Mom's recent favorite pics

Our little miracle cubs!

Emily and Zach, picture taken 05/14/08.

Our sweet little girl, picture taken 05/22/08.

Our handsome little man, picture taken 05/25/08.

I live for weekends....

I usually live for weekends, but today feels more like a Monday than a Saturday. Dad's at work and the cubs are "down" for their nap, even though I hear them playing over the monitor. They are probably wound up from their class this morning. Today started out ok. The cubs woke up early, which was good...we had a big morning planned. Today was Gymboree! After breakfast, I loaded up the cubs and headed out an hour before our class. I made every effort to get there early. Instead, I was late. I'm always late, no matter how hard I try. So frustrating. I made a wrong turn and got lost. I was on the verge of tears by the time I found a street name I recognized. So long story short, I was late. We get there, join the class already in session, and then I notice it. An unpleasant odor coming from one of the cubs. Just great. UGH!! Did I mention that I'm alone?? And the cubs still aren't walking, so they have to be carried. I am either brave or stupid, I haven't decided which. God Bless our class instructor. She took care of Emily while I took Zach to the restroom. The class lasted 45 minutes and the cubs seemed to have a great time. Emily was a little timid, but Zach took off right away. Our little man has no fear. He was trying to climb all over everything. There were rocking toys to help with balance, and bubbles and parachutes, gigantic balls, music and toys. There were two other sets of twins there as well. So while the cubs had a great time, Mom -- not so much. It was really hard trying to tend to both of them by myself. The instructor was really helpful, but I can't expect her to "play parent" for us every time. Dad's weekend schedule is so erratic that it makes it impossible for me to plan activities. So I doubt that we'll be able to do this again until the cubs are a little bigger.

Yesterday was Zach's nutrition appointment. I look forward to these only so I can find out if Zach gained any weight. And it is convenient enough, because she actually comes to our house. But not this time. The Nutritionist was a no-show. ***SIGH*** I give up. Thankfully, Zach has really been doing well. He hasn't been eating as much solid food, but he's picked up some on his formula intake, so I'm okay with that. He also seems to like the Pediasure, so we'll stick with giving him one of those per day.

This week I attempted to cook another new dish...Parmesan and herb baked flounder, served with white rice. I think I did pretty good for my first attempt at fish. Steve even said he'd eat it again. Wow! Another success.

The cubs are still awake. I guess a nap is not going to happen today. So later this afternoon, we'll probably all be miserable. I can't wait for Dad to get home. I need to start this (Mon)day over.

Friends and food

Beth Ann and Matt came over last night. We cooked out on the grill and played with the cubs. It has been a month since they were here last, so it's always fun for me to hear how much they think the cubs have changed.

I gave Zach his first bottle of Pediasure yesterday. I figured I had better get that done before his next Nutritionist appt (on Friday) because I know she'll be asking whether he liked it or not. And much to my surprise, I think he liked it. It's 30 cal/oz, and he drank 6.5 oz. Not too shabby for our little man. And even more surprising...he kept it down! So far so good! We're keeping our fingers crossed!

I am going to look into a Gymboree program for the Cubs. I was hoping Steve could attend a free class with us, but with his schedule I think it's going to be impossible. Gymboree offers two classes that I think might interest the cubs:

Family Gymboree: This is a class for families with more than one child. Here, siblings can experience and enjoy the fun and the challenge of the Gymboree environment together--slides, ramps, bridges, tunnels, songs, movement games and our legendary parachute. This mixed-age class supports physical, language and social skills for both of your children.

and

Gymboree: Designed by child development experts, each of our seven levels focus on and support the specific developmental milestone your child is working on at his/her age--from sensory explorations for young babies to cause and effect, two-way communication, "motor planning", imaginary play, to early listening and language skills. Each program level incorporates fundamental, engaging activities that help to build your child's cognitive, social and physical skills.

I think it's important for the cubs to have social interaction with other children, while learning and having fun at the same time. Very cool!

Emily Bear is bottle-free??

Happy Memorial Day!

Last night Steve decided that Emily was ready to go to bed without her night-time bottle. We are so brave (we strategically planned this big event on an evening where we both would be off the next day, and able to sleep in or take a nap if necessary). I just knew she'd wake up at 2AM just starving to death (in which Steve was going to have to get up with her...it was his big idea after all), but she made it through the night. WOO HOO! So we are trying again tonight. Wish us luck!

The "No-Puke" Streak has ended

Zach's 20 day no-puke streak has sadly come to an end. This afternoon I experienced our little man's Mt. Vesuvius once again. Hopefully this will be a one day event and we can start a new no-puke streak tomorrow. Every puke-free day around here is a very joyous one!

Is it Friday the 13th?

Emily bear treated me to her first full-blown temper-tantrum this morning. Bright and early. Good Morning Mom! I am not kidding....on her back, red-faced, legs kicking, mouth open with her "you're killing me" scream. I fully expected her head to start spinning. And Zach, bless his little heart, thought it was a friendly game of "who can scream the loudest". So in between Emily's gasping for air, as she prepared for her next round, Zach would interject one of his high-C eardrum bursting screams. What a great morning this is turning out to be. The neighbors are probably calling CPS. I need to call an exorcist.

Knock on wood -- every piece I can find

I'm almost afraid to say anything for fear of jinxing a good thing. Zach's eating has been great recently. We have gone 15 days without "an episode" (spitting up his entire stomach contents)....knock on wood....I can hardly believe how well he's been doing. He takes his bottle without a big fuss, and he generally finishes it in under a half hour. Both of these are huge accomplishments for our little man. And he's still eating his solids. WOW! I am so proud of him!

Poor Emily rarely gets mentioned when we're discussing feeding issues. That is because the girl doesn't have any issues with feeding. If it comes within a mile of her mouth, the girl is going to eat it. She is such a champ!

There has been a lot of hair-pulling going on. Mine included! I am pulling out my hair because they are pulling on each other's hair. Emily must be jealous of Zach's hair. He has blonde curls and it has always been longer than Em's. She loves to reach over and grab a HANDFUL of hair. And PULL!!! And the screaming begins. YIKES! Now Zach is starting to fight back. Earlier this week I caught him with a handful of Emily's hair. The look on Emily's face was priceless and it was so hard not to laugh. How do you explain to two 12-month-olds why they shouldn't pull each other's hair?? You think the fact that it hurts would be enough. I guess I had better go consult the parenting book before they both start getting bald patches.

They both definitely understand the word "NO!". And Emily is getting to the point where she starts crying if you look at her wrong. I have perfected "the look". There are times I don't even have to say anything. I give her "the look". One glimpse of "the look" and Emily drops everything, puts her hands behind her back, and gives me the innocent "who me??" face. While very cute, I seldom fall for it. Until she comes over and tries to give me "the make-up hug". **SIGH** I'm a sucker for that every time!