21 Months!!

Happy New Year everyone!

We are already 21 months and 9 days old. The biggest part of this month has been how much their communication has improved.

-Both RT and RM are speaking up to 4 word sentences... Favorite of RT is "Happy to you Emo" (Happy Birthday to you, Elmo).

-They have two friends whose names (say - xyz) are similar (just one letter different), so if you ask them who is their friend or which friend they are meeting up with... their answer will always be xyz!

-They distinctly understand the difference between hot and cold, and will tell you if/when an item/object is hot/cold.

-They have been trying to sing their nursery rhymes by picking up on few random words in the song.

-We count 1 through 10 and A through Z... of course we skip a few numbers and letters, but we still make a good attempt at it. RT is obsessed with letters and numbers. She will read labels, she will count your hair strands, will count along with the minutes/seconds on a digital clock... she just loves any text!

-They both mimic my dads laughter and are proud about their mimicry.

-RM is obsessed with Choo Choo Trains, he has even stopped his meal once to go see Thomas on PBS one afternoon.

-RM tries real hard to whistle (blows air)

-RM will mischievously try to irritate RT by laying on her, or pulling pranks on her when she is least interested in reciprocating back... which leaves RT fussy and RM gets a kick out of it!

-Our kids are bilingual, and they mostly understand words and directions in both languages (english being one of them). Sometimes they will say both words when they are telling us

And, my husband just found my first gray hair today - I am getting old!! :O

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to every one! :)

I can't believe it is almost end of this year... and I have turned in to such a slacker on this blog. Couple of things have been happening. One - kids are taking turns getting sick for the last 2 months, two - its holiday time and we have had family visiting off and on, and three - I started another blog. Its to do with fun kiddie stuff.

21 month update will be next!

20 months!!

We are 20 months old as of November 26th!

This past month has just zoomed by! Right after recovering from the viral that made us cancel our trips late last month (October), we were hit by another one... which whacked up 2 more weeks! RM had to take antibiotics because the doctor suspected lung infection (since his coughing actually worsened (terribly) after a week). Then one week passed by alright, and RT is now down with fever for the last 3 days! This post has been sitting in my blogger for over a week now and it might just be a mumble jumble, but I am just going to post it!

-RT can identify and call out 8 numbers out of the first 10 numbers (she is confused about 1 and 7). She even kind of knows which number comes after which. She can identify and verbalize 24 off the 26 alphabets. She loves, loves, loves books and will keep asking "what" a million times. It will tire you out, but it has been totally worth it (looking at how much she has grasped). RM is attempting to pick on numbers and letters as well.

-They can identify: circle, square, triangle, heart, star, diamond, crescent shapes. They are starting to relate to colors, but aren't really able to identify them yet. RM can identify orange.

-RM loves to be held like a baby. Especially, with the viral... all he wanted to do was hop in to my lap and demand baby-baby, to which I held him close to my heart and rocked him. Just so precious! RT is not too fond of baby-baby... but oh my... she is a big smoocher! ;) She will randomly come and smacks her lips to yours and give you the sweetest kiss ever - over and over again! She generally likes to sit on your lap and read books, or play with her doll.

-Just after I posted last time that they still don't call out to each other, they actually started referring to each other by E (for RM) and V (for RT)... they are just letters which kind of go with their names. It's funny, they will actually kind of call out to each other with it.

-RM is starting to make 2 letter sentences, and sometimes randomly says copied jumbled up sentences!

-They are starting to call and identify some of their friends with names.

-RM can spin... and spin he does! If he spins a disk, it can very well take 5-6 (proper) rounds. He even twists his wrist in opposite direction to get a momentum! His kicks and throws (ball) are phenomenal!

-RM loves to hug his sister and caress her. And RT loves to get pampered! They look so cute when they do that!

-Both of them have been helping us clean up (their toys) before bathing/bedtime... but recently RM has been doing it unprompted... he even perfectly stacks up all the books. They both exactly know where each item goes in the room!

-They have moved on to size 6 diapers for day and night!

We have just been hit by one illness after another (every 2 weeks or so)... I am so exhausted, and I am sure the kids aren't very pleased with all this either! I can't wait for it to be spring already!

Hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving! We roasted a chicken for Thanksgiving this time... and the kids loved it!

I can't believe that in 4 short months, they will be turning 2 years old! Where has time gone?

19 months!

Happy 19 months (@ Oct 26th) my little ducklings!!

We are big people who like to hold conversations! The highlight of this month is how much they are talking!

-RT has spoken on the phone with my parents for as long as 8 minutes! Answering questions in one word, saying words when prompted... with lots of gibberish along with it (of course)!

-At one time when RT was crying... RM went ahead and kept asking her "what" (as in what happened), caressing her, kissing her (trying to pacify her)... this went on for a minute or so.

-They are identifying food objects and demanding more of it verbally. Their hot favorite is "kak-kak" - that's how chicken goes!

-Peek-a-boo is called as "PeePaa" by RM. It is the cutest thing! :) He is a big copy cat, and will imitate and repeat random stuff after you!

-RT is a very observant little girl... she knows exactly where the laundry goes (after changing their PJs in the morning); she will grab our diaper bag when we are heading out; she knows what clothes are her own and which ones are her brothers. Once while waiting at the doctor's office, I was showing her a very densely filled cartoon sketch, and she could identify a small fish, dog and bird amongst all the cluster literally with in a fraction of a second!

-Body parts they can identify and pretty much say out loud are: elbows, shoulders, knees, fingers, tongue; besides the heart, head, hair, eyes, ears, nose, teeth, chin, cheeks, belly, belly button, hand, legs, buttocks, peepee! They can co-relate and identify most of these body parts on other animals and other creatures as well. RM tries to show a tail (pronounced as "Tae") on his rear! :)

-They can identify and try to pronounce (call out) or at least try to make sounds of: tiger, lion, monkey, giraffe, zebra, elephant, kangaroo, monkey, dog, cat, sheep, lamb, rabbit, cow, horse, fish, duck, turtle, frog, chicken ant, bee, owl, eagle, penguin, ostrich, butterfly... and I am sure I am missing out on some.

-They can also identify (shapes) star, circle, triangle and square. They love to gaze at stars and moon in the sky and can identify them in the books!

-"Happy" (Happy birthday to you...) is one of their favorite songs, so we celebrate birthdays several times in a day. "Whee" (Wheels on the bus...) is the other favorite song which gets repeated several times as well.

-They still don't call out to each other. Their names are not the easiest, and they start with "R" which is not always the easiest letter to pronounce.

-Stairs are climbed like big people (by holding on to the side railings). They hop on to couches as if we were born doing that. Jumping has been mastered long back. We are constantly attempting somersaults. RM loves to climb up on things and jump off it.

-After strictly following the guidelines of not putting anything in the cribs, for like ever... we introduced these cute little teddy bears (in preparation for the vacation).

-For the most part both are announcing their poopoo (mostly after the act, and some times before)!

-We have watched a LOT of tv in the last week. With our viral infection, there was no other way I could keep things sane (for the kids and us). We are in love with EMO (that's how we call Elmo).

-With the high fever and all the after effects for RM, things were pretty out of control. RT started getting insecure because we had to pay more attention to RM, on top of it RT started showing some signs of the viral. Plus we lost our sippy - RT is back to bottles! :( The one and only sippy that worked for RT, broke! And we had the virus going around. With RT being an animated and sensitive eater, and Mommy-Daddy loosing our wits over the craziness going around the house (tears, doctor, 106 F fever, tears, poopoo, medications, puke, tears, ?vacation?...), and with no help (our extended families don't live close by), and most people we could possibly seek help from have small kids - so introducing the virus to them was out of question... ...Dr. Brown is back in action! Sigh! I am going to give her some time, hopefully I can start reasoning with her and can get her over her dislike for the milk sippy.

Vacation... Vacation...

I am a planner, I love planning parties, vacations... if becoming a "planner" was a little less stressful and a little more thankful job or at least a fancy paying job, I would be a professional planner. Enough of my BS.

So, we planned a *fantabulous* vacation!!! Three months in advance!! Found an awesome deal at a resort on the beach! Packed our bags a week in advance (you see - planning?) with most of the basic stuff so that I wasn't running like a maniac just before the vacation. I even went paranoid about exposing the kids to potentially snotty kids (trying to avoid last minute sickness). And then - bam! RM and I were down with a fever last Tuesday (18th). I was fine in a day, but RM's fever continued for 3 days and it went as high as 106 F. It was a viral infection (possibly Roseola), which also lead to a rash, puking and diarrhea! RT was affected by puking and diarrhea (and I am hoping we don't see the fever and rash at all for her). So we cancelled!! And we are home! And I am happy that the kids seem to be recovering! Vacations can happen some time later!!

200 :)

And the previous post marked 200! I knew it up until I posted it! A little slow at posting as compared to some of the fellow cycle buddies (been blogging for 2.5 years now), but a happy 200 nevertheless! :)

18 months!!

Yay - we turned 1.5 years old on September 26th. Their birth, just seems like yesterday!

-We are down to one nap. Usually the kids get up between 0730 and 0830 (sometimes 0900 if they have slept late - which is very rare). So, we do lunch at around 1130-1200 and then they are off to nap by around 1230-0100. They nap 1.5-3 hours. I think they are still mastering this whole thing, because they are sometimes very exhausted by the end of he day (depending upon how the day has gone by).

-S-i-p-p-y! Yes, RM is drinking from straw sippy all his milk (including before bed), for RT... we have finally settled for a Nuk soft spout 6 oz red cup. Yes, that is the only one she will take! I purchased a bigger one of the same kind, and nope, she won't drink from that. I think she is a little shaken with the loss of her bottle, and me eventually flipping (in the third week) and trying multiple sippy's after two weeks of close to zero (straw sippy) milk consumption. We stopped night time bottle (switched to sippy) at the beginning of third week - which was a trigger for RM to start accepting his straw sippy, and a slow progress for RT to let go off her bottle dependency. So, I guess I will give her some time. I want her to get her milk and I can not tolerate her taking less than 5 oz milk a day for days together. The duo is not a very big cheese eater, and yogurt I can only give so much. I am hoping that eventually she will try to experiment with RM's straw sippy.

-We can point at our heart, cheeks, chin, knees, pee-pee and butt, besides the hair, head, nose, ears, eyes, teeth, hand, feet, belly, belly button that we could already identify.

-They love to fart and laugh!! Before they start laughing, they will make the fart sound by their mouth! RT will occasionally tell that she has poopoo'ed, but RM has consistently told "Pooo" the last couple of days. We are not planning on potty training any time soon. I have no intentions of having 2 naked toddlers running around with some poopoo disasters happening just yet! They need to be more aware of their bowel movements.

-Sometimes, one will hold the others hand and lead them to me, especially if I am calling out for them.

-They hug, kiss, and caress each other and us a lot more frequently... pushing and a little hitting is also a new tool they have discovered to get the other one away or grab something the other one has. RM has gotten a lot more aggressive, and as a result, RT's toy grabbing has reduced.

-We kiss everything we like, from a food item on the tray to a character/animal on a book or DVD.

-One of our favorite songs is Robots are Dancing on a Baby Genius DVD. They dance like a robot and have started identifying robots in books. It's hilarious - the way the dance!! We did not show them any tv till they turned 15 months, and I do abide by the recommendation of no tv/less than 2 hours tv a day till they turn 2. Though, I think there is a fine balance between showing them stuff on these children's DVDs. They have picked up on so much that my brain could have hardly imagined.

-RT can sit at one place going through books or playing with a toy for a very long time, and RM is bouncing around from one place to another constantly. It used to be the other way round.

-They love to drop Mommy's cell phone behind the couch (between couch and the wall). I have to move the heavy couch at least once or twice a day to get my phone. Some times they just lay their hand on my phone before I can figure it out!

-There vocabulary has blossomed this month! I am not much in to counting the number of words they speak, but they pick up any random word they hear... or repeat something completely unusual. It's amazing how much it changes every month. They can associate words with actions and purpose much more now than they had ever before.

-We already have complete set of teeth. So no more counting till we get to the last 4 set of teeth around 2 years.

-Our Pediatrician appointment was yesterday (rescheduled) Oct 03, 2011. RT weighed 23.91 lbs (50 %ile), is 33.4 inches tall (I don't think they got her height right - might be a little taller than that), and head circumference is 19.2. RM weighed 26.6 lbs (75 %ile), is 33.4 inches tall and head circumference is 19.8. We have stayed consistent with our %ile's. I was a little concerned with their weights, especially RT's after her diarrhea, colds, picky eating habit, transition to sippy. But she is doing fine (touch wood). We got our flu shots for the season. Our next appointment will be at 2 years!!

We will be going on vacation this month and I am in a prep mode! :)

The Sippy Saga!

RT is a very-very fussy eater. And along with diarrhea, cold, teething... I wasn't sure when I was going to get them both to give up their milk bottle (Baabaa). Then one fine day (Friday, Sept 9), enough was enough... and I just decided to give them the straw-sippy for milk (they have been drinking water from straw-sippy for a couple of months now).

The first time they were not really pleased. But, RM sucked it up (drank the milk in real sense). RM fussed a couple of times for the next few days, but then eventually had his milk. He seems to be doing fine with straw-sippy for milk (now).

RT took a week to be willing to accept the sippy. She used to push/throw the sippy cup and wanted nothing to do with it. Lack of milk and (below-average) food consumption through the day time, didn't really let my heart take the bottle before bed away from them (she is a smarty, and may be that prolonged the transition). We had decided that we were going cold turkey and taking the night time bottle away too by Thursday (if she hadn't already switched). Anyhow, Wednesday dawns and there came a "cold" (lots of runny nose and miserable little RT). Daddy was working from home that day, so he offered her the bottle to get her through the cranky day. I didn't want her to associate the bottle with me any more. Then, Thursday was a day of either a TIPPING POINT for her or a BREAKING POINT for Mommy. Three bites of rice cereal breakfast, followed by 1.5 oz milk, and four bites of chicken for lunch... that's all RT had till 0300 pm (along with a semi-runny nose). I was about to break down and give her the bottle... and bam! She finished 5 oz of milk from her straw-sippy! She has willingly taken 2 oz and 6 oz of milk after that (on Friday).

I hope this continues and I can report a bottle free household at their 18 month birthday (I am hoping that I am not speaking too soon).

Opthalmologist Appointment

RM had his appointment with the Pediatric Opthalmologist on Sept 2, 2011. They checked for Lisch Nodules and looked at his Optic Nerve (markers for NF). Everything looked clear and we are supposed to follow up once a years.

Something else I learned (our Ped never quite mentioned), if there is any kind of squint (Strabismus) in the family (grandma and cousin), then a child is recommended to get their eyes checked up in the first 3 years. So we will be getting RT's eyes checked sometimes too.

Aaah - Naps!!

I am having a very tough time with the transition from two naps to one! I didn't even realize when they dropped from three to two. But this one is taking for ever!

When we are out and about, RM falls asleep right away in the car at around 1100'ish, where as RT can stay up till 0300 -partying away all the while. When at home, RT just can not hold it together around 3 hours after waking (1100'ish) and RM just can't sleep till its past 1200-1230! Aaah! I have tried to stick to a schedule, they still both go in together... but it is not necessary that they will sleep at the same time - RM can be up for almost 1-1.5 hours after I put him in (sometimes fussing, sometimes blabbering, and sometimes crying). RT will normally need a second nap if she sleep this early (1100)... and since RM stays up for almost 1.5 hours, sometimes he has hardly had a 45 min to 1 hour nap in the morning and will nap again. If I let them sleep individually (as and when they want), I don't want to have naps from 1100 am to 0500 pm (approximately 1100-0100 RT, 0130-0300 RM and then 0400-0500 RT again )! This whole thing probably sounds messed up/confusing.

With all the rains and the temperatures dropping, it is already starting to get difficult to go out in the evening, and with their naps... we end up in a house arrest! Mommy doesn't like it and neither do the babes!

Thanks for all your comments about the naps, toy snatching and other recent posts!

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Just to be a little clear... we usually don't step out in the morning (only on weekends if there are lunch birthday parties etc - which is when RT has proved that she can party till 0300 pm without a nap)... so things stay consistent. The kids are not hungry for lunch at 1100 if they have gotten up at around 0800 am, and had breakfast and milk. :( And RT gets so fussy around 1100, that it is difficult to keep her entertained with anything - may be she needs party style entertainment every day! So, if I think of taking them out (play dates) in the morning, RM will definitely doze off in the car. They both have such different personalities! Hopefuly its just a matter of time... Mommy needs to cool down!!

PRE Irene...

Irene didn't cause us much woes, but nevertheless... I had prep'ed like a mad woman. I had volunteered through work for Katrina and was in Katrina-land for almost 1.5 months (soon after), and I KNOW how bad it can get. I had even packed bags, loaded up a tote with food and what not. But, fortunately... we didn't have to use any of it. We still have light, water and gas... and I am hoping we don't loose any while the authorities are fixing it for others.

So that was that! A relief. Of course Thursday and Friday before the hurricane were spent in stores trying to bulk up on bare essentials under the hope that I could chill on Saturday! I was so wrong!! Saturday was very eventful!

I am thinking that the cold/cough that was going around our house - I picked up on it. Normally, no big deal! But, I had a super stiff and sore back of my neck, shoulders and ears. I thought I sprained my neck while running around, but I realized that it hurt when I swallowed anything (even my own saliva). So, I ran to the doctor first thing in the morning on Saturday - because I wasn't sure what the heck was going on and didn't want to risk it through any crazy weather. Since, most people had panicked like me - it took for ever at the doctors office. I am fine now with the antibiotics the doctor gave me. When I had decided to go to the doctor, I also figured that our non-kiddo car died on us. Perfect! We got the battery changed on Saturday, but that wasn't the culprit and now it is sitting in the shop again. Anyways, that was still okay!

Then late in the afternoon, kids were doing their own silly stuff and all of a sudden RM started crying while holding her left hand (at the wrist) and sometimes keeping that hand limp!! She just wouldn't stop! Finally in 1.5 hours we decided that we had to run to the urgent care to figure out what the heck was happening before Irene hit us. Off I went to the doctor. It was a dislocated shoulder!!!

Around a week ago, we went for a walk while holding their hands. And they both tried to escape by trying to let go of my grip. I didn't let them go and RM decided to just plop down on the road (yes, we were walking on the side of a road close to our house (with in our community) - no side walk here - I thought the wise thing to do was to not let them escape on the road). We came home and RM started crying while holding her left wrist (just as I described above). But, she was sooo very sleepy, that she slept off, and then nothing for a week. Absolutely nothing. No signs of pain, no limpness, perfect use of her left hand - as if nothing had happened. It appears to me that something had actually happened that day, and it somehow went away and then she was playing around pre-Irene and her shoulder popped out again!

I have had dislocated shoulders thrice when I was younger - so I am very careful (never lift kids by their arms or swing them either). It looks like my daughter takes after me!

She is fine now and we are giving her Ibuprofen as per the doctors recommendation. I have never been pro-leash... but after this episode, I think may be I should get one for worst case situations - airport, fair (i.e.: super crowded unfamiliar places).

This probably sounds like a bitchy post and I know millions are in a worse off condition right now, but I just had to vent a little!

17 Months!

The duo turns 17 months today! One month shy of 1.5 yrs - unbelievable!

-RM has all 16 teeth, RT is popping 4 to make her total count of 16.

-Our little people can identify A to Z. As in not each letter, but they identify it when they see it anywhere (tv, toys, songs). RM's favorite is "E" and RT's is "G". They will point out any letter and keep saying E/G.

-For them cow goes - Mooo, goat goes - Maah, elephant goes - huuu (with trunk in the air), puppy goes - wooowooo, tiger and lion go - khaaw (with a deep sound). We saw 4 deers very up close on one of the trails by our house. The kids were enchanted by them. RT calls Deer as "Dea".

-RT tries to repeat quite a few things after us. RM is catching up. He is more vocal than he was last month. I feel like RT is usually a couple of weeks ahead of RM (walking, climbing, speech). The way they refer to certain items keep changing... like diaper went from dia-dia to dibar to bar.

-RT is obsessed with "Wheels on the Bus go round and round". She will make me sing it or play the song at the drop of a hat! They both can pretty much act out the whole song. Thanks to it, they can also identify a bus, viper, wheels (on toys, cars, pictures).

-RM can properly jump with his both feet in the air at the same time. He will say "Pop" (from Pop goes the weasel) when he jumps! RT pretends with her hand in the air and sometimes one foot in the air.

-RT can properly spin balls and disks/rings. He throws a ball (to a great distance) in a very well coordinated way.

-They both can identify: head, hair, eyes, nose, teeth, ears, tummy, belly button, hands, feet (and almost chin) on themselves, other people and other objects (baby doll, puppy).

-It's amazing how much they can co-relate and identify random things. Like the Veg Straws at Costco or a bicycle in a store (after seen older kids ride it around our place).

-We did a couple of 1 nap days successfully this week. Once RT was over her cold, she could manage staying up through an early lunch, followed by a 1-2 hour nap. I am hoping that will become a routine slowly.

-RT just went through a phase of non-eating (rather bad eating) for almost 5 weeks. After the diarrhea, we were hit by cold/cough and teething! We have had a long couple of weeks. I am just hoping things will settle in a little. It also means that we didn't try milk in a sippy cup!

-For now, RT seems to be more dominating. She will grab whatever she wants from RM, where as RM will not try to pull anything away from RT. He will many a times start crying and run over to me. A very tricky situation to handle. I don't want to teach RM that it is okay to run back to RT and grab things from her, but at the same time, I don't want him to learn that it is okay to be at the receiving end. How do you handle such situations?

We are renting a house in the mountains with some friends for the long weekend. I am a little concerned about the sleep situation. But it will be a good practice to see how things will go when we go on Vacation in October (more on that later).

We go for RM's eye check up (as recommended by the Neuro specialist as a check for NF) on Friday, September 02, 2011. I hope the appointment goes well.

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Everyone stay safe with Irene headed to the northeast. I hope it is not going to create a big mess around the coast.

CD 777

Yes, that's approximately how long it has been since I saw AF last - around 777 days (2 years, 1 month and 17 days... not counting the bleeding (lochia) after c-section in March 2010 and bleeding/blood clot/ER visit at around 8w pregnant... and oh yes, I stopped breastfeeding in January 2011).

I just finished my first cycle on BCP last week and AF visited right away. I felt so freakin' sick. I was nauseous (never had that before), crampy and had a head ache! LOL - it felt like puberty - only almost 2 decades later. Not fun to have the monthly AF - I definitely did not miss the outwardly physical aspect of it, but I am hoping that regulates my hormones a little!

Naps - 11 to 5

Well, sort of!

As I had mentioned before, RM is pretty much on one nap. He used to go in with his sister between 1030 and 1130 depending upon how sleepy they "looked" and then they both would be out in 1.5 to 2 hours. Of which RM used to chatter away atleast 30 min. And then both went in again at around 4'ish... RT took her 2nd nap and RM used to be out in 30 minutes if he hadn't napped by then. 99% of the time RM used to be perfectly alright with one early nap - no fussiness before bed... which is not the case with RT. She can be supper fussy even after 2 naps if their bedtime is delayed (which normally it is not) or is over tired.

Anyways, so RM decided he is done with 2 naps (or so I think... unless its teething (he has already popped 16 teeth!!) or something else). For the last two days, he went in with his sister and did not sleep in the morning. The first day he was in for 1.5 hours, more than half of which he was playing and the remaining fussing! He came out when his sister woke up. Yesterday, I gave up and took him out after 1 hour. And then he has been sleeping at around 0100-0200 pm for 1.5 to 2 hours. After which he is done with his nap for the day. That is followed by his sister's second nap. So technically we have been napping between 1100 am'ish to 0500 pm'ish for the last two days!

I know RT can do 1 nap, but as I said, she can be super fussy with even 2 naps.... so she can, but she is not ready to completely transition! Aah... so now I need to figure out how I am going to handle this. I am going to experiment with not letting RT sleep in the morning and then doing an early lunch and then putting them both in for their naps. Now here is hoping that they sleep for at least 2 hours, which will help RT not take her 2nd nap and still be fine!

Any twin mommy tips will be greatly appreciated!

Brotherly Affection

What do you do when a 16 month old goes and caresses, hugs, kisses his sibling because the sibling is crying and miserable?

Yes, that's what is happening. RT has been the fussiest best ever since her diarrhea. I would like to cautiously say that she is over it... but she is probably weak from the self induced fasting during the poop fest. Which makes her very sensitive and cranky. RM on the other hand, has been very understanding and caring. He will come to RT and caress her, kiss her, hug her, stroke her back/head... he has done this repeatedly when she throws a tantrum. Yesterday, Daddy dearest tried to pull RM away from RT so that he could hug and play with RM. But, RM pushed away Daddy and came back to RT to give her some love! OMG, my heart melts to see his affection and concern for his sister.

RM has always been the more affection-giving of the two right from the beginning. But to see him do this at his own will and at the appropriate time just amazes me!

16 Months!!

Almost time to celebrate their (one and a) half year birthday! ;) We turned 16 months on July 26th. It's also 2 years today, since they have been with me. ET was July 28th, 2009.

This month has been a pretty hectic one with the (2+ week) diarrhea for the twins. There have been days when I wanted to run away! But, this is motherhood - it's a package deal, and I still love it... and can't feel blessed enough to be able to spend this time with them at home!

Highlights for the past month...

-They can identify songs (by action) even before the song is to start (just music or even video). Favorites include: I am a little tea pot, wheels on the bus, itsy bitsy spider, twinkle-twinkle, i am bringing home a baby bumble bee, old mcdonald's farm, six little ducks.

-Last week they have repeated words like: actual, tiger, train. So far they have kind of repeated words which are either very simple or more of a monosyllabic kinds, or are used to saying words which are repetitive like: Mama (actually Mimi for RT and MaeMae for RM), Dada, Baba (Baby) etc. RT says more words than RM. I haven't really kept a count!

-Shoes and socks as "shaaz" and Car as "kaa". We know some of these words very well, because we love being outside! Both of them will point at a car outside the window and say it out loud!

-Both of them have their favorite puppies (stuffed animals). RM is very affectionate to his puppy. He will rock him, kiss him, hug him. They have petted our neighbors dog. I foresee a demand for a dog! :)

-Love is in the air (cliche :P)... but both have become very affectionate recently. Out of the blue we will get hugs and kisses. They kiss Mommy & Daddy, and each other good night.

-We have completely mastered the straw sippy (for water) and Mommy is going to try giving milk in the sippy this month (letting go of the "baa" (bottle) is not going to be fun) once we have settled back in to our routine.

-There is a farmer's market close to our house, where we go every Friday afternoon (they have fresh farm produce - summer - yumm!). It's fun to be outside, where I don't have to be worried about a cart and stroller with narrow isles (as a result grocery trips with kids don't happen very frequently - as expected).

-So far, they are in love with those giant (un-maneuverable) kiddo carts at Target (and their likes). They get a different view and Mommy can get things done!

-With the heat wave and the poopoo issues we have stayed indoors a lot this month. We got this (the Circo version actually) during our indoor stay (Thanks to Katie for the idea). But, yesterday when we went out, they did slides on our own for the first time. We have a tot-lot right behind our house and there are tons of kids of all ages playing in the evening (out there). I have been a little hesitant letting them on to the slides with all (other kids) wild play around. So, I never encouraged or introduced them the slides purposefully. Yesterday, they figured it out themselves. So, now Mommy ain't stopping them. I am just hoping that Daddy will be back home before they get to the slides!

-We are switching from size 4 diapers to size 5 diapers after the last pack is used up today. We are soon going to need 6.5 or 7 size shoes. 18 months clothes are starting to get a little snug, but I am trying to pull through a little, because I am not too keen on buying 24 months summer/fall and winter clothes!

-RM is pretty much down to 1 nap. He still gets quite time with his sis, because there are days when he will fall asleep (if he has taken a short or an early morning nap). RT can also do 1 nap, but she will 99% of the time fall asleep when she goes in for her second nap. One weekend, RT did not take her (one and only) nap till 0400 pm - we had a (lunch) birthday party. I am just hoping they push their nap time to after lunch. They get up between 0700 and 0800 am and get sleepy between 1030 and 1130 am. Usually they sleep for 1.5 to 2 hrs.

-They understand complex commands with multiple aspects involved. :)

Two!!

2 years ago, today was ER. Happy 2 years my babes! :)

Go Away Bug!

And so, I thought that their tummy was getting better, and I gave them green beans on Wednesday. I was so wrong! RT could not handle it at all and she has had the worst poopoo ever since Thursday. She pooped in the middle of the night yesterday! She does not want to eat and does not want to drink much either. She is just taking milk and water... and a little bit of Pedialite Popsicles! Diaper rash is pretty bad too! Poor baby, I can't wait for her to feel better! :(

RM is going towards a constipating with the no (less) fiber diet. I am afraid to introduce fibers to him after seeing what happened on Wednesday!

We are doing a BRAT'ish diet. As in they won't eat just the banana, rice, apple sauce and toast... so I am giving those things along with some other regular/low fiber food. The Ped recommended giving them Culturelle. Hope that helps!!

Tummy Trouble

We have a bug going around our house! Aggrrrh! This is the first episode of diarrhea for the twins. It started almost 10 days ago and it has taken Mommy and Daddy hostage as well. I guess we both are doing better, but the twins are still recovering. I myself have never had anything as bad ever (upset tummy for almost a week - TMI!). RM was the worst hit, RT off and on had bad poopoo. There have been days when I have changed more than 20 diapers.

The babes have been getting extra dose of fluids, and are on a low fiber diet! Fortunately, they haven't thrown up at all, or pooped at night (fingers crossed). Meals have been affected, and tantrums have flared. Can't wait for the all the tummies to be hunky-dory!

2 of Each!

I think we have arrived at the stage where we need 2 of each! We want the same toy! One wants to open a drum, the other wants to shut it. One wants to drag the doodle around, one wants to draw on it. Fun times!! The big ride on toys (example: trike), we have two of those... but some of these tiny ones, we were very content with one thus far, but this month there has been a big explosion of individualisticness(?)! I see a lot of $ spent on toys from now on. Even if I try to find something on craigslist/garage sale... who has 2 of each?

I wonder how we are going to entertain them in the winter!? Probably a tall claim, but I am planning on making them swim champs by the time it is Spring next year. ;) We are getting a family membership at the Y in fall. Twin Mommies: Have you taken your kids swimming alone? How do you handle them? My twins love the water and are not really afraid of it (we did swim lessons). Also, some of you seasoned Moms, do you have any recommendation for indoor toys for the upcoming fall/winter? I was thinking of getting a slide-climber. One of that slide should be enough I would like to imagine! :P

Thank you for your comments about the milk situation! :)

Got Milk?

I had never imagined that I would be putting up this post (especially with RM's experience). RT was never a big milk drinker, but RM loved his milk and at one point of time was taking 40 oz formula. Also, with the reflux they always took really small quantities and fed several times a day (and night?). When we switched them to whole milk around 12 months, I really had to work on bringing down their feeds and total milk for RM.

Now? OMG - how do I get these kids to drink milk? They get milk 3 times in a day... around 6, 6 and 8 oz. If I didn't make them finish their milk at least 2 times out of the 3 - they would be drinking close to 13 oz (or less) only! They do get yogurt, and I do mix in cheese in some of the foods they eat. But, yogurt is sometimes restricted if either of them is constipated (more common with RM). Also, if one decides that they are done with their milk, the other one stops too (twindom)! Now, I am starting to wonder if I should cut down on food and give them more milk! LOL!!

I know they recommend around 16-18 oz, plus a serving of cheese/yogurt. Calcium and other nutrients from milk are important, because food can be a hit or miss.

How much milk does your toddler (around 15 months) drink?

---

UPDATE

After a failed attempt around 2 months back with a straw sippy, I reintroduced it today and they loved it! Got the hang of it without me having to show it to them. I hope the interest lasts and we are able to transition to a straw sippy for milk as well (umm... we still do bottles for milk - I don't care if they continue - taking milk in a bottle just 3 times a day for few minutes is not going to ruin their teeth/jaw - but it ain't fun when they get the bottle to drip and think that it's a toy! Though, it will probably also be much more difficult to get rid of the bottle in the future). And as Baby Smiling pointed out in the comments, the volume of milk going in to their tummy might be a matter of the means to provide it. So, we shall see!

15 Months Ped Appointment

15 month Ped appointment was on Friday, July 8th.

Stats for RM:
Weight: 26.18 lbs (75 %ile) (approx 2+ lbs gain)
Height: 32.4 inches (75-90 %ile)
Head Circumference: 19.8 inches ( 95 %ile)

Stats for RT:
Weight: 22.9 lbs (50 %ile) (approx 1.5 lbs gain)
Height: 32.87 inches (90 %ile)
Head Circumference: 19.09 inches (95 %ile)

Both seem to be stable in the development, though RT seems to be gaining weight slightly less than RM. She is such a picky eater and that is probably what is showing in her progress, and RM on the other hand - loves food (gotta watch out in the future)!

RM spiked a fever of 101F on Saturday morning (when effect of the Ibuprofen from last night wore out), though both were under control after another few doses. They both seem to like the sweet taste of the med and were swaying from side to side appreciating the taste. ;)

I still need to schedule their next appointment, slipped out of my mind before leaving the docs office.

Last Year, This Time...

Last year, this time... I was sinking in to motherhood and celebrating my 1 year anniversary of IVF cycle (the non BCP part)! I started my Lupron on 7/2/2009. Those dates seemed so important last year and I could tell them without having to look at my blog timeline. Those dates always will be important, but today I have toddling proof(s) around me 24/7, so I am less sentimental about it.

This year, this time... I am waiting for my insurance/pharmacy to send me my BCP. Our insurance changed in May and they want us to go through an online pharmacy! It has taken 2+ weeks between my OB's office (lazy) staff and the "pharmacy" already... and they are still processing my Rx. Long story short, I spoke to my OB and requested him to send in my BCP Rx so that I can get my lovely aunt back! So, as soon as the pills arrive, I am back to an infertile taking BCPs.

15 months!!

Couple of years ago, when motherhood was still in the waiting, I wondered why on earth did Mommies calculate their kiddos ages in months. I used to think - for heavens sake the child is 1 yr old or 1.5 yrs old... why do you have to call it as 14 months or 18 months! Hehe... and right now I find myself doing the same thing. What I have realized is that the babes change so fast, that every month makes a huge difference in their understanding and growth - and 13 months is just not the same as 1 yr or 1.25 yrs.

So here we are at 15 months. I am getting to a point where I just can't bullet list their progress. They are little people, who understand multi-task directions and are very good at executing them! I feel like we actually have some kind of reciprocation from our toddlers (only, not in a completely verbal form). A few tidbits at 15 months...

-RT still has 12 teeth (same as 14 months), and RM has 14 teeth and is probably working on his left side canines.

-RM has been completely off his reflux medication for 10 days now (last day 06/16) and RT has been over it for a month now! Yippieee! I think their transition from crawling to walking was a big milestone and that time frame has been the period that their bodies transitioned.

-They used to like their medication mixed in with some formula... so we were using formula till we wrapped up the meds (just for meds or may be one feed sometimes). Right now both are taking between 16-20 oz of whole milk total (split in 3 feeds).

-RM has a new found love of self feeding! He has been doing great at lunches and snacks. RT has been feeding herself for the past few months, but she can be such a fussy eater (she is my super animated drama queen), that I have to help her out!

-RM has started giving open mouthed big kisses to everybody. Sometimes RM and RT will hug each other and shower each other with kisses. That is the most adorable thing ever.

-Both of them are starting to get more vocal and repeating words. RT pretty much copies and reapeats any random word every now and then. RM tries to repeat words to... his latest (constantly repeated) word is bay-bay (bye-bye)

-We are pretty close to 1 nap (how long have I been saying that for?). We can go with 1 nap, but then can get very fussy towards the end. So I am still getting them to go in for their 2nd nap.

-We went to NYC today, and the kids loooved it! They were mesmerized by the helicopters at a helipad near by. They always wave goodbye to any flying machine in the air and couldn't digest (initially) the idea of it being on the ground and then taking off! :) We went in to one of the office buildings and they liked the view and wouldn't move away from the window.

-We go in for our 15 month shots on July 8th.

I probably forgot to mention. Our neighbor has a 2.5 yr old (IVF) baby girl and she will be going in for her beta on Monday for project sibling. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this works.

Lingo

Something funny - that kids find! Well, this has been happening for a while now... but I totally missed out on it. Our kids are bilingual (or may be tri... however, spanish is not one of them). We speak one language at home and they are exposed to quite a few English words, songs and sometimes we converse in English too. There is another language that falls on their ears too (via songs). It seems that they can actually kind of identify and relate to these languages. The musical table we have, plays Spanish (like quite a few other toys now a days)... they get such a big kick out of it. They will start giggling and laughing when they hear that. They think it is funny, and this has been happening ever since they were around 10 months old! :)

Weight Issues

Too lazy? Probably!

Well, I am still waiting to shed my pregnancy fat! I am getting to a point where I am just fat, and not fat because I was pregnant with twins or nursing twins (read Mommy hogging). Am I exercising - no... I should be, but I am not. I am on the go constantly. When the twins are napping (not a couch potato), I am mostly cleaning, organizing, prepping and sometimes lazing (some me time?)! I have been trying to eat healthy, but that is not even helping tiny bit.

Now, the tricky one! I still don't have my sweet Aunt, Flo! I stopped pumping in Jan and waited for 3-4 months. Called my OB in April, he asked to wait for a month more and see what happens! I waited, in the interim got sick of waiting and tried a few home remedies to get my hormones in control (tried some body cleansing herbs, and goats rue - supposedly a natural cure for PCOS gal like me). I spotted juuust a little bit in May. I wanted to give natural way a try - because I am not really super concerned about what is happening in my body as I was when we were TTC and I am ready to take chances (time is not at premium right now as it was back then). I know herbal stuff can take time. But, I don't know if I am ready to wait for couple more months! It is a vicious cycle. My hormones (are F'ed up and) are probably not letting me loose weight and the weight is not letting my body tame my hormones. I look back at my 2007 pictures and admire my cheek bones, double chin-less chin, acne free skin. And I crave to go back to it! I was on BCP then and we were prep'ing ourselves to start TTC (I had lost 20 lbs, was eating right and exercising). I think I am going to give in and call my OB! I don't want to be on BCP all my life, but I need to get started towards becoming a healthier Mommy! Exercise and BCP seems like a good combination? I need my AF back!

Sometimes...

Sometimes, I just sit and admire...

-baby soft skin
-disappearing fat roles
-tender tiny fingers
-tiny toe nails
-firm grasp of hand
-growing nostrils
-pearly white teeth
-soft dense hair/curls
-real and fake laughter
-innocent hugs and kisses
-trust
-crocodile tears
...the list goes on!

These things have changed over time and are changing further. I remember how excited I was about their developmental milestone... and now, some of those milestones are becoming an every day thing and are often taken for granted. So, I sit, and stare, and admire ...of what there is. My babies are growing!

14 Months!!

Almost 14 months 1.5 week! Yes, I am becoming a blog slacker! I typed it all up 1 week late and then kept waiting to format it a little bit (its too long....). Here goes...

The twins are on a roll! They are constantly walking or running. I am trying to remember how they crawled... they will be on their all fours only if they are trying to reach out to something while they are sitting, otherwise they are my two big little babies! ;)

Highlights for this month:

-RM will try to act out Twinkle-Twinkle, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Six Little Ducks! Of course he doesn't get the whole things, but it's fun to watch him identify the song and then act differently at each of them. RT does it too, but has not been as animated as RM.

-RM says something like quack-quack (more like qock-qock). It took me a couple of times to positively identify that he indeed is repeating me or saying it when he sees a duck (along with signing it). They both raise one hand up to show how an elephant raises its trunk and say "uuuuuuh", they show how birds fly (flapping both arms), RT goes "ooo ooo ooo aah aah" for how Monkey calls out (RM tries but its a hit or miss).

-RM & RT both try to say "water" when I give them their "sippy"... well, RM still doesn't really like his sippy. I have to open it up and he drinks it like he is drinking from a cup/glass like a big-big boy! He hates the spout, he will drink up to 1-2 ounce of water without stopping. One less thing I have to worry about weaning him off of. But, it is just inconvenient, because I have to hold it for him (so that he doesnt choke with too much of it going down the wrong way) and guard him from his sis, so that she doesn't attack and the water is all over his face! Plus, he can't drink on the go (car etc). RM and RT consume close to 5-8 oz water through the day.

-They are down to 20-24 oz milk in a day (4 times) - much better than 2 months ago. We don't really give them any juices, though they will once in a while sip on it if offered (RT likes grape and orange juice, RM likes watermelon and orange juice).

-They both are teething big time. RM is getting his lower right front tooth and canine, with upper right canine and molar, and lower left molar (13 total). RT is sprouting out her upper and lower molars (12 total). They both have been pretty fussy lately due to the pain.

-RT is completely off her reflux meds for the past 2 weeks (last day 05/22) and she seems to be doing fine!! We reduced RM's medication to just half a dose yesterday.

-RT climbs on the couch/(lowered) bed un-assisted. RM does it occasionally, but hasn't still mastered it.

-They both love bubbles, swings, slides...! When outside, they will try to follow older kids and play with them. They try to go up & down slopes... fall down, crawl up, get up, roll down - its hilarious! :)

-RT tries to blow her own nose - funny! ;)

-RM can identify his own nose, hair, teeth, tummy (and sometimes will point out mine too). RT can identify her own nose, hair, teeth, tummy, belly button, hand and will point out mine too. She can identify moles - she pretends that they are food items and tries to feed those to me! :P

-Our Boston trip (2 weeks ago) - to say the least was hectic (as expected). We went for a graduation, which was successful, but we didn't end up doing any touristy stuff at all.

-They both are loving their swim lessons. We also got a baby pool and water table (for them to play in our backyard)... do I need to say they are loving it!?

-They both understand and follow instructions very well (and sometimes do things on their own). A few of them:

*they will start heading towards the stairs if tell them its bath time... once they are up, they will head towards their bathroom (and sometimes try to climb in to the tub);

*they will bring us our phones if asked to; they will run to our home phone to bring it to us (if it rings);

*if asked to give a (friend's) babies sippy, they will try to hand it over to the baby;

*they will head towards the high chair if I tell them its food time;

*they will put their fingers in their mouth when I tell them its teeth brushing time. Brushing RT's teeth is the most un-productive task I do in my entire day - she hates it! On the other hand RM loooves it;

*they both shut our safety gates on their own;

*they will bring over their clothes to wear if we are leaving the house;

*they know where shoes and socks go (on their little feet) and will try to say what it is (call it "shaaj");

*I normally have a few balls and toys in our stroller - RT will pick those out and put them back in place after she is done.

-They know how to throw a tantrum when told "no" or they don't get what they want. :)

-With all their activities, all those fat roles are starting to disappear... their thighs are getting skinnier - I will miss those curves, but it's all good! :D

Memorial Day weekend was a staycation for us. But, we went to a small local zoo last weekend. They loved the birds and the penguins, farm petting area etc. Most animals were taking their afternoon nap unfortunately and were not very active. No activity = lack of interest for 1 year olds. We had a great time nevertheless.

We are going for strawberry picking coming weekend and a BBQ at the park the following weekend. Their Uncle is coming today and staying with us for 10 days. He is pretty cool - so it will be some fun times. So June's going to be busy for us!!

Blank

I couldn't figure out what to label this post. This post is a bunch of mixed feelings. It is a sigh of relief that RM's life has not been labelled with NF. But, who knows what the future holds? NF can sometimes show significant indicators along puberty, so this might just remain a big question mark for a while. As per some ("scientific info"), NF can be just a label, and not affect a person at all (other than some markings on the body), but for some - it can be life altering. Or, this could just be some discoloration and not be NF at all. I can only hope that he will do fine. He will be as normal as normal can be.

It is unfair to compare, but often I do just that. Genetically/biologically girls are wired to be ahead of boys during their early years. RT started balancing, crawling, walking, self feeding, repeating words, understanding instructions etc before RM. I wonder if RM is behind his sister just because he is a male? Or is NF causing him to be slower? Am I thinking too much? Comparison is not right, but keeping track of his progress is important, and I have a scale right in front of my eyes. RM has pretty much followed his sister (at the most) in a months time in whatever skills he picks up... so it is not like he is lacking behind, and when I actually compare him with other boys and with what the pediatrician wants him to do, he seems to be right on track.

Some times I feel I am thinking too much about him and too little about his sister. I feel like may be I am being biased. Some things can go unnoticed... am I ignoring something obvious about my daughter, because I am too concerned about - apnea, cardio, more severe reflux, undescended testicle, NF for my son?

I am a kind of a person who likes to know all (?) my options and be relatively proactive. Such issues (besides IF) are a smack on my face, because they are totally out of my control. All I can do is to try to have patience and be aware.

RM Update

The doctor called back (actually a week ago)... and the x-ray looked normal! Yay! RM doesn't need to see any ortho and neither is it a positive indicator for NF. Breath-in-breath-out!

Happy M Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful Mommies and Mommies in the making!

Enjoy Him...

...is what the doctor said, and my eyes swelled up with tears!

That, is the short version!

We had our appointment (for RM) with the neurogeneticist on Friday (May 6th) (for more details, see previous post here). Of course I went back to Dr. Google this last week and went over whatever I could lay my hands on about neurofibromatosis (NF). At the appointment RM was not "diagnosed" with NF1 (this would be NF1 and not NF2). You need two of the several features to exist, for a diagnosis to be made. RM has several spots (café au lait spots?) on his body, some of which are distinctly visible and some of which you will notice only when you hold him down and scan through his body. In general, when you look at him, nothing looks abnormal. Ever since I heard about NF, I have been (discretely) scanning other kids to see if they have any such spots/discoloration, and honestly... quite a few kids have them! Even RT has some spots on her.

I had more questions than what the doctor intended to discuss with us or give information to us about. Some of the things we discussed (about NF1) are as follows:

*80% of people affected with NF1 will live a "normal" life.
*There is a chance of learning disability, so it is important to be vigilant about his grasping power and (relative) milestones. At this juncture he is right on mark developmentally and we do not need to seek any therapy.
*We have to schedule an eye check up for him. NF1 kids can have issues with the eyes.
*RM has a slight curvature to his tibia (bone in the calf - visible only if I point it out to you). Our Ped had attributed it to his positioning in the womb. However, NF1 can cause weakness in bones and sometimes curvature in bones in the leg or spine. So, an x-ray was taken and we are supposed to be hearing from the doctor on Monday. If there is any issue with the x-ray we might be directed to an orthopedic. Sometimes such situation can make bones more prone to fracturing. Also, depending upon the situation, this could signify NF1 (remember, (above) you need 2 things to positively identify NF1?).
*NF1 can cause benign (and very rarely cancerous) tumors, they can be surgically removed but are often left as is (unless it causes any physical or cosmetic pain).
*We discussed his reflux, apnea, cardio (congenital heart defect - can be a concern for NF), IVF (I asked if there are any studies relating IVF to NF - answer was "no")... and nothing seemed concerning to the doctor. She (doctor) noted his birth weight and height. He currently weighs 25 lbs and is 30.5 inches long (at ~ 13.5 months).
*NF1 people can have big heads. She measured his head again (since it is in the 90+ %ile). Then she measured RT, Daddy and my head as well. We all fall in 90+ % (I am actually off the chart - 100+), and she thinks its a genetic thingy!
*She marked and measured all the spots for her record, assessed his joints, muscle strength, walking etc.
*Before my IVF cycle, I had met up with a genetic counselor about epilepsy (it runs in our family - see post here). From what I have read, NF1 could cause seizures... the doctor however, does not think there is a "high" correlation between epilepsy and NF1.
*As mentioned before (previous post), RM has a big spot on his right thigh - she said it was a mole (birth mark) since it was very dark. I also mentioned to her that I used to feel like quite a few spots on his body were new, but in fact I found many of those in pictures that were taken in the early months (after birth). Skin color changes over time and with growth the spots can expand, as a result they are more prominently seen (now) than they were before.
*He will be assessed annually to see if there are any changes in the spots. The size of some of the spots can increase proportionately with growth. Some new spots can pop up too.

One of the last questions I asked was - what do we need to look out for (new spots etc) and she said ENJOY HIM!! I-Wanted-To-Cry! And I am almost in tears as I type this up again. The doctor said, unless there is any drastic change in him, we should not worry.

He is a beautiful-strong-child. RM and RT are my precious miracles. I have Faith, and I will fight for them!!

Pregnant Flash Mob for the March of Dimes

It is when I see such things, is when I wish I could have enjoyed my pregnancy than constantly freaking out! Oh well, I have two cutie pies with me now - so it is all well! :)

Suggestions for Summer Toys & Boston?

Any suggestions for summer (outdoor toys)? I am thinking of buying a baby pool and one of those sand/water tables (see Step2 WaterWheel Activity Table).

Also, we will be going to Boston for a graduation (in 2 weeks time). Any kid friendly places you have been to that can be covered in a day?

Thanks in advance for your comments!

May 6th is coming!

13th month update is still sitting on the edit list. I can't believe I am so far behind... I have been smack on time posting their monthly update (however crude those posts might be)... but this time, I am yet to complete it! I guess being on my own is taking some getting used to.

The biggest thing on my mind is Friday, May 6th. 3 months have already passed and we will be headed for RM's genetic consultation for Neurofibromatosis (NF). I don't know what future holds, and I hope it is the best that it can be. But, for now... he is such a lively - strong - smart little child. A few spots on his body should not stop him and those spots need to be just spots and nothing more. I am numb right now... not thinking much of what it can be. As friday approaches, I don't know what state I might be in. Please send us some prayers!

Yay!

So much to say, so little time. It's my birthday today! 2 years ago I had a BFN the eve of my birthday! Here I am celebrating 1 year, 1 month and 5 days of our darlings!

In short, my Mom went back and I am handling everything alone. It ain't bad at all... and in fact I am enjoying doing it all by myself. The kids miss her... but we are venturing out a lot (weather!!), so they are having a good time too.

Will post more soon!

13 Months!

...And the month counting continues! :)

The kiddo's are 1 year 1 month (+)! Some of this update overlaps with the 14th month, cause I can't quite remember what they did up until 2 weeks back and what they just started doing... result of me slacking on posting this!

-RM started walking independently a week after turning 13 months. They can both walk across the room in the same pace (speed)... they literally run some times.

-They will caress each other, hug each other, roll over each other, giggle together - its just so adorable!!

-RT has 4 teeth at the top and 4 at the bottom. RM has 4 teeth at the top, 3 at the bottom and one molar on the lower right. He did not have any new tooth coming out for a couple of months now and all of a sudden 4 sprouted out - he was miserable last week.

-They love, love, love going out. They seek any opportunity they can to go outside the house. The love strolling in the Bobs, walking on the grass, checking out puppies, try to follow older kids. Thankfully the weather is getting better finally (besides the spring "showers").

-RM started making tiger roar (imitated me) when he was asked to do so... it is hilarious... he uses his throat (deep sound) to bring on the sound effect.

-Both sleep through the night (STTN) - almost a month now with no middle of the night feed (MOTNF)! They will sleep for around 11 hours at night plus anywhere between 1 to 3 hours during the day time.

-I bathed them both together for the first time yesterday! Now that they sit, stand, walk with great ease... I felt confident bathing them together. RT was very curious with RM's boy parts (I couldn't stop laughing while I was asking her not to touch it - not very nice of me :P)!

-We stopped RT's morning reflux medication 3 weeks ago and RM's medication 2 days back (after the 4 teeth that popped out). I am not commenting on how they are doing, because the last time I spoke too soon.

-They are 100% on table food. I will make something separate only if our food is going to be something super spicy or tangy (we still don't do sour stuff since they are on the reflux meds). I keep experimenting with the snacks, because they just do not want to eat the same stuff everyday (example: cereal)! RT is down to around 20 oz whole milk and RM to around 25ish oz. Them starting with more table food has helped with reducing the milk!

-Milk is through a bottle for both of them. RT takes her sippy for water... she will sip through it intermittently through out the day. RM still not liking anything other than his bottle for water. He will drink water only after meals. We tried the straw bottles, but it was a no go... will give it a shot again in a couple of days.

-Both are in size 4 diapers for at least the last 2-3 months. Night time is size 5. Clothes wise, we are in 18 months, but RT can still sneak in a few 12 month clothes. They both wear size 6 shoes.

-I have to have a separate post for RT. She is one smart girl, and I want to remember what all she did. Here is a sneak preview. I have said before, she understands everything and does all these things without being asked to do so (on her own). She will bring my phone to me when it starts ringing; I put soiled/used clothes on our stairs so I can take it up to our laundry pile (upstairs), she has figured that out and will put her clothes up there too; she will shut the safety gate behind her once she is on the other side of it (imitates us); she will bring RM's jacket and socks to him when we have to step out; she has sharp ears - she will identify a plane by the noise even before you realize - she will wave goodbye to it even if she is drinking milk or busy with something else; if the music we play for their sleep is on and she can hear it on the baby monitor she signs that her brother is sleeping; I brought her a small purse, she will put that on her arm and wave everybody goodbye; she can identify their 1st birthday pictures on the digital photo frame and will start clapping "happy birthday" to herself; one of my friend came over the other day with her 5 month old baby... RT sat besides the baby quietly giving him some toys and being mesmerized by his babyhood!

-RM does quite a few things that RT does, but many a times he is lost in his wild play (pulling things down, rolling over pillows, banging toys, spinning wheels etc). He recently started signing birds, just like his sister. He will bring you his toys (if you ask for it) and then laugh and run away (the toy still with him)! If you ask him not to do something, he will give you a sly smile and do it anyways... he will pretend as if he is ready to attack something (by rocking back and forth) when you ask him not to go near it (his favorite is his sisters poopy diaper!!!).

-We started swim lessons at the Y last Saturday. They are enjoying it!

I have been trying to meet up with some local mommies on meetup.com... and it has been great fun for the kids and myself. I have realized that I am loosing friends! Either things have gone sour during the fertility treatment (a very common phenomenon with quite a few IF'ers )... or our timings and schedules just do not work with our non-parent-friends OR not-so-strictly-schedule-following-parent-friends.

Zzz...!

Finally!! Yes, RM slept (napped) with in a minute of fussing yesterday and then no fuss at all last night. Today's nap wasn't eventful either. So, I guess he's got a hang of it? :P

In short, both are sleeping with out any assistance during nap and at night... and that too STTN without any MOTNF!! Yay!

A Foodie Post!

With a developing taste and a personality, sometimes it is hard to figure out what to serve our little people. Here are some recipes of the items they love. I don't quite follow specific recipes, unless I am baking desserts (I can screw up sweet stuff, if I try to experiment)... so this is more of a list of things required and how to make it (without specific quantity information).

Whole Wheat Tortilla French Toast

Ingredients: Egg, whole wheat tortilla, oil and salt (optional: Cinnamon, milk, sugar).

Beat up the egg and add any of the optional items listed above as per taste preferences. Dip tortilla in the mixture and put it in the (oiled) pan. Since the tortilla is already cooked, you just need to wait till the thin layer of egg cooks.

Green Mac n Cheese

Ingredients: Mac n Cheese (I usually get a whole wheat organic box), spinach, garlic, oil, salt, pepper (optional: onions, carrot, green beans, herbs or any other spices).

Boil the "mac" and keep aside. Saute the spinach (and any other optional veg) and garlic in oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Grind the vegetable mixture. Now proceed to make the mac n cheese the way you would usually make and add the vegetable mixture in.

Grilled Yogurt Chicken

Ingredients: Chicken pieces, oil/butter, plain (non sweetened) yogurt, salt, pepper, chilly powder, ginger and garlic paste (optional: any other herbs and spices as per your taste preferences).

Mix all the ingredients together and let it marinate (the longer the better). Oil the pan/tray and put the marinated pieces in it. Grill till its cooked. Vegetables can be grilled in the same way.

Whole Wheat Pudding

Ingredients: Wheat grain, water, milk, sugar (optional: crushed nuts, Cinnamon).

Soak the wheat over night. Grind the soaked wheat to desired consistency. Add water to the ground wheat mixture and let cook on low flame (heat setting). Once semi-cooked, add milk and sugar and any of the optional items. Let it simmer. Can be served warm or cold.

Green Lentil Soup

Ingredients: Lentil, carrots, green beans, spinach (basically any vegetable that you/your kids like), garlic, black pepper/chilly powder/curry powder (spice), onions, salt, oil.

Saute the onions and garlic, then add finely chopped vegetables. Add the spice and salt. Mix in well and then add the lentil. Let cook on slow flame till the lentil is perfectly cooked.

Any meat can be added to this recipe as well.

Baked Green Eggss

Ingedients: Eggs, milk, salt, pepper, garlic, potatoes, red pepper, spinach (any vegetables that you like).

Finely chop all the vegetables and saute in oil and garlic. Add salt and pepper once cooked. Transfer to a pan/tray. Beat the eggs well and then add it to the vegetables. Let it bake in the oven till the eggs completely cook!

30 Minutes?

Is this for real? RM is quietly laying in his crib after 30 minutes of cry/fuss fest! Am I speaking too soon?

RT went in at the same time as RM today... she fell asleep after 5 minutes of fussing since RM was crying.

Now let's how long they sleep for... the last two days record was 30 and 20 minutes for RM... way too less than his 3+ hour record! RT sleeps anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours at a time.

I have way too many posts this month! ;) The last time I posted this much was in April 2010 (the first month of motherhood)!

(Semi) Live Update

So, tonight... RM started crying hysterically as he got in to his crib. As if he remembered what had happened this morning. I had to walk him a little and pacify him. Pat him while he laid in his crib... is that a mommy caving in? Ughh... this is hard. Is he going to get traumatized and hate his crib or finally realize that this is how it is going to be and deal with it! Aaah parenting!

Thanks for your comments girls! Makes me wanna believe that there is light at the end of this tunnel!

CIO Help?

What to do with a child who just won't nap without assistance?! I hate to make him cry. This is the second day trying to help him fall asleep on his own. And he has gone for 1 hr straight both days! Getting him drowsy before nap, patting, pacifying intermittently, soothing music won't help! He was sleepy when I took him to his crib, he is well fed and the diaper is clean! He can handle around 4 hours from the time he gets up in the morning... and now with all the crying it is 5 hours!! No, I am NOT a cruel Mommy who doesn't want to rock a baby to sleep. I just don't want to be jumping from crib to crib trying to get two toddlers to sleep... because in that case we are just going to have two overly tired cranky sleepless kids in the house! Patienc - breath in - breath out...!

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Just to be a little bit more clear - so I can seek better advice! We do follow a routine and the kids know it. The only difference is, they kinda recieved individual attention thus far, and so it was easy to accomodate some of their needs (which included attention during sleeping - blame it on burps due to reflux OR Mommy's self built demon?). RT is sleeping by herself (already), she is the one who used to have most issues with sleeping on her own, and RM was the easy one. But for some reason, he has started to get clingy (seperation anxiety kicking back in?). He will get in to the crib... roll around, shut his eyes and almost fall asleep and then... bam! He gets up and wants to be held! I wrote the above part while he had reached his 1 hour mark of crying. He slept after around 1 hr and 10 minutes of crying, but got up in 20 minutes (he usually naps between 1.5 to 3 hrs now a days - mostly one nap a day). We are still going to keep trying. He is a tough cookie - as described in previous post - a focused & determined kid - which is back firing in this case!