Happy Birthday Grandma!

dearw gwamma,

we herwd it wuz your biwrfday and we wanted you to hab a gweat day today. we can't wait to see you next week!

wuv,

gav n viv

More Food Assessments

Blueberries

• Vivi: 5 stars
• Gavin: 5 stars

Watermelon

• Vivi: 0 stars
• Gavin: 0 stars

Cottage Cheese

• Vivi: 0 stars
• Gavin: 4 stars

Cream Cheese

• Vivi: 5 stars!!!
• Gavin: 5 stars!!!

Scrambled Egg Yolks

• Vivi: 2 stars
• Gavin: 2 stars

Bread

• Vivi: 5 stars
• Gavin: 5 stars

Blackberries

• Vivi: 5 stars!!!
• Gavin: 5 stars!!!

Spaghetti with Sauce

• Vivi: 5 stars!!!
• Gavin: 5 stars!!!

Not the First & Not the Last

This is not the first time (and definitely not the last time) I've had this conversation with Gavin. But on this particular instance, Wes chimed in.

• Me (to Gavin while changing his diaper): "Gavin, quit playing with your penis! C'mon, I can't get you clean if you keep grabbing it!"
• A few seconds went by.
• Me (to Wes while finishing up the diaper change): "Wes, now he's flicking his penis! Make him stop."
• Wes: "I've done that before. Leave the poor boy alone."

Like I said, it's not the first time I've talked to Gavin about constantly touching and grabbing his penis and I'm certain that it will not be the last.

Activity Update

Gavin and Vivian are busy little people. They love to crawl, walk while holding onto furniture or our hands, climb the stairs, get up on the fireplace, and basically get into anything else they can get their hands on. They are not walking- YET. But they're getting closer.

Gavin loves it when we help him walk around by holding his hands. He can even walk while we're only holding ONE of his hands. He also can transfer from various pieces of furniture very easily and he LOVES to hold onto his walker and walk around the living room. Just the other day, Gavin let go of the coffee table and took TWO whole steps in my direction before falling down. And, he's done it a few more times since then.

With Vivian, she has perfected the art of walking down furniture and transferring between different objects. She also likes to walk while being held up, but she doesn't know how to take a few steps on her own.

Who knows, they could start walking unassisted in a couple of weeks or a couple of months. We'll have to just wait and see.

Short and Sweet

Tubes

Yesterday, Gavin had tubes put in his ears. It was a quick and easy experience for all involved. Miss V thoroughly enjoyed laughing and smiling with mom and dad and ALL of the doctors and nurses, Gavin was only really upset for 30 minutes or so directly following the surgery (he didn't even cry when they took him away from us!), and we were happy that he was only gone for 35 minutes! He was a little crabby during the day yesterday, but I'm happy to report that now he's back to his normal self and doing fine.

Blackberries are...

... MESSY!!!

Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed

When it comes to waking up, Gavin is the polar opposite of his sister. *In general*, he will wake up in the morning or from his nap in the middle of the day with a smile on his face and a sparkle in his eye. Okay, maybe it's not THAT magical, but he's definitely wide awake very soon after he opens his big blue eyes. And, he's ready to play, crawl, or climb ASAP.

Unlike Viv, Gavin definitely gets this trait from his Mama. Regardless of how much sleep I get, I am fully capable of completely waking up about a minute (or less!) after my alarm goes off. I've always been this way. When I get up, I'm awake. In fact, many mornings, Wes can be found saying one of the following things to me: "How can you have this much to say already?" or "No talking... shhh... no talking" or "Are you really singing this early in the morning?"

I don't know how long they'll keep these waking-up habits, but it's nice to know that (so far) they have a little bit of each of us in them.

She's a Biter

Miss Vivian Grace is a biter! She will crawl up to you, with her beautiful blue eyes and her curly brown hair, looking very innocent, grab your arm/leg/stomach/chest/shoulder/face, show you her mean face, and BITE YOU! And those little razor blades that she calls teeth are SHARP! We hope she grows out of this soon.

15 Minutes

Viv is a special little baby. She's very particular about certain things. One aspect of her life where she demands consistency on a daily basis is with her 15 minutes. Miss Vivian needs at least 15 minutes of snuggling, hugging, or holding each and every time she wakes up- in the morning or from a nap. If you do not comply with her demands, she will FREAK OUT- screaming, crying, and flapping her arms up and down. She's been this was since she was really little. She definitely needs some time after she gets out of bed before she is fully awake. It doesn't matter what you're doing while holding her- she doesn't need your undivided attention- she just can't be put down. Interestingly, any other time of the day, Vivi is actually the more independent of our two children.

She doesn't get this from me- it's most certainly from her Daddy. Wes will have three alarms go off in the morning before he actually gets out of bed. He'll stay in bed, with his eyes open, taking his sweet time to "wake up."

It must be genetic.

Spring Fest 2010

On Sunday, April 18th, we went to Purdue's Spring Fest. This is the third year that we've gone, but this year was extra special for two reasons. First, we actually got to bring children to this kid-focused festival (last year, I was pregnant at Spring Fest and we kept talking about how cool it was going to be in 2010 when we would have our twins with us.). And second, we went with our friends Brenda, Brian, and their daughter Charlotte (who is only a few weeks younger than G & V).

The day started by introducing the babes to a duckling.

Then, we went to the insect petting zoo and this conversation ensued:

• Brenda: (talking to Charlotte) "You can touch the silk worm, but be gentle."
• Then, Charlotte gently touched the silk worm. She really did. She was actually gentle.
• We moved onto the next bug- a cockroach- and Charlotte gently touched it as well.
• Bug Wrangler: (talking to me and Vivi) "Go ahead, you can touch it too."
• Me: "No, I don't think that's a good idea. She's not very gentle. And don't let that other baby touch it either (pointing at Wes & Gavin)."
• Bug Wrangler: "It's okay. She can touch it."
• Me: "You're crazy."
• To appease him and Vivian (who was reaching out towards the bug), I held her hand and let her touch the cockroach. Vivi then used her super-strength to break free of my hand and hit the roach.
• Me: (talking to the Bug Wrangler) "I told you. Now, don't let that other baby touch it."

After going to a few more exhibits, we made our way outside to the cricket-spitting contest! The three kiddos sat in the grass and played together.

Lastly, on our way back to the car, Gavin decided that he wanted to get down and walk with us.

Once again, a GREAT day in Lafayette!

Just Give It to the Dog

Gavin loves to give Chubbs food. Initially, he started off just dropping food for Chubbs, but now, he always wants our chubby little pup to take it directly from his tiny little hand.

She's a Picky Eater

Vivi is a picky eater. She was picky when we started baby food and she's been just as picky since we've begun to introduce solid food. Her favorite foods are bananas, Ritz crackers, graham crackers, and pears. And, she only tolerates a few other foods. The rest are absolutely disgusting to her. If it's not on her top four list, she will either not touch it or she'll put it in her mouth, chew a couple of times, and the spit it out while making a gross face and even doing a little grossed-out wiggle. We're working on finding new foods for her to enjoy, but until then, we'll just continue to give her the foods she doesn't like every so often to see if she comes around.

Show Me Your Teefies

He's a Kissy Face Too!

Didn't Make the Cut

I found some "old" photos that never made it on the blog. Enjoy.

Communication Update

Gavin and Vivian have yet to say their first word. Don't get me wrong, they say "Mama" and "Dada" all day long, sometimes in our direction and other times just for the hell of it. But other than that, they have yet to really say a real word.

What they have done is begun communicating with us nonverbally. No, not sign language; we don't have time for that shit (disclaimer: I don't want to diss people who use sign language- we actually planned to do it- but the whole "two babies at once" thing threw a wrench in our sign language plans). Anyways, I only really have two examples of their nonverbal communication- not because there are the only two, but because these are the two behaviors they do on a consistent, daily basis.

1. In the past 2-3 weeks, Vivian has begun shaking her head side to side whenever we say the word "No." In the last few days, Vivian has shaken her head after we ask her a question. The first time this happened, I asked Viv, "Do you want to go night-night?" She immediately shook her head no. I was in shock, so I asked her again a few minutes later, "Do you want to go night-night Vivi?" She shook her head no. I know what you're thinking- it's just a coincidence. Believe me, Wes and I thought the same thing. But then she did it again later when I asked her if she wanted more food. And then the next day when I asked her if she wanted some avocado. She still shakes her head whenever we say no to anyone about anything, but she also shakes her head when we ask her questions- well, not every time we ask her something, but enough times that we're sure it's not a coincidence.
2. Although not as exciting, over the last 2 months or so, Gavin and Vivian both will hold up their arms whenever they want to be picked up. We ask them, "do you want up?" and their arms go straight out and up. Or, if they are crying, we will ask them what they want and many times they will hold out their arms for us to scoop them up. It's adorable. This is definitely not a coincidence. They do this multiple times a day.

So, while they have yet to utter their first word, they have been communicating... a little.

This video is of Vivi after we gave her a little piece of tuna. (Note: I was not coaching her or shaking my own head.)

Health Update

Even though they started out so small and were born almost 6 weeks early, Gavin and Vivian are now (and have been for a few months) up to speed with their non-preemie 11-month old counterparts. Here are some of their health stats.

• As of April 15th, Gavin weighs 22lbs 8oz and Vivian weighs 22lbs flat.
• They are both wearing 12 and 18 month old clothing, but a good amount of their 12 month stuff is way too small for them.
• Gavin is getting ear tubes put in on April 26 because he's had fluid in his ears for many months now.
• Vivian is going to be taken off her medication for her hemangioma (a bumpy birth mark that usually doesn't cause any problems at all, but since her hemangioma was so close to her eye, it was impeding on her vision and had to be taken care of). This is great news to us because the medicine has been causing her to have terrible nightmares for the last 6-7 months.

Currently, they both have colds. It sucks. And, these colds haven't been improving their sleep schedule. The good news is that they're still in good spirits and still eating like little piggies.

Food Update

Over the last month or two, Vivi and Gavin have tried a wide variety of SOLID-food cuisines. Some of which they loved, some of which they were indifferent about, and some of which they absolutely hated. Here's the breakdown (in no particular order and with a 5-star scale of course!):

Sweet Potatoes

• Gavin: 3 stars
• Vivian: 1 star

Bananas

• Gavin: 5 stars
• Vivian: 5 stars

Peas

• Gavin: 0 stars
• Vivian: 1 star

Pears

• Gavin: 5 stars
• Vivian: 4 stars

Strawberries

• Gavin: 5 stars
• Vivian: 3 stars

Blueberries

• Gavin: 2 stars
• Vivian: 1 star

Spiral Noodles

• Gavin: 2 stars
• Vivian: 2 stars

Colby Jack Cheese

• Gavin: 2 stars
• Vivian: 2 stars

Yogurt

• Gavin: 4 stars
• Vivian: 4 stars

Gerber's "Yogurt Bites"

• Gavin: 5 stars
• Vivian: 5 stars

Cheese & Spinach Tortellini

• Gavin: 3 stars
• Vivian: 2 stars

Mozzarella Cheese

• Gavin: 3 stars
• Vivian: 4 stars

Asparagus

• Gavin: 0 stars
• Vivian: 1 star

Green Beans

• Gavin: 0 stars
• Vivian: 0 stars

Graham Crackers & Ritz Crackers

• Gavin: 5 stars
• Vivian: 5 stars

Avocado

• Gavin: 5 stars
• Vivian: 2 stars

Carrots

• Gavin: 4 stars
• Vivian: 1 stars

I think that's it.

On an average day, Gavin and Vivian will split a banana and eat some Cheerios for breakfast and split a pear and eat a lot of strawberries for lunch. Then at dinner, Gavin will eat an entire avocado by himself while Vivi will only eat a few pieces of avocado. In addition to the avocado, Gavin and Vivian will also usually share some cheese, tortellini or spiral pasta, carrots, peas, and/or green beans. They also will both have a graham cracker or ritz cracker snack at some point during their day. They each generally drink 2-3 six ounce bottles in a 24 hour period and they will also have some juice and water through out the day. They haven't mastered the sippy cup yet, but they're getting close. And that's the food update.

Tooth Update

Vivi has 4

(two in the middle on the top and two in the middle on the bottom)

&

Gavin has 2

(both in the middle on the bottom)

Sleep Update

I used to think "that will NEVER be us" when I would hear parents say that they were still having trouble getting their 10-month-old to sleep through the night. I used to think, "How could that be? How could parents not have a full night's rest for 10 months straight? Don't they know how to make their baby go to sleep? They must not be doing it right." Well, we've been doing it right and we're still not sure how to make our baby go to sleep! What works with one baby does not work with the other. The bottom line is that Wes and I are still sleep-deprived.

Unfortunately, it's been over 11 months since we've had a full night's rest. Don't get me wrong, we've gotten really close many times, but there has yet to be a night where Gavin AND Vivian have both slept from 7-8pm until 5-6am. Gavin has achieved this feat many, many times. And because of that, I think we actually might love him a little more. Miss Vivian, on the other hand, has only slept that long without waking up a handful of times (in the last 11 months!). But of course on the few nights where she slept soundly through the night, Gavin did not.

The current (and by "current", I mean the last two weeks or so) sleep schedule has been going a little something like this:

• Gav & Viv are put down for the night (ha!) between 7 and 8pm
• One of them wakes up 2-3 hours later, but just needs a quick butt-pat to go back to sleep
• Then, Viv will usually wake up around 12-2am and will not go back to sleep without some significant cuddling, rocking, or even a bottle. Note: Viv has been on a medication where nightmares are a side effect (I know, it sucks). And so that is likely the reason why she wakes up and cannot go back to sleep with a simple butt-pat. Even though she has an excuse, it still sucks.
• Then, if we're lucky, we'll get to sleep until 5-6am where Gavin and/or Vivian will wake up, drink some juice or water and go back to sleep for an hour or two. This is not always the case though. Gavin has been known to wake up at 4am instead.
• So, if you're following this, on a good night, we'll get up once with one baby around 11pm just for a few minutes, then with Viv around 1am for 20-30 minutes, and then with just Gavin around 5am for 10 minutes before one of us wakes up for the day around 6:30 or so. That's a good night! On a bad night (which is not very atypical by the way), we'll get up once with one baby around 11pm just for a few minutes, then with Viv around 1am for 20-30 minutes, then with Gavin around 4am for 10-15 minutes, then with Viv around 5:30 for 10-15 minutes, and then with Gavin and Vivian for the day around 6:30am.

Needless to say, the sleep update is that the sleep schedule is not where we would like it to be.

Miss Attitude

Overall, Vivi is a sweet little girl.

She looks sweet and she acts sweet.

But sometimes, she has a bit of an attitude.

At the Park on Easter

Last Sunday (Easter Sunday), Stephanie, Wes, and I took the kids to the park before Steph had to go to the airport. As usual, they loved it.

Interestingly, it was the first time either of them had EVER touched grass. Viv initially seemed intrigued, but then for some reason she decided to roll down the hill and she was not too happy about that. When we sat Gavin down, he was interested. He pulled at the grass and then quickly flipped over to crawl around.

And then of course the swings were the highlight of the day.