The Secret's Path

Ben and Nikki have slept in their cribs only a handful of times, but they say that they like it there.

Ben, Nikki, and I had a discussion earlier today about how their likes and dislikes have changed and evolved. This is what they came up with:

Ben:
Likes:
- Smiling
- Going for walks/runs with Mom
- oatmeal
- bathtime

Dislikes:
- Gripe water (aka "Swamp water")
- Zantac (we have to mix it with formula)
- bedtime (it is often difficult for him to fall asleep at night)



Nikki:
Likes:
- talking
- oatmeal, peaches, apple sauce--pretty much any food
- bathtime
- sleeping, especially on her tummy
- outside (trees, plants, cars...)

Dislikes:
- hiccups
- gas pain (doesn't everybody?)

In other news, we have started the kitchen remodeling project. The carpenter had to change his schedule; he will be here the second week of August to install the cabinets.

Today was a very traumatic day for the kids. They were not happy with Mom. They had their 8 week check up with the doctor, and they each got three shots. They told me that they did not like getting shots at all, and they do not want to do it again. It was heartbreaking, however, I did not cry. I think I took it pretty well.

After we got home, Ben got some cuddle time with Dad, and he seemed more comforted afterwards. He also got some infant tylenol to help with the pain/swelling.


We started the kids on solid foods earlier this week. It is quite comical to watch them eat. They did not seem too big on rice cereal, but they said they really like oatmeal. They love it even more when they smear it all over their faces. And they get it in their hair. And on their clothes. And in their noses... They are getting better at eating off a spoon. They have moved on to peaches, which they also really like.

The solid foods helped with Ben's spitting up for about a day, then it got worse again. So, after discussing it with the doctor, we will be starting him on Zantac twice daily tomorrow (the pharmacist was questioning the dosage, so we were unable to pick it up today). The solid foods have also helped to bump Ben up from waking every four hours during the night to eat to every six hours. Yeah! More sleep for us! Now if only Nikki would do the same...

Oh yeah, and since our kids are big kids now, they have started sleeping in their own cribs (they were sleeping in bouncy seats for head elevation) in their very own nursery (we were in the guest room where a parent could sleep in the same room). Last night was the first night in the nursery, and it went okay. Ben slept really well, but Nikki had some gas pains starting at 1 am and lasting until around 6-7 am. She was awake off and on for most of that time. Therefore, I was up off and on during that time, also.

We don't have any other new pictures to put on the blog: the battery went dead in the camera, and it took me a few days to get around to charging it. Hopefully, I'll take more soon.

Mom and I took the kids to Ikea during the week. They weren't too excited about the furniture part of it, since they slept through it. After lunch, we walked around the housewares/other goods section, and Ben decided to stay awake. I think he changed his mind about Ikea--there was all kinds of things hanging from the ceiling for him to look at. Also, they had a kids section, and there were some toys set up for him to play on.


The trip must have worn them out. They did a lot of sleeping for the rest of the week!


In between naps, Ben likes a good laugh.


Joe did all of the feedings last night so that I could get a good night's sleep. Nikki was in the middle of a growth spurt (eating every 2 hours, sleeping a lot), and I think Ben has just started his. As a result, nobody got much sleep last night, except for me and the dogs.

We have had a busy week. We all got together at Patti & Reggie's house last Sunday (July 5) for a barbecue. All of the kids and some dogs were in attendance, including Dryfus (see picture below).

After a long day of playing on the playmat, they said they were both ready for a nap.


Nikki didn't want to sleep on the couch, so after a while, she asked to go in the swing, but not before I got a couple of pictures of her posing on the couch.




Apparently, Nikki doesn't realize she had the primo spot on the couch, because, as soon as she went into the swing, Jake took her place on the couch.


Then, on Thursday, we went to Patti & Reggie's house again for a get together with Scott and Sue Peirce, their children, Mandy (and husband Jon) and Carrie, and Mandy's son, Jackson. Jim, Julie, and Parker were also there.

We recently discovered that Nikki loves mashed potatoes. She told us that she hopes we didn't ruin her for life because they were homemade mashed potatoes, not instant. She isn't the neatest eater yet. Guess she takes after her mother...

(the video took way too long to upload, and we have to leave--see next paragraph. I'll attempt to post it again soon.)

Patti & Reggie watched the kids all day and night Saturday. It was a nice break. We enjoyed the quiet for most of the day, took naps, and just hung around the house. At night, we went to visit Jim & Julie, who were having a 4th of July barbecue. It was nice to get out and enjoy ourselves. We are going to pick them up soon, and we are wondering how Patti & Reggie are doing :-)

We have some other random pictures, too.

Mom is burping Nikki. She really likes to be held on people's chests.

Dreyfus is surprisingly good with the kids. He didn't let them out of his sight the whole time we were there.
Bedtime is my favorite time of the day, normally. The kids are fed and relaxed, and they like to cuddle up with me after eating. Then they fall (almost) asleep in my arms. Of course, Ben knew we were going to take his picture, so he started to cry. What a stinker.