13 months

My boys are sick again. ALWAYS. Micah has a double ear infection, and is pretty pathetic. But I haven't taken pictures. I still wanted to share updates. I'll take some 13 month pictures tomorrow. Hopefully.

A picture from yesterday to help tide you over.

The last month feels like the longest ever since my boys have been born.

Most of the things that the boys have learned are little, like learning to hold and drink out of their cups without help.

The boys love to put their toys away, and they love to bring me their things.  I will sit on the floor while miscellaneous toys pile up around me.  They especially love to carry big and heavy things.  They'll stumble forward, tripping over giant bottles of water, empty diaper boxes, and various other things.

The other day, I left the door to the washing machine open and a half hour later it was filled with an odd assortment of things: diaper rash cream, a sippy cup, a handful of toys, a maraca, and several other things.

Micah likes to try to eat with silverware, but isn't very good. Grey, however, likes to grab silverware and bang it on his tray (and his brother), use it to shovel his food on to the floor, and throw it at the stove so it makes a loud clang.

Needless to say, I rarely let Grey try to feed himself.

They are starting to get the hang of dishes, and won't immediately dump the contents of a bowl out. Especially if it's full of food that they want to eat. So that's definitely new.

Both boys are serious tantrum throwers. Our days are filled with little fits, caused by Travis leaving for work, their brother touching me or taking a toy, having their diapers changed, or seeing a bottle on the floor or counter without getting to drink it.

I don't know what to do about it or how to handle it. They lie on the floor and scream, they pound their fists, they push each other. They're little monsters at tantrum-time. I think I'm going to start trying some form of time-out.

But luckily the fits usually only last a few minutes and then they're back to being happy.

The boys have started to seriously harass each other, too, though. CONSTANTLY. They are always hitting, pushing, poking, grabbing, and bugging. They drive each other crazy and laugh while they do it. We have lots of handled-toys or stick-shaped objects in our home and the boys love to pick those up and bang each other over the head with them. They can't stand to see their brother with something, even if they have one, even if they were perfectly content seconds before they noticed their brother playing.

They understand almost everything I say and love to copy me.  They especially like to shake their heads back and forth "No, no" and if they get really into saying no, they wave their hand back and forth (shaking their finger), too.

They know what I'm saying most of the time, and if they're freaking out and I say, "Do you want to go outside?" they'll usually stop crying, and run to the door.  They hold out their feet for their shoes, which they love to have me put on and take off. Over and over and over again.

They can climb on and off the couches now without any help or footstool, which means they can reach a whole new level of out-of-bounds things.

They are really snugly and love to cuddle, and sit on my lap.  They'll sidle up behind me and and practically sneak on to my lap, even if I'm holding or working on something.  They both love their blankets, and will pull them from their beds and carry them around, rubbing their faces on the soft fabric, bunching them up like pillows and lying down for a minute or two, and playing peek-a-boo with me.

They can't handle seeing their brother hold his blanket if they don't have theirs, too.

Micah also love to snuggle his stuffed animals and soft baby doll.  He hugs and kisses them and carries them around the house.

They like to push the animals into my face, to make me snuggle with their toys.

Their favorite thing, though, is the fort.  They love to run in and out of the fort, and giggle like crazy if someone is in there already.  Grey will dissolve into hysterical laughter if he's in his fort and you peek your head in and say "Peek-a-boo!" He starts turning in a circle until he's literally banging into the walls and falling over dizzy.

They refuse to hold still, except for the occasional snuggle. They won't watch tv or movies, they won't read books, and they absolutely don't want to have their picture taken.

Obviously.

Grey has started covering his eyes, which is unbelievably cute.  He presses the palms of both his hands over the bridge of his nose and squeezes his eyes shut.  He does it if the sun is shining in his face, if I pour water over his head in the bath, or if he's having an especially pathetic little cry.

He also loves to YELL. He doesn't do it just because he's angry, but because he likes to make noise.  He does this high-pitched screech, which actually sounds quite like a bird, and then he bellows, "RRRAAAAAAHHH!" He does it most and loudest if I am out of the room and he is confined to his crib or high-chair, like "DON'T FORGET I'M HERE!"

Anyway. They're the best and the cutest.

And soon you will see some picture-proof.

Now, I'm going to go snuggle my boys until tomorrow.

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