A year and a half.  Six months until TWO!  As always seems the case, it’s incredible how time flies.  And for once, we actually had their well-child checkup on their actual “birthday,” so I have both stats and stories for updating.

Daniel, my big Baby A, is just shy of 25 pounds (24lb 14.5oz).  But the pediatrician was onto something when she commented that he looked leaner. Apparently much of Daniel’s growth has been vertical, as he grew nearly two inches in the last three months, up to around 32″ tall.  That puts him right at about the 40th percentile for weight, and 50th for height.

Daniel has become quite outgoing and friendly, and showed that right from the get-go when he walked up to our doctor and asked her to pick him up.  He says “hi” to everyone he sees, and frequently will repeat it until that person says “hi” back.  He loved showing off the words he knows, the list of which is up past 30 now.  He proudly pointed to his nose, eyes, and ears, and to mommy, daddy, and Rebecca (or, in Daniel-speak, “Nee-nee”).  Everything else checked out well, and the doctor pronounced him healthy and an absolute genius.  OK, so maybe I’m paraphrasing.

One of the very few concerns we have with Daniel is his drooling. He’s been a drool-monster forever, but I feel like he’s starting to approach an age where maybe he shouldn’t be going through 2-3 shirts every day, simply due to drool. (Mealtime messes not included.)  Our doctor said the drool itself isn’t inherently a very bad thing, except if it seems to interfere with language (which it does not, Daniel’s words are reasonably clear for a kid his age), or if there also seems to be an issue with chewing food.  Ding Ding! Aha!  That was the next question on my list. Daniel has a weird thing where he doesn’t seem to chew very well, despite having a full set of 16 teeth.  The doctor was not terribly concerned, but suggested we could always get an evaluation from Early Intervention to see if he qualifies for a little occupational therapy.  I think I’ll give them a call, just in case.  Either it’ll be nothing at all and I’ll be reassured, or he’ll qualify for and start receiving services. It’s a no-lose situation, I feel.

My little peanut Rebecca does not appear to have suffered for all the times she seems to skip meals entirely.  In fact, she put on a bit more than a pound and a half to reach 20lb 10oz.  Woo, 6th percentile! The measurements would suggest that she only grew about a quarter of an inch in height, but she had no interest whatsoever in sitting still, so about 30″ was just a best guess.  It only puts her at about the 10th percentile for height, which I think underestimates things just a little.

Rebecca has been extremely wary of strangers the last couple of months. If she knows you or is comfortable, she’s very independent and outgoing, and will happily get a book, shove it in my sister-in-law’s boyfriend’s hands, and climb up into his lap so he’ll read it to her.  But if she’s feeling uncertain or doesn’t remember who you are… she’ll give you the stink-eye, big time.  She had no interest in speaking to, or even looking at, the doctor.  She only wanted to cling to me or M, and screamed bloody murder when so much as approached with the stethoscope (not unlike the barrette fiasco).  It was hard to get accurate measurements as she was so busy screaming as though we were about to poke out her eyes with a sharp stick.  Oh my lord, does that girl have the capability for absolute rage.  Ever since she was a newborn.  Quiet, calm, and then red-faced in anger.

When she’s comfortable, though, Rebecca is all over the place.  She shrieks (often to wake Daniel up when she’s done napping… Daniel is not always as well-rested as she claims to be), she talks to herself and to us. She initiates chasing games with Daniel, yesterday it was each of them with one end of the dog’s leash, running circles around the first floor and giggling.  She loves to dance, she loves it when I sing the alphabet song.  “More, more, more” she signs, and I have to keep coming up with more songs to keep them awake when we’re driving home before naptime.  Her vocabulary is nearly as good as Daniel’s, give or take a few words, though Daniel is at a stage where he much more actively repeats everything I say.  Rebecca, you can tell, knows exactly what’s going on. Her receptive language and ability to follow simple directions is incredible (“go get Daniel’s other shoe, get mommy’s jacket, get Rebecca’s hat, etc.”  she has no problem distinguishing each item). But she plays her hand close to her chest a lot of the time.  She’s clever and calculating.  Trouble, I tell you.

I wrote an entry yesterday for HDYDI about whether or not things get “easier” as they get older.  And I maintain that there’s no real answer.  Some things get easier, some things get harder.  But despite the temper tantrum that Rebecca threw for about 30 minutes when we got home today, I really do like this age. Every new skill makes things more fun, even if it also makes things more challenging.  As I said yesterday: hard is always hard, bad is always bad. But good keeps getting better.

We had our 15-month well-baby checkup this morning, with the beloved Dr. C.  She took one look at the fading, yellow bruise on Daniel’s head and said “ah, the sign of an active boy.”  She also smiled and said “and you didn’t even call me when it happened!  That’s what I love about you guys.”  Dr. C and I understand each other, I think.  I feel like I ask reasonable questions and don’t overreact for things like a bonked head (otherwise acting normal, didn’t lose consciousness or throw up, etc.).  I like that, at least so far, I’m not a psycho overbearing helicopter parent.  Of course, we’ll see what the school years bring out in me.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.  15 months.  She was pleased that both were walking so well, and signing.  She was not concerned about their relative lack of spoken words.  Daniel was feeling very social, and even reached out for her to hold him a few times.  Rebecca had her super-cranky pants on, apparently, and didn’t even want Dr. C to listen to her chest.  Alas, not every day can be a winner.  They got their DPT and flu shots, we’ll go back in a month for MMR and the flu booster.  Both were pronounced in great health.

The stats:

Daniel gained nearly two pounds and grew around an inch, putting him at 23lb8oz and 30.25 inches, somewhere around the 40th percentile for both measurements (give or take).  See the spiffy growth charts, below, weight followed by height:

Rebecca gained a little less than a pound and a half and grew an inch and a half, coming in at 18lb15oz (for some reason, I was really hoping she’d hit 19… almost!) and 29.75 inches, which is about the 3rd percentile for weight and 35th for height.  Maybe by 18 months she’ll make it to 20 lbs and we can turn those carseats around…

This morning was our 12-month well-baby appointment.  Thankfully, M was able to come with me, since it involved two shots and a finger stick (plus, you know, two wriggly babies missing their morning nap).  Both are doing well, though neither gained as much weight as I might have guessed (both were up about a pound and a half in 3 months).  Daniel was 21lb14oz and 29.25″ long, which is about 45th percentile for both.  Rebecca was 17lb10oz and 28.5″ long, which is around the 4th or 5th percentile for weight and the 28th for length.  They were otherwise pronounced A-OK by our beloved pediatrician.

Though neither of them are big babies, it’s still amazing to me how much they’ve grown in a year.

Daniel, impossibly small (and we thought he was so big, compared to Rebecca), at one week old.

Daniel gained 15 pounds, twelve ounces, since his birth weight, and grew 11-12 inches in length.  He has eight teeth, can almost stand on his own, walks with help, “talks” constantly (just not in English), and waves at everyone (or, possibly, is making the sign for “light”, it’s a little unclear).

My big boy, on the day before his first birthday.

He loves strawberries and blueberries and bananas and waffles and cheese and tortellini with pesto.  He’ll at least try almost anything, though he’s getting into the unfortunate habit of purposefully dropping stuff over the side of his high chair.  He loves to ride on the red and blue car we got from Snick, or even laugh when he sees his sister get a ride.  He laughs at everyone. People who see him ask me, “is he always this smiley?” Not really, but he puts on a good show! He does not especially like to go down for naps, but sleeps very well overnight and sucks on the corner of the blanket his grandmother made for him.  He loves to shake toys, and insists the dog lick him right in the face.  Though he can still be fussy and whiny at times, he really is just my sweet, sweet boy.

Rebecca gained thirteen pounds, two ounces in the first year,

Teeny tiny Rebecca, 10 days old

nearly quadrupuling her birthweight, and also grew 11-12 inches.  She has six teeth, the four top all sprouted in the last month.  She is trying hard to stand up without even pulling on something, and is very purposeful in her direction when walking with assistance.  She will turn you to wherever she wants to go.  While pretty independent and even-tempered, she has started to throw honest-to-goodness kicking-and-screaming temper tantrums.  Usually if she wants to walk but you aren’t fast enough to get off the couch and help her.  She chit-chats and shrieks a lot, and I officially deem her first word to be “cracker.”  She even did it spontaneously at the doctor’s office this morning when she saw the snack cup in my purse.  She eats like a bird much of the time, and is wary of new flavors and textures.  She does seem to enjoy my new “Chicken a la Mommy,” though (cut up leftover chicken thrown in the microwave with cheese – my kids are the anti-Kosher).  While at home she can be a total ham and very silly and smiley, she’s not as quick to smile for strangers.  The best word for her, we’ve decided, is “scamp.”  She’s a little scamp.

Rebecca at one year, hanging on the couch with the dog (having stolen her toy, of course).

Or imp, if you prefer.  She’s a much better sleeper than back in the 45-minute-nap days, but still wakes up and cries for a few seconds or a minute or two in the middle of the night.  Can’t tell why, but I’m experimenting with leaving a nightlight on in their very dark room.  When playing, she likes to push things around the room on her knees (diaper surfing was popular while on vacation), and loves nothing more than chasing the dog, stealing her toys, and then offering the toys back to the dog.  She is a very funny girl.  Quite the comedienne.

It really is amazing how much has changed in the last year.  I don’t really stop and think about it that much, or wax poetic about how my life has changed.  Despite this whole blogging thing, that’s not exactly my style.  That was always the case, I suppose, but being a mom of two babies has made me even more pragmatic.  I just roll with things and deal with them, and plan as best I can.

Wait, did I say babies?  Well, they aren’t really babies anymore, are they?  Yikes!  Toddlers!  Sure, they aren’t walking yet, but they sure don’t seem like little infants anymore, either.  Amazing, these two little people who used to just be mouths screaming for more formula.  Though it obviously hasn’t happened overnight, I do think that the one-year point marks a notable shift in parenting, too.  The first year, though there are enormous changes in all areas of development, feels like it has largely been about “taking care” of them.  Making sure they eat and sleep and have clean diapers.  Certainly it’s more fun than just that, but a lot of the things they learn in the first year are so basically fundamental that you don’t sit and say “I’m going to teach you to trust today!”  “Let’s spend an hour working on rolling over!”  There are exceptions, of course, but a lot of these things just seem to happen.

Not so much anymore.  Now it’s time to really teach them things.  Like not throwing food off the high chair, for one. But things like words and walking and counting and games and jokes and rules.  We’ve made it through a lot of the fundamentals (eating, sitting, crawling), now it’s on to bigger and better.

Buckle your seatbelts.  I have a feeling it’s about to get exciting (and scary!).

This morning was our nine-month well-baby appointment (Hi, Dr. C!). I do enjoy having the first appointment of the day. No crowds in the waiting room, everything runs on time. Of course, that puts it right at naptime, but they did fine. M was going to come with me, but take his own car. So I left, and got a call from him a few minutes later. Things had blown up at work and he wouldn’t be joining me. And, of course, I only had the BOB in the car, which really wasn’t going to come into the office with me. Opening doors with two arms full of babies is, um, tricky.

Anyways, the visit went well, both kids were pronounced in great health, hitting or approaching milestones appropriately (they were totally showing off their mad gross-motor skillz), etc etc etc. And their weights… I guess all of that avocado is actually being ingested! They’re even bigger than I had guessed. Rebecca packed on nearly three pounds in three months, tipping the scales at an enormous (ha!) 16lb1oz. Wohoo, 6th percentile! Look out Daniel, she’s catching up! OK, maybe not. As Daniel put on just over 3 pounds himself, to end up at 20lb5oz. Wow, no wonder it was tricky carrying them both into the office – 36+ pounds of baby!

In the end, their usual 90 minute morning nap at 9AM turned into 30 minutes in the car at 10:15, so now they’re a touch on the crabby side. Ah well, we’ll survive.

Edited to add a photo: a little walk and a swing in the hammock help to deal with the no-nap crabbiness…

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Oh, and a shout out happy mom-aversary to two of my fellow How Do You Do It? mamas… Happy first birthday to Jonathan and Faith, and happy second birthday to Nate and Alex!! And congrats to moms Krissy and LauraC for being such super-moms!

We had our rescheduled six-month well-baby visit this morning. I really do like my pediatrician. She’s knowledgeable, explains things without being at all alarmist, and while she has her opinions on things, she also respects that there’s a range and that some parents do things differently. I tend to agree with her on most things, but it’s nice to know that she’s not totally dogmatic.

She was perfectly pleased with the babies and their growth and developmental milestones. They both slipped a little in the percentiles this time, but it’s right after a stomach bug and they both otherwise look great, so she isn’t concerned. She gave us the green light for solids, told us the standard things to avoid, and off we go! Oh, three shots each, of course. Not fun, but they did alright.

The stats, with percentiles in parentheses (both actual age and adjusted age):
DANIEL
Weight – 17lb, 4oz (40th/63rd)
Length – 26″ (28th/54th)
Head – 17.5″ (65th/81st)
REBECCA
Weight – 13lb, 2oz (4th/12th)
Length – 24.75″ (13th/32nd)
Head – 16.75″ (48th/67th)

The good part is that both kids pretty much slept a record 12 hours last night.

The bad part is that they both pretty much woke up covered in puke.

Good thing we already have a pediatrician appointment at 10am, but much like in the silverbabies household, it looks like this well-baby visit will turn into a sick-baby visit. Good times.

Well, we made our first unscheduled trip to the pediatrician’s office today. While Daniel’s cough seems to be slowly improving, Rebecca woke up with a goopy, yellow, crusty left eye. No waiting for a callback, I was one of the many people causing a busy signal at the doctor’s office at precisely 9AM. We got in at 3:15 and were seen right away, no waiting! I do like my pediatrician quite a lot. She took one look and said, “yup, conjunctivitis.” She checked ears to make sure there was no corresponding ear infection, and upon hearing Daniel’s cough, took a quick listen to both of their chests. All is otherwise well, and a trip to the pharmacy later, we have enough antibiotic ointment for four little eyes, just in case.

Oh, and if you’re keeping count, that’s four teeth pushing against little gums, one congested cold, and one case of pinkeye. And a 3-hour flight coming up on Friday. Wohoo!

The twins had their four-month pediatrician appointment this morning, and all was well. They’re about the same height/length – right around 24.5″. They’ve grown a good six inches since they were born! Yikes! As for weight, Daniel is a solid 15lbs5oz (54th percentile/82nd adjusted), and Rebecca is a petite 11lbs5oz (6th percentile/21st adjusted).

Everything else was just peachy. Doctor was perfectly happy with their development, size, et cetera. The shots, as always, were somewhat traumatic. M was possibly more upset than they were. But a little infant Tylenol and we’re doing just fine. Much as I like our pediatrician, hopefully we won’t see her again until February, for our six month (!) appointment.

From the other day, my big four-month olds! And yes, their shirts say “What Happens at Grandma’s Stays at Grandma’s.” Thanks, Marci!

Friday was the twins’ two-month well-baby doctor visit. And they are, indeed, well. The stats are as follows:
Daniel – 12 pounds even, 88th percentile for his adjusted age (probably closer to about 50th percentile for his real age, thanks to these charts from the CDC). He’s also 22.5 inches long, 70th percentile (adjusted). No joke, he’s my very big boy!
Rebecca – 8 pounds, 9 ounces, 20th percentile (adjusted). For her real age, closer to 5th percentile, but that’s still better than last month! She measured about 20 inches, which is 5th percentile (adjusted). I’m not sure that’s entirely accurate, since the difference in percentiles would suggest she’d be kinda chunky. My daughter is many things, but chunky is not one of them. Ah well.

I’d also like to point out the things I learned at the pediatrician’s office. Maybe you can benefit from my experience.

1. Don’t make appointments for your infant’s well-baby checkup at 3pm. That’s when all of the sick school-aged kids are there. That means the waiting room will be packed with kids and germs, and the doctors will inevitably be running behind.
2. If your child is throwing up in the waiting room, bring him into the bathroom. This was not my child, but the toddler next to us. Not only was it grossing-out everyone there, but I didn’t feel like I could scoot my babies far enough away from his germs. And I’m not even a germ-phobe. Seriously lady, I know he’s too little to hold back his hair so he can puke into the toilet, but maybe try not to let him keep spewing all over the other kids.
3. When taking twins for their vaccinations, bring someone along to help. Even better if that someone is also a pediatrician. (Thanks, Jamie!) Comforting one screaming baby is hard enough. Two would have been impossible.
4. Shots can make them bleed. This will break your heart into pieces. It will also create a horrible-looking stain on your cutest onesie and receiving blanket.
5. Oxi-Clean works wonders on blood stains. OK, I learned this one the next day. But no pre-treating, no-soaking! I just added the stuff to the wash like I usually do and *poof*, blood stain from super cute onesie has disappeared! Whew.

Other than the expected screams from both and unexpected blood coming from Daniel’s thigh, they did well at their appointment. It didn’t take too long to calm them down, the Infant Tylenol kicked in quickly, and we noticed no ill effects.

I’m already talking to M about getting the morning off for their four-month. I can do many things with the twins by myself, but comforting both after shots is a little much to ask of even this super-mom.

Today was the twins’ weekly weight check and one-month well-baby appointment. Both have continued to put on weight well. Daniel is up to 8lb14oz, and Rebecca is 6lb9oz. For those keeping track at home, in five weeks they have posted a net gain of 2lb12oz and 2lb1oz, respectively. Not too shabby.

As for percentiles, since parents love to compare their babies to one another, their weights are in the 76th and 15th percentiles (you can guess which is which!). So for two babies who spent the same 36 weeks in the same belly and were born in the same minute, they are awfully different sizes. Oh, and those are their “adjusted” percentiles, taking into account the fact that they were technically 4 weeks premature. So, yes, Rebecca is only bigger than 15% of one-week-olds. Compared to the average five-week-old, she has finally climbed into the first percentile. Whew.

When I expressed to my pediatrician that I’d like to take Rebecca off of the high-calorie formula, she had no problem with that. She’s clearly eating and growing well, and this will allow me to attempt to breastfeed her more, which is a good thing for both of us. For today, I’m attempting to pretty much just breastfeed her on demand, and we’ll see how it goes.

I asked her if she had any ideas about Daniel’s terrible suck, I finally got a new suggestion! She said that, since they were officially premature, I would qualify for a visit from the Early Intervention folks. The thought being that they might set me up with a pediatric occupational therapist who might be able to help out. It may or may not be the answer, but at least it’s something to try. She also gave me a prescription for Señor Fussy-Pants, thinking it’s possible he might have reflux, and that’s what is making him grunt and fuss some of the time. We’ll see if it helps.

Thanks to all those who offered support and suggestions about my breastfeeding woes. As you can tell, I was in quite a state when I wrote that last post. Not only have the suggestions been nice to have more things to try, but the support has helped me to let myself off the hook a bit. I’m backing off a little, and allowing myself to just say I’ll do my best, and it’ll be alright.

In the meantime, we now await the arrival of Grandpa Jack, Abuelita Cha-Cha, and Auntie Desi. Should be a fun weekend!