4 months 1 week - Great New Discoveries

Bettina says, "Yes, I can!"

The girls are gaining more and more independence. Ava can now start to "fist" her pacifier closer to her mouth when it falls out. Both Ava and Tina are now holding their bottles (Tina better than Ava) for about 10+ seconds at a time. Tina gets frustrated when we help correct her angle or when she pushes the nipple a little too hard and it bounces out of her mouth.

Both girls are rolling over from their stomachs to their backs, but haven't gone the other way yet. They are much more attentive and aware of each other, now, and just love to spend time on their activity mat. They are starting to get a sense of cause and effect as they kick or tug on the toys to activate the sounds.

They got their second round of shots and protested immensely. Tina is decidedly larger and within 55% of her peers in weight, 75% in height and 65% in head size. Ava is 25% across the board.

The coolest new discovery: The Baby Brigade Movie Night is an ingenious tool to help new parents have a little fun. The Parkside movie theatre in Oakland plays current newly released movies where the littlest of kidlets are encouraged to attend! Otherwise known as "The Crying Room," the always crowded theatre hosts large couches with restaurant-style food service so couples (or just mommies/daddies) can get out, watch a movie for only $5, and not have to pay for or find a babysitter!! Kids cry every now and again... sometimes it's yours and sometimes it's across the theatre, but the otherwise socially-depraved turn a deaf ear and enjoy a glass of wine, pint o'beer and a chicken quesadilla, swaddle their kids to sleep and enjoy the show. This is going to be a fast routine!!

Another system I've learned to work: Join a gym that has child care! Oakwood Athletic Club is a local gym that I've recently joined. Members get 1 1/2 hours of free childcare a day (with reservation). This is truly icing on the cake. We want to lose the baby-weight anyhow. What further incentive could we need but free childcare! Excellent way to ensure yourself daily shower with a steam bath to boot!! Well, it is more expensive than a 24-Hour, so, maybe it's not "free", but none-the-less, it sure feels good!!

4 Months - One-Third of a Birthday

Can it really be? How did the time fly? More than likely, I’ve just been in a sleep-depraved induced fog; however, the girls are one-third of the way to their first birthday (gasp!). Is this supposed to make me happy or sad? I’m not sure that it’s done either, but it does amaze me.

Milestones in the rear-view mirror:

• Smiling
• Giggling (Tina giggles – still waiting for Ava)
• Head at 45-degree angle while on tummy (Tina still needs more work on this)
• Grabbing (especially Mommy’s hair)
• Kicking their feet like little pistons
• Clasping their hands together
• Standing while holding on to something
• Babbling (one of Ava’s strong points – Tina “stories” are much shorter; more like phrases compared to Ava’s novels)
• Oral fixations - chew on fingers and fists and lick the side of the Baby Bjorn
• Roll over from tummy to back
• Tina’s showing signs of teething (how many bibs can we go through a day?)
• Ava uses stomach muscles to attempt to sit up
  
  Milestones to look forward to:
• Sleeping through the night (this is a big one!)
• Pushing body up with arms while on tummy (mini push-ups)
• Roll over from back to tummy
• Sitting up assisted
• Finding their thumb
  
  Questions to contemplate:
• Should I go back to work part-time?
• When do we introduce solid foods?
• When will they ever start sleeping longer?!! Please, please, please drop at least one night feeding!!!

3 months 3 weeks - Baby Signs

Red Hot Chili Pepper!

OK - this picture has nothing to do with this week's activities, but it sure is cute!

This weekend, I started taking a sign language course with my friend Tiffany's mommys' group. Saturday was the first class so we went around the room, introduced ourselves and told the instructor and group why we'd decided to take the class. It's sort of the chic-chic "thing to do" right now (example: "Meet the Fockers"), so most people said they'd heard it was good for kids' brains, etc. Although I'm sure that there's merit in what they say, I have other reasons that are also practical and personal.

My Aunt Caroline and Uncle Jim were teachers of the deaf and, naturally, learned to sign for their job. They taught their daughters (my cousins Jimee' and Cassidy) even though the whole family had their complete hearing. What I've seen is not only do my cousins know a second language that can be useful around the world (although usually you may be hard-pressed to find someone to "talk" to - it's not like Spanish or something), but the family could talk in ways that mine couldn't.

As a kid, my mom had a special whistle she used when she needed to talk with one of us when we were too far away to speak. My sister and I would respond by dropping what we were doing and running over to her, but we wouldn't know which one of us she needed much less what she needed until we ran all the way over to her. As a kid, it was kind of a bummer to have to leave your fun just to find out what mom wanted and even more disappointing when she didn't even need you, but your sister, in the first place. Spending summers at my aunt and uncle's, they would just sign what they needed, even from an acre away. My cousins would sign back and we could resume our play. In noisy, crowded places, it also came in useful. No one had to raise their voice in order to be heard. Conversely, no one had to know if you were getting chastised or "yelled" at during church service or another quiet place. What a cool thing to be able to make your point without causing a scene!

Paul thinks I'm crazy, but I'm doing it anyhow. Much like absorbing the spoken language, signing needs to be modeled early before the kids can take it into context. But, because their gross motor skills mature faster than all the little muscles in and around their mouths, they should be able to sign back much earlier, say 8 months or so, than actual talking, which comes around 12 months. I think initially, I'll feel silly doing unusual things with my hands, but learning should prove fun, interesting, and, if I'm as good of a teacher as my Aunt and Uncle, quite useful in the coming years.

3 months 2 weeks - Katrina: Come Hell And High Water

It's hard to worry about national disasters when you've got kids as cute as these...


3 mo 2 weeks

They just got these darling ballerina tutus in the mail from Grandma's friend Charlene, and they're adorable. They will play with these for years to come, I'm sure. Completely and serenely unaware of the shocking reality of the true meaning of losing everything.



I watched a lot of CNN this week. I've cried more this week than all the long, exhausting nights of my hormone-enduced motherhood. It hit me hard when news reporter Barbara Starr told the story of General Honore walking up to an exhausted young mother of twin infants. She was so tired from walking, coping, and surviving that her babies were practically falling from her arms - her eyes so glazed over, she could hardly notice. Gen. Honore couldn't ignore it and took that mother and her little babies into his convoy so they could get direct care.

That story was upstaged by Oprah's when she showed 29 newborns who were airlifted from the NICU to other hospitals around the country. Their moms could not go with them - there wasn't enough room. I can't imagine the pain and anxiety of those mothers who had to decide to send their kids to "who-knows-where," not knowing when they would see them or how'd they would get there, once they figured out what to new town they were actually sent. Tears fell every 5 minutes, even though all of them survived the trip.

Yesterday, Tina, Ava and I went through their things. Things they'd either outgrown, never used or really would be more comfort to someone else than us. Brand new pink plush puppies - the softest material you've seen - sent by friends in Las Vegas, other stuffed toys, books and blankets. A hand-knit blanket and extra diapers and hair brushes. 3 bags full.

Then, off to my things and Paul's. Another 3 bags full of clothes that are best used by someone in this type of situation. The girls and I drop off the bags at a local baby store who has volunteered to ship them to the shelters. A whole room full of carefully marked and boxed items with UPS stickers, waiting to be picked up and sent to Houston. I ask if they need voluteers to help package and organize the donations, which are flowing toward the door.

The girls and I will bring our Pack n' Play here tomorrow and help during nap time. With my hands tied up in other responsibilities, like caring for these new little ones, it is one thing I know that we can do. And, every little thing, thought and prayer will help. God bless them all.