17 months 4 days

It's now usually closer to 3:30, when I go to bed, and we usually wake up just after 8 am because we hear them talking. I got up to make their breakfast, while Randy was changing them, and then we fed them. I have 7 different cereals, powder that you add milk to, and then I add some pureed fruit. Some cereals they like more than others, but I always have to bring out the cut up fruit as well now, and sometimes I give them snacks. Emmy likes snacks the most, Tammy doesn't care so much for them, and Sammy likes them too.

I cleaned them up and dressed them and let them run around, while lying down with Sammy, while Randy was getting his breakfast ready. He then took them downstairs one by one, Sammy being last, and then I can go back to bed. It was about 9:10 am.

My alarm wakes me depending on how much work I have to do to cook lunch; today it was 11:25. I started cooking right away, and we ate pretty much around noon as planned. It was pasta with egg and bacon, a typical Austrian dish. I have stared my diet again, as my weight has been going up, so I have to cook for myself separately which makes everything more difficult. Randy was able to eat his meal while feeding Sammy, while I had to cook mine after they were done. I had also cooked some brokkoli and was curious how they'd like it, as I hate brokkoli. They seemed to like it alright.

After cleaning them up and dressing them, I took them downstairs and waited for Randy and Sammy, then I went upstairs to cook my meal and clean everything up. I now have to clean their chairs and the dining room after every meal, as they don't just eat jars any more.

All that took me a while, and so it was 1:30 by the time I went downstairs. The boys seemed somewhat tired, so up they went where Tammy had been sleeping since 12:45. Unfortunately their crying woke her up; she had only slept one hour, which is not enough. I tried to get her to go back to sleep, but to no avail. And Emmy never fell asleep, while Sammy did. So I finally got Emmy out of bed as well and took him and his sister downstairs, where we played.

At 3 pm I got two fruit porridge jars out to feed them downstairs, so Sammy would not be woken up. They ate it fast, and then were very interested in the jars. Emmy tried putting the lid back on, which is not even easy for me, and then kept putting it on and taking it off for quite some time. And his sister started doing the same. I'm glad it kept them busy, and it was a good exercise.

But Emmy was really tired, not having slept, and Tammy as well, having slept only one hour the whole day. Emmy went upstairs to lie down and sleep for at least just over half an hour until 4 pm, but his protest woke up Sammy. So Randy fed Sammy, while Emmy fell asleep, and we woke him at 4 pm, so he'd still sleep at night.

So at 4 pm all three were downstairs again, and we had lots of fun. Emmy was really tired, so I had to really keep him busy and throw and twirl him around. I also pushed both him and his sister on the tricycle in a circle for quite some time. When they were happy playing by themselves, I played with Sammy, who was a little cranky at times as well.

One great way to distract them is the phone, though I want to use it sparingly. Both of them have been very interested in books recently, and Tammy brought one book after another to me today to read to her. Especially a book with animals caught her interest, and she'd constantly go to the page with the rooster and pig. So I pulled up some rooster and pig videos on YouTube, and they watched with great interest. I can't wait for the zoo and petting zoo to be open again!

One time when Emmy was really cranky, I just turned the camera on and let him look at himself. And so they took their first selfie.

At the regular time of 5 pm I went upstairs to get everything ready for dinner, while Randy played with them. I can hear them pretty well upstairs, and I finally called them to come upstairs a little early, as Emmy was so very cranky. They always enjoy running around upstairs. Then we started feeding them - sunflower bread with cream cheese, soup, and lots of different pieces of fruit. Tammy is our melon girl, as she doesn't just love watermelon but also cantaloupe. They still had quite a bit of food on their plates, when they stopped eating. So I put them into the bathtub, and as they've done recently, they ate the rest there. Even Sammy got some of their food, as Randy had been frustrated with him not eating enough.

Then they went to bed; the boys got some milk, and then Tammy the leftovers. Everyone, including Tammy, fell asleep pretty fast, but I also stayed tonight, instead of walking away and making Tammy cry.

And the rest of the night was no different from any other nights. Make my food, eat my food, clean the dining room and kitchen, do office work.