WOW....I can't believe the girls have been with us for five months. It has been 5 months filled with many amazing and wonderful moments. I would lie if I said we haven't had any difficult days or stressful moments. It is all part of being parents of twins!
The girls are growing and changing by the minute. Every morning I look forward to walking in the nursery to see the girls beautiful smiles and how much they have changed overnight. I am still amazed that they can change so much with one nights rest. Sophia and Claire now wake up babbling...it is so sweet and fun to listen to but the best is seeing their instant smile when Matt or I appear above the crib. It is one of those things that makes being a parent amazing!
Sophia and Claire are doing new things every day. Claire has been rolling over since she was 4 months old and she hasn't stopped since. She rolls all over the place. One day she rolled at least 4 or 5 times across the floor and bumped her head on the entertainment center. Claire can't stop moving and has to be doing something at all times. Sophia rolled over for the first time on November 4th just past her 5 month birthday. Sophia is so layed back I was wondering if she would ever want to roll over but she surprised me and did it right when all the books said she would. The first time she rolled over she got a huge grin on her face and was so excited. I think she was excited to get out of tummy time!!
I can't lay the girls on the floor together unless I am right beside them. They pull eachother's hair, grab at their sisters face and throw in many kicks. The fighting has already started. HA! Right now it is done out of curiosity and love but I am sure that won't be the case in a few years.
The girls love to giggle and Mommy has figured out their tickle points. It is so funny and gets me laughing. Sophia gets to the point where she is uncontrollably laughing. Claire loves to laugh but not quite as hard as Sophia because she is too busy and has to move onto something else.
Both girls have favorite toys they like to play with. Sophia loves her pink elephant that cousin Teri gave her. Claire loves her squeeky Pooh from the Gross family. We don't go anywhere without them. Beyond that, both girls love to listen to music and play with anything that lights up.
We have been giving the girls cereal for over a month and it is getting better every day. About a week ago Claire finally decided she liked the cereal and wanted to participate (meaning she would finally open her mouth and happily take spoonfuls). Although cereal time is still messy, it has become a fun time for Mommy and the girls. They just wish I could soley focus on them individually...they don't like when I have to give a spoonful to their sister. The girls are now eating in their highchairs. It is so cute!!!
Sophia and Claire's hair is getting so long. I can't believe how quickly it has grown. I am excited to soon be putting bows in the girls hair. I have had a hard time finding barrets and bows that will stay in their hair. I refuse to tape anything on my childs head. HA!!! Sophia's hair is so fluffy....I comb it nicely and within minutes it is sticking up.
Sophia's club foot is looking great. You would never know she had a club foot when she was born. The doctor has been very happy with her progress. She continues to wear her orthopedic shoe (although Mommy takes it off for a better looking shoe when we go out) to keep her foot in the correct position. We will continue to do that until she is a year old. Her physical therapy is going great and she loves her therapist.
Great Grandma Stella finished the girls quilts. They are beautiful. Grandma Stella took so much time to make the quilts perfect for her perfect little grandchildren. Some day the girls will know how meaningful the quilts are. I cry just thinking about it. I am so thankful my girls have this special gift from such an amazing woman. Grandma Stella is so talented and put so much detail work into each quilt.
We continue to change our schedule to accommodate the girls. We are now down to 2 naps a day...one in the morning and one in the afternoon (sometimes a small cat nap in the evening). We have swaddled the girls since they were only weeks old. It has been very helpful in comforting the girls during naps and night time sleep. Now that the girls are moving around, rolling over, etc. we felt it was time to slowly take away the swaddles. Last week we started with one arm out of the swaddle and it went very well. This week we took both arms out and so far the girls sleep has not been affected. Thank goodness!!! Next week I plan to eliminate the swaddle all together. Everything with babies is a step-by-step process.
Lastly, the girls had a great Halloween. We went to the Pumpkin Patch at Stony Creek Farm in Noblesville. Thank goodness for the Baby Bjorn's because I don't know how Matt and I would have done it without them. We went on a hayride to the pumpkin patch and picked out two mini-pumpkins. It was a beautiful day to have the girls out. As you can see in the pictures the girls were fashionable and wore their shades (thanks Nanna) just like Mommy and Daddy. So cute!!!
On Halloween morning we carved pumpkins and as you can see in the pictures we did something a bit unusual.....we put the girls in the pumpkins. It was so funny to watch their reactions as they sat down in the cold mushy pumpkin. I think the pictures are priceless!!!
The girls dressed up as pumpkins for Halloween and I think they were the cutest pumpkins ever. We trick-or-treated at the Ortoleva's house first where the girls got a bag of candy and Colts onesies. Damien and Owen loved seeing the girls and showed off their Halloween costumes. Next we went to visit with our friends the Stornetta's. The girls loved seeing their friend Noah and wondered why we had to take so many pictures. The girls also got to meet our friends Dave and Mary for the first time. They loved all the attention. After that we went to Aunt Shannon and Uncle Chris' house where they also got to see Grandpa Benny. It was a full day of fun and the girls slept so well that night. They were wiped out.
As you can tell, the last month has been full of wonderful memories. Sophia and Claire are amazing little girls. They make Matt and I so happy. It is hard to remember life before them. We are so thankful that God blessed us with these amazing little angels!!!!
