Break On Through

Well, that final front tooth of Jumpy's has finally, fiiiiiiiiiiiinally made an appearance. We were starting to get concerned. It'd been nearly 2 months since the last one popped and they typically come in twos. I started massaging his gums early last week hoping to induce a bit of action and just before Christmas I felt a rough edge beneath the gum. Sure enough, today we have break through!

Naturally, this explains last night 1 am cryfest that ended with a bottle and a tired mommy. Now, if only we could figure out why Kicky was all fired up last night. He was up again just a few minutes ago, well, really 45 mins ago. Joe gave him a bottle and a bit of Tylenol. We suspect that he's working on a molar as he shoves everything to the back of his mouth and has copious amounts of drool. Really, it's gross and yet amazing how much drool Kevin manufactures

Both boys were out of sorts today but thrilled to see Sue when she arrived this AM. Big smiles and much happiness. Kevin reached out and hugged her, really too adorable for words.  

There is much pulling up, standing, cruising, oh and fighting over toys. Today seemed like one squabble after the other.  Both boys were tired and crabby after being up all night and then up early this AM. There are plenty of toys to go around and yet, a toy isn't worth having until the other guy has it. Right?

Well, I just wanted to report on the tooth situation. Anyone know a good pediatric dentist?

Take care and g'night.

Kathy

A Very Merry Christmas Indeed

The boys first Christmas was a wonderful one. Christmas eve was spent at Joe's folks, Mimi and Papa. We had a lovely afternoon with Mimi, Papa, Auntie Cindy, Uncle Rob, cousins JJ and Molly.  The house was decorated beautifully and the boys were fascinated by the tree and all the beautiful decorations. They had a great time and lovelove watching JJ and Molly. Jason had a nice conversation with his cousin Molly over the exersaucer. He thought her dress was very pretty and told her that she looked lovely, we think. Kevin enjoyed watching JJ play video games and thought he was very good at Mario Kart. There was much laughter and the boys were fascinated by everything. After a lovely feast, one to make even the Whos of Whoville envious, the boys drifted off most likely dreamng of the lovely day they had celebrating with their family. Here are some pictures of Santa's little helpers.

Christmas day started bright and early. After 7 am bottles, Jason chose to go back to bed and restart his day around 10 meanwhile Kevin had breakfast and began earnest playtime. After a traditional Christmas morning treat of cinnamon rolls for the parents, the boys eventually synced up and they opened some gifts from Santa.  The rest of the day was business as usual with a mid-AM nap for Kevin, lunch for both boys and then afternoon bottles.  The day was celebrated in and around meals and naps (sadly, no meals or naps for us). After a good PM nap, the boys resumed their attack on the gifts. Jason had fun shredding wrapping paper and Kevin enjoyed tasting all of the gifts. A music activity table was a big hit as was a Baby's first words book that was about colors. Here's a picture of Kevin checking out that book. 

Here are some more pictures of the day. Enjoy!

Jason inspects a pop-up game and decides which lever to flip.....chicken, sheep or cow? Decisions decisions. Meanwhile Joe helps Kevin open a gift.

Jason opens a gift (shapes sorted into a box). 

There is some video I'll try to post later in the week. We hope you all had a great Christmas!

Love,

Kathy

purdy as a picshure

Well, there's been so much goin on around here that there's a bit of catch-up that is needed. First off, here are the 10 mo pix:

Have I mentioned that Kevin has many gifts? Jason also has many gifts but in this instance, Kevin's special gift is his ability to have his eyes closed when one takes his picture. It's uncanny.

And then here are some pix from today......ain't they cute?

Here Jason plays with his Dad's hat. Check out those rosy red cheeks. Cutie!

Here are Kevin and Jason playing after lunch.

Kevin brushes his teeth after dinner. Berry Blast toothpaste is a new favorite. Jason thinks Berry Blast rocks too!

Check out the cool new bibs. No muss, no fuss - very easy and the boys love the pictures on them. Sometime, when we have time, we'll post some new video of the wee lads.

Love,

Kathy

Bizzee,Bizzee,Bizzee

as the naughty magician in Frosty the Snowman says.

Our boys have been busy. Jason pulled himself up yesterday (Monday, actually). We will say that it was his first time, but he's been working towards it for about a week now. Other smart or cool things that they've been doing:

Kevin has figured out how to play with the ball roundabout toy that is in the nursery. He knows to put the ball in the top arch and it will roll into the holes or he can drop balls directly into the holes. He also knows how to circumvent the topmost holes and pop the ball directly into the side holes. What's interesting is that after he mastered this toy, he applied what he knew to the dinosaur toy in the living room. Sue commented that Kevin spent the day (Tuesday) putting the dinosaur balls into the side holes (the exit holes on this toy) on the dinorsaur. This made me laugh and I explained why he was doing that.

The boys like the dinosaur toy also. Kevin has been using it to pull himself up and to support him when he stands. He knows how to pick up the balls and put them in the holes. Occasionally he'll reach over gently and touch me on the arm to let me know that he wants me to play with him (read that as "mommy, you do the work and put the balls in the holes). He's very sweet.

Kevin is now standing up in his crib. While this is an important milestone, we realize it's also one more step down a path that will eventually end with him climbing out of his crib, so we celebrate this milestone with a teeny tiny itty bit of dread.

Jason has been doing a hilarious arms in the air like an orchestra conductor kind of thing. He laughs and smiles while he does it. He did it all weekend. We aren't 100% sure what he's doing. Sue thinks he might be doing "H0w big is the baby?.. Sooooooo big" or he might be doing a wild and crazy version of pat-a-cake.

Kicky and Jumpy lovelovelove pat-a-cake. You can frequently catch Kevin doing the rolling motion with his hands. We learned a new game over the weekend.. popcorn, popcorn. Both boys like it...but Kevin loves it. We'll try to catch them on video however......much like videoing the elusive Sasquatch or Chupacabra, catching the boys doing what we want on video is a challenge.

Jason and Kevin LOVELOVELOVE the Mozart music cube. It plays several Mozart tunes. You can push a button and the entire orchestra plays or you can push a button that represents an individual instrument and that one instrument plays. There are many options and you can add to or take away instruments as the orchestra plays.

The boys will stand on all fours and rock back and forth and from side to side to the music. They have shown preference for particular Mozart tunes. Jason's favorite is not Kevin's favorite. Jason has discovered that he can turn the cube over and put the Orchestra button on top and change the tune being played by pushing that button. We've turned the cube so that this button is obscured and he turns the cube until that button is on top and then he pushes the button until he gets to his favorite tune. Very funny. Smart Jumpybear. Of all the instrument buttons (violin, french horn, piano, flute, etc.) Kevin's favorite is the piano.

Jason loves to have his head rubbed. I scratch (gently) his hair and he half closes his eyes and pushes his head back and smiles. Cutey.

They both like to crack each other up when they eat. It's almost like a contest to see who can get the other to laugh. Kevin will spit his food and Jason will pretend cough and sneeze. They break out into crazy laughter at each other's antics.

Wednesday, Ginger, our cat, sauntered around the nursery and the boys followed him around. Each time Ginger changed direction, they'd swing about and go after him. Ginger, thinks he's safe but the boys are picking up speed in their crawling so it's just a matter of time until they can catch him.

Sunday we attended a lovely holiday party at Joe's cousins', Julie and Dave. Their (newly remodeled) home was lovely and decorated in a festive manner. The boys, having been awakened from a car nap, were put out (tired) and freaked out (too many people). We'd hoped to get to the party early as they do better when exposed to large groups gradually. They've started to enter that "stranger anxiety" period. It's not full blown but they do get upset and clingy. After an hour or so they were their charming selves. Kevin was held by people and anyone willing to suspend him so that he could bounce, became a fast friend. Jason was more reserved and seemed to be fascinated by the children. They were given several lovely presents and the best one of all....tissue paper. Kids are funny, eh?

I've been pecking away at this post all week. Adding a bit here/there. Crazy work week and now 2, yes 2 snowstorms on the way. Joe ran to the all-important formula store and we stocked up should we be housebound for a week. I'm working from home today and it's quite pleasant. As I wrap up this post, I can hear Joe and the boys having breakfast and having a grand time. Nothing is as musical as the sound of laughter. How lucky are we that our house is so very musical.

Hope you're all having better weather than us and if you are in the path of the coming storms, here's hoping that you have a cup of tea, a cord of wood and good company or at least a good book.

Kathy

10 Months Old and Already Driving

Greetings all, and a happy December 8th to you.

Today is the boyz 10 month birthday. I find it remarkable to be actually typing those words. Seems like yesterday they just arrived. Then again, I find it difficult to remember what it was like before they were here. Did Einstein write about that paradox? I'm sure he did. Einstein was wicked smaht.

As you already know, Kevin is crawling like a maniac. Maniacs crawl quite well, in case you didn't follow the analogy. He and I have developed a little game (not a game, per se, but I'm not sure what else describes what follows. An "activity" sounds a little too much like kindergarten. Anyhoo...). I'll motion to him with my hands and say, "Kevin, come to daddy". And he'll look up at me and then scoot on over to me and lift his hand to be picked up. Plenty of praise administered by dad follows. I know, not exactly solving a quadratic equation, but it certainly warms my heart.

What you may or may not know is Jason is now, too, crawling quite well. He's still finding his way, but I'm guessing that in a day or two he'll be right up there with Kevin. He is very much a little boy, laughing hysterically when I blow my nose and exclaim, "BOOGIES!". Jason also loves it when we fake sneeze. This provides us with a non-invasive means of looking in his mouth at the new tooth that's coming in, or for him to smile at the camera (see attached photo).

Ah, I knew you wouldn't let me slip that by you, faithful reader: Jason has yet another tooth coming in. As with the others, this process is rather painful, and I can hear his mother upstairs administering Baby Tylenol as he's woken himself up crying. Hopefully, Kevin will remain asleep (knocking on wood).

I had the day off today. I didn't spend as much time playing with the boyz as I would have liked to, but I did get a lot of house

projects complete (or begun, anyway). Sue has been a remarkable nanny, and I can honestly say the boyz have grown leaps and bounds further than I ever would have expected or hoped for. I know in years to come that maybe, just maybe, the boyz will read these words and appreciate the level of loving care Sue has given them in these formative years. I know I do.

Christmastime, in recent decades, hasn't been overly magical for me. Lots of negative events had happened during this season, and I have silently (well, silent for me) endured this festive season with a lugubrious heart. This year I can honestly say I'm looking forward to Christmas and all of the Christmases to come, relearning the magic of the season through the bright blue eyes of my beautiful little sons.

- Joe

No Fun At Our House This Week

Well, it's been no fun at our house this week. Awww, that's only partly true. The boys have been miserably sick with colds. Boogies, coughing, difficulty breathing, up all night as they struggle to breath and deal w/the dripping mucous. Then add their teething. Poor little guys. Kevin is working on pushing out some molars while Jason has a lower incisor that's due to arrive any day now. Joe has caught their cold. Then there's our sweet Delta. We've definitely had better weeks.

Thank you to all who offered their good wishes and sympathy about Delta. I think we've all lost a pet so it's an experience we all share. Pets bring so much to our lives and they definitely take a piece of our hearts when they pass.

There have been a few chuckles this week. Kevin has taken to sneezing and blowing his food all over whomever is feeding him. Yes, it's gross, but it's pretty funny as he smiles a huge, adorably cute smile each time so you do tend to laugh. Both boys think that sneezing is hilarious. They like when Joe blows his nose. They are such boys...gross stuff is funny. There's a dearth of estrogen in our house. Even the cats are boys.

Kevin is a speedy little crawler now and was especially adorable as he followed Mango (our Maine coon cat) around the nursery. Sadly, Mango is vacuous. He doesn't know that we have a nursery, babies or that he's a cat. So he had no idea that he was being closely tailed by Kicky.

Jason has been especially adorable. Sadly, I startled him last night. I think he was pretty shaken up in fact. He was napping in the nursery when I arrived home. Sue and I were chatting at the foot of the stairs and he woke up/cried out. I assumed he heard/was awakened by my voice. We both went upstairs but I went into my room and Sue went into the nursery and picked Jason up. She took him downstairs to play and I stayed in my room to sew something. After a bit, I came downstairs. As I descended, I could hear Sue say "Who's that? Is that Mama?"

When I got to the bottom of the stairs, Jason looked up at me and just sat staring in shock. Several things might have been running through his mind...."Was she up there all day?" "Where did she come from?" "Why has she been ignoring me all day?" etc. etc.

He had a dumbfounded expression and kept looking to Sue for reassurance. It took him quite awhile to come around and after 5 or so minutes, I got a smile and some chatter. Poor guy. He really is scheduled and likes things to go the same way every day. Change is not a good thing for Jason. Mama should never just appear from upstairs like that. She should always come in the kitchen door, take off her coat, wash her hands and then give hugs and kisses. I'll do my best to keep with the existing plan.

I've made 3 small photo albums that contain photos of all our family members. Jason has his own personal one as does Kevin. As I flipped through the pages of Jason's photo album, I was naming each family member. I flipped the page and said "Look Jason, here's Molly." Jason leaned down and kissed Molly's photo. I was stunned. I nudged Joe and motioned for him to watch and then I said "Look Jason, who's this? Is it Molly?" He leaned down and kissed her photo, again. We were both stunned. What a sweet little boy.

Kevin, also a sweetie normally, but lately he's developed quite a pushy little personality. Yesterday he crawled on top of Jason's back as Jason was lying on the carpet. Once perched atop his brother, Kevin just sort of stood there, in a pushup position. Jason finally got uncomfortable and rolled over causing Kevin to roll onto the floor. Anticipating tears as his head hit the floor, I was shocked as Kevin just laughed it off.

Today, Kevin crawled from one side of the nursery to the other where he grabbed a toy away from Jason and then pushed him backwards. Our little Kickybear could benefit from learning about sharing, being polite and being gentle.

Jason is so close to crawling that if I get home tonight and Sue says that he's now crawling, I will not be surprised.

This weekend we'll finish babyproofing and safetying-up the nursery. We're removing top heavy furniture and installing a babygate outside their bedroom door. I've got the itch to move furniture all around the house. Poor Joe. He's a tolerant man but I know I'll have to have my "carrot on the stick" ready in order to achieve my goal. Remember to reward your puppy so that he'll do what you want him to do. (A reference to If A Man Answers. If I'd known that I would date and eventually marry Joe, I would never have told him about that movie. At least he's okay with the general idea.)

I'll have to add photos of the boys later as I'm on a different pc w/o the new photos.

Hope you all are having a good day.
Love,
Kathy

Our Delta Dog

In Kathy's words:

Our Delta is a very sick girl. She has metastasized cancer, a growth in her spleen that has spread to her lungs. She's bleeding internally, has anemia and is having a difficult time catching her breath because her lungs are full of fluid. She is bleeding into her abdomen and into her chest. There's nothing that can be done for her but the doctor assures us that she's not in any pain. She's very weak and hopefully we're not being selfish but she's going to come home with us tonight and we'll spend time together as a family. Tomorrow we'll take her back to the vet so that we can do right by her. She's been a wonderful pet and family member.

Delta has lived a rich and varied life. Her first family called her Baby and spoiled her, as we could tell from her love of sleeping on the couch and also the day she came flying into the bedroom and jumped on the bed. She sure was surprised when Mommy #3 (me) said "No bed". Her second family renamed her Delta as her ears do stick straight out and she is very aerodynamic. We tend to call her Delta Baby and Delty. The boys love her and I'm sorry that they'll not grow up with her and that they probably won't remember her and how she's watched over them and been so protective of them. While many would say she was a lucky dog to have been adopted by us, I always felt that we were the lucky ones as she taught us a lot of life lessons and had such a funny personality. Her buddy, Ginger, often her nemesis, will also miss her and Mango, well, who's to say. He's off in his own world. Our lives are better for having known her and our lives will be a little less for losing her.

Please say a prayer for Delta and for us as we help her transition to a more peaceful place.

Happy Thanksgiving
from Jason and Kevin

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving one and all,
It's been an amazing year and this Thanksgiving I (we, actually) have a huge number of things to be thankful for.

Starting with Joe, an amazing, loving and doting husband who did absolutely everything (and I do mean everything) enabling me to have a healthy and stressfree pregnancy. On top of being a wonderful husband, Joe is an amazing, loving and doting father. Jason and Kevin are very lucky little boys.

I'm thankful that I survived what wasn't an ideal childbirth and am thankful and grateful to the amazing staff at NWH without whom this blog might be the tale of a single parent.

I'm thankful for 2 healthy wonderful boys who bring delight, love and joy into my heart every day. (Also, thankful for the amazing staff at the NWH NICU.) Jason and Kevin are a joy I'd never known before.

I'm thankful for my Dad's good health, after a congestive heart failure and several operations, he's been given a clean bill of health delivered by his cardiologist earlier this week.

I'm thankful for the love and support of my family.

I'm thankful for the love and support of Joe's family.

I'm thankful that Sue is part of our family and lives and am grateful for the joy and love she gives to Kevin, Jason, Joe and I.

I'm sorry if I've left anyone out. This year has been a full one and there are so many more things that I thank God for on a daily basis. So, I'll cover the rest with him later.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.
Love,
Kathy

Moving and Shaking

Here's our Jumpybear modeling his new winter hat. Pretty cute, eh? Very Elmer Fudd. The J-bear surprised us last week by hatching a new tooth and keeping the news all to himself. I managed to get a peek into his mouth last Friday during bathtime and that's when I discovered a new pearly white popping up from his lower gumline.

The increase in saliva and rosy red cheeks tells me that another one is on the way.




Kickybear has his own big news to share. He's crawling. Real up-on-all-fours crawling, don't-turn-your-back-on-him-and-leave-the-room crawling. He's not Speedracer (yet) but he is quick.

This is our Browniebear having fun with his pal, Al the worm. As you can see, the Kickster loves his fuzzy friends. All stuffed, fuzzy friends are greeted with a big hug and are immediately smooshed into his face. He likes to give hugs to people too. You do need to be careful if he's grabbed your hair in the process however. Sue and I both have some small bald patches courtesy of Kevin.



If We Knew Then What We Know Now

1. Kevin would be nicknamed Jumpy
2. Jason would be nicknamed Guy Smiley
3. Kevin's wrestling name would be "Heels of Steel"
4. Jason's wrestling name would be "The Growler"


Curious as to why? Kevin and his johnny jump up doorway bouncy thingy have formed a deep meaningful relationship. Kevin loves to bounce, to an excessive degree. If you stand him up on his feet, he immediately starts to bounce. (Tigger would be a good nickname too.) He has fallen asleep in the JJU not once, but twice. No, I didn't put him in and forget him. I sit with him while he bounces. But he bounces so much that he tires himself out and actually falls asleep while bouncing. While we're discussing the little master, if he were to suddenly get a wrestling contract from Vince McMahon....his stage wrestling name would definitely be "Heels of Steel". He has crazy hard heels and he slams them on the mattress or the playmat or the carpet and man oh man, it's loud and hard.


Jason is our smiley guy or Guy Smiley, either way. He's perennially happy. He assumes a pretty funny pose when you whip out the camera. Or, on any given day he could be called the Growler. He makes a funny growling noise. Sue has been teaching the boys about animals and the sounds they make. Jason seems to favor the bear growl.


Neither boy would be nicknamed the following:
Chief Likes-a-Nap
Mister Sleeps-Until-8
Sir I'veGotDryMouth
Master TrustMe-I-Won't-Bite-You

Both boys still enjoy being read to and eating the occaisional book. Kevin's favorite book is a picture book about a red truck. Jason's favorite is Hello Bee, Hello Me. There are a few others in their top 5: Helen Oxenbury's books (All Fall Down, Tickle Tickle and Goodnight Babies), the fuzzy bunny book (sorry, no title on this, just a fuzzy cover), oh...at the top of the list: Bert and Ernie. J + K love it. They love the faces on the covers.

Kevin has an obsession with our Sirius satellite radio. Jason is very focused on how things work. Kevin likes lights and flashy, shiny objects.


Temper, Temper

Jason, when distracted or discouraged from an object or activity that isn't age appropriate, slams his fist or feet down and throws back his head and howls and raises a ruckus. You know for sure he's unhappy. But, then, he gets over it and that's it. Kevin, looks you dead in the eye, smiles and proceeds doing exactly what he wants/you don't want. Sometimes he'll puddle up and wail if truly unhappy, but so far, he just ignores you and your efforts to get him to change direction. Unless you have a flashlight or other shiny distracting object.

He's Wicked Smaht

For the past 2 weeks or so, Jason has been refusing dinner. This kid has tight lips that even Churchill would've been proud of. No secrets getting out of there. Somewhere around day 4, I realize (after discussions with Sue and Joe who assure me that he eats a great breakfast) what's really going on. And, even then....I realize only after his lunch appetite drops off. Jason, smart infant that he is, is holding out for dessert. He knows the sweet stuff comes at the end of the meal. So, why bother putting up with the green and white stuff? (Green beans/peas and rice, in this example.) Our boy Jason is practicing that time tested nugget "Eat dessert first, you might not make it through dinner."


I'm sure that there have been a myriad of other changes. I might miss some here or there. Here are the ones I can recall w/o benefit of caffeine:

Kevin loves LOVES Pat-a-cake. His favorite part being "roll it and fold it" but we do "roll it and roll it" as he loves the motion of rolling one hand over the other. You'll sometimes see him sitting there by himself doing the rolling motion. Very cute. He also loves clapping and has been practicing/experimenting.


Jason loveloveloves to play an imitation game. This is how it's played: Jason makes a noise, Joe or I imitate that noise, Jason makes a new/different noise, J/K then imitate that noise. Then Jason will make a motion as if he's made a noise but no sound has been made, so Kathy/Joe makes a small movement mimicking Jason's and also, no noise. This can go on for a few minutes or 15. He always bursts out in laughter and thinks it's pretty funny that Mommy/Daddy are a buncha trained monkeys doing whatever he wants.

More pix

Jason in extreme closeup. Kevin in his standard photo pose. For some reason, our former male baby model has become "Earl" (as in My Name Is Earl tv show). In recent photos he either: has his eyes closed, one eye closed or he's making a squinting, blurry, bizarre mouth open/eyes half closed pose. He's a cute boy, so what's the problem? Maybe it's just a phase while he's teething? Maybe he doesn't feel like smiling?




Speaking of, did I mention that he got 2 more? For a grand total of 8. 4 Uppers and 4 lowers. The post-dinner toothbrushing is going well. Jason now likes his toothbrush (it has a lion on it) and puts it in his mouth and rubs it around his teeth. Yay Jason! Kevin loves his toothbrush. It has a turtle on it. So far, so good. I'm hoping that brushing their teeth becomes an ingrained habit so that someday when they can talk and ask questions that I struggle to answer.....hopefully they won't ask "why do I have to brush my teeth". Maybe it'll be like breathing or any other autonomic response....and they'll just assume it's a daily thing that they do w/o thinking about it. Yeah. Right.


Well, I must run. 4 o'clock bottle time.
Muah. Love, Kathy

Choppahs

Choppahs the New Englandah way of saying "choppers". That word hints at what our little Kickybear has been up to lately. On Friday, Kicky (who was out of sorts and not his typical charming, sweet and smilely self) had two brand spanking new bottom teeth start to break through. The teeth are still working their way to the surface and poor Kevin is trying to take it in stride but he's in pain and he's sharing that with everyone.

What did parents do before children's Tylenol?

The boys have been brushing their teeth after dinner. The first time I gave each boy a toothbrush pretty much captures the differences between the 2 boys. Kevin grabbed the brush and immediately shoved it in his mouth and began chewing. Jason wouldn't take the brush from me. After a bit, I convinced him that a toothbrush is pretty cool and that he could have as much fun as Kevin if he'd give it a go. He took the brush into his hand but stared at it as if it were an alien. It took roughly a week before Jason would put the toothbrush into his mouth.

I continue to try to convince Jason that brushing teeth is: fun, really fun, tickling his teeth, tickling his tongue, funfunfun, etc. He clearly doesn't believe me. Kevin, in fact, thinks it is fun and doesn't need me to sell him. Each time I get out the brushes, he grabs his right out of my hand. Jason willingly takes his brush but he likes to look at it and then maybe chew the end with the rubberized handle. At some point, he'll put it near his lips, almost touching his lips and then he makes a "this feels yucky" face. He clearly dislikes the feeling of the bristles. He doesn't buy my "it tickles" comments. At one point last week, he put the brush into his mouth, made a face, pulled it out and the proceeded to pull at the bristles. I guess he was trying to remove them. I'm patient. We'll keep practicing. After Jason is onboard, then we'll add toothpaste.

Kevin has been onboard with brushing his teeth from day one. Kevin has been onboard with any activity that involves something going into his mouth. Last week, Kevin managed to get to the tuner where he pushed several buttons and turned the volume down. Chip off of the old block. Sue says that Kevin stares at the basket where the remote controls are stored. He also stares at the satellite radio. I'm not sure what he's planning but we do change the channels frequently so that the boys are exposed to many styles of music. I see no coorelation between his staring at the radio and a particular channel. He seems to like the 50's channel as much as the 40's channel or the heavy metal one. Who knows what he's planning?

Love,
Kathy

Number 9

Kicky and Jumpy celebrated their 9 month birthday on Saturday. They celebrated by playing all day, eating cheerios and teething. Kevin, not to be outdone by Jason and his mouthful of choppers, sprouted 4 upper teeth in a 4-6 day timeframe. Both boys will bite if given a chance but don't worry, they get their shots so you're safe. Plus we keep a safety kit on each floor - lots of bandages, neosporin and alcohol (rubbing, not drinking).

Stats

The boys saw their pediatrician on Monday for a 9 mo checkup. The boys are doing very well. The doctor grilled us and Sue. "What do you feed them?" "Do you take them out?" "Where/What/When" etc. He complimented the boys and us, said we were doing a great job. Which is nice. I get the impression that he's not effusive with compliments. I did needle him a bit when the topic of juice came up. He asked what they drink. I answer water and formula and "oh, we will try apple juice this weekend."

Here's the rest of the conversation:

Dr: Oh, no. NO juice.

Me (looking at Dr and then at Joe and psychically telling Joe "Arg. Are you kidding me?" and then looking back at Dr and saying outloud): Are you kidding me?

Joe: Well, she's been saying no juice all along and then she reversed her decision.

Me to Dr.: I didn't want them to have juice but figured you'd think we were being extreme and that you'd say 'Moderation in all things' so I relented.

Dr: Wellllll, years ago pediatricans thought juice was a good thing but NOW we know better. There is no reason for them to have juice. It's sugar and water and it's bad for their teeth. As long as they are eating fruit, the don't need juice.

Me --- looking at Joe, subtly and psychically commenting to him "Can u believe this?" and then looking at Dr and saying: Ok

The part you've been waiting for....the checkup and the Stats

Jason went first and was a peach during the checkup. He sat and stared at the Dr. The Dr. kept saying over and over "He's staring at me" "Wow, he's really staring at me." "He keeps staring at me." Finally I said "Well, would you prefer the alternative of him crying?" Dr:"No"

He did end up crying however when the Doc stuck his scope in Jason's ears. But that was near the end and hey, Jason had already been quite the trooper so I don't blame him one bit.

Jason weighed 20 lbs and 3 oz. He measured 29 and 1/4" long. According to the fancy schmancy chart on the Doc's laptop, Jason is in the 80th percentile for height for a baby born on his birthdate and he's in the 50th percentile for weight.

Kevin was also a trooper during his physical. Of course, what you don't know is that there is a huge wall mirror alongside the table and Kevin didn't realize that anyone else was in the room other than that handsome baby lying next to him. Our Kevin does tend to admire himself. He didn't mind the Dr checking out his teeth or his eyes or his ears. All smiles and relaxed.

Kevin weighed 19 lbs and 5 oz. He measured 28 and 1/2" long. He was in the 50th percentile for length and the 30th percentile for weight for a baby born on his birthdate.

These stats are pretty impressive when you recall that they were preemies so their gestational age is 8 months. So the fact that they are right on track with true 9 month olds is terrific and reassuring to anyone who is a bit concerned.

Movin' on up

The boys are on the move. Jason occasionally pulls himself up using common household objects like the exersaucers, the couch, etc. Both boys can stand up from a sitting position by themselves. This has been going on for about 2 weeks BUT....on Monday, Kevin, who was perched on my leg while I was sitting on the floor, stood up and headed off across the room. He didn't get far as his feet didn't get the signal from his brain as to what they should be doing. So, down he went. He didn't seem fazed and I was grateful for those little helmets that they both still wear.

If held up, both boys will walk and they are both good at putting weight on their legs. Jason does a little jig when you hold his arms and he starts to walk, very cute. Kevin, if held, will bounce up and down. I've never seen such a bouncy kid. Updownupdownupdownupdownupdown. He can do this for a verrry long time. Kevin loves to be in the johnny jump up. He laughs the whole time and he gets a kick out of spinning around AND jumping. If Delta happens to walk by, well, that elicits a huge squeal and a big smile. Not from Delta however. Today I co-walked Jason into our bedroom from the nursery. When we walked into our room and Joe said "Wow Jason, look at you walking like a big boy!" Jason's face lit up and he was all smiles.

Both boys tried Kix yesterday and they were a BIG hit. Sue and I took a CPR and infant safety class last night. A very good thing. Especially as Kevin tends to cram lots of things (cheerios, toys, etc) into his mouth. I've fished chunks of biter biscuits and wads of cheerios out of his mouth. You have to keeep an eagle eye on that one.

Lots more to post later.
Love,Kathy

News at Noon

Interrupting your Internet surfing with some news.

Kevin has 3 new teeth, all uppers, dropping down right now, even as I type. One has broken through and is roughly 1/8th of an inch long. The other 2 are just breaking through. Oddly enough, the top front right tooth broke through first and then the 2nd upper right started and then the 2nd upper left started. So just the frontmost top left tooth is not budging.

Before teeth, both boys were quick to flash a big old smile. Now that they have teeth....forget about it. Lots of grins and smiles but NO teeth. Good luck prying their lips apart. Of course, this means capturing a photo is nearly impossible so bear with me when viewing the photos.

Here's Kevin with his new smile:

"Cheeeeeeeeeeese!"

Some day, he'll have a great big smile w/a mouthful of teeth. This is how we imagine it might look.

Getting a picture of either boy with a big ol' toothy grin is like getting a photo of Sasquatch or the Dover Demon. But, I'll keep trying. Keep checking back.

In Jason news.....he has said "Mama". Several times in fact. Kevin has too. I might not have reported it to you because we're not sure it means to them what it means to us. Kevin uses "mama" when he's in his crib crying and wants out. Jason uses "mama" when he has a temper tantrum. Last Thursday Jason decided he didn't want dinner, he didn't want to be in his high chair and a bottle of formula was ALL he wanted. He pounded his fist on his high chair tray and yelled "MAMA!" at the top of his lungs. Joe thinks they mean me when they say it and he counts it as a "first word". I kind of suspect that "mama" means "ARG!" or "GRR".

Still, it's nice to hear it.

Ghosties and Ghoulies

Another banner Halloween at Pokey Oaks. We got roughly 20 or so trick or treaters. Some very cute costumes. Here are pictures of our own little tricksters:

Kevin is mid-jump and Jason is mid-disco baby dance step. They sure are funny.

The boys went with a Halloween theme and Joe and I had costumes but opted to only wear the witches hat so as to not scare wee Kicky and Jumpy. By the time they went to bed, beggar's night was pretty much over so we bailed on dressing up.

You can see by Jason's expression how much he liked the witches hat. Oh well, hopefully he'll come around by next year.

Happy Halloween All!

Many thanks for the Halloween goodies for the boys. They wore their "1st Halloween bibs" and their light up Halloween socks (Kevin was fascinated by these..."Why didn't I notice my feet lighting up before?") The Halloween ducks have been a bathtime favorite and the Halloween shirts (can't see 'em here but they are wearing them) are adorable. We hung the Halloween cards by their high chairs so they could see them. Both boys were fascinated and it's been a game to see who can stretch and reach a card and then pull it down. The Halloween night light has also been of keen interest. It's been a help to us as when either gets tetchy, if you flip on the light, they both go quiet and stare at the light in complete fascination.

Well, election day is around the corner. Kicky and Jumpy will be voting at the McCarthy school after work. Hopefully the weather holds out and we can all walk up together. Actually, some get to ride, others get to push. Such is life.

Have a great night.

A Dad's "Day in the Life"

Hi everyone, long time - no post. I don't have any new photos to present for which I apologize right up front. Just new and recycled thoughts and observations for y'all.

As we're nearing the boyz 9-month birthday, I have to say I'm completely astounded...I cannot seem to remember a time when they weren't here. That being said, I can't believe that nearly nine months have rocketed by. Sleep is becoming a welcome friend returned from a long hiatus. Although last night the boyz were up at 3am and Kathy took care of them and let me sleep on. I don't thank her enough for this...so Kath, thank you. Needless to say, coffee consumption is diminishing (that cheering sound you're hearing is from my stomach lining) and I'm beginning to see colors again.

We have a nice daily schedule: Kathy goes to work early and I have the duty to dress & feed the boyz before I also head off to work. Then, Kathy arrives home early to feed them dinner and play. When I get home, we change them into sleepwear and give them their before-bed bottles. In the meantime, Nanny Sue has been doing a remarkable job playing with and interacting with the kids. I've never seen them so animated and their development is definitely a marked improvement. While I'm on the subject, I just wanted to thank my folks for taking care of the boyz in the 2 weeks before Sue started. I'm so glad you were able to look after our sons, and I know they really enjoyed their time with you. I'm sure you felt the same way, and I'm very grateful for you both. Thank you.

Okay, back to me...! hee hee. To say "I love my time with Kicky and Jumpy in the morning" doesn't begin to describe how wonderful it makes me feel. When I'm getting them ready to be changed, I put them in each other's cribs...just for a fun change of environment. While I'm picking out outfits and washing their helmets, I'll hear them giggling and baby-talking to each other through the bars. It's really heartwarming. Then, I'll pick up, say, Jason, and bring him over for a diaper change and a new outfit. The Pampers diapers we use have little Sesame Street characters on them, so I always show Jason who he'll be wearing today. "Look, Jason...it's Cookie Monster!" (his favorite). Dutifully, Jason gives me a big belly laugh and then proceeds to try to roll off the changing table. This is less of a fun game. Thank God for the reflexes the Xbox 360 has trained me with.

Kevin is even more troublesome with the rolling around on the table. Mind you...he LOVES this game. He's smiling and laughing and roll, roll, rolling. He even does an inchworm type of movement that if you're not holding onto him, he moves forward until his little head is hanging off the side. I've found that with both babies, they love to play with a pacifier while being changed. This distracts them long enough to do what you need and is easy to take away and give back when putting their arms through their sleeves.

Feeding time is really fun. I put them into their high chairs, put their bibs on, and then the little trays. They like to talk at me (or, most likely, just at the world) while I make breakfast for them. Breakfast usually consists of rice cereal and some sort of fruit. Both boys, when awake, eat very well. But you do have to be quick: Jason's nap time is right around the time I serve breakfast. Like this morning, I was able to give Jason his vitamins and then out he went. Kevin was certainly happy to have all the attention. He like to hum while he chews. It's really hard not to laugh while you feed him. Sue usually joins in and we both feed a baby...this really helps getting Jason to eat something before nodding off. Then I'm off to work. Boo.

I look forward to this activity more than any other. This "guy time" in the morning really fills my heart with happiness and love for these two little beings. Plus, they're a riot. My life has never been better, and I owe it to you boyz: Kevin & Jason/Kicky & Jumpy. And most importantly, to my wife Kathy. I never could have hoped for a better partner in crime...oops, I mean "life"...hee! Every day I love her more even though I never think it's possible love anyone more.

More later,
Joe

News at Noon

Here's Kevin's "No pictures please" photo.

In developing news, Kevin cut a new tooth yesterday.

You can feel it just beneath the surface.

Jason's comments, "Eh big deal, I have 6, count 'em, 6."

More developing news:

Kevin crawled a bit today. Actual forward movement.

On Sunday, Joe asked Jason how his bottle was and (seriously) we both heard him say "Good" How weird and funny, eh?

They both have been saying "mama", "hi", "mum", "da", "goo", "ga" and "Go Pats" but it happens so randomly that we're not really categorizing them as first words.

Jason says "Have a great day!"

(Check out all those teeth. Get a finger too close and he takes a big bite. You only let that happen once....)

Kathy

Man finds Ewok in MA

You are NOT
going to believe this.

We found an Ewok,
right in the Pokey Oaks
backyard, behind the
Joe Pye.

We lured him out
with Cheerios and
Gerber Biter Biscuits.

Strange but true...and here's the proof!

Delta weighs in

Well, you've heard the story from the kids' point of view, the mom's point of view and the dad's point of view....now you'll get the real story, the dirt behind the dish from someone who's seeing it all from the same point of view as Kickybear and Jumpybear.....

Call me Delta

Keeping an eye on 2 rambunctious, nearly crawling, squealing, squeaky, slobbery baby boys is hard work. Don't believe me? Here's the proof:

And now you know where the expression "dog-tired' comes from.

And THAT's the rest of the story.

Woof and good night,

Delta

Columbus Day

The Columbus Day long weekend was celebrated in true New England style - picking apples and admiring foliage. Kevin and Jason attended last year's annual apple u-pick in utero so this year they probably had a better time as they definitely had a better view. Joe and I wore them a la baby bjorn style through the orchard so it was much fun. The guys wore their Red Sox caps and their sunglasses so they looked like incognito Hollywood stars. After carrying two 18lbers around, we skipped the u-pick/u-carry apples and opted for the u-buy/u-eat cinnamon apple cider donuts. Brilliant and delicious.

Naturally, we forgot our camera and video camera and left the cell phones with cameras in the car. So here's a rough sketch that captures the day:

From left to right clockwise: Kathy, Joe, Jumpy, and Kicky

Lucky for us, Rob and Cindi (Kicky and Jumpy's godparents) had their vidcam so they got a family portrait. Papa Joe clicked away with his cell phone camera so the above sketch won't be the only Kodak moment.

To make up for the lack of apple picking photos....here are some "bathtime fun" photos.

rub-a-dub-dub, Jumpy's in the tub

Kicky kicks back

Hre's looking at you, Kicky

Kathy and Jumpy share a post-bath laugh and hug

G'nite and g'day,

Kathy

The Real Deal

Kevin took this shot

Jason took this one


Ok....here's the real deal on the sizes. Remember that we aren't doctors and don't play doctors on TV so the numbers might be off, in fact, probably are off.


Jason weighed in at 18.6lbs and 29" long.
Kevin weighed in at 17.6lbs and was 28" long.


Here's some eye candy for fans of Kicky and Jumpy.





g'Night