Rewind

I'm so far behind in my pictures that I don't even know where to start.  I continue to take pictures and videos but ever since the girls dropped their morning nap in June at 20 months old (i.e. my time to work on my pictures) I haven't found a new schedule for myself to stay organized.

But...I don't want to forget these memories of this age leading up to turning 2...so I'm catching up and am determined to get caught up in time for their 2nd birthday in a couple weeks.

So, for starters...rewinding the clock to 20 months old...

We dropped the morning nap, and months later, there are times that I'm still missing the 2 nap/day schedule.

They have gotten busier and busier and take advantage of any opportunity when I am not totally paying attention to them to get up in the front seat of the car pushing every button and pulling every lever as hard as they can.

I am sure that one day they are going to pull my blinker and windshield wiper controls straight off and I will have no one else to blame but myself.  

We found some horse stables open to the public here in Kingwood that I never knew existed before this summer.  The girls were enthralled from a distance and terrified up close.  We have gone quite a bit since then to see the horses and they love it.

We still went to the park all the time despite how hot and sweaty we would get within the first 5 minutes of being there.

Ellie saying "cheese" for the camera

Sweating is just a necessary evil of surviving Houston summers.

Well, that, and swatting mosquitos.

Caroline

We had an outdoor shower installed in the early part of the summer that we used with the girls almost every single day...and on days like this...probably twice a day.

I would just strip them down in the backyard, hose them off from head to toe in efforts to avoid tracking shoefulls of sand, dirt and sweat through the living room.

Ellie

The girls have great fun together and they have the same way of doing everything.

Caroline tends to still be our trailblazer with setting the stage of how something is going to be....

...and then Ellie copies.

Even if its something as simple as drinking out of their water bottle.

When You Want Something Done, You've Got to do it Yourself!

Last week, the girls and I were skyping with Aunt Laureno.  The girls loved interacting for a couple of minutes, but with their short attention spans, they quickly move on to something else.  They are in this phase where they will do anything to get my attention, and so they started asking me to change their diapers.  As I'm talking to Lauren, I suggested that they change their sisters' diaper.

And that's all I said.

They proceeded to go to the drawer where the diapers are, pulled out two diapers, the package of wipes and their changing mat.

They laid out the changing mat and Ellie laid down on it.

Caroline stood over her and started taking off Ellie's diaper....and then going to town wiping Ellie's bottom.

Caroline getting after it with the wipes on Ellie

And 50 wipes later, they traded places, and Ellie took her turn changing Caroline.

This whole time, Lauren, on Skype, and I are saying nothing.  Just laughing and taking pictures.

Ellie changing Caroline

I guess this is what its like being a twin.  Who needs to pretend change your baby doll's diaper when you can your sister's diaper for real?!?

I don't think I'll ever forget this.

What Feeding Yourself Looks Like at 18 Months

After talking about Caroline and Ellie's whole "learning to feed myself" stage that we're in right now, I thought we'd should add a few more descriptive photos.  

They love to eat out of a bowl or plate, but Ellie is the worst offender when it comes to throwing her mealtime paraphernalia on the floor or dumping all the contents on her tray, or on herself.

The funny thing is, she absolutely knows that I'm not okay with this.  Now, when she throws something on the floor, she immediately looks at me and taps the table with her hand.  I often ask her, "where does __ go?  It goes on the table."

So now, I guess, just to speed up the whole conversation, she preempts my question with just giving me the answer by pointing to the table.  As if this makes it okay, and I should give it back to her.  Sigh.

Caroline, on the other hand, is focused.  She will work the food in that bowl until its gone...or until Ellie reaches over and takes it from her...and then of course, ends up on the floor.....

....where most things of Ellie's ends up.

Well, what can I say, at least they're cute.

Do it Myself!

We have started to let Caroline and Ellie feed themselves...and they love it!

Not too much food actually gets in the mouth but they are figuring out how to use a spoon and fork and they're getting better at it everyday.

Both girls seem to be right handed, which we were wondering about since I am exclusively left handed when it comes to these things.

In this whole process of feeding themselves, the messes have exponentially increased...not only on the floor and the high chairs, but also on their faces, heads, and clothes!

They are also much happier though that they can do it themselves.  Meals take a little longer and it's a little bit of an aerobic exercise for me as I go back and forth behind each chair trying to help each one out with each bite.

Ellie loves to be helped with each bite, and Caroline likes to be helped out depending on the day.

We also tend to have major mood swings with the eating.  Some meals, the girls are are elated and so proud of themselves, and on other days, it's total melt-down city around here.

These days, one girl seems to be crying during every meal.  Blake and I feel like we were given a gift if both girls make it through the entire meal with both happy.

Reasons for melt-downs:
1.  I want to sit in Mommy's lap
2.  I threw my cup on the floor and I want it back
3.  My sister has more Cheerios that I do
4.  My sister took off her bib and she's trying to rip mine off
5.  I am trying to feed my sister and she bit my fingers as I shoved a piece of (insert food choice here) in her mouth
6.  My sister stole my spoon
7.  My sister stole my bowl
8.  My sister stole my cup
9.  I want to eat with colored spoon/bowl/plate that my sister is using
10.  I'm tired and just not feeling like eating right now

Suddenly, it's all coming clear to me of why meal times are not my favorite part of the day...but these pictures do remind me that there are times when everyone is in the zone and we're having a pretty good time together!

So Long Pacifiers

Up until recently, there was one thing that Caroline and Ellie have loved more than anything...and it has been books.  If we let them, they would read books all day long and do absolutely nothing else.

It's the same routine...go pick out a book, back up with their cute little diapered bottom sticking out holding their chosen book until they land in my lap.  We read the book, usually skipping every other page, since they turn them faster than I can read them.  And then we repeat.

The focused book reading became so focused that I had to put the books behind the baby gate so that they would actually play with a toy or two.  

Now, we read books before bed/naptime or if I offer them a special treat.

Up until a week ago, books were their "thing".  

Now.....they have 2 "things".  Books AND Pacifiers.

For starters, they are thumb suckers.  Caroline sucks her right thumb and Ellie sucks her left.  They suck their thumbs when they sleep and when they are in the car.  I've always kept several pacifiers in the toy baskets that they like to play with here and there, until last week, when it became a total obsession of Caroline's and I finally just had to take them away.  Her favorite thing was to dig around looking for 2...one for herself and one for Ellie.  She would always put one in her mouth.  Then she'd walk over to Ellie, shove one in her mouth, which Ellie always accepted, almost as if to say, "thanks sissy".  I've always loved watching this interaction.  

But, when Caroline started to ask for a pacifier while we' were digging in the dirt in the backyard, its was time to bye-bye to the silicon woobies.

Here is a sequence of a typical pacifier exchange.

Ellie laying down on the floor playing with her baby by herself.

Caroline (standing up) giving Ellie a pacifier

Not only trying to give it to Ellie, but really trying to get it in her mouth

Girls resume playing with pacifiers in mouth.  Thanks Sissy!

16 Months!

Caroline and Ellie are 16 months old and they are changing so much in the little things.  

After visiting my parents in Alaska for 4 weeks, we are back in Houston and adjusting back to normal life.  We came back with them so much more capable than they were when we left.

This is our first time since before Christmas that we are settling in and just doing normal life, but back then (which feels like a lifetime ago) the girls were barely walking.  

They loved hearing the "swish swish" that their feet made in the snow

They are fast up the stairs and just at the slightest mention of bedtime or bathtime, they immediately stop what they're doing, go straight to the stairs and make their way to their bedroom.  

For starters, anytime you take a picture, they want to see it.  Somehow they know if a picture is being taken no matter if it is with my big camera or with a cell phone, and they always want to slide their finger across any screen to flip to the next picture.  

They have also learned and mastered "peek-a-boo"....

...and I have to say in my unbiased opinion, there's nothing cuter than walking the aisles of Wal-Mart the girls playing peek-a-boo in our double stroller!

They are getting slightly better at playing...or at least they show glimpses of playing with something longer than 8 seconds.  

The are getting really good at song recognition.  If they hear the tune to any familiar songs they immediately stop and start to dance.  

The like the Mickey Mouse songs...notice my Mom doing the "Hot Dog" Dance with the girls

Their favorite songs right now are "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Where is Thumbkin" and "Pat-a-Cake".  They request us to sing these songs ad nauseam and they have a special hand signal for each song.  

We talked to Blake on Skype every night and now I have to keep the computer hidden because every time they see it, they want to talk to someone on it.  

Even on Skype, if someone asks them to point to a body part, they're happy to oblige.  We've covered all the facial body parts and now we're working on the joints such as shoulder and elbow!

With all the things that they can do, they still cannot say one small word, despite my best efforts.  Not even a Mama or a Dada. 

I guess the persistent whining is still working for them and they don't feel the need to form a word.  

Even if they can't express it in words, I know Caroline and Ellie are missing their grandparents.  It was a really fun month in the snow and with my parents.  Plenty of attention, arms to hold them, and kisses to go around at all times.  It was a great visit!

Moving On

These last several weeks have been a whirlwind for me.  Caroline and Ellie decided last week to try walking on the exact same day, and they haven't looked back since that day.

They are trying to walk to any place they want to go instead of crawling, and I think in about another week or so, they will be doing it effortlessly.

That means we won't be having babies crawl around our house anymore.

I also weaned the girls right before Thanksgiving.  It was a month long process that was difficult for all 3 of us.  They cried a lot during those times and since that time, Caroline has turned into more of a thumb sucker than she ever was before.  On my last day of nursing them, I was full of emotion that I didn't even know I had.

What a journey, full of emotion when it wasn't going well in the beginning and then again in the end when it was second nature for us all with me realizing how much I'd miss that time with my babies.

I guess that means we won't be having anymore nursing babies around our house anymore.

I guess we're moving on to toddler-hood.  Blake and I are missing our twin little babies, but we're enjoying this new stage with each of their little developing personalities.