Things are looking up.

These last couple of weeks have been pretty exhausting. I was sick, again, both babies had their first colds, Jackson cut his first tooth, they've perfected sitting and we've had PT once each week. Add turning ten months,  our last RSV shots, gaining one pound each and the screaming phase and you've got our entire month of March.

Luckily we are getting more spring-like weather, higher temperatures and moving the screaming out of the house. Because Roger and Sara are who they are, we tried about ten things before they were ready to start telling the tomatoes "no" every time they screamed. Once we all started doing that, the progress was measurable and immediate. Both understand the word no as well as the word yes.

Napping has also hit a few rough patches. Sara asked for a limited period and I tried that for about three weeks. It worked, I'm lying, I was trying to come up with something positive but there's nothing positive about it. It didn't work at all. They'd each sleep 45 minutes and then cry/complain/play/scream until the set amount of time had passed and I'd get them up, crabby, exhausted and we'd all be frustrated. Finally last week I couldn't take it anymore. There is no point getting an exhausted baby out of bed, if they are tired they need sleep, I can't sleep for them thus they get the opportunity to sleep. Tabitha responded immediately. She regularly sleeps 75 to 90 minutes every morning. Jackson improved, started sleeping 45 minutes, instead of the 30 he'd been sleeping, and then, after awhile, another twenty minutes. This week he's doing a set 45, a lot of complaining, then another 45-60. It isn't ideal but it isn't something I can do for him. 

Physical therapy has really been on hyper drive. Both tomatoes rolled from their backs to their front this week. Each can hold a sitting position and without planning has put themselves into a sit from an all fours position. 

Tabitha has started mini-fits at random times. She just bursts out with a cranky-cry-fuss and waits to see if anything happens. No tears or anything. 

As far as their fits go, each has their own unique cry pattern. Tabitha gets angry and yells as if she's been deeply wronged. Jackson kind of whines and cries as if he's been deeply wounded. This is funny because I had a set of twins who were exactly like this, girl like Tabitha and boy like Jackson. They even looked a bit like the tomatoes back then with their huge chubby cheeks.

Substitute nanny today!

Hello everyone, Norah here!  Today Samara is off on a small adventure (I'll let her fill you in if she wants), and I'm here with the babies!  I love them and they love me, we have so much fun together... and yet, today I'm realizing that they can tell that Samara is not here; and me without her is something unusual. When I went to get them up after nap time, Tabitha just kept looking at me with this adorable cute face of confusion! And Jackson, well now, he usually says Dada Dada Dada all day long... but this afternoon? none of that! It's all Sssss, Sssss, Sssss... which I think is because he's looking for Samara!  Smart kiddos!!!

Update, screaming, sitting and Spring!

Things here are plugging along. We've been meeting with the PT each week instead of once per month. Whether or not she believes it helps, we've all seen measurable change. 

1. Both tomatoes are now sitting on their own. 

2. Jackson put himself into a sit one evening last week. 

3. Tabitha can occasionally go from sitting to an all fours position. 

4. This morning Jackson rolled from his back to his stomach for the first time ever. 

On the downside we're still experiencing a lot of screaming. Happy, sad, angry, confused, all they do is scream. Makes it hard for their nanny to think let alone blog. Thus the reason for the long breaks between posts. I just can't think while they scream. Roger and Sara encourage it. we're going to have a talk about it. I can't take much more. Lately they choose to practice screaming rather than cooing or babbling. It's putting their language skills further behind and killing me. Screaming isn't something that just disappears and it can last for YEARS. 

There have been other positives in our world. Each tomato gained a pound in the last six weeks. They have finished their RSV shots and both are currently healthy. Our long, cold, snowy winter only brought one cold and they had it at the same time. There's not much more one can ask for. They are more than ten months old now, robust, healthy and full of personality. 

I'm really looking forward to their birthdays, warmer weather and getting outside more. I can't wait until they are crawling and then walking. I love holding toddlers hands as they plug along. Lucky enough I'm short and this requires no hunching which encourages me to do it on a regular basis, once they can mostly walk. I'm also looking forward to new toys and finger foods. Cheer!os have already entered the house although neither tomato knows what to do with them. Roger and Sara have a detailed list of toy suggestions and ideas, hopefully some of which will surface in the next couple of weeks.

This weekend I'm headed out of town and hoping to return to Spring. Keep your fingers crossed, yesterday there were at least three Duck Boats in the river so it has to be coming. And crocuses! I saw crocuses on my commute in today!