splendor in the trash

i thought it would be a nice start to the day to relax outside in the front yard with the boys. you know, we could lay on a big blanket, stare up at the clouds and listen to the birds and wind whistling through the leaves. i failed to remember that today was trash day, but that proved to be even better! the garbage and recycling trucks were making their rounds in front of our house just minutes after we got settled. the boys were enthralled! and an added bonus of being out front with your two babies when the garbage men come is that they bring your bins back to your garage for you!

sweet as abel

abel is pure sugar. he smiles with his sparkley eyes and your heart bursts. he's known to capture audiences with his smiles, laughs and chirps wherever we go - last weekend it was at banana republic and the store was circled around the stroller. of course it helps when his bro is smiling and talking like a teradactyl! we like to call abie our ham bone - social butterfly is more like it.

abie has a rather deep voice but he manages these sweet high pithed noises like a little bird. again...heart-busting. patient and understanding, abie will play quietly on his gym or in his exersaucer while i attend to other business. this boy LOVES his mobile and will often forego naps to tug at the hanging animals. he also is a happy boy in the kiddie pool and will bounce from one end to the other, delighted that he can touch the bottom and walk! i think abie might walk before ozzy because this boy is all about standing. he tries to use the arches of the play gym to pull himself up but is much more successful when he cruises on the outside of the exersaucer. abie sits well unassisted and is quickly catching up to ozzy on the crawling front.

abel is a total snuggle bunny. for awhile he was waking up around 4am to nurse in bed with me and then fall asleep snuggled in the crook of my arm. he has some interesting ways to soothe himself - who needs a binkie or a thumb when you've got dad's goatee or your own feet! abie is one tactile fellow. we often catch him lost in dreamland caressing the pillow, the grass or the blanket.



abie loves to eat and has an impressive "open wide." i do fun choo-choo train and airplane noises with the spoon just for the heck of it, but it's never necessary! abie is all about horsing around and is beside himself with joy when we do "super baby" with him and hold him upside down. in fact, he just likes being being upside down in general and will often hang out draped over my lap with his head dangling.

jordan discovered abie's most ticklish spot - his quads! we love to tickle this little monkey and just about any typical spot will get him going. and we love to get him laughing in anticipation. just looking at him and wiggling your fingers will set him off into hysterics.

we called this boy "stable abel" in utero as he was steadily head down, and while he certainly moved a lot, he never did the full-on somersaults and butt thrusts that his brother was known for. he continues to be our rock at seven months, always comforting ozzy when he's upset with a hand on his shoulder or head - he's just beyond sweet!

the land of oz

ozzy lounging around at 7 months


at seven months our ozzy has fully reverted back to the personality we witnessed in utero. squirmy, wiggly and always on the move, oskar knows what he wants and how to get it. he is always looking all around, wanting to know what is going on and how he can get in on the action. he loves whatever abie has, and grabs toys, blankets and binkies from him. good thing abie is pretty patient and rarely complains.

ozzy's favorite activity continues to be the bucking bronco. he gets on all fours and bucks away with a huge smile on his face. after about 5 minutes that smile turns to some frustration as he realizes all that bucking isn't transporting him anywhere! we definitely thought he'd be crawling by now, given the fact he's been doing the bronco for over a month now.

oz sits very well and doesn't need any assistance. we stay close by just in case he decides to flop over, but he can usually hang out and play with toys, etc. for a good 10 - 15 minutes before he gets tired. sometimes he cheats and hangs on to the arches of the play gym as he bats and pulls the hanging toys. at least we know our brawny boy has brains to match! we are also now bathing oz in a sitting position and he loves to splash. the more water he can get onto abie's face, the better!



from day one this boy has been an eating machine. he moans and groans and basically wants me to shovel food into his mouth. he takes huge bites and can finish off two bowls of oatmeal with some mango or squash in a flash. he likes just about everything, well, er, except for peas which made him gag...literally. he also wants to eat/drink anything that we are consuming at the moment. he MUST drink from the water glass when we have a glass in hand, and yesterday he tried to inhale my asian pear.



in juxtapose to all his gumption, ozzy also has a very soft, tender and mellow side. he sleeps so easily at night, probably due to all the horsing around during the day. he's out for a solid 11 hours and then typically will wake up to refuel and go down for another hour or so. he smiles and coos at me when he nurses, and sometimes bursts out with belly laughs - it's the best! and once oz gets going, then abie is soon to follow. then eating becomes, well, an afterthought. ozzy is super ticklish on his sides and it doesn't take much to get this guy roaring. even just looking at him in a funny way will do it!

i've noticed ozzy is a little bit clingy with me and slightly suspicious of strangers. he holds on tight to my shoulders and chest when i carry him around and he reaches for me all the time, even when his daddy is holding him. he loves to look at and play w/ books - it's definitely one of his favorite activities. he's also completely taken with matilda and reaches out for her all the time. when he's upset or fussy, it's mati to the rescue! she's become the best nanny for the boys...no one can distract them better.

this is a new one

i just put the boys down for their afternoon nap and they are in their cribs laughing hysterically! usually they just go down without much noise, maybe a little fussing or talking, and sometimes some crying. but laughing...now that's a new one. i wish i knew what is so funny!

ozzy and mati having a staring contest

abie hangin' out on his gym

abie in his polar bear towel after his bath

on the mat

ozzy contemplating his next move

and it happens to be a push up

abie hamming it up as usual

aerial view

goal!

it's hard for me to believe that i've been breastfeeding the boys for over 6 months now. originally i set short term goals - one month at a time - and once we got to 4 months i upped the ante to 6. breastfeeding was such a challenge for us all that i truly didn't think we would make it past 4 months. endless pumping, EBM supplements, unhappy feedings (sometimes i would have to nurse them while bouncing on an exercise ball!). but something clicked just as we met our first goal and since then, nursing them has been a pleasure. now it seems like old hat, we're all so good at it!

i was always constantly worried about how much they were taking in, how much i was producing, etc. it feels so good to not have to think about that anymore. i know they are thriving and that i am giving them/they are taking exactly what they need. we still give them a bottle of formula before bed, mainly because now it is part of our routine and, quite frankly, it gives me a little break from boob circus (anyone who has ever witnessed tandem feeding with, let's just say, less-than-focused 6 mo. olds, you'll know what i mean). and now i only pump once before going to bed!

the boys always hold onto each other when they nurse, either holding hands or grabbing each other's arms or face. they smile, laugh and talk to each other. they smile, laugh and talk to me (and j when he's in the room). it's truly one of the most endearing times to interact with them. and while i do nurse them separately on occasion, and i do enjoy the ease and simplicity of it, i have to say we all do a lot better together.

my new goal is a year...or whenever the boys naturally wean themselves. i can honestly say that nursing these guys has been one of the most challenging things i have every done...but now i am definitely feeling all the rewards!

weights & measures

the boys had their 6 mo. check up today (i know, we're a lil' late) and here's how they fared:

abie weighs in at 15lb 2oz and is 25.5 inches tall.
ozzy weighs in at 15lb 6oz and is 25 inches tall.

yay boys for breaking the 15 lb barrier and for tripling your birth weights! doc hudson pronounced the boys very healthy and noted their very muscular legs. all the boys wanted to do was grab his stethescope and eye/ear/throat light thingy. he was impressed with all the food that they eat (since our last post, we've added pears, apples, parsnips and butternut squash to their repertoire), and he suggested also feeding them some wild caught fish and whole grains. he basically equated feeding infants to what we would think a caveman would eat...interesting concept. they also got their shots and took 'em like troopers. i was pretty worried what adding shots to the teething mix would look like, but i have to say today was a great day! abie had a two hour nap and we spent the afternoon at the dell children's museum with rachel and anwen. fun, fun!

strange days

we have officially entered the land of teething.

this past week has proven to be amongst the strangest we've experienced so far. abie refused to eat anything for two days - no nursing, bottle, solids, nothing. he was really lethargic and sleepy and just generally zoned out. i guess the boy copes with pain by turning inwards.

we see his bottom front teeth making their way up and out; they look like two little specks of rice! his appetite is back now and voracious as ever, but he's now joined his brother in their boycotting of all things related to naps. after months of working with them to be better nappers, we had just gotten to a really good place. three solid naps a day, some of them up to 2 hours, no fussing going down. it was truly a beautiful thing. well now we're lucky to get 20 minutes out of them and they act like we're putting them in a torture device when we lay them in their cribs. yesterday they slept a whopping hour...total!

the good news is that they are generally in good spirits during the day as long as they are occupied w/ toys, outings, or me making silly noises. the bad news is that i no longer get those nice breaks during the day to rest and rejuvinate myself. ozzy is at least sleeping through the night still (6:30pm - 5:30am straight) - the boy is a machine! abie hasn't fared so well and is getting up anywhere from 2 to 4am to nurse and fall asleep snuggling with me.

this recent "situation" has me thinking a lot about teeth in general. i wonder if teeth are really that important after all? really - it hurts like the dickens to get them, once you've got them you have to take really good care of them or else they cause you a lot of pain and money, and then you end up losing them anyways! i realize from an evolutionary perspective how important they are - grinding grains with the molars, tearing meat apart with sharp incisors, etc. but since i've been making the boys yummy pureed conconctions, would it be so bad to have a diet of velvety mangos and squash? with the advent of the cuisinart and the new wave of "scientific" cooking (see alinea - my favorite is duck on a pillow of lavender air!), maybe we could avoid all of this teeth trauma and live gummily ever after?

nah! then we'd miss out on all those adorable bottom teeth grins!

When Mommy's away, the boys (and Dad) will play...

Hello everyone, this is Jordan... Yes, this is only my second contribution to the blog since Tra started it. On Saturdays and Sundays, I give her a break while she goes to yoga, and the boys and I get to create some trouble. Lately, Mr. Abel likes to make fart noises while Mr. Ozman enjoys imitating Teradacktyls. Anyway, the following clip is of Ozzy letting everyone know what is on his mind. Abel does get some air time with his killer smile. Anyway, enjoy our conversation (and I apologize ahead of time for the pitch of my voice... amazing what babies will do to you).

the more things change

abie and ozzy at just a few weeks. oz on left, abie on right:





the boys at 6 months and a week. abie on left:



and now ozzy on left:

and the winner is...

these past few weeks we've had more fun trying new taste delights. the boys eat about a half a cup of oatmeal each and then the real yummies begin. so far the boys love peaches, bananas and sweet potates. they hate avocado, which i was pretty bummed about but we'll try it again in a little while. by far their favorite, by a long shot, is mango. it's my favorite, too. who wouldn't love the sweet yet tangy flavor, the ultra rich/smooth texture, the beautiful bright orange color. and it's packed with vit a! it's the perfect baby food - and mama food, too. after all, it's two bites for them, one bite for me!

he's got legs

cousin holly in san fran sent the boys the coolest baby legs (aka leg warmers) and snoopy onesies in honor of their 1/2 birthday. here's abie sporting his new snoopy meets zz top outfit:

aunts

growing up, i had a few "aunts" (and "uncles") that weren't the blood-related variety, but rather very close friends of my parents. these folks were incredibly special to me as a child, and even more so now that i am an adult (is that what i am now?!). we are carrying on this tradition for our boys with four very special "aunts." auntie d came to visit from dallas this past weekend and auntie annie came over to celebrate the boys 1/2 year birthday (and her 36.5 year birthday - yes, they were all born on the same special day!).

oz with auntie annie:



abie with auntie d:



aunt brandy lives in chicago and the boys miss her and uncle e.d. very much. here they all are when the boys were a mere 3 months old:



aunt dana and uncle mark (and cuz jakey) haven't met the boys yet, but we can't wait for our trip to chicago over christmas to see them!

livin' free

we normally don't have our boys crawling around naked, but with the introduction of solids we've had some abnormally large "poosplosions" that we've had to change on the fly. today was one of those days where we had to immediately get ozzy's yucked-up clothes off. of course, before i could even get another diaper on him he was off and running. he was so ecstatic to be au natural, we let him go with it for a while. sorry oz, this one might come back to haunt you in, say, 15 years or so.

matilda

the boys are fascinated with matilda these days. they crack up at her when she catches her toy mid-air, when she gallop runs on our walks, or for no reason at all. when she comes within a few feet on them they immediately reach their arms out for her and they love to pet her face and grab her gums. we like to refer to her as the "gentle giant." she just sits or lays there and let's them pull, grab and pinch. yesterday, oskar moved himself off the mat and next to her and mati took the opportunity to snuggle up on his butt. so sweet!

so close!

the oz-man is sooo close to crawling. i really have to keep my eyes on him because i know it's going to happen any moment and i don't want to miss it! abie is content to hang out and watch his bro experiment with all this. he studies what works/what doesn't, and i know in a few weeks he'll whip out a technically perfect crawl (that's how it worked for the roll). so one's got the brains and one's got the brawn...until next month when they switch it up on us!

here's the evolution of oskar's crawl. it starts with the cobra/up dog:



then moves to a full push up position:



and finally the knees go underneath and he launches (i didn't catch the subsequent face plant!):

an affair to remember

today i was laying on the "mat" (i.e. quilt on the floor) with the boys and abie turned to face me and started giving me the sweetest smiles and coos. he then ever so gently started touching my lips with his little fingers, which of course i lavished kisses on. and then i looked over his shoulder to find ozzy on his hands and knees peering down on us, just smiling away. and part of me felt a little guilty. like i was having an affair with abel and oskar had caught us in the act. but the oz-man was so happy and gracious; he didn't mind at all. i still felt guilty though. i guess as a mom of twins, it's just something i'm going to have to get over.

laughing

today i was reading "polar bear, polar bear, what do you hear" and oskar nearly bust his gut laughing so hard. i have no idea what was so funny - animal sounds are definitely not my main talent. but for whatever reason, it was the funniest thing oskar had ever heard. abie and ozzy both crack up when i say "z-z-z-ZEBRA!" they just love how it sounds. the best, however, is when we do quick, repetitive kisses to their cheeks or behind their ears. we're talking insane belly laughs.

mmm...mmm...good!

we were going to wait until the boys officially turned 6 months next friday to start the solids adventure but, let's just say my impatience got the best of me. so today was the day and boy was it fun! we decided to start with oatmeal mixed w/ breastmilk, as we didn't want to introduce anything that might stop them up

we started with abie and he had the quintessential response to new food - "what the heck just landed in my mouth!" he kept opening wide, though, and even though most of the food was pushed right back out, he was terrific.



then came ozzy. this boy was born to eat! he was an old pro, opening wide, taking it all in and swallowing right away. he just wanted more and more and even tried to grab the bowl out of my hands. and oh, the smiles. eating was pure bliss for this lil' guy.




i was extremely excited to start feeding these guys food-food and they did not disappoint. i'm already planning for tomorrow and can't wait to do it again! just think...sweet potatoes, avocados, peaches...oh my!