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.