Good morning!

Yes, Zevi said that.  Not very clearly, but twice.  A couple of days ago I was playing with the boys (read: anxiously waiting for mom to take over) and Alla walked in and said "Доброе утро!" - "Dobroe utro" - "Good morning".  Zevi, then, replied "добое уто" - doboe uto.  And then repeated it upon request.  He swallowed the r's, but we'll take it.  Bot boys continue to be enthralled by the number 3 and call it more and more clearly.  Zev also says "Вот эту!" - "This one!" when he points to the book he wants.

The morning greeting result has not been repeated so far, but we can wait.

For extra points: what exactly id daddy wearing on his head?

Some more recent changes and part 2 of December pics

Recently Zevi got into a habit of saying "oi" when called for.  Both of the boys have also developed a taste for feeding mom, dad, or aunt Olga, and occasionally each other.  Benjamin especially enjoys feeding stuffed bunny and making eating noises.

In other news Benjamin pretty much asked me to change him today.  Not sure what that means yet - the diaper was not particularly wet.  Maybe he figures it is a way to get me all to himself.  Regardless, as Alla put it - we cannot miss this opportunity and will see of Benjamin would like to be potty trained.  Not holding my breath.

Zev enjoying the lighting of the Hanukkah candles.  12/16/12

Benjamin taking it very seriously.

Zev: look, they are all lit!

Benjamin: yea, they are nine candles. Eight days of this in a row and I am still supposed to be impressed?

Benjamin exploring heights.  12/22/12

Zev taking off toward mom.

Some more pictures, December

Enjoying frozen yogurt.  12/1/12

All sugared up now...

with mom

Ben hangin' with mom, 12/9/12

Nineteen months and counting

The boys continue to get more sophisticated in their perception of the world.  They easily point out mom, dad, aunt Olga, themselves, and each other.  Zev recently started showing interest in letters and numbers - he loves pointing to letters and having me say them.  In fact, he prefers that to looking at pictures.  Ben has gotten much better at letting Zev sit in my lap, and usually gets a book and 'reads' on his own.  After a few minutes, however, Benjamin decides he wants some of my attention and brings over a couple of plush toys to offer me.  The boys are also getting much better with the toys that involve fitting geometric shapes into the appropriate holes.

Both Zev and Ben are getting very good at navigating stairs up and down.  Recently both of the boys have shown interest in dragging around a broom, which we naturally encourage.  Beyond that - there is the usual running (and falling), climbing of adults, and changing eating habits on daily basis.

Over Thanksgiving the Boston grandparents visited us and all together we went to the Children's Museum.  The water section was a clear hit.

Getting started.  11/23/12

All geared up with Grandma

Zev having fun

Grandpa Misha, a lecture in fluid dynamics

Ben is having fun

Onto light studies.

Yes, the sleeve is wet.  Get over it.

Ben diving right in

Zev playing with a train set

Wheel.  A *big* wheel!

The 18 month checkup

The boys had their 18 month checkup.  Zev came in at 24 lb 3 oz and Ben at 24 lb 7 oz.  Both measured 34 1/4 " in height.  In other words, 50th percentile in weight, 90th percentile in height for both of them.

In other news: Zev has his first introduction to the timeout corner for repeatedly pulling on mom's hair.

The boys (and their parents) wish Grandpa Misha speedy recovery.

the boys turn a year and a half

Yes, they did.  Yesterday.  Now, you may wonder, my gentle reader, why is it that I did not address the occasion in the more timely fashion.  Well, I'll tell you.  That is because yesterday Alla passed out at 8:45 pm and I did at 9:30.  Simply because, every morning, if Benjamin slept - Zev woke.  If Zev slept - Bnejamin woke.  On the 6th, true to form, pretty much no one slept since 5 am.  Which is why ... see above.

I suppose a year and a half is a milestone of sorts.  Thinking back I am trying hard to avoid words like "miserable", "angry", and "resentful" - yet here they are.  At least I have been for the previous few mornings.  Today, on the other hand, Alla's mom spent the night and, true to form - for her the boys slept till well past 6.  It is only for the mom and dad do they reserve the misery of the 5 am wake-up call.  There is that word again.

In other news, the following incident was reported earlier today.  Zev was playing with a light-up ball (thank you, physics; go electromagnetic induction).  Ben wanted the ball badly.  His was reaching for Zev's hair... yet Ben remembered that just this very morning I put him in the corner time-out for yanking on Zev's hair.  So, Benjamin restrained himself.  Several times he was tempted to violence, and thought the better of it.  Finally, he decided to win his brother over with love.  He came over and kissed him, over and over, hoping Zev would share.  To no avail.  Zev may not be as cunning, but he Zev knows very well what Zev wants.  Zev wanted the ball, Benjamin wanted to avoid another time-out.  The ball remained with Zev.

Well, it is just after midnight as I write this.  Ben has just woken up crying and I was unable to get him to sleep.  Alla has been deployed.  I suppose I should try to sleep while I can.

Brief update: Ben wet his bed, which is not a frequent event, but happens.  That woke up Zev who yelled briefly in my ear, quieted down, then yelled again when I put him in his bed.  And quieted down again in a minute and a half.  Ben, on the other hand, threw a absolute fit about being changed.  Now, 12 minutes later, Zev is asleep, the bed is changed, and Alla is working on getting Ben back to bed.  From what I can hear downstairs, without much success so far.  I think I can safely take a shower before things settle down.

sleep, violence, sharing of the peace bottle

The interesting thing lately has been sleep.  Or rather lack there of.  Again.  Ever since the extra-miserable couple of weeks complements of Zev's virus-bacteria-allergy combo (apply plurals liberally), he got used to sleeping with (preferably on top of) mom every night.  Once Zev got better and it was time to migrate him back to his bed, the nights have been according to the following formula, without fail:

The boys go to bed just fine.  Between 11 pm and 3 am Zevi wakes up screaming bloody murder, one to four times.  The break is that as soon he hears me walk into the room, he quiets down.  By the time I come over to his bed, there is rarely a need to pick him up (daddy has the 'mute' button).  I inform Zevi that it is still night, he should sleep some more, and I exit the room.  Then, 5 am strikes and no more 'mute' button.  Like clockwork, Zev wakes up and screams.  If I rush in - he is OK in my arms, but the moment I move to put him down he screams again, this time inconsolably.  Ben wakes up, lights, camera, action, day begins by 5:10 am for everyone.  The boys are sleepy and cranky,  ready for their nap by 8; I am ready to kill everyone by about 7.  Alternative option: Alla rushes in at 5, snatches Zev and takes him elsewhere, where I am not.  Zev sleeps on Alla (he wins!) some more, everyone wakes up at 6-something, with full realization that tomorrow will be precisely the same.

Somewhere along the way the lack of sleep began to reflect badly on Benjamin.  One way it showed was in an elevated frequency of unprovoked hair pulling.  On a particular day Ben went for a two-fer, at Gymboree, first getting Zev and then a nice girl.  Both acts resulted at two minutes of indignant crying at a timeout.

After two weeks straight of this both Alla and I were cooked.  And we did the smartest thing all month: we called aunt Shawna, our lifesaver.  Shawna heroically arrived at 5 this morning.  At 5:02, on cue, Zev cried.  In walked Shawna.  Zev looked up, realized he is not dealing with mom or dad, and went back to sleep without a sound.  Shawna walked out.  A minute later I handed Shawna the monitor and Alla and I fell asleep for three more hours, muttering something uncomplimentary about a manipulative baby.  Ah, the inside of my eyelids at 6:45 - that's what you look like!  I've missed you so.  Later we were told that both boys slept until after 7 am (!) and then took a three hour nap during the day.  Something uncomplimentary about not sleeping babies!

In other news: the boys have entered a sharing phase.  While they are having milk they will often swap bottles.  Or toys.  Or blankets.  As long as there is something to barter - the exchanges are easy.  If both are thirsty and only one bottle is in site, things get a little tricky, but not always.  At a recent breakfast Ben gulped his milk down first, while Zev tarried - an unusual event in itself.  Then, Ben reached over and said "дать" ('to give').  Zev handed over the bottle.  Ben took a few gulps and return the bottle at Zev's request.  This passing of the peace bottle went on for good three ounces.

Finally, of numbers.  Our friends from Boston (thank you Gayatri and Victor!) sent us a lovely puzzle - foam pictures with push-through numbers.  The boys are not great at pushing the numbers in, but love to push them out, plus they enjoy the bright colors.  Zev, for some reason, took a liking to the number three.  So, Alla started repeating "tri!  tri!".  Finally, while holding the toy Zevi started saying "tchi!".  Close enough.

a few pictures, finally

By my reckoning it has been roughly four and a half months since the latest posted pictures.  Guess I am due...

Side by side at Gymboree, 9/8/2012

Later that day my unsuspecting company picnic was subjected to Ben and Zev.  The upper management survived.  So did the ponies.

Ben was not too thrilled but he dealt with it.

Zev was even less enthusiastic

Packed away.  10/17/12

With grandma Rita

On dad's birthday.  A rare moment Zev was smiling that day.  11/5/2012

Zev getting ready for a walk with grandpa Tolya.  Mom and dad get an hour's rest.  yay!  11/10/12

Ben getting ready too.  Yes, obsessive grandmothers, the ear was tucked away before departure. 

Zev trying on a new jacket.  Thank you, Boston grandparents!  11/17/12

Ben putting the newly acquired teeth to good...errr, some use.

Benjamin showing off new threads while swigging milk.

A Very Special Post

In the past year and a half you have read me whine about hard life of a parent, sometimes trying to be funny, sometimes just being angry and bitter.

Well, here is some perspective for you.  Below is a link to a blog by Tony and Leslie Allen, new parents of fraternal twins, Kadri Claire and John Alexander "Sander".  Kadri and Sander were born on October 23rd, only 25 weeks into the pregnancy, weighing  1 lb 9. 9oz and 1 lb 11 oz, respectively.
Leslie's blog

All of us at the Kaplan house wish Kadri, Sander, Leslie, and Tony all the best.

Zev's turn at ear infection

Some days ago was my birthday, and a week before that one was Alla's.  How we celebrated those deserves a telling.  For starters, Ben gave his mom a gift of a one day stomach flu that he had (and later shared with his aunt and grandma, generous boy that Benya is).  As a result, Alla met her birthday hugging the porcelain all night. Rita, then not yet affected, took care of her and I spent the night in another room with a monitor.  This being shortly after the switch to daylight savings time, Benya went to bed like a champ according to the new time and woke up according to the old, also known as 4:50-5:20 am range.  

All this time Zevi had a progressively harder time falling asleep with what we thought was a teething-induced runny nose.  No such luck.  A virus left Zevi with a raw, sore through, a cough that hurt him, and an ear infection to boot.  Towards the middle of the week the only way Zevi could sleep, in short bursts, was on top of his mom.  Some minutes at a time, until a cough hurt him and woke him screaming.  The first night things got ... colorful, found us at 4 am in the following configuration: Ben had a hard time falling asleep for some reason, so he was in his room with Alla.  Zevi, in the mean time was snoring away in our bed.  By 4:15 or so I realized that Zevi got major snoring genes (not judging anybody here), gave up, and went to the stairs to read.  Where I was joined a few minutes later by Alla who informed me that Ben was sleeping on the couch, with no room for two, and Alla was afraid to move him to his bed and also afraid to leave him alone.  So, we switched.  Alla got a bed with a snoring Zev, I got the floor next to Ben quietly sleeping on the couch.  That, my friends, was the best night we had that week.  Two more days of not eating and another night of not sleeping landed us at the doctor's.  The first time.  

Let me spare you the details.  Zev (not) slept with Alla by night and did not eat by day.  I slept separately, as long as Ben would let me, which was usually not too late.  Following the visit to the docs we went with antibiotic one, which did not work.  Antibiotic two worked hardly at all, and antibiotic three was administered via a shot.  That one worked and also gave Zev an allergy.  Onto antibiotic four.  

Current status: things seem better.  Days Zev did not eat solid food - 4.  Nights he pretty much did not sleep - 3.  Antibiotics tried - 4, and hope to stay there.  Days left on this one - 3, and here is hoping that Benadryl can keep allergy at bay.  Zev's color and texture: somewhat red and rather bumpy, but not increasing and does not seem to bother him, so we will take it.  Number of nights Ben got me up before 6, and subsequently yelled at me because he was still sleepy and already hungry - 4.  Cracks in kitchen cabinets - 1, and it is not too obvious.  Number of days since I announced I am not dealing with Ben in the morning any more - 4, and I am enjoying every one.

Yet there are other, more fun things to report.  Both of the boys understand more.  When Zev is read to a particular poem where every stanza ends with a name of a body part, he points to the right one before Alla reads it.  Ben, when shown a picture, can identify an airplane, a tractor, a truck, a motorcycle.  That they can both identify a rocket and make the sound of one taking off - goes without saying.

Ben still periodically yanks of Zev's hair, but now he knows for sure that is not allowed.  We have identified a naughty corner.  Let the discipline begin.  

The other day we took the boys to a cafe after Gymboree, for a bite for us and a snack for them.  We got some sandwiches and decided that Zev and Ben can be introduced to 'kids' mac'n'cheese'.  Imagine our shock when the boys spat out the lowly carbs and opted for the delicate roast beef.  However, hunger took over and after some bread and meat and juice the boys went after their own food.  Zev, busily regaining his weight, grabbed at the food and just could not stuff his face fast enough.  Ben got hold of a spoon and went digging at the mac'n'cheese.  He got the movement from plate to mouth down cold; the loading of the spoon, however, eluded him.  Yet the determined baby refused the help.  Food offered by us was ignored, food placed on the spoon for him was dumped out.  After about five minutes of non-stop effort Ben got roughly two portions in his mouth, but fully unassisted.