Sunday, January 31, 2010

Question of the Week

In an effort to blog more about the unique experience of raising multiples, I am going to try to answer the Multiples and More Question of the Week as frequently as possible. Here goes nothing... !


As parents of multiples, it's sometimes hard to avoid comparing your kids; there's "the quiet one", the "bold one", the "bossy one", etc. Stereotyping and pigeonholing aside, we thought it would be interesting to see what kind of trends, if any, we can find relating to birth order and multiples. This week's question of the week is:

Describe your children's personalities, in birth order. Do you think your kids personalities are related to their birth order?
  • Is your baby A any bolder or more dominant than B, C, D? Yes, Poppy (Baby A, by one minute) will take a toy from Olive (Baby B) without blinking and will reach in front of her as if to push her out of the way. She's also slightly larger, so maybe that makes it easier for her to block the way physically. However, Poppy is more likely to whine and cry if she wants something and can't reach it or if she wants to be held. Generally, however, Olive is much more laid back (like Daddy) and Poppy is a little needy (like Mommy).

  • Does your last-born reach milestones last as well? No, Olive (Baby B) was the first to crawl, the first to get a tooth and the first to pull herself up in the crib. Poppy was the first to smile, babble, and clap (clapping is a very recent development, which both babies did within days of each other).

  • Are there any characteristics that you feel are somehow related to birth order? Only the ones that others project onto them. (See next question).

  • Do you find that a lot of people like to "classify" your kids? How do you feel about it? Yes, and it bothers me. I don't want Poppy to grow up as the bossy one and Olive to grow up as the serious one. They are both bossy and serious in their own ways. Imagine if someone said to you, "You're the lazy one of your friends." You'd probably feel resentful. Well, kids have feelings, too, and I want Poppy and Olive to grow up discovering their own personalities. I imagine that even parents of singleton babies feel this way about comparing their children.
All things considered, I don't think birth order plays a role in our girls' personalities. Of course, at seven months old, their personalities are not fully developed, but they are quite noticeably different. The way they sit in their highchairs is probably the most telling of their personalities: Olive slouches and Poppy sits straight up. It's so funny, and it's like that at every single feeding. I highly doubt, however, that birth order would have any effect on my babies' posture!

Novel Idea for Light-up Toys

Olive and Poppy have so many toys that light up, blink, illuminate, etc. I am always trying to find new and interesting ways to hold their interest when a toy gets boring. So, I decided to turn off the lights, which I'm sure no one has ever thought of before! They were so fascinated and intrigued that I had to shoot some video. In the videos, they are playing with the Sing-A-Long Stage.

Club Agro





Saturday, January 30, 2010

Socks Are Mean

Babies surely don't understand socks. Their parents put them on their feet only to have them fall off constantly. However, when a baby wants to take the socks off herself, the socks always win.

Stage 1: Fun and Play



Stage 2: Frustration



Stage 3: I'll Just Suck on Them

Friday, January 29, 2010

Walking

Before the main event, let me just tell you that Poppy crawled Thursday! So now both girls are scooting around. They are still slow enough that I can keep up with them, thank goodness! As soon as I get them on video, I will let you all see them crawl!

What I want you all to see today is how fast Olive and Poppy can walk in their walkers on hardwood. They had plenty of room to roam around at Grandmom Diane's and Pop-pop Lewie's house and had lots of fun! Turning the walker was a bit of a challenge, but with practice they got more and more comfortable with it. I can't wait to see what they can do at Grandmom Rosalie and Pop-pop Joe's house in the walker. I'll definitely catch that on video, too.




Olive completely exhausted herself...

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

A Couple of Things to Discuss

So, Olive officially started crawling! She's not zooming around yet, but I'm sure it won't be long. Poppy is not far behind, but she keeps getting a foot stuck underneath her when she tried to take off. This is perfect timing since we had a baby proofer assess our home yesterday. Man, do we have some hazards to take care of!

Regis and Kelly are holding their Beautiful Baby Search, and of course we are entering. I might be biased, but I think Poppy and Olive have a good chance of winning! If you agree, please vote for us on March 1, 2010. Here are the pictures I have submitted so far...



You'll notice that I didn't post any pictures of Olive. That's because I have reached my submission limit! Would anyone like to sign up and help?

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Ballerinas and Bandits

These ballerina outfits are from Aunt Sue and Uncle Guy Panicella (Pop-pop Joe's sister and brother-in-law). Pretty soon they may actually be dancing like ballerinas. Yikes!




Enthralled by the Move & Crawl Ball and the Rhyme and Discover Book given by Aunt Deb and Uncle Don (again Pop-pop Joe's sister and brother-in-law.)


These bibs by Kewt Kids are made for catching drool. And, what a fine job they do!




Friday, January 15, 2010

The Land of the Living

Today marked a momentous occasion: re-entering society. Poppy and Olive had been sick since December 28th and had not left the house... until today! They are now over their illness except for the occasional crusty nose. Our big outing was to Target for some much needed baby supplies.

During their sickness, their eating and sleeping schedule was turned upside down, and I think they have settled back down for the most part. Although things are settling, they are settling into a different routine than usual. They now have a snack/lunch in addition to lunch and dinner. Also, they have gone from 3 naps to 2 naps per day at an hour or so a pop. So, they really have me running around like a nut. Anyway, enjoy the pictures and videos!

"Hi there!"

"Yummy tomato!"

"Look what I have!"

"I love bouncing!"

Poppy tried to kiss Olive, but...

...Olive just wanted to play with Poppy's ear!

Playing around in mommy and daddy's bed


Poppy walking in circles... her new favorite activity!


A new flavor... mashed bananas!

Sunday, January 10, 2010

"Pulling Up" or "Injuries Will Soon Follow"

These three videos portray a few things.

1. Poppy and Olive can both pull themselves up. (Hooray!!!)
2. Kids fall down A LOT. (It's sometimes funny.)
3. When you have multiples, they hurt each other, and the bumps and bruises increase exponentially. (See video number 1 in which Poppy lovingly bashes Olive's head into the crib bars.)

P.S. No babies were seriously injured in the making of these videos.





Saturday, January 9, 2010

What an Eventful Day!

Some very cool things happened today. First, during snack time, Poppy and Olive both managed to pick up a snack puff (so tasty) and place it in their mouths! I guess this means that their hand-eye coordination is developing well. Of course, they still need practice since only 1 of 10 tries actually worked! You can see pictures of snack time below. Also, before their baths tonight, the kids were playing in Olive's crib. I decided to raise the side of the crib because they have been showing signs of pulling themselves up to stand. And not a minute after I raised the crib side, Olive grabbed a hold of two of the bars and stood up! Guess who "accidentally" pushed her down? No, not me. Poppy. I ran to get the video camera in hopes she would do it again, but instead Poppy tried and made it halfway up! Enjoy!





Random Picture: Ride 'Em, Cowgirl!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Recent Update

I found a few pictures I want to share with you. The first one is Poppy peeking around her hood. The last three are just cute. They were taken on Tuesday, 12/29/09. In the third picture, you can see the beginnings of Olive’s runny nose which just ended yesterday! Poppy and I also caught whatever Olive had (and we all still have it). Jill, luckily, only felt bits of it. What a tough 10 days! This was the first true sickness since the girls were born. Imagine trying to take care of two sick infants when you are sick yourself. Let me help you with the visual... Snot everywhere and non-stop crying! So, Jill and I didn’t really sleep since it all started. Grandmom Diane helped out a couple of nights, so thanks, Mom! She’s leaving for Florida tomorrow, will be missed, and her grandkids will surely miss her! By the way, on Monday, 1/4/09, Poppy got her first tooth! The poor thing had to suffer through that while being sick :-( The official tooth count is now three: two for Olive and one for Poppy. Enjoy the pictures!


Saturday, January 2, 2010

Stats from the Doctor

At their six month appointment on 12/28, which happened to have been their actual six month birthday, Poppy and Olive were weighed and measured as usual. Poppy weighed 16 lbs., 10 oz., and measured 26.5 inches long. Olive weighed 15 lbs., 2 oz., and measured 26 inches long. They are still 1 lb., 8 oz., apart which has been the norm practically since birth! I'm lucky to have had both New Jersey grandmoms here to help me cart them to the doctor's office!

All I Want for Christmas...

So Christmas has come and gone, and what a time it was! Poppy and Olive had an event filled first Christmas, so I want to share some highlights with you. First, the order of events is important. Christmas Eve was spent at Grandmom Diane and Pop-pop Lewie's house. Guests included Uncle Danny, Aunt Karen, their kids Brandon and Dani, cousin Tim and his new fiancee Krista, cousins Tara and John and their kids Jake and Carson, and Aunt Linda and Uncle Dan. We had a wonderful dinner and exchanged gifts with the family. Christmas was also spent at Grandmom's house with side trips to cousin Tara's house and Aunt Linda's house. Unfortunately, Jill did not get to have a fun filled Christmas because she had to work :-( I know. Work on Christmas? Unfortunately, yes. Anyway, the day after Christmas, I drove to my sister Maria's house which was also jam packed! Guests were Grandmom Rosalie and Pop-pop Joe, my sister Nicki and her husband Jason, Great-grandmom Josephine, cousin Sara, and of course Maria, David, Shaefer, and Memphis (his first Christmas, too!) I spent the night there with Olive and Poppy, and we had a blast. Here are the pictures from the whole weekend. Enjoy!
Christmas Eve: Uncle Danny and Olive

Olive in her Christmas pj's.

Grandmom and her brother

Tara with the girls

Tara, Carson, and Jake with the girls

Jake wanted to play with Poppy so badly!

That's better!

Even Laika celebrated!

Olive's big blues

Poppy amongst the gifts


Grandmom, Dani, and Poppy

Poppy's sparkly undies

Almost the whole gang

"Look, Ma, no hands!"

I'm upset that this picture of Brandon and Tara is a bit blurry...

Can you find Grandmom's tiny Santa hat?

Tim and Krista, who is awesome. It was so nice meeting her. She and Tim are a perfect match.

The Kornhauser/Agro Family

Karen is so cool!


Aunt Linda and Uncle Dan looking very studious

"I love wrapping paper!"

Now for Christmas morning: Poppy says, "See my new toys?"

Going on a winter expedition

"Mmmmm, paper!"

"I love my dolly!"

A sleepy Olive and mommy





Winding down Christmas night. Let's get naked!







The day after Christmas: Shaefer and his camera


Olive chewing on something. She doesn't care what it is!

Grandmom Rosalie and Memphis

Olive and Aunt Nicki



Memphis' first Christmas

Little Deer Olive

Shaefer opening his bouncing Tigger from Aunt Jill and Uncle Joe

Hand painted stools from Aunt Nicki and Uncle Jason


Tutus

Beautiful clothing from Aunt Maria and Uncle David