Out with a bang

A had the great idea to move the twins to beds of their own. I'll freely admit that I wasn't wild about this idea at first: this means we now have three little independent minded beings able to wander the house nocturnally. Yet, it also means that there is no longer a crib upon which to bang one's head. While it was very hard for us to discern if B was banging his head for attention reasons (bored and wanting to get out of bed) or for headache reasons associated with his chiari (to get our attention because he was having a headache), we agonized over him doing it regardless.

The bed has brought some clarity. B has stopped headbanging. He now hops out of bed and demands for 'Dad-dee, tuckie in' A much welcomed request for being tucked in as opposed to the rhythmic banging that we've been subjected to for a long while. It is also difficult to know how his headaches/chiari stuff is going. His appointment with the neurosurgeon this month went well. He did not feel that B's chiari had worsened or that the flow of his spinal fluid was significantly blocked. He still is waking up a lot at night, but I'm trying to take a step back and consider the possibility that B simply has us trained. I think I might work on a little sleep hygiene with him over my spring break...

Valentine

wishing you a happy, wondrous valentine's

Handsome Debell

H has been working on understanding the differences between men and women.  For a long time, he thought (perhaps he still does) that all babies are born girls.  And that somehow, they morph into boys. And his concept of aging is still developing. In the magical way that children's minds work, this did not come out as a clear, concrete thought but rather was expressed abstractly for several months after M's birth.  H would say things like, 'When I grow up, I want to be little.  I want to be a baby girl.'  And he'd also say things like, 'When I grow up, I'm going feed my baby with a breast.'  I think his mind and development are amazing.  He obviously is working out his jealousy and fascination at M being a baby, getting a lot of attention and of being breastfed.  He claims to want to 'Be little for Halloween. I want to be a baby and be held.'  I know, I know. I find it bittersweet too. But he is managing ok and his concepts of boys becoming men seems to more solid lately.  He's begun mimicking A: he wants to wear a belt every morning 'like Daddy' and he is so excited to 'grow up and be a Daddy' but he was a little disappointed to hear that he won't be getting breasts after all....

He's been copying A in other aspects as well.  The other day, after he finished picking out his outfit, donning his belt and getting his sweatshirt zipped, he ran into our room announcing, 'Here is a handsome debell'  Yes, H, you are becoming like your Daddy, that handsome devil.

Tubes, 'Noids and Raspberries

B and E had their second set of ear tubes placed this week and as a bonus they got their adenoids removed as well. Removed is a euphemism I believe, I strongly suspect they 'bovie' (cauterizing with electricity) the ever living bejebus out of the nasopharyngeal tonsils (aka adenoids). I theorize this only because the smell of burnt tissue is pervasive. For the past week, we have been constantly walking around saying, 'All right, what's that horrible smell? Who needs to be changed?!' Only to realize that it's the smell of adenoidectomy that we're encountering. Delightful.

As for the M, she is a cutie pie. I'm not sure if I've shared what a wonderfully sweet and happy baby she is. She generally only cries when she is hungry or tired. She loves to engage people, her entire face lighting up when she catches your eye, and her feet wriggle and toes curl with pleasure. She's recently started making raspberries and could write a PhD thesis on the utility yet unpredictability of phalanges. She's experimenting with putting them in her mouth. She continues to be soothed with her pacifier. Kate gives her baby massages and reports that she enjoys her foot massage most. She hasn't started solids yet, I'm giving her a few more weeks before we go down that path. In the meantime, she's working on sitting up and taking a swing at all toys that dangle in her direction.