Life Lessons With Nate & Seth: Thumbs Are Not For Sucking

Hi. My name is Nate and I really like my pacifier. I like it a lot. You may have noticed this about me from many of the pictures on this blog. But recently I discovered something even better...

– Well, hello there!



– Wonder how far I can fit this in my mouth.



– Oh, 'bout that far. Good stuff.



– Uh-oh. My mommy says fingers and pacifiers are OK, but thumbs are not for sucking. That's how this thing ended up back in my mouth.



– What a spoilsport that mommy is! And Seth? Let's just say he's not too impressed with any of this either.



– See? Not impressed at all!

Mommy note: The discovery and love of the go anywhere "pacifier" is a new development. For now, if I see a thumb in the mouth it gets replaced straight away with the pacifier – but as you all know you can't watch them 24/7. This past week it's not been uncommon to find Nate in the nursery asleep with his thumb still half in his mouth. I'm not sure we can do a whole lot at this point, but I'll be doing some research in the meantime – this is definitely a habit that I'd prefer not develop only because I know it's a powerful one to break later. There was a baby "expert" on TV the other day who said, "You can always throw away a pacifier but you can't throw away a thumb". Good point. Of course, I missed the rest of what he had to say because I was busy with the babies, so if you have a helpful suggestion please leave it in comments.

- L.

In The Jungle. The Mighty Jungle.

The lion is not sleepy at all actually.



The new Fisher Price Rainforest 1-2-3 Musical Gym proved to be too much temptation for Zed – who has been shy about lurking in the nursery since M. chased her out after a particularly stealthy attack on his ankles. You can't really blame her for bravely venturing in once again to have a peek at the dangling butterflies though.

Oh yes, and the babies seem to like it too. ; )

- Why hello there Madame Butterfly!



– Pardon me while I knock you out. BAM!



– Hey mommy, did you see all this neat stuff?



– There's this. And there's this. And there's this thing over here that does this.



– It's all so exciting, it makes my face go like this:



Ha! Well, the reviews are in and it looks like it's a hit all around. Now get out of the nursery Zed!

- L.

Q: War. What Is It Good For?

A: Developing motor skills as it turns out, if the war is a tug-of-war with your brother and a colorful octopus.



This morning after making the octopus dance until my arms just about fell off, I attached it to the boys' bouncy seats to see if they had any interest in grabbing at his colorful legs and do-dads. It took a little work for Nate and Seth to get the idea, but once they did...

Well, you can pretty much see the moment when Nate realized he was holding onto one of the legs all by himself.



Look mommy!



And once Seth got a sturdy grip on the rings, he didn't want to let go.



Victory is mine!



In the end, it was a draw as all parties fell asleep before the epic battle was over.



I wonder if my babies have any idea just how incredibly adorable they are and how much fun it is being their mommy every single day.

- L.

Growing Like Weeds*

We had our monthly check up and weigh-in appointment at the pediatrician this afternoon and everyone is doing fantastic. At exactly 12 weeks old today, the boys stats are as follows:

Nate: 11.45 lbs. or 11 lbs. 7 oz. (5.19 kg) | 23.4 in. (59.5 cm)

Seth: 10.75 lbs. or 10 lbs. 12 oz. (4.86 kg) | 23.6 in. (60 cm)

So basically Nate, who was almost 3/4 of a pound smaller at birth is now 3/4 of a pound larger – I imagine you all can guess how he spends his time. ; )

Seriously though, everyone is doing excellent and both boys are on schedule developmentally. They are tracking things/people with their eyes, making smiles (lots of them!), reaching for things, etc. All the usual stuff.

We'll be back again in a month or so for another check-up – until then, I'll continue posting plenty of cute over here.

- L.

*Really, really cute weeds of course.

Yellow: We Look Good In It

Speaking of matching outfits, I finally found some yellow sleepers for Nate and Seth that I like. There hasn't been too much selection until lately but perhaps the warmer weather is bringing out the spring colours. Of course, with all the growing the boys have been doing lately, they fit into these outfits better than expected – and by that I mean they look like they will be outgrowing them really soon. I figured I'd better get some pics while I could!

Everyone had just finished lunch since I learned early on to never, ever try to take photos of a hungry baby. Nate nodded off by the time I got the camera out, but here he is with a little milk froth on his lips.



You might not think this is as cute as I do, but to me it's adorable. Of course I wiped it off afterwards and got this:



I think he's saying, "Oh mom, leave me alone!". So I did. : )



What a cutie!

Seth on the other hand was still awake and looking rather serious after his meal.



So I picked him up...



... and voila – smiles from my gorgeous boy!



Later that afternoon, we enjoyed some tummy time:



... and some playtime with colorful new friends.



Wheeee!



- L.

My Words: They Taste Good

To everyone who remembers how I said I wouldn't be one to dress my boys the same: I lied. I totally do it. All the time. And I love it.

Eating my own words however, is not nearly as fun. I decided to enjoy mine with a glass of Sibling Rivalry red Saturday night after the boys were asleep. It turned out to be a nice pairing.



I just hope it's the only kind of sibling rivalry we'll be seeing around our home.

- L.

When Did This Happen?

"Out with the old and in with the new", they say.



Cleaning out Nate and Seth's closet last weekend to make room for new outfits was an eye-opener as to how much our boys have grown in 11 short weeks. I kept pulling out tiny onesies and marveling with M. about how wee our babies once were. Then came the tiny pants – I can't believe they ever fit into some of these outfits! We had a good laugh, but of course it was kind of bittersweet too, especially for a sentimental mommy like me.

The boys have also graduated from their 4 oz. bottles to 8 oz. bottles – granted, they're only being filled to 4.5 oz. for now, but it was definitely time for the larger size as their 3 month growth spurt grows near (I think it's already started actually).



A few weeks ago a snippet from the poem Song For A Fifth Child made its way into the comments section of a previous post. This is the full version:

I hope my child looks back on today
And remembers a Mom who had time to play;
There will be years for cleaning and cooking,

But children grow up when we are not looking.
The cleaning and scrubbing can wait 'til tomorrow
Cause babies grow fast, we learn to our sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep!
I'm cuddling my baby and babies don't keep.

– Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

The only thing I'd add is that even when you are mindful, there will still be a point when you look around and ask, when did this happen? And how did it all go by so fast?

*sigh*

- L.

2 Months + 2 Weeks + 2 Days Old Today

... and we're celebrating with lots and lots of cute pictures! Nate had a grand time making faces at the camera this morning (his new favorite pastime) and Seth had a boxing match with an invisible opponent (and then with himself) – among other things.

Behold the many faces of Nate:













... and the many faces of Seth:













We hope you had as much fun looking at these photos of our handsome boys as we all had taking them. : )

- L.

STTN & Noodles

If you're an internet mommy, then you already know from the title that we SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT! Although this wasn't the first time, it was the first time without a family event to wear our boys out and make them extra sleepy. Last night, at 10 weeks old, and with absolutely no special circumstances, our babies went to bed at 8:30 and we didn't hear a peep out of them until 6:00 this morning.

In the past week or so, they've dropped a feeding at night so I had hopes that this might be on the horizon but up until last night they've still been waking around 3:00 AM for a meal. Nate and Seth must have me pretty well trained since I woke up at 3:00 anyway and laid there for awhile waiting for the monitor to alert me to waking babies, but it remained silent.

Of course, I spent the next 30 minutes worrying until I fell back asleep – but since I didn't want to wake my babies up by checking on them, I let them be. I'm looking forward to getting used to all this quiet at night and want to encourage it, not sabotage things, after all. Besides, I'm a mommy now – I'm supposed to worry. It's (one of) my (many) job(s)*.

As for those noodles I mentioned, if you have babies and don't already own Dr. Karp's Happiest Baby on the Block – run, don't walk, and pick up a copy straight away. It's available in book form or DVD – we ordered both! – and it's a godsend if you have a fussy baby. If you already have fairly calm babies like we were lucky enough to be blessed with, Dr. Karp's techniques will turn your wee ones into noodles. Fully cooked, limp, noodly noodles. Trust me.

We bought the series (including the Soothing Sounds CD) because I'd read the techniques also encourage babies to sleep longer without the need for "sleep training" – both a term and a style I'm not comfortable using. HBOTB techniques center around the 5 S's: Swaddling, Side/Stomach laying, Shhh-ing, Swinging and Sucking – all of which are very adaptable. Parents can use one, some, or all of the tools to help soothe their little ones – at the core, it's really about whatever works best for your baby.

We were already swaddling, using pacifiers (sucking) and doing our own versions of shhh-ing (although we've adopted the Dr. Karp style – it works better!), but side/stomach laying and swinging were somewhat new to us. Swinging means anything from swinging in a baby swing, to rocking, to gently jiggling your baby. I usually rock them in their bouncy seats, but M. has a wonderful style (that I can't seem to master) of jiggling a baby in a side-laying position on his knee. It turns both our babies into noodles every time, and especially at bedtime.

M. had Seth on his knee last night when I said, "That looks like a noodle baby there – should I put him to bed?". M. considered it for a second and replied, "Nah – he's still al dente – better give him another minute." Of course, after the awesome sleep we all had last night, I'm glad I did. : )

- L.

*All of which are easier to do when one is properly rested. Thank you my sweet, noodly, sleepy babies! : )

This Post Is Brought To You By...

BUNNY FEET!!!



And look who I found attached to them:





The camera just loves Seth – honestly, it's nearly impossible to take a bad picture of him – but it's definitely Nate who loves the camera. It never fails to get his attention:







- L.

Keeping Watch O'er The Flock

Early yesterday morning, a backlit Zed kept watch as Nate snoozed peacefully on the couch. I was over at my makeshift desk with Seth in my arms – he was a little fussy – and the camera was handy so I quickly snapped a shot of this sweet scene. What you can't see in the shadows of Zed's face is how protective she looked as she gazed down at my little one. I already knew that Maine Coon cats have a good natured temperament – and as a result are good pets around children – but I did a little more research and found this:

While Maine Coons are highly people-oriented cats, they are not overly-dependent. They do not constantly pester you for attention, but prefer to hang out with their owners, investigating whatever activity you're involved in and "helping" when they can.

And this:

The Maine Coon is well known for its loving nature, kindly disposition and great intelligence. Maines are especially good with children and have always been a popular and sought after companion.

While the great intelligence part is debatable, I'll vouch for the rest. Zed's a pretty sweet kitty and gives us no reason to feel nervous with her around our little ones (she might need to worry in a few months though!).

Of course, when her hard work "helping" is done, there's nothing like curling up in the sunny spot for a well earned nap:



- L.

Speaking of Eye! Eye!

The eyelashes...



... are still growing!

Spoken as someone who isn't lacking, at this point even I'm jealous. : )

- L.