So you keep asking yourself... why doesn't Gretchen post more videos of all the stuff her boys can do now? Easy answer. They refuse to do it on camera! Seriously. So you'll have to take my word for it, for now...
At almost 16 weeks, this is what they're up to:
Jacob:This kid loves to move. Usually this is done mysteriously - as in, I put you to bed at that end of your crib with your head this way, and you woke up at this end of your crib with your head that way. We may never know what combination of scooting/rolling/kicking got him there! He loves tummy time and can hold his head up really high. He also can easily roll from his tummy to his back. He's working on back to tummy, although he loves sleeping on his side, so usually when he gets halfway over he just falls asleep! Jakey loves to stand up. One day I went to pull him from laying down to sitting up, and instead he straightened his legs and stood right up. He smiles and laughs when he's on his feet. He can even stand on his own while hanging onto a chair - not steadily yet, of course, so we stay close - but what a strong kid!
Jacob is the quieter of the boys so far. He does a lot of babbling (though still not as much as his chatterbox brother!), but does it in a very quiet voice. He has the funniest little giggle when I tickle his chest. Usually it starts with a huge smile and silent laugh, but then the giggle leaks out :) Jakey's standard smile is a cute little closed-mouth grin, but he's starting to open his mouth and give real smiles, too.
Jacob loves to watch TV. Seriously. Sometimes I have to turn the TV off so he'll eat - he tries to turn his head to watch and can't swallow at the same time. It's a little early for this vice, isn't it???
Robbie:This child is happiest when he stretches out on his back. He loves to kick his legs and to flirt with himself in the mirror above his play gym. He does this funny thing where he looks crazed - flails all his limbs around while laughing... his idea of exercise, I suppose. He is not as interested in tummmy time as his brother is (this could be because he spits up nearly every time he does it - poor kid!), but Bob did catch him rolling over once from his tummy to his back, so soon he'll be on the move, too.
As I mentioned before, Robbie is our chatterbox. And he is LOUD. It sounds like this: la ah ah WAH ah O ah EE oh ah wah... and he'll go on like that for 10 minutes or more. When he gets progressively louder is generally means "I'm about to melt down, come get me" but usually his talking is just for his own (and our) entertainment.
Robbie is Mr. Social. He loves to flirt with waitresses, and gives us HUGE open-mouthed smiles all the time. He has a loud laugh when we really get him giggling. With both he and his brother, the best way to get a big laugh/smile is to play airplane/rocket ship/super baby - something that involves flying over mom or dad's head - I truly hope to get a video of this soon, as it is SO funny!
Both boys are being pretty good about complying with Mommy's new napping schedule. Most days they will both nap for at least an hour and a half in the morning and again in the afternoon - but here's the important part - AT THE SAME TIME! :) Thank God for small miracles :) Another plus is that the little cat naps they take in between are usually at different times, so I have one-on-one time with each baby - it's so much easier to bond with one baby at a time, so this is the best of both worlds.
The question we get asked most is: Do they sleep through the night? Yes, mostly. Yes, they sleep a total of about 10 hours each night (YAY). Yes, they do this without us having to feed them during the night (YAY). However, they still wake up in need of reassurance of some sort - re-swaddling the blanket, putting the pacifier back in, etc. Usually this accounts for us getting up 4-7 times each night. Thus, we never truly get a good night's sleep -- BUT it's so much better than the "feed them every 3 hours" period.
After our long road trip to Chicago last week, the boys (especially Jakey) are not so fond of the car. There is a lot of screaming involved. I suppose they think every time we put them in car seats that they have to be in them for 9 hours again??? I hope this phase passes soon - it's quite miserable when they both get going.
Every day is hard work for mommy and daddy - my goal every day is to get myself to bed by 9:00, not that it ever happens! We're tired all the time, but wouldn't trade it for anything... I can't believe how much they've changed already. I already miss how little they once were, and at the same time can't wait for them to grow up and talk to us.
Look at those eyes - Robbie definitely got those from Daddy :)
Jakey, as a cow.
Had to snap this photo to show Grandma Jean and Grandpa Don that the boys fit into their Florida shirts... for about a minute and a half. I can't BELIEVE how fast these kids grow! Seems like every day I put something in the "too small" pile.
