Friday, June 19, 2009

11-month birthday

I made monthly birthday cupcakes for the last time yesterday. Something strange happened with the icing and it went runny: yesterday they looked like this:

I haven't looked yet to see what happened after a night in the fridge.

I've been finding it hard to read other adoption blogs lately because it seems their babies are so much further ahead. One little girl from Ethiopia has several words at 9 months. A little boy started walking at this age. I know I'm being ridiculous but you know, you always worry that you're not doing enough, and I think it's more so with twins. I notice more and more the times when I would be cuddling and talking with one child - if only his brother didn't need me - and then he doesn't get cuddled either because the first one needs something, or, more likely, I'm tired. Not that they don't get cuddled a lot - but if you're a Mom you know what I mean. It doesn't help when people ask their age, then ask if they are walking and what their first word was, when they are nowhere near either.

Not that they don't have their own bragging rights! Vanh was an early clapper and first to crawl. Max was first to pull himself up and to roll a ball back and forth with someone. They are easy and fun to be with. And of course, they are absolutely adorable.

Here is our schedule:
7:00 up, bottle, diaper, play
8:30 breakfast
9:00 play
10:00 bottle, nap
12:00 diaper,play
12:30 lunch
1:00 play
3:00 bottle, nap
4:00 snack,diaper, play
5:30 supper
6:00 play
7:00 diaper, bottle, bed

The boys are very good at playing - I guess it's all that pratice. We rotate between the front room, family room and outside (if it's nice) and the toys get rotated as well, so things stay interesting. Favourite toys are always whatever's new (yesterday it was a margarine lid and the tear-out bit from a new box of tissues).

The two long naps are nice... And by nice I mean isolated periods of calm when I can do self-absorbed time-consuming tasks like shower and vacuum. Or lay in bed and read. Or even blog. Don't bother phoning, I'm not in.

We will have been a family for 4 months tomorrow. I have 15 months left at home and I intend to treasure every minute of every one.

By the end of that we will be about $50 000 behind where we were when we started. Much of that is in lost wages. For a teacher maternity/ parental benefits don't do much more than cover pension and benefits payments - but how lucky we are to have this option, I'm not complaining, just explaining. Some good news is that the issue of adoptive parents needing a year of leave is working it's way into law:

Private Member's Bill on EI and adoption

So hopefully that will be sorted out by the time we go back for our next child. Ha ha just kidding. But you never know...

Have a wonderful 11-month birthday my darling, darling little boys!

cupcake photos

4 comments:

B said...

Who walks first, who talks first...ehh. Let's talk about the thing they can't do that is weird... He was walking and still couldn't roll over from back to front. I would put him in his crib and he would just lay there and fall asleep because there was no other option. Until last week when he rolled to escape from a diaper changing marathon. Oy...now he knows he can roll over onto his stomach in the crib and then STAND up! Crap! Bedtime will never be the same again.

And don't even get me started with eating. Day before yesterday the wee one ate 5 cheerios a 1cm cube of cheese and half a rice cracker ALL DAY! WTF?

Lisa said...

I know how you feel, but if it helps, I read your blog and am amazed that your boys sleep so well and can play on their own! Luke naps in the morning for about 1.5 hours and that's it. Refuses to nap in the afternoon. He's slept through the night twice in 3 months (which at least gives us hope!) and is currently waking up 3 times a night. Our daughter didn't walk until she was 14 months and the daughter of a friend of ours didn't start talking until around 2 years. Both are now 4 and running around and talking non-stop. It all happens in its own time!

Michelle said...

People always tell me you can't compare children... and despite all my efforts, I can't seem to help it. I knew before even adopting Aimée (thanks to the that I should expect delays... and yet I always feel like it is my fault. Mother's guilt perhaps???? Aimée has JUST really started to walk at 19 months. I just dreaded when someone would see her crawl around somewhere and then ask me how old she was.
She still drinks formula from a bottle at 19 months because it is sometimes one of the only things that she will consume in days.
She is delayed in speech and we are on a waiting list for speech therapy "just in case" she does not catch up. Then I wonder if it is my fault again. Do I talk to her enough? Do I read to her enough? Do I sing to her enough???

All this to say, Sam my dear, I know exactly how you feel.
Michelle

Heather said...

I am absolutely amazed and jealous that a 11 months your two will nap at the same time TWO times a day and will sleep 12 hours through the night. I would die for that kind of me time. I could not get mine to nap at the same time until 2 years old and I have to either be holding them both or laying down with them. I don't want to even talk about night time. Sleep has been a constant struggle around here.

Trust me I have had one child walk at 8.5 months and one at 10 months and it is no fun. Once they are walking you are running constantly. Enjoy the time when they are less mobile and it is a little easier. I know what you mean about with twins not knowing if your meeting both their needs enough.It is hard. Trust me it only gets easier from here with twins.I can not believe the difference in how I feel today from a year ago. Two years old is so much easier.The baby stage was so HARD with twins but is only uphill from here.