We are extremely fortunate in that we both have jobs that can be done remotely and are not in immediate jeopardy. Our nanny is healthy and smart about social distancing. My MIL is sad to be stuck with us and unable to visit her other son, but we're super fortunate to have her help here. We have enough diapers, baby wipes, and formula. Being homebodies with babies, we didn't have much of a social life before the virus, so we're not missing out on much now that we're stuck at home! There are certainly things I had looked forward to for years that we can no longer do: walking with the babies at the arboretum, play dates with their friends, our summer boundary waters trip. Despite that, we're very lucky overall. I continue to hope for the well being of those around us.
In baby news, they are doing so well!
- T took her first intentional steps last week. She can now walk at least 3-5 steps in a row and she's just so excited about it.
- T also had her first temper tantrum last week. I'm sure we're in for it, but it was pretty amusing as far as developmental milestones go.
- T is getting to be a slightly better eater. She'll feed herself some solids and drink some milk from a straw cup. She refuses a lot more than she eats, though. We're still giving bottles because I can't get enough food in yet. Pediatrician said that's ok through 12 months adjusted.
- T has learned how to sign 'more'. She understands what it means and uses it in context, both with food and when she wants to have an adult do more of something she's enjoying.
- We've had several past attempts at sleep training, by which I mean teaching the babies to fall asleep independently. Those attempts always crashed and burned when I turned bedtime over to DH, because he and MIL would go right back to rocking them all the way to sleep. DH went on another business trip and I realized just how bad their sleep was and threw my own tantrum that we were going to fix this sleep mess. T has responded beautifully to sleep training. She's now getting about an extra hour of sleep a day and the change in her personality is amazing. She's so much happier now than she was. Less crying, more exploring and playing. I'm so, so happy for her and for us.
- T has had her first illness, an ear infection, right before her first birthday. She did great, slept well, and didn't even act like it was a problem. The cold that preceded it was more distressing to her.
- A is a master stair climber. Last week we set him down at the bottom of the stairs. With no hesitation or wobbling, he climbed right to the top like it was the most natural thing ever. He may not be walking, but he's certainly mobile.
- A's also getting slightly better at eating solids. He'll feed himself some solids and two days ago started drinking milk from a straw cup. He likes a different mix of things than T does, which is tough, but we keep exposing them both to see if something sticks.
- A has not taken well to sleep training. We're 11 days in and while nights are pretty good, naps are horrid to non-existent. The sleep deprivation makes him as cranky as T is happy. It hurts my heart that he's having such a hard time, but as someone who has struggled with insomnia, I desperately want him to learn to self-soothe to sleep. It's a skill I didn't pick up, and I don't want him to have the same experience I do because of that lack of skill.
- A also had his first illness, an ear infection. It came about two weeks after Tess's. He was a mess, clearly in pain, and barely slept until he'd been on antibiotics for almost a week.