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.