Who's That Over There... and Other News!

Abby and Jimmy decided to show their patriotism on Tuesday, November 4th - Election Day, though they didn't get out to vote with Mom or Dad, as we decided it was best to vote separately and leave them at home.

The babies may have finally noticed each other. Not for long, and I am sure they thought they were looking in a mirror, but it's progress! We were able to get a couple pictures, but they aren't the best quality, but you can definitely see Jimmy smiling at Abby. Abby has been staring a Jimmy occasionally for a couple weeks now, but Jimmy had no interest in her until just recently!



On November 17, Jim and I took Jimmy to the pediatrician because Jimmy had been very fussy for a couple days and was constantly grabbing at his head. I was nervous and anxious and thought the worst, but Jim was calm and suggested we take Jimmy in to make sure he was okay. And as expected Jimmy was fine. No ear infection (normally babies will pull at their ears if they have an infection, so when he was grabbing his head, we thought it could be that) and no other issues. A side note: Jimmy was weighing 12lbs., 9oz that day. Wow - grow baby, grow!

Jimmy has still been grabbing at his head, but we finally figured out that it usually happens when he becomes overtired. So we are working on getting him to relax and doze off before that happens (and before the meltdown begins). See below for an adorable picture of Jimmy grabbing at his head.



So speaking of Jimmy becoming overtired, Jim and I are starting to notice that both Jimmy and Abby HATE napping. They are both so excited to look around and explore new things, and Jim and I love showing them things, that by the time we know it, both of them are overtired, rubbing their eyes and are CRANKY! So we are starting to take note of their sleepy cues and as we notice them, we start to wind them down and get them ready for their nap. Abby pretty much still needs to nap about one to one and a half hours after she first wakes up. Jimmy usually can last until about an hour and a half after he wakes up. It seems like they are napping all.the.time still, but I think that's what they need right now, otherwise they are whining and cranky most of the day.

To get them ready for their naps, we have figured out that they like to be swaddled again, or at least tucked in nice and tight in a blanket. Jim and I felt bad about swaddling them again (haven't swaddled since they were 2-3 weeks old), but we notice that they both calm down and relax when swaddled, and then are off to sleep pretty quickly after that. There are the exceptions to that, but so far it has been going fairly well (again, as long as we catch them starting to act sleepy). Here is a picture Jimmy, relaxing in his swaddle during his nap!


Usually,both Abby and Jimmy will sleep soundly for 40 minutes or so, then they will stir and start to wake up. Abby is really good at putting herself back to sleep, but usually Jimmy will act like he is wide awake and give us big smiles to fool us. We have figured out that he is faking us out with the smiles and is still tired, because after just 10 minutes or so of being awake and smiling like crazy, he is back to looking sleepy and being slightly cranky. So we are working on getting him to fall back asleep after he wakes in the middle of the nap.

Remember how I mentioned that Jim and I felt bad about swaddling the babies. Well, to make us feel better, we decided to test out the swaddle. My mom and I tested it out first, and then we were able to convince Jim to try it out too (he reluctantly agreed!). It was quite fun swaddling an adult and it was cozy and warm being swaddled up! It was hilarious doing it - see below for some pictures!




A side note: U of M (Michigan) isn't doing so well this year. Nevertheless, Jimmy still gets geared up for the games and busts out the UofM wear. As you can see though by his little pout, he is less than thrilled with the season so far!


Well, we are starting to test out some new gear for the baby. The last couple weeks we were using the Baby Bjorns (still are) and this week we busted out the Bumbo that Jim's sister Lynn gave us (thanks Lynn!). Both Abby and Jimmy enjoying sitting in it and seeing the world (well, the same old boring living room) from a whole new perspective. Here they are, enjoying the Bumbo for the first time.




A milestone has been reached by Miss Abigail! On Saturday, November 19, Abby rolled from front to back during tummy time! We were shocked. All of sudden she just decided she was sick of being on her tummy and rolled towards the left and ended up on her back! She wasn't shocked or surprised at all. Instead she just continued her normal activities and continued squealing in delight! I was shocked that she rolled without assistance and thought it wouldn't happen again for awhile. Surprise, I was wrong...

During tummy time on Sunday, November 20, she did it again - three times. Luckily, I had the camera nearby to get it on tape (ha - video!). Check it out!


The babies sleep habits have also been improving! Abby has pretty much been a good sleeper for a while now. She does really well falling asleep on her own (unless overtired) and then soothing herself back to sleep when she wakes in the middle of the night.

Jimmy on the other hand has struggled with getting good sleep from the beginning. I blame it on the gas issues he had. Well, now that the gas issues are nearing the end (I hope), he is doing much better sleeping. He still needs his pacifier usually to fall asleep and we constantly seem to be putting it back in, in the middle of the night to help him stay asleep.

But just last night, both Abby and Jimmy slept from 8:15pm until 3:50am. Not bad at all. I probably could have gotten them to stay asleep longer, but because it was near eight hours, I figured they would continue fussing until they had something in their bellies. I fed Abby first, then Jimmy, and then they slept another 3 hours. OMG - it was marvelous! Let's hope this continues.

So that's the latest. We are looking forward to the babies' first Thanksgiving, which we will be spending at Jim's Dad's house with all of the Frybargers. It is going to be fun introducing the babies to the family they haven't met yet, and spending time with everyone! Check back for an update and some new pictures soon!