Three Quarters of a Year

My, how they've grown.

Tanner loves books, hanging upside down, watching Mom and Dad dance, hairbrushes, blocks, swings, rolling around, shiny things, knocking down towers, being thrown up into the air, and belts.

Jane loves books, hanging upside down, watching Mom and Dad dance, hairbrushes, blocks, swings, the inside of closets, the squeaky frog smooching her on the nose, textures, and anything Tanner is holding.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Big things are a-happening around our house. The twins are getting over their first case of the sickies (Tanner had a pretty bad runny nose and stuffy nose; Jane just had a little bit of a runny nose; we held a barf-o-rama here this past weekend). Tanner can move all over, and today he picked up a puff and put it into his mouth by himself for the first time (usually they just get stuck to his palm and end up on the floor). Jane has a second tooth coming in, and she babbles all the time. They're going to be headed for college before we know it! We just hope they're not still wearing diapers then...

Eight Months Young

Dang, how the time flies. The kids are both sitting up, and pretty much everything goes into their mouths these days. Jane's got a tooth coming in, and they're back to being pretty good sleepers. Now we've got to invest in some new car seats to hold the little fatty boombalatties.

Jane's First Ice Pack

Jane fell out of her bouncy seat yesterday (I neglected to strap her in, and yes, I felt very guilty) and was given her first ice pack. She and Tanner were both more interested in eating the ice pack than applying it to her head, but Ashley (the babysitter) got Jane to sit for a few minutes and take it like a toughie.

Sibling Rivalry: It Has Begun.

Here are the kids wrestling over a book at bedtime. No tears were shed, no limbs were lost, but we're sure this is just the beginning...

Sitters

Look, Ma! No hands! And no supports! And nobody propping us up!

"Cool" Seven-Month-Old "Studs"

Remember when these stuffed animals were practically the same size as the kids? And the kids looked like aliens? Yes, that seems so long ago now... The babes have really grown into themselves (and then some, as they both weigh more than eighteen pounds each), and they are learning new things every day. Tanner can roll from back to stomach very easily (and does so at very inopportune times at night) and can pick up puffs (although he has yet to figure out how to put them into his mouth). Jane can sit up for an extended period of time and jumps like a champ in the jumper. We're working on getting Jane used to people (we see her lower lip a lot when she is startled by a new face) and Tanner sleeping through the night again (he loves to wake up either because he's on his stomach and can't go back to sleep or because two o'clock in the morning is a great time to play). They are such great boos and we're still struck every day by how lucky we are.

Six months old??

Holy twins, Batman! Happy half birthday to Tanner and Jane!

Busy, Busy

June was a pretty busy month for us. The babies transitioned out of their Miracle Blankets and swaddles, got baptized, celebrated their first Father's Day, started "eating" rice cereal, and went to the zoo to see the animals and their cousin Creeper. We're sure July will be just as busy, and we're ready for it.

Five Months of Personality

It's June, and there were some dark days in February where we weren't even sure if we would get to this month. But here we are. The kids are five months old, and they are an absolute delight. Sure, Jane gets a little pesky during her naps, and Tanner likes to squawk really early in the morning, and don't even get us started on transitioning them out of their swaddles, but really, things are going fairly swimmingly. I mean, look at those faces. We can't complain.

~

Their personalities are starting to emerge more and more, and it's interesting to note the characteristics each has from their parents. Jane is always warm and sports sweaty hair quite a bit, like her dad, whereas Tanner's body temp is a little cooler, like his mom's. Tanner is mellow most of the time, like his dad, and Jane is really jumpy and pretty loud, like her mom (she likes to shriek in the middle of Babies R Us) (Jane, not Mom) (okay, both). Tanner is what Mike calls an "attention hound"—pay attention to him, smile a little, and he will usually smile right back, delighted to be the center of attention (like Mom, as if we need to specify). Jane is a little more guarded, like her dad—she needs to feel out the situation, check out the person or room at hand, before she gives in and gets personal with smiles and emotions. They're both as cute as the dickens, like their dad.

We're looking forward to a fun summer with these rapscallions.