Couch-climbers....our little miracle monkeys

What an eventful weekend! Grandma and Grandpa Bear (and Baxter Dog) visited this weekend. It's always great to see my parents and I know they really enjoy spending time with the cubs. Plus Grandpa Bear always brings me some egg rolls from my favorite little Chinese hole-in-the-wall. YUMMY!

Emily, Zach and Baxter:


Another "first" occurred on Sunday evening. As I was doing some work on the computer, I heard Steve say "Oh God, Zach!". I thought something was horribly wrong. I ran into the living room in time to see Zach crawl up on the couch all by himself. We officially have our first couch-climber!! Not five minutes later we had our second couch-climber. Emily quickly figured out how to do this by watching Zach do it a few times. Now this may not seem huge to some, but to Mom it is beyond huge. It totally changes the dynamic of daily life here at Cub Central. I used to be able to do small tasks in the kitchen or perhaps do a load of laundry while the cubs entertained themselves. I knew they would be reasonably safe. NOT ANYMORE. I am going to have to play catcher of two cubs who like to bound off the couch at the same time. These cubs have no fear. This may be a simple thing for a parent of one, but when two are doing it at same time from opposite ends of the couch, it is quite frightening. Mom desperately needs a longer arm span.

Zach crawling up Mt. Couch:


Zach reaching the summit of Mt. Couch, and he's very proud of it:


Emily scaling Mt. Couch in a single move:


Emily at the summit of Mt. Couch:


Emily took her first tumble off the couch on Monday morning. Mom just wasn't fast enough as she fell and rolled off onto the floor. Luckily she wasn't hurt...she jumped up and smiled, and crawled back up on the couch. WHEW! Trauma avoided.

Soapbox time: I found another house to look at last week and when we called we heard the dreaded words "Sale Pending". My plea to realtors, please update your website so I don't continue to waste my time. If it is no longer available, don't list it on your site!!! UGH!!!

Zach's gastroenterologist suggested adding Carnation Instant Breakfast to his milk for extra calories, so we started that last week. He seems to be tolerating it pretty well. It's more budget friendly than the Pediasure, but I'm still going to give that to him as well for the nutritional value it is supposed to have. Since we started the Carnation he hasn't been eating his solids as well, so I'll be keeping an eye on that. I guess it is pretty filling. He has also been battling the dreaded runny nose (again) this weekend. I can't wait for that to clear up.

Steve switched the carseats around yesterday so they are now forward facing. We're pretty sure Zach has finally reached the 20 lb. minimum requirement. He now has the best seat in the car. Poor Emily gets a lovely view of the back of Daddy's head.

Grandpa Bear gave this monkey to Emily but it seems that Zach has adopted him instead:


Our little girl has a built-in homing device when it comes to our remote control. I used to be able to put it on the top of the recliner, but now her grubby little paws can reach it there too. She's very determined:


Husky had a bath this weekend courtesy of Grandpa Bear, and the poor thing needed it. Thank you Grandpa Bear! Emily cannot sleep without her Husky and it's nice to have him all clean and sparkly. Here she is giving Husky a kiss:

Mr. Potato Head

Just wanted to do a quick update before I forget about all the noteworthy happenings here at Cub Central.

On both Saturday and Sunday, Z-man surprised us by drinking 12 oz. of Pediasure for his bedtime bottle. Usually he only takes in 9 oz, so this was really an accomplishment for our little man. I joked with Steve that he is our little caviar man, since he has such expensive taste. Why can't he drink his milk like that? It's way less expensive than the Pediasure. Oh well...if he'll drink it, we'll buy it for him.

On Sunday, Emily experienced some more new foods. For breakfast our little mini-princess dined on scrambled eggs and toast. We offered it to Zach too, but of course, he just played with it. For dinner Emily enjoyed a fabulous cuisine of grilled cheese. She loved it. The girl loves cheese! What can I say? She gets it from her mommy.

Emily is such a funny little girl. She is stubborn, determined, and DRAMATIC. Her temper tantrums make me laugh. She stops, flings her head back, throws herself on the floor, and cries. No tears, just noise. Eventually she will realize that they don't get her what she wants, but that doesn't stop her from trying. Such a little drama queen. I'm just glad she hasn't thrown one out in public.

Sunday evening our friend Donna (from Abilene) stopped by for a brief visit. It is the first time she has seen the cubs and we were really happy that she was able to stop by. Zach was a little shy, but Emily practically attacked her. No stranger anxiety here. Such friendly little cubs!

Last night the cubs had some baked potato. Zach did so well. He opened his mouth wide, took in several bites without fussing one bit. Then he coughed (like he was clearing his throat) and threw it all up. Steve and I just can't figure it out. He tries to eat, and he swallows his food, it just never seems to make it all the way down. One little cough and it all comes back up. We are thinking of going ahead with the swallow study, even though I don't think swallowing is the problem. It's just so frustrating.

I think I overlooked mentioning that we can finally retire the swing. Previously we would have to put Zach in the swing before bed so he could calm down, and then we would move him to his crib once he fell asleep. No more swing!! Zach is now going straight to bed (since August 11). We can now move the swing to storage and open up some much needed space.

The housing issue is difficult. We are quickly outgrowing our home. It was great when it was just the two of us, but now that we've doubled the size of our family, our living quarters are a little cramped. We have been house shopping for a while now, and we've narrowed down the location of where we want to "plant our roots", but finding a house that fits our needs has been challenging. UGH! Do we buy an existing home, or do we build? Do we try and sell this one first, or buy one and pray we can sell this one? So many questions and no real answers. We went on Sunday to check out another house and left disappointed. There was a contract on it already anyway, so I'm really relieved that we didn't like it. Who wants to get into a bidding war? The housing prices here, at least in our desired area, seem to be going up. I don't see any evidence of a housing depression here. Maybe we should move to Detroit. Yeah, right! Now we're considering building, but since they are all mass builders, I'm concerned about the quality. All the new developments have homeowners associations, which I am not too fond of. I don't want to have to ask anyone's permission to plant a tree. I'm sure it will all work out, but I just wish I could close my eyes and wiggle my nose, and all our housing issues would be solved.

This morning Zach fed himself a banana puff, and he ate it without thowing up. This is pretty major stuff. He tried to eat a second one, but could never get it to his mouth. We need to work on his pincher grasp and his hand-to-mouth coordination. He only has this problem with foods...he has no problems putting things he shouldn't into his mouth. Such a mystery!

Grandpa and Grandma Bear are coming this weekend, so we have something to look forward to. Hopefully Steve won't be working and we can all enjoy some precious cub time.

Randomness

My Uncle from New York state used to send emails sharing the prices of the basic necessities, such as gas, milk, bread, etc. and I was always fascinated by how things were always so much more expensive there. Tonight was one of my girl's night out and on my drive home I noticed that the price of gas was only $3.34 at our local station. I'm already pocketing my savings. So to all our out of state readers, you are always welcome to come to Texas!

Last night was my LCMOM (Mom of multiples) meeting. Another chance for Mom to enjoy conversation with people not under the age of two.

Steve and I have given great thought to whether or not we should continue with the Nutrition visits for Zach. In all honesty, the only reason that I have kept doing them is to keep up with his weight, and he's really been doing pretty good. At our last visit, the Nutritionist said to just keep on doing what we're doing. Most of the things she's recommended haven't really worked anyway. (I think I sound a little frustrated.) Her visits have been so sporadic, and she's missed three already, plus I just found out last night that apparently we had an appointment for this morning. NICE! Sure wish someone would have told me. Luckily, the message last night was to cancel this morning's appointment. Go figure! I think we'll cancel it permanently.

I also have decided to let go of some of my OCD issues. I have been keeping track of every milliliter of formula that Zach has eaten. I've done this since the first day we brought him home, when he weighed less than four pounds. I have been totally trained by the NICU and I've been so concerned about his weight gain (or lack thereof) that I haven't been able to let it go. Every doctor appointment or nutrition appointment, the first question is "How much is he eating?" That's a hard question to answer when you are in a "twin fog". So I kept track all this time. Last Thursday I let it go. I don't really think my OCD was helping anyone. Zach is a happy, active little guy and I need to worry less about his eating issues. I guess it's ok (for now) that he doesn't eat solids. The Doctors don't seem to be concerned even though I bring it up at every appointment. I'm sure he won't enter Kindergarten without knowing how to eat, so he has 3 1/2 years to figure it out.

Viva Las Vegas!

I have returned from Sin City....the city that never sleeps. I have come to the conclusion that if you want to get away for a relaxing vacation, this is NOT the place to go. I had a blast, but there are way too many things to do so there is not much time left to relax. A lot has changed since Steve and I were there last. The City Center project is under construction and it will be quite impressive once complete. The construction dust played havoc with my allergies, and I can't even remember what once stood there. Some sidewalks were closed which made navigating a little tricky, and it was hot and humid so it felt a lot like home.

(City Center project. Note the size of the cars for reference. HUGE!)

We arrived early Friday morning, checked in, took a quick stroll around the Miracle Mile Shops and then headed directly to the spa at Caesars. Do not pass go, do not collect $200 dollars. With the exception of a short lunch, we spent ALL day at the spa. If it weren't for our dinner plans, I probably would have stayed until they closed. The staff would have had to kick me out. It was wonderful. We then ended the evening with a dinner at Koi. Very yummy!

(Me with Kelli and my birthday dessert...fondue! YUM!!)

On Saturday we walked. Enough said! I can't remember the last time I walked so much. I think we went to every major hotel/casino on the strip. We started at the M&M store, and then headed to the MGM to see the lions.

(Don't mess with these guys! Swifty and Bently, over 400 lbs each.)

After that we went to the Luxor, Excalibur and Mandalay Bay, then onward to New York New York and the Monte Carlo. Then we spent some time at the Bellagio. The Conservatory was just beautiful (even though I couldn't stop sneezing after we left...stupid sunflowers) and we did see the world's largest chocolate fountain. We wandered through the Forum Shops at Caesars, then headed to the Venetian/Palazzo. Whew! After all of this, we ended up taking a cab back to the hotel. But we weren't finished. That was just Saturday day. Saturday night we started with dinner at the Wynn and then walked to TI to watch the outdoor show, then headed to the Bellagio to watch the famous fountains. I still think they are spectacular. Finished yet??? Not quite. We bravely boarded a bus to the Fremont St. Experience. It was an experience. One last cab ride home and the day was complete.

(It sounds silly, but I could probably watch these fountains for hours. So fascinating!)

We left early Sunday to return back to reality. It was great to see the cubs. I missed them and thought about them the whole time. I think they had a great time with Dad. They went to the Zoo and had some good quality time together. I'm not sure they missed me as much as I missed them.

(Our amazing little miracle cubs, I couldn't wait to see them!! All clean and sparkly!)

Happy Birthday to Grandpa John

(Grandpa John with Emily.)

Today is Grandpa John's birthday. We really wish we could be there to help him celebrate. We hope he has a spectacular day and we are sending tons of hugs and kisses his way! We love you! Happy Birthday from Cub Central!

P.S. Dad says he's ready to take the cubs golfing.

Here kitty kitty....

I can't believe it! We made it through a Temper-Tantrum Tuesday almost temper-tantrum free. Today was actually a very good day. Zach woke up early again, but managed to talk himself back to sleep, and then I finally woke him up at 8:30. It set his nap-time back a little bit, but he still surprisingly managed to get a decent nap in. Emily also took in a good amount of sleep today. They must be going through a growth spurt.

The cubs jabber all the time, but so far I haven't been able to make anything out of it. It may have been my imagination, but I think Emily may have said her first word (besides mama and dada) while we were playing today. It was......drum roll, please......"kitty". After she said it, I asked her where the kitty was, and she stood up and walked over to the couch where Whiskers was napping. So sweet. Whiskers has always had an attachment to Emily ever since we brought the cubs home. When Emily would cry, Whiskers would come out of hiding and sit next to her. She never got too close, she just watched over her. They are big pals now!

Returned to sender

After a pretty dismal week, things are finally looking up. It seems that during the night, a UFO hovered over our house, returned my cubs and took back those monsters. Thank you!!!!

So far today has been pretty good. The cubs slept in until 8:30 this morning. I even had to wake Zach up, which is totally unheard of. I did hear him making noise around 6am, but he managed to fall back to sleep. He usually wakes up around 5:30, so this was a very welcomed turn of events. Too bad Steve had to go to work, or else he could have joined us. I'm sure since Steve is off tomorrow, Zach will be waking up at his normal 'pre-roosters' time.

Zach just finished his second bottle of the day. It's the first time since his little bug that he has finished a bottle. I'm very pleased that there wasn't even much of a struggle involved.

The cubs are currently playing right now, laughing and chasing each other around the living room. Music to my ears! I am so glad I was able to return those monsters! It's wonderful having my cubs back!!