Eight Months: Here For Almost as Long as We Waited For Them

Eight days old

As each month passes, and I go to document the babies' development, I could easily just lead with "where does the time go?" because, eight months? Eight months old?

Eight months old

No, really.

Where does the time go?

They've been here with us now for almost as long as we waited for them.

I've said it before but now I really mean it. They're becoming little people. With personalities.

Harry is sitting up independently (he loves it).

While Lucy's been babbling seemingly since she was a few weeks old (seriously, she's almost as chatty as Ellie--I wonder where she gets it -HA HA-she has Miss Nonstop Chatterbox as a big sister). But in the last few days, Harry has found his voice. It's gravelly a deep and sounds a little like Donald Duck.

He's such a dude, I swear. Look at those thighs. I'm in love with them. And his feet? So chubby, I refer to them as fat with toes. This morning, when I had to ask him to suck it in so I could snap his diaper he gained a new nickname. "Big & Tall."

Lucy is teething. Still. Boy those little ivories take their time. It seems like she's been thisclose to getting them for a few months, but the misery seems to be coming to a head, because she is suddenly Whiney McWhiney Pants A LOT of the time. She will chew anything and everything that comes her way (she's gnawing on my knee right now, no joke). I love that little peanut girl but sometimes it feel like nails on a chalk board and the only thing that soothes her is being held. Which is wonderful and completely understandable and I try to do it whenever I can but there's that whole Other Baby thing to contend with. Speaking of Lucy, she's still not sitting by herself but is very content on her tummy. If you set her down on the floor she does move from point A to point B, albeit very gradually. And I'm still not sure how she does it. She's a big fan of a move I like to call the Sneaky Pivot.

She's still a social butterfly who craves people, faces, laughter and conversation but she's also the shyer one who is not a great fan of new people and for now has more separation anxiety. She gets bored easily and loves when you play with her. Harry is content to play by himself for longer periods but both babies love when Leo or Ellie or better yet, both of their big siblings pay attention to them.

Now that the babies are sturdier and completely interactive (that sounds like the description for action figures, but you know what I mean) Leo and Ellie are constantly asking me to "put them on the blanket." It's fun, yes, but requires a bit of supervision, as you can imagine.

I think it's safe to say Leo and Ellie have found Harry's ticklish spot.

I never thought I'd say this about the one previously known as Fussy McCranky Pants (or something to that effect) but Harry has become, dare I say it? Mellow. Except in the middle of the night when he cries like someone stole his puppy.
(We did try a new sleep system last night for the Hair-Man, more on that to come.)

Life is definitely easier than it was in those early days. I feel the same way I have for a while: some days, I can totally do it. Other times, what we're expected to do seems completely and utterly unreasonable. I am still stunned by how little I can accomplish in a day when I'm home with just the twins. The days fly by. I feel like I literally look up and it's 4 p.m. and time to meet Leo's bus. And yet I look around and wonder what the hell I did (I know, I know, kept babies alive, but still! What did I do?) Throw in the big kids and whooee, by 5 p.m. I am cooked. There is always something to do and the work is never, ever done. And I assure you, I have lowered my standards. In a way, I feel like I am just starting to get the hang of being home, just as I'm on the cusp on going back to work. I've learned not to do laundry every day (otherwise I feel like all I do is laundry), try to get out at least once a day on the days Ellie doesn't have school or a class. I've figured out how to make an actual dinner that can involve chopping things up instead of just defrosting. It doesn't happen every night and my intentions are usually loftier than the end result but hey, a girl can try.


Harry: the strong, silent type. Lucy: that girl cracks herself up.

Eight months in and I still feel like my life was hit by a truck. An awesome truck, an amazing truck, a We Didn't Know You Were Missing Until We Got You Truck, but yes. A large, powerful, chaos creating truck.

Make that trucks. Plural.

Hair Today: Sweet Victories

Before...

Going...

Still going...

Pause to admire handsomeness...

And, gone!

Long time readers of this blog realize the enormity of these images.

Leo got a haircut. And he didn't freak out. He didn't cry. We didn't have to hold him down. I don't have bruised shins. I didn't cry (well, I actually did, but they were tears of joy and pride). I could go on and on.

Still a little confident on the heels of a recent visit to the pediatrician wherein Leo allowed the doctor to examine his ears (the other historical source of hysteria), we decided to revisit the notion of a real haircut. Obviously we've trimmed it here and there as he'd allow (usually in front of a piece of cake with him holding an iPhone while "America's Funniest Home Videos" played in the background, anything to quell Leo's haircutting demons). I used to joke that perhaps Leo was some kind of medical phenomenon, that he had nerve endings at the tip of his hair, he would get that upset and there was just no talking reason to him.

But, try, try again, fail, try again, right? Give kids/babies the chance to surprise you and nothing is permanent (two of my favorite pieces of parenting advice).

All of that, and Leo's hair was starting to look downright silly.

I should also credit Steve Jobs in my little Thank You speech. Getting to use the iPad (Super Stickman Golf to be exact) was the deciding factor in my opinion, that finally allowed Leo to relax enough and be distracted, something no amount of cake or DVDs could ever offer.

It's like almost everything with Leo. Everything has taken longer, been a long time coming (sitting up, crawling, walking, talking). But it all happened. It's all happening. He just does it in his own time. And certain things just don't come easy to him.

And that's what makes these little seemingly simple victories (a haircut, yes, a haircut made me cry happy tears today) that much sweeter.

Who's Going to Live Here When We Don't? and Other Profound Questions

The other day, Ellie was standing rightnexttome (as she is apt to do) as I changed Lucy's diaper in the babies' room. Ellie was flitting about as she is also apt to do. Rocking in the rocker, skipping around the room. That girl does not stop.

"Mommy, who's going to live in this room when the babies don't?" Ellie asked.

I reached for a new outfit for Lu. She's petite but we don't call her "Toot-in-Pants" for nothing. That girl can make a mess.

"Well, when the babies get older, I think you and Lucy will share this room." The nursery used to be Ellie's room and I was thinking that's what she was getting at, that she wanted her old room back.

"No, but what happens after that?" Ellie persisted. "Who's gonna be in that room after that?"

"Well, at some point, you'll get bigger and grow up and live with your family."

I mean, it's true, right?

Well. This was not the thing to say to a four and a half year old. Because as soon as I said it, Ellie's lip began to quiver and the tears came.

"But I don't want to live anywhere else! I always want to live with you guys!"

Honestly, I often forget she is four. That I need to be careful what I say. I went on to assure her that she could live with us for as long as she wanted. Forever and ever, if she wanted. And then she gave me a hug. So I guess we're good now.

In other news, it's the end of January and I'm happy to report our first snow fall.

Aside from an early morning trek to Disney on Ice (that was almost cancelled due to said snow--oh the irony!) we've had a cozy weekend.

Leo loves to read to the babies (see above). Speaking of Leo, his speech is coming along. He has a few new phrases including one that allows him to argue with me even more effectively (when met with me denying him something, most likely his beloved cheese crackers (which I'm constantly running out of): "Yeah you do Mommy!" He's also added "I love (fill-in-the-blank)" but it's usually a food item (grapes, pizza, cake). He also often hugs whatever he's referring to. Yes, you can hug grapes. Did you know? But he's also started to say, on his own accord, "I love you Mommy/Mama/LucyandHarry" (yes that's one word in Leo's world). And, well, speech delays and all, that's the kind of sentence that is truly worth waiting for.


Intermission.

Ellie danced in her seat throughout the entire show but when the performance was over, she announced she did not have a good time because "there weren't any princesses and Tinkerbelle didn't say hi to her."

Can you hear my eye balls rolling around? All I can say is, she'd adjust her criticism a bit when we take her to DISNEYWORLD in March (more on that, I promise).

The babies are good. Harry has his seventeenth cold. Poor dude. Every time I think I am going to let him CIO in the middle of the night, he gets sick and I just don't have the heart to let a sick(ish) baby cry. But man, I am tiiiiiiiired. I've said it before and I'll say it again:

It's a good thing they're cute.

Notes From the Weekend

Learning to sit up.

Big brother knows all.

Waiting in the car.

Some of us slept.

Leo and his dinosaur.

"Is she always this happy?" asked the woman at Target/mom at gymnastics/neighbor from down the street.


Pretty much, yes. I know. It's ridiculous.

Aaaaand there are too many of us to fit in a frame (and we're not even all here!).

Oh January, You Are Not December

I have no idea why Ellie looks so pathetic here. Harry? He's just hungry.

Don't ask me why I put a cap on Harry for breakfast. Why not?

We are having the winter that wasn't. It's been soooooo mild. Note the photo above that Ellie took (one of the nerdier pictures I've taken in my lifetime but hey, I can count on one hand how many pictures I have of myself in the last seven months so here's proof that I do indeed exist). And Ellie took it with my new and improved phone/camera, so that's a bonus.

The other day a Christmas song started playing from a leftover Christmas CD still in the car player and I felt all wistful. I don't know if it was because of the babies or because I was home but the holidays just flew by this year. Also it was never cold enough to really feel like the holidays. We had a number of 60 degree days. It was just weird. And here we are smack in my least favorite time of year. Bleak (sort of) mid-winter. With the closest holiday being Martin Luther King Day (no offense, he was a great guy but it's just not all that festive). And I'm having a hard time getting behind decorating for Valentine's Day which is more than a month away.

Switching gears: I'm on a roasted vegetable kick. Brussels sprouts, zucchini, brocolli. If it doesn't move I Will Roast It. And I just discovered the most amazing fruit and vegetable market with the best prices. And since Leo eats grapes year-round, even when they are $2.99 a pound. I much prefer .79 cents a pound. The above haul? I got for $38.

Am I really writing about the price of grapes? I'm sorry. I'm boring even myself here.

Moving on.

Lu is now a full-time tummy sleeper. She's pretty funny about the rolling. Put her on her back and she instantly turns to her stomach as if to say "Oh I don't think SO! I'm way above that. Don't even think about putting me on my back."

Duly noted.

Change of Plans: Update

Leo started spending time in his new classroom at school. He's doing language arts (reading and writing) in the "Language and Learning Delays" classroom. Am I the first parent in history to be thrilled that their kid is in this classroom? It's a big step for Leo and we are so proud of him. Friday he came home with some worksheets that included synonyms which made me teary because, synonyms? Seems hard. I don't think I was doing synonyms in second grade. His teacher emailed me and said that Leo was very excited about the fact that he has his own desk in this classroom. Of course he was.

In other news:

Hi, my name is Lucy and I'M TEETHING.

You'll notice the alfresco Exersaucer photos here because? It was 65 degrees here today. In January. Considering last year at this time we had oh, about two feet of snow on the ground, I am not complaining, not at all.

Yup, still teething and yet, happy.

Odds & Ends: Starting the New Year, Still Wrapping Up the Old

Oh, hi.

I used to be so good about taking little notes and remembering things I wanted to write about. And then, well. You know.

In other news, my sister's alma mater won the Rose Bowl. We are all very spirited about the Oregon Ducks. You can take the girl (and the boys) out of Oregon, but you can't take the Oregon out of us.

-Part of of my absence so far in the new year is related to the fact that the babies are having sleep troubles again, earlier in the evening (as opposed to middle of the night, well actually, in addition to middle of the night. Fun!). So my ability to finish a task in the early evening has been sorely affected. Lucy, or as I like to call her, "Flipper" figured out how to flip onto her stomach in her crib (and apparently, in her sleep). She then wakes up furious, confused and, well, screaming. I never much minded one screaming baby, but two? And when one wakes the other up? Not cool.

-As much as we all love the holidays and winter break, I think we were all a little relieved to get back to routine. Although I hesitate to call what we experienced a "break." Leo and Ellie both attended camps which were fabulous but for for the babies and me it meant practically living in the car for a week as we shuttled Prince Leo and Princess Ellie back and forth. It was of course worth it. They were occupied and enriched and best of all exhausted at the end of their busy little days.

-We finally had a cold snap. We experienced some "teens" weather. It honestly barely felt like winter until this week therefore it really didn't feel like Christmas at all. Hard to believe last year we were just beginning our month of being virtually buried under snow. What a difference a year makes, in more ways than snow.

-The following is ridiculously old news yet it's still newsworthy. The week before winter break, Leo appeared in the "mallet group" at his school's winter concert. Don't know what a mallet is in terms of music? Neither did I but it looks much like a xylophone. Anyhoo, Ellie and the babies and I went to see him perform. There was Leo, standing poised and proud, one of seven other (typical) second graders, malleting away, in perfect rhythm and time to old favorites like "Jingle Bells" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." I asked how it came to be that Leo was chosen to be in the "Mallet Choir." Apparently the aide that accompanies him to music class with the other second graders simply asked the teacher if Leo could do it and he said yes.

Simple as that.