The After-Party & What Nay-Nay Did-Did*

In case you were wondering what a Scarecrow and a Tin Man get up to after hours, it looks a lot like business as usual around here:

... except even more stinkin' cute!

After our big day at the park taking pictures of sad babies and/or slightly less sad babies where you couldn't see their costumes very well, I decided to just let them roam in the nursery and try to take a few shots.

Without further ado I present... Tin Man:

I think we can all agree... 

... that Seth definitely has heart. But just in case there was any doubt... 

... here it is front and center (although he usually wears it on his sleeve).

And now... Scarecrow: 

Appropriately floopy, right? Everything a Scarecrow should be. All is well. 

But wait... what's this? 

Looks like he's putting some serious effort into it now. Better head over to our YouTube™ channel if you want to see what Nay-Nay Did-Did next.

- L.

*I meant to include updates on talking in this post, but I forgot (chalk it up to weary mommy brain). In case it's not already obvious, Nate's the talker (as in chatterbox). So far his sound repertoire includes:

• ma-ma
• da-da
• ba-ba 

• woo-woo
• yee-yee
• did-did
• things I'm forgetting (see weary mommy brain)

... and also nay-nay. I'm at least 95% sure this is Nate being self-referential.

His favorite phrase though?

"Did-did-did-did-did-did!"

Picture it with a sudden upward pitch starting on the second "did" and then descending back down to the starting point. I get some of the biggest smiles out of him out of the blue if I mimic his own intonation at him. I have no idea what his meaning is, but it's clearly something good. "Guess what Nay-Nay did-did?" has also been a popular phrase around here for quite some time.

He also says "mom" and "mom-mom". :)

Seth is less of a talker, although I've heard him on random occasion make all of those sounds (minus "yee"). Think of him more as the strong, silent type – except when it comes to things that are stinkeroo (obviously).

When he does have something to say, it tends to run along the lines of, "ma-da-ba-woo-did". So imagine how my heart melted the day he furrowed his brow, looked me in the eye and deliberately said, "Mom... Mom". Just like that, with a little pause in between and everything. It's the only word he says with such purpose and sometimes when he feels like using his super-quiet inside voice he'll just mouth it. Like in our after-party YouTube™ video. I'm pretty sure he really is giving Nate directions to his destination. ;)

(Un)Happy Hallowe'en Everyone!

– Well, 'dis is new. I wonder what I think of it.

– Oh, right. 

– I hate it! 

– I'm with you brother. 'Dis is stinkeroo! 

– Why mommy? Why??? 

Sound oddly familiar? Sometimes this blog really does write itself, but even I did not predict this reaction. Really. I thought leaves and pumpkins would equal a fun time had by all – or at least be distracting enough to snap a few photos.

Sadly, long gone are the days of placing Nate and Seth side by side and taking a few cute pics at my leisure. We are mobile and on the move now and we sit still for nothing and no one. And also... leaves are a little scary. Apparently.

Everyone did much better above ground: 

– I is doing better now everyone.

– I think.

– 'Dis is kind of fun.

– OK, maybe I not do so well with leaves everyone. And maybe 'dis outfit has a bow tie... 

– ... but I is still tough guy you know!

In the end, Nate at least made his peace with the leaves. 

Only to look like he was expecting trouble from... 

... this guy: 

It was an adventure to say the least, and at the end I had the worn out babies to prove it: 

And lastly (despite appearances), it really is a Happy Hallowe'en everyone! I'll be keeping my favorite treats far away from the scary leaves today while keeping an eye out for their regular trickery. So basically, business as usual.

Boo!

- L.

Next post: The Hallowe'en after party. Stay tuned!

Updates on Everything III

We Survived: Our first illness. Of course, I was too sick to post about it, but it happened. At first I wasn't sure what was going on so I consulted my mommy friends online with the following:

Can teething cause a runny nose/throat mucous or am I looking at our first family cold? 

I ask because I'm up with a screaming, runny nosed baby who is otherwise showing all the signs of teething. No fever, lots of drool, hand in mouth, etc. But he can't/won't go back to sleep - when I even try to settle him in my arms cradling him he starts coughing/choking. He won't lie on his tummy or side unless he is already/almost asleep and lying reclined on his back is keeping him awake (as is sitting on my lap). Help!

And it turns out teething really can cause a runny nose, but alas it was not the cause this time.

Less than 36 hours later I posted an update:

Well, I thought you all were onto something with the teething/runny nose, even the next day when Seth also got a runny nose (he is also teething though). But today, I have it too. And a sore throat. And I'm definitely NOT teething. Ugh. 

I knew it would happen eventually, but all the same I was dreading it. I'm glad it's over and that I can say we did pretty well all things considered. The boys are long back to 100%. I'm still struggling with occasional bouts of runny nose and dry cough, especially at night, but then it's also allergy season for me so it's hard to know what's residual cold and what is allergies but I'll put myself at 95% which is more that enough to say we survived our first family cold. Yay!

Toothwatch 2010: Keeping an eye out for first teeth may have come and gone – but the teeth, they keep on coming.

Nate has been sporting two top teeth for the past couple weeks, but it wasn't his front teeth he cut first – rather the ones on either side. I guess that's pretty unusual but not only is Seth following suit, it turns out they come by it honestly since I also cut my teeth that way.

This week, after much preemptive drooling Nate finally cut one of his front teeth (right side if you're facing him), but it will probably be awhile before you see any evidence. I think he's still wary of the Tooth Fairy lady and he really doesn't appreciate me poking around in there either.

Final tooth tally for October:

Nate: 5
Seth: 2 (with one imminently on the way).

First Foods: As predicted, applesauce was a success. I might even try making the next batch myself, but don't tell Nate and Seth that or they won't eat it. I'll just pretend it's store-bought.

Up next on the new food frontier is egg yolk (and yes, I will obviously be making that myself, so... shhhh!). If all goes well we'll be trying yogurt next.

Food load for October:

8-10 oz. of solids per baby per day (plus Mum-Mums!)
32-36 oz. of formula per baby per day.

Really, I have no idea why they're so skinny.

Getting around: They are. All over the place. Keep an eye out for (imminent) future posts.

That's all for now, but Nate and Seth are going for their 9 month check-up Nov. 2nd, including height/weight stats so check back for more updates in a few days.

- L.

Blueberries: Possibly The Most Stinkeroo Food Of All Time

Yesterday afternoon while Uncle Brent and Auntie Karen visited (and kept the boys good and entertained!) I got busy in the kitchen whipping up a batch of blueberries. I was disappointed that the big bag of berries only yielded 8 servings, but in hindsight I guess I should be relieved.

This is Nate experiencing blueberries for the first time today:

Don't mistake his wide-eyed look for anything but total shock that I have just fed him something so awful.

This was the beginning of the revolt: 

But it got worse. Much worse. No pics obviously since I was too busy with my own shocked look when Nate actually gagged on said blueberries – and trust me, it wasn't because he had too much in his mouth (although if you ask Nate he would tell you that any amount of blueberries is too much blueberries). He really hated them.

And then there was Seth. This is his first reaction: 

Followed quickly by this: 

Does this kid give the best stink-face, or what?

So yeah, that sums up our attempt at blueberries. I think I'll keep the rest on ice for now and maybe try applesauce tomorrow (don't worry, I didn't slave over the stove for that – I went strictly store-bought so the odds of it being well-received are in my favor).

In the end, Nate did discover a purpose for the evil berries after all: 

They're fun to play with at least.

Otherwise, verdict is: SUPER-STINKEROO.

- L.

Well... What Have We Here?

There are times when I poke my head into the nursery during playtime to take a peek at everyone (particularly if it gets a little too quiet in there) and am typically greeted thusly:

Two heads whipping around in unison with the most innocent of expressions on their faces that clearly say, "we wasn't up to anything mommy – honest!". Of course, I'm usually suspicious but can never prove anything. Until yesterday morning. Yesterday morning my guys were definitely up to something.

That's right – Nate and Seth have some new tricks to show you all!

Here's Seth showing off the Discovery Wagon by Haba™.

It's meant to help babies who are taking their first steps, but it's got so many gadgets and fun things on it I had hoped they would enjoy it right away. It didn't get a lot of fanfare the first couple of days – the stacking cups and hammer balls stole the show – but on Sunday Seth took an interest and pulled himself up to a kneeling pose by balancing his hands on the little blue seat. There's a mirror on the back of the chair and he had a grand time up on his knees chattering at himself.

And yes, of course there's a video. But before you run off to check it out, you should know that Nate also had some tricks up his sleeves. 

Not to be outdone by his brother, Nate busted out a serious crawling pose over in the Jungle Gym – and a pretty decent "downward dog" yoga move as well. And yes, there's video of that too.

Enjoy!

- L.

PooBucket™: A Love Story (Part III)

Q: What do you get for the boy who has everything but still desperately longs for a bucket to call his own?

A: Why, you get him his own bucket of course!

– Listen everyone. Drop what you is doing right now and go get yourselves a bucket just like 'dis one. It is the best thing EVER! I is serious. 

– Now I check and make sure no one sneak up on us because I has something to tell you.

– In my spare time, I write a poem about my bucket. Is you ready? 

Bucket red, Bucket bright, 
I dream'd about you day and night. 

The world's best Bucket – you is grand...

... I like to thump you with my hand. 

– What you think everyone? Go easy on me. 'Dis my first poem. 

– I sure hope the other buckets doesn't get jealous.

•   •   •   •   •

Mommy note: Yes, it's true. Seth has his very own Bucket now, fresh from the store, carefully washed, rinsed and stickered so there won't be any mix-ups between Seth's Bucket™ and the "working" buckets (AKA PooBuckets™ "A" and "B").

See? 

Added bonus: 

Seth's Bucket™ is also a great place to store toys between playtimes. Everybody wins!

- L.

I Think They Liked It!

As you may recall, my first attempt at introducing meat protein to Nate and Seth was not a hit. A few days later, I tried a Beef Vegetable flavor that was met with a similar reaction and so decided to shelve the meats for awhile and let everyone regroup.

Now when I first started feeding the babies solids I was determined to make as much of their food as possible. I had my freezer well stocked with sweet potatoes, peas and bananas and was contemplating carrots when I gave them pears from the jar for the first time. They loved those pears (still do), but one of the things they loved most was the extremely smooth texture that is only possible with commercial baby foods. It wasn't long before they wanted ALL their foods from the jar, including sweet potatoes and carrots (although it turns out they just don't like peas – at least not anymore – so I guess I won't take that one personally since Gerber® didn't get it right either).

I had all but given up on making anything other than avocados and was wondering if I'd still be feeding the boys' pureés on their way off to college when they decided a little texture is OK after all.

Earlier this week I postponed my dinner to make a batch of pureéd chicken and offered it to Nate and Seth for lunch the next day (I mixed it 1:1 with sweet potatoes since plain chicken paste didn't seem very appealing on its own) and while it might not be their very favorite meal ever, they ate it!

Check it out: 

– Mommy feed me some new foods today. At first I was like this...

– ... but then I think about it and I was like this! Not bad, mommy. Not bad.

– I hear you brother. I was a bit like this myself.

– But then I say, bring it on mommy! 

– No really, bring it on! I is waiting. 

•   •   •   •   •

Mommy note: Nate and Seth are modeling their new Ikea® bibs – talk about full coverage! – and a great idea for messy babies to boot.

- L.