12 months: Chapter one says I love you

Happy Birthday to Brady and Brody!  We celebrated their one year anniversary with cake, family time, a trip to the aquarium, and gifts.  I really could not ask for any more!

Rewinding a bit though to recap the month... we had a great time leading up to their birthdays.  This month the boys celebrated their first Thanksgiving.  We cooked a small dinner and ate all together.  I think they liked the food but mostly I think they liked that we were all home together for 4 full days!

 

Saturday after Thanksgiving, we went with my aunt, cousin and friends to cut down a Christmas tree.  This was the first time I had ever cut down my own tree and it was great fun.  Brody started saying "what's that" a few days before this so he pretty much pointed to every tree on the lot and said "what's that".  So cute, and not annoying at all (ask me again in 6 months).

all hands on deck

The next day we spent some time decorating the tree.  Each boy got to top the tree with the star.  Everything gets done twice around here!  

This month we upped our intensity at the park and let the boys try the slide.  Of course, they loved it. I love watching Chris go down the slide with the two boys.  It does not get cutter than that.

We also celebrated the boys' first Hanukkah.  We lit the candles, said the prayers and let them open presents sent by Great Grandma.  They loved every aspect of the gift including the paper, the box, and the actual gifts themselves.  I made latkes and we celebrated into the evening.  What a fun night!

 This month, we attended our first twins party.  It was fun to be someplace with so many twins and to see people experiencing the same joys and challenges that we experience.  There was a Santa there so we tossed the boys into his lap and snapped a picture before they knew what was happening.  Not too bad for a first Santa picture. 

 Last but not least, we celebrated the boys' first birthday!  I made individual cakes that the boys got to smash.  We coordinated with both sets of grandparents so they could watch the boys blow out their candles via video chat and we let the boys eat cake for breakfast.  Yes, we are vying for coolest parents of the year awards. 

cakes

Brody and Brady on the morning of their first birthday

Opening presents from Granny and Papa

Riding on their motorcycles

eating cake

Pointing at fish at the aquarium

 

Brady looking at the sharks

After the aquarium we stopped at Aunt Kathy and Uncle Sam's house, opened more great presents and ate more cake.  It was a great way to end a special day. 

Fun 1 year old facts about Brady:

At one year, Brady weighs 20 lbs 10 oz and is 29.5 inches tall, more than tripling his birth weight.  He is a sweet, loving, squeaky, opinionated and strong-willed little boy.  He is a logical thinker who likes to plan his moves instead of using brute force to get his way.   
Nicknames: We still call Brady A-b-the-baby, Abers, Braidster, Squiggles, Man Baby, Brady Bear and Biscuits. 

Favorite eats: Brady likes cheese, yogurt and grapes.  When you give him a food he really likes, he says "yummmm" and wiggles his legs excitedly while he is eating.  I love that about him.

Tricks: Brady has been standing for awhile and he officially took his first step before his first birthday (just under the wire!).  He says lots of words including Ma, Dad, duck, ball, again, tree, that, and the other day when Chris walked into the room he said "Hi Dad". He loves to clap, wave and touch fingers like ET. 

Favorite pastimes: Brady is still obsessed with trees.  He is fascinated that we have a tree inside the house.  The first day the tree was up, he cried because I would not stand with him in front of it for hours.  He also loves to chase the dogs and cats.  Mostly, the likes to crawl after them and head-butt them and then laugh uncontrollably because he is ramming them with his head.  He likes nesting cups and putting small objects into bigger objects.  He like to climb on stools and laundry baskets and he likes to hold large and small objects over his head while standing.

Teeth: one bottom tooth.  This one tooth is so cute I almost don't care if he gets anymore!

Some of My favorite things about Brady:  I love that after eating at night, Brady will smile, open his mouth, move his face over to mine and burp right in my face.  I love that when he is settling down to sleep (either on my shoulder or in his crib) he likes to pop his butt out a bit and wiggle it back and forth until he is comfortable.  I love that he is gentle and when he wants to give you a kiss, the gingerly approaches your face both with his mouth and his hands.  I love that he will motion for his mom to hold him especially when he is upset.   I love that he giggles at his brother's antics and that he loves to be tickled.  I love that he does not seem to mind when Brody sits on him and when he is annoyed by it, he cries for us to help, but never pushes or tries to remove his brother.  I love that he is enamored with car rides, is quite when Brody is loud and is generally good natured about most things.  I love that he does the most controlled and precise squats of anyone I know.  I love that so many of Brady's characteristics were apparent from day one and he is growing into a wonderful sweet little boy.

Fun 1 year old facts about Brody: 

At one year, Brody weights 24 lbs 10 oz and is 30.25 inches tall, also tripling his birth weight.  He is funny, outgoing, tough, silly, loving, snuggly and fearless.  Brody is more likely to just "go for it" no matter what the task is, without fear of falling or hurting himself or his brother.  He is both a wild-man and snuggle-man and he has an amazing sense of humor.  

Nicknames: We still call him Gunsy, B-B the Guns, Brodster as well as Brody-Bear, Man Baby and Gravy. 
Favorite eats: There is very little Brody does not like to eat (hence the 4 lbs advantage he has over Brady). He seems to love peas, apples and baby guacamole.

Tricks:  Brody is so very strong.  He can manipulate toys and blocks into position while standing and he has taken 3 steps!  He is able to stand and dead lifts heavy wooden toys over his head.  He can also manage to find his way out of any enclosed area by pulling gates/fences away form the wall and slithering out.  Brody can say the same words that Brady can and he also says "what's that".

Favorite pastimes: Brody loves to smash things, chase the animals, play with Adriane, lay his head on his brother, snuggle with us or his brother, hug, make dragon noises, clap, put his hands on his head and crawl with so much gusto, he grunts while doing it. 

Teeth: Brody has 5 teeth, two on the bottom that came in at the exact same time and three on top.

Some of my favorite memories about Brody:  I love that he lays his head on my should during playtime just to say hi or to get a little extra love.  I love that just when I think he is calm and relaxed after eating a bottle, Brody will immediately open his mouth and laugh in my face, escalating the mood of the moment.  I love that he can dance and if you say "dance, dance, dance" he shakes his butt and goes low.  I love that he LOVES to laugh and constantly waves at strangers and says "HI" in a really loud voice to passerbys at the store.  It breaks my heart when people ignore him or do not hear him because his effort is so genuine.  I love that when Brody is aggravated it sounds like he is yelling at us in German.  I love that Brody would rather sleep on me than in his bed and he loves his white bunny (who we call stink bunny because he is stinks most of the time from Brody chewing on him).  I love that Brody randomly claps for us when we do mundane tasks like take the milk out of the fridge.  I love that he loves is brother so much even though he is a bit rough with him and tends to sit on him and lay on him a lot.  I love that he is a brute and a love all rolled into one! 

This has been one incredible year!  I can't wait to see what the next year holds for the McLeans!

P.S. Here is a small video of Brody taking some of his first steps.  I have yet to capture Brady but I will!   http://youtu.be/XKB5_NEpn78

Things people say about twins

I wanted to sneak this post in before the year's end because I do not want to forget the funny/crazy things people say to you when you have twins.  A lot of twin moms complain that they can't go anywhere without people saying something about their babies, turning fast errands into long outings. While true, I made a conscience decision not to let the attention bother me.  I figured that seeing twin babies is always a special sight and people want to share their happiness.  Plus, I figure when the boys are 6 or 7- running around the store terrorizing people, I am not going to get the adoring looks and happy smiles I get now so I better enjoy the attention while it lasts. . .

The compliments and smiles have been endless.  I appreciate that others think my kids are as cute as I do!  People generally rush to open doors for me and make my life easier at the checkout counter.  The politeness has been so profound that during the few times I am out without the boys, I feel the difference in the way people treat me.

There are so many funny things that people have said to me over this last year.  I love when I see Chinese or Indian women with babies and their mothers/mother in laws in stores.  The Grandmother always stops and asks "are they twins?".  I say "yes", and they say "where's your mom".  Hummm, NY?!.  I say "she does not live here".  Them: "Do you have any help"?  Me "no".  Them: "[disappointing sounding] ohhh, you should get some help." and I swear they almost look like they want to jump ship and come home with me.

Often people will look at the boys and ask which is older.  They always think Brody is older because he is slightly bigger.  They point and say "Is he older [to Brody]" and I say "no" and they say "but he is so much bigger!!" as if I am defying physics.  I nod and say "I know, that's just the way it is sometimes".

Once a woman pointed to Brody and said "He has such a big belly.[pause]  He looks just like you".  Hummmm, not sure what to make of that.

People have pointed to Brady (without seeing Brody) and said,  "Gosh, he is your twin."  I say "no, he is his twin" and point to Brody.  I'm the only one who laughs.

Once a woman stopped me a said, "my husband says that twins are not double the work, it's squared".  I laughed and agreed.  When I relayed the exchange to Chris he complained that the math did not make sense, but I still think the sentiment is true!

Sometimes people ask me, while looking at my boys, if I have boy/girl twins.  I have never had the courage to ask which one they think is the girl.  This will always make me wonder. . .

I love when young guys comment on the twins because 9 times out of 10, it turns out they are a twin too!  Young males rarely tell you that your kids are very cute, but if they do, it is likely because they have an experience to share.  

Moms of twins often say hi- confessing they too are part of the twin club.  The first thing they say after seeing the boys are less than a year old is that it gets easier.  I always appreciate their honesty and their acknowledgement that the first year is really hard.

The other day the four of us were at Costco.  We left the store and while walking to the car, Chris and I noticed that they did not charge us for a couple of items.  We walked back to the store to pay for these things and the guy at the customer service counter said that he was surprised they missed these items as the checkout people are usually pretty good and the people at the door hardly ever miss anything.  Chris pointed to the boys and said "we have twins, people often get distracted and miss things with us".  It really could not be more true.  Whether we are walking around the store with the boys in the over-sized carts at Costco, pushing them in their tandem stroller,  or wearing them in matching Bjorns, they are unbearably cute and I love that it brings a smile to to many peoples faces!

Running on empty

I have always tried to be a regular exerciser.  Some periods in my life, this was easier due to great running partners (how can I live without you. . . ) and other times it has been really tough (e.g. at the very end of graduate school finishing up a ph.d.)  No time, however, can compare the challenge of the last two years.

I knew I was pregnant pretty early on, mostly because I felt terrible right away.  I kept walking and swimming for as long and I could manage (primarily thwarted by the 110 degree Arizona summer) but eventually I was put on bed rest to prevent labor, and exercise was a distant thought and a luxury that I was not allowed to do.  After the boys were born..... forgetaboutit.  I think it was two solid months until I actually left the house for something other than a doctors appointment.  It was three months before I started walking once or twice a week with friends.  At month 4, we drove across country (i.e. I sat in the car for 4 weeks) and then shortly after we we moved to California.  Consistent exercise was not in my daily schedule for a long time.  Lately though, it has been something I have been trying to add back into my life, both to make sure I am healthy and feel my best and also to show my boys how important it is to be active.

The great thing about running as a mom is that my entire attitude about exercise has changed.  In the past, there were times when I would consider runs of less that an hour and not worth it. It would be hard to get me to consider it a sufficient workout if I had not done both cardio, abs and stretched and if I had lifted the day before.  I have been fastidious about how many minutes, miles, laps, rpm I did and would keep track of these things for fun.  Now, however, my focus is completely different.  The new goal is just to get out of the stinking house.  I consider my run a complete sucess if I have left the house with two babies, a pair of shoes, and my house key.  Additionally, (likely becuase I am so out of shape), I stop and smell the roses way more than I used to.  There are a couple of scenic trails around here that I like to go to, and sometime (wait for it) I even bring my camera and run WITH the camera and the two babies.  When I see something interesting, I take a picture and I point it out to the boys.

Now, I sing to them, breathless and in short sentences but all in an effort to keep them happy and to keep us out there.  If we are having a bad day, I don't berate myself.  I just dust off my dirty exercising cloths, re-wear my sports bra, and figure we can try again tomorrow.

Perhaps in the not too distant future I will start running for time again, heck maybe I will just start running for time alone.  But for now, I am running to get back to feeling like my old self, to get the boys some fresh air, and to see what is going on outside our front door.

Is there a monster at the end of this book?

When I was little, this was one of my favorite books.  I don't know if it is because I thought it was so clever that I knew that there was no monster at the end of the book even though Grover seemed so scared, or if it just happened to be one of those books that naturally resonated with my early dislike of the scary and the unknown.  As the days lead up to the boys' 1st birthday, I keep thinking about this book and wondering why I am feeling so much angst about them turning one.  Is it because I won't have "babies" anymore?  Is it because I finally feel like I "get" them and after age one they are toddlers, and to quote my friend Christine, " you should never negotiate with terrorists or toddlers" (if that does not scare you, what does?!)? Is it because potty training, weaning, and playing "pretend" are all things that scare the bejeezus out of me and as we move closer to their birthday, all these things become reality?  I really don't know what it is that is scaring me, but at some point last week, I pulled myself up by my mom jeans and decided I needed to have a different outlook about this birthday.  Nothing about them turning one is monstrous.  They are healthy vibrant boys that have endless energy and love to laugh.  We have many wonderful memories from this first year (thank goodness I wrote many of them down because my sleepy brain does not actually retain much).  Most importantly, we have many, many, many, many more chapters to write.  In this case, the unknown is the fun part and every day with these guys is like a little adventure.  This birthday is a celebration of the most difficult, wonderful, unexpected, joyous, scary, sleep deprived, loving year I could have ever imagined and I am so excited to celebrate with my monsters that are at the end of this story!

Month 11: 11 Things about 11 months

 

 

1. These boys graze.  They will eat anything off the ground (odd since they will not eat as easily at the table).  Going to park is exhausting because I am constantly trying to keep them from eating leaves, mulch, sticks etc.  Two mouths, 4 hands, one mom.  You do the math. 

2.  These boys vote.  The boys voted or at least they got to wear the stickers that Chris and I received from voting!  As you can tell, they were very excited to learn about the process. 

3.  These boys are two peas in a pod.  They totally get the fact they are can play together and have a partner in crime. Brody especially likes to be touching his brother at all times. He sits on Brady, layes on him and takes very opportunity to steal his toys.   More often than not, this is the scene I encounter:  I step out of the room and before I return, I hear uproarious laughter coming from my boys.  I creep toward the laughter and peek at the,  I see the boys playing together and laughing hysterically.  They are usually either playing with the door (in the video) or playing peek-a-boo with a colander,  or they are tickling each other.  Either way, it is adorable and heart warming!
(Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G5NNEdjMlk&feature=youtu.be )

4.  These boys know party tricks.  They each know where their head is and they randomly stop what they are doing and place their hands on their head and wait for us to sing "Head, shoulders, knees and toes."  So far, we are stuck on head, but I suspect shoulders are not far behind.  This also happened with itsy bitsy spider.  One day Brady was waving his fingers up over his head and you could tell by the look on his face that he was trying to show me something.  It took a few tries for me to figure it out, but then I realized he was doing the signs for itsy bitsy spider.  I find this stage so amazing and fun.  I love that they are communicating and it is fun to figure out where their minds are going.  I also love that the singing and story hours are clearly having an impact on them.  It is worth trying to get out of the house!

5.  These boys like to be worn.  We are still using the carriers to move the boys around whenever possible.  After a week of running errends alone with the boys, it is a joy on the weekends to just tie a baby onto us and just go.  They are getting heavy though. . .  you will notice I tend to wear Brady for this reason.  I am no dummy.  They love being in the carriers, especially facing out.  They bounce and wiggle and dance around whenever we are going on an adventure.   This month we tried back carrying them in the Boba for a family hike and it worked great!

6.  These boys like to stand.  They both stand with ease and are able to lower themselves from standing to sitting with out any problems.  The only tumbles come when Brody grabs onto Brady with he is standing, just for the fun of it!

7. These boys have teeth.  I do not have a good picture but Brady has one lone bottom tooth and Brody has two on the bottom (they came in togther) and one on the top. 

8. These boys eat!  The boys eating styles can be summerized below.  Brody would pretty much stick his face onto his tray and suck up any food he could.  Conversely, Brady uses one finger and ever so cautously puts things into his mouth.  They (and mom) are getting more adventurous with what they eat.  Meals, espeoically breakfast and long and invlove seires of finger food being placed in front of them.  Some days the dogs get a large amount of food, some days the boys do.  It's all about balance. 

9.  These boys can sleep.  The boys are much better sleepers than they used to be  Some nights they sleep through the night, some nights we are up once or twice, (likely due to teething) but in general, things are getting better.  There seems to be hope that Chris and I may actually get some regular sleep by the time these guys turn 1.  Either way, it is better than it used to be and even when we have a couple of bad nights, things seem to get better on their own.

10.  These boys make cute moose.  I already did a separate post on Halloween, but it can't be forgotten that the boys celebrated their first Halloween by dressing up and handing out candy to the neighborhood kids.

11.  And. . . .these boys ate poop.  Seriously.  I won't say who, but my someone (Chris) accidentally left a poopy diaper where the boys could get to it.  After only a minute alone in their room (typically considered a safe place for them to play), the boys had found the diaper and where holding handfuls of poop and, yes, eating some.  This is sad for many reasons.  1.  They ate poop- need I say more, 2. Brady will hardly eat what I cook him, yet poop was somehow deemed delicious,  and 3.  They had eaten blueberries that day so the poop had a very strong blueberry smell.  Needless to say, blueberries are no longer that appetizing to me.  As soon as we realized they ate poop we did what any parents would do and googled "my kid ate poop" to see what we should do.  Turns out, this is a completely common problem.  It is probably the only time I have ever googled something health related and actually been put to ease instead of been worried that my kid has some terrible disease.  Ahh, parenthood.