Riot 4 Austerity

Iris has a Nature Bingo game that has really beautiful illustrations. The backs of the cards have information about different elements of nature. For example, here’s what the “Fungi” card says:

Fungi is a large group of lower plants that lack photosynthetic ability or chlorophyll. The group includes, molds, mildews, mushrooms, and most bacteria. Yeast is a fungi and is used in making some breads and cheeses. The fungi with large fruiting structures are known as morels, mushrooms and puffballs. The study of fungi is mycology.

I’m appalled.

The babies are 7 months today, and Zinnia got her first tooth! Also, she’s started to be able to sit up a bit.

Iris: That thing Stefan had was not ice cream.
Becca: Yes, it was gelato, but that’s just a technicality.
Iris: I want some ‘cality!

Also, both babies are rolling in both directions, and they’ve (independently) tasted their first dirt.

I’ve found in the past few days that carrying one baby on my back in the Ergo and pushing one in the single stroller works really well. It turns out that a back carry with a 15 lb baby is really comfortable for me, and Zinnia doesn’t seem to mind it either. (I do switch it up sometimes too - it’s just not as comfortable for me with Neil’s slightly higher weight.) Since our single stroller is lightweight, I can carry it down the stairs into Iris’s preschool classroom, which makes pick-up much easier. Also, nobody seems to realize that I have twins - strangers will coo over one baby or the other without realizing that there’s one on my back or one in the stroller.

On the way home from preschool yesterday, Zinnia giggled whenever she saw Iris, which made Iris very happy. I think they love each other. *melt* Iris seems to favor Zinnia over Neil though - not really sure why.

Neither of these babies is all that impressed with mirrors. I suppose that’s part of being a multiple.

Zinnia finally rolled over from front to back today! Several times in a row, so it wasn’t a fluke.

Neil is now in 12-month clothes because he’s so long. (He’s growing in length about the same as Iris did; he’s just not putting on weight quite as fast.)

We’ve had lovely, lovely weather the past couple of days. My Dutch Irises in the front yard are blooming - so far there’s one white one and two blues. The plum tree I bought and planted in the fall is just beginning to leaf out, and the blueberry bush my mom gave me has blossoms on it. I started some basil in the kitchen window, and it has germinated. Stefan and I ate the first two snow peas today. Besides that, the chard, lettuce, arugula, green onions, celery, artichokes, oregano, turnips, and beets are all doing well and either ready to eat or soon will be. There are some very young carrots, beets, and red onions coming along too. I started a bit of spinach, bok choy, broccoli, and cauliflower seeds this week. And the mystery bulbs that I found and transplanted have come up, but I won’t know what they are until they bloom.

Babies had their 6-month appointment. 16 lbs, 15 oz and 15 lbs, 4 oz. Still gaining weight, but not as quickly as most babies. Zinnia has yet to roll over in either direction, and she doesn’t sit up either. The pediatrician doesn’t think she has low muscle tone though, so we’ll see how she’s doing in another month or so. Neil has taken to pureed foods - so far he’s had pears, bananas, peas, carrots, avocado, and oatmeal (by far his favorite). Zinnia just arches away and pushes food out with her tongue when I offer it. They’re sleeping a bit better again- only up 2-3 times each at night, which is totally manageable. For the most part, they nurse and fall right back to sleep, and it’s only tricky for me when they both wake up at the same time. They’re both still really great in the car, in the stroller, and in the carrier - basically they love to sit and look around whenever we get out of the house.

	Crazy clothes! The shirt on top is Neil’s, size 6-9 months. The one underneath is Iris’s, size 4T. I think it’s crazy how girls’ clothes are cut to fit tightly and boys’ clothes are made to be baggy.
	Neil always seems to get the whole front of his shirt wet with drool. I wish I could find all those bibs I hardly ever used with Iris! Neil seems to be sitting up pretty well, as long as there’s something interesting directly in front of him. Otherwise, he leans over to the interesting side and topples.
	Iris is nursing her babies. I love that she drags 2 baby dolls around with her when she plays with dolls (The doll in the blue outfit is my Cabbage Patch Kid from when I was little.)
	Zinnia face. I wish I had one of her smiling; she has such a gorgeous smile.
	Neil face.
	Iris gets ready for school.
	Putting on her shoes.
	All ready to go!

I counted wakeups last night.

Iris had 1. (I woke Ben up to deal with it, and he told her to go back to sleep. I guess she did.)
Zinnia had 5.
Neil had 6.

For every baby wakeup, I switched out the baby sleeping next to me for the one in the bassinet and feed the awake one.

I’m a little tired now.

People say that taking fenugreek makes you smell like maple syrup all the time. But I think I smell more like Indian food.

Babies are sleeping a little better and are a little less nuts about nursing all the time. Neil is sitting with very little help. Zinnia is getting better about pushing up from being on her belly, but she still doesn’t roll over. Neil is being very verbal all the sudden the past couple of days. He’s been making lots of speechlike sounds and repeating specific sounds back to me. Zinnia knows her name and smiles when I say it.

We’ve finally gotten some sunshine the past couple of days. Iris has decided that she’s too big to ride in the stroller, and she helps me push it home.

Let me tell you about my Saturday morning, internets!

Silence has been not using the litterbox as often as we’d all like, and she has come under the mistaken impression that blanketed surfaces are an acceptable substitute. Therefore, we’ve been closing the bedroom doors whenever nobody is around to prevent her peeing on the beds (paricularly Iris’s bed).

Saturday morning, I saw that the door to Iris’s room was open, and I hurried to check her bed (yay, the comforter wasn’t peed!) and shut Silence out. A little while later, I’m getting Iris dressed and she’s playing, “run away! i want you to chase me!”. She dives into bed to hide under the covers. “Becca, my arm is poopy!” There’s cat poop all over her arm, and, on closer inspection, her pillowcase, pillow, and comforter cover. Bleh. I strip down the bed, give Iris a quick bath, and put the offending items into the laundry basket. As I head downstairs, I notice that the futon in the living room has a suspicious puddle on it. Cat pee. Meh. I blot up the puddle and put the couch blanket and futon cover into the laundry basket. As I’m carrying the laundry basket to the washer, I slip and fall on the kitchen floor. My foot feels warm and wet, and something smells terrible. I’d just slipped and fallen on a cat turd.

(From then on, the day got better though. I got me and the floor cleaned and laundry washed. Silence spent most of the day outside (it had stopped raining and there was actually a little sun). Ben came out of his funk, and the five of us did a few errands and went over to SF, where we ate Indian food for lunch. The babies even slept on BART.