The larger but younger one is on the verge of crawling - we're talking superbaby here, who can cross the living room with a single scoot... well, I might be exaggerating a bit, but I do put her down on one side of the room only to find her across the room exploring the bookshelves a minute later... then off to the kitchen or dining room before I know it. She's the one who loves cords and shoes, especially the laces. Her knees are often red from rubbing against the rug...that's ok, they match the red spot on her head, where she got overexcited with a rattle. She's my speedy eater...started out messy, but has ended up being neater than her sister most of the time.
The smaller but older twin (by 2 minutes) turns out to have two birthmarks - a storkbite on the back of her head, and an indentation on the back of her left ear. She's quickly learning from her sister how to scoot around with the pros, though her repertoire of places she's explored is much smaller. She seldom crosses a room or finds herself in another room altogether unless someone carries her there. She's the contemplative, slow eater, though she likes to take control and grab the spoon when it's time for real food, making for a very messy experience. I now use two spoons to feed the babies - one for Miss I-want-to-feed-myself to hold, and the other to actually deliver the food to both girls' mouths.
The rest of the kids are enjoying the baby. The one to watch out for, of course, is my 2-year-old dd, who enjoys stepping over a baby just because she's there, who will try to pick up a baby or take away a toy or book the baby has, without even considering offering another in exchange, but who also has to hug both babies at bedtime, enjoys getting toys out for them to play, and cheers them up when they are fussy - she even likes to sample strained peas and green beans...maybe I should feed her more baby food! My 7-year-old daughter enjoys playing with the babies, holding them, and cheering them up or making them laugh. Of course they both laugh fastest and longest for my 6-year-old son. I don't think any of us could imagine life without the babies.
We do still have some challenges:
- We only have 1 crib set up so far, in our room. Hopefully the second one will be set up in ds's room this weekend, as dh's office is not ready to be a baby room any time soon. Do we get a second mobile and bumper pad at this point or not?
- The babies have both been a bit constipated, especially since we started solids, including prunes. Any suggestions? Do I try transitioning from the soy formula (Isomil) to a milk-based formula? Early on, Rose in particular had trouble digesting the milk-based, even the lactose-free.
- Neither baby does great in the church nursery - Rose especially gets upset, but the ladies are becoming creative and even took her to visit my 2-yo dd last Sunday when she wouldn't settle down (dd said Rose needed Mommy). I have a feeling they are slower to call me out of the service for my babies than if I only had one in there.
- It's hard to figure out the logistics of traveling, and especially staying in a hotel with our 5 kids, something we're planning to do in early September.
Another challenge not related to the babies is my husband's recently discovered gluten sensitivity. Joe had a memorable Father's Day this year...with a 9:30 am emergency appendectomy. The surgeon took one look at his skin (he has psoriasis) and suggested he try avoiding wheat and gluten. (The urgent care doctor he saw the night before had said the same thing.) Apparently it's a trigger for psoriasis, lactose-intolerance, an equilibrium problem he was experiencing, and many other things. I've gone wheat-free as well partly to support him, but also to see if my lactose intolerance and canker sores go away (both are bothering me less than before).
There is never a dull moment around here, even without mentioning visits from grandparents, with one set returning a week later so I wouldn't be alone while Joe and his sister (our nanny) flew across the country for his grandpa's funeral.
Hey, thanks for reading my "book"...looks like the second baby is just about finished with her bottle, so I better end it here.
