The Adventures

Big Boys at 10 months

Mon, 6 Sep 2010 14:33:04 -0500

We’re already starting to plan a Birthday for two little boys who aren’t so little anymore. Joshua and Justin turned 10 months on Saturday, and they are surely not teeny-tiny babies anymore. This month’s photo was a challenge because they both transition so easily from sitting to crawling so it was impossible to get them both in a shot, sitting together. So we improvised. Luckily they can stand supported and haven’t yet figured out how to sit back down. Who knows how next month’s photo will go...
And so, an update:

Joshua: Within the last couple weeks, Joshua has cut two more teeth, on the top front. He sort of helped one along last night when he was playfully trying to dive off the changing table and whacked his mouth on the rail. He cried for a minute but was fine. However, today the one tooth is much further along. He’s figured out he can bite down on things, so far the main victims have been the spoon and Mommy’s shoulder and Daddy’s toes. Joshua is doing better with moving around and getting from sitting to crawling. Just this week he started moving to his tummy more deliberately, previously he just fell backward and bonked his head, which he didn’t like much at all. He is still not able to get from his tummy back to sitting, nor is he pulling himself up to standing, though he did pull up to his knees once this week. Joshua loves to tell stories, Jeff jokes that he sounds like C3-PO talking to Ewoks in Return of the Jedi, he uses his hands and is quite vocal. He squeals with delight and loves to make noise. Joshua will occasionally make the sign for Daddy.

Justin: Justin is still into everything. He’s fast on his tummy crawling, and even crawls on his hands and knees occasionally. He seems to have no issue with getting where he wants to go quickly on his tummy so he usually reverts to that style. Justin is still not able to sit down when he stands up in his crib so often we have to go in a lay him back down a half-dozen times at nap time and bedtime. He has started to try to climb, which he hasn’t quite figured out, but he’ll attempt to get a foot-hold on the crib slats or the playpen and keen eye for freedom on the outside. Justin has done the sign for “milk” at mealtime and “all-done” as well.

Both Boys: Love playing with Daddy. Climb Daddy Mountain is a popular when Jeff lays on the floor. They are so good when we take them places, they almost never make a peep in the stroller shopping or running errands and they are very well-behaved in restaurants. Now that they can sit in high chairs we are able to go out as a family, though we generally have to keep the table clear of anything within a 2-foot radius of the high chairs. They are drinking three 8-oz. bottles of formula a day now, one before each sleepy-time. They also eat 3 meals a day, usually veggies and fruit, but now they have had chicken, beef and turkey. They are taking two naps, usually 1-3 hours, each day, and sleeping 10-12 hours each night. The night-waking is less frequent, which makes it harder to get up at 3 a.m. now that we’re out of the habit. We might even be able to move back to our room soon, since our trips across the hall from the guest room we’ve been living in for a year are only a few times a week now. This week we saw the first taste of fall, the temperatures went from 90s to 60s in a matter of 36 hours, so we had to break out some long pants and jackets. We even had to pick up some new pajamas since we only have winter heavy fleece and summer bodysuits, nothing light-weight for the cooler evenings. The boys even had to wear shoes and socks a couple times this week. We went to a wedding Friday for one of Jeff’s coworkers, the boys were a hit again in their adorable ties, and they were on super-awesome behavior despite being up way past bedtime. They wave and blow kisses and love to be tickled.

And now, the real reason you dropped by...

We’re in National Geographic Online

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:46:17 -0500

When we were in Twinsburg, we saw a National Geographic photographer snapping photos at the parade and around the festival. Never dreamed that of the several thousand sets of twins in attendance the boys would make the final cut into the photo galleries online. Well, as I was surfing through my Google Reader I saw an entry on Twins Days on a site called neatorama,com, which showcased a photo with two very familiar little guys in a stroller. The photo is one that was used in the Twins Days feature on National Geographic’s website. Check us out!

Neatorama
National Geographic Twins Days
(Under Festival Gallery, 5th photo from the end)

Mid-month update

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:27:49 -0500

Just a quick update on Team Wood. We’re mobile. Repeat: We’re mobile. Justin is tummy crawling still with moments of hands-and-knees thrown in. He is into everything and is not going to rest until he can swim in Grommit’s water. Seriously, if you put him on the floor he will climb over whatever obstacle i should be in his path and head right for the dog’s water. He gets super excited and even breathes heavy and laughs as he gets closer. Alas, he generally gets scooped up and relocated before he actually gets to the baby utopia of filthy dog dishes. Justin has also figured out how to stand up. On Tuesday last week he was whining in the morning, I went to get him and he was standing in the crib. Of course, he can’t sit down from the standing position so he tends to get stuck and cries. He does this in the morning when he wakes up, or when we try to put him down for a nap. He is so proud of himself when he stands, though, it’s adorable.
Joshua is also crawling around, though like Justin he is still on the tummy crawling, and will push up to hands and knees but won’t crawl. He hasn’t shown as much interest in standing, though, and he has a hard time transitioning from sitting to crawling, he generally just falls straight backward and bonks his head. He’s getting there though, no rush. Joshua has started, we think, to sign back to us, though. He will occasionally make the sign for milk and for daddy, though we’re not sure if he is just mimicking our movements or really understands what he is signing. We’re working with both boys teaching them signs for everyday things, hoping we can help them communicate with us and each other before they can learn to talk. Joshua loves to mimic what we do and has learned to blow kisses by making a kiss sound in response to ours. It’s very cute. He also cut a 3rd tooth, one of the top front ones. The other one is right under the surface and will probably pop through any moment. Joshua tends to be happy just sitting or laying on his tummy playing, so he is often an obstacle for Justin. He gets hit with toys and literally climbed on daily. He’s usually a good sport about it, though.
Hard to believe we’re more than half way through 9 months. Both boys have started eating new foods, they have tried and enjoyed pasta, chicken, turkey, and love the little puffed rice cereal they can feed themselves. Joshua takes it by the fist full with will often have 5-6 puffs in his mouth at once. No moderation for that kid. Justin is very deliberate and concentrates very hard to pick up one at a time. He is much messier when it comes to the purees though, he likes to rub as much food into his hair as possible, so he often smells like delicious sweet potatoes or cinnamon oatmeal. Yum!
Here are some misc. photos from the recent weeks:

Can you tell us about the road trip in less than a minute?

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:25:13 -0500

Jeff: Yes. Yes, I can. Although you will probably want to view it multiple times.

The City of Brotherly Love

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:43:26 -0500

Jeff: So we are in Philadelphia for a wedding and we had some time to see some of the famous sites. On the 1st day we got to visit three sites. I’ll let the boys break it down for you..
Joshua: So Justin you want to be Pro or Con?
Justin: Pro, of course.

Justin:Let’s Start with the Art Museum. The Famous steps that Rocky Balboa, “The Italian Stallion”, runs up while training. It gives a great view of the city, and tons of people recreate the scene, and/or take a photo with the statue that has been erected.
Joshua: Yeah but it was packed with tons of foreign tourists who don’t understand that you should respect people’s space when smoking, especially babies! Or you get the American tourists who don’t understand “we don’t want you in our photos. Get off the damn bronze bull, it’s not mechanical.”

Justin: Well how about Independence Hall where the Constitution was signed and the Liberty Bell resides. It is the World’s symbol of Freedom. The Bell has it’s own special building dedicated to it, to protect it from the environment, the line even though long was a quick 5 minutes, and the whole area is considered a National Park, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CITY!!
Joshua: Yes, but because it was built around the old city, there wasn’t much parking, the “free” tickets we got to see Independence Hall, would couldn’t actually see because our parking meter was running out and Dad would’ve had to do a 25 minute round trip walk to feed the meter, to then stand in line 30 minutes for a 45 minute tour.
Justin: Well we could’ve reserved tickets, and highly recommend that anyone going do so.

Justin: Well what about Franklin Fountains? Mom can finally have dairy again, and she loves ice cream. They make handmade ice cream with 19 flavors and the place rocks a classic 1920’s feel.
Joshua: We didn’t have any of the ice cream, and they are cash only.

Jeff: On our second day we visited the zoo. Not the Philadelphia Zoo (which is in New Jersey, don’t ask), but the Elmwood Park Zoo. The only con was the parking spaces of the main entrance lot are really close together and there are not many of them. Afterwards we had our Cheese Steak Sandwiches at Fat Daddy’s Deli. The Cheese Steak and Big Daddy sandwiches were amazing and both of them considered a “half” order were probably 9” subs. Again another place that was cash only. As for the city of Brotherly love, they seem to love their hot water. Their scalding hot water. Be careful washing your hands. Seriously.

War? War never changes...and custard is always delicious.

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:23:19 -0500

So the boys got an education today with the Stephens at the Army Heritage Educational Center. Which is a top notch research and museum complex. We toured the library and saw some of the preserved artifacts honoring the legacy of the men and women who has served as our nation’s soldiers. Outside they had simulated WWI trenches, Vietnam posts, various period barracks, basic training obstacle courses, and a “Hellcat” Tank (which the boys took a photo with). It was super hot today, but it was well worth it to face the heat to see all of this stuff up close and personal.

After dinner we all loaded up and went out for custard. We had already beat the heat, but it was such sweet victory. We have been having a great time with the Stephens, and their kids have been super helpful with Joshua and Justin with feeding them bottles, and helping change diapers, I think we’ll all be a little sad when we have to continue on with our trip to Philadelphia tomorrow.

The Sweetest Place on Earth

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:10:21 -0500

So Team Wood is in Carlisle PA visiting Jeff’s Cousin Jodi and her family the Stephens. So for the activity of the day we decided to head to Hershey, PA. The sweetest place on Earth. We went to Chocolate World and learned how Hershey’s chocolate is made. Holy cow, there are a lot of steps to making the chocolate. Afterwards we went on a simulated factory tour and then over to a local park for home made sandwiches and to let the kids play at Cocoa Castle.

Check out the gallery for some “sweet” photos.

Two of us! Two of us!

Sun, 8 Aug 2010 21:50:20 -0500

So Team Wood is at the annual twins festival in Twinsburg OH. We actually stumbled across it. Jen was looking for a place to stay half-way on our trip to Philadelphia and she found Twinsburg. Hm, that would be a neat place to stay, I wonder what there is to do in Twinsburg and here we are.

Day 1: We've said it before and we'll say it again, being a twin is like being a minor celebrity. Except here EVERYONE is a celebrity. We thoughts the boys wouldn't stand out so much, but we were wrong. Twins love baby twins. It was overwhelming at times how one set of twins would ask to have photos with the boys and then others would jump in and then more. Jen had to change out her lens on the camera to be able to fit everyone in, and this was just the first night when there was only 40 minutes left of the festivities! We are loving meeting everyone and hearing their stories.

Day 2: So the parade was this morning. Line up starting at 8A.M. which Jen kept looking at her watch saying we have an hour before we have to be there. Except she didn't advance her watch an hour going through Indiana so when we realized that we had 15 minutes to drive there. Jen had also pretty severely sprained her foot Monday night. She couldn't stand on it Tuesday and most of Wednesday, Thursday was hobbling around with crutches, and didn't feel she could drive any on Friday because it was her right foot. BUT she wanted to walk with her family in the parade, and you could see the look of pain in her face with each step she took, as Team Wood joined the 3,000 other sets of twins in the 35th annual Twins Day Parade in Twinsburg Ohio.

After the parade there was a festival of carnival rides, contests, and talent shows but 3/4ths of Team Wood was wiped out from the parade so we did some shopping, had Chick-fil-a for lunch and had an afternoon nap. We all went out for dinner at Red Lobster, got bombarded with questions about twins, and got to bed early so we could be well rested for swimming, festival and photos on Sunday.

Day 3: We had breakfast at the hotel and did some swimming. Got in a good nap and then headed back to the last day of Twins Day. We marked ourselves on the map, participated in research geared towards twins, took our group photo, and of course took lots of photos with other twins. What Jen and I seemed to get from the festival is the sense of networking the twins have here. Friendships are established that span distance and time. Team Wood had a great time and we want to bring the boys back in the coming years to build this bond with their fellow twins.

9 Months!

Thu, 5 Aug 2010 14:33:09 -0500

Another month under out belts. Joshua and Justin are growing up so fast, every day they are doing new things.Taking this month’s month-by-month photo was a challenge now that Justin is mobile, we wouldn’t sit still! The boys had their 9-Month checkup on Monday and we were all relived to learn that visit didn’t include any shots this time around. They’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing, milestone-wise and they are in the double-digits in weight percentile for the first time.

Joshua: For the longest time, Joshua was well in the lead as far as weight and length, but now he’s the smaller one, though not by much. He has been hovering around the mid-to-upper 17 lbs range for a couple weeks now, and has yet to break 18 lbs. He’s measuring at 10th percentile for weight. Joshua is content to sit and play with toys, and hasn’t really figured out how to transition from sitting to crawling. If he is on his belly, he will army-crawl, pulling with his hands and pushing with his toes. He can get up into a crawling position, but hasn’t yet figured out what to do next. He is not interested in pulling himself up, either, and when we stand him on his feet, he cries. He is getting quite good at feeding himself the rice-puff cereal and will quickly gobble up a dozen or so pieces. He is very vocal and is constantly making noise. His repertoire includes “dadadadadada” and “mmmmmmm” (which he does when eating.) and gurgling like a Merman. He’s hilarious when he’s feeding himself, even if the rice puff is stuck to his hands, whenever he puts his hand to his mouth he says “mmmmmmm” and smiles. For a while he had been kind of a bully and was always pulling ears and hair and scratching. He seems to be on the receiving end of the abuse now, but he doesn’t seem to mind his brother’s advances.

Justin: This kid is into everything. He is fast and curious. He too is army-crawling, though he uses his elbows and knees. He really gets around fast and is always into something. He has figured out how to pull out the plug covers from the outlets, open his bottom dresser drawer, climb up the step in the living room, pull himself up to his knees in his crib (but can’t get down.) and wants to help with the spoon at mealtime. Putting him down on the floor is quite amusing, he literally scoots around from place to place getting into anything he can get his little hands on. Pulling books of the shelf, opening the closet door, pulling on the vertical blinds. He climbs over Joshua in the play area with much regularity, just crawls right over his back. He is so excited to explore that he resists sleeping and napping, and is overly tired sometimes. He will suck his thumb and twist his hair when he’s tired, and gets really clingy and cuddly. But cries and cries if he’s put into his bed. He doesn’t want to miss a thing. He will often fall asleep during mealtimes, both a bottle and in mid-bite with his cereal. He has broken the 18 lbs mark, but just barely. He’s also taller and has a bigger head now, which is not bad considering at one point he was a pound and a half smaller than his brother.

Both: These guys are really growing up. They are eating all sorts of foods, and this week we started meat for the first time. They have had chicken and turkey, both from jarred baby food, which they enjoyed. Sadly, last week our breastfeeding came to an end, so they are on exclusively formula now. It was a good long run, and while there is no new milk to come, there is a little left in the freezer that we’re giving them a bottle or so a day for a couple weeks. They don’t seem as upset about it as Mom is, though. In only 3 more months they will be a year old and done with the formula too. Their smiles light up our lives and their giggles are the cutest thing ever.

Crawling->Climbing->Standing

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:35:56 -0500

Justin: So you know, at first I didn’t like being on my tummy...
Joshua: I know you just wanted to lay on your back. I kept telling you it wasn’t that bad.
Justin: Yeah you were right, now I can’t stay off of it. I love crawling everywhere, up steps, over to the dog door and opening it, over to the drawers and opening them.
Joshua: Yeah there’s a lot more stuff for us to do now that we can get around.
Justin:I don’t know though if we are ready just yet for walking.
Joshua: Yeah, but we can practice in our cribs by holding the rail.