Reflections, Volume I

It's remarkable how things change . . .

In the beginning, the boys could barely stay awake long enough to finish 2 ounces of food. All of a sudden, around 6 weeks of age, they jumped up to 4-6 oz. per feeding. Now they are so much bigger (around 13-14 lbs.) and we can’t believe they aren’t eating much more per feeding, but we’re expecting another big jump any day. Also, following their 4 month check up tomorrow (5/19), we can begin to experiment with solid foods (cereals). That should be interesting.

In the beginning, they would stay asleep only if wrapped like a tamale and placed in their vibrating bouncers. This weekend we were shocked to realize that they no longer use their “bouncers” at all! Instead, they sleep on their backs, usually inclined on a pillow. The once indispensable wraps are now bothersome and the boys immediately struggle and cry until their arms are free (which doesn’t take long because they are much stronger now).

In the beginning, they barely opened their eyes, maybe once a day, and it was a special treat, provoking applause and excessive photo-taking. After just a few days, they opened their eyes more often, but could barely see and were unable to track objects or voices. Now they stare at objects and faces and will follow them around by turning their heads and moving their eyes. Vinny’s gaze can be especially intense, and he’ll stare for minutes on end, looking though he’s deep in thought.

In the beginning, they preferred to be cradled in one’s arms when awake, but for at least a month, they prefer to be held upright, and will cry if left on their backs too long while awake. They can sit upright for a long time with some support from a hand or a few pillows.

In the beginning, they had no control over their limbs and their necks could not support their melon-heads at all. When placed on their bellies, they only cried and tried in vain to lift their faces off the mat. Now they can arch their backs and keep their heads up for 5 minutes or more, especially Adrian. They can’t crawl yet, but are beginning to learn how to coordinate their movements to do so. They can inch forward, but then lose control and face-plant or roll over onto their sides. In the beginning, their legs would immediately buckle under their own weight, but now they can support themselves for minutes on end, though we don’t keep them in that position long, for fear that it will make them bow-legged or otherwise damager their posture or muscle/skeletal development.


In the beginning, no amount of stimulation could elicit so much as a smile, but now they seem happy to engage in some back-and-forth “talking” with plenty of smiles and we’ve begun to hear what appears to be a giggle or two. Also, though they are far too young, we believe they uttered their first word, which sounds like “ahn-goowl” and apparently means some kind of cheese in Portuguese.

In the beginning, their hands were too small to hold anything. Later, their little grip became noticeably stronger, but holding anything was contrived by adults or a mere coincidence. Now both of them, but especially Vinny, are beginning to deliberately make contact and grab items of interest placed in within their grasp. At these moments, their face becomes serious, with a look that portrays total concentration and supreme effort . . . just like when they are trying to poop, but without the grunting.