Brushing, Talking, Munching

This past week was marked by sleep-filled nights with a couple of full nights of sleep for the whole family plus others with minimal interruptions. However, such good fortune could not hold out indefinitely. Thursday night was a game of musical cribs (Alex was very congested, and Dom had a tooth coming in), and I had to wake the Twin-Daddy several times to help me switch out a sleeping baby for a crying one without waking the sleeper. Still, when morning finally came, our boys were cheerful and smiling, and Mom got lots of time with her babies snuggled up on her.

Brushing Teeth

I’ve started working on brushing the boys’ teeth. I typically brush my teeth in front of them. Then, I use their soft-bristled toothbrushes to brush their cute little teeth. Next, I turn them loose to explore the sensation of brushing their own teeth, tongues, lips, gums, etc. So far it has been fun for all.

Food

This week Dom and Alex loved pears (right up there with peas and carrots), and they decided yogurt mixed with other yummy food was acceptable. They’ve been working on their Cheerio-eating skills as well. Before almost every meal we give them a few Cheerios spread out on their tray so they can practice picking them up and feeding themselves. Last night, they really enjoyed munching on some Cheerios:

Mr. Gabby and an Evening on the Town

After my long night with the boys, the Twin-Daddy offered to take the boys out after getting home from work if I wanted some peace and quiet (or a nap), but I opted for a family excursion. When he got home, I had already fed the boys their dinner and packed the diaper bag with bottles of haffle (half apple juice, half water) and a little tub of Cheerios. We headed out and wandered around together with a son strapped to each of our chests (What will we do when they outgrow their Baby Bjorns?).

As usual, our little fellas got lots of attention. We met a double twin-daddy. Yes, that’s right – two sets of twins (9 and 5 years old), and we ran into one of the NICU moms who we had gotten to know while our boys were there. Before heading off to Target, we were starting to feel a bit peckish and decided to stop at the nearby Starbucks for a treat. However, that Starbucks is right next to our favorite Indian restaurant. Yes, you guessed it. We never made it to the Starbucks.

We indulged ourselves with a delicious Indian buffet – ah, it had been too long since we last feasted on curries, chai and mango ice cream. Since we hadn’t intended to dine out, we were somewhat unprepared, but we just took turns eating and entertaining Dom and Alex. Our boys were in a good mood even though it was soon past their bedtime. They are so good to us. Dom was soon babbling happily away, and he broke out one of the big syllables, “da” as in “dadadada.” Ah, I have a feeling our little Mr. Gabby (Dom) will be using “Dada” in context in no time. Mr. Grabby (Alex) also lived up to his name – making a grab for everything within reach on the table and taking advantage of a moment of distraction to make a break for the bowl of cheerios.

It was a delightful and rejuvenating family outing. My heart has been full of love and joy today – treasuring every moment with our sons and my wonderful husband. I love:

• crawling around on the floor of our bedroom playing peek-a-boo with our boys,
• attacking them with tickle spiders (their anticipation at the approach is the best part),
• watching their joy at all their daddy’s antics,
• listening to their laughter and conversations,
• being pinned to the floor by a baby puppy pile,
• seeing their faces light up when we read their favorite books,
• observing them as they explore their world – new spaces, new toys, new ideas,
• snuggling with our boys – each hug, zubert and smile is a precious gift