18 months {Kiernan}.

OK, now that we're all caught up on Mr Beckett, it's time for the lowdown on Kiernan, affectionately known around these parts as the Honey Badger or the Crazy One.  I love writing these posts because it reminds me how completely different these two really are, and how lucky I am to be able to witness how fiercely they love each other.  

Brennan - 3 years old!

**I've been working on this post for FOREVER so it's a bit late.  But better late than never, right?  

Then - 10.16.09

My Brennan is 3.  My teeny, tiny little baby has now been outside of my uterus for 3 years.  He’s a walking, talking, snuggly, feisty, wild, adorable ball of dirt and energy.  And I could not be more in love with him if I tried.  And as I write this he is in the backyard with his pants around his ankles making pee squiggles in the wind.  Boys.

Now - 9.30.12

At the pediatrician last week, Brennan weighed 34 pounds (50^th percentile) and was 38.5 inches tall (75^th percentile).  He hasn't been over the 40^th percentile for his weight or under the 90^th percentile for his height since he was born, so it seems like he’s evening out a bit.  While he definitely feels heavier lately, he’s still a tall, skinny kid.  Most 3T pants are too big in the waist, but way too short.  Luckily we live in FL where we don’t have to wear long pants very often.   And thank God for Carter’s brand adjustable waist pants (and the Grammy who buys them for us!).

And then I blinked and my babies tripled in size.

In July I sat down to write a post about the "lovey wars" that take place in our house during our sleep routine.  Three times a day, I would sit in the rocking chair in the nursery with Beckett and Kiernan on my lap and feed them their bottles before putting them to bed.  The peace and stillness of the room at that time was only ever disturbed by the battle of the lovies, arms flying around while little hands grabbed at pieces of fleece and satin.

But just 3 months later, times have changed.  There isn't much snuggling that goes on before nap time anymore. In fact, it's really just a bit less chaotic than the rest of the day.  The 3 of us walk to their room, hand-in-hand.  I sit in the rocking chair and pull Beckett onto my lap as Kiernan goes to pick out a book for us to read.  I read as much of each page as they'll allow, before someone turns the page.  We point to things on the page, name colors and animals, and when we finish a book, Kiernan slides off of my lap to choose another one.  Three times a day, we settle down for sleep by using this routine.  It's certainly not as calm and peaceful as our pre-sleep routine used to be, but it still feels good to have a lap full of my sweet boys.

12 months!

(**note … I'm 10 days late posting this and things have already changed in big ways!  But for the sake of memories, I'm pretending like I wrote this on their birthday :D)

My baby boys are 1 year old.  Holy bananas.

While in Michigan last week, I visited my dear friend Janelle and got to snuggle on her 2 sweet girls. I was excited to meet their newest addition, Miss T, who was a little over 3 weeks old.   I was a bit surprised when Janelle said that she weighed about 10 pounds.  She seemed so tiny and delicate.  I would’ve guessed closer to 7 pounds had I not known that she weighed over 7 pounds at birth and is quite a good little eater.  But what was really amazing to me was that my tiny little Kiernan, at his lowest weight, was about 5.5 pounds … half of Miss T!  It just does not seem possible, especially now that he’s such a beast! 

This past year has been such a wild ride.  It’s had its many ups and downs and I must admit that not all of it was enjoyable … but it was worth every minute.  While my boys have been physically and cognitively growing, I’ve been growing emotionally as a Mom.  And while I’m infinitely proud of Beckett and Kiernan for accomplishing so much, of Brennan for coping so well with the big changes that came along with being a big brother, and of Brian for achieving so much in his professional career while being a wonderful Daddy and my emotional rock over the past year, I’m also a bit proud of myself for surviving. 

It’s been a wild ride with many changes, and I can only see bigger and better things for our little family over the years to come!

Beckett

Weight – 23 pounds 9 oz - 85th percentile

Height - 30.75 inches - 85th percentile

  

My sweet Beckett is as sweet as ever, but he has learned to hold his own when dealing with his brothers.  He’s much more patient than Brennan and Kiernan, but he doesn’t let them walk all over him either … well sometimes he does, literally, but he doesn’t put up with it for long.  His temperament is pleasant and steady.  He loves to learn new things, but sometimes gets overwhelmed by chaotic situations.  He has to sit and study something before he tackles it, but once he puts his mind to doing something, he is stubborn as hell and won’t easily give up.  Beckett is a bit smaller than Kiernan.  He’s noticeably shorter, although not by too much, and definitely feels lighter.  He is built like his Mommy – squishy with slouchy posture.  While it’s not that attractive as an adult, it’s deliciously adorable for a baby.

Beckett excels at fine motor and language skills.  I’ve never seen a 1 year old with better fine motor skills, and I’m not saying that just because I’m his Mom.  He can pick things up in a pincer grip with the greatest precision.  Every sticker that Brennan puts on my body, Beckett picks off.  If I’m ever wearing some kind of jewelry, Beckett delicately examines it with intense concentration (usually before yanking it off and inflicting some kind of pain).  Even the tiniest spec of something on the carpet will make it into his hands, and then his mouth, in the blink of an eye.  It’s fun to watch this skill grow and develop.  Beckett’s gross motor skills are still developing.  He isn’t walking yet, but is cruising around on furniture, will walk while holding both of my hands, and has attempted a step/lunge toward me without holding onto anything a few times.  I’m not worried about it as this is pretty much how Brennan ventured into the whole walking thing too. 

Beckett’s language is so much fun too.  He says Mama and Dada fairly specifically for each of us.  Ba-ba tends to come after I say “bottle” or “brother”.  He also recently started saying “cheese” for the camera, “bye-bye” and “uh oh”.  I have to say, his “uh oh” is too cute for words.   He now has 8 teeth and FOR REALS I didn’t know he was cutting 5 of them.  They just kind of magically appeared in his mouth.  No fussing or anything.  This is exactly how Brennan was.  Kiernan?  Not so much.  But we’ll get to that in Kiernan’s section.  Beckett’s easy teething is really just a testament to his easy personality.  He is almost always happy and very often flashes his “hammy smile”. 

Lest anyone think he is the perfect child, I continue to have problems with Beckett’s sleeping habits.  I guess they aren’t really problems per se, he just requires much less sleep than the average 12 month old.  He sleeps beautifully all night long and goes to bed without an issue, but if he takes a morning nap, he won’t take an afternoon nap.  At first I thought it might just be a phase and continued to try to get him to sleep, but eventually I succumbed to the fact that he was dropping a nap.  So Beckett now takes one 2-2.5 hour afternoon nap and sleeps for about 12 hours per night. 

I really can’t express how much fun it has been to watch Beckett grow and change over the past year.  He went from a VERY sleepy newborn to my problematic sleep child.  From a very laid back newborn to a fairly busy infant.  His cheeks are deliciously squishy and he never fails to make me smile.  Brian and I are so in love with our Mr. Beckett and can’t wait to see him continue to grow into toddlerhood.

Kiernan

Weight – 24 lbs 8 oz - 90-95th percentile

Height – 32 inches - >100th percentile

Ohhhh Kiernan.  His smile melts me in an instant with his jack-o’-lantern grin and right-sided dimple (just like his mama).  And it’s a good thing that he can melt me so quickly because that boy is ornery!  As I’ve said for most of the 12 months of his life, Kiernan feels his emotions very fiercely.  Whether it’s happy or sad, giggly or mad, Kiernan is going to display his feelings with the utmost intensity.  While it can be frustrating at times, it’s a trait I admire about him.  He is almost always on the go, but one thing he will stop for is books.  This boy LOVES to read.  I very often find him sitting in a corner with a book in his lap, slowly turning pages and examining every inch with the utmost concentration.  But when he’s not reading, he’s (literally) walking all over his brothers. 

Kiernan is walking quite well now.  He excels at gross motor skills.  I love to watch him toddle around the house.  He still crawls a bit, but will very often stop in the middle of the room and stand up and start walking, kind of like he forgot that he knows how to walk.  His wide gait is adorable and I love to watch him balance between trying to walk like Brennan and then dropping down to his hands and knees to keep up with Beckett.  Kiernan loves to try to build a tower with our big blocks.  When he succeeds, he claps for himself and then promptly knocks them down.  Kiernan’s fine motor skills are still a work in progress.  He’s getting better, but still has a way to go.  It’s funny to see how Beckett & Kiernan each have different strengths.  Kiernan’s eating method, while still quite efficient, is very much a fistful of food to mouth method. 

Kiernan has 5 teeth now and has been working on one of his bottom teeth for awhile now.  His bottom gums have been big and swollen and I keep thinking one morning I'm going to get him up and he'll have an even number of chompers … but no such luck.  And this guy is not a good teether.  He requires lots of cold things to chew on, pain relievers, teething tabs, and Mommy snuggles.  The best thing about teething though?  That it has to end eventually!  Kiernan babbles quite a bit, but doesn't really have any "words" yet, aside from Mama and Dada.  I'm sure it's just a matter of time before he starts to get more words, because of his love for books.  When we read books, I point to things and repeat words and he just stares in amazement.  I think he's just taking it all in. 

As you can see from his measurements, Kiernan is a beast.  He's very solid and while he still has a bit of cute baby pudge, he's certainly not a chunk.  This growing boy still requires quite a bit of sleep.  He takes about an hour nap in the morning and about 1.5-2 hours in the afternoon, and still sleeps for about 12 hours at night.  He had a fussy night last week and I went in to rock him back to sleep.  As he rested his head into the crook of my neck and adjusted his knees into my hips, I couldn't help but marvel at the fact that it seems like just yesterday his little body fit so perfectly on my chest, his little bum at my belly button and his sweet head tucked under my chin.  How is it that my tiny little 6 pound baby has quadrupled in size and is (dare I say it) beginning to look a bit like a little boy?  I will say, Kiernan is just as ornery now as he was when he was growing in my belly.

The fact that my baby boys are one year old pulls at my heart and makes my uterus quiver.  How does time pass so quickly?  It seems that their first year flew by three times as quickly as Brennan's first year.  It was such a crazy busy year and I can't even begin to describe just how much the advice I received about raising twins rings true - just SURVIVE the first year.  And you know what?  We did it.  And life is getting a bit easier.  OK, maybe not easier, but it's a different kind of chaos.  More manageable and more enjoyable.  All 3 of these boys are hard work, but they are FUN.  And so, so worth every bit of that work.

11 months!

I learned today that monthly pictures now require 2 adults.  These 2 pics were insanely hard to get and I don't really like either one of them.  So when/if I ever get around to attempting to retake them, I'll post them.  If not, at least these reflect the chaos that is life right now!

I'm just not sure where time has gone.  I feel like I blinked and all of the sudden my babies are one month away from their first birthday.  When did that happen?! 

Physical therapy update!

I know I've mentioned the fact that both of the twins have been in physical therapy for awhile now.  I haven't written an update recently because, quite frankly, I've been too afraid to jinx anything.

But now that I can officially declare that both of my boys have "graduated" from physical therapy, I feel like I'm safe to shout it from the rooftops! 

They both started physical therapy back in January, after the pediatrician diagnosed them both with torticollis.  In the most basic terms possible, Beckett's muscles on the left side of his neck were tight, therefore causing his head to tilt and turn slightly left.  This was especially a problem when he was sleeping, which of course young infants do frequently, so the back left part of his head was starting to flatten.  Kiernan had the same problem, but on his right side instead of his left; and his head was more misshapen than Beckett's.  They were also quite weak and beginning to fall behind in gross motor development, which could have been related to the torticollis, but also to low muscle tone.  So the pediatrician recommended physical therapy.

10 months old!

Double digits!

My babies are creeping up on the one year mark.  How is that even remotely possible?  This time last year, Brennan and I were enjoying Mommy and Me swimming lessons and I already thought that I was as big as a house.  Ha!  I was blissfully unaware that in 2 more months I'd end up being induced and push out a collective weight of 13 pounds 3 ounces of baby. 

I must say, life is finally getting easier.  Don't get me wrong, it's still complete chaos around here and I'm always busy, but we're settled into a nice routine.  The boys all entertain each other fairly well during so I'm better able to get household chores completed.  Naptime routines are fairly easy now as both twins will fall asleep on their own in their beds after a nice cuddle and bottle.  And big brother Brennan is very well behaved while I put his little brothers down for their naps.  More than anything, it's really fun to see the 3 of them play together during the day.  It makes me excited to see them grow up together.

Beckett

Mr. Beckett had another big month.  He's become a pro at crawling and can finally give Kiernan a run for his money in the speed department.  It's so much fun to have them both moving like madmen, even though it's a bit chaotic at times.  On June 18, after physical therapy, Beckett pulled himself to a stand on his little activity table.  He didn't do it much over the next week, but after physical therapy on the 25th, he started doing it more regularly.  I'm so used to seeing a baby standing up and assuming it's Kiernan that when I look closely and notice it's Beckett it still catches me off guard.  Physical therapy with Ms. Leslie has worked miracles and he's pretty much caught up with where he should be.  Our insurance company has denied any further visits, so when we return from Michigan, we'll have an appointment with Ms. Leslie to determine whether or not he needs further treatment.  My gut feeling is that he won't need any, or he'll only need a visit every other week, which won't be too bad.  I'm so proud of him for working so hard. 

Beckett is getting more and more vocal too.  It's been easy for Brian and I to tell the twins' voices apart from a few rooms away since they were just a couple months old, but it continues to get easier.  Beckett has a deeper voice than Kiernan and deep belly laughs and cackles.  On the morning of June 14, Brian went to get the twins out of bed while I made their morning bottles.  When I came into the family room, Brian said, "I know you won't believe me, but Beckett is saying Da-Da".  I laughed at him and said of course I believed him.  And Beckett confirmed it for me later that day.  It's very cute to see Brian's face light up when he says Da-Da.  That mouth isn't only good for babbling though.  It's also very good for eating.  Mr. Beckett will eat pretty much anything if you put it into his mouth.  Other than squash, he hasn't met a food he didn't like.  I'm feeding the boys a lot of table food now, and while Beckett is quite good at the pincer grip, he's also pretty slow and laid back about eating table food.  But he gobbles down purees when I spoon-feed them to him.  He also enjoys spitting the purees back at me with a big smile on his face.  I don't enjoy that as much as he does.   

Brian sometimes describes Beckett as "lazy", but I prefer to call him "laid back".  He continues to be a very easy, mellow, go-with-the-flow baby.  But his wild moments come out when he's in the bath tub.  This month we started to bathe all 3 boys in the tub at the same time.  I can only describe it as extreme insanity, but it's definitely fun.  And Beckett greatly contributes to that fun.  He splashes like a wild child and laughs louder than ever.  I can't wait to take him into my parents' pool when we're in Michigan!

Kiernan

Oh, Kiernan.  We call him our "angry bird" and it fits him perfectly.  He is just completely crazy in every way.  He never stop moving.  EVER.  He's constantly trying to climb - furniture, people, dogs, the baby gate, out of the bathtub…  If you're on the floor, Kiernan will try to climb you.  Even if, no, especially if you're attempting to change Beckett's diaper.  He very much likes to be the center of attention. If nothing else, Kiernan is a constant source of entertainment.  And as always, he feels every emotion very fiercely and can change in the blink of an eye. 

Teething has been very rough on him.  He's a drooling machine and has been very fussy.  His top left front tooth finally cut through on June 24 and I think the right one isn't far behind.  He's constantly chewing on something, partly because of teething and partly because he's always hungry.  Kiernan loves to eat.  He prefers to feed himself and is very proficient at stuffing fistfuls of food into his mouth.  He can't be bothered to learn the pincer grip.  Personally, I think he thinks it's just not an efficient method of getting food into his mouth quickly.  Kiernan's tray is always clear before Beckett's and he usually eats twice as much table food.  He gets about half as much pureed food as Beckett, mostly because I double up Beckett's spoonfuls since he doesn't eat as much as Beckett.

Kiernan continues to impress Ms. Leslie when she comes to see Beckett by cruising all around the furniture.  He's also standing on his own for up to a minute and has stood up and sat down a few times without holding on to anything.  I can't believe how far he has come!   He is still terrorizing his brothers, but has been known to get attacked by Beckett now and then too.  And now that both Kiernan and Beckett are a little more hearty and aggressive with Brennan, he isn't afraid to rough house with them a bit.  I found Brennan dragging Kiernan around by his left leg just the other day.  Luckily, Kiernan thought it was funny, which is why I didn't know about it til I saw it. Otherwise, there would have been insanely loud shrieks of terror and rage coming from the angry bird. 

On the same day as Beckett started to stay Da-Da, Kiernan began saying Ma-Ma.  I love to hear them chat back and forth with each other, although Kiernan almost always controls the conversation.  He babbles all day long, especially in his crib when he should be going to sleep.  Lately I've begun to notice him developing the same language pattern as Brennan had - saying Ma-Ma when he's sad, tired, hungry, or wants something and saying Da-Da when he's happy.  They learn young, don't they?

9 months old!

I know I'm a bit late with the boys 9 month post, but we had to push back their appointment with the pediatrician and I wanted to wait for official stats.  Judging from their doctor's office measurements, it seems like I wasn't too far off with my unofficial measurements last month.  They're growing and changing so fast.  Today when the pediatrician said, "Well, looks like they're all set until one year" I nearly died.  How can we be talking about that already?  Weren't they just born?!

The twins'  9 month pictures are hilarious and very indicative of life these days.  They do not sit still well at all!  Now that both boys are moving, life is getting a bit more hectic.  It's a blessing and a curse as while they get into more trouble, all 3 of the boys entertain each other very well.  Between eating table foods 3 times a day, giving them bottles before they go down for naps, and chasing them around between naps, I don't have much down time during the day.  I like to spend time with Brennan during the twins' morning nap and when all 3 are napping in the afternoon, I either run around like a madwoman trying to get things done, or I take a nap J

Potty-learned.

I'm almost afraid to say it for fear of jinxing myself.  But at the same time I wanna shout it to the rooftops.

Brennan is DONE with diapers!

He's been taking naps and sleeping through the night in underwear and staying dry til he wakes up. We've been out and about around town and he hasn't had any accidents.  I'm a bit afraid to take him out by myself with the twins because of the pure logistical nightmare of trying to get him to the bathroom with the other 2 in tow, but it's a mountain I'll have to climb eventually.

Looking back, I have to say that the whole process was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be.  But I think it's because I just kind of let it happen naturally, followed his cues, and just challenged him a bit here and there.  I have several friends who had success with a "boot camp" or more structured approach, but I knew that kind of thing wouldn't mesh with our life.  I didn't think Brennan would learn well that way and I definitely knew it wouldn't be good for my anxiety.  I can see it working for one of the twins someday (read: Kiernan), but I knew it wasn't the right route for Brennan.  And I think that's one of the most important keys to successful potty-training - like any other step in parenting, you have to know what will work best for your child.  And if what you thought would work isn't working, you have to be open to trying something different.

Brennan.

It dawned on me today that Brennan is officially closer to being 3 than he is to being 2.  This is insanity.

It's not just the numbers that get me, but more so the little boy that he's turning in to.  After a few months of dabbling in potty training, it all of the sudden clicked and he's now in underpants except for night time.  On Saturday we took the front off of his crib and since then he's been staying in his "big boy bed" all night by himself.  He likes to keep track of his brothers, and loves to help out around the house.

8 months!

 

Eight months.  EIGHT months?  EIGHT MONTHS!! 

I really don't know where time is going.  I know, I say that every month.  But really, it's FLYING by.  I can't believe how fast the boys are growing.  All 3 of them are growing and changing so quickly.  It's fun to watch but sad at the same time.  My babies!  I haven't been to Mom's Club in awhile and their next pediatrician appointment isn't until next month, so I don't have official weights.  But since I was curious I jumped on our scale with them and did the math and then measured them myself too.  So these are very unofficial weights and heights!

7 months!

7 months!  Holy bananas!  The days sneak by so fast.  It seems like just yesterday that we were bringing 2 tiny little boys home from the hospital.  And now?  They're not so tiny anymore!  I don't have official weights for them this month.  I'll try to get some for next month, but I'm guessing they're right around 20 pounds now.  Their personalities are shining through more and more every day.  We can tell the difference in their voices from across the house and are able to predict their reactions to certain situations.  Their temperaments, tastes, and even sleeping positions are completely different!

Beckett

Beckett's smile could light up a room.  We have started calling him "hambone" and "hammy face" because when he smiles he looks like a total ham.  He is such a happy, content baby.  I can put him on the floor with a few toys in front of him and he's perfectly fine for awhile.  This can be a little frustrating when it comes to his progress in physical therapy (or lack thereof), but it's becoming clear that it's simply his laid-back personality shining through.  He is making progress though.  He's sitting independently very well for a few minutes at a time and spins around on his belly quite a bit to follow his crazy brothers around.  We're working on getting him stronger so that he can keep up with them someday. 

 As I said, the boys sleeping positions and taste in foods are even vastly different.   Beckett hasn't cared much for fruits, and instead prefers peas, avocados, and even hummus.  But he's a cooperative, calm eater and will even open his mouth for foods he's not too keen on.  Beckett has begun sleeping better during the day.  It took a lot of trial and error, but we have almost perfected the secrets to get him to do so.  He likes to be snuggled, rocked, and fed to sleep.  Sometimes he likes to use a binky to relax.  He also has to be on top of a fleece blanket with a fleece & satin "lovey" in his arms.  He actually likes to sleep with it over his face, which of course freaks us out.  Beckett sleeps on his back and rarely moves from the spot we put him.  In fact, only in the past few days has he started rolling over in his bed occasionally. 

Like I said in the family update, Beckett loved the beach.  He seems to love water in general as he also liked swimming in the pool and always loves to splash in the bathtub.  He was sporting his famous "hammy smile" during much of his experiences in the water at the beach and pool.  I can't wait to watch him grow up at the beach!

Kiernan

Oh, Kiernan.  After one particularly trying day, I told Brian that Kiernan will be the kid that I have to tell to be quiet 100 times per day, but he'll never be able to because he has one volume - loud.  That boy shrieks and squeals and screams louder than any baby I've ever heard.  Happy squeals, giddy squeaks, angry screams - they're all ear-piercing.  And the whining.  Oh, the whining!  He needs lots of attention and if he doesn't get it or you walk away from him sooner than he'd like, he whines.  But boy, does he make up for all of that with his sweet smile and wide-open-mouth "kisses".

Kiernan is a MOVER.  He's already giving me a run for my money.  In early March he started getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth.  Over the past few weeks he's been getting stronger and moving more.  He does what his physical therapist calls the "inchworm" to get around.  It's adorable.  He just never stops moving.  Every time I go to get him from his bed, he's up on all fours, rocking back and forth, slamming his face into the bumper pad because he's so excited to see me.   He has a little more trouble sitting independently because he's so fidgety, but he's working hard at it.  With all of his mobility, Kiernan is getting into more and more of Brennan's toys.  He seems to take a liking especially to cars, just like his big brother.  The trouble is that Matchbox cars are scattered every few feet in our house  and it's tough to keep him away from these little choking hazards.  Lucky for us, Brennan is starting to catch on that if he keeps his most prized toys out of the family room, the boys can't get them.

Kiernan can't get enough of bananas and pears.  He loves them, but gets so excited that he dive bombs the spoon and forgets to open his mouth, so he just ends up smearing food all over his face.  I'm working on helping him remember to sit back and open up so I can shovel it in faster for him!

Conversations with a 2 year old.

I just had the best conversation with Brennan.  Two weeks ago he decided to become a little adult and has been getting progressively better at conversing with us.  It's amazing and adorable and makes me want to squeeze the life out of him.

(I had just eaten a Hershey Kiss and Brennan came over to tell me something.)

Brennan: ::sniff sniff::  Um Mommy, put chocolate in hand!
Me: You want me to put chocolate in your hand?
Brennan:  Yeah yeah.  Brennan neeeeeeeds chocolate.  Yum yum.
Me:  I don't have any chocolate.  Where do you think we could find some?
Brennan:  Hmmm, let's see.  Treats over there on counter.
Me:  There's treats on the counter?  Where?
Brennan:  Show you!!  This way OK!! This way go Mom!  ::runs to kitchen::  Right there hind you chips!
Me:  The treats are behind the chips?
Brennan:  Yeah yeah.  Treats in hand.  Please Mom.  Three treats in hand.  Yum yum.
Me:  You want three treats?  That's a lot for a little Brennan.
Brennan:  Hmmm, let's see.  Brennan not little.  Brennan three treats in hand!
Me:  How about you have one treat now and after dinner you can have another treat?  Is that OK?
Brennan: How bout three treats now?
Me: No.  One treat now or no treats now.  Do you want a treat now?
Brennan:  OK thank you please Mom.  Welcome Mom.
Me: I'm supposed to say you're welcome Brennan.
Brennan:  Oh sorry.  Welcome Brennan.  How bout Brennan have treat for brother?
Me:  No, brother doesn't eat treats yet.  Someday you can share your treats with him.
Brennan:  Uh oh OK Brennan eat brother treat.
Me:  No, Brennan already ate a treat.  No more treats til after dinner.
Brennan:  Uh oh OK Brennan eat chips.

He's a smart one, that kid.  I adore him.

Want a naner?

Well, the boys are 6 months old now so I figured I should introduce some solids.  Funny how with Brennan I couldn't wait another minute to start him on real food.  And with these guys?  I've been dragging my feet.  And the only reason I'm doing it now is that they're really starting to lunge for our food.  The difference between a baby who wants to try food and one who couldn't care less about food is amazing.

So a week after they turned 6 months we started some rice cereal.  Personally, I hate the idea of rice cereal.  Sure it's iron-fortified, but so is baby formula.  And sure it's a low-allergen food and easily digested, but so are vegetables.  But Brian had picked some up while he was at the store, so I figured we'd give it a try.  

I speak for the trees.

One of Brian's favorite books, if not his very favorite, is Dr. Seuss' The Lorax.  He can recite every line to the entire book from memory.  And I should point out that he's been able to do so since the day I met him ... therefore before children.  Not kidding.

When we wanted to decide on unisex nursery bedding while I was pregnant with Brennan, we chose the Dr. Seuss collection at Pottery Barn Kids.  The bedding was gorgeous and we painted murals on the walls.  It was the perfect place to bring home a baby.  Bright and cheerful, yet soft and warm.  I loved that room.

One of the murals on the walls was of course The Lorax, with his most famous line painted above him.  Every night for the first 14 months of his life, we read Brennan books in the chair below Mr. Lorax.

You can imagine our excitement when we learned that it was being made into a movie.  We both wanted to take Brennan, but weren't sure if he'd be excited about going.  He's definitely more into Mickey and Toy Story these days than the Lorax.  No matter how much his parents pound it into him.

So I was pleasantly surprised when he got insanely excited over a preview for the movie one day and flew to his brothers' room to find the "Lore-aaa" doll.  Every time he saw a preview after that he'd search desperately for the doll and repeat "see Lore-aaa, see Lore-aaa!" for hours afterward.  So the decision was made.  I picked a day, lined up a twin-sitter, and off we went for a Mommy-Daddy-Brennan date.

We made a quick stop at Taco Bell/Pizza Hut for a delicious nutritious dinner.  Don't judge.  It was the only place had time for and could think of that could please Brennan and had Brian-friendly meatless options.  

Brennan seemed a little intimidated by the movie theater at first.  He clutched his Lorax doll while we stood in line to buy tickets (um, a kid's ticket was a dollar cheaper than ours ... A DOLLAR!  God help us when we have 2 more tickets to buy.)  We stopped by the Lorax sign to take a picture on the way into the theater.

Crappy cell phone picture.  We forgot the camera.  Of course.

He spent most of the movie on Daddy's lap and I spent most of the movie watching him watch the movie snuggled on his Daddy's lap.  He had a few "Oh-no's" and one "I scared", but most of the time he had a big smile on his face.  Which of course meant that I had a big smile on my face.  When the credits started rolling, we asked him if he liked it and he said "yeah-yeah" with a big grin.  Then I cried.  

I can't believe my little tiny baby boy is growing up so fast.  I love being able to experience new things with him and Brian and I have decided that we're going to schedule more Mommy-Daddy-Brennan dates.  

6 months!

Oh my gosh.  I simply cannot believe that it has been 6 months since my sweet boys came into the world.  It has been a complete roller coaster ride, but an amazing one.  

Both boys are growing and thriving.  They usually sleep 12 hours through the night, although lately they've been getting up earlier and earlier for an extra feeding.  I think it's the 6 month growth spurt sneaking in.  We have been waiting to start baby food because a.) the speech therapist recommended it and b.) Mommy is not especially eager to deal with the extra mess of feeding 2 infants!  But we're starting this week so it should get interesting.  Here's what's been going on in the boys' lives individually!

Beckett

18 pounds 3 ounces - 50th percentile

27 3/4 inches long - 75th-90th percentile

Oh Mr. Beckett.  He is the most mellow, laid back, content, happy kid on the block.  I want to bottle up his personality and sell it.  He's a mother's dream, except for one thing -- he doesn’t like to sleep.  In the morning, he's just so sweet and smiley.  But then morning naptime comes and he fights sleep and screams and fusses.  And before you know it, it's time for afternoon nap.  And now he's so overtired he really can't sleep.  He's happy if he's in my arms with 150% of my attention.  But unfortunately for him, he has 2 brothers who also need attention.  And gosh darn it, Mommy needs to pee every once in awhile.   Then bedtime comes and we spend hours feeding and soothing and pacing trying to get him to sleep.  On the plus side, once he's asleep, he's usually out for the night, with only the occasional waking for a feeding.  We're trying different things to help him sleep and really trying to be consistent with his schedule.  He's showing some progress and I can only pray that it continues!

Aside from his crappy sleeping habits, Beckett is a dream.  Like I said, he's a very pleasant kid.  I've learned that he is slow and methodical in his actions and seems to need permission and encouragement from mom before playing with certain toys or rolling over.  He thinks before he acts, studying and concentrating objects and movements.  He's making great progress in physical therapy.  In early February he found his toes and is now able to roll both ways and spend lots of time on his belly.  Beckett has the ability to move around quite a bit, but instead seems to be content where Mommy puts him, with whatever toy I put in front of him.  For this reason, he's getting very good at sitting unassisted.  I remember my mom telling me that I was very mellow baby, so I can only speculate that Beckett has taken on more of his Mommy's personality. 

Kiernan

18 pounds 3 ounces - 50th percentile

28 inches - 90th percentile

Kiernan is a "do-er".  He's adventurous and energetic and doesn't like to feel like he can't do something.  It seems that if he feels that way, he's bound and determined to prove otherwise.  His emotions are intense.  When he's happy, he's blissful.  When he's upset, he's ragingly angry.  And unlike his brother, he loves his sleep.   He's a very cut and dry kid.  Fairly easy to please.  As long as he's fed, dry, and not sleepy, he's happy.

I will say though, that Kiernan is becoming more and more adventurous.  He never stays on the quilt on the floor for long.  He's almost always rolling, wiggling, and scooting over to see something or someone.  Brennan's cars seem to intrigue him and you can usually find him with one in his hands.  Of course, this isn't very popular with big brother.  Poor Brennan will be learning a hard lesson in sharing as his little brothers become more mobile. 

Kiernan has a hard time sitting unassisted.  He's able to do it, but he's a back archer (something we're working on in physical therapy) and therefore doesn't sit well.  But on the other hand, he's getting very strong and is so close to being up on his hands and knees.  He pushes up very very high and pulls his knees under him, but they usually slide back out to the side.  The PT says that this is quite normal and has given us some exercise to help him.  Mommy is going to have her hands full once he gets the hang of it because he's already good at moving around without crawling!

Bring on the Brennan cute.

Brennan's vocabulary has been growing by miles these days.  Some things he says make me wonder where he picked it up, others make me want to throw him across the room, and others are so cute they make me melt into a giant mom puddle.  I want to bottle up these moments and save them forever.  Instead, I suppose I'll just record them so I can remember them after he and his brothers have successfully sucked out all of my brains.

• "Help me!" -- He means he wants to "help you".  And no matter how much we correct him, he says "help me".  He'll get it someday.  In the meantime, I'm reveling in the cuteness.

• "Up up away!!" -- Whenever he wants up on my lap he says this.  I'm not sure where he learned it, but it's ADORABLE.

• "Right dare, hind you" -- Brian and Brennan have a game where Brian asks Brennan where something is and Brennan replies "dare".  Brian asks again and Brennan says "right dare!" When he asks again, he says "right there, hind you!" no matter where this object is.  Now he does it all day long.  He wanted something.out of a box yesterday and when I asked him where it was he said it was "right dare hind you mom".  I giggle.  And correct him of course.

• "Alright brudda" -- When one of the babies is crying and I'm busy with the other, Brennan gets right in his face, pats his head, and says "alright brudda".  Of course, this either distracts a baby throwing a tantrum or further upsets a baby who genuinely wants something only mommy can provide.

• "Big hug.  Big kiss.  Pat pat." -- Brennan loves to give hugs and kisses these days.  There was a time when it was like pulling teeth to get one out of him.  Now he's always coming up to me and showering me with love.  I adore it.  The repertoire goes like this: "Big hug Mom!" ::throws arms around me and squeezes::  "Big kiss Mom!"  ::plants lips on mine and holds them while going 'mmmmmmmmwa!'::  "Pat pat."  ::softly pats my cheek::  Seriously.  I melt every.single.time. 

• "Wuv you" -- When saying he loves someone, my kid develops a southern accent.  His 'you' has an amazing drawl.  He used to only say it when I told him to.  Then he started saying it in response to someone saying it to him.  Now he says it randomly throughout the day.  There is NOTHING better than when he runs over, throws his arms around me, and says "Wuv you Mom!"

Of course, all of this cute is scattered amongst tantrums, screaming fits, and outright disobedience.  I firmly believe that 2 year olds must have a genetic predisposition to sprinkle the cute on top of the evil.  It's a survival mechanism.

Sleep is for the weak.

   

Beckett sleeping with Daddy ... for 15 minutes at least.

When Brennan was a baby, our soothe-to-sleep routine was very simple.  He ate, burped, we read a book, and then snuggled.  When he was tiny, we'd rock him to sleep.  But at about 5 months old, he got to a point where he'd wake up the second we put him down in his bed.  I bought all of the books on infant sleep and we tried a million things.  After deciding that "graduated extinction" (read: Cry It Out, in increments) was the way to go for us.  After about 2 nights, he was going down awake and soothing himself to sleep very easily.  Easy peasy.  I thought I had it all figured out.

Mr. Beckett has proven me wrong.

I always said that after being blessed with an amazingly "easy" baby, my second child would give me a run for my money.  Because he was born first, Beckett is technically my second ... and he definitely has me running.

Overall, he's a very mellow kid.  But he's also very stubborn.  A few weeks ago he decided that he didn't want to fall asleep.  And when we could get him to fall asleep he didn't want to stay asleep.  Naps were especially a problem.  If he went to sleep, he would wake up screaming 15-20 minutes later.  By bedtime, he was so overtired that he could barely stay awake to eat.  He'd doze off and be up minutes later screaming.  It took 4 hours to get him into a sound sleep.  And then he'd be up 2 or 3 hours later, screaming again.  This was especially an issue because another little person sleeps just a few feet away from him.  Kiernan is a champion sleeper, but the poor kid could only sleep through so much.

Finding out the problem was easy.  We had straightened out reflux issues.  We knew he wasn't hungry or too full or wet or poopy.  The minute we would walk up next to his crib, he'd stop.  He just wanted someone near him.  Brian joked that we needed a cardboard cutout of one of us to put next to his crib.  I totally looked into it.  Desperation people, desperation.

Totally uninterested in sleep ... unlike his parents.

Needless to say, we were an exhausted clan.  And of course exhausted = cranky.  Oh, the crankiness.  We decided we needed to do something.  I talked to other experienced Moms.  I hauled out all of my parenting books and book on baby sleep and poured over them.  I Googled it all.  Babywise, Ferber, Sears ... they all have ideas on getting your baby to sleep well.  And none of it was new to me.

The idea of rocking my babies peacefully to sleep is a beautiful one.  But the reality of our life is that it's physically impossible.  There are 3 of them and one of me and if I attempted to rock them all to sleep there'd be more crying and less happy awake time with them and my butt would be fused to the rocking chair.  And crying it out seemed impossible to accomplish and unfair to Kiernan.  We needed a concrete plan to stick to.

We decided to resurrect "graduated extinction", but this time needed to use it for naps too.  I really like the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth.  I'll be honest, I don't think it's well-written at all.  But the concepts within it work well for our family and make sense to me.

So we separated the boys for nap times and let Mr. Beckett cry a bit.  At bed time, we left them in the same room and poor sweet Kiernan fell asleep despite his brother's screams.  It took a solid week of screaming day and night, but day by day the crying periods were shorter and shorter.  And finally, he started going to sleep beautifully and staying asleep.  Sometimes he falls asleep during a pre-sleep feeding, but when we put him down in his bed he soothes himself right back to sleep.  He wakes up once at night to eat, but it's usually before we go to bed.  So he's more rested, his brothers are more rested, and his parents are more rested.  All in all, I feel successful.

It just goes to show that no two kids are exactly the same.  And it's incredibly humbling as a mom to be reminded of that.  It took a lot of patience, tears, and beer to get through it, but we figured it out.

Post-nursing milk coma.

5 months!

I don't have "official pediatrician stats" for the boys because appointments are only every 2 months.  But I weigh them weekly at Mom's Club, so I thought I'd share their most current weights and a recent developments.

Beckett

Weight:  17 lbs 5 oz

 

Mr. Beckett is as mellow as always.  He's very content to just sit where I put him.  This may be part of the reason he isn't moving around much yet.  As his physical therapist says, he's a "thinker".  When he sees a toy, he has to study it, decide what it is and if he wants it, look at you for approval, then he'll grab it.  The only time he doesn't show much thoughtfulness and concentration is in the exersaucer.  Beckett LOVES to play in the exersaucer.  He rocks around like a wild man.  He is quite chubby and feels heavier than his little brother, even though he isn't anymore.  But he is getting a bit stronger and is working very hard to continue.  He's drooling like crazy and I can see little white lines on his gums, so he might be working on some teeth.  If he's anything like his big brother though, we'll still have to wait another 5 months for them to make an appearance!

Kiernan 

Weight:  17 lbs 12 oz

I started calling Kiernan my "little bird" when he was first born.  When he was hungry he'd open his mouth wide and shake his head back and forth like a baby bird.  That nickname is still proving to be true in his voice.  He squawks like a bird for a good part of the day.  But he has defied the nickname in that he's not so little anymore.  Kiernan has almost tripled his birthweight and is now bigger than his big brother.  He loves to eat and is incredibly strong.  He  has mastered rolling from his back to his belly and has gone from his belly to his back a few times.  He only rolls to the right though, so we're working on encouraging him to go to the left too.  He's actually starting to sit unsupported for a few seconds at a time.  

Can't believe my sweet, smiley boys are 5 months old already.  Time is flying!

Therapy.

No, not the kind where you pour out your deepest, darkest secrets to a stranger while sitting on a leather couch. Although who knows, that may be in order as well.

We're talking physical therapy and speech therapy for the twins. I know, who ever heard of speech therapy for someone who has just learned to coo? I sure hadn't, although now I'm pretty sure I should have with all of the problems we had with Brennan's tongue when he was born. But, I digress (as always). Warning, this is going to be a bit lengthy, but I want to get this story out there....

When the boys were about 4 weeks old, I started to notice that they always slept with their heads tilted toward each other. At this point we still had live-in help, so the boys were rarely laying next to each other, except for when they were in their bassinets. We just got in the habit of putting Beckett in the one on the left and Kiernan in the one on the right. And we thought it was so sweet that they "looked" toward each other when they slept.

Fast forward a few weeks to when they were about 6 weeks old. Our visitors had returned home and I was home by myself most days with the boys. So of course they were spending more time on the floor. I noticed that they looked at each other when on the floor too, but rarely turned their heads from side to side. So I decided to start making a conscious effort to put Beckett on the right and Kiernan on the left. After a week, I decided that it wasn't that they were looking at each other, it was that Kiernan always looked to the right and Beckett always looked to the left. And their heads were starting to get flat spots on the places where they most frequently rested them. I mentioned this to the pediatrician at their 2 month appointment and within 3 minutes of being in the room, he noticed that neither baby was turning his head from side to side when laying down. He gave us instructions to do neck exercises with the boys 4 times per day and that we would re-evaluate at 4 months.

Meanwhile, I'd been struggling with breastfeeding. I'm certainly no stranger to nursing troubles, as Brennan had a severe tongue-thrust as a baby and was ultimately unable to nurse. The twins each had their own set of problems. At birth, Kiernan's blood sugar dropped to 24 (newborns should be above 45) and because it didn't increase after nursing, they gave him a bottle of formula. Beckett's blood sugar was 46, but because he would not nurse, they wanted to give him a bottle of formula so that his sugar wouldn't drop. This is a long story and something that I'll get into in another post.

So for the first few weeks I fought the good fight on the nursing front. Both boys could latch, but had a hard time staying latched. I had several appointments with the lactation consultant at the hospital where I delivered the boys. The LC maintained that the boys were latching well and that it was probably my low supply that was the problem. I followed her recommendations and still had troubles. A fellow MoM (mom of multiples) who has twin boys that are 4 months older than my boys recommended an LC at a hospital a little further away. This LC agreed that they were latching well, but not staying latched and recommended that I see a speech therapist who is also an LC.

This ST/LC is wonderful. She is so supportive and calming and just a wonderful person. She evaluated both boys and confirmed my suspicions that they had some weakness in their facial muscles. We now do cheek stretches with the boys and have changed the positions in which we feed them in order to make it easier for them and to encourage the strengthening of their cheeks and tongue. Kiernan will need a little more work than Beckett, but they'll both be just fine. She also recommended pursuing physical therapy whether the pediatrician agreed or not.

After seeing the boys again at 4 months, the pediatrician was happy with their progress, but was also on board with my (and the ST/LC's) desire for PT. So he recommended one not far from our house. She does home visits, which is especially convenient so I don't have to take poor Brennan or get a sitter for him. She is also wonderful. After evaluating each baby, she said that Kiernan's neck is very tight, but he has great muscle tone. Only one side of Beckett's neck is tight, but his muscle tone is a bit low, so he'll most likely require more therapy than his little brother.

These boys have had more appointments in their short little lives than fun outings around town. During the day, we do our assigned stretches and position changes. We nurse and bottle feed in special positions. We attend our necessary appointments and a breastfeeding support group. We are BUSY.

Sometimes I wonder why God chose to give me these slightly "higher-maintenance" babies. All 3 of my boys have had feeding issues and the twins have gross motor problems. None of them have been easy, straight-forward babies. Don't get me wrong, I count my blessings every.single.day that I was chosen to be Mommy to all 3 of these beautiful little boys and that they are happy and healthy, with no life-threatening or chronic issues, and I pray that it continues that way. But I still have to wonder what it's like to bring home a baby that nurses like a champ and only goes to the pediatrician for well visits, or maybe the occasional sick visit. But after some prayers and reflection I think I've arrived at my answer -- it's because I can handle it. God knows that I am capable of handling my special babies' needs. He knows that with some (OK, a lot of) sacrifices, we can survive on only Brian's income, so that I am able to stay home with my boys and take them to appointments and work with them every day. Really, no matter how much work they require, I feel insanely lucky to have been given these most precious gifts!