I just watched an important moment in my children’s development:  I watched them outsmart Laura, or at least beat her at her own game.  They have long since outsmarted Katie and I, but that was inevitable, what with the sleep deprivation and advanced age and vegemite-free diet.  But Laura – we expected that she’d stay ahead of them.  Alas, it was not to be.

Laura sat the boys down for second breakfast (don’t ask).  They ate their yogurt with a minimum of spitting, and ate some crackers, but then it was time for banana.  Nic is usually a big fan of the bananas, but Dexter is much more picky.  She slided the bananas and put them on each boys tray.  Nic ate his, but Dex was disinclined to acquiesce.  Strike one.  Laura sliced his into smaller pieces.  Dexter continued to display his indifference.  Strike 2.  Laura finally went and mashed the bananas.  No joy.  We’ll call this Ball 1, though, so the analogy doesn’t break before we finish.  Finally Laura went and got some peach puree.  She took the spoon of mashed bananas, dipped it in the puree, and fed it to Dexter.  He sucked off the peach, and spit out the banana.  I think we’ll let that be Strike 3.

Our tricks are starting to fail.  I used to always be able to get Dex to take his bottle by covering his eyes with his snugglie.  No longer.  Or to get Nic to cheer up by growling at him.  Or to get Dex to take a bite of anything by putting a cheerio on top.  I don’t think I’m smart enough to keep up with these boys…

With just on the cusp of running (it’s looking like they’ll skip walking altogether), it suddenly hit home how quickly the boys are changing, and how many of their little quirks and habits have already changed or disappeared altogether.  I don’t want to forget them.

Nic laughs in his sleep.  I know I’ve said it many times before, but it’s an absurdly adorable habit.  It used to happen all the time, but I haven’t heard it in a while now.  He’d just be sleeping on your lap, or in his crib, and suddenly start chuckling.  It would last a few seconds, and maybe repeat a couple of times, and then he’d just be sleeping peacefully.  We never managed to capture it on video, sadly…

Dexter crawls like an orangutan.  He crawls on one knee and one foot, with his leg splayed out to the side.  I don’t know if we’ve caught video of it, but we definitely have a few photos.  I know it’s because of how close he is to walking, but he’s been doing it for more than a month now.

Nic power crawls.  Every once in a while something catches his attention – usually the laundry room door being left often mistakenly – he grunts, and suddenly he’s off.  It’s LOUD.  His knees and hands pound into the floors and he rockets forward, so intent on wherever he’s going.  And he yells at us so loudly if we beat him to the door and close it first…  In another few weeks he’ll be walking, and the power-crawl will be gone.  Another thing I don’t think we’ve managed to capture…

Dexter squeezes both eyes shut when he’s smiling hugely and flirting with you.  He didn’t used to, but he picked up the habit and now it sticks.  I don’t get it, but that’s alright.  This kid is a natural born flirt, which I can assure you he doesn’t get from my side.

Nic EATS HIS VEGETABLES.   I have to write it down because even now this is changing, and I imagine we’ll be fighting for the next 17 years to get him to do so again.

Dexter wrestles with blankets.  He’s face-plant into the blanket and bite it, and then roll in it.  Quite likely he’s a crocodile.  And if you go and lay your head on the blanket, he’ll laugh and come over and wrestle with the blanket, pushing his head into yours.

Nic dances!  Any time there’s music or a beat, he just starts bouncing up and down.  If you put toys in a bowl and start bouncing them up and down, he’ll come and grab the rim and start squealing with pleasure.

Dexter will break out in laughter if you put a snugglie on your head, and then work his way over to you and take it off, and bust out laughing once he’s gotten it in his hands.

Nic growls.  It’s deep down in his throat, and suddenly he’ll just start growling.  Not in a scary or angry way – it’s just like when Dexter starts blowing raspberries.  Dexter blows raspberries – Nicholas growls.

Dexter smiles when you apply powder to his nether regions.  I only mention this because when he’s a teenager,  I’m going to need all the blackmail material I can get to keep him for generating early grandchildren, and this one small start.  We also have a photo of when he escaped in the middle of  a diaper change and went crawling off across the floor sans diaper, laughing all the while.  He then peed on the floor, but we didn’t take a picture of that.

I know that there are many, many more little quirks and aspects of their personality that I haven’t listed, but at least I’ve written some of them down, and hopefully Katie and Laura will add their own as well.  And some of these quirks might stick around for a while.  Still, they’re growing up so incredibly fast, and while that’s an unmitigated wonder to behold, I can still think idle, nostalgic thoughts of the phases they’re already passed through.

-Joel

As everyone in the state of Washington knows, the Washington State Cougars football team needs all the help and support they can get this year.  We’ll be lucky to win a conference game.  In honor of both WSU (my Alma Mata) and the University of Michigan (Joel’s Alma Mata), my aunt Lora made these SUPER FANTASTIC blankets for the boys.  One side shows the WSU colors and symbols and the other side shows the UofM colors and symbols.

Last year, we posted a blog of the boys and Joel in their UofM outfits against the “Go Blue” blankets.  All Aunt Lora wanted was the same respect for WSU and I have to admit, I failed her.  A year has gone by and it’s time we show respect to WSU and grant Aunt Lora’s long overdue request.

So, here are Nicholas and Dexter in their to small WSU sweatshirts with the “Go Cougs” side of the blankets showing.  Of course, they were being little stinkers and were more interested in climbing the couch and playing with the blanket than having their pictures taken.  They LOVE these blankets.  Their favorite games with these blankets are wrestling and peek-a-boo.

Aunt Lora – when the boys are actually cooperating, I’ll attempt to get a better picture of them with the WSU side showing for you.  Sorry it’s taken me so long.

Yates Rally 09

This is our life.  We cooperate at times.  We push each other around at times.  We race and we laugh.  Need we say more?

Today I took a day of vacation.  I slept in until 6:45am.  I helped Laura with the first feed of the day.  I showered leisurely and ate breakfast watching Laura feed the boys’ their second breakfast.  It was quite nice.  You see, I haven’t had a day of vacation since March of 2008.  My goal today was to do what I wanted to do and I feel I’ve pretty much accomplished that.  I sorted through the thousands of pictures we have of the boys and let me tell you, there are tons of blog stories in there.  We just haven’t written them up yet.  Spend a day with us and you’ll understand.  In fact, I bet all you parents out there already understand.

Then, when the boys crankiness was at its peak this morning, Laura and I dumped them into the stroller and headed off to the local authentic French bakery.   All four of us enjoyed scrumptious croissants.  Right next door was “Other Mothers”, a second hand store full of stuff for children.  We picked up the boys’ Halloween costumes.  He he he – I’m not going to tell you what they will be, you’ll just have to wait.  By the time we got home, it was 11:30am and the boys were conked out.  In a blink of an eye, it was 1am and they woke up.  A feeding fight ensued, which I was an innocent bystander in this time, and off to the grocery store I went.  Woohoo – a sale on baby food!!!!  I stocked up, came home, and played with the boys.  I haven’t changed one poopy diaper yet and have had a great day so far!

Tonight will be about catching up with old friends.  All in all, not a bad vacation day at all.  Here’s a video clip from today’s festivities.  Enjoy! – Katie

Dexter’s Chariot

Please note – this post was suppose to go up last night but due to challenging babies, the post didn’t get published and I didn’t get to go out and see my friends.  Next time.  it was still a great vacation day!

Just kidding but I was just a bit tempted.  You see, I graduated from Washington State University (WSU) and am a proud Cougar!  This past week, Joel’s dad Loren and step-mom Zaidee were here from Michigan visiting and babysitting while Laura was off gallivanting around California.  (Joel will share about their visit hopefully later this week)

Anyway, Loren really doesn’t understand the  WSU / UW (University of Washington) rivalry.  The UW / USC football game was on Saturday and I very strongly dislike both teams.  Loren also dislikes USC so he was rooting for the Huskies.  OK, I could stomach that seeing that he, Joel and Ryan had just built us a deck.  But when Loren started to encourage Dexter to root for the Huskies, I started to growl.  ;)

For those of you who did or did not watch the game, it was a nail biter at the end.  The score was tied, the Huskies has the ball, there was less than a minute on the clock, they were in range to score a touch down or a field goal, and I wanted them both to loose.  The Huskies scored with what, 7 seconds left on the clock and took the lead.  Loren and Zaidee started to throw their hands up in the air and yell touch down.  Of course, Dexter mimicked the move.  ”No No Dexter, we don’t cheer for the Huskies.”  So then Dexter, bless his heart, did a raspberry.  ”Yes, yes Dexter that’s it” and I did one too.  So there we were, the three adults trying to get Dexter to do what we wanted – “Touch Down” or raspberry.

Dexter ended the game on a raspberry and that’s just one of reasons why I love him so.

Hurray!  Dexter arrived home one year ago today.  As stated before, how time flies and what an incredible journey it’s been so far.  This 1 lb 13 oz fighter has turned into a 22+ lb comedian.  Dexter always has a smile on his face (or a big-eyed innocent, “who me?” expression) and the most infectious laugh.  One can’t help but laugh too when he turns on the charm and tries to make you chuckle either through gagging himself, deliberately wheezing, or repeatedly performing raspberries (that one gets Grandpa Loren every time).  This boy is a born charmer who will take over the world one day, with the help of his brother.  Seriously, put Nicholas and Dexter together and you have a mighty team.  Just wait until they learn to walk and talk.  Speaking of walking, Dexter took 6 unassisted steps this afternoon.  We are all on the cusp of another game changer.

Well, as you all know, for Nicholas’s homecoming party, we served cup cakes and Dexter would have no part of the frosty goodness.  For Dexter, Joel was determined to find a treat that incorporated Dex’s most favorite food – Cheerios.  He found a cookie recipe and I whipped them on up today.  Wouldn’t you know it – Dexter loved them and Nicholas didn’t, at first.  It took a good 10 minutes before Nic ate his.  Nurse Heather came over to help us celebrate before heading off to the NICU and Nicholas valiantly attempted to steal Dexter’s girl by flirting up a storm with Heather.  Even gave her kissy noises but Heather only had eyes for Dexter.  We followed Heather to work and showed off the boys to some of their previous nurses.  They were all very impressed by the boys.

Anyway, Dexter has come a long way in a year.  No more oxygen tubing for mom to step on.  No more nebulizing treatments.  No more diuretic medications.  No more puking up formula three times a day.  (On this note, it looks like Dexter may have a sensitivity to lactose – he is not a happy camper when we tried him out on regular whole milk and started to puke again.  He has no problems so far with the lactose free milk .)  Dexter now has a little pot belly and is still a body in motion.   We love you kiddo.  Keep growing, keep laughing, and keep eating.  You and your brother mean the world to us and light up our lives with the you-ness of you.

Before the boys were born I dreaded the diaper changes.  People told me horror stories of golden fountains, flung feces, toxic odors.  I call them “people” because the label “friends” no longer applied after they shared their stories.  Very mean people.  I was terrified – living in fear of the Meconium or planning on buying a poncho.

I was wrong.  By and large, while unpleasant, diaper changes aren’t too scary.  They’re smelly, disgusting, frequent, but blessedly brief.  And when it’s done, it’s done.  And afterward, I’ve occasionally caught myself debating whether I really need to go wash my hands afterward (don’t worry, I do – I just have to remind myself).

Usually it’s the feeds that get me.  They take so long, and have been such a struggle, that I came to dread them.  But the feeds have been becoming easier – shorter, less frequent, and less of a struggle.  The diaper changes have moved in the opposite direction.  More frequent, more smelly, and more of a struggle.  The boys toss and turn, try and roll or sit up, grab at their manly parts, arch their backs, or just laugh at you.

Two days ago I was trying to change a Nicholas diaper – a smelly, semi-solid one.  He started off calmly, but suddenly went ballistic, started trying to roll while simultaneously kicking his feet and grabbing with his hands at the poop-covered manly parts.  I called urgently for Katie’s help, and she came out to hold his legs.  I kept trying to clean him, but he just WOULDN’T STOP.  He kept squirming and twisting, and Katie kept holding the legs apart, and I kept focusing on getting the diaper on him.

When it was over, only then did I really notice that he’d ended the diaper change in a hand stand – Katie was holding him up by his feet, he was pushing on the changing table with his hands, laughing, completely upside down.  But his diaper was on, the feces were contained, and I think we have to count it as a success.  Seriously, why hasn’t anyone invented a child-immobilizer for diaper changes?  Something like those fold-down bars on roller coaster rides?  Untapped market…

Then I washed my hands.  No need to remind myself that time.

Hi everyone!

My friend and fellow Au Pair Marte (from Norway) has twin boys 1 months older than the boys so we decided to have a playdate. It also keeps Marte and myself sane since we have another adult to talk too for a little while. We have had 2-3 playdates… trying to meet up once a week

Marte arrive with Henrik and Martin in tow and now Henrik doesn’t cry when he sees me! But both boys loved our house, all these new toys they can play with. Nicky was alittle wary about the “big kids” and about Marte for that matter. Dexter fell in love with Marte and rarely leaves her side during the playdate *sigh* That boy will be a popular teenager!

They mumble to each other “blah bubba tuk tuk tuk”  We have baby races around the house were Marte and I have Nic and Dex by the hands and the “big boys” run and we chase them. We dance to the radio, made wrapping paper with fingerpaint for my friends bithday and sing songs or read books.

We also have met up at the park nearest our place since Marte can drive the boys and I can’t. We sit in the pinebark and Nicky explores while Dex takes a little time to get use the the new sensation of the dirt and pinebark. Henrik and Martin run wild jumping and exploring. We went down the slide (Dex didnt like it) and Nicky warmed to Marte after he discovered that Marte had a snack for the boys!

Anyway the park is fun and the boys are getting really outgoing and spend alot of time exploring their surrondings.

So here are some photos from the park and playdates.

Notice the wonderful photo of Nicky flirting with the camera… maybe they both with be ladies man?!

Our first official play date in our own home occurred quite some time ago with our friend Alex.  He’s about 6 months older than Nicholas and Dexter so there was quite a bit of watching on the part of my boys because Alex could walk and talk (a bit).

Since then, we had play dates with Ethan (3 months younger but yet bigger than Dexter), with Riley and Maddox (twins that were in the NICU the same time as the boys and who are the same age), and fellow au pair Marte’s boys, Martin and Henrik, who are a couple months older than the boys.

It’s so funny to watch them interact with other kids.  Or, should I say, not interact.  They will parallel play and upon occasion, shadow and poke one of the other kids in the face.  I’m sure they are picking up pointers from the walkers in the group because tonight, both Nic and Dex were being brave and attempting to walk solo to me on more than one occasion.

Anyway, here are the boys reading.

There’s Robyn entertaining the troops (Dexter, Alex and Nicholas) with “Who Stole the Cookie From the Cookie Jar”.  Alas, that book bit the big one on our recent camping trip.  It was turned to the page where the bird was accused of stealing the cookie and actual crows attempted to pick the cookies out of the book, and when that failed, pooped all over it.