Toddler Photo Session Shenanigans

Well, I got one with everyone looking in the same direction, but NOT the best face on Vivienne.

Evelyn is 6 Months!

Evelyn had her first half-birthday a few days ago.  This year seems to be flying by, in great part due to the two 2-year-olds that keep me on my toes all day.  Almost every day, we are going to a museum or going to a playground or having a play date with friends... and often we are doing more than one of those things in the same day.  We basically never have a day where we stay home, unless someone is sick. There is just too much to see and do, and getting out and about helps the kids burn off energy, gives them the opportunity to learn and gives me the opportunity to maintain my sanity (even though it is exhausting sometimes).

Evelyn is an incredibly sweet, easy-going baby.  She rarely cries, and usually it's just to tell us that she is hungry or needs a nap.  She loves to smile and giggle, and she has very expressive eyes.  She adores her brother and sister, who frequently bring her toys and tickle her and make her laugh.

Evelyn sleeps fairly well at night.  She had her very first 12-hour straight stretch of sleep a couple nights ago - sleeping from 7 pm until almost 7 am without feeding.  Wow - what a difference 8 hours of sleep makes for me!  Since we're not doing bottles, I always have to feed her myself.  I love nursing her, but I will say that every now and then it would be nice if someone else could feed her at 4 am.  Evelyn also doesn't take a pacifier at all, but she does suck her thumb.  I guess we just like to avoid plastic nipples in all forms.  :)

Evelyn's 6-month doctor's appointment went very well.  We have no concerns with her at all.  She rarely spits up, and she seems to be moving right along with the rolling over and sitting up and vocal skills.  Here are her stats:

• Height: 26.5 in (76%)
• Weight:  17 lb 1 oz (69%)
• Head Circumference: 16.8 (65%)

She can easily roll all the way over now (both directions), and she has almost mastered sitting up.  She needs a bit of assistance with balance, but she can sit up on her own for short periods of time before toppling over.  Evelyn loves to stand if we hold her under her shoulders for balance, but she has a long way to go before she could stand on her own (or even holding onto something like a table for support).  She locks out her knees, so she doesn't bounce much yet.

She has gotten very vocal over the past few weeks - with lots of squealing and a new affinity for the "b" consonant sound.  We hear a lot of "ba ba ba ba" around here.

Evelyn's hair is really growing in, and she has a head full of dark, crazy fuzz.  She has the warmest deep brown eyes... definitely my brown-eyed girl.  Her complexion is dark and smooth, and she has rolls on her legs that just won't stop.

We haven't really begun to feed her any solid foods yet.  I have given her the occasional taste of yogurt or other foods that we're eating, but she basically still only nurses.  I have no plans for starting her on solids any time soon.  I mainly just don't want to add something else to my plate (no pun intended), and she can develop perfectly well on my milk so I feel no need to rush it. 

Evelyn has the sweetest disposition, and I can't wait to get to know her better as her little personality blossoms.   Thanks for being a part of our family, baby girl.  And thanks for being so mellow and taking it so easy on Mommy.  Love you!

Perpetuating Mispronunciation

How is that for a long title?

Well, we generally try to gently correct the kids when they mispronounce words.  They usually have pretty clear pronunciation for 2-year-olds.  However, I have to say that some of their mispronunciations are just downright adorable.  Miles asks us to pick up the "remote cachine" (like "remote machine" but with a "c" sound) to turn on the "TB."  And Vivienne will often look up at me and say,"Carry you, Mommy!" instead of "carry me."  I correct Vivienne's English, but I think our family may permanently call it a "remote cachine" from now on.

Twin Dynamics and Sharing

I absolutely love the relationship between Miles and Vivienne.  They make my heart melt at their generosity and love for one another.  We recently realized that in their entire 2.5 years, they have only been apart from one another long enough for one of them to go to the doctor (never more than 2 hours).  They still sleep in cribs right next to each other.  They have never slept in separate rooms, not even for a single night.  It is easy to see how they have such a strong connection to one another, and they think of each other very often.

For example, at Grandma's house, if Vivienne gets a cookie, she will say,"Miles?"  Grandma will hand her another cookie and she will rush over to give it to her brother.  She does this almost without fail when she is getting a snack or treat at home or at Grandma's house.

At church today, the teacher said that another child took Vivienne's snack from her.  The teacher went to get another snack for Vivienne, and when she returned, she realized that Miles had given his snack to Vivienne.  And, believe me, Miles loves to eat.  He just has a soft spot for his sister.

After church, the kids were playing in the yard.  They were actually playing in the mulch around our sugar maple.  (As an aside, it is very hard for me to let the kids simultaneously mess up my mulch while they are getting their church clothes dirty, but I make a conscious effort to allow them to do things like this.  Having fun is worth a little laundry and raking afterward to clean up their mess.)  Vivienne ran to the garage to get a pail for her dirt.  Without any prompting, she brought back two buckets - one for her and one for her brother.

Of course, Miles and Viv also have their moments every day where they are fighting over a balloon or a bike or toy, but they are generally very kind and thoughtful and generous with one another.  I love having twins, and I hope that they keep this closeness forever.

Half Birthdays

In January, we celebrate all the kids' half birthdays. We have decided to steal a tradition from our friends, the Miller clan, and celebrate half birthdays with doughnuts.  We're not sure whether or not the kids had ever had doughnuts before or not, but I think it's pretty safe to say that they thoroughly enjoyed them.  And Mommy enjoyed having her own creme filled chocolate iced doughnut.  I just wouldn't want to miss out on the celebration, ya know.

Vivienne enjoyed her doughnut like it was a pie eating contest or something.  Look, Ma!  No hands!  (Notice that her doughnut matches her fingernails.)

I start to wonder if these really are my children if they are so easily distracted from their doughnuts by a toy that is found in nearly every doctor's office waiting room.

There were lots of big grins as they dove into their sugary treats.  Both kids decided to basically eat the tops off of their doughnuts.

And our gorgeous baby girl enjoyed her half birthday by sharing her beautiful smile with us - such a sweetie.  I can't wait to celebrate their whole birthdays this coming July!

Baby Sister

Miles and Viv are so gentle and patient with their little sister. It is not uncommon to see them lying in the floor chatting with her. They also love to play Peek-a-boo and make her laugh and squeal. It's such a delight to watch my children interacting. I am surprised that I have rarely had to ask them to be more gentle with her. They just seem to sort of naturally understand that they have to be careful around her. I'm hopeful that they stay protective and nurturing with her for a while. Of course, now that I say that, I will discover that they have decided to try to change her diaper themselves or piled all their dirty clothes on her or something.

I just love this shot because you can see the true color of Vivienne's eyes.  My beautiful big girl - such a great big sister!

Puddle Jumpers

I am so thankful that Miles has a friend that he can jump in puddles with.  And I'm thankful that his mom is cool enough to let him get wet and muddy with Miles.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

One of our friends had a playdate where her father came dressed as Santa Claus. It was fun to see the kids respond to him (with wonder, fear, delight and uncertainty all in quick succession). Vivienne sat on his lap, but Miles was too busy playing with trucks to stop and talk to Santa. Evelyn really appreciated that Santa wore an outfit that matched hers.

First Pony Ride

December saw all the kids' first pony rides. A local nursery had an event where Mrs. Claus read The Night Before Christmas and the kids could ride ponies. The entry fee was a donated book. Our awesome neighbor, Miss Stephanie, donated some books on our behalf so that we could attend.

Vivienne snuggled up with Miss Stephanie for the story time.

Miles didn't let Mrs. Claus keep him from finishing his mid-morning snack.

While we waited on the ponies, the kids played outside in the playground area.  They loved the motorized boat that would rock along while they steered.

A big thanks to Miss Stephanie for our "tickets to ride"!

Like father, like son.

Chloe also joined us in the festivities!

The kids really enjoyed the ponies, and Evelyn really enjoyed the snuggles from Mommy, Grandma and Miss Stephanie with her bear trapper hat to keep her warm.  It was a fun way to spend a December morning.

Baby Will

In mid-December, my sweet friend, Pam, came over to visit us and brought her little bundle of cuteness, Will. He is only about 6 weeks or so ahead of Evelyn.  It is fun to watch him learn new things, like sitting up and crawling... knowing that Evelyn is only a few steps behind him.

And look at how sweet these eyes are:

Watch out, Vivienne!  It looks like he may be making a move to steal "B" (her lovey)!

Evelyn is 5 Months!

I am so far behind on this one, but Evelyn turned 5 months old just before Christmas.  She has changed so much in these past few weeks.

Evelyn's personality has really blossomed recently.  She loves to smile and laugh and interact with us.  She will give us this huge, gummy smile and rock her head back and forth as a means of "flirting", so to speak.  She loves to blow raspberries and squeal and giggle.  She is the most mild mannered baby, and hardly ever fusses.  She really just "complains" a little bit when she is hungry or tired, but this is remedied quickly and easily and then she is a very happy baby again.

Evie has also gained a lot of physical strength, most notably in her legs.  At her 4 month appointment, the pediatrician couldn't get her to try to put any weight on her legs whatsoever.  Now, she will stand with us holding her hands.  She really enjoys spending time in her exersaucer.  (Miles and Vivienne also like spending time in her jumperoo, but they don't exactly fit into it well anymore.  And they get stuck in it and call out, "Mommy!  Mommmmmmmmy!!!!" for me to come get them because they can't get out.)  We will probably also buy Evelyn a jumperoo, but we haven't gotten around to it yet.  I'm sure she will like bouncing.

She also rolls both ways now.  We're not really sure when that started happening.  Sometimes when she is napping (or not napping?), she will start wailing and I will find her on her tummy.  I think she thinks she is stuck on her tummy, but I have seen her roll from her tummy to her back a million times.  I think she will hopefully learn to remember this very soon.

Her sleeping is going ok, but not great.  Over the past month, she has started night waking much more frequently.  I feel like these times gravitate around her having a growth spurt or learning a new skill, but it is hard to tell.  We had nights in this past week where she woke up 3 times and we had nights where she only woke up once.  Hopefully, we start leaning back toward the single-waking nights again.  I guess I got spoiled with a baby who only woke up once for her first 4 months of life.

Evelyn's sweet, soft brown hair continues to grow.  She still has a bald spot on the very back, but it seems to be getting smaller.  She still has these huge, sweet brown eyes that narrow into little almonds when she grins with her chubby cheeks.  She has rolls that don't stop on her legs... adorable.

We love our chubby, sweet little girl.  I can't wait to hear her little voice someday and watch those pudgy toes run down the hallway.  On the other hand, I want her to stay my little baby forever.