The brothers are three years old. I'm sure I should be doing separate three year updates for them, but mama just 'aint got time or that. You will have to share, twin life. Or as your dad says all the time "you guys chose to split into two people."
I will spend time talking about each of you separately, though. Because you are actually two people, whether you started as one or not.
First, your relationship has really developed into a real relationship over the last year. You are always looking for each other and talking to each other and it is just heart melting. You don't necessarily play together all that much, you have very different interest, but you always like to know where the other brother is. If you lose track there is a refrain of where is Kai? Where is Soren? until someone tells you where the other brother is.
You have also just turned three. You may have heard that three is a hard age. A really, really hard age. You both are certainly living up to that expectation. Just the other day Kai man was having a hard, hard day with so much screaming and tantrums and I was trying to figure out what was going on because that is just not who Kai is. Or maybe I should say who Kai was, because I had a vivid memory of the exact same scenario with Audrey which ended with me realizing it was because she was three. Being three changes kids. To be fair, it is developmentally normal, I think. You are three, you are figuring out more and more that you have your own thoughts and desires. You are learning how to regulate strong emotions. It is all very hard, for you and for the rest of us.
So far, even as a three year old Kai man is our laid back dude. You just goes with the flow so much more than Soren or Audrey, ever have. Even as a threenager you are significantly more of a go with the flow man. You love trucks and construction more than anything in this world. You will play with your trucks, trains, and guys buy yourself for so long. You make up stories and talk for the cars and people. It is sweet and awesome. The other day you meticulously loaded all of the blocks into a recycling truck and dumped them into a bin, trip after trip to the garbage dump, until you moved all the blocks. You also are a daredevil. All of you kiddos like to pile your big pillows at the bottom of the stairs and jump into them. You, Kai man will jump from the 6th step like a flying squirrel. Soren only goes from step 3. You also loves to jump off the couch over JT and are generally more of a physical risk taker than Soren. You go faster on your bike, you like sledding, you are a thrill seeker. I can relate buddy. You are also still a lover of books. You bring us at least 10 books a day to read. Which is some of the only cuddle time we get with you, so we all benefit. You are loving school and enjoy music class the most. You tell us you play tractors everyday. You Kai man, are a cool little dude. Let's try to keep the three year old struggles to a minimum, OK buddy.
Soren, my sweet Soren you are such an intense kid. You love intensely, you play intensely, you feel intensely. You are intense. Which can be great. Your snuggles are unmatched. Your love is deep. But, your disappointment and disagreement are also very intense. You are also so particular. Everything has to be just how you plan it in your head. Has to be. I can appreciate this. I too am a planner, but we need to work on some strategies for dealing with the unplanned. You are intense but you are also awesome. You are much less captivated by toys than Kai. You tend to gravitate towards whatever the adults are doing. You are our right hand man always there to help, or just hang out. You spend almost every evening on the counter while I make dinner. But you do love art and music so much. You also love to play with Audrey. You will play almost anything with Audrey. You two have a bond that is incredible, and bit perplexing. Your dad and I think you are so close because you are pretty much the same person. Which also means that although you two have an intense bond, you also have intense fights, because you are the same person. Passion. Fire and Ice. That is how I would describe your relationship. It has taken you a bit longer to love school than it has Kai man. For months you would list every place we have ever been as where you wanted to go more than school on the way to school. Every Tuesday and Thursday "mama I don't want to go to school I want to go to the museum, mama I don't want to go to school I want to go to exercise class, mama I don't want to go to school I want to go to the dentist (not really but you did list some pretty unfun places." It was heartbreaking, I am so glad you have settled in at school. You have always had fun once you get there and I leave, but the drop offs were brutal. It took a bit for the idea of going to be fun. You are my biggest cuddle bug by far. Thank you Soren for being a cuddly dude. You are our only happy cuddler, and I love it. The other two only want to cuddle when they are sick, hurt, or mad. You are always seeking out cuddles. You are such a unique, complex kiddo Sore-man and it is great. We never know quite what to expect from you, but we do know we love you to pieces sweet Soren.
I can't believe you are three, brother bears. It seems like just yesterday you were both sleeping on my chest. I love watching you grow and blossom into distinctly unique people. It is so fun, and you remain my favorite science experiment of all time.
Happy third birthday brother bears.
Monday, February 18, 2019
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Audrey: 5 Years
How in the world are you 5 years old baby girl?!? That is just not possible!
Our sweet, spunky girl is 5. You are maturing and growing by leaps and bounds every single day. You have a kind spirit, a strong desire to have life go your way, and when you decide a determination that can't be stopped. Unfortunately you often opt not to be determined, but it is there.
You, baby girl love to play pretend more than anything else in this world. Every day when I pick you up from school and ask about free choice time you say you played school and family. Every day. You have four babies you care for night and day. Their names are Sadie, Barney, Barrack, and Margret. We shall see what you name the brand new baby you are getting for your birthday?!
Speaking of brothers I would be remiss not to talk about the bond you and Soren have. It is unexpected, and intense. Your dad and I think you and Soren play together more than Soren and Kai play together. I never would have expected that. In fact my first thought when we found out we were having twin boys was, what did we do to our sweet girl? She will forever be an outsider. Well it seems at least in this stage of life that was a needless worry because you and Soren are tight. You love to sit and read the cake book together, he loves babies too and likes to join in pretend play with you (you aren't always a fan of this, don't worry he is getting a doll of his own), you play tag, and Soren is forever saying Audrey, Audrey. It is so fun to watch the love you have for each other. You and Kai play too, but Soren is definitely your guy right now.
Other things you love include Sparty, my goodness you love Sparty so much. You also love books, PJ Masks, peanut butter, soccer, riding your bike, carrot sandwiches, and the museum. Your favorite color is still pink and you love to put together unique outfits for school each day. You are a fantastic counter and are even figuring out some very simple addition and subtraction. You are getting good at your letters and have started asking how to spell words. You can write your name from memory. You still hold your pencil in a fist, but I'm sure you'll work out how to write a bit neater in time, or maybe not. Mom has pretty terrible handwriting as well. You have started drawing objects and are getting pretty good at coloring. You are getting so big!
You love babas and cousins more than almost anything else. You love both sets of grandparents and those cousins. Oh my you love those cousins, especially Anders. You are been talking about how excited you are to see Anders and play zombie tag at babas for weeks!!
You are your own woman and that is just how it should be. At home you are the boss of all things, but with your peers you are mild mannered and a bit reserved. I am forever trying to help you advocate for your needs with your peers. You should get a turn to be the mom when you play family too, baby girl! Vocalize your needs, stand up for yourself, be confident, you are amazing and people will like you! But then those are things that most grown ups struggle with too, so we will keep at it and you will learn as you go.
We love you sweet baby girl. I am going to be sad when you start kindergarten next year and we no longer have Tuesday mornings just Audrey and mommy. Having one of my days off be on a day brothers are in school is the best decision I ever made. I love having a morning every week of just mommy and Audrey time. I think you love it too. I am going to miss them when you go to school.
Keep growing and exploring my sweet five year old. The world is yours to take by storm.
Our sweet, spunky girl is 5. You are maturing and growing by leaps and bounds every single day. You have a kind spirit, a strong desire to have life go your way, and when you decide a determination that can't be stopped. Unfortunately you often opt not to be determined, but it is there.
You, baby girl love to play pretend more than anything else in this world. Every day when I pick you up from school and ask about free choice time you say you played school and family. Every day. You have four babies you care for night and day. Their names are Sadie, Barney, Barrack, and Margret. We shall see what you name the brand new baby you are getting for your birthday?!
I will get to all of the things you love in a minute, but first let's talk about your kind and caring spirit. Now, to be fair you are not kind and caring all the time. You are 5 and sometimes you are decidedly unkind. But at your core you are a caregiver. You love to help with baby Sam, to a fault at times. And when you are in the mood you are very helpful to mom and dad as well. But your kindness shines in interactions with your brothers, most of the time. You love to help them. You always know what they are saying, this actually drives mom crazy but it is helpful. And you often play together quite nicely. The other day we went to an open house at Mr. Jim's Nature Discovery Center (Mr. Jim is your favorite special teacher at school. He teaches nature, be still my heart.). When you asked if brothers could miss nap next time Mr. Jim has an open house so they could come with. You said you felt very, very sad brothers didn't get to come because you really thought they would have loved seeing all the animals at Mr. Jim's. This is one of the kindest most compassionate moments I have experienced with you and it was so very genuine. You HATE it when brothers miss their nap, so this declaration was seriously selfless sweet girl.
Speaking of brothers I would be remiss not to talk about the bond you and Soren have. It is unexpected, and intense. Your dad and I think you and Soren play together more than Soren and Kai play together. I never would have expected that. In fact my first thought when we found out we were having twin boys was, what did we do to our sweet girl? She will forever be an outsider. Well it seems at least in this stage of life that was a needless worry because you and Soren are tight. You love to sit and read the cake book together, he loves babies too and likes to join in pretend play with you (you aren't always a fan of this, don't worry he is getting a doll of his own), you play tag, and Soren is forever saying Audrey, Audrey. It is so fun to watch the love you have for each other. You and Kai play too, but Soren is definitely your guy right now.
You love babas and cousins more than almost anything else. You love both sets of grandparents and those cousins. Oh my you love those cousins, especially Anders. You are been talking about how excited you are to see Anders and play zombie tag at babas for weeks!!
You are your own woman and that is just how it should be. At home you are the boss of all things, but with your peers you are mild mannered and a bit reserved. I am forever trying to help you advocate for your needs with your peers. You should get a turn to be the mom when you play family too, baby girl! Vocalize your needs, stand up for yourself, be confident, you are amazing and people will like you! But then those are things that most grown ups struggle with too, so we will keep at it and you will learn as you go.
We love you sweet baby girl. I am going to be sad when you start kindergarten next year and we no longer have Tuesday mornings just Audrey and mommy. Having one of my days off be on a day brothers are in school is the best decision I ever made. I love having a morning every week of just mommy and Audrey time. I think you love it too. I am going to miss them when you go to school.
Keep growing and exploring my sweet five year old. The world is yours to take by storm.
Thursday, August 10, 2017
Trying to have it all but getting none of it?
Hi. It has been awhile! I promise a two year update for the brothers soon! And a 4 year update for Audrey, I suppose that should come first...
At any rate I have been having thoughts about being a mom, having a career, and how those things interact. Some of you may know I recently reduced my work hours a little bit, from full time (40+) to 32 hours. Not a huge drop but enough to allow me to be home with the kids two days a week, squeezing in a little work before they wake, after they go to bed, or while the brothers nap and Audrey rots her brain with TV. And sometimes I have a sick kid in my lap while Tayo plays on one monitor and GIS is on the other, and that's fine because that is working with kids. I don't mind squeezing it it when I can. I like my job. I like to work. But I also like to be with my kids and see them grow. I like it all.
The idea was to give me a little more time with the kids and to give me a little more time to do work around the house so the weekends aren't all chores all the time. I must add JT does lots of work around the house too, lots. But he also works, so if we want weekend time to do fun stuff someone has to do it during the week, but he still does pretty much all the dishes and laundry. I would say we have achieved these two goals, which is great!
What I didn't expect quite so much, was to feel like I am now not a "real" scientist. That because I chose to reduce my work hours I am not a real career woman. That I don't value my career. That I don't find joy and pride in my work. None of these things are true. I realize that feeling this way is partially my own insecurity and issue. But, I do think part of why I feel this way is because of society. In America we seem to be very all or nothing in all things, but especially when it comes to parenting. I simultaneously don't really feel like I fit with moms who care for their kids as their job (I don't know what the correct term is here "stay at home" doesn't seem right nor does "full time" so we'll go with mom as a job, because we all know it is a JOB). Not because I am shunned by these moms, that is not true at all. But because I do have time away, I do have adult time, I do have time to exercise my brain. So I don't fully relate to the reality of being a mom as a job. And in addition to those great pluses, I have work stress. So much work stress, probably as much work stress as mom stress. But also don't have full mom stress because I have a break, you see where I'm coming from? This is minor though, I mostly feel like I have found my mom tribe. My work tribe though, that is a much more elusive beast. To be clear, my boss and workplace are super fantastic. This is more of an overarching problem with work and life in general.
This leaves me in a place where I tend to feel inadequate in all places. Again, this is partially my problem and I have largely gotten over it. I am good at my job. I work hard when I am there, I will go back full time when the kids are in school. I also am a good mom. I work hard when I am with the kids. We have fun and struggles and love and it is beautiful.
My point is, if I feel this way other moms who work part-time probably do too, and frankly moms who work full-time. They probably also have the phrases "mommy track" and "doing the mom thing" swirling in their heads when they can't make a meeting on a mom day or can't stay late because their kid has swimming lessons.
And here is my real point - careers are important and kids are important
.
And we shouldn't feel like we have to choose which is more important. There should be a balance. Balance should be the norm, America. And frankly, I feel like I have that balance shit down, and I don't like feeling shitty about it. We should value the contribution made by mothers and fathers who work but also want to be present for their kids. Because guess what, we continue to work hard and one day our kids will be grown and we will still be here working hard, but now with more flexibility and more ability to work long hours and be flexible in our work schedule. And our kids need us now when they are small. We all want productive, kind tiny humans right? Well, tiny humans need present parents to be productive and kind!
Can we work on this, America? Please. Can we work on valuing work and valuing parenting and helping families with young kids make things work? Please. Because, we are, yet again, behind the rest of the world on this one. And I bet more talented, amazing women would continue to work some after they have kids if this balance was common and within grasp, and that would be a great asset to our society.
And now I feel a little better and hopefully you do too mom who feels under valued as a mom, or as a career woman, or as a hybrid because we are all so, so valuable.
The idea was to give me a little more time with the kids and to give me a little more time to do work around the house so the weekends aren't all chores all the time. I must add JT does lots of work around the house too, lots. But he also works, so if we want weekend time to do fun stuff someone has to do it during the week, but he still does pretty much all the dishes and laundry. I would say we have achieved these two goals, which is great!
What I didn't expect quite so much, was to feel like I am now not a "real" scientist. That because I chose to reduce my work hours I am not a real career woman. That I don't value my career. That I don't find joy and pride in my work. None of these things are true. I realize that feeling this way is partially my own insecurity and issue. But, I do think part of why I feel this way is because of society. In America we seem to be very all or nothing in all things, but especially when it comes to parenting. I simultaneously don't really feel like I fit with moms who care for their kids as their job (I don't know what the correct term is here "stay at home" doesn't seem right nor does "full time" so we'll go with mom as a job, because we all know it is a JOB). Not because I am shunned by these moms, that is not true at all. But because I do have time away, I do have adult time, I do have time to exercise my brain. So I don't fully relate to the reality of being a mom as a job. And in addition to those great pluses, I have work stress. So much work stress, probably as much work stress as mom stress. But also don't have full mom stress because I have a break, you see where I'm coming from? This is minor though, I mostly feel like I have found my mom tribe. My work tribe though, that is a much more elusive beast. To be clear, my boss and workplace are super fantastic. This is more of an overarching problem with work and life in general.
This leaves me in a place where I tend to feel inadequate in all places. Again, this is partially my problem and I have largely gotten over it. I am good at my job. I work hard when I am there, I will go back full time when the kids are in school. I also am a good mom. I work hard when I am with the kids. We have fun and struggles and love and it is beautiful.
And here is my real point - careers are important and kids are important
And we shouldn't feel like we have to choose which is more important. There should be a balance. Balance should be the norm, America. And frankly, I feel like I have that balance shit down, and I don't like feeling shitty about it. We should value the contribution made by mothers and fathers who work but also want to be present for their kids. Because guess what, we continue to work hard and one day our kids will be grown and we will still be here working hard, but now with more flexibility and more ability to work long hours and be flexible in our work schedule. And our kids need us now when they are small. We all want productive, kind tiny humans right? Well, tiny humans need present parents to be productive and kind!
And now I feel a little better and hopefully you do too mom who feels under valued as a mom, or as a career woman, or as a hybrid because we are all so, so valuable.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
The Brothers: 18 months.
I'm back!
I am still doing the 365 project of daily pictures, though I have not been so good about putting those up on the blog. I will try to get back to that. But, I want to write some words about these kiddos because as we all know it is hard to recall life at any given moment a year down the road. I really, really enjoy seeing blog post from a year or two ago pop up on Facebook. It is so fun to see what was happening and what I do and do not recall. So with that, more words are forthcoming.
First things first, the brothers are 1.5 years old! They are walking, working on talking, interacting, and full of distinctly different personality. I am continually amazed at just how different they are given they share all of their genetic material. Kai eats meat, carbs (but not noodles), and pureed fruits and veggies with a strong emphasis on meat. Soren eats meat, carbs, fruit, and some veggies with a strong emphasis on fruit. Some days I think I should just give them one dinner plate to share Kai can have the meat, Soren can have the fruits and veggies. At the park Sore goes straight to the slide, Kai walks on bridges and up and down stairs, over and over. Generally Kai is quick with his smile and laugh, Soren is super serious. Although, the last few days Soren has been Mr. Smiles. Kai likes to sit down and eat meals, Soren is just like Audrey and would strongly prefer to graze all day. Actually, I often think Soren and Audrey are more similar in personality than Soren and Kai. I'm telling you guys, these identical twins are the science experiment that keeps on giving, so interesting to watch them grow.
Neither brother has the language Audrey had at 1.5, though as our Dr. said she is a touch act to follow. She was a super early talker. Both have some words. Soren loves to say uh-oh. They both say mommy and daddy, ball, and a few other things. Kai though, is such a babbler. He talks and talks gibberish complete with eye contact and emphasis as though he is really trying to communicate something. When he figures out actual words he is going to be talking up a storm. Kai also loves books. He goes and gets them from the shelf, brings them over, and climbs into your lap to listen. It is the best. Both brothers also love to give kisses and love it when we kiss their loveys.
They are always making their sister mad getting into her stuff, but she also loves them a lot. She loves to play with them and is continually saying "Oh Bubba you are so cute, oh Bubba." It is pretty sweet, until she pushes them over or tackles them.
I actually decided to take the time to write this because of a moment I had yesterday with the boys. I was playing with all three kids. They were sitting Soren, Audrey, Kai. Kai started giggling about something and Soren heard him and looked over and started smiling and laughing as well. He heard his brother laughing and it instantly brought a smile to his face. They went back and forth like that for awhile. Just the sound of the others giggle made them smile. It was the sweetest and pretty much sums up everything amazing about twins.
I am still doing the 365 project of daily pictures, though I have not been so good about putting those up on the blog. I will try to get back to that. But, I want to write some words about these kiddos because as we all know it is hard to recall life at any given moment a year down the road. I really, really enjoy seeing blog post from a year or two ago pop up on Facebook. It is so fun to see what was happening and what I do and do not recall. So with that, more words are forthcoming.
Friday, March 18, 2016
The Brothers: one year.
The brothers are one! Actually they are 14 months, but they were born a month early so we will split the difference and consider this post to only be one month late. Better late than never. There are not many pictures in the text part of this post, but there is a movie of their first year at the end. Enjoy!
Those brothers are getting more and more personality every day. And as a result their personalities are becoming more and more distinct every day. Soren is cautious, happy, and laid back. Kai is adventurous, reckless, happy, and high strung. They really are pretty much opposite which I find incredibly interesting. As different as they are, they are also pretty darn fond of each other. Of course they fight over toys and get in each others way, but they also go everywhere together, play together, and chat at each other all day long. It is so fun to watch their intense relationship grow.
They aren't walking yet but there is a lot of cruising around furniture, fast crawling, and a little free standing here and there. Kai seems to be a bit closer to walking than Soren, at least his free standing is better. However, Kai always seems to be closer to milestones than Soren and then Soren decides he wants to do x,y, or z and flies right by poor Kai. So, I assume Soren will walk first but we shall see.
Both brothers are doing some talking. They say mama, dada, bye, dog, and a few other things. Soren has recently started saying whoa when something cool is going on. It is the sweetest. I was swinging with him at the park and he just kept saying "whoa, whoa." So sweet. He has also started to scream for me when he is sad or hurt. He pinched his finger the other day and I was holding him to comfort him and he just kept yelling "mama, mama!" Heart melting. Kai isn't as apt to yell for me but he does lose his shit when I leave. Almost every day when I go to work he is standing and the gate to the basement screaming bloody murder for me to come back. Poor Mr. Kai.
They still only have two teeth, we are not sure there are any more in there. But, that does not stop them from eating food. They are pretty picky though. If given the choice they would subsist solely on meat, eggs, crackers, and pouches. Especially Kai, that kid is meat crazy but he is more likely to eat casserole type things than Soren. They are both way pickier than Audrey was at this age, heaven help us when they are three.
I have to at least mention how crazy this first year of their life has been. Day to day it is not too big a deal because we have to. We have to feed everyone. We have to care for everyone. We have to. But trying to remember this year, whoa. Not easy at all. I am so, so grateful I have managed to at least keep up with monthly posts so I at least have some memory of their first year, because if it depended solely on my memory there would not be much. We are at least sleeping more which helps immensely. In fact the boys were night weaned for a time. And then they got sick and we got lazy and here we are. But they do sleep through the night sometimes and don't usually wake more than once or twice, in fact Soren usually sleep through the night. Thank you Soren. They will sleep someday, at least that is what we keep telling ourselves. Really though, as crazy as life with all these little people is we would not trade it for the world. Because it is such a full life, full of love, full of fun, full of laughs. So full.
Here are a few likes and dislikes for each little dude.
Soren loves
Those brothers are getting more and more personality every day. And as a result their personalities are becoming more and more distinct every day. Soren is cautious, happy, and laid back. Kai is adventurous, reckless, happy, and high strung. They really are pretty much opposite which I find incredibly interesting. As different as they are, they are also pretty darn fond of each other. Of course they fight over toys and get in each others way, but they also go everywhere together, play together, and chat at each other all day long. It is so fun to watch their intense relationship grow.
They aren't walking yet but there is a lot of cruising around furniture, fast crawling, and a little free standing here and there. Kai seems to be a bit closer to walking than Soren, at least his free standing is better. However, Kai always seems to be closer to milestones than Soren and then Soren decides he wants to do x,y, or z and flies right by poor Kai. So, I assume Soren will walk first but we shall see.
Both brothers are doing some talking. They say mama, dada, bye, dog, and a few other things. Soren has recently started saying whoa when something cool is going on. It is the sweetest. I was swinging with him at the park and he just kept saying "whoa, whoa." So sweet. He has also started to scream for me when he is sad or hurt. He pinched his finger the other day and I was holding him to comfort him and he just kept yelling "mama, mama!" Heart melting. Kai isn't as apt to yell for me but he does lose his shit when I leave. Almost every day when I go to work he is standing and the gate to the basement screaming bloody murder for me to come back. Poor Mr. Kai.
They still only have two teeth, we are not sure there are any more in there. But, that does not stop them from eating food. They are pretty picky though. If given the choice they would subsist solely on meat, eggs, crackers, and pouches. Especially Kai, that kid is meat crazy but he is more likely to eat casserole type things than Soren. They are both way pickier than Audrey was at this age, heaven help us when they are three.
I have to at least mention how crazy this first year of their life has been. Day to day it is not too big a deal because we have to. We have to feed everyone. We have to care for everyone. We have to. But trying to remember this year, whoa. Not easy at all. I am so, so grateful I have managed to at least keep up with monthly posts so I at least have some memory of their first year, because if it depended solely on my memory there would not be much. We are at least sleeping more which helps immensely. In fact the boys were night weaned for a time. And then they got sick and we got lazy and here we are. But they do sleep through the night sometimes and don't usually wake more than once or twice, in fact Soren usually sleep through the night. Thank you Soren. They will sleep someday, at least that is what we keep telling ourselves. Really though, as crazy as life with all these little people is we would not trade it for the world. Because it is such a full life, full of love, full of fun, full of laughs. So full.
Here are a few likes and dislikes for each little dude.
Soren loves
- Electronics, good grief does he love electronics.
- Bananas
- Meat
- Balls and putting balls through the basketball hoop
- Climbing over things
- Push toys
- Diaper changes
- Not getting electronics
- Finger pinches
- Meat
- Climbing everything
- Jumping on the trampoline
- Mom
- Books
- Putting lids on containers and putting things in containers
- Being chased
- Standing
- The dog cage
- Sleep (not really but he does sleep less than Soren)
- Fruit in its native form
- Not getting to play in the dog cage
- Mom leaving
Monday, February 1, 2016
A new plan, because I am failing.
I am failing at blogging. Prime example I have not done one year posts for the brothers yet. I will I promise. But I haven't yet. A large part of this is I just can't get make myself take out the computer again after a day of work. I can do this from my phone, hopefully that will help.
The Kai man doing his favorite dinner prep activity. Pulling all the cookbooks off the bookshelf. Thanks buddy.
So, I am going to try something new this year. I am going to try to post one photo and caption each day. This is know as the 365 project. However I am 31 days late, so really it is project 334. I feel like that is splitting hairs, so we'll go with the 365 project.
I am hopeful I can handle this. I can do it from my phone, I take at least one picture most days. We shall see how it goes.
So I give you project 365 day one.
Friday, January 1, 2016
The Brothers: 11 months.
Well, the brothers turn one in two weeks so I should probably do their 11 month post. I took their 11 month picture the actual day they turned 11 months, so clearly this post is way late. Oh well, such is life.
The boys had a very fun 11th month. They both started crawling, Soren got a couple teeth, they started pulling up on everything, they began to love baths, they started taking music class, they are always taking stuff from their sister and the dog (the dog handles it much better than the sister), they met Santa, and they went to chop down a Christmas tree for the first time. Busy, busy month.
The biggest development this month is mobility. Those boys are crawling everywhere and getting into everything. We have our main level set up so they are mostly safe to crawl around and do what the wish, but of course they are always getting into the stuff they shouldn't be. The dog cage, cords, the dog water. You get the idea.
They are also pulling themselves up and Soren is starting to cruise from piece of furniture to piece of furniture. No real balancing while standing yet, but it won't be too long before they start walking.
They have also started to get much more interactive this month, especially Kai. He will wave and clap and pretty much mimic anything we do. Especially when he is in his high chair. It is really fun. Soren waves and does some mimicking as well, but not quite so much as Kai. Though Soren is pretty good at coming when called these days.
Food is their favorite thing ever. They eat any and everything we put on their trays. I am pretty sure they eat more than Audrey almost every day, and they still nurse quite a bit. The only place where we have not progressed much is sleep. I know they will sleep someday, but I am beginning to think that day is in the distant future. Who needs sleep anyway, right?
All in all 11 was a good month for those brothers. Tons of development, tons of fun, lots of love.
Instead of a things they love and hate this month, I am going to do a little bit about what each one likes and doesn't, because they are two different people after all.
Kai
Kai loves balls. He loves to catch balls, he loves to throw balls, he loves to chase balls, he just loves balls. He also falls asleep on his own much better than Soren and tends to be a little more laid back and happy, which is an interesting change from days gone by. We call him the bottomless pit of Kai because you cannot fill that kid up. He just keeps eating, though he is a little bit pickier than Soren. He continues to lag a little bit behind Soren in the gross motor skill department. We attribute that to all the physical therapy Soren had as a little dude. Kai makes all sorts of crazy sounds, not too many words yet, but the sounds that come out of that boy are something else. He loves books and currently is sleeping quite a bit better than Soren.
Soren
Soren loves music. He loves his drum with his whole heart. He also love to pull himself up and climb. He has taken to climbing the bottom few steps when we are downstairs. Yay. He crawls super fast and is into everything. He also loves his food, though not quite as much as Kai. Soren is currently in a bit of a crabby place and doesn't like to go to sleep on his own, or stay asleep really. We are pretty sure he says doggy and daddy quite a bit. Soren is a pretty big fan of Winnie and the cats. He also loves to take toys from Kai and Audrey. He apparently is stronger than Kai and takes his stuff all the time, he also like to smack Kai in the face and laugh and laugh. Kai is really not a fan. He is a sweet cuddly little man who loves to smile.
So similar and so different. Both beautiful little men. Already one in a just a couple short weeks. I am not sure how that is possible, but I am grateful I have been at least doing monthly updates here because this whole year is a blur. More about that next month.
The boys had a very fun 11th month. They both started crawling, Soren got a couple teeth, they started pulling up on everything, they began to love baths, they started taking music class, they are always taking stuff from their sister and the dog (the dog handles it much better than the sister), they met Santa, and they went to chop down a Christmas tree for the first time. Busy, busy month.
They are also pulling themselves up and Soren is starting to cruise from piece of furniture to piece of furniture. No real balancing while standing yet, but it won't be too long before they start walking.
They have also started to get much more interactive this month, especially Kai. He will wave and clap and pretty much mimic anything we do. Especially when he is in his high chair. It is really fun. Soren waves and does some mimicking as well, but not quite so much as Kai. Though Soren is pretty good at coming when called these days.
Food is their favorite thing ever. They eat any and everything we put on their trays. I am pretty sure they eat more than Audrey almost every day, and they still nurse quite a bit. The only place where we have not progressed much is sleep. I know they will sleep someday, but I am beginning to think that day is in the distant future. Who needs sleep anyway, right?
All in all 11 was a good month for those brothers. Tons of development, tons of fun, lots of love.
Instead of a things they love and hate this month, I am going to do a little bit about what each one likes and doesn't, because they are two different people after all.
Kai
Kai loves balls. He loves to catch balls, he loves to throw balls, he loves to chase balls, he just loves balls. He also falls asleep on his own much better than Soren and tends to be a little more laid back and happy, which is an interesting change from days gone by. We call him the bottomless pit of Kai because you cannot fill that kid up. He just keeps eating, though he is a little bit pickier than Soren. He continues to lag a little bit behind Soren in the gross motor skill department. We attribute that to all the physical therapy Soren had as a little dude. Kai makes all sorts of crazy sounds, not too many words yet, but the sounds that come out of that boy are something else. He loves books and currently is sleeping quite a bit better than Soren.
Soren
Soren loves music. He loves his drum with his whole heart. He also love to pull himself up and climb. He has taken to climbing the bottom few steps when we are downstairs. Yay. He crawls super fast and is into everything. He also loves his food, though not quite as much as Kai. Soren is currently in a bit of a crabby place and doesn't like to go to sleep on his own, or stay asleep really. We are pretty sure he says doggy and daddy quite a bit. Soren is a pretty big fan of Winnie and the cats. He also loves to take toys from Kai and Audrey. He apparently is stronger than Kai and takes his stuff all the time, he also like to smack Kai in the face and laugh and laugh. Kai is really not a fan. He is a sweet cuddly little man who loves to smile.
So similar and so different. Both beautiful little men. Already one in a just a couple short weeks. I am not sure how that is possible, but I am grateful I have been at least doing monthly updates here because this whole year is a blur. More about that next month.
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