Allan had to get his loving, too.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Alice and the boys
Griffith entertained Greg and Alice for dinner last night. He and Allan had formula (naturally) and we had sushi.
Preparing to launch
Griffith just hasn't quite figured out how to coordinate arms and legs. Thank goodness.
Preparing to launch
Griffith just hasn't quite figured out how to coordinate arms and legs. Thank goodness.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
I tried to post all day yesterday. Don't know why it wouldn't take it.
Griffith did great at the NICU grad clinic on Wednesday. He was almost not able to do the test because he kept looking at her and giggling. Goofy little flirt charmed the Very Nice Physical Therapist. That may account for the glowing report. He picked up blocks, moved them from one hand to the other, clapped spoons together (I didn't know he could do that), grabbed a string, pulled a napkin over so he could grab something on it, turned toward sounds. The only thing he didn't do was roll over and that was because he was too interested in what was going on above him. Can't fault him for that. He scored very high on his verbal which tickles me since he has yet to say anything. Apparently squealing and babbling are high-value activities. He is now 16.5 pounds and 26 inches tall. He is growing like a weed and is in the 25th percentile for his adjusted age.
The boys have been big fun this week. When I got home on Tuesday, they were playing on a blanket on the floor. Allan had hold of Griffith's right arm and was trying to bite him. Griffith kept swatting at him with his left hand and occasionally tried to roll over top of him. They both seemed to be enjoying it thoroughly. Allan is really starting to make a lot more baby noises and he is grinning a lot these days. He seems to enjoy rough-housing quite a bit and loves to be rolled back and forth (rock-a-baby, rock-a-baby). He folds his little hands across his chest so that you can get he really going.
All-in-all the big boys are doing great. Just have to keep on doing what we are doing and wait for spring.
Griffith did great at the NICU grad clinic on Wednesday. He was almost not able to do the test because he kept looking at her and giggling. Goofy little flirt charmed the Very Nice Physical Therapist. That may account for the glowing report. He picked up blocks, moved them from one hand to the other, clapped spoons together (I didn't know he could do that), grabbed a string, pulled a napkin over so he could grab something on it, turned toward sounds. The only thing he didn't do was roll over and that was because he was too interested in what was going on above him. Can't fault him for that. He scored very high on his verbal which tickles me since he has yet to say anything. Apparently squealing and babbling are high-value activities. He is now 16.5 pounds and 26 inches tall. He is growing like a weed and is in the 25th percentile for his adjusted age.
The boys have been big fun this week. When I got home on Tuesday, they were playing on a blanket on the floor. Allan had hold of Griffith's right arm and was trying to bite him. Griffith kept swatting at him with his left hand and occasionally tried to roll over top of him. They both seemed to be enjoying it thoroughly. Allan is really starting to make a lot more baby noises and he is grinning a lot these days. He seems to enjoy rough-housing quite a bit and loves to be rolled back and forth (rock-a-baby, rock-a-baby). He folds his little hands across his chest so that you can get he really going.
All-in-all the big boys are doing great. Just have to keep on doing what we are doing and wait for spring.
Monday, January 22, 2007
The boys did well with their eye exams today.
Griffith has a slight astigmatism (courtesy of Papa), but it isn't anything that they need to do anything about right now. He may or may not have to have glasses some day. Come back in a year, thank you very much.
Allan's eye looks pretty good, but the pressure was up in it some. They are adjusting his eye drops and seeing how that works. Come back in a month. They are going to put him back under anaesthesia some time to look in the eye and see how and whether scar tissue is forming back there and if they can tell what is causing the pressure to build up and how that is or isn't affecting his optic nerve. But we aren't going to do any thing at all until RSV, flu and cold season are over with. April? May? We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Griffith has a slight astigmatism (courtesy of Papa), but it isn't anything that they need to do anything about right now. He may or may not have to have glasses some day. Come back in a year, thank you very much.
Allan's eye looks pretty good, but the pressure was up in it some. They are adjusting his eye drops and seeing how that works. Come back in a month. They are going to put him back under anaesthesia some time to look in the eye and see how and whether scar tissue is forming back there and if they can tell what is causing the pressure to build up and how that is or isn't affecting his optic nerve. But we aren't going to do any thing at all until RSV, flu and cold season are over with. April? May? We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Well, there was no napping, cat or otherwise. Griffith just can not stand to miss out on anything and refuses to go down. He spent a lot time this afternoon trying to figure out how to crawl. The pictures don't do it justice, but our pride and joy can get up on his hands and knees, but he can't quite figure out how to get his big ol' head up at the same time. There was much grunting and groaning and general frustration but no forward progress. I know that a good parent would be actively encouraging her child to crawl and helping him figure the process out, but we really aren't quite up to a mobile Griffith and if it takes him an additional week or so to work it out on his own, so be it. That gives us a little more time to prepare. Jay put down a rug in the dining room this afternoon and we got one for the living room and the nursery, too. Throwing down blankets just isn't going to work for very long. And it is time to dig out the cabinet locks and electrical outlet plugs. Baby-proofing needs to begin in earnest.
Allan has had a good afternoon. Our child who acted like he didn't know he had hands has been batting at his fishes all afternoon. And shoving his hands in his mouth. And clasping them to his chest. And, while he isn't quite as vocal as his brother, he has been talking all afternoon. Sometimes in response to his brother talking which is pretty funny.
Both of the boys go for an eye exam tomorrow morning. Allan for a post-op follow-up and Griffith for his 6 month check up. Then, on Wednesday, Griffith goes for the NICU graduate clinic. I wonder if he will do better than Allan did or if he, too, will have performance anxiety?
Allan has had a good afternoon. Our child who acted like he didn't know he had hands has been batting at his fishes all afternoon. And shoving his hands in his mouth. And clasping them to his chest. And, while he isn't quite as vocal as his brother, he has been talking all afternoon. Sometimes in response to his brother talking which is pretty funny.
Both of the boys go for an eye exam tomorrow morning. Allan for a post-op follow-up and Griffith for his 6 month check up. Then, on Wednesday, Griffith goes for the NICU graduate clinic. I wonder if he will do better than Allan did or if he, too, will have performance anxiety?
Dinner for 6?
The boys attended their first dinner party last night and comported themselves with a great deal of dignity. We were afraid that it was going to be touch-and-go since neither of them took a nap of any significant length yesterday (all the excitement?). Griffith kept having melt-downs before we left and it wasn't looking good for a quiet dinner. They both fell asleep in the car on the way over. Allan slept for the first hour or so, but Griffith couldn't stand to miss any thing and so he rallied. He took in all the sights at Jim and Montell's new house and he has his eye on the guest room for future trips. We got to eat in the formal dining room off of the mother-in-law's china. (The boys, of course, they were eating from their own bottles. Griff brought his new Cubs one to show off.) The only faux pas belonged to Allan who decided to take a big poop at the dinner table, but every one took it in stride. It isn't as if he could excuse himself and head for the powder room. A good time was had by all and the boys slept well last night. Today is a gloomy, wet, icy day so we will be homebound. Maybe we can get them back on their usual napping routine and get a little nap in ourselves. Or maybe I should just lay down on the floor here at the office and get a catnap in before I go home.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
The very popular stacking toy
Both of the boys love the stacking rings. Allan can really get the rings spinning.
Allan - playing with the aquarium
We may have to take this in to prove to the VNPT that he can and does reach and grasp. When HE wants to.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Very clever boys
I wish that the Very Nice Physical Therapist could have been at the house last night when I got home. You may recall that Allan wouldn't do anything that she asked him to do and, in fact, fell asleep before the test was over. He wouldn't reach, wouldn't grasp, wouldn't look at you, wouldn't make a sound. She thought I was totally deluding myself when I said, but, really, he does some of this stuff. Last night when I got home he was rolled over on his side, whacking the stacking rings as hard as he could with his right hand and spinning them round and round on the pole. Then, every now and then, for a change of pace, he would grab them and fling them off of the top of it. He's no performing seal. Ornery little twerp. It makes me think of brother Mark who got put in the gifted class and then promptly began to fail because "the more you do, the more they expect you to do." (Which is very funny when it isn't your kid.) Allan wasn't going to set the bar too high lest they ask him to do more. Or, as Michele observed, maybe he was just saving his effort for a toy that he liked. Allan continues to outstrip Griffith on the teething. He definitely has a second little tooth peeking up beside the first. Griff is all gums still.
Allan is clearly feeling pretty good these days and finding lots of things to be funny. He really likes to rough-house -- especially if you roll him from side to side. He gets a big grin on his face for that. He also likes it when you fuss at Griffith. On Sunday night Griffith was whiny and I kept telling him to be a good boy and to stop being a pill or I would send him back. Every time I did, Allan would get this sly little smile on his face. Probably how things will go from here on out.
Griffith is making progress toward learning to crawl, God help us. He can get himself up on his arms and toes, but that doesn't work very well. Every once in a while he drops his knees down, but his belly usually follows. If you put your hand under him on his belly, he gets the right position, but can't quite figure out how to move his hand without collapsing. We are just letting him work that out on his own. He'll get it eventually and then we will wonder why we encouraged this kind of behavior.
Allan is clearly feeling pretty good these days and finding lots of things to be funny. He really likes to rough-house -- especially if you roll him from side to side. He gets a big grin on his face for that. He also likes it when you fuss at Griffith. On Sunday night Griffith was whiny and I kept telling him to be a good boy and to stop being a pill or I would send him back. Every time I did, Allan would get this sly little smile on his face. Probably how things will go from here on out.
Griffith is making progress toward learning to crawl, God help us. He can get himself up on his arms and toes, but that doesn't work very well. Every once in a while he drops his knees down, but his belly usually follows. If you put your hand under him on his belly, he gets the right position, but can't quite figure out how to move his hand without collapsing. We are just letting him work that out on his own. He'll get it eventually and then we will wonder why we encouraged this kind of behavior.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Happy Birthday, Babies!
Allan and Griffith turn 9 months old today! I imagine they will celebrate with big bottles of formula. Chug-a-lug.
As you can see from the pictures, they are doing great. I can't remember if I mentioned that Allan managed to turn himself over for the very first time this week -- of course, his neck and shoulders aren't that strong and so it resulted in him essentially doing a face plant, but it is progress. (Of course, having face-planted, he may decide that turning over is for the birds.) In other news, he ate bananas yesterday. So far we've done cereal, apples and bananas. We can't really tell if he likes them or not. He's hard to read is ol' Allan, but he did swallow it down and there it stayed. So he's got that going for him. Which is nice. Griffith hasn't quite got a handle on the eating thing, either. He approves of the fruit, though, if only because is it really fun to spit back. We all have to amuse ourselves in whatever way we can.
As you can see from the pictures, they are doing great. I can't remember if I mentioned that Allan managed to turn himself over for the very first time this week -- of course, his neck and shoulders aren't that strong and so it resulted in him essentially doing a face plant, but it is progress. (Of course, having face-planted, he may decide that turning over is for the birds.) In other news, he ate bananas yesterday. So far we've done cereal, apples and bananas. We can't really tell if he likes them or not. He's hard to read is ol' Allan, but he did swallow it down and there it stayed. So he's got that going for him. Which is nice. Griffith hasn't quite got a handle on the eating thing, either. He approves of the fruit, though, if only because is it really fun to spit back. We all have to amuse ourselves in whatever way we can.
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