7 Quick (although they never are) Takes (mostly about my twins)

-1-

I was chatting with Lauren yesterday about how many of the offical pediatric recommendations have changed in the six years since I became a parent. It's crazy. Like: we weren't supposed to give baby Camilla peanuts, egg whites, shellfish, strawberries, and probably some other things I'm forgetting. Now it's anything goes! (Except for honey which has botulism which infants can't digest. That probably won't change.) Since we don't have any family history of allergies, our doctor said we could give Linus and Ambrose whatever food we wanted. So different from the horribly restrictive time way back in 2007.

It feels silly, since I'm still a pretty youngish newish parent myself, but I can now sympathize with people from my parents' generation (yes, including my actual parents, although they're awesome generally) who are tempted to roll their eyes at us new parents intent on following all the rules to the letter. The rules change! "The newest research" is a variable concept! Who knew?

-2-

Our pediatrician's office has been getting way too many phone calls from me recently, because Linus and Ambrose have had, by my estimate, at least six colds since Camilla started school at the end of August. Their poor congested heads couldn't take it, they each ended up with an ear infection, and it turns out that along with getting fevers they both throw up when they have ear infections, and amoxicillin worked for Linus but Ambrose needed a stronger antibiotic, which he hates, and this week (just as Linus's antibiotics were finished and Ambrose's are finishing) they have ANOTHER cold. I'm so sick (heh) of feeling their foreheads for fever and dealing with their extra neediness and fret fret fretting about secondary infections and all that infernal stuff.

I always say that I'm happy as long as no one has to be hospitalized. Maybe that's not true. I'm happiER than I was during Linus's hospital stay last winter, but it is still zero fun to have my babies grumpy and clinging to me, and negative amounts of fun to be worried about them. I want them to be healthy so they can be happy so we all can be happy. Bah.

-3-

It's funny in a "dang, why does it always work out like that?" way that the kid who has needed the longer, stronger dose of antibiotics is Ambrose, our drug-hater. He gets 10mLs of Augmentin twice a day, and it takes both of us and some serious grit to get it into him. And his medicine is flavored! It doesn't even taste that bad! (Yes, I tasted it.)

Meanwhile, Linus happily sucks down his 5mLs of unflavored amoxicillin and then, like, begs for more. If he sees me dosing up Ambrose's syringe of meds, he'll chase me down to try to get a taste. We jokingly call him "the junkie." If he gets a high fever and needs ibuprofen and acetaminophen alternated, he's thrilled.

I don't *hope* that Linus is the one who gets the bad ear infection [if there is a] next time, because that would be wrong. But it'd certainly be easier if it worked out that way.

-4-

On a much much MUCH happier note, three weeks ago we started nightweaning the babies. And it's WORKING. (Despite their having been sick this whole time, so it's pretty much a miracle. I credit St. Jude.)

Bryan must've been afraid - unnecessarily - that he hadn't quite locked up the Dad of the Year title for 2012, so he volunteered to deal with Linus and Ambrose between midnight and 6am each night while I slept with white noise and earplugs in the other room. The first night was really bad; I think he was up from 2-6am, but since then it's gotten progressively better. 

And (lean in, because I have to whisper this) in the past week they have both slept through the night, multiple times. Ambrose twice, Linus five or six times. I nurse them (often a dream feed) before I go to bed around 11pm and last night they both slept through until 6am. They never woke Bryan once!

We are so happy about this we don't even know what to do with ourselves. Camilla and Blaise were never successfully nightweaned and sleeping through until around 22 months, so this is new territory for us. It is amazing. I am truly having trouble believing that it actually worked.

-5-

Our little dudes are 17 months old today, and they are finally both walking competently.

Ambrose was staggering around by 15 months, and Linus was taking confident steps by 16 months, but this is the first month I can say we have two real walkers.

(Thank the Lord, FINALLY.)

Camilla walked at 13.5 months and Blaise at 12.5 months, so when I was looking forward last spring, I assumed Linus and Ambrose would be walking this summer. June, maybe, or July at the latest.

But we got to 14 months. Nothing. Not even close. Okay, they were born six weeks early, so maybe by 15 months. And Ambrose came close; he was a pretty good walker by late August. But Linus, whose entire motor development was delayed by (we think) his severe anemia last winter, took until nearly 16 months before he'd even try to take a step on his own. It's just been in the past couple weeks that he's gotten the confidence to walk more than he crawls, and in the last few days that I've seen him walking almost exclusively.

-6-

I should be used to it by now, because this is common, but it's confusing to me: people in general (by which I mean other parents, especially older ones who accost you in the grocery store) seem to think walking is BAD. 

Why is this?

"Just wait until they start walking!" they say. "You're gonna be in so much trouble."

Whatever, grocery store shoppers. I LIKE it when my kids walk. I love toddlerhood. My life has gotten easier and better each time my baby started walking. Yes, it's a little more daunting now that there are two of them to run in opposite directions, but it was exhausting carrying them both around. Now that they can propel themselves places, my back will enjoy the break.

Besides, is there anything cuter than chubby-cheeked little ones who were babies mere minutes ago walking around like real adult people? I think not. It slays me, the cuteness of it. I'm thrilled.

-7- 

And of course, Linus and Ambrose, who have been enjoying throwing us curveballs since the moment they decided to split into two of them (or however that worked. I like to imagine them colluding. It feels accurate) walked late but were prodigious in developing all the gross motor skills we DON'T want them to have.

They climb everything. EVERYTHING. 

We have to be vigilant about keeping all the chairs pushed in at the table because before you turn around, one of them will be on top of it. Standing on it, shaking all the salt out of the shaker.

I realize that this is normal toddler behavior, but Camilla was a ridiculously tractable toddler (seriously, we told her "no" once and she'd never do it again) and Blaise is the kind of kid who can't be bothered to make mischief when there are so many blocks to be carefully stacked in complex patterns (and so little time). So this is new to us.

See, right here. These are some cute little guys (Ambrose on left, Linus on right) but if you look closely you'll see they are standing on a plastic bin. Standing on the floor would be too boring.

Oh, we are in trouble.

 

See more Quick Takes at Queen Jen's.

Comments

[MelanieB]

1. I hadn't realized the rules had changed. I don't think our pediatrician keeps up. Then again, Sophie had some food sensitivites and so do I, so I'm still on the line with that one. My reaction with Anthony was to just hold solid foods altogether until he could feed himself. That solved so many problems-- except the nursing all the time one.

3. Ben, who had so many infections I was afraid we were looking at tubes, loved amoxicillin and hated, hated, hated Augmentin with a passion. Dosing him often took two people. Until near the end of the week when I finally gave in to the idea that it was inevitable we'd force it down his throat and started just taking it.

4. Yay for nightweaning! It was hell for the first week or so but after that made life so much better.

6. I agree. Walking is good. Not having to hold a 30+ pound toddler is very good. I can't imagine it with two of them! I am so in agreement about how thrilling it is to see them moving about like little adults. So adorable!

7. Anthony is my first real climber too. Oy! Into everything! The other day he was trying to stand on the firetruck riding toy so he could push buttons on the tv and was so mad when he kept falling.

And I thought the other kids got a lot of bumps and bruises as toddlers. He easily has as many as all three of them had put together. And I think Blaise and Ben sound a lot alike. With Ben it's arranging cars and trucks in neat rows.

I love to see you blogging again, though I didn't get around to commenting on your last couple of posts. Too many interruptions.

[Sara]

My life has gotten easier and better each time my baby started walking.

I'm anxiously awaiting walking. We've got a 5* cruiser in the house, she often prefers it to crawling, and if she's not walking in the next month, I'm pretty sure she will be by Christmas. So many things will be so much easier once she can holding on to just one (or no!) hand, rather than two. I'm looking forward to it!

[Sam]

I think Coop (17 months on the 26th) is going to be the last walker (and sleep through the night) baby in his internet age group. For me, it is easier to deal with those things because he is my last baby. Soon we'll sleep! And run after him!

[Tracy]

LOL, I love the thought of them deciding to be two babies :-). "Hey, we can be double the fun, double the trouble! Let's go for it!"

Walking never bothered me. Mac walked by 12 mos. Nina - she didn't care to be bothered to walk until 16 or 17 mos. Yikes, I don't remember! But it IS in her baby book (one of the few things that is...) I do however remember exactly how old she was when I came into the kitchen and found her on the counter trying to figure out how to get higher... (13 mos. and it about gave me a heart attack. She was TINY. I still haven't figured out how she managed that.) We put away all the stools and the chairs and she still climbed everything. Maybe that's it - walking is EASY. Climbing can be terrifying.

[Swistle]

I can't believe they're WALKING. They were JUST BORN.

I too had fresh empathy (strong enough to apply even to my late mother-in-law) for the "When YOU were babies WE never had to..." with related scoffing. I still clenched my teeth ("Yes, MIL, but now car seats are considered safer") [it is wildly unfair of me to use that example, since she never ever said one word about car seats, and in fact was one of the early adopters of car seats, which got her mocked by HER mother and mother-in-law], but I Got It. I was able to say, with sincerity, things like "I know: it's so annoying how ONE DAY it's 'absolutely NEVER this!' and the NEXT day it's 'absolutely ALWAYS this!'"

[Claire]

I wonder if the doctor recommendation is a regional thing? If so, the pediatricians in our area have not yet caught up. They still recommend avoiding things like peanuts.

I have never understood the fear of walking. Crawling babies can get into plenty of things, too. Once they're mobile, it doesn't seem to make a whole lot of difference whether it's crawling or walking. I actually found that my son got into more trouble when he was older and taller and could reach more things. Babyproofing was much easier when he was a young walking toddler.

[Molly]

My late walker was an early and skillful climber too! It was such a drag (you, mother of two of these people, are laughing at me) bc I'd take her to Target or the grocery store and she'd just climb right out of the cart (she could shimmy right out of the strap on the tightest setting) but I couldn't put her down bc she couldn't walk. I was so happy once she finally started walking at 16 months. My other daughter didn't walk till 14 months, and I thought that was late, but she never climbed anything in her life (still doesn't, at 5).

[Molly]

PS: Congrats on night weaning! Also forgot to mention how cute those little guys are--they look like tiny men (tiny Bryans?)!

[Mrs 1st Lt]

HOORAY for nightweaning! its a gamechanger. i always love my children more afterwards :)

also this:
the kind of kid who can't be bothered to make mischief when there are so many blocks to be carefully stacked in complex patterns (and so little time)

awesome line, awesome! :) i laughed out loud!

[HereWeGoAJen]

Yes, I was thrilled with walking too! Elizabeth was afraid that she would miss something fun, so I was never allowed to put her down. Ever. When she learned to walk (at nine months), she finally had something to do and I didn't have to carry her constantly.

And I have great sympathy for the climbing and into everything. It's very familiar.

[rosie_kate]

I so agree about walking. My baby is a proficient walker and he's not even 1 yet (astonishing to me since my others didn't start taking steps until well after 1) and I love it. He's so small and it's so cute to see him toddling around and he knows he's big stuff. And he's happier. And I'm happier.

[Holly]

Those little standing babies just about melted my heart!

[Kerri]

My two are just now getting to that competent walking stage and they are about 16 and a half months old. I kept expecting it and expecting it and it took so long!! But finally, they started just before they got to 16 months and now they are just going for it. I love it. I agree with you on #6. I couldn't wait until they were walking and thought people just didn't understand the challenges of having two non-walking children and how heavy they can get. I'm thrilled that they are finally walking and now can't wait until they can successfully handle stairs (there are stairs I have to go up and down at our daycare, so I still have to carry them both on the way in in the morning and on the way out in the afternoon).

[jen]

I rejoiced when my developmentally delayed son finally walked because it meant I didn't have to carry him everywhere. Yeah, there's the fact that your kids then go everywhere but it's so much more convenient.

[Celeste]

DD was an early walker, and I thought okay that was easy...until a very short time later I walked out of the living room and came back to find her standing on the sideboard! She'd figured out what to move and then hauled herself up, and was thrilled to be King of the Mountain! I don't fear walking, I fear climbing. I was worried about her trying to climb the drawers of a dresser so we had attached it to the wall during babyproofing, but she never tried that. Because she had days where she wanted to live on trail mix and bottled water, I totally feared that I had a mountain climber on my hands here. The scariest thing adventurous climbers want to do is climb up the slide, FYI, so watch that when the time comes. We wouldn't let her do it ever, but she got away with it in a flash at 5 on the daycare indoor playground, and fell and broke her arm. We say it was the day she took the cure because she never did it again. There was a flirtation with rock climbing walls but that is much safer and the urge has passed anyway. It's great fun having adventurers, but it really made me wish I could dress her in bubble wrap for a few years there!

[maya]

I just wanted to say that I am so glad you are blogging again and I hope you keep it up. The piece you wrote a while back about how you are a different parent with your twins then you were with your other children...I read that with tears streaming down my face, I identified SO much. It was actually one of the most spot-on things I've ever read about what it's like to have twins.
Please keep writing!

[Allison]

I remember those times of my little one not wanting to take medicine. I figured out if you put the syringe way in the pocket at the end of their gums, they wont taste it. My little one would not fight me as bad after this trick!