curious~toy~toes

O wonders: could I grab A's foot and get it to my mouth?

A confirms: there's no chance you are going to pull that off-these things are attached!

 Favorite toy at 5 months old: multi-colored Mickey Mouse.  I picked up 2 in Disneyland last month.  Somehow I just knew that you would love all the bright colors.  Thank you to Ava who put a rattle (bracelet) around Mickey's neck about a month ago-you love Mickey extra now that he makes a jingle sound!
I always sing the Mickey Mouse clubhouse song to you while you watch Mickey dance in front of you. "It's the Mickey Mouse clubhouse-come inside, it's fun inside..." How does Mother know that song? Well, we watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse together of course. It's on for 2 hours at 11:00am.  I know you could really care less, but secretly your Mommy thoroughly enjoys it.  I know that you are going to love it too when you get bigger.  Plus, watching it makes it so she can sing the "hot dog" song with cousin Ava. 
p.s. favorite toy at 3-4 months: round giraffe rattle.

Just like your hands, your feet will grab everything in range! You have ultra strong toes-and sometimes they become weapons.  Especially if you can get situated to place them on your sister-which you always try to do!

Keeping busy

We had a lot of plans today-lunch at Nordstroms cafe, shopping with Grandma BJ, Babies R Us, picking up pictures for Grandma W...but the weather turned us away from it all.  That howling-and I mean howling wind, 18 degree air, the dark & threatening clouds, severe snow storm forecast...just not for us.  Nope-not for babies whose immune systems are learning how to fight a runny nose. 
Instead, we stayed in and played played played! A got less than O because of a legendary 5 HOUR NAP! Way to go A! O and I got to play with all the toys in the toy basket. 

(yes, we need a bigger toy basket.  Make that a toy box.  I will include that in our letter to Santa)

 We also read several books: 'Baby Bunny', 'First words in the Park', and 'Shoe Bop'.  Shoe Bop is my very favorite-pages of little poems about every kind of shoe in a shoe store.  Here is a sample:
"On our corner when there's rain
a pond appears and folks complain.
But with galoshes, high and blue
that pond's a place to splish-splash through.
These boots and I could have such fun-
except on days with lots of sun."

You girls absolutely LOVE books.  I guess that results from Mommy reading to you since the day you were born.  Some people thought it was weird-wondering why I would read to babies that were merely weeks old.  It's because Mommy know that your brains develop at a rapid pace from day one, and simply hearing my voice flucuate while reading is a tranquil sound.  Your early love of being read to is the beginning to years and years of stories.  I will read to you during play time if you ever ask.  I will certainly read to you before bedtime. And I will continue to build our children's book collection so we have plenty to learn!

Right now, I give you the soft books to play with.  How you love them! You squeal with delight when I put one in front of you.  You reach out your little hands and grab the soft pages.  If you are laying down, you bring it to your face and roll to one side with a smile.  You look intently at the bright colors and shapes.  Lately (mostly O), you will put the book over your face and then hold real still.  I worry that you can't get it off, but then I look under at your face and a little grin appears.  I realize you are simply enjoying your quest to discover the world around you.  How things feel, light and dark, soft and rough, ridgy and bumpy.  I love this age that I get to watch you PLAY.  What a fascinating thing to watch babies learn how to play.

2 colossal blessings

I am grateful for A and O.  That statement just seems so small compared to what it means in my heart.  Being a Mother has blessed my life IMMENSELY.  It is a joy, a blessing, and a wonderful gift that I get to enjoy every single day.   My cup runneth over and over and over.

5MO

A and O, you're now 5 months old,

It gets even better, least thats what i'm told.

How can I fathom more fun than it's been?

Each day is a blessing being the Mother of twins

 Soaking up time with Mom while O is napping

This is A's happiest of happy faces

 Seems she always wants to roll over to her belly...until she actually gets there!

 Just getting up from nap

 We turned 5 months old the day this picture was taken!

 O's surprised face

 We go a lot of places with Mommy.  Once we get the straps on and settled in, we are up for anything!

 Hey, if you can't find your own thumb...

Right after bath

I LOVE YOU!

sing a little song

Seeing this bib makes me sing a certain song.

Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea,
Swim so wild and you swim so free.
Heaven above, and the sea below,
And a little white whale on the go.

Baby beluga, baby Beluga, is the water warm?
Is your mama home with you, so happy.

Way down yonder where the dolphins play,
Where they dive and splash all day,
The waves roll in and the waves roll out,
See the water squirting out of your spout.

Baby beluga, baby Beluga, sing your little song,
Sing for all your friends, we like to hear you.

When it's dark, you're home and fed,
Curl up snug in your water bed.
Moon is shining and the stars are out,
Good night, little whale, goodnight.

Baby beluga, baby Beluga, with tomorrow's sun,
Another day's begun, you'll soon be waking.

Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea,
Swim so wild and you swim so free.
Heaven above and the sea below,
And a little white whale on the go.
You're just a little white whale on the go.

conversations

You are old enough now that you are very aware of each other.  One of my most favorite things to do, is to lay you next to each other and watch you talk to each other and grab each others hands...and try to put them in your mouth.

"hello?"

"Yes, hi.  Would you like to play with me?"

"you look kinda familiar"

"don't you think Mom takes a lot of pictures of us?"

"here, we'l  get through this bright flash together"

"can't get over all the way?"

"maybe we can help each other"

 You love to play footsies.  You can be entertained by this for a good length of time.

"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart. "

rolling

Today you both-on the same day-at the same time (literally)-reached a huge milestone in your development! It has been about a month in the making, and you finally made it! SO crazy-you both made it happen on the exact same day-within seconds of each other!  Identical twins are miraculous.

Introducing: your first COMPLETE roll over. With both arms free.

 So, I was sitting there letting you play before I put you in your jammies.  You were both very squirmy, and a little agitated that Mother wasn't holding you.  I watched you both scoot around on your backs away from each other.  Abbi rolled to her side like she does frequently, with her arm stuck underneath. Then, she rocked a few times until it came free from under her, and she was completely on her belly! I grabbed the camera, and as I did-I noticed Olivia was also totally on her belly! wow wow wow. I love being a Mother.  These little things are make my world so happy.

After the big event-phew!

HOORAY!! congratulations A and O for reaching this momentous achievement!

tomorrow

Girls, tomorrow is a good day! We get to go pick up Daddy at the airport!  You are 4 days older than when he last saw you-he will be so proud to see how big you've gotten! A lot can happen in four days when you are 4, almost 5 months old. You are growing in the blink of an eye! You are becoming more aware of the world around you, and you are no longer our sleepy infant babies.  Before you grow more, please slow down! I need more time to savor you at all your stages.  Oh I love you sooooooooo much-my heart bursts from it every second!

mamamamamama

I would like to take this time to announce your first unofficial word: "mamamamamamama."
You have both been saying it for about 2 months.  I like to think you are really calling to me!  This is because you say this when you are sad or lonely.  As soon as I appear, you don't say it anymore-that's because I am there, and you don't need to call me anymore, right? Well, there you have it.  First word at 4 months-almost 5 months old.  hehe : )

P.s. Please keep loving this bouncer-I am getting a lot more done these days thanks to its bright colors, swinging frog and classical tunes that you are enjoying.

Two little hands

"I have two little hands folded snuggly and tight.
They are tiny and weak, yet they know what is right.
During all the long hours till daylight is though,
There are plenty indeed for my two hands to do."

Dear A and O,
I have been singing this song lately to you because you
have become incredibly busy with your hands! You
are discovering all the things that you can do with them.
You can:
*put your hands together and put them in your mouth
*grab a toy with both hands when i put one in front of you
*put your hands around your bottle when we feed you
*grab your blankee and bring it to your faces
*push the light-up ball
*grab mommy's hair and pull
*hit daddy's glasses off his face
*rub your eyes when you are tired
*suck your thumbs
*grab Mommy's jewelry
And sometimes, you will hold each others hands : )


I'm so proud of all the things you are learning to do!
Your development is so amazing, and I am blessed
that I get to watch you grow every day!

It came

Despite my dilligent efforts-it came.  Like a thief in the night.  It followed us down the hall and into sunday school.  It crept upon us without us even knowing.  It even stuck around while we attended all 3 meetings.  It followed us home and didn't even make itself known until yesterday.  Then, when I least expected it-IT showed itself.  The runny nose.  Followed by the sneezing.  And the coughing.  That horrible, dispicable and completely unwelcome pathogen.   Poor O.  Had I known of its presence a mere 2 hours earlier, I would not have fed my twin girls rice cereal from the SAME SPOON. 
If the initial damage was not enough-it made sure that exactly 3 days later-just as O was livening up-it would stay.. To infect my second innocent angel.  I didn't want to look.  I tried to ignore it, but there it was AGAIN-the runny nose. 
This means: more sleepless nights on the nursery floor, breathing in the humid air that is helping you sleep better.  This means: many more encounters with that light blue bulb syringe-how I despise having to use that thing.  I promise it is for your good-I wish you knew that!
This also means: mounds of hand sanitizer and many shirt changes.
He was right.  Dr. L said it was inevitable.  I hoped he was wrong.  But-of course he knew, and he was right.  Dang.

Note: The hard parts of motherhood everyone must have been talking about are shots and colds.

Get well soon my loves

getting to know you

Lately you girls have been talking to each other a lot, and LOUD.  It is the CUTEST darn thing to watch on the planet! While you are talking, one or both of you will situate yourself sideways so that you can kick the other.  The funny thing is that neither one of you seems to mind! A few days ago, I went into the kitchen for a minute and came back to find Olivia kicking Abby in the belly.  I moved you back to being far apart, and went into the kitchen again.  When I came back (literally one minute later), Abby was kicking Olivia in the face! Don't worry, Livi didn't mind-she was just trying to get Abbi to hold her feet still so she could eat her toes:)

Speaking of 'getting to know you'...we have been singing my favorite songs from movie, 'The Sound of Music' lately.  You love love it! You even stopped crying in the car when I started singing them to you.  Our favorites are:

"Do, a deer, a female deer,
rae-a drop of golden sun.
Me, a name I call myself,
fa-a long long way to run. 
So, a needle pulling thread,
la-a note to follow so,
Ti, a drink with jam and bread......"

and

"raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,
bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,
brown paper packages tied up with string;
these are a few of my favorite things.
girls in white dresses with blue satten sashes, 
snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes,
silver white winters that melt into spring........."

rice cereal

Since you are now 4 and a half months old (where has the time gone!!), I decided to introduce you to rice cereal.  You do great! Both of you opened your mouth for your first spoonful, as if you knew right what to do.  It was a success until the entire amount dribbled right on out!  We will keep working on it and soon you will be pros!