April 10, 2009

Dear Cole and Owen,

This month we have really started to ramp up our outings. The other day I even took all three of you to Trader Joe's all by myself. To be honest, we didn't really need much and I just wanted to get out and have a lot of nice little old ladies (and frankly, anyone else who was around) tell me how cute my kids are and what a good job I was doing. The trip certainly didn't disappoint. Granted, you guys are all super flipping cute and you two especially will smile at anyone who gives you a quick look. This causes quite a stir in line at the grocery store. So now, whenever I need a boost in the ol' self esteem, I just take you jokers out and about and sit back and enjoy the praise. Ah, twins . . .

Food continues to be a big part of our lives together. You are now eating two meals a day, one in the morning and one in the late afternoon. You eat oatmeal, applesauce (thumbs up), prunes (thumbs down), bananas (thumbs up up UP!), sweet peas (thumbs up) and sweet potatoes (thumbs up). You really REALLY like to eat. So much so that we have to time your meals carefully. I need to have everything ready to go and heated up before we put you in your high chairs. I nurse you right before you eat food so that you aren't so frantic. Then, once your little (or ever-growing) tushies hit the seat, the food needs to be a-flowing. Your baby bird mouths just open and close like dying salmon on the banks of the stream. I can't shovel it in fast enough and wish that I had some kind of extra hand or arm so that I could feed you both at the same time. Cole, you tend to cut me a little bit more slack on this one. Owen, you have a foul temper when it comes to the timing of your food. You don't give me a break at all and will start howling if you see that spoon head near your brother's mouth.

This is the month where we have kind of gotten on a schedule. Otherwise known as "Mommy got mean and decided that you had to start napping whether you like it or not. Howling ensues . . ." You are taking two or three naps each day. You sleep from 7PM until 7AM and you wake up once (or twice on a bad night) to eat during that time. You wake up in the morning smiling and happy. You take another nap around 9AM for an hour. Then we do outings and play until about 12:30 when you go back down for Nap #2. This one is very variable in length and we are working on that. I typically hear from one or both of you about forty minutes in and I have been going in and swaddling your little rear ends off at that point and slapping you back into your crib and that seems to buy us another hour or so. If you sleep for almost two hours you don't need much of a third nap and this makes afternoon outings more fun, manageable and enjoyable.

Cole, my little Rater, you continue to tell us all about everything. The amount of verbal diarrhea that comes out of your mouth is just staggering. You wake up talking in the morning and don't shut up until bed time. We can always tell that it is you on the monitor because you're just yapping away about goodness knows what. If it pops into your head, you tell us about it. You love LOVE your Jumperoo. So much so that we have to make sure that Owen gets a chance to play on it because you would stay in there for hours if we let you. You don't transition well but you are getting better. You have accepted that the stroller isn't going to eat you whole and that your car seat actually takes you cool places instead of to the deeper reaches of hell.

Owen, you are just the most excitable baby. When you see me come into the room and you're in your exersaucer, you just freak out with glee. I walk in and out of the room about a dozen time and I still get the same reaction whenever you see me. It is incredible! You are a big scooter. You move all around your crib at night. We never know where we will find you in the morning. When you're on the mat you move all over the place. The other day I found you half way under the couch when I stepped out for less than a minute to get your sister a cup of water. You are one quick dude!

This month marks the half-way point of your first year. And how far you've come. From ill-tempered little preemies who howled, didn't sleep, wouldn't nurse, or smile or do much of anything to strapping little people who have distinct personalities, likes and dislikes. You rarely get yourselves really worked up about anything anymore and your needs are so much more predictable. I am enjoying you more than I ever though that I could or would. I knew (hoped . . . prayed) that these days would come and now, with spring popping up all around us, they're here. No more time to write, we have too much living to do!

Love,
Mama