Wardrobe Malfunction

I don't typically dress the boys alike. There are days when I do. Joe likes it and Sue thinks it's cute so I do it more for them than for anyone. Due to the recent heatwave, I've been caught unprepared and have few available options for the wee lads. 

Today I grabbed 2 of the few short sleeve shirts available - navy polo shirts with white stripes. I grabbed 2 pair of light weight gray nylon pants and proceeded to dress Jumpy and Kicky. They both look like they are going clamming in Newport. Very cute.

The boys settle down to some serious play. Jumpy is in the roundabout, furiously placing balls into the openings and watching them spin down and around. Kicky is standing outside the roundabout and tossing balls into the openings and also trying to slip balls through the slats of his crib.

I'm watching the boys from across the room and notice that Jason pushes Kevin by reaching over and pushing his left shoulder. Almost like a "knocking a chip off his shoulder" motion. At first I think he is trying to stop Kevin from playing with the roundabout. But he does it a few more times and then he grabs Kevin's shirt and pulls it. Then he lets go and grabs his own shirt and pulls. He does this a few more times and looks up at me. His face is neutral...not happy, not annoyed or angry. Just blank.  He looks up at me and pulls his shirt.
So, I (duh) realize that he's silently commenting on the fact that their clothes are the same. I'm not sure how he felt about it. I don't want to read into it or assume anything. I did say "Kevin's shirt is the same as yours. Jason's shirt is the same as Kevin's." I added that they were "dressed alike".  Jason tugged at both shirts. Finally he went back to playing with the roundabout. If there was an epiphany, it had passed.

Kevin didn't notice anything.

Funny Boys

The past week has been a funny one. Jason continues to try to eat books but as I watch him place the book at his lips, I see him looking at me gauging my reaction. After I say "yucky" or "we don't eat books" he will sometimes shake his head "no" or he'll smile or he'll quickly pull the book into his mouth. Today he kept putting the book to his mouth (mouth closed) and waiting for me to say something. Over and over and over. Wiseacre.

The photos above are of the boys and the vacuum. For some odd reason, the vacuum fascinated them. Let's hope that fascination is present when it comes time for them to help Mom and Dad vacuum the house. It is a pretty neat vacuum. Funny boys.

The boys have been doing a pretty funny thing where they race around after each other. Sometimes one boy is chasing the other to get a toy back or sometimes they are just chasing each other around. Other times they charge at each other from across the room like those rams on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom.

There is a story with this pic. Jason has started to do a new "smiley" face. He ends up looking like a gameshow host but he's much cuter. It's a 2-step process. First he smiles and then he squints his eyes. He typically tosses in a crazy laugh too. I did my best to capture it but the photo at the bottom is pretty close to accurate.

The walking is going well. Kevin does a hopping, sideways walk. He is up to about 4 or 5 hops/steps. Jason is great at going forward. Same thing, 4 or 5 steps. Kevin will grab your shirt or finger and take you along. I suspect he thinks that I am holding him up so he is quite confident in his hopping/walking. Little does he know. Most of the time, I'm scrambling to keep up with him as I typically start in a sitting/lying position on the floor and he grabs-n-goes quite quickly.

Kevin has expressed an interest in the light switch. So, we talk about up/down and off/on. He turns the light on/off in the AM and PM. Yesterday was the first time Jason expressed interest in the light switch. He figured out quickly that he'd need his finger and thumb to flick the switch up and down. Once he mastered it, he moved on. Today he had no interest in flicking on the switch and opted to bat at the plaque hanging over said switch.

Jason is fascinated by the shades in the nursery and looking out the window. He is just tall enough to see outside and seems to like the view that their windows afford. Kevin is just a smidge too small to really see anything other than the trees and the neighbor's roof. But that will change quickly enough.

Meal time is a series of "on-off/love/hate" relationships. Today sweet potato is yucky, tomorrow it will be awesome. Same thing with just about any food other than yogurt. Yogurt is always yummy.

The boys have yet more teeth breaking through so their days are full of ups and downs and lots of drools. They are in a lot of pain/discomfort so their moods fluctuate between happiness and un and crying and laughing. I imagine it's a bit like living with a hormonal/crazy woman. I'll have to ask Joe if this is the case.

Tears and tantrums occur at the drop of a hat. Because they are so miserable we are patient and spend a lot of time cuddling and distracting them.

On weekdays in the early AM, the boys take "Destination Vacations". That's a fancy way of saying that I put Jason in Kevin's crib and Kevin into Jason's crib. Jason loves being in Kevin's crib and the past 2 AMs he has stood outside Kevin's crib rattling the slats and jumping up and down and moving his arms in an "up" motion. So, I pick him up and put him in and he laughs like a crazy little baby and then, he starts to trash Kevin's crib and belongings. Jason and I have had the "when we visit someone else's crib, we treat their things nicely" conversation but that has not sunk into his little blonde head.

Kevin respects Jason's crib and things and I sometimes think of Gallant and Goofus as I watch the two of them. Kevin sitting/standing politely and Jason pulling/yanking/squealing. For those of you who grew up reading Highlights magazine, this might be a blast from the past. Anyway, when I kissed them goodbye this AM, Jason was trying to tear Kevin's crib mirror off the side while Kevin was sitting and watching Jason's crib aquarium play.

Belated Easter Post

The boys had a great Easter. They started celebrating on Saturday by opening goodies from Mimi, Papa, Auntie Diane and Mommy and Daddy. The boys received so many wonderful treats and good wishes from everyone. A big thank you to Oma,Opa, Mimi, Papa, Auntie Diane, Beve, Molly, Joey, Cindi and Rob. They are truly loved and blessed little boys.  No candy this year but lots of wonderful treats. Great books! Cute bunnies! Stylish shirts! Handy buckets!  Oh my goodness.  

The day itself was nice. A busy AM followed by a lovely afternoon visiting with Molly, Joey, Cindi and Rob. They hosted us this Easter. Cindi and Rob made a terrific meal and were very understanding about our being late (Thank you to the Mass Turnpike Authority for their thorough cuck-up of everyone's Easter. Gov. Patrick says "someone will pay" but he's been so great about follow-through that I'm sure nothing will be done.) The  boys were peachy-keen, well-behaved. We forgot their high chairs and held them on our laps and they were on their best behavior. Jason tried some mashed potatoes and ham. Kevin tried a bit of the potatoes but was completely fascinated by the chandelier overhead. The boys had a great time playing with their cousins and their cool toys. 

Both boys give Cindi's ham a big thumbs up. They had some on Monday and smack-smack-smack (that's the sound of 2 sets of lips eating ham) and POOF - gone. They are so their Dad's boys. 

Yuck. Yum

This AM Kicky, Jumpy and Mommy are playing in the nursery. Jumpy picks up a small book and leafs through it. Holds it up to Mommy indicating his desire to have me read it. That's his new cute thing. He opens a book and holds it up with both hands imploring you to read it. A-dor-able.

So I read the book. He takes it back from me when I'm done and slowly raises it to his mouth. He knows that this is not acceptable behavior. We've covered this before.  House motto #4: "We don't eat books."

So I gently push the book away from his mouth and he snaps it right back up. We do this book ballet 3 times and then I finally say, "Yucky."  Jason snaps the book up to his mouth and says "YUM."

So, folks, there it is. I've been corrected by my one year old. Books are edible and they are yummy.

Kicky + Jumpy's Big Adventure

The Kickster and the Jumpster had a busy weekend. Saturday they attended a fundraiser, Strikes for Swansons, for Joe's cousin's family. Our best go out to Brian, Kathy and Merry. The turnout was amazing and we all hope for the best because we love 'em.

Kevin had much fun being carried around by his Uncle Rob. Rob seemed to be ok with it too :)

Both boys were tired due to truncated naps but they got a kick out of watching the people and the bowling.

On Sunday, K and J had their first visit to the New England Aquarium, courtesy of our friends the Bennetts, Abby, Amy, Eric and Jack. We all had a great time. Joe carried Jason in a backpack which the little guy seemed to really like. I carried Kevin and he enjoyed that as he liked to stand up against the glass peering at the fish. They both loved all the sealife. There was a lot to observe and absorb.  It was difficult to tell from their expressions, but I think theyliked the penguins best. Also, they both liked being at the very top of the big tank and looking down into it. 

We wrapped up the afternoon with a trip to a nearby playground where the boys got to swing. Such squeals of laughter and delight. They loved swinging. Oddly enough, Jason was so relaxed and happy he fell asleep twice while swinging. 

Overall, a great weekend. It's taken 2 days for the boys to recover. Teeth are pushing on through and both boys look like they've grown an inch and gained 2 lbs. Bigger and bigger every day.

Other Breaking News

Jason says "meow". He says it in a small, high pitched voice. Very sweet. Kevin is skipping walking and moving to hopping. He hops all the time, everywhere. I don't think he realizes that holding on to someone's shirt sleeve isn't really holding him up. The pony continues to be a favorite toy. Kevin holds on with one hand and rears back letting his other arm fall backwards. All he needs is a lasso. Occasionally, one or both boys will answer a question with "yeah" or "no". Today when I asked Jason if we should change his diaper. He responded, "Yeah."  Good choice it needed changing, badly.

Both boys are reading up a storm. New favorites are "Elmo and the Duckies", "Elmo and the Bunny Hop" and the fuzzy Elmo Easter story (I forget the title). Old favorites continue to be favorites. When we travel, Hello Bee/Hello Me and the Lion King Alphabet Book go with us.  

Well, I should run. Hope all is well with all of you.

Love,

Kathy

At It Again....

The boys are in a mad dash to win the "who's pushing out teeth faster" contest. Kevin has a lower canine that's half-way up but he's clearly got more on the way as his drool-manufacturing has kicked into overdrive and his gums are swollen. Last night he refused food.   Kevin....refused.....food.  So, then we knew something was amiss.

Surprisingly, I learned during a major laughfest that our wee Jason has ALREADY pushed through 1 upper canine and the 2nd one is just about to break on through. Who knew??

Jason was hilarious last night. He laughed so hard that he turned red. That was a first.  Funny boy.  I chalk it up to being overtired but I'd like to think I was just really "on" and my jokes were finding a good audience.  

I have no pix of drooly boys or new teeth so here are some pix of the boys on some of their toys. The yellow Tonka truck is a favorite. Oddly enough, Kevin loves to be on the Tonka but he's so busy concentrating that he never cracks a smile or laughs. If you take him off (assuming that he's not having fun) he throws a temper tantrum and wants right back on. So, there it is.  

Jason also loves riding the Tonka but he laughs and smiles the whole time. The picture below shows him smiling.

Here's a cute on eof Jason playing in his hiding place, the Aquarium tunnel. Both boys love when you peek through the window. You can just see it on the right. It's a small porthole that has little bubbles in it that slightly magnify things. They love to play hide-n-seek and peek-a-boo in the tunnel.

Both boys are getting big. Jason feels like he has rolls of quarters in his pockets and ankle weights on his legs. Kevin is starting to feel a bit heavier. Both are taller. They like to reach up to the top of the bookcase and feel along the top for things. They can both reach the lock on the small chimney cupboard. Fortunately they can't reach the knob yet. 

I'm including a bunch of random pictures. Kevin making funny faces. Jason at play. Kevin at play.

Enjoy!