Alex and Dom hang out with Dad.
Alex (left) and Dom: Brotherly Love
The Twin-Daddy reads Dom (left) and Alex a bedtime story.
Alex (left) and Dom
In the afternoon we took advantage of the lovely weather to go for walk around the neighborhood. A ladybug landed on Alex’s hat. I got it to climb on my finger and showed it to the boys before it flew away. Dom thought that was cool. Several of our neighbors came over to admire our boys, and Dom and Alex enjoyed the outdoors and the attention.
When the Twin-Daddy got home from work, we went on a family excursion to Target and Barnes and Noble. Alex and Dom enjoyed wandering around in their stroller and later in the Baby Bjorns. We made it home just after 7, and we had them fed, changed and ready for bed 30 minutes later. They are snug in their beds now, and we will soon follow.
Alex: Are you sure you want me to play with my food?
The Twin-Daddy planned a new experience for Dom and Alex today. We prepared a range of foods – green bean, pea and carrot purees plus chopped banana, macaroni and avocado. We stripped our boys down to their diapers and cleared a blast radius around their high chairs. Then, we put a dollop of each food on their trays and let them loose to experiment. Alex was soon slapping the tray and spraying carrots, and Dom figured out how to grab a fistful of food and bring it to his mouth. They had a good time playing, but after a bit, it got to be too much for them.
Dom: Yum! This is awesome!
Alex (left) & Dom: We're ready for our baths! Now!
Mr. Gabby Cuts More Teeth
Dom's Teeth
This and That
Dom has started clapping his hands, and both boys dance to music now. Alex will also happily slap your hand. They are starting to have separation anxiety and some problems sleeping – though that might be due to teething.
Dom and Alex love their daddy time, and the Twin-Daddy knows all the best ways to make them squeal with laughter. He also finds new and fun ways to challenge them to try new things. I love to watch the joy on their faces when they see him, and it is so endearing to see them snuggled up on his chest when he brings them for their round of sleep-nursing and when he tucks them back in bed. Here are some videos from March 24:
An Adventure
Today, the boys and I took advantage of the brief window of sunshine to get out of the house and go have lunch with the Twin-Daddy. It rained on us a wee bit, but we still had a good time. Alex and Dom wore their new bear hats and enjoyed all the attention from the Twin-Daddy’s co-workers as well as from random people on the street. It was a much-needed break from the cold, wet and windy days we’ve been having.
When we got home from our excursion, the boys were asleep in their carseats, but they both woke up hungry at the same time not long after. I curled up on the couch with them both, and they fell asleep nursing. I knew I would never be able to move them back to their cribs without waking up one or both and risking that they wouldn’t finish their nap, so I let them sleep. It wasn’t too long before our little puppy pile lured me to snooze too. Dom and Alex slept a little over an hour, and it was a precious moment of warm snugglies in the ebb and tide of naps.
Food Update
We’ve added peas to the boys’ list of foods, and Dom took to them right away as usual. Alex only ate a few bites yesterday, but he didn’t make the gagging sound that green beans inspired the first time. Tonight, he ate all of his peas though and seemed to like them.
So far, they’ve tried: rice cereal, avocado, sweet potato, oatmeal cereal, prunes, carrots, peas, green beans, mango, banana and watered-down apple juice. We’ve only bought the cereals, prunes and carrots as pre-made baby food. The rest we steamed, smushed, and blended ourselves.
Coming Soon!
Check back this weekend, as we have something fun and messy planned for tomorrow (Saturday), and I’ll try to post about it before Monday.
Dom (left) & Alex
The day was full of two little boys who didn’t want their mom outside of the Playzone for more than a minute or two, so I spent much of the day with one or both boys crawling or sitting on me. If I stepped out to throw away diapers or fix a quick bite to eat, Alex was soon standing at the Playzone wall closest to me and crying until I came back. I stretched out the boys’ awake time today to try and transition them to 2 naps, and while their first nap was only an hour, in the afternoon Dom slept 2 and Alex 2 1/2 hours. They felt more secure and independent after that last nap.
Little Big Events
When the Twin-Daddy walked through the door after work, Dom and Alex both got excited – waving their arms, smiling really big, and taking off crawling in his direction. Their dad had a delighted grin of his own as he spread his arms wide and immediately came over to love on his boys.
During our evening family time, we got to watch Dom bob and sway as he danced to “All the Single Ladies” and “Wavin’ Flag.” He’s our little dancer and singer right now.
At dinner, the boys had a 2-course meal of green beans and carrots, and Alex ate all his green beans! He’s so much better at eating now too.
And in the evening, when their dad was reading them “Goodnight, Moon,” I popped in to give all my boys’ kisses before going to the SMoM meeting. As I headed back out the door, Dom called out, “Mama.” A heart melted and another round of kisses was had by all.
During the half hour before bedtime tonight, the Twin-Daddy was playing with Alex in the Playzone when suddenly Alex made a huge breakthrough! He started standing on his own without holding onto or bracing himself against anything! At first, he could only hold it for a couple seconds, but soon he was holding it longer!
We gave Dom a chance to practice his standing too. He’s still working on balancing himself with minimal assistance. I think he’ll be standing on his own soon too.
The boys also had a great time playing with each other today! They often gravitate to the same area of the Playzone. They are crawling a lot more easily now and enjoy having new toys suddenly appear in their Playzone. They have also started puppy-piling on Mom during the day.