Sunday, April 01, 2007

Allan on the front porch


It was windy and kept tickling his nose.

Griffith on the front porch


Sorry for the long time between posts. Things got a little busy and then I had trouble logging on. Today both boys were fussy and Dad was under the weather as well which means --well, it means a long time between posts.
So, for the update.
Allan has been a little show off for the PT (Miss Julie) and the speech therapist (Miss Edie). His head and neck control continue to improve and we have moved up to eating very small pieces of graham cracker. Miss Julie learned her lesson. Last week she came in and started in with the work right away. This is not the way that Big Al rolls. First of all, he doesn't get up until about 20 minutes or so before she arrives. Second, he needs a little time to ease in to the day. So when she came in with all of this activity stuff, he protested. This week she came in, picked him up, told him what a very big boy he was and how smart he was and what hard worker he was. After about 3 or 4 minutes of that, he was ready to go. Flattery will get you any where. Especially with Big Al. We are working on finding our feet. In the past couple of weeks he has gotten quite a lot better about being able to pick his feet up and kicking like a little frog. He can even rock himself in his bouncy seat by kicking out. Big Al is my little night owl. Griff fell asleep at about 7 and has been passed out since. Al woke up about that same time and has been keeping me company as I have been cleaning up the nursery and spare bedroom. He is right beside me now, just hanging out in his t-shirt and diaper (Dad is sick and let it get a little hot for our taste.)
Both boys are adjusting to bathing in the kitchen sink. Allan is still highly suspicious of the shower-spray aspect of the experience. Griffith still resists sitting in the water initially but once he is in there takes to splashing as if it were his job.
Three-quarters of the team is out at this point. Every thing has been tidied (for the moment) and the last load of laundry has been put in the dryer. All tolled, not a bad weekend.
Griff continues to be a most charming little monster. For Christmas Santa brought him these neat balls with different things inside them -- bells, rattles, lollipops, bugs, all sorts of neat things that move and make noise. I was certain that he would be fascinated. He could not have been any less interested. The newspaper (literally) held more interest. Well, this weekend Griffith learned about rolling. Balls roll. How neat is that? He knocked these balls around the walls of the nursery and out in to the hall, without exaggeration, for an hour. Transfixed. Amazed. Amused. For the next two days he has been trying to figure out what does and does not roll. His blocks don't, in case you were wondering. But he can still send them reeling if he whacks them hard enough. And he is happy enough to do that. He is worn tee-totally, utterly out. Griff has been asleep since about 7 tonight and was fussy before that. Which is completely out of character. He may have a touch of whatever Dad has. No way is he going to sleep until morning, though.
I will try to post some pictures later, but no promises.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

The boys are really most excellent. The new hats were a real hit with both of them. They are both so fair that they are going to need them. Hope the novelty doesn't wear off.
Griff crowed like a rooster when I put his hat on him. He was pretty certain that he looked good in it. Allan was a little more reserved (as is his wont), but he kept reaching up and playing with his. And he really liked the shoes. He kept kicking his feet out like a little frog.
We drew first blood last night. Griff was crawling and tipped over and bonked his nose on the floor. He bled and bled, poor little guy. He wouldn't let me any where near him with ice, though. Fortunately it didn't swell or bruise. Of course, he kept snorting like a dragon all night (guess his nose felt strange) and periodically would start it bleeding again. He was good as new this morning.
Griffith has also learned to shout, "hey!" when he wants your attention. Then he laughs, as if to say, made you look. He has another tooth on the bottom (same 3 as his brother) and may have a couple more up top peeking through. Hard to tell since he won't let you have a good look.
Allan's girlfriend Alissa came over and sat out on the deck with us last night. He started off a little quiet, like he wasn't quite sure who she was, but got tuned up after a while, kicking and chatting until he fell asleep in her arms.

Checking out Allan's new shoes


Griff was pretty fascinated with his brother's shoes -- we haven't put his sneakers on him yet. Don't want to give him any more traction.

Watch out, Allan!


Griffith is sneaking up from behind.

Allan with the brim turned up.


It takes a while to find your own personal style.

Allan in his new bucket hat


and his new kicks. He's very excited. Note the arms.

Allan's new sneakers


Getting ready for the March of Dimes walk.

Griffith styling


He absolutely loved his new bucket hat.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Griffith chewing on Allan's hand


Now that he has all those teeth, Griffith is attacking.

Griffith chewing on Allan's hand


Now that he has all those teeth, Griffith is attacking.

Griffith in the sink


He's decided that it isn't so bad after all.

Worn out after all the yard work


Supervising is hard work.

Greg and Allan


Looking equally skeptical of each other.

Griffith saying goodbye to Flora


She was so pleased that he followed her to the door. I think she's been training him to do that.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

The boys have had an excellent weekend. The post may be short because Griff has decided to fall asleep in my arms andI am down to typing with one hand.
Griffith refused to take a nap on Friday. The weather was perfect and so we grilled with Greg and Alice and sat out on the deck until about ten. Griff was so worn out that he slept until 10 Saturday morning. Allan was a close second and didn't get up until 9:30. The weather stayed fine and the boys stayed outside in the pack and play (Griff must be caged) and on a blanket (Allan doesn't get away from me. Yet.) We spent hours outside. The boys were fascinated. Watching the tree limbs blow. The helicopters and airplanes going over. Mom and Dad digging in the dirt. Then we all grilled out again last night. And started all over again this morning -- hanging out on the deck. Hanging out in the yard. We have weeded, mulched, power-washed. Readied the front porch and back yard for much hanging out.
Griff is stirring. Time to go.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

So maybe it was unkind to post that picture of Griffith, but, really, you should see what we have to deal with. That particular meltdown (as opposed to the other eleventy-seven that occurred yesterday) resulted from the fact that he spotted his bottle warming and decided that he had to have it. RIGHT NOW. This despite the fact that he wasn't fussing for dinner before he saw it. I was just trying to get ahead of the game. Better luck next time.
Allan had PT this morning and Miss Julie was very pleased with how quickly he has progressed. He was holding things in both hands and clanking them together which is a new trick for him and, apparently, some sort of developmental milestone. He's doing very well with sitting up with just a minimum of assistance, too. He seems to be working on a new tooth because we can hardly get him to take his hand out of his mouth. I guess he thinks he has to stay ahead of Griffith on that score. Griff, by the way, has sprouted two new teeth - the upper canines have come through. He looks like a little-bitty vampire. An ill-tempered, little-bitty vampire.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Griff in a fury


Angry at the lack of cooperation.

Griff figuring it out.


Griff and the washer


Instead of reading to our kid we let him watch the washer.

Caitlin and the boys


Allan in his booster seat


Allan reclining


Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Just wait until your father gets home

So Griffith and I have been hanging out in the kitchen for about a half hour now. Daddy and Allan are in the living room and they don't know what they are missing. We are watching the washer. It is really the most fascinating thing you can imagine. Things tumble around and around and, right now, we are in the final spin cycle and it makes a most marvelous noise. We are going for a load of whites or colors next. Maximize the excitement. Plus, Griff is using the shelves to the right of the stove for balancing. The second shelf is the perfect height to cling to while balanced on his knees. He has progressed so far as to get one foot in position to stand but the balancing required to get the other underneath is too much for the moment. (And Mom keeps grabbing him to keep him from falling and bonking his head on the floor. That doesn't help, either. )
Griffith had a big day yesterday. Two of his girlfriends came by and he wore himself out putting on a show - he crawled, he stood, he coughed, he giggled, he banged his head in frustration. Twice. He played so hard that he took not one, but two naps for Flora today.
Dad got back late from work tonight so it was just me and the boys for a while. We took a long walk and then played in the floor. Allan decided (unwisely I think) to pick a fight with his brother. Now, remember, Griffith is mobile and Allan is not. He can roll from side to side, but that's it for the moment (Griff's mobility and curiousity may do more than any therapy in inspiring Allan to get a move on.) Tonight Griffith crawled over to take a look at his brother and Allan, unprovoked (I saw the whole thing), reached up with his left hand and shoved his brother in the face. From there it was on. Griffith smashing Allan in the face, Allan swatting at his brother and rolling over to face away from him. Both whining and howling intermittently. Just wait until your father gets home.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Well, the last post got lost when the battery died. Rats. Which is close to what I said when it happened. Sort of, any way.
The doctor's visit went well on Friday. Allan is 26 inches long and 15 pounds 9 ounces. Fourteen whole pounds since he was born. Thirteen and a half inches in length. Better than doubled. Growing like a weed, that boy.
Griffith was 18 pounds 11 ounces and 26.5 inches long. He is enormous. They didn't measure his head this time, but the melon was 91st percentile last month. The boys both had their first baths in the kitchen sink today. Griffith resented it. Thoroughly. In fact, we have not found a way that he likes a bath.
Allan didn't hate the bath, but he was pretty skeptical of the entire proceeding. He was willing to endure it, though, because he had a date.
Griffith slept through most of the game. Which was best, under the circumstances. Allan made it through the first half, fell asleep and then threw up after the game was over. Amen, Allan. Amen.
Allan got all dolled up for his girlfriend Alissa, but she had to cancel. Poor little guy. Stood up, for the first time (Just as well, he's slept all night. Probably from the frustration of the game). He is doing great, though. He wasn't totally sure about the sink bath, but didn't cry like his brother did. Mostly he looked skeptical.
Griff has two girlfriends coming over tomorrow --- Cheryl and Caitlin. They may not recognize him since he has bonked and bruised his head so much this weekend. Honestly, he is ridiculous. If he doesn't get his way, he has two reactions. If he is on his front, he gets on his hands and knees and bangs his head in to the floor. If he is on his back, he arches his back, touches only the top of his head and the back of his heels on the ground and then begins bouncing his bottom on the floor and pushes back with his feet. He covers quite a distance that way. And howls the entire time. Can't imagine where he gets that temper. Must be from his father's side of the family. Can't recall any one on our side acting like that.
Anyhoodle. both of the fellas are doing great and we don't have any big appointments this week. So we will hang out with Miss Flora and the girls and just grow fatter and sassier.

Dad and Griffith watching the game


Based on the outcome, they were better off.

Griffith in the basket (II)


Griffith in the toy basket


Griff pulling up and emptying out the basket.

Long. long lashes


Friday, March 16, 2007

Cooperation


Finally, the boys playing together.

The boys playing


Nothing would do Griffith but that he play with the toys that Allan was playing with.

The boys playing


Nothing would do Griffith but that he play with the toys that Allan was playing with.
It probably goes without saying, but the boys are excellent. Griffith is fully mobile -- forward, backward, round and round. It is full on, twenty-four seven around here. At the moment there is approximately five thousand three hundred and eighthy-seven dollars worth of educational toys in the living room floor. Rather than play with any of them, Griff has been a free-range sort of child. So far I have had to jump up and grab Griffith about thirty times in the last 45 minutes to keep him from 1) grabbing Allan's oxygen tube, 2) grabbing Allan's sat monitor cord, 3) grabbing the glass bowls that I missed as being within his reach in the kitchen, 4) grabbing the key that was in the cabinet door of the credenza, and 5) poking Allan's eyes out. It is amazing that we get anything substantive done around here.
Griffith is not content to simply crawl. He is working on perfecting pulling up and doing, well, baby stuff. I would not be at all surprised if he were walking by the end of the month. God help us. Today he pulled up on the toy basket in the living room, stood up, held on with one hand and began emptying the basket with the other hand. I went to Meijer today and dropped a mint on Griff-proofing supplies -- baby gates, more plug covers, more catches for drawers, cabinets and closets, trash cans with lids. After a panic attack in the middle of the night on Sunday, we have had everything that was under the kitchen sink piled on the dining room table. Along with everything that was on the wine rack that we realized that Griff could tip over, if he had a mind to.
Griffith has learned to cough this week. You might not think that is funny, but that only shows how limited your imagination really is. Because it is really nearly hysterical. And can be used to your advantage. Dad has decided that it is time for Griff to learn to go to bed while still awake. So Thursday night, I put him (Griff not Dad) down in the crib. This was not where the action was and wasn't where he would prefer to be. It was pitiful. Griff crawled to the edge of the crib, pushed down the bumper and pressed his tear-stained little face up against the slats. When that didn't inspire any thing other than "it's okay Griffith" he got really wound up. Like he had lost his last friend. I tried to ignore him (hard to do since his crib is only about 3 feet away from the end of our bed) but when he started coughing and gagging, I had to go and check on him. I tried to ignore it, but kept thinking , what if he was really in distress? Of course, he wasn't, but I couldn't count on it, could I ? Which is what he was counting on. I can not believe that I am being worked by someone who isn't even eleven months' old.
Allan continues to be the center of attention. Julie the PT came on Thursday and she was quite impressed with the progress that Big Al had made. He is sitting up and balancing at a six month level - which is a big improvement from the 4 month level which is allegedly where he was about two weeks ago. Allan can not be trusted. We are pretty sure he underperformed on the initial assessments so that they would be impressed with his progress. Julie was very happy with how much Allan was moving his head and how much strenghth he has gained in his legs and back. He's so expressive with her. If he was at all uncertian about what she was doing, he would frown and look up at her like, what, exactly, do you want me to do? And when he would do well, she would praise him and he would get a Mona Lisa smile as if he were thinking, yes, yes, I did do very well, thanks for noticing.
At the pediatrician's we weighed yesterday and Allan was 15 pounds 9 ounces. That is a full 14 pounds heavier than when he was born. He is 26 inches long and has grown 2 inches in two months. He has nearly caught Griffith in height (he's 26.5 inches). But Allan has a way to go before he catches Griffith in weight. The Griffster weighed in at a healthy 18 pounds 11 ounces.
(That's 16 pounds and 10 ounces heavier than the day he was born.)
The boys have been enjoying the NCAA tournament. Except for last night when Dad and I kept yelling to encourage VCU to send Duke home. That was a little scary.) We are currently waiting for the UK game to start. We're not sure that we will make it through the whole game, though. These late games are hard for the little fellas (and the mama). As the pictures show, though, the boys are actually playing together some so that helps pass the time.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Allan!


Happy St. Patrick's Day from Griffith!


Caught in the act


I don't know what they were doing, but I think they were plotting against us.

The boys

Griff telling Allan all about it.

Allan - all smiles


Griff - pulling up


Griffith is not content with just crawling. He is pulling up on any thing in sight.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Eleven months!

Another big birthday for the big guys! The boys are doing great. Allan had appointments with his cardiologist and pulmonologist today and they were very pleased with how well he is doing. Of course, Allan decided this morning of all mornings to spit up in a very big fashion -- all over Dr. Kanga. Oh, well, that is the risk you take when you work with little ones I suppose. Anyway, we are adjusting some of his medications and continuing on. No word on how much longer he is going to need the oxygen -- a while, though. We are going to give him as much help as possible for as long as needed so that his heart heals from all the stress that it was under when he was so sick.
Allan is getting loud these days -- he talks a lot more. And he is working his mouth, sticking his tongue out and generally showing signs that the speech therapy is doing what it is supposed to. He has also managed to roll himself over a couple of times, holding his head steady for longer periods of time and doing more turning left and right. He's a busy little guy.
Griff is full of it. He has mastered crawling forward and has advanced immediately to pulling up on any thing that he can and standing. He also has managed (once) to get himself from crawling to sitting on his bottom, but doesn't seem to know how to recreate that motion. He says "da-da" to the point that we about can't stand it. Flora is trying to get him to say "bye-bye" just so she has something else to listen to.
Tomorrow Allan has PT and they both go to get vaccinated. Should be a fun time.

Monday, March 12, 2007

Allan and the rings (III)


Very self-satisfied.

Allan and the rings (II)


Allan giving it all he's got.

Allan working the rings


Being able to hold something in both hands and work with them midline is a big deal, according to the PT. And, also, fun.

Allan with lashes a mile long


And one big front tooth.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Griffith - cheesy grin

Smiling for the camera.

Griffith - saying da-da


Little ingrate.

A little help


Allan helping his brother with his bottle.

Boys hanging out


Getting ready for bed.

Allan, snuggled tight


Griffith, passed out


In nearly a "u" shape.

Griffith up close


Griffith chortling


Check out his bottom two teeth.

Allan well-pleased


Happy to have held his own against his brother.

Allan wrestling his brother

He's got him pinned.

Allan getting his own back.


With a little help from his dad.

roughhousing II


Dad intervening. No choking. That's a rule.

roughhousing


Griffith with an elbow to Allan's nose.