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!