Two point Five

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On Saturday, my "babies" had their half birthday.  This isn't something we celebrate (do others??  I'm not sure...) but there just happened to be a fair in town.  Now, if I were a good mommy blogger, I would have remembered to bring my camera to the fair to get pictures of them being big kids and riding rides by themselves.  Remembering three kids seems to be all my brain can handle, though, and the camera was left behind.  We had to settle for Billy's iPhone which is normally fine but on Sunday is self-destructed before we had a chance to transfer the photos.  So, ya...no pics.  But what we had was a very cute shot of them in the car-merry-go-round ride.  They chose the same car - Collette was in the front and Sebastian was in the back.  They loved it.  I got a little choked up at how big they seemed, riding all by themselves.  Another one of those unexpected milestones, I guess.

2.5 has also been an age of "advanced" play.  They are interacting with their toys (and each other) in more meaningful, developed ways.  They collaborate in games, simple as they may be.  Like jumping off the porch, throwing matchbox cars over the fence or taking turns dumping sand on the rhododendrons.  Recently, they acquired some dinosaur toys.  They know a lot of the dinosaurs names already so I tried to teach them which ones were meat eaters and which were plant eaters.  They took it to heart:

On the flip side, we seem to be confirming the theory that the half years suck.  The whining has reached epic proportions.  Things were going so well, I had been slacking on the discipline.  Now its back to counting them all the time.  For those of you who also do 1-2-3 Magic, do you count for whining?  If so, always or just in certain instances?  And what about crying?  For us, whining and crying is a fine line but I feel awful sending them to time out when they're crying.  I feel like I am denying them some mommy comfort that they need.  Then again, they (yes, they - its not just Sebastian anymore!) cry over ridiculous things like my suggesting that they wear a rain coat or serving lunch that doesn't involve yogurt and fruit.

Sibling rivalry has also been peaking.  Sebastian is in a "dat's mine!" phase, and even takes it out on poor Matteo.  But mostly it's just Sebastian and Collette fighting over toys and/or space.  I have a feeling that Billy and I will have to give them some quality one-on-one time to get through this stage of toddlerhood.  I just hope the second half of their third year in life isn't as rough as the second half of their first year.  Because I really did not enjoy 18-24 months old...

But back to the bright side:

They are still happy kiddos over all!

Matteo's 9 month stats, etc.

Matteo's 9 month check up was quick and easy. I'm lucky that he is such an easy, predictable baby so I rarely have questions for the doc. Also, this visit only required one shot and my little boy didn't even cry. What a trooper.

In record keeping news, Matteo has made his way to average, after being such a big newborn. Here are the stats:

Weight: 20.6 lbs (47th percentile)
Height: 28.5 in. (55th percentile)

And lastly, a lot of this has been going on:

Yup, pulling up, standing and cruising have begun. My little guy is on his way to toddlerhood. Lord help me!

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9 Months Old and Making Mischief

Oh yes, its that time. The time when the baby becomes a force to be reckoned with. And Matteo is hitting it right on track.

Truthfully, 9 months is one of my favorite ages. The crawling means he can get into everything but he is so happy to explore on his own. And I am starting to get glimpses of the kind of person he's going to become now that he has this independence. He's curious, determined, affectionate, engaging and fun-loving. It's so nice getting to know him. Even while he is eating sidewalk chalk, shoes and paper.

He is learning to pull up, which means I have to kick the baby-proofing into high gear. Or any gear. My house is currently not baby-proofed at all We had to move his crib down from the highest setting to one of the lowest - another milestone!

Also, much to my satisfaction, he has learned how to take a sippy cup. We let him try the straw cups that Sebastian and Collette use and he was able to figure it out pretty quickly. Now, whenever he sees them with their milk, he tries to steal it away. I'm sure this will be a recurring theme throughout his childhood, for better or worse. For now, I'm just glad that I can have someone else feed him. Plans are in the works for an adult-only weekend away to celebrate my big 3-0. More on that later. :)

As far as his schedule, things are still pretty much the same. Two naps, goes to bed around 6:30 and gets up around 6/6:30 in the morning. It can be hard to get him up from his first nap in time for the twins' classes but so far we have managed to fit it all in and not disturb Matteo much.

All in all, 9 months is looking great! He is still my happy little boy.

I think he is going to have Collette's hair. I was looking at pics of Colie from this age and her was only just starting to curl. As you can see in the chair picture, he is rocking the faux hawk - that's au natural, folks. He's going to need a haircut soon. Oy. My baby is growing up!!

Makes My Monday: Busy Matteo

Last week, Matteo had some very big breakthroughs. He is officially crawling forward, and with purpose. He mostly crawls around to put things in his mouth that he shouldn't, like pieces of paper, shoes and chalk. Clearly, I need to do a better job of tidying up.

He has been babbling for awhile now but it wasn't until last week that he started saying "mama." I have no illusions that of what his meaning is - I know its just babble. But still. Pretty awesome :)

And just over the weekend, he learned to clap! I started playing Pat-a-Cake with him and he loved it, started clapping after I showed him and that was that. He's a clever one!!

And for your viewing pleasure, a crawling video taken on my sh*tty phone.

8 Months old for Matteo

Matteo's eighth month was somewhat uneventful, as he seems to be working on a lot of the same things he was last month. Here is a quick snap shot of my Tater Tot over the past month:

• Crawling backwards very well, not so much forward. In the past week or so, he has perfected his downward dog.
• Eating more table food. In the past month, he has tried crab cakes, quiche (also with crab...), puffs, apple bread, croissant, french toast, mango (pieces and in the mesh feeder), different kids of beans, shredded cheese, squash (pieces and in the mesh feeder), potatoes, and rice.
• Gets mad when I walk by him and don't pick him up. Actually, distraught might be a better way to describe the emotion. And the face he gives me is just heartbreaking...
• New love affair with the tupperware cabinet. I am fine having the tupperware all over the floor if it means peace, quiet and both of my arms free while I'm cooking.
• Still won't take a sippy cup or bottle. Grrr.
• Has been waking up on his belly lately, or at least he's on his belly by the time I get in there.
• Loves to chew on paper and shoes. Must have picked that up from the dogs.
• Sleeping better overall. His naps are much more consistent, I would say. Down from 8/830 - 930/10 for the AM nap and from 1230/1 - 230/3 for the afternoon nap. Bedtime is still between 6 and 630.
• Still very ticklish :)
• Eyes haven't turned brown yet...maybe they won't?

Here is my handsome guy, all smiley for his 8-month chair picture:

7 Months

My little Tater Tot is 7 months old today. This has been a very enjoyable age, especially since he is now 100% sleeping through the night and on a very predictable nap schedule. He's now dropped that third nap and takes his second nap right after the twins go down. His first nap is on the early side, between 8 and 8:30, so that he can wake up early enough for us to get out and about.

While he perfected sitting up last month, this past month has been all about moving. He isn't crawling yet but damn, does he want to! This boy never loved being on his belly but now I find him that way all the time, trying to get up on those knees. I wonder how long it will take him to figure it out.

The only "issue" we're having is with eating. he still doesn't like to be spoon fed but also won't eat soft pieces of food. Mommy Esq. gave us some of her old mesh feeders and those have worked but he still eats very little this way. On the bright side, he is at least feeding himself.

Overall, Matteo is just a happy baby. Everyone comments on how he is always smiling and laughing. He is terribly ticklish. He loves his brother and sister and watching them play or makes faces at him. And he loves to talk! Mostly just "dadadadada" for now.

Happy 7 months, my baby Matteo!!

Escapee

I think the kids know when Billy is on an overseas business trip because that seems to be the time when they do new, and often naughty, things. This time, Sebastian is the culprit. New (and naughty) behavior: crib escaping.

It started (and ended, actually) on Sunday morning. I went into their room and saw that Sebastian's crib was empty which could only mean one thing. He finally realized he can climb out of his crib. I have known for a little while that he is physically capable of doing it, even while still in his sleep sack. Both he and Collette use toddler sleep sacks that have special foot holes. Also, the sleep sacks are on the long side for Sebastian, who is short for his age. So, the sleep sack still gives him plenty of mobility, being so big. However, I was hoping he would just take for granted that he had to stay in his crib and not realize that "hey, I can just climb out of this stupid thing and do whatever I want!" So much for that.

I called Billy (who was in Beijing at the time - he has since made his way to Kuala Lumpur) and told him what happened. I told him what our options were: get crib tents, use the travel beds we already have, switch him to a toddler bed (shudder). Then I remembered one other suggestion I heard from someone in my mother of twins club, not sure who or when but it was filed away in my brain for this very moment. This person had taken out the bottom of the crib that hold up the mattress and simply put the mattress on the floor but within the crib. This only works if your crib sides come close enough the ground that the mattress can't be pushed out. Luckily, our crib fit the bill. Billy agreed that we should try that way as it seemed the easiest thing to do. I quickly got to work removing the support platform and put the mattress back in on the floor. This gave us about 8 extra inches of depth and now Sebastian's head barely reaches past the crib side.



Now I'm just waiting for Collette to make her escape. It's fine though. I'm ready!

Matteo, 6 months old: Milestones galore!

Holy cow - it's been half a year since we got our little Tater Tot. I almost can't believe it (how cliche of me). But it's true. This is another difference I am finding with this one - time is flying. Not sure if its because I'm so busy or because he is just one baby. I definitely never felt this way with the twins. If anything, 6 months felt like way more, not less. Anyway, I have come to the realization that I need to take way more pictures of Matteo because I will certainly forget all this baby bliss.

This past month has been a very busy one for my littlest guy. Here is what he has been up to:

• Learning to sit up. He is almost 100% there but will tip every once in a while so I like to stay close by.
• Sleeping unswaddled. He kept breaking free of his swaddle during our trip so when we got home I just ditched it. It required some extra rocking to sleep at first but was a pretty easy transition overall.
• No longer the smallest. Sometime in January, Matteo surpassed Lola in the weight department, tipping the scales around 19lbs. to Lola's 18.
  
• Almost sleeping through the night. During our trip, he got in the bad habit of waking up twice at night (around 1 or 2 am and again at 5am). Luckily, I was able to get him to hold off until 5am (no 2am feeding) with minimal crying, just some hourly fussing. Now, he makes it until 5am without a problem and I feed him just so I can get a little bit more sleep. But even that 10pm - 5am stretch has been so lovely.
• Playing with toys. This past month has been great for him in terms of grabbing, shaking and chewing his toys. A lot of it goes hand in hand with sitting up. he likes to sit and just pick up what ever is in front of him and investigate it.
• Rolling. He has only done it a few times but at least he has done it. Just back to belly so far.
  

Here's his chair picture, which is actually a couch picture that my sister took. But at least we got a shot of him on the actual day (yesterday, February 3).

Matteo at 4 months

Matteo hit the 4 month mark on Saturday. This is the age I swore I would do CIO with him if wasn't already sleeping through the night. But, now that it's here, I'm not quite ready. he just seems so young. I did CIO with the twins closer to 6 months so perhaps that's why. Either way, I will probably wait until after our vacation to El Salvador for New Year's to bother with it. Feeding him at 2am is not ideal but it's not so bad either. With the twins, I had to feed them both which took longer, even if I did it at the same time, and I had to pump afterward. With Matteo, I just feed him for 5 minutes and then stumble back to bed.

Other than nighttime sleep, here is what's going on for Matteo these days:

He is napping better, although his morning nap is still shorter than his afternoon nap which surprises me. Usually 1 -1.5 hours in the morning vs. 1.5 - 2 (sometimes more!) in the early afternoon. Most days he usually needs a third nap but if he naps for a very long time in the afternoon, he can make until bedtime without it.

He still nurses almost every two hours during the day. A lot of this has to do with the fact that I nurse him before naps. On the bright side, he only needs to nurse for about 5 minutes so I don't really mind how often it is.

He smiles and laughs so much. He loves to watch his brother and sister play. And the dog, too. He loves when I talk right to him and tickle his belly.

He does not really love his exersaucer yet but tolerates it. He much prefers to playmat with the light-up star. ANd his bumbo so he can get in on the action at meal times. He tolerates tummy time but doesn't enjoy it for more than a few minutes.

My boy is still growing fast. He is in size 3 diapers but I still have so many size 2 diapers left that I am using those during the day and 3s at night. He is in 9 month clothes for the most part but can still squeeze into some of his 6 month stuff.

He is a hand-sucker. I may have my first thumb-sucker with this one once we ditch the swaddle. And he won't take a paci - an endeavor a gave up on a while ago, actually. I don't want him turning out like his big brother, addicted to that thing like baby crack.

And here is, all 4 months of him!

Matteo, 4 months old
(Sebastian and Collette at 4 months)

Upgrade

I'll give Sebastian a break and focus on his baby brother for this post. But, I do thank all of you for your encouraging words. I needed them and we are working on things. Slowly but surely.

So - Matteo. He has finally been upgraded to his big boy crib! It's odd to be "celebrating" this milestone since it's one the twins didn't even have. The closest I had with them was switching from sharing a crib to their own cribs but they were always in their own room. True to form, I am not terribly emotional about the move. In fact, I probably sleep better :) Matteo, too. One night, he made it all the way to 4am! Hoping that's a trend. And now I have my closet back. If you know anyone in the market for a glider and a bassinet, send them my way.

Also, I was right about his size - he's 14lbs 8oz! I bought size 3 diapers at BJs over the weekend because, by the time he finishes the size 2 diapers I have, he will be big enough for the 3s. And while this is all well and good, I just need him to stay below 22 lbs through New Year's because I really want to be able to use the bucket car seat on our trip to El Salvador. Slow down, Tater!!

Colie is probably feeling left out - my easy going girl does not give me much to write about, other than that she is a cutie pie. Here's a pic of her with Tater:

Colie's First Haircut

Well, it was time for the 'Fro to go. Collette was seriously getting dreadlocks in the back so we had to get her some professional help. In the form of overpriced baby haircuts at Snip-its.

Truthfully, the place was fantastic and, IMO, well worth the price. It was easy to bring all three kids (no, I was not alone!) and let them play while they waited. They could walk around and not be in the way like they would have been at a real hair salon. So, if you need to get your kid's hair cut, I totally recommend this place.

Collette was sold as soon as she get her lollipop. Animal crackers filled in the gaps. Overall, a very easy, fun experience.

Collette with the 'fro

Oblivious to the snips. Thank you, lollipop!!

Have you ever seen a cuter thing in your life?

Toddling Times Two

I now officially have two toddlers. Sebastian has been walking way more than crawling (although he still stumbles a lot) and Collette hasn't crawled for a couple of weeks now. Funny how this changes how I view them but really, not much else. At least not immediately. I know this is just the beginning of their toddlerhood and walking is a huge jumping off point for other toddler milestones but, in our day to day lives, not much has changed. I don't have to babyproof anything new. I know once spring arrives and we are out at parks, I will understand what all the other twin moms talk about when they say, "wait 'til they're walking!" For now though, it's just pretty cute to see my no-longer-babies toddle around the house.

***

Thanks to everyone for your advice on my post yesterday. Obviously, a lot of it was just venting, like we all need to do from time to time. As for the SAHM vs. working mom thing, I know there is no right or wrong answer. And regardless of how I feel sometimes, I know that being a SAHM is the best for our family right now. It will always be isolating, I think. That's just life. Playdates and the like help, but it's not the same as going to your job everyday and interacting with other like-minded adults. On the flip side, working outside of the home will always mean missing time with your kids. There's no perfect solution. If there were one, everyone would do it. So, thanks for listening and commiserating.

I'm Back, Biatch!

Yes, I'm back. Back to reality and freezing temperatures and a painful 1:2 adult:child ratio. 15 days in El Salvador truly spoiled all of us. After 2 days there, I was almost in tears at the thought of coming home - sorry Mom!! Life down there is just so much easier. No cooking or cleaning or laundry. All the beans and rice a pregnant girl could want. Beautiful weather. But when the 15 days were up, most of me was ready to come home. I missed Lola. I missed my family. I missed speaking 100% in English. And now that we are back, I realize it's not so bad. We all fell right back into our lovely routine as if we had never left and things just feel right.

I have so much to write about the trip and plenty of pictures to go with it. My new camera is great and I will be able to upload all my photos tonight when I install all the software. Without any pictures for this post, I will just share with some quick highlights/interesting things from our vacation:

• Collette learned to walk. I know I said she has been taking steps but by Christmas, she was walking full time. Sebastian is just now showing signs that he is ready, taking more steps by himself to get to his favorite toys.
• In Spanish, they have a special word for "to hold" when you are talking about holding a baby/person. I think it's because they do it so often. Seriously, it's amazing Collette learned to walk considering how much time she spent in someone's arms.
• I found out that kids in El Salvador start preschool (they call it "kinder") at about 18 months old, some even younger! And its 5 days a week, 8-12!! I won't even tell you how little it costs. Lucky bastards.
• In El Salvador, it seems that they don't know what ear infections are. I was quite worried Collette had an ear infection because she had a very bad runny nose, fever and was just so cranky - very unlike her. When I mentioned my hypothesis to Billy, he thought it was his fault because she dunked her head underwater in the bath while he was washing her. When I mentioned it to someone else, they looked at me strangely and asked when Collette had gone swimming. The only ear infection they are familiar with is "swimmers ear", not the inner ear infection I was referring to. Weird, right?
• The beach was a complete disaster. Well, the sand, anyway. How do people take their kids to the beach at this age? The sand-eating and sand-in-the-eyes caused a complete meltdown for poor Sebastian. Collette didn't seemed to mind as she just kept eating the sand, non-stop. She also eats dirt. Is it considered pica when it's a baby doing it?
• My kids are totally bilingual!! Well, you know, in receptive language. They're not talking just yet. But they understand so much in both languages, I was so amazed. I think it really helped to have so many people around them talking and interacting. Another reason I was scared to come home - they are all alone here.

All in all, we had a wonderful time and will probably go back at that time each year. Which means next year we will have 2 two-year olds and a 5 month old. Yikes!

Makes My Monday: Baby Steps

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Two weeks ago, I mentioned that Collette took her first steps. Since then, she has been getting better, but still not doing what I would call "walking." She is up to about 8 steps at a time and once even got to 17 steps. They are so small that she barely covers any ground, but every little one counts in my book.

Sebastian is a bit behind his sister. Collette has been standing alone for quite some time and is very sturdy on her feet. Sebastian is not as strong and steady and only recently started standing without holding onto something. But today, at bedtime, he stood up from the ground all by himself, without pushing up off of anything. And he stayed up for a bit, too! Later on, sometime between drinking milk and listening to Goodnight Moon, he stood up and took a step. It was just one step before he reached me but still, he did it! I was so proud.

Both my babies have passed one of the biggest baby milestones and before I know it they will be bona fide toddlers, toddling around. We will have the video recorder at the ready and, as soon as we re-load the software onto my computer (don't ask), I can upload some action videos to share with you all!

Makes My Monday

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Well, I had some very good news making my Monday but I can't share it with you because I can't find the cord that connects the camera to my computer. I know, I know. I really should not have a blog as, clearly, technology and I do not mix. But my forgetfulness will only be getting worse :) Thank you for putting up with me.

In other exciting, week-starting news, Collette climbed an entire flight of stairs (I was spotting her after she did the first 3 steps on her own while I was putting Sebastian in his crib - oops!) and she took three baby steps today!! Go Colie!! These are the kinds of things even good parents don't get on film so I don't feel so bad about not having proof. But believe me, it happened and I was as excited as a first time mom should be. Hope that she does a repeat performance for Daddy when he comes back on Thursday.

Operation Sippy Cup: Complete!

We have said our final good-bye to bottles, nipples and liners in our house. Hurrah!! Sippy cups bring their own set of work (and mess!) but overall, I think this is much easier than bottles. They haven't mastered drinking them fully upright and refuse to drink from them in their high chairs. So, the we still have work to do but we'll get there.

To help them learn to drink sitting up straight, I give them water before and after meals in their special directors chairs that Auntie Kim scored for us. They do pretty well with it when the cup is full (and therefore easier to drink from) but can't empty is sitting that way. As with all things, though, practice makes perfect and they're getting better by the day! Here is Collette, showing off her skills:

Messy, but still...

Operation Sippy Cup: Week 1

I think I titled this wrong but I don't want to jinx myself.  I was temtped to title this "Operation Sippy Cup:  Complete" because they have been doing so well with it.  The first day, Collette cried but since then, we really haven't looked back.  As of yesterday, we are down to just 2 bottles a day (wake up and bedtime) and they get their milk (formula) sippies when they wake up from naps as a "snack." 

I do think it will be a challenge to have them only drink milk at meals, as some people have suggested.  To me, if it's a snack that I just will replace with something else (like Goldfish or Graham Crackers) I would rather them drink milk.  But they are still young and I won't worry about that too much just yet.  I have a feeling that once we switch to cow's milk, they will be drinking less anyway. 

One more question for you all out there - how many sippy cups (per kid) do you have?  Right now, I have 3 different ones and it's clear that they have a favorite.  I need to go buy more of those so I wonder how many I should invest in...

11 Months

11 months in and things are going pretty well in the Soto house.  Sebastian and Collette are crawling, climbing and standing all over the place.  They are playing with each other (sort of) and loving it.  They steal and fight and cry; they chase and talk and laugh.  All typical, fun baby stuff. 

I am enjoying it, too, I must say.  I think if I were to look back at all these month-birthday posts, all have been pretty upbeat since about 7 months, when they learned to sit up.  So, for people reading this out there with little newborns, it does get better.  You can actually have fun with your kids in that first year, contrary to popular belief.  I hear so many people say, in reference to their multiples, "I don't even remember the first year!"  I hope I don't say that some day, when their first year is behind us.  Because we have had a lot of good times.  And yes, the job of being a SAHM to infant twins is still tough.  Carrying them up and down stairs all day long, feeding them constantly, keeping them entertained, changing 17 poopy diapers per day, dealing with crying for no reason, dealing with crying for good reasons like new teeth, bruises and stolen toys.  But overall, it's a good gig.  I smile and laugh more than I did at any paying job I ever had.  And I cry a lot less.  Like, never.  Always a nice measure of job satisfaction.

Also, I know this post is a day late.  I'm not lazy or anything - it's just that I can't do the chair pictures alone, since I have kamikaze babies (don't we all, though!) and I need a spotter while I play photographer.  As you'll see below, I shouldn't quit my day job.  Anyway, here goes - Sebastian and Collette, 11 months old (and 1 day):

Makes My Monday: 10 months!

10 months!! We are officially in the double digits - woo hoo! And on this last day of summer, we also have our first EI meeting. Our case worker, B., will be here every Monday for the next 6 months at which time both babies will be reevaluated to see if qualify again. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

This past month has been another winner. The whining has been up and down but mostly manageable. Collette has been whining a lot less since she learned to crawl a few weeks ago. Now both babies are bored with crawling and focus most of their energy on pulling up. Pulling up on the TV stand (don't worry - the TV is anchored to the wall), pulling up on the couch, the high chairs, old bouncy seats, trash bins - if it's about 2 feet high, they are pulling up on it. Also, Sebastian took a couple of steps on his little baby walker and my camera was no where to be found.

In the continuing solid food saga, both babies have pretty good pincer grasp now and can reliably get well over 50% of the food in their mouth on the first try. With the new bibs, it's much easier to just scoop up what they missed and put it back on the tray so we have been wasting a lot less food. To date, here are some favorites:

diced pears

diced apples, nuked to soften (although I'm sure that's killing most of the nutrients. *sigh*)

diced peaches, may need to be nuked if not soft enough

sliced strawberries

sliced bananas (not too ripe or they get slimy)

raspberries (WARNING! very messy and they stain!)

cubed kiwi

baked sweet potato cubes (bigger hit than sweet potato fries and easier to make)

steamed asparagus

pasta in marinara sauce (ziti and rotini cut up have worked best so far)

diced chicken

smoked salmon pieces (just Sebastian)

baked haddock pieces (big surprise, thanks Legal Seafood!)

beans (just Collette)

very small cheese cubes, a soft, mild cheddar

As you can see, we are lacking in the veggie department and that is mostly my fault, I have tried a couple of veggies that haven't been embraced (like zucchini pancakes) but others I just haven't tried yet, but plan too. On deck are steamed, sliced carrots, edamame, peas, steamed, cubed squash (summer or winter), sauteed peppers. Still, most any kind of bread is a hit, even naan. Spices have made their way onto Sebastian and Collette's plates - they thoroughly enjoyed my curry butternut squash soup! And they will be eating Tabasco in no time if Billy has anything to say about it.

Our 10 month schedule is pretty much the same as our 9 month schedule, with the exception being naps - they tend to be closer to 9 and 1, sometimes even after 9 and 1. From what others have told, the same happened to them so we're just going to roll with it. I'm also working on pushing back bedtime in preparation for daylight savings. Did anyone else have to gear up for the time change, or did you just make him/her/them "sleep" an hour later?

And, I'm happy to report that the feud between my camera and computer is over! Just in time for chair pictures, hurrah!! As you will see, it's really hard to keep 10 month olds in a rocking chair. Without further ado, here they are:

Collette about to crawl off the chair and Sebastian trying to roll over her.

Coming soon: review on my new Valco Ion 4 Two stroller! In the meantime, check out some other Monday Makers at Twinfatuation.

I proved you wrong, Daddy!

Although we are thoroughly enjoying parenthood, Billy and I feel like sometimes these infant days/weeks/months just drag. Little milestones and accomplishments seem to take forever. They start to do one thing (sleep through the night, roll over, sit up, etc.) and then it's a month later before they do the next thing. S...l...o...w.

Billy decided a while ago that they will simply never walk, talk or have teeth. Well, he was wrong on that last one. My little boy was gnawing on my finger this morning (lovely!) and I suddenly felt something sharp, Holy crap, a tooth!! Billy almost got me believing in a toothless, wordless future that I had forgotten to expect them. You can just barely see it peeking through so I can't take a picture and even if I did you wouldn't be able to see because I still haven't fixed my camera cord/computer feud.

And, in other milestone news, both Sebastian and Collette are pulling up. The other day, I caught Collette standing up in her crib (that just days before we had moved down - thank goodness!!!) while I was getting Sebastian downstairs. When I saw her, it almost scared me, like some creepy stranger had broken into the house for the sole purpose of standing her up in her crib and freaking me out. But alas, no crazy people. Just a baby girl getting less baby and more toddler every day. Sebastian, not to be outdone, has evolved from pushing up on low pieces of furniture to pulling up using taller pieces, He especially like to pull up on the bouncy seat, the part where the toys hang from - it's sturdier than it sounds and is the perfect height and shape.

Lastly, Collette is CRAWLING!! She kind of started over the weekend but yesterday was the day she really got her sheez together and covered some distance. And now, it's like old news. She does it all the time and I'm all, whatevs, you did that yesterday. But seriously, I am excited about this. She can now get to and from different toys whereas before she would just whine and we would have to change things up for her. Of course, the babies get up in each other's business more often now which results in more toy fights. And I realize this is only the beginning but I'm welcoming these changes. I don't think I will be one of those moms who mourns babyhood. I enjoy forward progress and even way back when I was just a mom-to-be, I only ever dreamed of doing fun toddler/kid things. I honestly never thought about baby things, mostly because I never knew any babies. So, bring it toddlerhood!! I'm ready! :)

And here are a couple pictures that I lifted from my cousin's FB page - thanks Brett!! We were enjoying a Labor Day BBQ - I'll post on that tomorrow now that I have lots of pics to steal.