Friday, November 5, 2010

Growing and Growing

The boys are keeping us alert and awake...  They enjoyed Halloween briefly..  We had two costumes that they both wore at different times:  an elephant and a dragon.  Steve took them around to a few houses but like with Gretchen when she was two, they didn't last long. 

Evan is a nonstop talking machine.  He's mimicking words and phrases so we're careful with what we say out load.  Sean is slowly coming around - he's babbling and singing a lot.  Sometimes he repeats random words that we say but his speech is not where it should be at this age.  Both boys are still receiving speech therapy and Sean will be evaluated for occupational therapy.  They think he may have a sensory processing issue which would explain his limited selection of foods.  Both Sean and Evan have issues with food - some would call it picky eating but I think there is more to it. 

Their personalities are so different, as I expected.  Evan is loud and boisterous.  He has to be the center of attention most of the time but he can be so sweet that it's hard to resist him.  For example, in the morning, after throwing a fit about his coat, he will blow me kisses goodbye.  Sigh...  He is funny.  He loves to take off his socks and shoes as soon as he gets home.  He doesn't like wearing clothing and has a hard time with long sleeves and coats.  He gets used to it but he doesn't like it.  He reminds me a lot of Steve's dad, Dave.  I think he would walk around the house in shorts and nothing else if we let him.

Sean on the other hand is soft spoken most often but can be screechy when provoked or frustrated.  He usually goes with the flow and doesn't enjoy Evan's daily dramas.  He can be very physically with both hugs and head butts.  He sings a lot... little songs to himself.  He enjoys musical toys and books.  He also really likes bead mazes - he plays with one at church every weekend.

I posted a video of Evan but I promise to get one of Sean up.  Until then, here are pictures from this fall.

Monday, September 6, 2010

We had a lot of fun this summer.  The boys grew so much!  Both Steve and I agree that we packed as much as we could in one summer.  Zoo trips, Six Flags, walks around the neighborhood and camping kept our whole family on the go. 

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Speech Therapy

I send the boys' speech therapist occasional updates on the boys to let her know how they are progressing at home.  For memory's sake, I'm posting one of my progress notes.

Evan:

*Good at following directions to do some simple tasks like putting something in the garbage or if we ask him to bring us something.
*He retains and tries to re-tell some books that we read at night.  For example he likes Goodnight Gorilla.  When I give him the book to play with (while I get Sean ready), I can hear him "telling" the story as he flips through the pages.  He says "Ooh" at the same place I say it.  And he says Goodnight for all the pages where the zookeeper is saying goodnight to the animals.
*He is doing better with body parts.  We've been singing Head Shoulders Knees and Toes to him.  Today he pointed at my feet and said Toes!
*I have tried giving him choices more but he isn't quite tuning into it.  It's like he has other things on the agenda and doesn't even listen to the choices.
*In general, Evan is very physically adventurous.  He climbs everything he can.  He is better at jumping in his crib (something he has been working on unfortunately).  He climbed monkey bars at the park this week and scared me half to death.

Sean

*Sean has been babbling more and more loudly (not in his usual soft tones) and more singing
*He also has been babbling with words more and when I come in the room he has said Momma which he really didn't do before (it was more random)
*He has been more affectionate too - seeking us out for hugs or to be picked up.
*He has been playing with sand a lot - twice on Thursday, again on Friday and on Saturday.
*He ate pudding although reluctantly.  We tried some other new foods as well that he wouldn't eat:  bologna, watermelon, string cheese, spaghettios.  The food he does like however he eats completely (loves bacon and waffles now)
*Sean is expressing his displeasure with Evan and other things (like food choices) instead of just walking away.
*Sean is starting to climb and go down the slide by himself (he used to wait for us to catch him).  He also likes to push stuff:  strollers, wagons, bikes, anything with wheels.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Boys 2nd Birthday

After Gretchenpalooza was over, we decided it would be good to skip a party for the boys this year.  Instead we had dinner with Sharon and Samantha since Sharon's birthday is the day after Evan and Sean's.  The boys didn't really eat all of their birthyday cupcakes but they did enjoy their gifts (as pictured).

Monday, June 28, 2010

Summer Edition

It has been some time since I have updated the blog.  We are enjoying the summer as it slips through our fingers like beach sand!  Sean and Evan will be two years old in a month and I can hardly believe it!  As many of my devoted readers know, they are premature twins and were born eight weeks early.  This prematurity continues to haunt as we start looking at the milestones they should be hitting by age two (the age by which many preemies "catch up").  Last month the boys were evaluated by the county's Early Invention program to determine where they are at developmentally.  The good news is they barely qualified (they have to be a certain percentage behind to qualify for therapy services) but it was suggested they see a speech therapist.  Both boys are having issues with some foods/textures though it does not seem to be solely textures.  I think they just don't want to eat certain things (i.e. pasta, raw fruits, cooked veggies, etc) and with talking.  Evan is talking a lot and can say a couple dozen words (when he says Gretchen is my favorite).  Evan also talks a lot of gibberish.  Sean is babbling and will repeat words on occasion but he just is not as communicative as Evan.  When Sean wants something, he takes your hand and walks you over to what he wants.  He understands when you ask him if he's hungry, wants more milk, wants to go outside, etc.  He just doesn't say much.  I was wondering if they were going to tell us that it's partly because Evan does so much talking...  since he does not stop chattering... ever!  Anyhow, speech therapy started last week and so far, so good.  My experience with therapy is that it moves much slower than you could ever imagine so I am trying not have very high expectations.  The other thing I have learned about therapy is that while insurance will only pay twenty sessions, most people need much more!  I'll keep everyone posted!

Like I commented earlier, we are enjoying our summer.  The boys love the swing set Steve put up this spring.  Evan, our little daredevil, has already gone down the big slides by himself.  The weather, while not great this summer, has been warm enough to get in the pool so we have been in there a lot of all of the kids.  Evan likes the water a lot!  You can splash him all day and he enjoys it.  He gave me a scare yesterday because he kept pushing to get out of my arms and sure enough, he went underwater.  I grabbed him right away but he did get water!  He seemed unfazed so I know we are going to have to watch him like a hawk!  Sean doesn't enjoy the pool right away.  He has to acclimated to it for a while.  I suspect he enjoys it more, like many things, when his brother leaves him alone. 

Between Six Flags, the Milwaukee Zoo and our backyard, we are doing our best to keep the kids busy (and to tire them out of course since it doesn't get dark until 9pm!).  With Gretchen's birthday coming up and the boys' birthday, we have a lot yet to do.  Nevertheless, we're planning our second annual camping trip at Devils Lake and hope the boys are better than last year's trip!

I should be posting more regularly but until then, here are some pictures to peruse!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Flying Monkey

We broke down and bought leashes for the boys.  It is a very cute harness with a monkey on the back where the tail is the leash.  Sean adapted to it pretty quickly but Evan spent awhile turning around and around trying to look at it and touch it.  I shouldn't expect any less really from Evan.  He is a boy who wants to know how things work.  For example, he got his hands on a baby bottle (they are not still on them but he found one in my cabinet) and spent thirty minutes examining it and taking it apart and putting it back together (it was a Dr Brown bottle with an insert).  Sean can also be focused like Evan but he likes to examine books instead of the mechanics of something. 

This past weekend we had some nice weather so we let the kids go outside.  At first the boys did not leave the deck but after a couple times of being outside, Evan walked right off of the deck.  Luckily Steve was already there waiting to catch him.  This incident alone was enough for him to earn his "gonzo" nickname but there was more.  The same night, while I was rocking Sean in the rocking chair, Evan was upset and decided that jumping out of the crib would be the best way to get my attention (crying had not yet work in his mind I'm guessing).  I saw his leg on the crib so I jumped up and threw Sean in his bed just in time to break Evan's fall.  I also was able to reposition him a little so he landed flat on his face instead on his head.  Needless to say, Steve lowered the crib and I sat in the room waiting to see if he would try again.  He did not.  I think it hurt enough to scare him off for trying for awhile but I don't trust him further than I can throw him.  I knew we would end up for a jumper sooner or later...  Well, as they say, never a dull moment in our house though I wouldn't mind one once in a while.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Running Ragged

The boys are walking and talking (well sort of talking) all day long now.  We definitely have our hands full of children these days!  We took the kids to the Shedd Aquarium last week and decided to let the boys loose so they could walk off some of their energy (in the picture to the right, they are constrained in the stroller.  Don't they look thrilled?).  They both took off in opposite directions!  We are considering buying those terrible child leashes for future outings at least until they can learn to stay with us (that will happen, right?).  They had their 18 mo check early this month and I posted their stats to the blog.  Sean is roughly 29 lbs and 34 inches tall.  Evan is 28 lbs and 31 inches tall.  We are still struggling with finger foods but it is getting better.  We think Evan will talk first because he is already saying some words:  light, that (or "dat"), mama, daddy, etc.  Sean said mama this past weekend and I just melted since I have been waiting forever for him to say it.  He has started becoming more vocal as well but not as boisterous as Evan.  We are seeing more fights/scuffles over toys.  Evan is all over Sean all the time and you can tell Sean would like to be left alone.  They both like books but Sean will look at books for a very long time before moving on to something else.  Evan figures out all the angles and controls on toys, doors, cabinets, light switches, etc.  Maybe he'll be engineer?