Boy, but they grow quickly!

I cannot believe that Stephen is two months old already. Where have the last two months gone? The twins are now 22 months old. Not long now till they are two years old!

When the twins were infants I was so excited to see the next developmental milestone. I couldn't wait to see them smile for the first time or laugh or roll over or grab a toy or sit up and so on. But, with Stephen, I'm really enjoying each day with him and not thinking to myself: I can't wait till he does this or that. However, before I knew it, Stephen was smiling and laughing at us. He is such a happy baby!

The twins are real little boys - they love to read and be read to, giving hugs, helping in the kitchen, playing with musical/noisy toys, putting diapers on and dressing their teddy bears (because they see me doing it to Stephen), being outside in the backyard with Rob, petting the dog and giving him orders, pretending to talk on my cellphone, eating snacks, playing with the computer, listening to music, dancing, and building towers with MegaBloks. They absolutely love their dad and get sad when he leaves in the morning but are so happy when he comes home.

15 months

On July 27th the boys were 15 months old. Yesterday they went to the doctor for their vaccinations and we got to find out what percentile they are in:

Thomas
Weight -- 24 lbs 10 oz (50th percentile)
Height -- 31.25 inches (50th percentile)
Head Circumference -- 47.7 cm (50th percentile)

Luke
Weight -- 21 lbs 10 oz (5th percentile)
Height -- 31 inches (50th percentile)
Head Circumference -- 48cm (75th percentile)

Luke now walks all the time and rarely crawls. But, he also falls A LOT! He has a bruised nose, a swollen top lip with a cut in it, and a grazed large toe.

They are saying so many words now. When the doctor asked how many words they were saying, he couldn't believe it when I said, "At least 15." He said he was expecting me to say, "Two words." That is apparently the normal number of words a 15 month old should know how to say. Thomas' latest word is SHOES. They also both know what prayer time means and they will both kneel and fold their arms. Thomas still doesn't say "amen" though, but I'm sure he will eventually. Yesterday Luke was carrying around a picture of Jesus. He had folded it in half and was just carrying it around with him. Every now and then he would hold it up and say, "Jesus."

Summary of the last 2 months: THE BOYS

It is amazing to see how quickly Thomas and Luke are developing - they are learning new things every day. I am loving watching their growth.

Luke is walking and crawling less and less. He is still a little unsteady and holds his arms out in front of him (so he looks a bit like a zombie) in order to balance. But each day he get better and walks more than he did the day before. Thomas has no real interest in walking but is able to stand without holding onto anything. So, that is progress! He'll get there eventually.

They are saying lots of words now, although rarely on demand. They say: good, what, yes, hi, that, this, Jesus, amen, mama, dada, cat, water, trash, please, nap, eyes, and so on. Luke says "amen" at the end of most prayers and they both recognize Jesus in pictures and will say "Jesusssss." Sometimes it sounds like "Judas" when Thomas says it and Thomas did go through a stage where the duck, his food, and everything was "Jesus." Luke will often babble away in his nonsense language and when Rob or I say "Really?" he says "Yesssss!" and nods his head. It is really cute.

They both love to hug and kiss and try to hug and kiss me all the time. I get endless amounts of affection from these two little boys.

Thomas loves to sing and both boys love to dance. Most evenings Rob will play music for them and the three of them will dance for a long time. The boys really love it.

At the moment I am trying to teach them body parts. Thomas hasn't been too interested. He just wants to throw and catch a ball. Luke's favorite body part is the belly button. He loves it when I ask him where his is - he will then lift his t-shirt and point to it. He is also constantly trying to lift my t-shirt and point to mine. The other day his shirt was tucked in and so when I asked him where his belly button is and he realized he couldn't reach it, he pointed at his big toe. Yesterday when I asked him where his ears are, he pointed to his eyes and then said "eyes" as he pointed to his ears. Today he pointed to his eyes whenever I asked where any body part was: nose, ears, mouth, hair, etc.

A while back I taught Luke how to blow a whistle (Thomas didn't quite get it) and he thinks it is so much fun. Rob is now trying to teach them how to play a harmonica - a little more advanced, but they enjoy trying. In terms of musical instruments, they both love the guitar best.

The boys love to help me clean

Thomas loves to help pack things away - books, clothing, anything which may be lying on the ground (which they put there earlier while playing). Thomas will hand the item to me and I will then pack it away. Recently, I was just hanging their clothes up and Thomas came over so quickly saying "wa! wa!" as if to say "wait! wait!" He then started handing me one item of clothing at a time so I could hang it up. He would get excited and let out a little scream when I hung up the item he gave me. We hung up about 15 items that way! He even picked up some of the clothes that had fallen off the chair onto the floor. He put them on the chair first and then handed them to me, as if they had to be on the chair first before being hung up!

The latest Stats on the boys

Last week the boys had their 12 month check-up with the pediatrician. He is really pleased with their progress. It is amazing to think that one year ago little Luke was still in the NICU and we couldn't want for him to come home and join the family. How much they have grown and developed in the last year!

Luke:
Weight -- 20 lbs (12th percentile)
Height -- 29.5 inches (25th percentile)
Head Circumference -- 47 cm (50th percentile)

Thomas:

Weight -- 22 lbs (45th percentile)
Height -- 29 inches (15th percentile)
Head Circumference -- 46 cm (25th percentile)

High Chairs = my new favorite thing!

We have been using Bumbo chairs for the past nearly 8 months to feed the boys and they have been great! But, now with the boys' increased mobility, it was getting harder because they would climb out of the chairs. But what was more frustrating is that Luke wouldn't let me feed him anymore. He wanted to feed himself, but when I gave him the spoon, he'd drop the food on the floor and put the spoon in his mouth upside-down with no food on it.

So, we decided it was time for some high chairs. I got one off KSL for $25 and another free from Kacy, one of my companions from the mission. Now they eat when we eat, plus have snacks in between meals and they love it. I chop up fruit, vegetables, meat, pasta, bread, and so on and put it on their trays and they eat away. Luke has suddenly become the most voracious eater. He eats faster and more than Thomas these days!

First Birthday Party

So the boys turn one next Wednesday (27th) and so since Sam (and family) were leaving today for France and we wanted to have a joint birthday party, we had their birthday party last Wednesday (April 20th). I really didn't think it would take long to organize, but I was WRONG. Thank heavens Sam and I did it together.

Tons of people from my ward came with their babies (most of them being 6 months old and younger). Val Bibb, Des Belt, and Mervyl Meyer also came, including Candice Bailey, Rachel MacDonald, and Krista Tripoli. The boys got lots and lots of gifts which they enjoyed opening. Unfortunately most of the gifts didn't say who it was from and so I don't know who to thank. But, I am very grateful to all who came and all who gave gifts, and all who helped set up and clean up afterwards.

We were hoping to have it outside, but it is April and in Utah it rains A LOT! So rain was forecast for the afternoon at the very time that the party was scheduled and so I had it inside. The most fun part was when we gave each boy (Thomas, Luke, and Benjamin) their very own cake with a candle on it. We sang to them and they each dug into their cakes immediately. Thomas ate 80 percent of it, while Luke just had a little. They loved it though. 

Visiting Kacy

Yesterday my boys and I drove out to Kaysville (north of SLC) to visit one of my ex mission companions. It is always so much fun to see people from the mission, especially one's companions. It was quite weird sitting with her, thinking how 11 years ago we were walking the streets of Norwich, England and now we're both living in Utah, married with children. Anyway, it was a beautiful spring day, chilly, but not cold enough to stay inside and the boys loved playing in her backyard.

Being Outside

The boys absolutely love being outside. I think that, like me, they get so sick of being in this small apartment all day. Being outside there are new sights and smells and people. Today it wasn't too cold, although overcast. There were a bunch of other people outside by the playground in the quad and so I took the boys and of course, they loved every minute of it.

The latest...

Yesterday for lunch I gave Thomas and Luke some bread that Rob had made. I always say what I am giving them and so I said, "Bread, Thomas." He then said "Bread!" I was so amazed. He only said it once and wouldn't say it again though.

Lately Thomas likes to pretend he is answering the phone. He would do it with all sorts of objects that have buttons. Then, on Sunday I made my phone ring and pretended to answer it. If I talk on the phone and mention his name, his smile is huge! I then handed him the phone and as always, he says "ay-yo" which sounds a lot like "hello." Rob and I just kill ourselves laughing every time he does that. But, since that time he will only do it with a real cellphone and not random objects that have buttons.

Luke continues to shake his head, although mostly at Rob. We're not sure why he does it, but it is pretty hilarious because as he is doing it he gives the most disapproving look. I need to get that on video sometime.

The other day I got the boys a tent. It is about a meter by a meter and has a tunnel leading from it. Every time I put it out they immediately crawl inside and play with their toys. They really like it a lot. They then crawl in and out and through the tunnel.

In 2 weeks time the boys will be one. CRAZY! Anyway, Sam's little Benjamin will be one too, of course, because they were born on the same day and so we're organizing a joint party for them. They're leaving for France sometime before their birthday and so we're having it a little early. We've planned some fun things, but just need to nail down the day we're going to have it. We want to do face-painting, painted footprints and handprints, blowing of bubbles, and so on. I want to have a bunch of my friends without kids to come help so that Sam and I don't have to worry about the activities.

view inside the tent from a hole in the top

Thomas coming out of the tent to get more toys

Thomas getting more toys to take inside the tent

Luke sucking on a ball

Thomas playing with blocks

Luke still in his PJs

Last week Rob was gone for four days for National Guard drill. I was so happy to have him home on Sunday! I am so exhausted today. I think I might have gone to bed too late. I tried to nap when the boys nap, but really I can't wait to go to sleep tonight. This Friday Rob and I are going to go to the Planetarium which will be fun. Rachel (my old roommate) is going to babysit the boys. Tomorrow I'm going to Kaysville (about 90 minutes drive north of Provo) to see my old mission companion, Kacy. She has three kids and so that should be fun. That's about all that is going on here these days. 

New words and new house!

It is amazing to see Thomas and Luke progressing. They are each trying to stand as much as possible, although Thomas doesn't get that he has to hold on all the time if he doesn't want to fall over backwards.

A few weeks ago I went into the boys' room where they were playing and Thomas was holding a soft fluffy yellow duck (which Jacqueline du Plessis gave them before they were born) and I said, "duck!" after which he said "dud." I was so shocked because it sounded like "duck." So, I sat down next to Thomas and, pointing to the duck, I said, "Say duck!" He said, "dud." I tried this several times, with the same results. Incredible. Turned out Rob had been saying "duck" to them over and over again over the previous few days. A while later, Luke said "dud" as well. This morning when I went into their room to get them up for breakfast, Luke had a poopy diaper and so I lay him down to change him. He always tries to crawl away and so I gave him the duck to hold. He said, "dud" without me first saying, "Say duck!" These kids are so smart.



Remember "good" was Thomas' first word? This morning I put them in their bumbo chairs and gave Thomas his first spoon of oatmeal for breakfast. He then said, "Mmmm, good!" I was blown away by that! Yesterday Thomas said "yum" when I gave him his breakfast and Luke says "yessssssss" every now and then, as well as shaking his head in a disapproving way for "no."

I took Thomas down the slide at the playground (in our quad) and he loved it. Luke also went down, but didn't care for it at all. Thomas loves to catch and throw the ball.

In other news, Rob and I have been approved for a mortgage and so we have been house hunting. The first two houses we went to, neither of us felt very good about, although I felt better about the first house than the second. Then, Thursday night I found another house online and we went to view it yesterday. It is perfect for us. It is a bit of a fixer-upper, but Rob is up to the challenge. Last night we were talking about how we're going to fix it up. It is going to be awesome. We're putting in an offer tomorrow, so we'll see if we get it. We like that the property is 1/3 of an acre.

Thursday we didn't go to the Planetarium, because apparently there are only shows on Friday nights. But, this past Friday we went to my mission reunion. It was cool to see people from the mission and the Wheelwrights. This is Rob's third year in a row that he has come to my mission reunion and met the Wheelwrights and each year they ask who he is. He thought that maybe they would remember him by now.

This weekend is General Conference and they have been some great talks so far. It's been pretty awesome!

11 months

It is now less than one month till the boys turn one! Sam Shulca and I are planning a party to be held on April 21st (Sam leaves for France 3 days before their birthday so we're having their party about a week before their birthday). It is going to be awesome!

Last week Rob came home from school early to help with the boys. He asked to trim their hair with the buzzer. Well, it ended up a LOT shorter than I want it, but as the saying goes the difference between a good hair cut and a bad one is about two weeks. It isn't that their hair cut is bad, it is just too short for my liking. It has taken a while to get used to because Luke, especially, looks really different. Fortunately their hair grows so fast!

Luke and Thomas, now that they are crawling are into everything and you have to have eyes on the back of your head if you want to make sure they aren't up to something. The other day I was in the kitchen and thought I heard them in their bedroom. I came to check and they had gone into my bedroom and were tearing up my Bible and eating the pages. I wasn't too happy. They don't seem to listen when you say "no" though and carry on doing as they please. So, disciplining them is a real challenge at the moment.

Last night Rob and I were sitting in the living room talking and we noticed that Luke and Thomas were playing Hide-and-Go-Seek. We couldn't believe it. Luke was hiding behind a wall (although he didn't realize his leg was sticking out) and Thomas was looking for him. When Thomas spotted him and began crawling towards him, Luke started crawling away so fast. This happened again. It was hilarious! Since Luke has been crawling a little bit longer than Thomas, he is much quicker and so usually Thomas is following Luke about all day long.

Luke (pre-buzz)

Luke (post-buzz)

Thomas (pre-buzz)

Thomas (post-buzz)

Luke has started shaking his head. It is so much fun because we can ask him a question and he will either just sit there, smiling and stare at you, or shake his head vigorously. So, we ask him things like: "Do you like vegetables?" "Do you like your toys?" "Do you like chocolate chip cookies?" "Do you like poopy diapers?" and so on. He doesn't understand the question, but it is comical watching him respond to the question. We need to get that on video sometime soon.

Otherwise, the love walking while you hold their hands. They look like they are from the Ministry of Silly Walks (from Monty Python).

Rob is busy with the last 2 or 3 weeks of the semester. He has a huge project to complete as well as two finals to take, so it is a busy time. But, Saturday we spent the morning in the temple which was really nice and then Rob made an imitation Cafe Rio lunch for me. He is so thoughtful. This coming Thursday evening we're going to the BYU Planetarium (we've been wanting to go for a LONG time) and then on Friday evening we're probably going to my mission reunion with President Wheelwright (who is the BYU-Hawaii University President). We've also been thinking about what we'd like to do for our anniversary in June and we're thinking we'd love to go hiking in Zion's National Park for 2-3 days. But, we'll see.

Bath-time

Usually in the evenings the boys get a little cranky. The best way to keep them calm is to let them play outside, but the weather isn't always suitable for that, especially at this time of the year. A second best is to put them in the bath. The absolutely love it.

Otherwise, Luke is into everything these days. Most of the time I catch him staring at Rob's guitar. He is dying to play it again. Luke wants to walk all the time, while I hold his hands. He is getting pretty good at it now. Thomas is making a lot of progress with crawling and crawls 3 or 4 steps and then wants me to carry him.  I think he finds it harder because of his big belly. But, I think that by the end of the week he will probably be crawling just fine.

Both boys are free of illness. This is fantastic. It is really difficult tending to both of them when one is sick. For the past two days Luke hasn't wanted to eat, but he's been eating fine today so I'm not sure what was up. It might be that he has 4 teeth coming in at the top (making 6 in total). Thomas already has 6 teeth.

Cheerios

My boys love Cheerios! Plus, I love Cheerios because I can give them a handful and it will keep them occupied for quite a while.

Recently as I looked at the Cheerios strewn across the floor of my apartment I thought about how the mess I have to clean up has changed over the past 10 months. For a long time I couldn't go a day without changing my clothes multiple times because of the constant vomit that would land on my shirt. There would be milky vomit on my clothes (sometimes pants and shirt), couch, bed, carpet, and so on. With two babies, there was double the amount of vomit that I had to clean up.

Soon that passed and they began to eat solid food. The mess generally was limited to a 1 yard radius around where they ate. Well, now they are mostly mobile (Luke can crawl forwards now! Thomas is getting there.) the mess just spreads and spreads. I feel like my apartment is trashed just 15 minutes after I let them loose. Cheerios or Fruit-loops scattered across the floor, toys and books all over the place, and peanut butter smeared into our clothing. (After snack time today, Rob now has peanut butter smudges on his suit pants which have to be dry-cleaned.) It is a constant battle to keep my apartment looking presentable. But, this is a fun age and I wouldn't change the experience I am having raising these two beautiful boys for anything.

Yesterday I felt Thomas' head and he was really warm. I took his temperature and it measured 100 degrees F. He still has a fever and has slept pretty much the entire day. Poor little guy feels dreadful. When he is awake he mostly just lies there and groans. The only thing I can think that he might have is Roseola, because he has no other symptoms and Luke had it recently. Anyway, I know there isn't much I can do except help him feel comfortable, as well as drink and sleep lots. He is a lot easier to deal with when he is sick that Luke is. Luke cries and moans. Thomas doesn't complain much and just wants to be in his crib with his little gray kitten. He lies there and sucks his ear, which is quite funny to watch.

Spring is coming!

Today was probably the first day with real spring-like weather. It made me really happy and so I had the porch door open most of the day and I even took the boys out onto the lawn for a while. They loved it. It was like heaven for them! Except I had to keep taking bits of bark, leaves, and stones out of their mouths. I'm so excited about many more days like this in the next few months. It is going to be awesome!

Cold Turkey and Little Love Triangles

So Sunday evening I spoke with Greg (my brother, who is a surgical resident in Baltimore) about the latest hormonal changes and he strongly recommended I get on some medication to stop lactation. Monday I called my doctor's office and asked for a prescription. I got it and in the evening went to the pharmacy to pick up the medication. As I was driving home I took it out of the paper bag and noticed it was not the right medication. Argh! I was pretty frustrated, so I called the doctor's office again and found out that the nurse had misunderstood me. She then said they don't prescribe medication for this purpose and I just need to stop pumping, bind myself up, and take pain medication. I called Greg and after a little research said that medication is a last resort and I should try what the nurse suggested: go cold turkey and just quit. Anyway, it has now been 26 or so hours since I last pumped. It is pretty painful and very uncomfortable, but I'm gonna do it. It should take about a week.

Yesterday I took the boys to hang out with some of the other kids in the ward. They enjoy playing with other babies. A little while after we arrived, Aubrey Sain (who lives above me) brought her little girl (who I think it about 6 months old) and sat her down between Luke and Thomas. Luke took one look at her and threw his little arms around Addysen. I had to pull him off and tell him before he makes any moves on a girl he likes, he needs to get to know her first. But, without much hesitation after that Addysen threw her arms around Thomas, who actually wasn't phased much.

A short while later something happened that really made me laugh. I'm not exactly sure of the events that led up to it, but I'm guessing that the little 2 year old boy that was there took Luke's toy away. Luke grabbed him by the collar with both hands and wouldn't let go. The little boy looked very upset, but mostly intimidated by this 10 month old baby who was showing him who is boss. I found a picture online showing what he did (because I didn't have my camera).

Luke is quite a physical little guy. He is always tackling Thomas and because Thomas isn't quite mobile, he can't get away and whines and complains (and sometimes cries). Luke thinks it is so funny and laughs hysterically. I always have to come to Thomas' rescue because I know he hates it.

Cookies and a new word!

A few random things:

My boys love books! Except they get bored when I try read them to them. They want to lie on the floor with the book over their head, turning the pages, and pointing with their little finger to things on the page. It is so cute to see. Their favorite book is one where there are different textures to feel. They like the dog's ears best.

Luke had just finished reading this book (under the kitchen table)

On Friday I heard Thomas say the word "good" although it sounds like the German word "gut." I realized I say it a lot: You're a good boy! This is a good book! and so on. I told Rob and then later this evening Thomas said "good" again in front of Rob. Rob was so excited. Thomas now says it all the time, although rarely will he say it on cue. When I say, "Thomas, say 'good'!" he just smiles and claps his hands or rocks back and forth. Right now though the boys are having a long, detailed conversation in their own language.

Today I gave them a chocolate chip cookie for the first time. Thomas' eyes lit up as he bit into it. Luke was still sleeping. By the time Luke woke up, Thomas had finished his cookie, and I gave Luke his. Well, it was funny to watch because Luke really liked his cookie, but so did Thomas. Thomas kept trying to steal it from Luke but Luke was not having any of that. He would hold it close and give Thomas dirty looks. It was really funny to watch.

Luke giving Thomas dirty looks

Thomas thinks this is the best thing in the world

Notice Thomas' hair in this last picture. This is what his hair looks like when he wakes up from a nap. The part above his ear is all fluffy!