toy in a new way or doing something unexpected.
over the past few days, here's how our boys have been developing:
- both boys now mimic me when they see me eating. they make the cutest little mushing/munching motions with their mouth!
- ozzy has taken a keen interest in my glass of water! he watches intently and then grabs the glass and pulls it to his mouth. at first i spoon fed him some water. now i let him drink it right out of the glass and he loves it!
- we put together the exersaucer and the boys are enthralled. they love all the toys, especially pushing the buttons that make the animal noises. i didn't know if they were ready for it and they totally exceeded my expectations. i would show abie once how a toy worked and he would repeat my action immediately. so cool!
- the boys are really aware of matilda now and look for her and even pet/touch her face. they haven't started to laugh at her yet, but i hear from friends that this is soon coming...we can't wait (and neither can mati!). here's oz reaching out for matilda.
- the boys are also propping their feet up on the stroller "bar," which reminds me of being in grade school and wedging my feet up on the seat in front of me on the bus, or putting my feet up on the desk. it's hysterical!
- ozzy is seriously physical and only stays on his back long enough to flip to his tummy. he does push ups, up dogs and is intent on moving himself in all directions. he exclusively sleeps on his belly. abie is very non-chalant about rolling. it's very funny actually because when he does go for it, he'll fake a stretch and hang out munching on his hand. just in case he doesn't make it...he wasn't really trying, anyway!
- peek-a-boo is their absolute favorite game. they laugh their butts off every time. they are also super ticklish on their sides. their favorite sound is a high-pitched kissy noise. i think i am their favorite toy right now. they can amuse themselves forever grabbing my nose and lips, which is a perfect opportunity for me to kiss their hand!
over the past few days, here's how our boys have been developing:
- both boys now mimic me when they see me eating. they make the cutest little mushing/munching motions with their mouth!
- ozzy has taken a keen interest in my glass of water! he watches intently and then grabs the glass and pulls it to his mouth. at first i spoon fed him some water. now i let him drink it right out of the glass and he loves it!
- we put together the exersaucer and the boys are enthralled. they love all the toys, especially pushing the buttons that make the animal noises. i didn't know if they were ready for it and they totally exceeded my expectations. i would show abie once how a toy worked and he would repeat my action immediately. so cool!
- the boys are really aware of matilda now and look for her and even pet/touch her face. they haven't started to laugh at her yet, but i hear from friends that this is soon coming...we can't wait (and neither can mati!). here's oz reaching out for matilda.
- the boys are also propping their feet up on the stroller "bar," which reminds me of being in grade school and wedging my feet up on the seat in front of me on the bus, or putting my feet up on the desk. it's hysterical!
- ozzy is seriously physical and only stays on his back long enough to flip to his tummy. he does push ups, up dogs and is intent on moving himself in all directions. he exclusively sleeps on his belly. abie is very non-chalant about rolling. it's very funny actually because when he does go for it, he'll fake a stretch and hang out munching on his hand. just in case he doesn't make it...he wasn't really trying, anyway!
- peek-a-boo is their absolute favorite game. they laugh their butts off every time. they are also super ticklish on their sides. their favorite sound is a high-pitched kissy noise. i think i am their favorite toy right now. they can amuse themselves forever grabbing my nose and lips, which is a perfect opportunity for me to kiss their hand!
Friday, June 22, 2007
adios
we did it! we officially eliminated the middle of the night feed for the boys. it was becoming ridiculous, waking them up at 2am to feed them a few ounces, all of us in a sleepy daze. so we decided to give cold turkey a try last night and low and behold...the boys slept right through it and continued to sleep until their usual 6am wake up time. now that's some glorious sleep!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
father's day love
j taking the boys on a tandem bjorn walk! abel shows off his guns.
ozzy delighting in his cobra. you should see his full-on up dog!
abie and dad
ozzy delighting in his cobra. you should see his full-on up dog!
abie and dad
Thursday, June 14, 2007
nanna nan
the boys spent a glorious week with their nanna nan who visited from chicago. nanna had them in stitches most of the day with her crazy antics, funny facial expressions, kissy noises and nursery rhymes. we took the boys out to eat a few times, went on lots of walks, did some shopping, but most of all we played, played, played! we were all very sad when nanna left.
summer fun!
the boys took to the pool in true aquarious fashion! now i just need to figure out how to take them swimming by myself. hmmm...whoever comes up with the best idea gets a snow cone!
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
rolly-poly
oz finally gave us a roll on his gym! when he gets on his belly now, he tries to get his knees underneath. uh oh, i wonder when this kiddo is going to figure the crawling thing out.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
ozzy roles!
when i went in to check on them during their nap, i found ozzy sleeping on his stomach. he did it! way to go ozzy! now maybe you'll actually sleep during your naps, instead of being obsessed with getting to your tummy. i only wish i had seen the first one, but i know there will be lots of rolls for us to witness in the coming days.
Friday, June 01, 2007
out takes
call it the special features section of the blog! here's a handful pics that just didn't make the cut, but keep us roaring.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
four month factoids
here are some basics about the boys at 4 months:
- ozzy weighs: 12lb 8oz abel weighs: 12lb 4oz
- amount of milk they get each feed: 4 - 5 oz
(i know this because i have been a paranoid freak when it comes to breastfeeding and them getting enough. we rented a scale this week that measures by the tenth of an ounce. i can even measure how much comes up with a spit up - gross i know, but this is what happens when you become a parent. btw, for all the parents out there w/ spituppy kiddos, a humungous spit up is about a 1/4 of an ounce, so you have nothing to worry about)
- number of times they eat each day: 6 or 7
- average length of time they nurse each feed: 10 minutes
(btw, nursing has become a pleasure for the three of us. we are back to tandem feeding and have become fast and efficient. i can't believe we made it to 4 months...it's going so well, i may have to revise my 6 mo. goal!)
- number of hours they sleep each night: 11
- number of hours they sleep each day: it's anybody's guess, these boys fight naps like it's their mortal enemy
- number of times we bounce them on the yoga ball to soothe them/help get them sleepy: at least 3 times
- number of times a day we get in the car to take an afternoon emergency power nap: 1
ozzy is "this close" to rolling from back to front. he arches hard and gets to his side with his hips all the way turned to the front. it's the arm that gets in his way, but i think he'll figure it out in a week or so. abie started the arch a while ago, but i guess lost interest in pursuing it the way ozzy has. oz practices in his crib, every time he's on the play gym, etc. it's a compulsive thing for him and he won't rest until he gets it!
abie had his first swim yesterday at deep eddy, a natural spring fed pool that's on town lake. the water was COLD, so i wasn't sure how he'd react. he loved it! i kept him close to my chest with arms around him and he wasn't fazed the least. and he looked super cute in his board shorts! ozzy napped the whole time we were there, which was a good thing because i wasn't sure how i would manage two in the pool. i actually had my mesh sling with me, thinking i could wear ozzy and hold abie...maybe another day.
they are both talking so much now, babbling to their hanging animals on the play gym for sometimes 15 minutes. they love to rough house with mom and dad and giggle up a storm when we "rawr" at them while tickling their tummies. they both are enchanted by the outdoors and immediately settle when we take a walk in the stroller, in the bjorn, go for a car ride, or just sit them in front of the window.
they also recognize each other all the time now, which has become a bit of a distraction for them while nursing. they stare at each other and then start smiling and cooing. ozzy seems particularly interested in abie and talks to him all the time, as well as grabs his hand and arm and pulls himself over to face him.
we think they are teething; they are drooling A LOT and naw on things, especially our knuckles, at every opportunity. we do sit ups and squat exercises throughout the day, where i pull them up by their hands to a sit position and then they push themselves up to a stand. they absolutely love to be on their feet and have really strong legs, but we're trying to emphasize belly time and sitting first.
we love our lives with these boys!!! i honestly can't imagine being any happier or more in love.
- ozzy weighs: 12lb 8oz abel weighs: 12lb 4oz
- amount of milk they get each feed: 4 - 5 oz
(i know this because i have been a paranoid freak when it comes to breastfeeding and them getting enough. we rented a scale this week that measures by the tenth of an ounce. i can even measure how much comes up with a spit up - gross i know, but this is what happens when you become a parent. btw, for all the parents out there w/ spituppy kiddos, a humungous spit up is about a 1/4 of an ounce, so you have nothing to worry about)
- number of times they eat each day: 6 or 7
- average length of time they nurse each feed: 10 minutes
(btw, nursing has become a pleasure for the three of us. we are back to tandem feeding and have become fast and efficient. i can't believe we made it to 4 months...it's going so well, i may have to revise my 6 mo. goal!)
- number of hours they sleep each night: 11
- number of hours they sleep each day: it's anybody's guess, these boys fight naps like it's their mortal enemy
- number of times we bounce them on the yoga ball to soothe them/help get them sleepy: at least 3 times
- number of times a day we get in the car to take an afternoon emergency power nap: 1
ozzy is "this close" to rolling from back to front. he arches hard and gets to his side with his hips all the way turned to the front. it's the arm that gets in his way, but i think he'll figure it out in a week or so. abie started the arch a while ago, but i guess lost interest in pursuing it the way ozzy has. oz practices in his crib, every time he's on the play gym, etc. it's a compulsive thing for him and he won't rest until he gets it!
abie had his first swim yesterday at deep eddy, a natural spring fed pool that's on town lake. the water was COLD, so i wasn't sure how he'd react. he loved it! i kept him close to my chest with arms around him and he wasn't fazed the least. and he looked super cute in his board shorts! ozzy napped the whole time we were there, which was a good thing because i wasn't sure how i would manage two in the pool. i actually had my mesh sling with me, thinking i could wear ozzy and hold abie...maybe another day.
they are both talking so much now, babbling to their hanging animals on the play gym for sometimes 15 minutes. they love to rough house with mom and dad and giggle up a storm when we "rawr" at them while tickling their tummies. they both are enchanted by the outdoors and immediately settle when we take a walk in the stroller, in the bjorn, go for a car ride, or just sit them in front of the window.
they also recognize each other all the time now, which has become a bit of a distraction for them while nursing. they stare at each other and then start smiling and cooing. ozzy seems particularly interested in abie and talks to him all the time, as well as grabs his hand and arm and pulls himself over to face him.
we think they are teething; they are drooling A LOT and naw on things, especially our knuckles, at every opportunity. we do sit ups and squat exercises throughout the day, where i pull them up by their hands to a sit position and then they push themselves up to a stand. they absolutely love to be on their feet and have really strong legs, but we're trying to emphasize belly time and sitting first.
we love our lives with these boys!!! i honestly can't imagine being any happier or more in love.
Friday, May 25, 2007
abel cracks up
this was taken a few weeks back when my brother was here. mark had abel in stiches, which is not hard to do most of the time!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
time
the boys will be four months old this sunday. well, that's four months to the date of their birth - the 27th. they already hit the 16 week mark last weekend, but calendar time and weeks old time (translated into months) don't quite coincide, and i never know which one to actually use. i guess it really doesn't matter, except when someone asks me how old they are and i accidentally say two weeks younger then they actually are. time certainly does fly.
i met a new friend in our neighborhood who has a 4 week old boy. it's great having a walking partner during the day, another adult companion to swap stories, laugh and kavetch about motherhood and other things. i love sqwaking to the boys about anything and everything during our walks, but it's nice to have a compadre. tonight we went for a walk and her boy had a melt down mid-way. it brought me back to 3 months ago, when motherhood felt a lot more uncertain - is he too warm/too cold? is he hungry? maybe a wet diaper? does he not like the stroller? too windy? and then desperation sets in and your heart breaks because your baby's cry has turned into a high pitched quivering wail. i felt like a seasoned pro during this episode, offering her my best suggestions and my calmest energy. and not that i am a seasoned pro by any means. it's just that so much happens in 3 months. you learn so much about your baby(ies), what makes them tick, how to soothe them, etc. you also learn so much about yourself and how best to handle situations. and they learn so much about being in this world. it seems like just yesterday, and yet an eternity away, that my boys were this young. and i loved the time that they were so small and precious. but it's a whole different ball game now that we smile and giggle at eachother, have coo conversations, go for long walks where they are mesmerized by the world around them, etc.
every day they do something that amazes me. today ozzy spent 10 minutes smiling and giggling at himself in the mirror while on his tummy (i think we finally found the key to making tummy time enjoyable for him!). he also grabbed the rattle with both hands and spun the rings around to make it sound. abel rolled from his back to his side yesterday and spins around each night in his crib so that his head ends up where his feet were. they both have been sleeping 11 hour nights for a week now and we can lay them in their cribs awake at bedtime and they put themselves to sleep within 10 minutes - no crying at all! the nursing challenges i struggled with seem like a distant memory, even though it's only been a week since the improvements started. i actually enjoy breastfeeding these munchkins now! my motto of "it changes as fast as it changes" never lets me down.
so at four months we find ourselves in a very good place and i look forward to every new day with my family - my incredible and loving husband, two healthy and happy boys, the sweetest dog in the world, and even a quirky cat i have grown to love. time is an amazing thing.
i met a new friend in our neighborhood who has a 4 week old boy. it's great having a walking partner during the day, another adult companion to swap stories, laugh and kavetch about motherhood and other things. i love sqwaking to the boys about anything and everything during our walks, but it's nice to have a compadre. tonight we went for a walk and her boy had a melt down mid-way. it brought me back to 3 months ago, when motherhood felt a lot more uncertain - is he too warm/too cold? is he hungry? maybe a wet diaper? does he not like the stroller? too windy? and then desperation sets in and your heart breaks because your baby's cry has turned into a high pitched quivering wail. i felt like a seasoned pro during this episode, offering her my best suggestions and my calmest energy. and not that i am a seasoned pro by any means. it's just that so much happens in 3 months. you learn so much about your baby(ies), what makes them tick, how to soothe them, etc. you also learn so much about yourself and how best to handle situations. and they learn so much about being in this world. it seems like just yesterday, and yet an eternity away, that my boys were this young. and i loved the time that they were so small and precious. but it's a whole different ball game now that we smile and giggle at eachother, have coo conversations, go for long walks where they are mesmerized by the world around them, etc.
every day they do something that amazes me. today ozzy spent 10 minutes smiling and giggling at himself in the mirror while on his tummy (i think we finally found the key to making tummy time enjoyable for him!). he also grabbed the rattle with both hands and spun the rings around to make it sound. abel rolled from his back to his side yesterday and spins around each night in his crib so that his head ends up where his feet were. they both have been sleeping 11 hour nights for a week now and we can lay them in their cribs awake at bedtime and they put themselves to sleep within 10 minutes - no crying at all! the nursing challenges i struggled with seem like a distant memory, even though it's only been a week since the improvements started. i actually enjoy breastfeeding these munchkins now! my motto of "it changes as fast as it changes" never lets me down.
so at four months we find ourselves in a very good place and i look forward to every new day with my family - my incredible and loving husband, two healthy and happy boys, the sweetest dog in the world, and even a quirky cat i have grown to love. time is an amazing thing.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
sleep update update
j and i toasted to ferber tonight. it's that good. last night and tonight the boys went down with ease. not a peep from ozzy both nights and he was sound asleep within minutes. abie fussed for a few minutes, which turned into talking for a minute, which turned into sleep. 5 minutes tops for both of them to reach dreamland. since we started doing this, the boys are eating like champs and napping better. my breastfeeding challenges from the past few weeks have all but vanished and they are back to tandem nursing. they aren't even spitting up as much! it makes me think that all along they may have been sleep deprived.
we love sleeping babies!!!
we love sleeping babies!!!
Friday, May 18, 2007
mother's day bliss
what a priveledge for me to spend my first mother's day with my mom on her 39th. it's really something to take a step back and witness how your mom has influenced you becoming a mother - your style, disposition, how you handle difficult situations. jordan said to me recently how much of my mom he sees in me. i've always been compared to my dad in both personality and looks, but i think now more than ever i'm taking on my mom, which is such an honor for me. when i think of my mom i think of unconditional love, complete generosity and giving of her joy and spirit, a groundedness to her actions, a calm, sensitive anf patient soul. i also think of the fun we always had growing up - just going to the grocery store was an adventure. if i can be even a little bit of these things to our boys, i'll consider it a success.
grandma and the boys
and w/ ozzy
we spent this special day with my sis-in-law at the crossings spa, while mark and jordan were with the boys. it was a gorgeous day and we hiked, swam in the infinity pool overlooking the balcones canyonland and lake travis, and had amazing massages. i got a watsu, which is a water massage. it was a transforming experience, a dance in the water. the woman who gave me this experience, judy, is a true artist and healer and this is her gift to the world. everyone should have the priveledge of this experience...the world would be a different place.
pure relaxation!
grandma and the boys
and w/ ozzy
we spent this special day with my sis-in-law at the crossings spa, while mark and jordan were with the boys. it was a gorgeous day and we hiked, swam in the infinity pool overlooking the balcones canyonland and lake travis, and had amazing massages. i got a watsu, which is a water massage. it was a transforming experience, a dance in the water. the woman who gave me this experience, judy, is a true artist and healer and this is her gift to the world. everyone should have the priveledge of this experience...the world would be a different place.
pure relaxation!
family
this week and last was full of family. my mom came in on her birthday last week and my bro and sis-in-law came in from minnesota over the weekend to meet the boys for the first time. it was so much fun having the boys meet their uncle and aunt. mark had the boys in hysterics most of the time and laura had a wonderful calming energy and had these spirited boys sleeping for their naps in no time.
here mark and laura take the boys for a walk with matilda and give mom an awesome hour to take a bath and relax!
here mark and laura take the boys for a walk with matilda and give mom an awesome hour to take a bath and relax!
sleep update!
holy cow was last night awesome. abie stayed a textbook case and woke up in 7 hours to eat. but the oz-man slept for 9.5 hours!!! now i'd say that's sleeping thru the night by anyone's definition. we'll see if this was just a fluke or if oz is truly a sleeping prodigy like his mom. go oz go!
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