9 Months Old

Today, the girls are three quarters of a year old. They are completely and utterly awesome. And the cutest babies ever. Remember, as a scientist, I always strive for 100% objectivity. As a mom, I know I am right. Put that together and you have a 100% objective truth of their splendibulousness (oh yeah, so cool I had to create a word for them).

Lina-bug is chilling on my lap as I type. She is rocking some big girls PJs (12-18 month size...whoa) and gnawing on possibly her favorite chew toy: a pacifier. She is way beyond sucking on that thing for comfort; its sole purpose is to be chewed at awkward angles.

The twins love having each other around. They get to learn how to pull the barely-there (but way longer than 3 months ago) wisps of hair and how to knock each other down. They are pros at stealing toys from each other, especially if it is directly from the others mouth. They will play with each other's fingers when sitting side by side in the high chairs. They have developed a little bit of a banter, except it is all done is the form of cough sounds. Literally, they will sit there and make couch noises at each other until one of them will hurt their throats from making the sound. They will also make that sound after someone else in the house coughs.

They like to climb over the other, while us parents are there to ensure no back-breaking. So I guess we need to add that to our list of no-nos: no eye-gouging, no fish-hooking, and no back-breaking. They are putting their teeth to work by testing the boundaries of what they can bite. For example, it is okay to bite Trunko, one of the latest Ugly Dolls added to our collection, but it is not okay to bite your sister's head and/or armpit region. Poor Avery got a nasty one from Alina just an hour ago. Even broke the skin! Putting that behavior on extinction asap. Not sure how to curb something that is personally rewarding though...

We have been wondering if the girls will break Mimi's record for earliest in the family to walk. She was taking her steps when she was 9 months old. So the girls have until the end of today to beat her. Lina-bug is very close. I think she may actually be able to pull it off (thought it was going to happen yesterday, but fell at last moment).

I hope all is well with everything and that everyone has a fun and safe ringing in of the new year. Since Alina & Avery have been having sleep problems recently, maybe they will be able to celebrate the new year, too!

We Have Moved!

If things weren't already busy enough at the Wilson household, earlier this month we saw a deal on an apartment that we could not pass up. So a week after touring the apartment, we started the move in process. Unfortunately, we were still a little in the midst of the move for Christmas, but with the help of my mom, we were able to make this new place cozy. The fire in the new fireplace might have helped, too!

The biggest highlight of the new place is the washer and dryer. They are huge and they are all ours. No quarters required! But everything, except for the back yard, is an upgrade from our last home. There is much more room for the girls to play & romp.

I will try to post pictures soon! If you would like our new address, please just shoot me or Ches an email and we will send it your way.

The On Time November Random Cuteness Update

Here are the pictures from last month of their everyday adorableness.

A Very Late October Random Cuteness Update!

Phew! How did so much time melt away that quickly? I am loving my accounting class and seem to be doing well. It has been extremely hard to fit in the time for the class, and would be completely impossible without the support of my amazing husband! I wanted to catch up on the pictures before the amount became insurmountable. Though it is late, here are a bunch of pictures from the month of October, when the girls were six months old. I cannot believe how much they have already changed since then! Enjoy!

Messy Faces

Yum, yum, peas & carrots!

Halloween Compilation

We did not go trick or treating this Halloween, as no homes give out candy on this island. They shut down the downtown street while the businesses hand out candy to all of the gathered children and families. We figure it will be a bigger deal next year when the girls can at least stand!

We received a bunch of adorable Halloween outfits as well as great costumes from my mom. Please enjoy this collection of Halloween-influenced cuteness!

Monkey Suit Mayhem

Just some cuteness. We saw this monkey outfit for cheap at Costco and had to buy it.

Nursery Video Catch-up

Fewer Posts

I apologize, but this blog is the most likely victim of my latest endeavor - back to school. It is not much, but I am taking Introduction to Accounting and Financial Reporting at UW. Even though it is only one class, it is a struggle to find time for the 18 video lectures, each lasting 80 minutes. But I am very excited to learn more about accounting to see if it really is the field I would like to pursue. I think I could be a darn good forensic accountant, but I need to see if I can get past debits and credits first!

Ches promises to try to post current pictures and video when I am too busy to describe our experiences. I love doing the blog, and will try to fit it in when I can. Will try to post an update very soon about how we are managing it all! Love to all! Until next time, here is my current favorite picture:

September's Random Cuteness Update

As always, let the awesomeness of their cuteness overwhelm you.

6 Months Old & Doctor's Appointment

Today, the girls have been with us for half a year. I have been fortunate enough to spend these last six months watching them grow and change. Sometimes it feels like it flew past me in a blur, but more often than not, I have experienced it fully - meaning it has felt like six months. I know it differs greatly for Ches, who has been back at work since the day after we brought the girls home from the hospital.

Here are the current stats for Alina & Avery:

AVERY
Weight: 16 lbs 7 oz (50th-75th Percentile)
Length: 24.75 in (10th-25th Percentile)
Head Circumference: 43.75 cm (75th-90th Percentile)

ALINA
Weight: 17 lbs 2.5 oz (75th Percentile)
Length: 25.75 in (50th Percentile)
Head Circumference: 44 cm (90th Percentile)

That is a solid gain of three pounds per girl over the last 2 months. The doctor was so impressed with their development of their abilities. They are quick learners. Object permanence is no problem, other than babies getting pissed that there is a toy they know exists beyond their reach.

They are ready for solid foods, as they spend at least one bottle meal a day chewing on the nipple instead of drinking. They love blowing bubbles in their milk and have fun trying to teach themselves how to hold the bottle. They understand the nipple goes in the mouth, but not that they have to lift it up to get the good stuff. Maybe they are having too much fun just playing around!

The new sounds of the month have been roaring like dinosaurs and a little funky cough noise, which they doctor said they developed to manage all of the saliva. Often time, in the morning, we will be awoken by some great roar from their bedroom alerting us to their happy & wide awake state. Ches has been sweet, trying to give me extra sleep, but his attempts are thwarted by these tiny dinosaurs that are way too busy exploring the range of their vocal ability. Alina is a bit ahead in this area, as she will often spend minutes at a time shouting "Ba ba ba ba ba, da, da, da, da, da, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, blah, blah, blah, blah!"

Avery seems moments away from truly crawling. She has the commando crawl down pat, but when she gets on the flat palms and knees, she just rocks front to back and will occasionally rocket forward with one push. We know this means that one day soon, she will be no where near where we last placed her! Alina is a star roller and they both love to thump. They thump by banging either their hands or their feet really hard on the ground/crib mattress/changing table. Ches relates it to calling for a sand worm from Dune. I think of Thumper from Bambi.

They are grabbing everything. I love how I will often think "Wow, they are doing ______so much" only to then be shocked a week later at how much more they can be doing the same task. For example, they used to reach for all of their toys - hence me previously stating how they are grabbing everything. Now, it is way beyond toys. Anything and everything that is within reach is or should be theirs. I thought I had to pay special attention before! They keep me on my toes! It is really hard to watch two babies all the time and still try to do something as basic as sterilize.

They get frustrated really easily these days. We have a circuit here, including: 2 bouncies, a swing, a jumper, floor rolling in living room on mats, floor rolling in their bedroom, being held, walk/drive outdoors. We used to be able to keep them in any one station for at least 15 minutes before a needed switch. Now, sometimes 5 minutes is too long. We probably spend most of the time in their room, all three of us chilling on the ground. Bouncies just frustrate them b/c they want to sit up, but just don't quite have the muscles for it yet.

They love cold teething toys. We have a gallon-sized plastic bag full of teethers in the fridge ready to go at any moment. They have been big fans of the brand Nuby. Each girls has both of the front 2 bottom teeth coming in. We can see the cute little teeth whenever they smile now. We are also going through bibs continually. We had to ask the doctor about their drooling because their saliva started to have this distinct odor to it that was unfamiliar to us. Dr. Monk immediately responded with another questions: "Does it smell like decaying flesh?" Ches and I paused then laughed a little, not know how to respond to that question. Guess becoming familiar with the scent of decaying flesh is a part of med school that is not public knowledge.

They have hair! It is finally starting to grow back in. We have noticed a major difference in just the past 30 days. It actually gets matted when wet in the bath! It probably does look like much to others, but it is apparent to us! And, not sure if you saw this up top, but their heads are humongous. They are already wearing 12-18 month hats, and might grow out of those soon. The doctor complimented them on their beautiful foreheads stating, "The better to grow those frontal lobes!" That is where a lot of the cool stuff happens (executive functions and all).

We get many special moments of being close with the girls, with them gently feeling our faces - okay, sometimes not so gently and more along the lines of slapping/pulling, but whatever. They still love cuddling and want to be close for kisses. They prefer it if we are singing and will hold conversations with us. Overall, they are very responsive to us as their caregivers. We need to work on socialization as they are fairly isolated with us hermits for parents and are entering the months where stranger anxiety is to be expected.

SIDs risk has dropped greatly for our gals, so Chesley has been able to move back into the bedroom. His back is very thankful, as the air mattress left much to be desired in the department of comfort. Since I am not allowed heat in our bedroom, I will be thankful to have my personal space heater back with the temperatures starting to drop.

UF vs Tennessee

Courtesy of Lori & Hunter, our girls could really get in the Gator spirit for the first conference game of the year. The whole family donned their best Gator gear to cheer on the Alma mater. Ches only made the babies cry twice this game, so it is an overall improvement. Luckily, the Gators triumphed and I did not have to hear Ches complain about Rocky Top too much!

Alina and Avery were way more content for this Gator Girls photo shoot than the last time this was attempted. Now the hard part is getting them to stay still for anything! At least with one baby you can easily hope to get a few decent shots without the baby making movement blurs, but with twins, you pretty much have to be on sport mode all of the time. Please enjoy some of the images from last Saturday.

And since it is another college game day - GO GATORS!!! Beat Kentucky!

Two Anniversaries and a Cold

Five years ago, we were all piling into a limo to head to the spot where Ches and I were married. It has been an absolutely amazing five years with the love of my life. It is funny to think back to the details of that day, such as: the company organizing our Las Vegas wedding trying to cancel it the morning of but me not getting the message till later, or wearing a tight corset all day long so that I was unable to eat our fabulous gourmet dinner and settled for Little Caesars late that night.

I feel so lucky to have been able to spend so much time with Chesley and look forward to many years of adventure & joy. Words suck and fall desperately short of conveying the depth of emotion I have for my husband.

One year ago from yesterday (9/22), we had our first doctor's appointment. Dr. Scheve was setting up the ultrasound, telling us how she almost always jokes around with her patients, telling them she sees two babies. Once set up and going she then proceeds to tell us she sees two heartbeats. I am immediately skeptical, but can see the look on Ches' face (since I could not actually see the monitor). All Ches could manage was a simple "What?" Both heartbeats were shown to both of us, confirming the existence of twins inside of me.

Definitely in a state of shock we left the doctor's office. I called mom, who also found herself quite taken aback. Dad was driving home from work and rolled his window down to shout it out loud for everyone on the UF campus to hear. John had the best response by yelling "Get the f*%k out!"

Today, which as of 8 AM, is looking like it will be a stunningly gorgeous day. I am feeling a good bit better than I felt the past two days. You see, we knew it was inevitable, but I got sick. We dreaded the day one of us would get sick and then would probably pass it along to the babies and then have a cesspool instead of an apartment.

I started to feel a little scratch in my throat on Wednesday morning. By 3 PM, I was really sick. I felt weak and foggy. Thankfully, my white knight came home early to take over for me. Feeling even worse on Thursday morning, he opted to stay at home to take care of the babies (all 3 of us!). I insisted I could watch the girls, but Ches knew better as I was already a little faint after just 15 minutes in the morning. What a great caretaker he is! I slept from 9 AM to 1 PM and then took it easy with a few cat naps. I am not completely better today, but I cannot imagine how much worse I would feel if I had not been granted all of the rest for recuperation yesterday.

Crazy what can happen in 5 or 1 years. I love you, Chesley! Thank you for everything!

Avery's Mad Walking Skills

We took this video a couple of weeks ago. Avery LOVES to walk! We will help her walk down the hallway, around the living room, through the kitchen, anywhere she pleases! She will even change direction if a fluffy kitty should happen to cross her path! Here is a snippet of her awesome abilities!

Avery, too!

We felt the first bit of a tooth coming up in Avery's mouth on Sunday, September 18th. I wonder if every baby has the same first tooth come in? Both Alina and Avery will have their bottom left front tooth before any others. Alina's is almost to the point where you can see it when she smiles.

And the drool just keeps coming. We had to call the doctor about how much the girls were doing this weird cough/laugh, gurgle noise. He said it was perfectly normal due to the amount of saliva they are dealing with, especially if they inherited my overactive salivary gland! I didn't realize how essential bibs were prior to starting solid foods!

All in all, they are still absolutely amazing little girls! Even with their teeth starting to come in, there was only a day or two of increased fussiness (and gnawing on mommy's chin - see below). They are still comfortably sleeping at night. Hopefully, their pain does not get any worse! We hate to see them hurting!

Sorry the video is a little dark

The After Feeding Stupor

More often than not, there is a period of time immediately following the consumption of a bottle, where the girls become dead to the world. That is why I take those opportunities to clip nails! Of late, after their breakfast and bedtime snack, we haven't even bothered burping them. Here are a couple of cute pictures of them in their stupor.

Robyn's Departure

First off, I am really late on this post. Believe it or not, it is harder to find free time now that we are minus Robyn.

We fall short when trying to think of a way to concisely state everything Robyn has done for us. Let me try: Robyn & John dropped everything in their personal lives to rush up to the Pacific Northwest when they heard I entered the hospital. Then she spent the next 6 months taking complete care of me, Chesley, and the babies. I mean laundry, cleaned bathrooms, dinner every night, breakfast every morning, watched the girls for date night once a week, taught me how to be a mother, rearranged our furniture, made fun of Days of Our Lives with me, gave us oodles of sleep, showered our daughters in attention, love, and learning opportunities.

We spent Friday, September 2nd, as a family on a trip across the Sound to wander Ikea. We were on a mission to find a new entertainment center to replace the baby death trap we currently have. Don't get me wrong, the tower of cinder blocks and wood planks that constitute our entertainment center have serviced us well, since before I was even on the scene. But it feels about time to upgrade our college life furnishings. Anyhoo, we topped the evening off with a dinner at Spaghetti Factory, one of Robyn's favorite places.

We all huddled into the car to catch the earliest ferry on September 3rd. I am still impressed that Robyn can squeeze and fit between the two car seats! I am sure the girls miss her sitting back there with them. We kept the girls in their PJs. They loved the airport! It must have been all of the bright lights, but they could not stop looking everywhere. We waited while Robyn checked in. After that, goodbyes were said. We are so glad we went to the airport to say goodbye.

Now, my days are notably lacking in adult interaction. It feels like I have to run at such a high level of energy until Ches comes home. Then I want to just crash and let him watch the girls, but dinner has to be made, chores done, and then it is usually straight into bath time followed by bedtime. We are more tired and have a harder time fitting even littler things in, such as trolling craigslist for cheap baby stuff.

At the same time, we also have a sense of pride of being able to make it on our own. I especially feel proud to have survived this first week and a half without Robyn while Ches goes to work. The girls have been rapidly improving on their mobility skills. They have also learned how to vigorously shake their arms, making feeding time a bit tricky. But we have managed to survive (even the basil plant is still alive!).

Robyn was already Ches' mom before her stay up here, but she truly became my mom as well. I feel honored to know such a cool chica and even more so to have been able to learn so much. She passed down tidbits of wisdom (and yummy recipes), but I gained much from observing her too. We are very excited to know she and John will be back up here fort the girls' first birthday.

Thank you, Robyn! And thank you, John, for letting us keep her so long! We love and miss you both!

Double the Room

Last night was the first for the girls in individual cribs. Before this point, they have happily shared one crib. A while ago, when sharing the crib, they would often be awoken after only a few hours of sleep by bumping heads. We broke down and bought a crib divider (pictured below). I remember being so happy when they went a solid 5 hours the first night they slept with the divider in place.Now they are just too darn big to share a crib. So we spent the weekend getting the room ready (we are seriously lacking on space to put baby stuff!) and Chesley proved his mastery of instruction following by building the crib. He even showed me where the instructions were wrong at one point. We went through many configuration in the tiny room and finally settled on the most functional arrangement.

Here is what it looks like now! We will be hanging a cool map of the world with animated animals on the large bare wall. Chesley is holding Avery while Alina is chilling in the bouncie, taking in her new digs.
We think they liked the extra space as they were put to bed at 9 PM last night and did not wake up for their bottle until 6 AM. I guess that will technically fly as the first night of sleeping through the whole thing.

Not Just Gums Anymore

It is a regular occurrence for Alina & Avery to gnaw on our fingers. They gnaw on everything. But today, as Alina was in the middle of a serious gumming session on my thumb, I felt something rough. Sure enough, her first tooth has begun to emerge from her bottom gum. It is barely there, but definitely visible. How fast do baby teeth grow in?

Guess that explains why Alina has been extra vigorous in her teething efforts. Ches checked Avery, but she still is all gums. I can't even imagine how cute they are going to be with a few teeth. They are seeming more in the mood for food, too. They smack their lips whenever we are eating and have recently taken up the habit of trying to chew the nipples on the bottles instead of drinking.

Just wanted to post about this first in the Wilson household. Pretty exciting!

Football Has Finally Returned

Ches anxiously awaits the beginning of each new season of football. This year, not only was he interested to see the style of play from the new coaches at University of Florida, he was eager to introduce his daughters to his world of football. From the college to professional to sometimes even arena, his passion for football runs deep. I am honestly surprised he did not already sign them up for fantasy football (I know as soon as he reads that, he is going to think of how good of an idea that would have been).

We had a very busy morning on the day of the Gator season opener. As to be explained further in a later post, we all packed up in the car to catch the 5:20 AM ferry - it is truly impressive how we managed to get everyone ready and in the car on time - to wish Robyn farewell at the airport. The girls were completely off schedule. After the goodbye, we dropped our car off at the dealer for an oil change, had to find a place to feed Alina & Avery, and then were planning on shopping around, and possibly doing, professional photographs of the girls before picking up our car again. Our Subaru place has a great, free loaner car program.

After attempting and failing to feed the twins, we received the call telling us about the severity of our car problems. We spent some time calling around and going over options. Luckily, we were already closer to home than the dealership (hour away from our apartment), since we would be keeping our loaner car for a whole week! It was getting late and we wanted to make sure we would be home in time for the game.

We got prepped & pumped for the game (see video below). Avery was in the swing digging the movement on the screen and Chesley was holding Alina on his lap. As Ches posted on facebook, "Exactly one play into the Gators' football season and I had the girls crying. Thanks Demps.... Guess I need to adjust my TV yelling." Let me explain...

The first play of the game was Demps returning the kickoff. Ches was so excited that by the time Demps was on the fifty yard line, he was standing with Alina held in front of him, bouncing her up and down screaming very loudly. Alina was not very happy about this celebration. As a token of her sympathy, Avery chimed in on the crying. So there were two wailing babies, an angry mommy, and a very apologetic daddy.

Our friend, Curt, said that the girls must have been unhappy about the holding call that overturned the touchdown. Regardless, it was definitely a memorable event!

Squeaky Teething

I love when she makes this sound! It is too cute!

Stars Are Born!

A few weeks ago, we went to pick up Ches from work. When I got off the elevator, I was next to another mom who happened to have the exact same car seat as us. I commented about that and she asked if we were there for the photo shoot auditions. I told her we were just there to pick up Ches.

After talking to Ches, we decided to at least stroll on by. As we hovered outside the door, trying to get a judgment on the situation, someone walked out and saw that we had identical girls. He turned out to be the photographer and owner of the company (Kicky Pants) holding the audition for their Spring catalog of kids clothes size 3 months to 6 years. He said "You have twins! Please say you are coming in!" So we did.

Some basic shots were taken and we were told we would hear back soon. His wife was also at the audition. She was eight and a half months pregnant with their fourth child. Obviously, they would be busy for the next bit! We waited to hear back. After a few weeks we assumed that nothing would come of it. Then, this past week, we got a call and email regarding wanting to include Alina and Avery in their photo shoot that weekend!

We went this morning. We were worried about timing it right since Alina and Avery were thrown off schedule from the previous day saying good bye to Mimi at the airport. Everything seemed to be timed just right since they would be waking up from their post meal morning snooze. Avery donned something I wish I could describe but want to respect the company's privacy...but it was freaking adorable! She dressed very easily and happily, then was ready for her close up!

It took a while (probably 15 minutes) of trying out different support styles. Since they are so young and cannot sit up yet, they have to be supported in order to showcase the clothes and have happy babies. After determining the right color blanket and style of set up, they got down to business. Avery was so cute and smiley! She enjoyed looking around at the three people running the shoot.

Alina, this whole time, was happily patient. She was laughing from time to time as we danced and waited. When it came her turn, Ches went to lay her down. As soon as her let go and the guy helped to position her, she broke down crying! She did not enjoy being away from daddy with strange people. We picked her back up when we saw she was not in the mood at that moment. She calmed down and got happy in mommy's arms.

Avery was dressed and ready in her second outfit by that time so they took more pictures of her. We tried Alina again to no avail. Avery loved the attention so much that she did four outfit changes! After that Alina had a successful string of photos. Both of our girls were so amazing. We are so proud of them! Avery was great with new people and Alina tried a new situation and persevered.

We will not know until Spring 2012, when the catalog comes out, if any pictures get used. Regardless, he said the pictures from the shoot would be available for download after the catalog is released. We are just happy to get to own some professionally done photos! Thank you, Kicky Pants, for such a unique experience!

Random Cuteness

This post is dedicated to my mom, who waits on pins and needles each month for this post. Is it me or are they getting cuter?

5 Months Old And a Development Update

Today marks five months that we have been able to hold our daughters. There are many times when I will think of an event, say trying on an outfit to see if it fits the girls, and feel as if it happened only a couple of weeks ago. Then, I sit to reason it out to realize it actually happened closer to six weeks ago.

The girls are currently settled into a pretty nice schedule. They get their really early morning snack sometime between 3 AM and 5AM, breakfast at 9 AM, eat a lunch around 12:30 PM to 1 PM, eat a quick diner at 4 PM to 5 PM (preferably closer to 4 PM), and have bedtime snack before going to sleep. They are getting pretty close to going through the night without a bottle.

They love to talk to us. They have such soft, sweet voices. They have also developed this adorable gurgle sound due to all of the saliva from teething. They laugh frequently. But they will also tell us when they want something. Their vocalizations are getting a little more distinguishable. High pitch, whiny sound will often mean they are tired or a bellowing hoot will indicate excitement.

The girls can successfully roll both ways. Alina was the first to roll from her back to her belly and Avery quickly followed. At first, they would roll over instantly upon being placed on their backs. I think the novelty has worn off some as they are back to being content (at least for a tiny bit longer) on their backs. They now will lay on their tummy, push their legs into the ground and lift their butts high into the air. We do not think it is going to be too much longer before they are crawling.

They have moods now. You can tell when they are tired or when they are inquisitive. When they are vocal, content, or grumpy. All in all, though, they are just very happy babies. They smile all the time, whenever you do anything. They love when we sing to them - thank you Pandora Children's Folk Songs channel. Odd sounding noises make them very happy and they certainly love a good raspberry to the neck.

Both are grabbing onto their feet. I love when they are on the changing table, holding their feet looking up at me. What precious a moment! They grab with purpose and intent, though often clumsy on the landing. And they grab everything!

They love gnawing on different textures, clothes and hands included. No teeth have begun to sprout up yet, but we may not be too far away from it. When they want to gnaw on something really bad, they will open their mouth wide and vigorously shake their head. There is a spinning frog on their jumper toy which is just out of reach, but both girls tried for a long time to make the impossible work by drooling all over its green head.

They are so strong! They want to be upright and love to try to stand and put pressure on their feet. You saw Avery's ab work in an earlier post and Alina is right there with her. They love to be touched and held, snuggling in close. Their hair is starting to grow, though they both thinned out pretty evenly on the top of their heads. You can tell they are identical twins more and more everyday.

Life is grand with the girls!

Avery's Strong Ab Muscles

The girls are trying their best to lean forward. Often when holding them, they will push forward. A few times, upon awakening from a nap, Avery will shoot upright, sitting tall for the briefest of moments, then start to slump to the her side or forward. She is working those muscles! Here she is trying it in the bouncie!

Everything is Bigger

Everything has become bigger int he Wilson household:

1. Bottles - Since the girls have come home, we had used the Avent 4 fl. oz. bottles. We have made the switch to the 9 fl. oz. bottles. We need to buy more bottles!
2. Appetite - It felt like they would always drink 4 oz. per meal. I am pretty sure they were at that amount for at least 2.5 months. Then that could not satiate their hunger any longer. They hovered around 5 oz. for a bit, but have happily settled on 6 oz. (except for the morning feeding which still lingers at 5 oz.).
   
3. Bottle Nipples - When the girls hit 3 months, we tried to transition them to the nipples that have 3 tiny holes. They had a bit of a hard time adjusting to the faster flow, so we stuck with the 2 holes until they grew a bit more. Now they have no problem and enjoy the fact that they can get more fluid at a faster rate. Us parents like it too, especially in the middle of the night feeding, when it is quicker for them to finish up their bottles.
   
4. Clothes - Each brand of clothes fits differently. Gerber's shrink a lot in the dryer, so you have to always buy large. We found the WalMart brand of clothes to run quite big, leading us to tact them as the brand for plus size babies. Carter's is our staple brand that we go by. Baby Gap and Gymboree seem to run pretty similar to Carter's. While they can still wear the 3-6 month onesies, they also can easily wear the 6-9 month sizes. There is even one solid 9 months size that they can feasibly wear.
   
5. Diapers - The girls are moving on up to size 2 of diapers (at least in Pampers size).
   
6. Car Seat Space - We had to take out the infant body liner. We still have the one for their head in the car seats, but we had to move it higher so it wasn't squeezing their shoulders.
   
7. Tub Space - We ditched the hammock a while back. They have been excitedly working on their splashing so the tub has been moved into the actual bathtub.
   
8. Cribs - We just ordered the second crib. Not sure how we are going to fit everything in their room. Hopefully years of successful Tetris experience will come in handy when trying to figure this out!
   

Only one things has shrunk in size - the amount of room in our house for anything non-baby related.

Nasal Gaspirator

One afternoon, while spending some time on the floor of the girls' room, I discovered how much they enjoy our nasal aspirator. For the longest time, they were not fans of it, as it would mean either Mommy or Daddy was going to try to get a booger out. Somewhere along the line, they might have realized we were trying to help them breathe. After a long period of booger-free girls, Avery ended up with a giant milk boogey. I went to get it out with the aspirator and she started giggling when the suction occurred.

Robyn has always blown on their faces, which has always been appreciated. They will often do a slight and sudden sucking in of air with an adorable startled look on their faces. On this one particular afternoon on the floor, I picked up the aspirator and blew it in Avery's face. She loved it. I whipped out my camera for some priceless video. We think it has the potential to go viral, so do not hesitate to share!

Already Taking Advantage

We had to make email addresses for the girls so we can have access to our doctor's online portal. We set them up to forward to my address. Ches is a big proponent of Google+. They recently launched games. Ches is now also a big proponent of the game City of Wonder. The key to social gaming is having other friends that also play the game to unlock special bonuses. The problem is that Ches and I are hermits on the social media scene (okay, yes, in real life too).

Ches had the bright idea of setting up Alina's and Avery's Google+ profiles and signed them on to play City of Wonder. Now the area of his city is twice as big as it could have been. He had signed my profile up earlier, giving him a grand total of 4 friends (the computer, named Sofia, friends you as well). He is already taking advantage of the perks of having kids.

I was seriously mocking him about subjecting our girls' accounts to such silliness. That was until he got me hooked. It is such a stupid game. All you do is click things when the timer is up. Why is it so addicting? Not sure, but it is. Now we are both taking advantage of having our girls as our social friends.

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today was a Friday. We had a rough week at work and I wanted to devote a large chunk of time that evening to enjoying Washington's brews. Since we were trying to have a baby, even though it was before I was late, I thought it prudent to take a pregnancy test to get the all clear before the night of debauchery.

We had a pregnancy test in the closet, you know, the cheapo kind. I had taken them before. If negative, the window would stay clear. If positive, a blue vertical line should appear. When I looked at the result this certain Friday morning before going into work, an extremely faint smidgen of blue appeared, but it was definitely not a definitive line. I then walked to the bedroom to ask Ches if he thought it was a blue line. He was also unable to tell due to the faintness of the color. Since it was different from the previous times, I decided to call the hotline to see if they could provide clarity.

Apparently, this was so common of a question that they provided the answer on a recorded message. "Even the faintest of color is a positive result." We were shell-shocked. We promptly called the doctor's office to see if we should come in for confirmation. They told us that they literally would use the same type of test so if we had already done one, that should suffice. We decided that we would buy a digital pregnancy test at lunch and would let that tell us the truth of the matter.

We got ready for work and went in like it was a normal day. It was surreal to be sitting at a computer and have the occasional thought that I might be pregnant. We had been trying for over half a year with no luck. We were starting to think we should just focus on our work and try again later with hopefully more success. But I was hopeful then.

Lunch came tortuously slow. We had an abnormally brisk walk to the grocery store, bought the test and promptly returned home. I took the test, only had to wait 45 seconds, and then saw the result written in plain English.


I turned to Ches, who was standing right next to the bathroom, and told him I was pregnant. We shared of few moments of elation before turning to call our immediate families. Mom and dad were easy to get a hold of, but we had to wait until Ches' parents could call us back since they were chilling in Guatemala. Jennifer and Chris were really excited.

And then we had to compose ourselves as the end of the lunch break rapidly closed upon us. I was wrong to think the morning part of work had dragged on for ages, since the last 3 hours crawled by slower than an ant stuck in molasses. We had the whole weekend to let the reality set in before having to be back in the office. For this, we are eternally grateful.

In some form or another, our girls have been in existence for over a year. How quick a year goes by.

Alina and the Totem Toy

I was rummaging through my wallet the other day and happened upon an gift card to Bed Bath and Beyond. I have no clue how long that was sitting there. It is a good chance that it was gifted to me when we lived in Gainesville (which was 4.5 years ago) since there is not a store that is easily accessible to us. Anyhoo, I checked online to see if there were any funds still left on the card. To my surprise, I had $30.

So of course we decided to spend it on the babies. We are a fan of the Lamaze brand of toys (we have Captain Calamari and the Knot) so we decided to pick up a couple more. The Peacock has now joined our family, and the girls have been ecstatic withe this addition. They especially love the black and white patterns on the back of the tail plumage. We also bought the awesome totem toy, which Alina took a liking to. The video below is when we showed her the toy for the first time.

Sleep Update

So the girls are four and a half months old. About three weeks ago, they were going 4 hours in between feedings at night. We often timed it to hit (like clockwork) at 9 PM, 1 AM, and 5 AM. Then the girls suddenly started going from 9 PM to 2 AM and then 6AM. This was also fairly predictable for a week or so.

Now, things are going crazy - in a good way. They jumped to 6 hours a few times, then back to 5 hours. The doctor told us that the highest incidence of SIDs happens during the fourth month. There is a correlation between fewer SIDs cases and the child sleeping in the parents' bedroom. For this reason, Ches has pumped up the twin-sized air mattress and has slept in the girls room the past two nights. The girls also happened to go at least 7 hours after the night feeding both nights. Ches will continue to sleep in the girls room, especially if it somehow encourages them to sleep longer and better.

Regardless of feeding time, the girls prefer to be out of the crib around 5:30 AM. We are not sure if it is associated with the room growing brighter from the sun or if they obtained the perfect amount of sleep. Since Robyn takes the morning shift, she will bring the girls out to the living room, place them on pillows next to her on the couch, make faces at them for a little until they fall back to sleep fairly quickly. Robyn has been out hiking and down in Portland the last few days, so we have have started pulling the girls out to cuddle with us in bed for the first part of the morning. They have loved coming into mommy & daddy's room to fall asleep for a little while longer.

To try and minimize the amount of time we are up for that early morning feeding, I get the bottles with water ready before we head to bed. So when it is time to go, one person has to start changing the girls while the other goes out to mix in the formula and heat it up to the perfect temperature. We take turns doing each part. Whoever does the bottles gets to start feeding the first clean & happy baby. A few minutes later, the other person comes out, washes their hands, and feeds the second hungry baby. And then the race is on!

The girls are not the most effective burpers at night. They often fall completely asleep right after the bottle, making it neigh impossible to release the pent up air bubbles. The goal of the race is to have the baby that finished their bottle and burped before the other baby has done the same. Obviously, this is a race of chance, since we have no direct control over which baby will ultimately win. But the prize is so very sweet: to sit on the couch, with the sleepy (or occasionally hyper) girl cuddled in your arms. It is such a peaceful, quiet time. That is until the other baby burps or the other person is convinced no burp will come. Then the girls must be put back in the crib.

Nights are way nicer than they used to be! We were reminiscing on the time when they girls were only on a three hour cycle and fussed all the time in the crib. Now if only I could get past my stupid sleep issues! I still wake up very frequently, even if there is no sounds from the baby girls! But I am sure it will get better!

Lunch Time!

Ches started full time work in the office at the beginning of August. Luckily, the office is only a ten-minute walk away from home. We miss Ches terribly since he was such a big help. Before, when he was on the six hours in office and two at home each day, I would often have to only cover one feeding by myself. On full days of him in the office, depending on when the first feeding of the morning hits, I can end up doing three solo feedings a day. But our girls are so wonderful and frequently patient that it hasn't been too much of a problem yet.

Since we prefer not to go nine hours in a row without seeing each other, I pack up the girls (sometimes Robyn packs up a lunch for both of us) and meet Ches in a park that is a 3 minute walk away from his office. We get to spend almost thirty minutes in wonderful weather at a beautiful and deserted park. We sit on a picnic table in the shade while Ches eats. I will hold one of the girls (whoever happens to be awake), and then we move over to the activity area with the swings and slide.

We all walk Chesley back to his office, say goodbye for a little longer, and I will typically walk around with the girls for another half hour. Meeting up in the park makes me so happy. I know how hard Ches works to support his family and we could not be more proud or thankful. But it is hard for him to be away from his daughters. So every day that the weather permits, we will continue to meet Daddy in the park for lunch as a little token of our appreciation. We love you, Chesley!

Movin' Girls

Four Month Doctors Appointment

We had our scheduled doctors appointment this morning. We were very excited to see how our girls have grown since the last visit at two months. Here are their stats:

AVERY

Weight: 13 lbs 6.5 oz (50th Percentile)
Length: 23.75 in (25th-50th Percentile)
Head Circumference: 41.5 cm (50th-75th Percentile)

ALINA
Weight: 14 lbs 4 oz (50th-75th Percentile)
Length: 24.5 in (50th-75th Percentile)
Head Circumference: 41.8 cm (75th Percentile)

So our girls have gigantic heads. The Wilson head - both Ches and Chris have large heads. And so do the girls. The doctor continued to be impressed by their physical prowess (height of lifting head & chest, hold head up straight, being pulled up into a sitting position, weight they can carry on their feet). We asked him questions that had come up in the last two months.

And then came time for the shots. Ches had Alina and I was holding Avery. After Alina had her painful turn, I placed Avery on the bed and held her little hands. She looked me in the eye, gave me a half-smile, and then the most heartbreaking look as the nurse gave her the first of three shots. Her eyes seem to ask me "What happened, Mommy?" She cried for a while, just like her sister did, and then fell asleep in the car seat.

They were champs the rest of the day, and had only one hour of sorrowful crying. We gave them some infant's tylenol since they had a bit of a fever and hopefully to take the sharpness out of their pain. They eventually fell asleep until the next feeding. We got bunches of smile out of them after that point in the evening.

They are such healthy and happy baby girls.

Learning to Gnaw

The girls have been busy exploring the world via their mouths. At first, we had to hold the toys in theirs mouths while they sucked on them. In a matter of only a couple of weeks, they are now picking them up and gnawing on it mostly of their own volition (you can see Ches helping out a little on the video). With the balls and blankets, the girls can do it all by themselves.

Four Months Old!

Time does seem to have a way of going by faster these days. We have had so much fun watching how the girls have developed in the last four months. Everyday, when they do something a little new (like repeatedly looking at the giraffe on the bouncie and touching it gently several times), their adorableness factor goes higher. I wonder what skills they will have gained in the next month! They talk all the time now and have started to grab on to us as we hold them.

When I reflect on the last four months, I can see how far we have come as parents. I try to remind myself of the first few nights when we got only 30 minutes to an hour of sleep. Of us standing over the girls in the crib, watching them wriggle about, crying no matter what we did, and us laughing at the state of affairs. I remember the struggle we had making decisions about where they should sleep (bouncies, cuddled on the couch, pack n play, or crib). I remember the joy we had when the girls moved to a 4-hour cycle instead of feeding every 3 hours. I remember the happiness when they actually started to sleep soundly in the crib. I remember how hard it was to do everything (and at times anything) for them and how now it seems to just be a little easier.

Big City Girls

Sunday was one of those perfectly gorgeous days that would make anyone feel guilty for not reveling in its beauty. So we packed up the girls and headed for the big city across the pond. We changed and fed the girls on the ferry so they would be set for the adventure.

Our first stop was at Pike Place Brewery (as is tradition to do whenever walking the city). Robyn, Ches and I enjoys some brews. Alina loved taking in the surroundings. We brought her out of her car seat and she spent time on our laps looking at each passerby. She had no fear for the loud and busy surroundings and soaked up the environment like a sponge. Mimi took her on a tour of the ladies room (which is the nicest in all of Pike's - seriously, you need a push code to get into them) and cleaned her up. I was very thankful to Mimi since I still am doing my best to avoid changing them on one of those tables in bathrooms.

After the pub, Robyn went her own way to tour the streets of Seattle. We walked around a little and then headed to Hard Rock Cafe. Ches has collected Hard Rock pins since he was younger. He has a full case of pins from all around the globe. We had yet to add Seattle pins to the collection. He got the standard city pin (guitar with the Space Needle on it) and one of a sasquatch playing a set of mushroom drums. The girls slept the whole time we were in there, blaring loud music and all.

We spent a little more time in downtown Seattle, wandering our way back to the ferry terminal. The next ferry was not going to be for another 30minutes, but as we approached, we noticed the earlier ferry was running late by 20 minutes. We rushed the best we could, and managed to catch the last loading of the boat. On the ride home, Alina woke up starving; we were pushing it close to 5 hours since their last feeding. We took turns walking with her over our shoulder around the passenger area. Avery awoke on the car ride home. We were very thankful it was only a 5 minute drive so we could get some food in the girls' bellies!

Random Cuteness Catch-Up

Here are some lovely moments we were lucky to capture in time over this last little bit. We are the luckiest parents to have such wonderful girls! This post is dedicated to John, down in Guatemala on Calusa. We miss you everyday!

Food Stimuli

Our girls are quite the voracious eaters. Bottle time is their favorite time. As soon as the diaper cloth that we use as a bib is placed under their chins, they start whooping a deep "Aaaahooooooo" to signify their excitement over the impending feeding. If the cloth is placed and the bottle does not enter their mouth within 30 secs, the bellows turn into a frantic and desperate cry.

Over the course of their extensive lives, they have learned to associate feeding time with a few antecedent actions. Any of these below situations can incite a feeding frenzy, whether or not they are truly hungry.

• Diaper changes. Every once in a while, they will let it slide - but most often, if they are changed anywhere in the 3.5 hour window between feedings, they will expect a bottle when they are clean and dry.
• Bath time. Whoever is bathed first can spare a little patience while the other is enjoying her water and splashing time, but if the other should linger too long, the crying for food will inevitably come.
  
• Coming out of the car seat. Knowing this pattern, we will often keep the girls in their car seats after we enter our home. We use this precious time while they are docile to prep and warm the bottles.
  
• Waking up from a long nap. Avery has a nasty tendency to wake up with a vengeance, screaming bloody murder before she even opens her eyes (sometimes due to hurt tummy for unsettled food and other times from the grumbliness of her stomach). The diligent care taker can even notice the scowl that will appear on her face moments before one of these awakenings, and will dash to try to cuddle her before the eruption.
• Microwave beeping. We warm the water in the microwave, then place the bottles in the hot water to bring the milk/formula to the perfect temperature. This pairing, though, does not work so well when we are just making some frozen chicken pot pies!
  
• Oven Beeping. Somehow, they just know when it is time for the big people to eat.

The ideal situation for the girls is when we actually wake one of them up by putting the diaper cloth under their chins immediately preceding the bottle prying open their sleepy lips. Yeah, all the rules about not waking a sleeping baby do not apply to twins when trying to keep them on a regular schedule.

Swinging Fun Time

Here is a video of adorable Avery being swung by her mimi. Thank you, Robyn, for giving the girls tons of laughter! You can hear Avery laughing, but it is relatively quite compared to the rest of the noise in the video. Enjoy!

The Many Faces of Alina

We sat Alina in the Bumbo for the first time today and took a series of snapshots of her facial expressions. I apologize that some of the photos are blurry, but it was too cute to pass up!

Worth Laughing About

We love to blow raspberries on the girls tummies. We often get smiles or a single exclamation. Today, Avery decided to give us more. It started with a raspberry. Then we heard the short chuckle. Robyn and I both broke out laughing, which only spurred Avery on to do a full laugh. We started a laughing chain that lasted at least 2 minutes. We would laugh at how adorable her laugh was, which made her laugh even more. She even did a squeal/laugh noise that was to die for! It was such an awesome moment. Unfortunately, it happened to be 10 minutes before Ches walked in the door. So I guess the number of raspberries blown on tummies in this household will likely increase.

A Day at the Zoo

It all began when we saw a commercial on the TV for Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium stating how they are now showing off new clouded leopard cubs. With a full chorus of "Awwww" we made the decision we would be heading to the zoo that weekend. Ches promptly looked up the info and found the feeding times. Plans were made and then we just had to wait to see the adorableness of small, furry cuteness.

We all woke up for the morning feeding (around 5 AM), had a wonderful breakfast courtesy of Robyn, and packed up everything we would need. We got to the zoo 7 minutes before it opened - ideal! We were welcomed by the peacock outside of the ticket booths. As you enter the park, there is a spectacular view of Mt. Doom...er, I mean Mt. Rainier.

The girls slept through most of the day. They awoke for a quick snack, and since they did not down their normal amount of lunch, Ches and Robyn walked around carrying them for about 30 minutes. We fed them a little more, then continued on to see the many wonders of the park. Please enjoy the pictures and video below!

It's The Little Things...

We love our babies so much! Everything they do, even including working hard to dirty their diapers, is precious to us! There are also a bunch of small things they do regularly that just melt our hearts. I am sure as they age, the tiny things we appreciate will change, but these are some of the current ones:

• When drinking from their bottle, they wiggle their little feet. Sometimes it will just be the toes, sometimes they will swing their whole foot from the ankle.
• Also when feeding, they will grab either your finger or the diaper cloth we use as a bib. They will hold on tight, so much so that their little finger tips will turn white.
• They become infatuated with certain objects. Their first "best friend" was the lamp in our living room. Once morning, Avery made the biggest smiles as soon as we turned the lamp on. Of late, they both love (but Alina more so) their Ugly Dolls we have on the changing table. Mimi bought some key chain sized ones that we hang on their play mats and car seats.
• When they are very happy, they will flail their legs at a frantic pace.
  
• Since it is still before the girls know that they have control over their hands, I love how they will inadvertently grab hold of Ches' beard. He is not as big of a fan of this as I am. But now we are even since I got my hair cut apparently to the perfect level for the girls to grasp.
• Sometimes when they are really tired, they will do a giant yawn which will somehow turn into a giant cry at the end before they can even close their mouths.
  
• When they have had enough to eat, they will let you know in a number of ways. They will either shut their lips so tight you cannot fit the bottle back in, accept the bottle at first they shake their head from side to side refusing to latch on, or lift a hand then bring it down with force flinging the bottle away from their mouth. It will always end with a satiated face with milk smeared all over their chins.
• They have no problem letting you clean out their eye goobers and picking the boogers out their noses. Chesley feels triumphant every time he pulls out a giant boogie.
• How they turn their face really red when working hard on a poo poo.
  
• They stretch their arms up above their heads and curl their legs into their body when you pick them up from a good sleep.
• And countless more things I could not happen to think of in the time it took to write this post.
  

Fourth of July

We had an eventful 4th with the girls! Of course, I had to dress them up in something delightfully adorable. We bought the tops at Old Navy once I realized we needed to have great pictures for the blog in celebration of America's birthday. The skirts were courtesy of Dad (one of my all-time favorites - got to get as much use out of them as possible!).

We realized that all we had was red and white so Ches and I made a great sojourn the Saturday before the 4th to find a perfectly blue accessory. I bet Ches never imagined himself having so much care for accessorizing. The first stop, which I was betting would have exactly what we needed, closed five minutes before our arrival. We then set off for Rumple New Skins which is a great, little consignment store. We found sublime blue socks with white stars. Odd enough, it was the only new things available in a store full of hand-me-downs. We rounded the hunt up with a visit to Wal Mart, which is where we found the little hair clips I attached to white headbands we already owned. Since it is impossible to shop for one specific thing for the girls, we bought $30 worth of clothes at the consignment shop and two $3 onesies at the Mart.

So the Fourth of July came and I eagerly dolled up the twins. While we prefer to not have the girls in the same outfits, there are many special occasions which just require it to be done (such as holidays and anything my mom buys us!). Bainbridge has a wonderful, small-town celebration for the 4th. The street our apartment is on closes down for the local parade. There is a large street fair with all the normal delicacies of fair food (except for funnel cakes this year - which irked me to no end and did naught for curbing by specific junk food craving).

After wondering around the fair, we assumed our spot perching above the street. Luckily, Ches' work moved offices earlier this year providing the ideal vantage point for the parade. We were on the second story of the building abutting the street. We began the parade with shade, and then chased it all over the balcony to keep the girls from the harsh sun. We enjoyed the horses, covered the girls ears' for the sirens, danced to the drums, and were entertained by the colorful floats. Avery was awake the whole time, which cannot be said for her sister.

After we returned home, Ches and I enjoyed some quality time with the twins on a blanket in the shade of the pine tree in our backyard. I went crazy taking pictures. The girls enjoyed our time outside as well; they were all smiles! Then it came time to return inside. The girls promptly passed out on the couch after their exhausting day. While they slept, Ches grilled turkey burgers and dogs, I roasted up some garlic & rosemary potatoes, and Robyn prepared the accompaniments. We feasted, drank some good beer, and then all of us went to bed. I do not think we could have had a better day to celebrate America's birthday with the girls.

Day Drive On The Olympic Peninsula

The grandparents were kind enough to watch the girls for most of the day on Saturday, June 25th. We knew that John was leaving soon to go back to Guatemala, so we wanted to take advantage for Ches and I to have some personal time alone together. Here are a few photos. It is amazing what Ches' camera can take!

Random Cuteness Catch-Up

Here are some wonderful pictures we have collected over the last bit. Enjoy!

Like Father Like Daughters

Ches has a passionate hatred for socks. Everyday when he gets home from work, they are instantly ripped off and land wherever he happens to be standing at the time. If I forget to pick them up to carry them back to the laundry basket in our room, we can get a couple day pile up of socks strewn in random places about the living room.

Apparently the girls have decided to pick up this habit form their papa. Their cute little feet can get really cold, so I will often put socks on them. This is not the easiest of tasks since they are so fond of flailing their strong legs. Of late, Ches has been encouraging the girls to liberate their feet. Since they are their daddy's little girls, they have listened.

Alina Can Do It Too!

Today was a fun day. Ches and I went in to Seattle. Instead of buying each other Mother's and Father's Day gifts, we decided to splurge on whatever we wanted at Pike Place Market. The weather was perfect and the ferry ride was ideal. We had a complete view of the mountains (Rainier, Cascades, and the Olympics), a cool breeze and full sun.

The trip started with brews at The Pike Brewing Company. Ches has determined that Pike's Tandem may be his favorite beer. Next was a stop at Uli's for a delectable rosemary chicken sausage with grilled onions and garlic aioli. Of course we stopped at Piroshky Piroshky. We got our standard chicken, rice, and mushroom (saved for later) but also ventured to taste the Bavarian sausage and the smoked mozzarella, mushroom and broccoli piroshky. Yum! Then on to Beecher's for tomato soup with cheese curds and croutons and since this soup was calling for something to dip in it, we also ordered the Dungeness crab with cheese panini. On to Confectional for chocolate mint cookie truffles. Next, we picked up a bottle of pepper vinegar from our favorite oil & vinegar shop: Sotto Voce. A quick falafel wrap at Mr. D's Greek. Back to the brewery for more beer, a stop to pick up some Uli's sausage to cook tomorrow (cajun chicken andouille), then back to the ferry. Did I make you jealous?

Upon arriving home, we heard the wonderful news that Alina had accomplished the feat of rolling over from her tummy to her back. John and Robyn said that Avery rolled over at the same time in support of her sister. Ches and I were sad we missed it, but more so just happy that she did it. Our girls are growing up so fast!

Development Update!

Our girls are growing and doing new things every day! They now spend most of their time awake during the day, which is awesome to spend the quality time together, but quite tiring when there is no break! They are now on four-hour cycles with the occasional five-hour stint either at night or when they have been in their car seats. They eat between four and five ounces each meal.

The twins make a whole new host of sounds. Long gone are the days of goat/predator/dolphin speak. They hold conversations of coos with us and each other. We will try to get some video since attempting to describe these sounds falls out of the realm of possibility to convey with words. Alina can go on for 30 minutes straight telling us about all her on-goings. She especially loves to tell her Ugly Dolls how much she loves them.

Avery enjoys showing her physical prowess by rolling over almost every opportunity we put her down for tummy time. As of yesterday, she is extremely close to turning over from her back to her belly. She will roll her head and shoulders to the side and lift up her leg, but she just needs a smidgen more oomph to do it. She very well may beat her sister by rolling over from both sides before Alina gets one down. But that is okay. Alina keeps trying her best and is really close!

They have so many facial expressions! Not only are they smiling more often, but they have more defined grumpy faces, several contemplatives looks, and even a few expressions of surprise. I love sitting and making different faces back and forth. You can really tell they are trying to figure out what I am doing.

They both clasp their hands in front of their chests. They have also discovered the joys of sucking on their tiny thumbs. We find this to be absolutely adorable even though we will pull their thumb out of their mouth to try and stymie the habit from fulling forming. Their batting at toys is becoming less flail like and more controlled. They still cannot hold toys by themselves, but their grasping is becoming stronger. I know this to be true since I apparently just got my hair cut to the perfect baby-pulling level.

We have started shopping for teething toys. The deluge of drool has begun. Ches loves to joke that it is very obvious they are my daughters since they will leave giant drool stains on their shirts. I can't help it if I have an overactive salivary gland that I may have passed along to the girls! I am told that the drooling will only continue to get worse as the teething develops. I envision ourselves being like the owners of Saint Bernards - always having a drool rag in hand.

Every day with the girls is a gift. We feel so blessed to be the parents of such wonderful babies. They are such happy little girls which pleases their mommy and daddy to no end. Wonder what they will develop tomorrow!

Burping Faces!

Here are some cute faces the girls were making while being burped one day. Alina has the headband and Avery is in the blue and pink sun dress.