He's lost his mobile and can't have the monitor -- what is next on the list

About a month ago, I went in to get Jackson up from a nap and he was hanging/pulling on the animals in his mobile. I immediately removed it out of concern that he would eventually get it down as he can negotiate around his crib and shows no sign of fear or restraint when something looks dangerous.

We moved the video monitor to Jackson's crib when he started pulling up on items so that we could observe just how far he could get and it confirmed that he had to be lowered down to the lowest crib setting after watching him get around. In the past week, I experienced no reception and or fuzzy reception and when I went in to get Jackson from a nap, found him either chewing on the cord or playing with it. Well, last night, he sounded like he was hard at work with the cords before he had calmed down enough to go to sleep. When I checked on him around 11 p.m., I found him wrapped up in the cords. Not really sure how he managed it but it must have really worn him out as I basically had to lift him to unwrap the cord and he never woke up. Needless to say, the monitor is going to have to find a new home in the nursery!!

I had initially prepared this post without pictures but had yet to post it. I was finally able to get the pictures to confirm that he is and always will be a cord hunter. I had placed Jackson in Connor's crib to get some pictures of them together for my birthday, and after grabbing the camera found this...



Please do not let the innocent look of Jackson ever fool you as he is always up to something. Michael has finally lowered Connor's crib to the lowest setting so we won't have to stare at the monitor or leave the door open enough to make sure that Connor eventually lays down. Regardless of the danger that it presented, I will miss Connor's beaming smile when I open the door!!

his Mom rocks and his brother is a rockstar but more importantly, Connor is crawling!!!

Connor started with some right arm drags and added a left hook to finish the move and has quickly started to motor around. He has even figured out how to lift his belly off the ground so it looks less like a flop. We are so happy that he can finally get around to where he wants to be in lieu of crying out because he appears to be left behind. However, with his newly tapped ability to roam, everybody around him now has the added pleasure of making sure where he is before leaving a room because you just never know where he is going to end up.

Halloween costume update..

We opted to keep the costumes a secret until the day of Halloween. Despite the picture from "It's the Great Pumpkin," which is my favorite movie for the holiday, the boys are not going as ghosts like what seems to be the preference for the entire Charlie Brown gang. Inquiring minds should know that the boys are going to be animals from different regions that they have learned in Baby Noah. I tried the costumes on when the arrived and they look super cute as they do in most other articles of clothing.

He may be a Rising Star according to Living Classrooms but to the boys, he is Daddy!!

Michael was honored with the nomination and being selected as a Rising Star for Living Classrooms Foundation. In honor of the nomination, he was invited to an event, which we both attended and took place on Friday, October 1st at 6:00pm with a pre-awards ceremony leading into the Maritime Magic party!

Maritime Magic Rising Stars is a select group of young professionals (under age 40), who are recognized for their outstanding achievements in their professional and personal lives, and who are honored at Maritime Magic and in the media for their efforts.

So, he may be a rising star, but to Jackson and Connor, he is dad!!!

9 Months

It was a super, special September of 2010 with our sweet twins...

The boys had their first doctor's visit since their 6 month appointment. We were so excited to get updated weights and heights. Without further delay...

Jackson weighed in at 18 lbs 3 ounces and was 27 inches
Connor weighted in at 20 lbs 2 ounces and was 29 inches

Their doctor was pleased with how they were progressing and was able to admire first hand how much Jackson had to offer in terms of maneuvering and remarked at how "solid" that Connor was when he picked him up.

Eating updates:

Besides the foods that the babies had already tried, we have continued to take advantage of some of the local farmers markets to get the boys fresh produce like peaches and pears. Also, we really enjoy getting them out in the mornings for the experience. The boys are still having around 30 ounces per day but feeding has been difficult at times. They are starting to sleep later and later, well Jackson is starting to join Connor and trying to give them a couple of bottles in a couple of hours isn't really working. So, this is a work in progress.

Sleeping updates:

There haven't been many changes other than Connor getting better adjusted to having to take a nap. Still napping in the morning and afternoon. The morning nap is getting shorter in time but it is still something.

General updates:

The most important thing in September was our 1st family trip and the boys 1st drive over state lines into Delaware. Other than the trip to Rehoboth, we had a relatively quiet month for us. The boys returned from the trip, as did I, with a slight cold that took awhile to go away. Jackson spent a lot of the month with a runny nose that almost refused to go away despite giving him some Tylenol and using the humidifier on a daily basis. His 2nd tooth arrived and we can now say that he has teeth but it was very sad to watch him with what either appeared to be a consistent cold and/or teething.

The boys are still in 9 month clothes and we had to take Jackson back to a size 2 diaper. There were a lot of "instances" with poop up the back for both boys that led to a lot of frustration and laundry to process. Neither boy wants to sit for diaper changes so we have started to place toys that they like in easy places that we can reach when we know that there is a diaper change in the near future. We didn't switch the size and diaper brand until later in the month but started to notice a difference almost immediately.

Despite a cold for what appeared to be the entire month of September, Jackson's bundle of energy never slowed down. He spent a lot of time crawling and standing and has added furniture surfing to his repertoire. The walker is probably his favorite thing as it feeds off of his desire to get around. His creativity is endless and just amazes most who see him. On one night, he had crawled into the Bumbo and grabbed on to the frame of the walker. He looked liked something out of Gladiator as if he was getting ready to whip his horse/walker to move on. It was so funny that we couldn't stop laughing.

Connor has continued to perfect his sitting and wants to stand whenever possible. This, of course, is difficult because he doesn't realize that he actually needs to hold on to something to make this happen. He appears to be looking at Jackson and under the assumption that standing and maneuvering should happen immediately. When Connor falls down in one of these situations, he appears to be more devastated than hurt. He has also started to flop around like a fish out of water. Everyone around him is encouraging him to crawl but we know that he is in charge.

The initial optimistic words from last month with regard to Jackson caring for Connor have almost disappeared.  Jackson still notices Connor but for a different reason -- to take whatever he has. With Connor sitting up and getting around a little more, Jackson has started to realize that he can't really push him around as much. His new way of dealing with the better coordinated Connor is to smile in his direction and rub his arm in an attempt to distract him to remove the toy that Connor has. It doesn't matter if he has a similar toy, he wants what he doesn't have and for Connor to be left with nothing. We are working on sharing and continuously give toys back to Connor and encourage Jackson to play with other items like his walker but inevitably, it comes down to the same rattle or block.

Looking forward to an "outstanding" October...

Jackson has his 2nd tooth; still waiting for Connor

You can see the 1st tooth in one of the pictures of Jackson at the beach. The second on is to the right of the 1st if you are looking at his face. Connor is going through all of the symptoms of teething again and we can only hope that he has one for all of his crankiness and reluctance to taking the bottle.

Aunt Gina and Uncle Tony have been married for 25 years

And, to celebrate, Andrew and Kim hosted a surprise party for them. Despite having to lie to Gina multiple times as she was very suspicious, it was well worth the look on their faces when they realized how important that they were to so many people that showed up to celebrate. Congratulations on making it to 25 and hopefully 25 more plus some.

let's just call him the Cord Hunter!!

Jackson appears to be on a mission to find any and all cords recently. He wants to reach out and touch every one that he can get his hands on. It seems as though he is starting to push the envelope with his curious behavior and has been a lot to handle recently BUT we are working on accepting our little drama king and his fascination with electronics. The outlet covers have already made an appearance and we are working on finding new homes for items that have a cord, including the lap top.

move over Flacco and Sanchez, the World's Cutest QB plays at "our" house

We were all ready for the 1st Ravens game of the season. We took a picture of Jackson but his football romper had the Jets' green and we didn't want to display the other team's colors. But, Connor is soo cute that we couldn't resist.

A flashback to their first game ever on January 3, 2010....

their little seats and working on sippy cups

Connor watching the T.V. I think that it was Sports Center. Starting him early..



I had spotted these "little seats" online and thought that it would be a great alternative to eating out with the boys. They have worked well and it makes them feel as though they are part of the group. Plus, they actually fold down and fit back into their matching fabric bags. These pics are from our dinner at the Summerhouse Salon in Rehoboth. Usually, it is the boys that attract attention but this time it was their seats. From the hostesses (who were almost in shock when we indicated that they boys didn't need a highchair) to the servers and other people eating in the restaurant, there were lots of questions and attention, as usual.

The boys have been given a sippy cup to introduce the idea of drinking out of something other than a bottle. Both realized that they needed to pick it up with both hands and figured that they could get something out of it or use it for a teether. Hopefully, this will help during our transition to no bottles (sigh, they are getting too big too fast!!).