17 Months Old & Learning to Talk

Another 3 months behind us.... And it only gets better!!
C and L are like two kittens, constantly chasing each other around in the part of the house we have blocked off by furniture and gates to keep them safe. One follows the other within seconds of the first one leaving. I love how close they are... and they really do appear to have their own language because they babble constantly and try to imitate us and sounds they head (vacuum cleaner, airplane, Chaser, etc).

Last week, they learned where their belly buttons are and they both have been coming up to adults and lifting the bottoms of our shirts to look at our belly buttons. Mine is especially interesting because of the navel ring that Logan really loves to point at with a curious look on his face.

Carter has been obsessed with wolves and howling like a wolf. He even howls "auuu auuu" when we wants a toy, instead of his usual whine. I even turned on a documentary on wolves for him and he and Logan both sat there watching it, completely engaged.

Logan has been saying "moon" very clearly (first clear word?) and pointing outside and also pointing at both, the sun and the moon, in their books. He thinks anything bright and rounded is a moon. So adorable!

They seem to know what parts of their face are called in Russian and in English and can point at them! This is a REALLY fun age.... 

13.5 Months... All Those Firsts!!

Admittedly, I have been a bad mommy blogger! I thought about checking in here more often than had the time to write a few lines of text. But the last 3 months have truly been the most fun and the most busy months with Carter and Logan. Their 1^st Birthday party, their 1^st beach trip, their 1^st real cold along with fever (and congestion that’s still lingering here for the 3^rd week!), their 1^st words, their 1^st steps…. I get to share all that in one post instead of capturing the daily excitement of those firsts…

Carter is now a proud owner of 6 teeth (4 upper, 2 lower), runs everywhere, squats to pick up toys, says “mama” and learning to say “baby” (though it comes out more as “bay”..pause…”bee”)… Today he learned how to climb onto the couch, grabbed the remote and ran over to the TV and pointed it expectantly. He also waves hi and bye. Before I step out of their room, I wave to them “bye-bye”, kiss them, and tell them I love them. Carter waves back… He can also release balls into this pipe in a ball-shooting toy. He has seen me do it & repeated.

And today, instead of smiling, Logan waved back at me too. He also took 7 steps!! So close to walking too. But he just gets SO excited that he is walking, that he starts laughing and gets all wobbly, planting on his butt. Logan is lot more chatty that Carter lately. He sings. He plays independently for a longer amount of time, without needing to be acknowledged. He loves our cats and is very gently with them – smiles super wide and giggles when we spot a kitty cat. He has 3 upper teeth and 2 lower. The 6^th one is on the way…. He surpassed Carter in drinking from an open cup and LOVES it. Carter will blow bubbles and laugh, but Logan legitimately likes drinking from a cup. He is so cute… He also chews food very thoroughly. Oh! And today he also bit Carter for the first time (first time anyone's bit anyone else!) - there is am imprint of all 5 chompers on C's elbow.

Both love each other – giggle and smile together from their cribs at me and at each other when I leave the room. Monkey see, monkey do! One does something and the other repeats it. Both love books and listening to stories. The “touch and feel” books with different textures are so awesome – they love to look at pictures and have their index fingers ready to go when I tell them “feel it”. “Feel how fussy the bunny is”, “feel how soft the sheep is”, “what does the sheep say?”…. this is our daily conversation.

This is the best age! They are so sweet and all ours. I am in love....I am.

Almost 10 Months!

Wow, what a month it has been as far as development goes! C and L learned to stand and are learning to cruise – it’s happening way faster than I ever thought it would. Crawling alone is now “boring” to them. They are both so observant and inquisitive. Just this morning, they were both holding on to the edge of the activity table while standing and Carter noticed that Logan had ears and proceeded to try and fit his index finger in L’s ear and then pulled on it. Logan squealed and I had to interfere. So funny! A world is full of wonder for them – what an amazing age it is!

Before bed, they both stand in their cribs across from each other in the room, and babble while
“making music” on the edge of the crib. Both are learning what “no” means because the curtain and the baby monitor cables by their cribs present a temptation as far as something they can pull on. Carter has been at it for a week now, where he stands by that edge of the crib and goes for the curtain while I firmly say from the back of the room “Kisa, NO”. He looks back at me while holding the curtain, pauses, and giggles mischievously.  Logan just figured how to yank on the baby monitor cable this morning and proceeded to test his boundaries too. They just can’t get enough of my nerves! Must push all limits.

On Monday, when the maids came, Logan got all upset at the new faces as he usually does and at the vacuum cleaner, which also happens to be a sound he probably associates with strangers. He cried so hard and so sad, like we had sold all his toys to the enemy. :)

Although Logan won the tooth race and got his 2 bottom teeth first, Carter was not too far behind and now has his 2 bottom teeth too. Both of them are starting to get hair elsewhere on their heads besides just the Mohawk, which looks so cool. I joke “they were born cool”. 

Crawling… Carter is faster and more efficient but he has been crawling for a longer amount of time than Logan. L crawls well, but he stomps with his hands that seem to point inward, almost at each other. He looks like a dinosaur when he crawls…. When they play together, someone always has to push the other one or to pull on hair or try to gauge an eye out. Boys are gonna be boys, I am learning.

Sleep is still the most desired commodity in the house. M and I take turns getting up to soothe Carter. Logan rarely requires anything at all, but Carter is a very wakeful sleeper. A paci, a blanket, a few seconds of attention because he is in between sleep cycles… you name it. I wish he slept as deep as L…. I type this as I sit on a plane to Chicago – my first business trip since they were born. M and I agreed that I would get up for every cry last night since I will get 2 nights of uninterrupted sleep in Chicago while M will hold down the fort at home solo. Well, I counted and I was up a whopping 14 times last night! So, I sure hope M will get at least some sleep while mommy is on the road. I will miss those boys and miss carrying for them even in those middle-of-the-night-awake-like-a-zombie moments. 

I am ending my pumping career. It’s been nearly 10 months and still about a month worth of goods in the freezer. Looking forward to relief and the normality of MY life returning to a small extent. I have done my part, providing most valuable nutrition for them and preventing a slew of diseases by lending my immune system to them via antibodies.

Now, my hope is for the boys to get better at eating solids. I really hope that they will learn to love feeding themselves soon, so we can try to transition them to finger foods and eventually table foods…  

Lastly, just another “snippet” of a memory from the week’s daily grind. M and I carried the boys to the window sill where Zoey (the cat) sat nonchalantly and enjoyed the fresh outdoor air after the rain. We allowed C and L to pet her, to feel how fuzzy she is and they squealed with joy. You could see the hesitation in her eyes – while enjoying the much lacking attention and love, she was startled by the unusually high pitched sounds that humans can make. Funny stuff! Priceless…. Love my life.

9 months, 1 week old...

Again I am guilty of not writing enough... This has been a HUGE month for us, in terms of development! Carter started sitting and crawling at 8.5 months and now at 9, he stands up on his own and starting to cruise (walking while holding on to stuff). Logan is crawling and gets into the "downward dog" all the time; still learning to sit.  Both of them had their 9 month check in and passed hearing screen and a separate eye exam (prematurity requires these) at the optometrist. I am thrilled about how well they are doing... Both babble, laugh at each other, and get into everything. Mike and I gated off a room downstairs that we call the "baby jail" - just 2 couches, a colorful foam mat, and lots of toys. They also love getting in their walkers and running all over the downstairs, bumping into things. Its so tough to keep up with them both!! I break a major sweat just in the short couple hours that I am with them at night after work.

Logan got his first tooth a week ago. Carter is about to get his first any day and Logan's 2nd is coming in. Both are starting with their bottom middle teeth, like most babies. :)

8 Months Old

2 days ago C and L turned 8 months old (6 months adjusted) and today M and I have our 4 year wedding anniversary.  Lots of things to celebrate around here!
In other news:

• Boys are both learning to army crawl - very fun to watch but scares me because we have not started baby proofing yet. 
• Both have figured out the sippy cup, but still enjoy eating from a bottle.
• Both love to roll over and sleep on their belly. Sometimes when I walk in the room in the morning, I find them both on their bellies, holding head up and smiling at me.
• LOVE their bouncy seats. We just now raised them both a little, so the boys can touch the ground with just their tippy toes. We don't want them to jump OUT of the seats. :)
• Carter wants to crawl so bad that he gets on his belly and makes swimming motion very very fast with his arms and legs. Looks like he is swimming in invisible water. Its usually accompanied by loud giggles.
• Both of them tried almost all stage 1 and some stage 2 fruit and veggies. This weekend, I plan to try and give them egg yolks for the first time.
• Logan is finally 3rd percentile by weight (unadjusted)! Slowly getting on that chart! Yea!
• When they play with toys, Carter tends to take Logan's very often. He already does not like to share... oh boy, we are just getting started!

• Poor little guys had their first very mild cold (I got them sick) last week for just 2 days. And now they are just fine, but their noses are stuffed up and they can't breathe while eating. So, feedings are very stressful - choking and crying because hungry.  Can't wait for them to get better!!!
• This weekend we plan to take our first family portraits.

First Easter (7.5 months)

Let's see... They learned to drink from a sippy cup. Both are learning to crawl - lifting their butts and scooting their legs forward like little froggies. I guess this is called "Army crawling".

Here is a pic from Easter. Love those funny shirts on them. Carter ("Kisa") is such a little troublemaker, already instigating trouble when the two of them are together: taking Logan's toys from his hands, kicking his brother, pulling his hair, etc... Logan ("Zipka") is our patient, sweet, quiet baby. Life would be a lot harder if we had two Carters. Logan is so much easier....now that his reflux is under control.

7 months, 1.5 weeks...

Time flies! Easter is 2 weeks away and I am already starting to think about how much easier life will be when I no longer have to pump… My goal was 6 months and I am still exclusively feeding them milk. Proud…but exhausted. I am so 3^rd place on my totem pole. Carter/Logan, then me, then M, then all the pets. Haha

Last week, Logan learned how to bounce in the bouncer. Before that he would just sit there and play with all the attached toys or watch Carter jumping in his own bouncer next to him. Now they both bounce and laugh at each other. Its hysterical!

We started yogurt this week and boy do they LOVE it! Now, we are finishing up with Stage 1 veggies and fruits this week and moving on to Stage 2 veggies later on this month. I have a list of baby food recipes to try. You won’t find jars of store bought baby food here!

Weighed them last weekend. Carter is 16lb 1oz, 11^th percentile by weight (unadjusted) and Logan is 14lb 9oz and finally on to 2^nd percentile! Growing boys…

Carter now masterfully does “musika” on command – you put your open hand over his mouth and say “musika!” and he starts making sounds while you move your hand over his mouth to make “music”. It’s so funny! One of those Russian things my brother and I learned as babies and now my boys will learn it too. Logan still does not get it and tries to lick the hand if you put it over his mouth. Silly peanut. ;-)

Sunglasses

Sunlight in our eyes has been a Problem with a capital P when we go for walks. The solution? These super cool Sungoggles! :)

Both boys went to sleep immediately!

PS: it's warm enough to not wear jackets outside now! Spring is here!

2 Days Away from Being 7 Months Old!

I blinked and another month went by! I once again failed to deliver on my promise to write more, but I kept

a mental list in my defense. Here we go:

• C and L started solids!  We give them maybe a tablespoon of something a day in addition to their normal amount of milk, just to learn to chew and eat purees and oatmeal. So far, they both are doing fantastic with it! So far we've tried sweet potatoes, apples, pears, avocado, carrots, prunes, and oatmeal. This weekend we will try green peas. :)
• Carter was tested for allergies (skin scratch test) and he was not reactive to any of the big allergens - soy, milk, shellfish, peanuts, mixed fish, eggs.  The allergist said that he was either allergic before and just outgrew it (prematurity) or he has an intolerance to milk/soy. So, I was cleared to eat whatever I wanted and carefully monitor him for symptoms. Here we are 2 weeks in and all is well! I am much happier - so many foods I missed!  Now, when we switch C to formula eventually, we may need to get the expensive amino acid formula. The allergist said to avoid milk/soy in his diet directly until he is about 2 years old. So, when most kids transition to cow's milk, Carter is going to get rice or almond milk.
• Motor Development... Carter and Logan are both very good at sitting up in their high chairs or bumbos. They grab at stuff and explore toys very well! Carter is pretty mobile with rolling both tummy to back and back to tummy. He even lifts his butt and tries to scoot forward. Logan still only rolls tummy to back and tries to scoot a little, but he is going to catch up. Both talk and smile a whole lot!
•  Both C and L started sleeping through the night about 2 weeks ago. We put them to bed  for the night at 7:30pm, do a "dream feeding" at 10:30pm, and they sleep until 7am at which point we feed them and they go back to sleep while we start getting ready for work. It works perfectly! I also stopped waking for middle of the night pumping, which means I sleep more. :)

We're so happy together! Life as 4 is amazing, but moves soo much faster than life as 2.

Quick Blurbs

I realize now that writing a long, poetic blog is something that is not going to happen. If I don’t get in here for 2 mins a day (or a week?) with a fun blurb about the boys and what new tricks they learned, then I probably won’t write anything at all. So here go some informal blubs about us and them: • They eat 6 times a day now with a dream feeding at 10ish pm and then their middle of the night feeding in actually in the early morning, at 5 am. M and I get up together and usually take turns taking care of them. C eats in 10 minutes and L takes his sweet time, sometimes taking as long as 30. • Love how every morning when C & L wake up and I walk into their room, come over to stand next to their cribs and they greet me with a big smile as soon as they notice me there. So precious & innocent. Those moments make my day! • We usually bring C&L downstairs and put them side by side in a pack n play, where they smile and talk to each other while their morning bottles warm up. Watching them interact is also a really cool gift. They are more interested in each other than in any other toys or even our pets. I like to think there is a true “twin connection” there and not just a wow factor with there being another baby. They’re 2 peas in a pod. • Carter is clearly the less patient one. Logan will fuss in tiny squaks every few minutes when he needs something or wakes up hungry. Buuuut Carter will go from happy and careless to starving and scream at the top of his lungs in a matter of a second. There is no warning or build up. His scream is so loud, you’d think he is seriously hurt. But he’s just hungry. As soon as he sees the bottle, he starts opening his mouth and reaching for it. • Tomorrow they will be going to the pediatrician for their 6 month shots and checkup. I can’t believe half a year has gone by! And then the following day, I’m taking Carter to an allergist to see if he is still allergic to milk proteins and soy (in my diet). I am so tired of being restricted in what I can eat. But this is one year of my life that I can devote myself fully to them. They come first.