New Tricks

We have been asking Bubeaner to make a lot of adjustments in a really short time.  He is normally so shy.  We are not sure if all these changes are good for him or just make matters harder.  Bubeaner's refused to participate much in his new swimming and dance/tumbling classes.  However, we know he's learning because he e comes home and repeats everything from the class.  But the moment he's in class he shuts down. 

This week we saw a change. 

He still cried when we dropped him off at the church's nursery when Momma attended the women's group.  But we could hear him singing down the hall when we returned to pick him up.  The ladies at the nursery said he cried a lot less and interacted with them and the other children.  He looked like he had really enjoyed his time there.

And at dance/tumbling class, Bubeaner actually participated in the activities.  He was actually one of the first ones to do some of the activities without a glitch.  In the past we are usually the last ones because Bubeaner either refuses to get up and do them or he gets really upset if we have to stop to let other classmates take a turn.  No crying or fussing this time.  He even helped out coach Michelle when she asked for volunteers to help put the props up.  Bubeaner went by himself without Momma.  He didn't even look back.

He's also talking a lot.  But now we actually understand what he's saying.  He says new words during every conversation without our prompting.  Some words we haven't even practiced with him for a while.  He's just actually having conversations now.  He's saying words in both English and Spanish.  Bubeaner also knows the numbers 1-10 in Spanish.  Two is his favorite and the clearest - maybe because we are practicing since his birthday is coming up - while 6, 7, and 10 all sound pretty similar.  But it's progress.  And he's also been singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."  His favorite part, and the most easily understood, is "up above so high."

Bubeaner enjoys admiring himself on the mirrors at dance/tumbling class.  But for the first time, we noticed that when he noticed the animals on his shirt he did not reach out to touch them on the mirror.  He touched them on his shirt.  He's definitely now aware of self.

We love watching as our children discover the world around them.  It's like we are rediscovering it with them.  Bubita has recently been extremely fascinated by her left hand.  She stares at it all the time.  She is also getting so much better at grabbing items within her reach.  Today, we could not stop her from moving a burp cloth so she could gnaw on it.  In so many ways, maybe because we know how fast they grow up, she appears to be growing so much faster than Bubeaner at that time.  With Bubeaner we were eager for the next stage.  Always wanting the next step.  With Bubita we want her to slow down.  We want to savor every little aspect of her current stage.  It just goes by so fast!

Although this weekend is not going by so fast.  We are sick.  OK, so not everyone is sick.  But it appears that Dad, Bubeaner and Bubita have all caught a cold, stomach bug, or something of that sort.  (Momma lucked out... or maybe not.  We are still debating that.)  We have no idea where we caught this bug.  In the past, the bugs came mainly from Dad's work.  But nowadays, it could be from gym class, dance & tumbling class, swimming class, play dates, and even the church nursery.  Sigh.  And, of course, there really is no realistic way to prevent Bubita from catching it.  Thankfully, they do not have a fever.  Our hope is that it's a short-lived virus/bug.

We did discover that Bubeaner takes more after Momma when sick; we used to think he was more like Dad.  Dad, and as we found out Bubita too, "sundown" when they are sick; they feel worse as the day progresses.  This is the more common occurrence.  However, Momma and Bubeaner feel the worse in the morning and tend to feel better as the day progresses.  Bubeaner was playing with his toys as normal by the end of the day.  He was so active we feared he would not settle down to bed.  Thankfully that was not a problem. 

Bubita on the other hand is having a hard time going to sleep like Dad.  They both look like they are a little miserable.  (Actually Dad is the one that looks the worse.)  Bubita has settled down a little now that she's swaddled, fed and being rocked to sleep by Momma.   She has been extremely needy all day.  She's also been cluster feeding.  We are not sure if it is due to a growth spurt or a need for comfort/soothing.  It may be a little of both.  Hopefully, we will all have a better day tomorrow.

Swimming Play Date

Today was a great day though we all ended up exhausted.  Bubeaner and Bubita had their first play date at the new house with H, Meme'Licia's granddaughter.  Bubeaner does not see her too often, but he's had fun the few times she's been in town.  And today he gave her a nickname: Laylee.  Although it really is just her name a la Bubeaner. 

Move over Ms. Universe there's a new beauty in town

We decided to entertain the children by taking them swimming.  Actually, they were just going to play in the splash park, but we could not get it to work other than in one zone.  Bubeaner and Laylee did not appear to mind at first, but then they were drawn to the pool.  We were concerned about the pool because both little ones love the water and are definitely not afraid of it.  In previous occasions we have gone the ratio of adults to children has been in our favor.  Today we were outnumbered if Bubita was counted. 

We traded the flower headband for a cute, yet functional, 

hat once we went outdoors.

We were right to be concerned.  We had to keep our eyes on them at ALL TIMES and EVERY single SECOND.  At one point Bubeaner decided to walk into the pool and just keep walking.  Meme'Licia was right behind him.  But we assumed he would stop walking once the water got to his chest, then his shoulders, then his neck, and sure he would stop once it hit his mouth.  Nope.  Apparently Bubeaner believes he can walk underwater.  Now, this all happened within seconds.  And Meme'Licia was at hand to rescue him from himself.  It happened so fast we are not sure he even swallowed any water.  Silly boy!  And silly adults for thinking common sense worked on children.

Bubeaner and Laylee playing in the pool.

The rest of the time was a little more relaxing since Bubita decided to take a nap in her stroller.  Man-to-man cover was a lot easier.  Amazingly after 5 private swimming lessons we could still not get anything out of Bubeaner.  He refused to blow bubbles, kick or pretty much do anything.  He did, however, enjoy floating on a "noodle" and jumping in the water with Momma.  We will just have to continue with the lessons and hope he's learning something.

An exhausted Bubita napping after her first trip to the pool.

Upon our return home, Bubeaner had a meltdown.  We are not sure as to the cause but it was not pretty.  It was a struggle to change him, rinse him off in the shower and dress him.  He only partially calmed down when he got a hold of his lovey.  He must have just been exhausted.  We were sure he was not going to make it through lunch before falling asleep.  We underestimated the power of a play buddy.  He not only finished lunch but even went off to play with Laylee afterwards!  (Laylee's nap time starts an hour after Bubeaner's.)  However sleep eventually won out.  After a little while he stopped playing and informed Meme'Licia he was going Night-Night and promptly went into the nursery, got in his big boy bed and went to sleep.  By himself!

Bubeaner insisted it was a Cookie Monster towel

rather than a dragon.

It was also an exhausting day for Bubita although she spent most of the morning napping in her stroller.  This was her first time in the pool.  And she was able to wear her very first swimsuit, a bikini.  She looked adorable.  And not uncomfortable.  However, Bubita was not convinced about the pool.  She most definitely did not like the inflatable turtle we had hoped she would use.  Bubita would have none of it.  She wanted to be held preferably with her body out of the water.  This proved a little difficult.  Bubita ended up being carried while being covered by her baby towel.  It was light enough to not get Bubita too hot but still offering her protection from the sun.  Maybe Bubita will eventually warm up to spending time in the pool.  She definitely enjoys her tub and even the shower.

We spent the late afternoon finger painting, coloring and playing

with Bubita while she did tummy time.

And that morning nap may have messed up her schedule.  Bubita had already refused to go back to sleep after the 6a feeding.  Instead she stayed awake until 10a and slept for about an hour.  When we got back she slept about an hour after each feeding in the early afternoon, but never took her long afternoon nap.  This probably explains why she had problems going to sleep at bedtime.  Bubita fought it until 930p; she's usually asleep by 630p-7p. Hopefully she will sleep through the night.

Bubita fuming about tummy time.

By all accounts Bubita should be exhausted.  Not only did she spend some time in the pool but we also worked on Tummy Time for quite a while.  She HATES it.  Absolutely hates it.  But  we are not discouraged because Bubeaner hated it to until he got the hang of it.  And it should be a little easier for Bubita since, even though she does have a large head, it is proportional to the rest of her body unlike poor Bubeaner who at that stage still had a preemie body.  But for now, she spends most of her time crying and screaming.  It did help a little today trying the play gym mat.  Bubita was entertained by the different colors and toys.  We also enjoyed watching, and videotaping, Bubita purposefully grasping at different items on the mat. 

She never complained during the brakes from tummy time.

BubeanerBubeaner sleep walks.  He was standing in his crib sucking his thumb; he looked awake but was completely asleep.  Dad just gently laid him back down and covered him up.  We are not too surprised since it runs in the family.  But we will probably have to put up a safety gate outside the nursery to stop Bubeaner from wandering through the house unsupervised while we sleep.  He already gets into too many things when we are awake to worry about when we are sleeping. Today Bubeaner managed to open the pantry door, get the peanut butter crackers, and close the door when he was done.  This is the reason we have door locks on some tactical doors.  Unfortunately, Momma forgot to lock the pantry door in the morning.  And Bubeaner was smart enough to do it while Bubita ate when Momma couldn't really do much.

Bubeaner self-portrait.

Bubeaner also continues to amaze us with his personality.  We do not spank in our household as a rule.  Though, we do believe there are occasions when a spanking has been, and will be, necessary.  Most of the time our approach to discipline revolves around the Love and Logic method (there are consequences for every action) which really means time outs for Bubeaner.  The catch phrases we use are "That's not acceptable behavior" and "That's so sad."  One of the keys is to always appear in control of your emotions.  So these phrases are said in a normal soft tone of voice, never in anger. 

Today Bubeaner was coloring with his crayons when he decided to start taking the wrappers apart and coloring on the cabinets in the play room.  All Momma did was say "that's so sad" and put the crayons away.  When we turned around Bubeaner was not to be found.  He had gone to his room and put himself in time out!  So we timed him (2 minutes) and then let him off when the time was up.  He went back to playing without a problem.  WOW! 

A Little Bruise...Or Two

Ah, we used to tell other parents how lucky we were that Bubeaner had no interest in climbing.  It was true until a few weeks ago.  Then suddenly, things changed.  He is climbing on everything: the beds, the couches, the chairs.  In fact, he will climb on any little thing that can give him a few more inches in height.  This means that he is also into everything.  Counter tops are no longer out of reach.  And it also means an increase in falls and bruises.  Almost every day he has a new bruise, usually on the head (a draw back from being top heavy), or scrape/cut.

Dad watching the pre-game show with his babies.

Sunday Bubeaner fell from his little blue chair while trying to show off for his godfather.  Uncle Jeff tried comforting him as a nice, big bruise (and bump) appeared on Bubeaner's forehead.  Yesterday, he fell on his bottom.  And this evening he tripped while running around the bedroom and bit his tongue.  Sigh.  We used to joke about getting him a helmet for protection.  Now we wonder if we should wrap him up in bubble wrap.  We are convinced these scares are giving us gray hairs.

He did not appreciate us interrupting his reading time.

Bubeaner has also made great strides in talking in both English and Spanish.  He's turned into a little parrot mimicking every word/sound we say.  He particularly loves to repeat everything, E V E R Y T H I N G, Dad says.  Dad had to be VERY careful while watching the Cowboys game.  Bubeaner is still a little shy about talking in front of other people but even Meme'Licia and aunt Pau have heard some of his new words.

Enjoying a good brunch after church.

Morning is the only time he eats well sometimes having 2 morning meals. 

And the shyness has turned into separation anxiety in regards to people.  Bubeaner was pretty open to strangers despite being shy mainly because of his NICU stay and being exposed to a lot of people through church and friend groups.  But suddenly something changed.  He had no problem being dropped off the first time at the church nursery.  He didn't even want to leave at the end of mass.  But the second time we left him, this time at our old church, he cried a little then settled down.  The third time it was a little worse and so on.  Today he even cried when going into gym class.  And it took him almost 10 minutes to settle down during his swimming lesson.  It no longer helps if he can see Momma.  He wants to be within touching distance.  Even at home, Bubeaner will cry if Momma steps outside without him.  We are at a loss as to how to help him through this.

Finally getting some swimming done with coach Morgan 

As to Bubita, she continues to grow and thrive.  She simply adores her big brother.  She smiles the moment he comes into her line of vision.  She's even reaching out to touch him now, which he loves.  Yes, Bubita is now reaching out to grab things.  And she's getting better at actually making contact.  Of course, it helps if it is a large object.  We love watching her.  Bubita will look at an object then get this look on her face (we call it determination) and then her little hand will start making it's way to the object.  And when Bubita makes contact, good luck trying to pry it out of her little fingers.  The girl has quite a strong grip.  Meme'Licia and Momma have lost some hair to her as of late.

Having a heated conversation with the flying bear.

 (She looks like Bubeaner's twin in this shot.) 

She is also turning out to be a talker like her brother.  Well, Bubita doesn't suffer from the Talking Disease that runs in our families; she's a little more discriminating.  But she does have some long conversations nowadays.  And she's making more sounds than just goo and coo.  We love the intense look she gets when she's talking with us.  Her eyes get so big and excited.  Half of her conversation is through the expression in her eyes.

Enjoying a pre-dinner conversation with Momma.  

She's still having some reflux.  We still struggle emotionally with giving her medication.  Of course, it does not help that it's extremely frustrating to get her to ingest the medication.  We tried multiple styles of bottles and nipples and even using breast milk versus formula.  We even attempted to entice her by adding dark Karo syrup to her bottle.  Nothing worked.  Most of the medication usually ended up being spit up or remained on the bottle.  We finally had to give up and give it to her using our fingers feeding her immediately afterwards.  It's the only way we found to make her take it.  Sigh.  On the bright side, her BMs look a lot better and she is still able to go without a bib most days.  It took us a while to get to this stage with Bubeaner.

Our Summer Garden

Good luck finding a prettier little blossom. 

 
Bubita also continues to sleep through the night.  Lately she's been sleeping almost 12 hours going to sleep sometime between 645p and waking up at 6a.  She's pretty consistent on her wake up time of 6a just like Bubeaner.  She wakes up in a good mood too smiling and cooing.  But, unlike Bubeaner, she goes back to sleep until 9-930a.  She's still eats every 2 hours with a little bit of a cluster feed right before bedtime.  The last few days Bubita has been even taking a long afternoon nap of 3-4 hours.  We are optimistic this means she is settling into a more "regular" routine.

We just adore how she looks in bright colors. 

TGIF

Thankfully, it is Friday.  Even being at home, the weekend brings a schedule change.  One was greatly needed after this week.  We did not have a good night at all.  After the trouble getting Bubeaner and Bubita to fall asleep, they woke up multiple times during the night.  The (EARLY) morning found them wide awake, rested and in bed with us.  We still have not figured out how they can keep us up all night and still wake up rested.  Not surprisingly both of them ended up having a long morning nap of 2+ hours.  And in truth, Momma even succumbed at one point to the exhaustion.  We are not sure how Dad managed at work without one.

Bubita completely enthralled with the ceiling fan.

Bubita has definitely found her smile.  She smiles whenever she sees any she recognizes.  This even includes Sandy and her new best friend the ceiling fan.  And she is not stingy with them.  She smiles during "conversations" too.  Most of the time the smiles are followed by her heart-warming giggle or laughter.  They are more common occurrence so Bubita no longer startles at the sound of her laugh.

Smiling Bubita

She has a sunny disposition.

Bubeaner continues to insist on helping out with everything we do.  He likes to push the laundry baskets to and from the laundry room.  But the best part appears to be actually putting the clothes into the washing machine.  Bubeaner waits until the washing machine starts; he's mesmerized by the cycling motion.  Thankfully, the controls are still too high for him to reach.  We also encourage Bubeaner to help us out with Bubita's care.  He will bring us the clean diapers and wipes when Bubita needs a diaper change.  We also get him involved in picking out her clothes.  Bubeaner really enjoys helping out.  He even helped to burp her at one time.  And Bubita loves her Bubeaner.  She will smile and giggle when he's anywhere near her.

Bubeaner ensuring the pantry door is completely closed.

He cannot stand seeing doors open.

And when he can't help, Bubeaner imitates our behavior.  His current favorite pastime includes making vacuuming sounds as he pushes around any item even vaguely resembling a vacuum cleaner.  So far he has used his golf club (courtesy of Ms. Debbie), curtain rod and a shower curtain rod.  We wanted to buy a set of toy appliances, but we've yet to find any that are NOT pink or feminine.  It's sad since cleaning is not, and should not, be considered a gender-specific activity.

Vacuuming the hallway.

He's tried pushing the real vacuum cleaner but it's too heavy.

We keep the TV off most of the day at our home.  It's not that we don't watch TV, but thanks to the DVR (digital video recorder) we can tape our shows and watch them after the kiddos are in bed.  The only exception is usually during the morning while we get ready.  Even so, Bubeaner really never enjoyed watching TV.  In fact, he still does not really watch much TV; we've been playing movies in the car and he will only watch for a few minutes.  Bubita, however, is another story.  We can't get her to stop watching.  If the TV is on, she will move and strain her little neck until she can see it.  This may prove a problem as she gets older.

Pint-size TV junkie

 Bubeaner loves his Bubita.  However, there are many ways where we are finding out how he resented the changes brought on by the birth.  Momma use to put him to bed for his nap and bed time with almost no issues.  We had the same routine of prayers and songs.... almost from when he was still in the NICU.  But after the c-section, Momma was on lifting restriction.  We did cuddle and still did our songs/prayers.  But either Meme'Licia or Dad actually got him in bed.  After six weeks, we are attempting to resume our normal routine.  Well, every time Momma takes him for bedtime Bubeaner will fuss and cry and not settle down.  It usually requires either Meme'Licia or Dad to calm him down.  It's normal and we're not giving up, but it breaks Momma's heart.

Bubeaner helping get the lotion for Bubita.

Bubeaner has also been terribly missing his girls.  He asks for his "Ayi" and "LaLa" every day!  Of course, he asks for them more when we discipline him.  Spoiled little boy.

Surviving

The other day, while buying night diapers for Bubeaner, we looked for some for Bubita.  However, we did not find anything below size 4.  We realized it's probably because not many newborns are sleeping 7+ hours a night.  Yes, she sleeps that long at night now.  Most nights both babies are asleep by 730p-830p.  Bubita will wake up between 4a and 5a and Bubeaner between 6a-7a.  We're pretty lucky and a little cocky.  But then there are days like today when when our children remind us that with kids nothings guaranteed and life is usually not without some issues. 

A peacefully napping Bubita

This is one of the cutest things she does

We actually had a pretty quiet day today on purpose.  This entire week it's felt like we've been on the road.  With children every trip takes twice as long especially if it includes a little one that NEEDS to eat every 2-3 hours.  Add to that the extra hour of driving time, without traffic, that we must add because of our new home location.  And of course the 105+ degree weather  does add an extra little something to the equation.  It's just draining.

Bubeaner got really excited when he found this "book."

He immediately knew it was football! 

But we did not mind the quiet day.  We had a relaxed morning.  Bubeaner played a bit, Bubita ate and slept pretty well, and Momma got some little items done around the house.  We even managed to eat a quiet lunch together.  Afterwards, Bubeaner AND Bubita both took nice 3 hour naps allowing Momma to finally get to organize her closet.  The afternoon went in pretty much the same manner.  We were all relaxed and just enjoying the day.  Then something happened.  Our peaceful, calm and rested children morphed into cranky, fussy and crying little tyrants.  We are still struggling to figure out what happened.

Momma told him to read to Sandy.

He apparently thought she could read it herself.  

He handed her the book. 

Bubeaner ended up deciding to read it to Sandy in the end.

All we know is suddenly, Dad is struggling to calm Bubita while he cleans her and himself from the poop incident and Momma is dealing with an unhappy and misbehaving Bubeaner who suddenly refuses to sleep in his room or anywhere for that matter.

Bubita's new nickname:

Chunk-a-Chunk 

Her unofficial weight: 10 lbs!

(on our scale at home)

Plans for a book club meeting were scrapped.  The TV was forgotten on pause at the first five minutes of the game.  Dad drank his dinner in the form of an Ensure while dealing with Bubita crying.  And Momma shared her glamorous cold and flavorless ramen noodle dinner cup with a suddenly starving Bubeaner.

Bubeaner was very helpful, putting books away,

during the earlier part of the day. 

Thankfully, there is one thing that is guaranteed; they are human (though sometimes we wonder) and will eventually run out of steam.  So, it's just a case of making it just a little longer than them.  And as expected, Bubeaner succumbed first.  Granted he ended up back in the pack-and-play in our room, but he at least finally fell asleep.  Bubita, stubborn little punk that she is, lasted the longest.  It's currently 1030p and she's finally asleep.  Though, she too is not in her bed.  She's currently resting on a pillow on Momma's lap as this entry is being typed.  She starts crying the moment she's placed in her bassinet. 

We thought they were so cute.  They were probably planning their

strategy for the evening.  It was all down hill after this picture. 

And it's not so much how late they stayed up that's the problem.  We can easily stay up later on our own watching a movie, reading or talking.  It's just that when they are up and crying and fussy, they have the power to drain the life force out of you.  At those times, a minute feels like an hour.  Though they sure are adorable when they finally fall asleep.  So peaceful!

THE MANY FACES OF BUBITA:

Hmm, what shall I do today to push Momma's buttons....

I forgot what I was thinking about, 

but my fingers are yummy.

Momma don't distract me!

I am working on a plan for world domination!

Man, all this thinking has really worn me out.

On The Go... And Going Nowhere

Yesterday we had to drop off Dad's car at the dealership due to some major tire damage and other minor things.  So this morning we all woke up early and got ready to drop off Dad at work since his car is not yet ready.  Imagine our surprise when as we are driving away from the community and we hear a rattling.  Pulling off to the side of the road, Dad found a metal wire sticking out from the front right tire!  ARG!  Construction on the house started this past weekend on lot next to us.  And yesterday afternoon, they were cutting metal wires right in front of our drive way.  Quite a coincidence.... 

So, Dad dropped us back at the house where he cut the wire as close to the tire as possible and then proceeded to drive to the tire store.  He decided if we were going to have a blow out it was better not to have everyone, including two children, in the car.  After everything was fixed, Dad came back to pick us up so that we could finally drop him off at work.  By this time, Bubeaner and Bubita were not too thrilled about getting in and out, in and out, of the car.  In fact, Bubita proceeded to cry the last 15 minutes of the drive back.  Bubeaner, being so considerate, spent that time screaming at Momma about his Bebe crying in case Momma failed to hear the deafening screams from the back seat.

Bubita and aunt Pau sneaking some loving at the office

Sadly, we were not able to make it to Bubeaner's gym class due to the tire incident and thus changed our other plans for the day.  It left us with a more relaxed schedule.  This was great because even though Bubeaner slept through the night (in his own bed!) and woke up at 730a, he was pretty tired by 11a.  We attempted to let him take a nap in the trundle of the day bed in the nursery.  This will be his bed when Bubita moves to the crib.  He found it entertaining and actually settled in for a a few minutes.  But this new found freedom was a little too much for Bubeaner to resist.  He was soon off climbing off and on the bed and playing with the few toys in the nursery.  He ended up in the crib crying.  In fact, Meme'Licia had to sit with him in the nursery to calm him down.  Momma only made him cry harder; he may have realized Momma hates to hear him cry.  He's such a little con-artist.

It was not that long ago that he was actually IN this car seat.

He's grown so much!

We made an unscheduled trip to the doctor's office in the afternoon.  Meme'Licia was following in a separate car in case we ran too late.  We were separated by traffic.  Those few minutes made Momma appreciate Meme'Licia a lot.  Momma had to carry Bubeaner, the purse and diaper bag on one arm, push Bubita in her stroller on the other.  Thankfully Meme'Licia caught up with us as we were heading in to see the doctor.  Bubeaner did not like the nurse (she was a new one) and was about to start crying.  He also did not let her get anywhere near Momma.  And a little bit later, Bubita started crying...again.  It would have been quite an interesting visit with both kids in the exam room.

Sadly, the doctor did not have good news.  It appears Momma has developed mastitis, but we are hopeful that the prescribed medications, along with home treatments Momma is already following, will take care of it.  Otherwise, it means a visit to the surgeon on Friday. Yuck!

Bubita sure likes to pose for photos.

We walked across the street from the doctor's office to see aunt Pau at her office in the hospital.  Now that we've moved further away we don't see her as often;  we miss our aunt Pau.  Bubeaner really enjoyed spending a few minutes with her.  Of course, our visit was a little longer because Bubita decided she needed to eat.  The girl is like her brother when it comes to food.  They are not patient at all.  Bubeaner was entertained with a cup of fruit during that time.  It also helped that he was in Bubita's car seat and could not get down and run around.  He actually finished all of the fruit.  Hopefully we won't have tummy issues later.

Bubita was bathed upon our return and after Bubeaner ate and went to bed.  She was actually enjoying the refreshing bath water and staying awake.  It's been an improvement from relaxing so much she slept through her baths or even pooped in the tub a few times.   She actually cried when we took her out of the tub. 

Afterwards she spent a few minutes talking with Momma and Dad.  She's becoming such a conversationalist!  We love to hear her cooing.  Bubeaner is also improving on his vocabulary.  Or maybe we are just getting better at understanding it.  But it does appear that he enunciates a little better every day.  Today he said "rana" (frog) clearly while we were reading a story with a frog in it.  It made us smile. 

And today we noticed Bubita smiles as soon as she sees us.  It warms our hearts that our presence brings her joy.  Bubeaner and Bubita's presence bring joy to our lives.

Our Babies

Bubeaner was a great boy and slept in his bedroom again!  We may have finally gotten over the sleep-with-Momma-and-Dad issue.  And it happened by accident when Meme'Licia put him in his crib at bedtime rather than in the pack and play.  (Bubeaner had continued to takes his naps in his crib through all this even though he refused to sleep there at night.)  One kid down, one to go. 

"Man, tummy time is SUCH a drag."

Not surprisingly, Bubeaner is also sleeping a lot better through the night now too.  And thus is much more rested.  The little dark shadows under his eyes might even disappear soon.  We are all dealing with sleep deprivation.  As to Bubita, she did much better last night.  She did wake up at 1030p to eat, but then proceeded to sleep - in the bassinet, on her own - until 430a.  It's still way early, but we are just glad she's back to sleeping 6 hours a night.  And we are coming to the conclusion that she may not be a morning person like Bubeaner and Dad.  She can, and usually does, go back to sleep after her morning feeding and sleeps another 4-5 hours straight.  The girl might even sleep longer but by 9a it's pretty difficult to restraint Bubeaner's energy.  He's been awake at least 3 hours and is ready to PLAY!  It's a great feat for him to last that long quietly entertaining himself.

Our two babies:

The size difference is quite obvious in this picture. 

Bubita is also learning to entertain herself.  She appeared pretty observant even from the beginning.  She appeared to focus on objects and faces and track them as they moved.  She's now definitely found her hands.  We do not know yet if she understands they are hers and that she can control them.  However, we are seeing her attempt to grab at items.  She especially likes to "caress" Momma's face and pretty often reaches out to touch Bubeaner. 

Bubeaner thought it hilarious to sit in between Momma's legs.

Silly boy!

She's also becoming quite the conversationalist.  Yesterday she even had an argument, probably the first of many, with Dad.  She voiced her complaints regarding Dad's need to observe traffic signals and follow posted speed limits.   Dad attempted to explain, but Bubita would have none of it.  The girl has a need for S P E E D!  Thankfully, she has also had quite lady-like conversations with Momma cooing adorably.  Bubita has also come into her smile.  She loves to smile and even occasionally giggle.  The giggles still startle her at times.  But the smiles are like the parting of the sky on a cloudy day; they just make our day!

Bubita in her coming-home outfit.

Of course, back then it looked like it was a pant set;

she's grown a bit.

Bubeaner continues to add sounds to his vocabulary too.  He is quite the conversationalist too.  We just wished we could understand everything he was saying.  So far, we are able to follow his lead and continue with our end of the conversation.  It may appear strange to others watching.  Bubeaner will babble on and on about something and we will respond and so on.  We've had pretty long conversations this way.  Today, he even discussed with Momma the best way to install a bookshelf in his play room closet.  He was intrigued with Momma's use of the powertools (drill/screwdriver).

Got cheeks?

Bubeaner finally accepted Momma would not allow him to use the drill and settled into helping with other things.  That's the main thing he wants to do as of late.  He loves to help us do our every day activities and chores.  And he does not want to pretend; he wants to actually do what we are doing.  He's pretty good at most of them too considering his age and size.  His favorite chore is still doing laundry.  Hopefully it will remain so even through his teen years.  But lately he is also helping out with Bubita's care like handing me diapers, etc.  The newest one he's tried has been helping out in the kitchen.  Now, we will admit he does not get much of an opportunity with this one because Momma does not cook much.  But has enjoyed any little bit he has done.  Maybe he will be the cook in the family. 

The Greatest Show and Other Weekend Things

Well, Momma over did it on Friday.  Dr. T said we were cleared and could even go rock climbing.  However, after carrying Bubeaner most of the evening and then going on the afternoon walk, Momma was hurting.  We are back to taking it easy but with more freedom.

Dad and Bubeaner enthralled by the performers.

Momma and Dad are also hurting and seriously sleep deprived.  Thursday and Friday night Bubeaner and Bubita had bad nights.  Bubita in particular woke up almost every hour.  She did eat a couple of times during the night.  But the rest of the times Bubita just wanted to cuddle before falling asleep again. We are desperately hoping it's not a trend that sticks.  We are not sure how we would function with this little sleep.

Our little circus fan was totally exhausted by the end.

Saturday morning we took it easy because we had fun plans for later in the day.  We all headed to the circus!  Momma and Dad had not been to one in decades (that makes us sound so old!).  And this was the first for both little ones.  It was entertaining and Bubeaner appeared to enjoy it.  Well, he particularly enjoyed the bucket of popcorn.  He ate almost half of the family bucket of popcorn by himself.  And that was AFTER he had inhaled an entire hot dog. 

Flirty Little Minx

As to the performances, Bubeaner was slightly amused by the acrobats, dancers, and clowns.  But the human cannon ball was his absolute favorite.  Bubeaner is quite judicious about awarding claps/"bravos"; he does not clap just because everyone else is clapping.  And the cannon ball skit had him dropping the popcorn and clapping loudly.  The elephants and tigers also received claps but not with the same vigor.  Our boy is funny and sometimes so grown up.

Momma's Favorite People 

As to Bubita, she slept through the entire show.  Well, she did wake up once to eat.  But we are not completely sure she was truly awake.  This was quite a feat considering how loud it was in the arena.  It does boggle our mind that she can sleep with all that noise, but at home a little sniffle can startle her from a deep sleep.  We are sure she will enjoy the show next year.

Dad and Momma enjoying a break alone as a couple

On Saturday night, Momma and Dad went on their first outing sans babies since Bubita was born.  We enjoyed the early evening at a nice relaxed party.  Afterwards, we were able to visit one of our favorite restaurants in that area.  We had not been back in at least three years!  We were surprised the sushi chef still recognized us, but we had frequented it 3 or more times per week back then.  Yes, we absolutely love sushi.

Bubita all dressed up for church.

Even with the late dinner, we were back home early by our pre-children standards.  But it was satisfiying to spend some quality couple time.  And we are blessed to have wonderful, trust-worthy friends and family to babysit our little ones.  We plan on taking at least one night a month for just Momma and Dad.  And Meme'Licia had both babies asleep AND in their respective beds when we returned.  Bubita ate once we returned but promptly fell asleep again.  And, even more surprising, they both slept through the night!!!  We are not sure why or what happened.  But it was just wonderful to get that extra sleep considering the lack of it the last few nights.  Meme'Licia may need to babysit at night more often if this is the effect on the kiddos.

Bubeaner's appetite has definitely picked up.

Sunday morning was so much nicer after the wonderful, peaceful night.  We even managed to make it to mass at our old church.  Although we did discover some changes there too.  Our favorite priest, the one that baptized Bubeaner, is transferring to another parish.  He was one of the reasons we wanted to keep attending there.  Maybe this will make it easier to transition to another church home.  Although, Momma plans to continue participating in the women's bazaar group.  They are like family.

Bubita continued sleeping even as she was bathed.

That's one tired little girl. 

We, aunt Pau included, all enjoyed a wonderful lunch at one of our favorite tex-mex restaurants.  Once again, Bubeaner ate well.  He ate an entire taco, all the rice and most of the beans on his plate.  We're not sure if toddlers go through growth spurts, but he is sure eating like he's in one.  Bita might be right also.  He may just be like aunt Lari and Momma with times of "hibernation" with little or no appetite and followed by periods of ferocious appetite.