An extended family gathering

Today we went to a first birthday party for my cousin Lynne's daughter, Matilda. She is exactly 5 months older than the boys and it just made me realize how soon their first birthday is coming up. They are just growing up way too fast!

While we were there I finally got a 4 generation picture with the boys, myself, my Dad and his father. It is not the greatest picture but trying to coordinate 3 adults and 2 babies for a good photo is next to impossible. Well, here it is:

I also got one that turned out better with Steve included in it.

The boys also got to see their Aunt Kiki (my younger sister) today. She was very happy to see them and as you can see by the adorable picture, they were happy to be with her. She played with them for a good part of our time at the party and they loved every minute of it!

Mandarin oranges

I, quite happily, found a banana with mandarin orange fruit combination while I was shopping yesterday and it was time for the boys to expand their fruit repertoire yet again. So, that was what was on tap for lunch today. They loved it and eat the whole thing. Not a big surprise really since there has not been a fruit (other than prunes but those don't count in my books) that they haven't enjoyed.

Here are the pictures:

Zachary:

Nicolas:

Look at me Mommy!

I thought it would be cute to see the boys sitting up all by themselves in their cribs. So, I gave them a helping hand and they were so happy. It was so funny to see them playing with their aquarium and you could just tell how proud they were of themselves. Soon, I won't need to help them get into this position...

Zachary:

Nicolas:

Nicolas rolled over from his back to his tummy this morning in his crib. So, he has also hit another milestone, a few days behind his big brother.

They lost again, Mommy?

I put the boys in their Canadiens pj's last night in the hopes of putting out some good karma for the game. However, it did not work at all. I am actually beginning to wonder if it had the reverse effect! I took a picture of the boys the this morning after I told them that we lost the game. As you can see, they were very sad and disappointed...

Just happy...

I thought I would just post some of the cute pictures we took of the boys tonight. They are always so smiley and happy it can't help but put you in a good mood. So, I thought I might spread the happiness...

Zachary:

Nicolas:

We were given these beautiful sweaters and hats by a family friend. I love the fact that they are the same but different colours. I think that is the best way to give outfits for twins. I don't particularly like dressing them exactly the same, but having the same outfit in two different colours is perfect! Especially ones like this... it is very ying and yang!

The boys together (Nicolas on the left, Zachary on the right):

Zachary:

Nicolas:

Don't you just love those hats!!

Strawberries

The boys had their very first taste of strawberries today. I wanted to wait a while before introducing them because I know it can be a problematic fruit. They absolutely loved it and did not have a reaction at all.

Zachary:

Zachary was so excited he was leaning forward in his seat to get to the spoon sooner!

Nicolas:

Sitting up all by myself

My boys are growing up and can now sit up all by themselves. Here are some pics:

Zachary:


Nicolas:

Yay for Nicolas

It is hilarious how my boys love making a liar out of me. I have been discussing our sleeping issue with many people lately in trying to figure out what to do. Nicolas has been waking up 3-4 times per night and needing to feed twice (usually around 12:00 am and 3:00-4:00) during those times. Zachary had been doing much better and was only waking twice during the night and only feeding once (usually around 3:00-4:00 am).

I was wondering if Nicolas might be going through a growth spurt because he will only eat if he is truly hungry. So, I have been very carefully watching their schedules and feeding them as much as they want during the day. Yesterday and Sunday's schedules were basically the same except for the outcome at night. On Sunday night, Zachary woke up for a 4:30 for a feed and Nicolas woke up at 12:00 am and 4:30 for feeds. Last night, Zach fed around 1:00 am and we let him struggle and put himself back to sleep the 3 other times he woke up later in the night (between 2:30 and 5:30). Nicolas briefly woke up at 2:00 and I patted his bum until he fell back to sleep and then did not wake up again until 7:15 this morning! So, he went from 9:00 pm until 7:15 am without a feed!!

Hopefully this trend will continue and we can get both of my little guys on the same page...

Toast

I decided that it was time for the boys to try some truly solid food. The boys have had some of the rice crackers and did well with them. So, I talked to Carolyn and she suggested that I try some toast with a little bit of butter.

This was quite the funny experience. Zachary started off by liking all the butter off of the toast before even thinking about putting it in his mouth. Nicolas put the toast into his mouth immediately and began to gnaw away.

I don't think that they particularly enjoyed the toast, but then again, it was a completely new texture and taste for them.

Here are some pictures of the event:

Zachary:

Nicolas:

The boys interacting

The boys and I were playing on the couch and they were next to one another. Before I knew it, I was no longer needed to keep them entertained. They had each other! This went on for about 10 minutes or so. Zachary kept trying to grab at Nicolas' feet whenever he would move them. He was also laughing at everything that came out of Nicolas' mouth. It was hilarious!

They are so precious. It is moments like this that make me look forward to watching the kind of bond that they will create with one another as they get older. We are just so lucky!

6 month check-up

We went to see the boys' pediatrician for their 6 month checkup today. Everything is great! Dr Katz checked their ears to make sure that the infection is all cleared up and it is. He also checked their hearts and everything there is normal.

He weighed them (not overly accurate since they weren't completely naked), checked their height and the circumference of their heads. He said that they are above average in all respects. It looks like they are going to be tall boys... not a big surprise when you look at their dad!

So all in all, we had a great day...

Zachary hit another milestone

This morning while the boys were playing on their mats, I went and got ready for their doctor's appointment. When I returned to the living room, I found Zachary on his tummy. He was on his back when I put him down. So, today for the very first time, he rolled from his back to his tummy! I am so disappointed I missed it! Nicolas is very close to rolling from his back to his tummy as well. He just needs the right motivation.

The boys are sleeping much better. Zachary is basically sleeping through the night. He was put to bed shortly after 8:30 last night and woke briefly around midnight and then slept until 7:30 this morning. He did not feed at all during the night! Nicolas was in bed a little before Zach and also woke just before midnight. However, he needed a feed around 2:30 this morning. Then, he slept until 7:00. If I can get rid of Nicolas' last feed during the night, then I will be all set...

I am so proud of my boys! They are doing wonderfully and I am so loving being their mom!

Bartlett Pears

Today the boys tried some bartlett pears for lunch. Once again another fruit that was a hit! I have yet to try a fruit that they haven't enjoyed. This trying of new foods has been such a great experience. I hope that giving them the real thing will be just as enjoyable...

Zachary:

Nicolas:

Too cute to not post...

I took this picture while Nicolas was in the bath last night. It was just too cute to not post. It looks like we may have a rock star on our hands...!!!

Blueberries...

Well, it's no surprise that blueberries were a huge hit. They absolutely loved them.

Zachary:

Nicolas:

Update on Nicolas

Well, last night after his bottle he went to sleep at around 9:00 and did not wake up again until almost 1:00 am. He was not sick at all! He was very hungry when he woke up (the nurse told me to feed him whenever he was hungry to try and make sure he gets enough fluids). He went right back to sleep and kept that feed down too! He then fed again around 4:00, kept down that feed and has just woken up again...

So, whatever it was, it seems to be gone. Let's just hope that it doesn't come back when he is not sleeping between feeds?!?

811

I must honestly say that the CLSC 811 service is wonderful. The fact that you can dial 811 and talk directly to a nurse about any issue for free is amazing. The only down side to it is that generally when you need to do so, there is something wrong...

Nicolas has decided that he is projectile vomiting. This all started this afternoon. The boys woke up from their morning naps and were nursed (at around noon). Since it was such a beautiful day out, I packed them up and took them for a long walk. At around 2:00, in our neighbour Stacey's driveway, Nicolas had his first bout of projectile vomit. Once it was all out, he seemed fine and then immediately went down for a 3 hour nap (which was cut short by my waking him). At 6:00 he was nursed again and everything seemed fine. He was fed his cereal with his brother at 7:00 and at 8:00 he decided it was all coming up again!

So, that is when I decided to call Info-Santé (811). I spoke with the nurse and she determined that it wasn't all that serious since he does not have a fever. All we need to do is make sure that he does not get dehydrated. So, we went out and got some Pedialite to give to him if the vomiting does not stop.

Well, he has been fed his bottle and is now asleep. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this feed stays down. I guess we will know in a few hours if the trend continues...

Who do they look like....

While Grandma was here, she and I looked through my baby book. We found a picture of me as a baby that looks just like Nicolas. She could not believe the resemblance and neither could Steve when he saw it. Well, here is that picture as well as a picture of Nicolas:

Just to be fair, here are pictures of Zachary and Steve as a baby to show just how much they look alike.

Fisher price aquarium

I have to tell you that this is one of the best gifts that a new mother can receive. The boys absolutely love it and will spend tons of time in their cribs playing with it. They figured out a while back how to turn it on and off and now they are constantly doing so.

The best thing about this toy is that they will lay there and watch it for easily a half hour in the morning before needing to get taken out of bed. This buys me some extra sleeping time!

In the last week, I walked into the nursery and saw the following:

Isn't it obvious that Nicolas loves to watch his aquarium? He always manages to squirm himself into a position so that he can see the aquarium. This first picture had him literally about 2 inches from the toy! He rotated himself 90 degrees to be able to see it properly.

The following picture was taken yesterday. For some reason he decided that he didn't feel like moving his whole body, so he just contorted his body so that he could see it... can you say possibly double jointed?

6 months old today

I had the boys weighed on Thursday (October 30th) and here is where we stand:

Zachary:

17 lbs 15 oz (up from 17 lbs 4 oz on October 2nd)

Nicolas:

16 lbs 2 oz (up from 15 lbs 10.5 oz on October 2nd)

Bananas...

Today we tried some bananas for lunch. The boys are getting really good at trying new foods and not making too big of a reaction. I am really happy that they are not picky eaters, but I kind of miss the funny faces they used to make.

Our repertoire of fruits is growing which is great. We have been mixing them with the cereal at breakfast time and at dinner time. So, the wide variety helps them enjoy their meals. We still have quite a few fruits to try, but we are getting there slowly but surely. I am not in any hurry to get through them all since we started the solids so early, there is lots of time.

Zachary:

Nicolas: