Ian and Caleb

Ian....... because of his newest achievement (if you can call it that?)

He lost his first tooth last week! Both his bottom teeth have been loose for months, but he won't wiggle them. Then one day he bit into a bagel and knocked it pretty loose. So after that I got him to let me wiggle it until one day it wiggled right out! John told him what we did with our teeth when we were little (no mention of the actual words "tooth fairy") - he put his under his pillow and got a quarter from it, I put mine in a glass of water on the kitchen table and there was a dime in the morning. So Ian decided he wanted to put it in a glass of water, and maybe it would turn into a dime. All evening he kept watching and saying he thought maybe it was almost turned into a dime. He was excited in the morning to find the tooth gone and a dime in it's place. I think he still believes it actually turned into a money :) He's been excited to show everyone!

......and Caleb, because he cracks me up! He's such a funny boy. He's such a toddler - he sings and plays and dresses up however he wants and thinks the world is his (Levi doesn't really appreciate that, since he's also a possessive toddler....). But I love to watch Caleb, and see how happy he is. He sings as he plays in his sweet high-pitched voice. So, some pictures of his silliness from this month.

So do you think they're related? Within a few days of each other both Ian and Caleb tripped outside, missing for the most part their knees and elbows and both landing on the same part of their face! You can't see Ian's as much, we were on the way to school when he fell and so he went into class with his mouth bleeding inside and a very fat lip. The swelling went down some by the time I took this picture and it wasn't as scraped on the outside as Caleb's.

September 2008, part 1

It seems like a lot of things have already happened this month, and I've taken lots of pictures, so it's time for an update....



This month so far has been about canning! I've canned lots of peaches, pears, and tomatoes. I have all my little helpers, too......

pear inspectors.....





...a pear peeler - the first one he's ever tried!...

...and quality control.

It really is so helpful to have two toddlers helping whilst cutting up pears :) Actually, they were only there for a minute, the rest of the time I made them stay out of the kitchen since canning involves mostly sharp and hot objects.




And then there were haircuts. I cut Ian and John's outside and then was going to take Caleb and Levi in to the sink to do theirs, when Levi climbed on the chair and said it was his turn. He let me put the apron on (first time ever) and let me do it without crying at all! The easiest haircut he's ever had!

Caleb wasn't as excited about it, but let me do it anyway, with minimal tears.



Matching boys.

Ian has homework to do each week, a list of things for the week. He LOVES to do it! It's like a reward, I can get him to clean up or other unfavorable tasks if the reward after is doing his homework! He loves school, the first thing he talks about is recess :) Next he likes whatever extra class he had, like PE or music or library. They're learning phonics called "zoophonics" so there's an animal and action with each letter - someday when he learns them all I'll have to video it.

What else so far this month....I had jury duty that I was on standby one day and didn't have to go and that finished me for the rest of the week - I was very glad to not have to go!

Levi and Caleb are going to a gymnastics class for their physical therapy, once a week. I don't have any pictures because there's no time! I think it wears me out more than them to keep them both focused on what they're supposed to be doing, and doing half the work for them. But they are improving. Caleb can walk on the balance beam with minimal, if any, help. Levi is getting some good stomach muscles - he's good at the bars, hanging and then lifting his legs up to touch the bar. And he can do a v-sit, which is, as you can imagine, making your legs and upper body into a "V". Looks easy, but is actually hard!

Levi is getting occupational therapy to help with his eating; he goes to a feeding group once a week where they play and then have foods, to get the kids (usually 4-8 there each week) to try new foods and new textures. He's also getting therapy at home, of course he usually doesn't want to do it. She gave him a sucker (and Caleb too, of course) and Caleb was sucking it and enjoying it, while every time she asked Levi if he could lick it or put it in his mouth he'd do something like hold it up and say, "it's a balloon in the sky!" When I'm trying to feed him he'll often say, "no, I'm singing." Or, "no, I'm talking." Food just doesn't hold his interest, obviously. But he and Caleb do get lots of yummy high calorie foods to try and get them to gain some weight. Good for all three boys, not so good for the rest of us :)

Twins

Since I've been thinking about Caleb and Levi, it recently being their birthday, I thought I'd share some pictures of them over the past two years. Being the same size and identical just seems to make babies more facinating to look at. They both absolutely love their big brother, but they also love each other. The other day I saw them walk into the room holding hands, the first time I've seen them hold hands since they were very small. They interact with each other a lot now (a lot of it fighting over something), and want the other one with them. Levi will bring Caleb a toy; Levi always says, "C'mon Caleb" when he wants him to follow; and as I write this Caleb is calling for Levi from the other room, "Levi! Come here!"

At birth, Levi was 3 ounces heavier, and Caleb 1/2 inch taller. At their two year checkup, Caleb (who I thought weighed more, the two of them have mostly different diets right now) was 3 ounces heavier, and less than 1/2 inch taller than Levi. They really are identical when it comes to their growth! They have weighed within 1/2 pound of each other their whole lives, and been less than 1/2 inch different.

So, here's some of their love over their short little lifetimes.

About a month old - Levi, Caleb

About 6 weeks old, in the hospital. John thinks I posed this, but I didn't! Levi, Caleb

Halloween 2006, when they were 3 months old, just past their due date. Caleb is Thing 1, Levi Thing 2.

Caleb, Levi 3 months old.














They liked sleeping next to each other. Levi, Caleb 5 months old.

Levi with his fingers in Caleb's mouth. Neither seemed to mind! 5 months old.

I always laid Levi (left) and Caleb down parallel to each other, with their heads on those blanket squares. But somehow, before they could roll or scoot or move when awake, they always ended up leaning against each other by morning. 5 months old.

Levi, Caleb, 8 months old.












Their first time in a swing! Caleb, Levi 9 months old.









Friends. Levi, Caleb 9 months old. (Even though they're on my lap, I didn't pose this either!)

Levi, Caleb 16 months old.












Caleb trying to put Levi's sock back on, 19 months old.

Reading their favorite book, Winnie the Pooh, 20 months old.

Caleb feeding Levi something to drink - 21 months old.

They were both in this box, and Caleb was rubbing Levi's ears......2 years old