Plump at One Month

On Jan 11, Charlie and Bruno turned one month old. While they haven't gotten much longer, they have certainly grown much thicker. You can see it in their heads:

You can also see that they're losing their lanugo (downy fetus fur) from their heads, hopefully to be replaced by human child hair soon.

They are drinking ever-increasing amounts. It is now typical to down 120 mL (4 fl oz) at a time. We think our lives are hard, but to put theirs into perspective, I like to consider that we weigh 20 times what they do. Imagine drinking 80 oz (~2/3 gallon) of milk every three hours. I don't wonder that they feel a bit uncomfortable at times!

Tandem bottle feeding is a key strategy for preserving what is left of one's sanity.

One of Katy's favorites. Bruno on Jan 3.

Hiccups & gas on the floor, Jan 2

Charlie lively & hungry on Jan 8

Charlie gesturing & Bruno getting cranky on Jan 10

Happy momma on Jan 10 (though she's pretty much always happy).

Charlie with bottle propped. This is done chiefly so I can hold the camera or type things.

Bruno on Jan 8. I couldn't leave this out.

I would prefer the babies sleep like this, if only the pediatricians allowed!

Play by Day

I wrote that last post first so I'd be forced to follow up with something more positive and appealing. Here's a compendium of recent pleasurable daytime activities:

The boys' first bath at home led to immediate deep sleep:

 Bruno L, Charlie R

The boys enjoyed time together today on their new play mat:

Milo was not to be outdone:

Addled daddy attempts tandem bottle feeding, and the boys sort of helpfully sort of hold their bottles:

Yesterday night and tonight, we're going it alone, without help from parents or anyone, just to see what that feels like. It is going all right so far, but I think I'd better turn in. Thank goodness all I have to do tomorrow is help care for two babies!

The Evolution of Crying

Charlie's and Bruno's cries started off rather inoffensive and sympathetic, a single medium pitch started by a consonant -- either "Mmmaaaaah!" or "Nnnaaaah!" But I've seen enough of babies to know that it doesn't stay that way. They seem to develop the ability to curdle all blood within earshot using only their vocal cords. These boys seem to be headed in that direction. Recently, they have developed what Katy and I call the "Goat" cry. They only use it when they deem it absolutely necessary, so I'm still able to document a comparison. Here is the original "Nnnaaah," courtesy of Charlie:

And here, courtesy of Bruno, though both have mastered it, is the newest weapon in their arsenal. I know it will get even worse, but I would say this is not for the faint of heart:

It strikes me how energy-inefficient this form of communication is. It clearly takes the babies a lot of effort to make such a racket, and it's not necessary. If they just peeped, "Hello, parents, I'm hungry/cold/burpy/poopy" using some sort of brief and gentle gesture, I'm sure that would suffice to bring us to their side 90% of the time. I can only surmise that this type of gut-wrenching crying is left over from the days when there weren't enough resources to care for all the babies. The only equivalent to this in my world is when you're trying to get some approval past a chain of bureaucrats. Too bad this form of communication is not considered appropriate in that case!

Gotta go... I hear a "nnaaahhh!" from across the room...