Smile!

Knowing that we were going to try to have the kids' pictures taken by our friend Sara yesterday, we began to try to teach the kids to smile on cue.

Eden caught on pretty quickly, and here is the smile that she generally produced when prompted (it actually has come a long way since these, and now she mostly smiles with her eyes open.)


Sebastien has only once or twice ever really responded with a smile, but one of the times he gave us this gem:

The Fall of (a little) Man

Recently, the weather was pleasant enough and we decided to take a short walk with Sebastien and Eden. Not in a stroller. An actual walk, where they used their own legs to walk themselves down the street. This was the first time we did this, which maybe seems awful, since they've been walking for months. But in our defense, having two 1-year-olds without a sense for what is street and what is sidewalk, for stopping when Mommy or Daddy say so, or for coming when called, it is not something that we have wanted to do one-on-two.

Sebastien was so excited, he tripped over his own little feet, and scraped his forehead on the sidewalk. He whimpered a little as I wiped the gravel out. It was really barely a scratch. But this event turned me into the thing that I have to try very hard not to be... a hovering mother.

I know that he is going to fall sometimes. I know that I cannot prevent every injury. But after this very minor incident I found myself hesitating, second-guessing - Should we not let him do this? Is he not ready? Is he too young, too unsteady on his feet? Maybe I should just pick him up and carry him.

But, no, I say (and Adam gently reminds me), it's Sebastien's job to try to walk on the sidewalk, to discover the sticks and the leaves. He needs to try, he needs to know that the world is a safe place to explore.

So, with some guilt eating away at my stomach for the scrape he is sporting, I put him down. He takes off, and I stay just a little closer than before, just a little more hyper vigilant. But not wanting him to pick up on this, I smile when he looks up at me. I calmly say, "careful Bud" when he takes off too fast. And, we play the zone defense. I take up the rear, while Adam heads up the front so that we are switching kids depending on who is lagging behind (thus providing a balanced experience for both kids.)

Sometimes I have to try very hard to be easy going.

Just outside our house, Eden takes off.

He's going so fast, he's a blur

Sharing the discovery of leaves

Happy to be outside

Note the semi-hover

Mistakes

I know that we all make mistakes in parenting. I'm here to admit to a big one.

In trying to teach Sebastien and Eden to nod their heads "yes," I assisted them by putting my hands on their heads and showing them the motion.

Unfortunately, what that means is that now, when Sebastien wants to say yes (nod his head), he puts his own hands on his head...and shakes around a little.

I guess I won't worry about it too much, unless he's still doing it when he's grown up. I can just see him on his wedding day, when he's asked if he takes this woman to be his wife...

Ooops.

Here's a short video clip.

Translation...

At 14 months, there are times that one of my children looks at me, utters a syllable or two, and I know exactly what he or she is saying. Other times, it takes some thought and translation. Here are some words that my kids can say, other than Mama and Dada.

Sebastien:
amma: Grandma
buppa: Grandpa
dahpah: diaper
kah-ko: cracker
coh-coh: cookie
bah: boo (as in peekaboo)
baw: ball
bah-bo: bubble
uh-oh
nana: banana
neewwww: no
toe: toast

Eden:
ahhhp: up
ahhhn: on
eeeee: Eat (accompanied by the sign for eat)
mo: more
papi: paci (pacifier)
uppa: Grandpa
mmma: Grandma
hieee: hi
bebe: baby
nana: banana

Then there are things that I THINK they are saying, namely, names. We look at the pictures on our refrigerator a lot, and sometimes it sounds like they are trying to say the names. Like, we point to Abby, and Sebastien says: Ahb. Or, when I am getting them up in the morning and they get a good look at each other in the daylight, I often will hear Eden say something like "Boppy" which I think is an attempt at Bashy (one of our nicknames for Sebastien.) And Bash will reply with "Deda," which could be Eden?

Finally, there are animal sounds. I am not even going to attempt at trying to get across what these adorable sounds are like, but my kids are learning to make sounds from cows, monkeys, owls, dogs, sheep and elephants. They also do a lizard impression now, in which they stick out their tongue, which is hilarious.

Anyway the point is, they are making progress with this talking thing, and it is SO fun to hear them learn their new words and put them together to get what they want.




p.s. Thank you Sarah for the kick in the pants; I will try to blog more often. :)

Facebook, Blogs, Flicker...

I have this blog that I rarely update because I often feel like I don't have a "theme" to post pictures under, or anything really interesting to say. Plus I often find myself doubting that anyone really even reads it anymore.

As far as Facebook goes, I post pictures almost weekly, sometimes more. I LOVE posting pictures to Facebook. It's great. I realize that were this a pre-Facebook era, I would probably be that mom who stops people on the street to show them wallet size photos and maybe even a big brag book of my kids. Instead, all my Facebook friends have to put up with seeing "Caryn added photos to 'Summer.'"

Then, recently, as I was looking through the channels on my AT&T U-verse, I discovered that if I download pictures to Flickr, I can view them on my TV! (FUN!) So I opened a Flickr account. I was putting pictures on, and Flickr gave me a disturbing warning. Something along the lines of: "You're trying to post X amount of pictures - that exeeds your maximum for the month." (The MONTH???)

Well, I quickly said, "Ok, Flickr, nevermind...." but backed slowly away from the MacBook in the realization that in just two short days, I was attempting to download more pictures than most people do in a month.

So, I don't know if there's a clinical word for it, I'll have to check the DSM... But here and now, I'm admitting that I have a problem. I'm not sure I'm ready to do anything about it yet. (I'm in the contemplation stage, not the action stage.)

But aren't my kids SO cute?

My daughter, the middle-finger-pointer

If you have spent any amount of time with our lovely daughter Eden, you might have noticed that she is a middle-finger pointer. Exclusively. Pointing with her middle finger, pushing buttons with her middle finger, reaching and waving with her middle finger... It has been her finger of choice. At first, we tried to help her use her pointer finger instead. But not too much time passed before we shrugged our shoulders and said, "Ah, well. Maybe she'll grow out of it. She might always be a middle-finger pointer, and that's ok."

While watching this short clip, you will see some very cute things, namely Eden screeching with her high voice, and Sebastien walking confidently with his sister's clothes in his hands. You might also wonder why I say "good job" to these things and almost everything my kids do. (I can't answer that.)

But here I also ask you to notice in the last seconds (maybe even the last half of a second) that Eden is pointing at the camera. Take note of the finger that she is using. :)

Happy 1st Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Eden and Sebastien! I can't believe how far we've come in a year!


Sebastien is a very entertaining little boy. He makes little faces at people, yells loudly, tries to sing, bounces around. He is still quite a talker, and will sit and play with his toys, or "read" his books, all along practicing words and noises. (Both our kids LOVE books by the way.) Sebastien's giggle is contagious and we love to make him laugh. Especially when it turns into a belly laugh, it is hilarious. He remains our more easy-going child, even in his rambunctiousness. While he is not walking, he is trying hard and he can take several steps at a time.



Eden is so delightful. She has always had a heart-melting smile, but it just seems to be more beautiful with time. The older she gets, the more her sweet personality shows. She is also quite smart, or at least her very impartial parents believe. We enjoy watching her little mind work as she plays keep away from her brother, brushes her hair, makes a "tickle me" motion (if her brother is being tickled), says "da-ee" when she hears the back door open. She took her first steps, but we have not seen very many steps since then. She prefers crawling or walking with a hand to hold.


Here are a few pictures from their birthday party on Saturday. The party went great - both kids were in fantastic moods. They seemed to love having so many guests at their house. Eden got a little overwhelmed while we opened presents, but that was ok, she just sat on Daddy's lap until she felt better. We sang "Happy Birthday" of course, which Sebastien gave some hearty applause for afterwards. They loved their first taste of cake, especially the frosting, but somehow they didn't get too messy. We felt so blessed - not only because of our beautiful one-year-old children, but also to be surrounded by friends and family who adore our kids.

Summer Fun

Sebastien and Eden went for their first swim in Grandma Tuls' big pool today. They were both a little nervous at first, but seemed to be more comfortable after awhile. It does seem like it might take some practice. Luckily their mommy loves to go swimming in Grandma's pool, so we'll have lots of opportunities to get wet.

Eden testing the water

Sebastien was holding on pretty tight to Daddy.


Family picture


Looking cool in his sunglasses

Pineapple princess

Daddy, those are MY sunglasses!

Individuals

With twins, you try to keep a lot of things the same for your own sake - same sleeping/eating schedule, same food, same method of feeding... Which brings me to my point. We can keep things the same all we want, but (thankfully!) individual personalities are going to show. Take eating, for instance. These days, Eden tends to get through a meal unscathed....

(Note the clean tray, the relatively clean face.)
While Sebastien makes a mess of himself and everything around him.


Other things they're into...

Standing. Sebastien is a pro at standing (not on his own yet) while Eden still wants to stick her little booty out most of the time.



Walking. Sebastien wants to walk whenever and wherever he can. Eden also likes to walk but often gets so excited she forgets to step.


Waving. This is Eden. Yes, Eden wearing blue.


Feeding themselves.
While I don't have a picture to prove it yet, we're also experimenting with a lot more finger food. Admittedly, they were probably ready for this earlier than I was. They've done great with Cheerios for awhile, but I have this fear of them choking... I finally just had to get over it for the sake of their development. So, we're trying "new" things like bread, peas, carrots, bananas, etc. They've done great, and have had some interesting diapers since. (Sorry, but it had to be said.)

Being goofy. Ok this was just an excuse for me to post this picture.

I don't want to perpetuate any myths here. People often ask me if they still share a crib. They haven't shared a crib since before they were 3 months old. If they shared a crib these days, they would steamroll each other all night long and nobody would get any sleep. :)

New Challenges at 9 Months

Things are changing around here. While no one is crawling yet, I think it's safe to say that our days of sitting nicely on a blanket and playing are over. Sebastien is wanting to be on the move all the time, which is fun to see. He loves to roll around, and uses that as his primary means of transportation. He also now loves to hold fingers and try to walk, and wants to be standing rather than sitting most of the time.

Eden has been experiencing some changes as well. She has reached a point in her development where she wants to spend a lot of her time being with her mommy. By this, I mean being in some sort of physical contact with mom - standing on mom's lap, holding on to mom's fingers, sitting in mom's lap to play, touching mom's face, etc. Eden's arms are often reaching out to be held. (She's such a sweetie.)

Now those who know Eden's mommy (who is the affectionate type) knows that this is heavenly for her. However, it is also somewhat of a challenge, given Sebastien's need for safety, support and supervision, and some cuddling as well. I can't help Sebastien stand and walk around while I have Eden on my lap. Or, actually, I CAN, or at least I try, but not to either of their satisfaction. So I feel as though I am juggling between what the two of them want/need, and there is often one at least semi-unhappy child.

Again, those of you who know me know that I like to please people. And I especially want to please these little darlings who I adore so much. So, this has been draining on me.

I am optimistic that it will not always be exactly like this. But I also understand that I will spend more and more time chasing these two the more mobile they become. I think I am just finding, as any mom finds, that things are always changing and that with each new and exciting stage, there are new challenges that come with it.

Mostly, though, I try to remember to not wish away time. There is so much that I enjoy about my two little nine-monthers, and keeping those things in mind helps to energize me in the midst of the challenges.

Sleep

For as long as I can remember, I (Caryn) have had a tough time falling asleep. I can sleep great once I fall asleep, and I can nap with the best of them... but falling asleep has always been a struggle. I think it's hereditary.

During the first half of my pregnancy, I was exhausted all of the time. Luckily, and to my surprise, I could go to bed early and fall right to sleep. Within seconds of hitting the pillow, I would be sound asleep. It was a new feeling. I liked it.

When mid-pregnancy hit, so did bed-rest, discomfort, using the bathroom every hour during the night, etc. And I was back to sleeping troubles.

Eden and Sebastien were born, and naturally I went mostly without sleep. A good day contained about two to three hours of sleep total. That lasted for the first few months. But even after Sebastien and Eden dropped their night feedings, they both woke up needing this or that quite frequently, and I still felt somewhat zombie-like and sleep deprived.

During that time, I fell asleep very easily because I was beyond exhausted. I felt as though I would never have trouble sleeping again. I thought I would never again lie awake in bed, practicing different guided imagery, taking deep breaths, counting the passing hours, or any other various practices that I have used over the years.

Just over 7 months, something magical happened. Sebastien (who at that time was the one keeping us up more) learned to roll to his stomach. Now, I know "back to sleep" so we lay him on his back at night, but he started to roll himself over and sleep very soundly all night long. It was and is a beautiful thing. And I thought, Great! They're sleeping all night, now I can too!

So, here we are at nearly 9 months... and sure enough, Eden and Sebastien generally sleep fairly soundly most nights. And sure enough, I don't. I'm back to insomnia. I'm tired, I really am. But I lay there at night, back to my old ways. Strange, isn't it?

Oh, and here are some cute pictures of the kids, because I know I have certain readers who are really only interested in seeing Sebastien and Eden.

Here's Eden doing her thing - she reaches out a lot, trying to wave, trying to touch faces, sharing toys, sharing her paci. She's a very sweet little girl.

This is something funny Sebastien does a lot with mirrors. I hope it doesn't mean that he has vision problems or something. But he likes to put his face up really close and look in his own eyes.

Life at 7 Months

Eden and Sebastien are doing so well! They both are sitting up with confidence now, although they are not above doing a nose dive or toppling backwards every now and then. They are doing lots of babbling - mamama, dadadada, babababa, etc. Especially Sebastien - he is quite a talker. He has also learned to blow little spit bubbles (raspberries) and he enjoys that quite a bit.

Rolling over is still a bit of a challenge. Eden can roll tummy to back, but doesn't do it very often. Sebastien hasn't rolled either way yet without help from us. They are both getting close to rolling back to tummy, but haven't quite figured out how to get their arm out of the way.



Night time sleep is going much better. They have not needed night time feedings since they were three months old, but both of them woke up a lot during the night needing their paci replaced. About a month ago, we realized that Eden was consistently sleeping very well, with only 1 or 2 times that she needed us; we were mostly getting up to help Sebastien (sometimes 8-9 times a night!) However, recently he seems to have turned a corner, and only needs us about 3 times a night. Over all, we feel very lucky. They are never inconsolable when they wake up in the middle of the night - they just need a little soothing, a paci, and they're right back to sleep.

Nap times are a different story. They take 3 naps a day, but they are short naps, sometimes only a half-hour. It is a very rare occurrence that either sleep over an hour. This can be frustrating, but we have a pretty steady and consistent rhythm to our days, so it's tough to complain.

Now, before you tell us about sleep cycles and letting them cry it out... let me tell you... My twins wake each other up with their crying, so crying it out does not seem to be a real option for us. The times that we have tried it, it has left Sebastien and Eden frustrated and tired. Just as one has finally calmed down and drifted off to almost sleep, the other's loud cries wake him/her up, and it starts all over again. Now, granted, our kids fall asleep very easily, so we do not have to do this at night. We have only tried it for naps, and only once they wake up after only 25 or 30 minutes. So maybe this is not what "crying it out" is intended for.


Besides being our big talker, Sebastien continues to have a pretty easy going personality. He is good at playing independently, and is pretty happy a lot of the time. His laugh is completely contagious and we stand on our heads trying to keep it going! Sebastien is also very cuddly. He melts our hearts when he buries his head in our chest or shoulder and wraps his arms around our necks, as if giving us a hug. (Eden does that too, by the way. We love it!)

Eden has tricked a lot of people into thinking that she is "serious." She's not! Eden's smile is like sunshine. Her eyes get bright and her mouth opens so wide with her smile. She has fooled people because she continues to our more "sensitive" child. She takes her time taking it all in when we go out of the house or when people come to see us, and she focuses on her surrounding by furrowing her brow. But rest assured she is a very happy baby, smiling and giggling at us frequently. Especially at daddy, she thinks he is hilarious. She is also still our little wiggle box, always on the move.

Sebastien and Eden are eating very well and gaining weight. At their six month appointment, Sebastien weighed 16 1/2 pounds and Eden weighed 14 lbs 15 oz. They're eating cereal, vegetables and fruit at two feedings a day along with a bottle, and really seem to enjoy it. They are also still nursing at 3 feedings a day.

Overall, things are going so great! Sebastien and Eden fill our lives with joy and our hearts melt with their smiles and their voices. We are having so much fun watching them grow and learn.

6 Months Old!

We celebrated Sebastien and Eden's half-birthday by looking back at that gajillions of pictures that we've taken. We smiled at all the photos of the tiny little babies that we brought home for the hospital. What an amazing blessing to take those little peanuts home and watch them grow into healthy, strong 6-month-olds.
We have our doctor appointment next week so I don't have a weight update yet. In the meantime, you can marvel with us at how far we've come already in the past 6 months.


Little Eden in her swing


Tiny Sebastien getting his tiny diaper changed


All small and wriggly in their baggy preemie clothes


And here are pictures of them from yesterday.