15 months!

Okay, so the boys are nearly 16 months, but they just had their 15 month check-up at the doctor.  No wonder I've been feeling like I won't be able to carry both of them at once for much longer - they've been doing some growing!

Caleb is 25lb 5oz (55th percentile) and 32.25in (75th percentile).  Logan is 21lb 14oz (10th percentile) and 30.5in (25th percentile).  Since their appointment 3 months ago, that's a 4lb and 1in gain for Caleb, and a 2.5lb and 2in gain for Logan.  We've definitely been noticing the weight gain in Caleb.  The doctor is very happy with their growth, all along he wasn't too concerned because they were headed in the right direction even though they were still kinda small, but he said he was really pleased to see a jump on the charts like this.

He was also pleased to see everything they do - walk around very well, curious about everything, saying a few words.  He said to just keep doing what we're doing!  (That's kinda scary, do we even know what we're doing??)  They did pretty well tonight, didn't get into too much trouble.  Logan got a little scared when he had to lay down for the doctor, and of course they both cried with their shots, but they got over it like champs.  :)  No more shots until they're 4!

photos

Mike's truck after run-in with a deer.  Doesn't show the damage real good, but you get an idea.  I especially *like* the tufts of hair caught in there...

My nephew Jason reading to Logan.  I think both enjoyed it.  :)

The exersaucer situation yesterday.  Yes, poor Logan was crying and I took time to snap a photo.  I suppose of there was any blood involved I would be in more of a hurry, but I knew he wasn't really hurt and it's just too important to document all these moments!

Caleb working on tearing apart the playpen.

I'm starting early getting the boys on my side (four-wheeler) instead of Mike's side (snowmobile).  Not that we'll ever be able to get either one, but just in case...

deer

For some reason I'm having trouble uploading photos today.  Hmmm...  Will have to try again later.

Today's a perfect grilled cheese & tomato soup day!  Too bad the boys ate most of my sandwich.

For those of you who haven't heard, Mike hit a deer Friday morning.  Came out of nowhere, Mike didn't even have a chance to hit the brakes.  He's fine, truck is not.  And here's the real kicker, Mike just reduced the insurance coverage on his truck in January!  He's trying to see how much fixing he can do himself - spent some time on it Saturday and made headway, I'm not sure exactly where things are at.  We certainly weren't planning on this expense, but already in our 7 short years of marriage God has clearly provided for us numerous times, so we're trying to just trust Him and move on.  Can't change the past so might as well do what you gotta do and keep going!

Saturday evening we had a birthday party for my dad and got to hear about his trip to Russia.  So neat!  I'm ready to take a big trip somewhere...  :)  The boys didn't have a whole lot of patience for looking at pictures, so we didn't get to see the whole slideshow, but what we did get to see was really neat.  Of course the boys had fun playing with their cousins, that's neat to watch.  Maybe the age difference will be too much, but I can see Nathan, Boden, and Caleb becoming a little trio.  I saw the three of them together and Caleb was all about hanging with the big boys.  Logan had fun sitting on Jason's lap while Jason read him a book.  So cute.

A couple weeks ago we were noticing that when Caleb's in an exersaucer he can get it rocking so far that he's almost tipped over.  Yesterday I was talking with a friend and she was mentioning that her nephew (at 10 months old) can climb out of his exersaucer.  Well, today the boys were in their exersaucers for a bit and Logan started crying, I went to look and Caleb had his exersaucer completely on its side almost on top of Logan and I think Caleb was hitting Logan or something.  My best guess is that I had them too close and Caleb was able to grab onto Logan's exersaucer to get his tipped over.  I have a pic, but you know, can't upload for some reason.

Also, last week Caleb started figuring out how to fold up the mattress in the playpen when he's in there.  Sigh.  I guess I have no good way to contain him!  I really can't even leave them alone in the playroom for even 30 seconds either - the second I'm gone they go behind the chair to bang the lamp on the wall, pull out their pop-up tunnel, get into the trash, etc.  My twin mom friends say it gets better...

And at the same time, they are SO cute, and SO much fun!  I just love how Caleb gives me kisses now, how Logan gets a silly look on his face when I pretend he's my baby, how Caleb flexes his muscles and growls just like Mike, how they both love to sit on my lap and look at books, and the list goes on.  :)

outside

We were able to play outside for a bit today.  The boys loved it!

Sometimes the cuteness is just too much for me.  I can't handle it.

Caleb found a stick he had fun playing with for a few minutes.

Logan was very happy when it was his turn to play with the stick.  (ANYTHING Caleb has in his hands Logan wants.)

butterflies

Last Saturday we went to see the butterflies at Frederik Meijer Gardens with my brother, Eric, and his family.  It's a good thing the boys get in free at this age - it was fun, but I don't know if it would be worth it if we had to pay for them.  I think they did actually notice some of the butterflies and there's lots of other things and people for them to look at, but they'll certainly get more out of it when they're older.  I didn't get as many photos as I would have liked, but below are a few.  It was VERY crowded, they strongly encouraged not using strollers inside (I should have ignored that), and the boys can't quite just walk along, so I was carrying a 20+ pound little boy, plus a 10 pound camera that I need two hands to operate.  I'm not complaining, just setting the stage for you!  :)

 

kisses

Logan has been giving kisses for awhile now - nice, big, open-mouthed, sloppy ones.  Caleb started just the other day.  He usually puckers up a little bit, but sometimes he sticks out his tongue or does open-mouthed.  I suppose before they start dating we'll have to have a talk with them...

bottle

All of our bottles are put away!!!  Last weekend we decided to bite the bullet and make Logan give up the bottle cold turkey - by the end of the first day he was drinking some milk out of a sippy cup.  He still seems just a little resistant to it, but some of it is he just doesn't like to drink a ton of milk.  Good thing he eats lots of yogurt and cheese.  :)

I finally finished Caleb's baby book - I did a digital scrapbook, am having it printed right now, and am SOOO nervous for the book to arrive.  The perfectionist in me could have paralyzed me and kept me from finishing, but Mike and I put alot of importance on this sort of thing, so I had to just do it.  I've started on Logan's, but don't want to get too far into until I see how Caleb's turned out.  Logan's won't take me near as long to do as Caleb's.  And then after I finish that project I have so many other projects I want to do - oh, if only I had the time, money, and motivation...

Logan started saying "ball" the other day.  So cute. 

I am REALLY looking forward to the weather improving and being able to get out of the house more.  It will be so nice to spend time playing outdoors.  I think we're getting some cabin fever over here. 

The boys are improving on some things that I didn't think were possible.  :)  They actually do pretty well picking up toys before bedtime, and putting books back on the shelf after reading - of course this is with very direct supervision and guidance, but at first I didn't think it was even possible at all for them to pick up a book and put it on the shelf.  So, it's a pretty big deal to us.  :)

They continue to love reading and looking at books.  And, they do have favorites.  There's a Bob the Builder book that they always want to took at (and can point to the ball that gets stuck in the cement...), and a couple Thomas books they like ("...There's a toad in the road, we will have to unload!  That toad in the road caused a fuss on the bus..."  Really?!  Because of a toad in the road they have to get off the bus?  Crazy.).  And there's a Blue's Clues book that at the end says, "Blue loves you!" and sometimes Caleb will point to himself.  Adorable.

cute

I've written before about Caleb and Logan's friend at church, Sophia.  Her parents had the cutest story for us on Sunday.  Saturday they unexpectedly had to go shopping for a new microwave.  They told Sophia that they were going to go to Logan's for lunch.  Logan's the restaurant, that is...try explaining that to a two-year-old who talks about her friend Logan all the time (meaning Caleb, too)!  So, I guess she kept saying, "Go to Logan's house?  Go to Logan's house?"  And by the end of the day when she realized she wasn't going to see Logan and Caleb she was pretty sad.  Good thing the next day was Sunday and she got to see the boys at church!

Saturday afternoon we went to my grandpa's girlfriend's birthday party at their nursing home.  Kind of a hard place to manage two 15-month-olds who do not like to be held.  There's lots of trouble to get into, so they need to be kept on a tight leash (maybe it's time to actually get leashes...).  Add that to the fact that it's naptime and that really makes things fun.  At one point Mike picked Caleb up because he was headed for trouble and Caleb threw a fit (just throws his head back and screams), pretty much everyone in the room looked over.  Nice.

We've been having shoe issues with Caleb.  He does not want to put shoes on (arches his foot, curls his toes so it's nearly impossible to get a shoe on), and after an hour or two of wearing them he gets pretty upset.  I'm pretty sure the shoes are the right size, but maybe they just aren't comfortable.  Sunday I got called to the nursery - when I got there they said Caleb had been crying for awhile and they couldn't get him to stop.  He was crying harder than I've ever seen!  I took his shoes off and he started calming down right away.  It took him a long time to totally calm down because he was SO worked up, but the shoes were definitely an issue.  Hmmm... 

Last night we went bowling with another couple from church.  We haven't been bowling in so long, it was fun!  Of course Mike did great.  :)

words

I don't feel like writing a big long fancy post, so here's a few current notes on the boys.

 

Logan

• bye-bye
• hi (sort of)
• uh-oh

 

Caleb

• bye-bye
• no-no
• car (He repeats this after me starting just a couple days ago.  Sounds more like "ca".)
• he has his own word for dog (sometimes uses it for other animals) - sounds like "ba-oo"
• uh-oh
• amen (sounds like "mimi")

 

Logan has improved with signing "more" at meal times - really hope we continue moving in the right direction as he can whine alot.  :)  Caleb can be very emphatic with signing "please" - cracks me up.  It's pretty obvious if he REALLY wants something.

 

We usually put the boys together in a playpen for awhile after supper so we can clean up.  Turns into full-on wrestlemania in no time.  Tackling each other, standing on each other, etc...  They'll have fun for awhile - lots of giggles and even some kissing (Mike's not too fond of that part!!) - but eventually Caleb has Logan pinned and he starts to cry.  The only thing that distracts them is when Mike lets in the dogs to clean-up the floor - the boys get very excited about that.  We're still trying to teach Caleb not to shriek with excitement and possibly scare the dogs.

 

They are loving books more and more.  Constantly bringing books up to us to read to them.  If you're sitting on the floor, they'll walk up with a book, turn around and plop right down on your lap. 

 

Caleb still has separation anxiety almost every time we leave him (nursery, babysitter, etc.), and Logan almost never does. 

 

Logan's fingers found his nostrils a little while back, and we're working on that one.

 

The boys do great eating carbs, meats, and cheese as table food, but we're still working on transitioning fruit and veggies from pureed to table food.  Logan is generally much more open to trying new things than Caleb is.  Although, if you try to give him milk in a sippy cup rather than a bottle he makes a face like it's the most terrible tasting thing ever.  Caleb loves milk and water.  He would drink all day if I let him - he gets plenty of fluids, I just gotta cut him off at a certain point otherwise he pees like a maniac.

 

Logan is still working on getting a few molars out - he drools like CRAZY.  He has his shirt soaked within minutes.  I probably should just have him wear a bib, but I don't think he'd be a fan of that.

laugh

Logan is SO ticklish in his armpits.  The other day I tricked him pretty good by asking him to do 'so big', but now he knows what's coming.  :)