Friday, November 9, 2012

Liesel Sings, EJ Coos

WHAT a great time in the New Family life.

Long post. Click the button below to continue.


The Twins are now old enough, and Dad experienced enough, that crying and screaming are minimized, and positive interactions are maximized.

They both now wake content and happy (as opposed to screaming for food, attention, diaper change, etc.). Liesel wakes and begins to entertain herself through softly singing that gradually increases in volume and if left unattended for too long transforms into crying. EJ does the same but instead coos to himself.

Their periods of wakefulness are generally about two hours in duration, during which they feed, have diaper changes, interact with Parents, each other, and their toys. Naps can be as short as 45 minutes or as long as two and one half hours, though recently Liesel set a record four hour nap.

From 10:00 a.m. 'til 2:00 p.m. Dad did not have a daughter.

Their nap duration variance bothers Dad. He'd prefer to see them nap two, wake two, and repeat. But, their schedules are slowly becoming more regular and routine, a necessary condition before venturing out and far away from the house for any period of time. In another month or so, Dad expects to see them nap on a regular and consistent schedule.

The kids imitate Mom and Dad. Liesel has begun to imitate Dad's "growl," a high pitch vibrating sound he makes in his throat. EJ carries on "conversations," quietly listening when Dad is talking and then "talking" himself when Dad stops. Both love to make eye contact and smile (if fleeting). Although when EJ smiles, he sometimes acts like he is embarrassed to be caught smiling so he turns his head away as if to hide it. Liesel smiles until she is distracted, usually by the sound the camera makes when it turns on. PITA.

EJ is now less dramatic when performing certain body functions. Before, everyone in the house knew when he was having a bowel movement. Now he is so private about his affairs, he occasionally surprises his Parent with his diaper's contents. There is not always a smelly forewarning.

They are both reaching and grabbing for things. EJ is learning cause and effect. They have an electronic toy that has lights and sounds that respond to button pushes. EJ is this close (fingers held really close together) to figuring out how to make the lights flash and music play by pushing the buttons. She has figured out that when she feeds from the bottle holder, she has to coordinate her head and body to stay in position in order to continue feeding.

So all is well and they are growing up fast.

Back to the New Family blog.

2 comments:

  1. I am so jealous that your kids are napping.......Danielle, not so much. Makes for one very tired Mommy :(
    ~Nicky~

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  2. Oh, I am sorry to hear that. I wish we could give you advice, but every kid is unique and what worked for our two may not work for you.

    And even with our own, anytime we make a declarative statement, "She is this way, he is not that way," they take that as a challenge to prove us wrong.

    I can suggest getting any one of the healthy sleep habits books. If nothing else, it helped inform and set our expectations. Understanding what is going on goes along way toward having patience enough to deal with a poor napper.

    I can also offer a potentially helpful observation I made just this weekend; routine seems paramount. Monday through Friday, I am solely responsible for them. Saturday and Sunday, Heidi takes over. They seem not to do as well on the weekends even though she engages them more vigorously than I do.

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