Sophia and Claire are 20 Months Old

18 Month Stats

Sophia:
Weight - 26 pds. 13 oz. 78th percentile
Height - 34 1/2 inches 99th percentile
Head - 48 cm 83rd percentile

Claire:
Weight - 25 pds. 6oz. 60th percentile
Height - 34 1/4 inches 96th percentile
Head - 47 cm 59th percentile

I can't believe 3 months has flown by so quickly. The holidays kept us very busy and were so much fun with the girls. We celebrated Thanksgiving at the Ortoleva house with the entire Fizpatrick clan. The girls were more excited about playing basketball in the garage, with their cousins, than the food (that will change when the figure out how great of a cook Uncle Nick and Aunt Cara are). Uncle Nick and Aunt Cara made the day perfect with wonderful food!

At the beginning of December the girls attended their first basketball game. They went to see cousin Teri coach her ISU Sycamores against Butler. The girls were very good and were excited to be able to run around on the court after the game and see Aunt Barb, Uncle Dick, Leanne and Teri. They even came home with a little basketball which has been a hit every since. We look forward to taking them to more games in the future!

The month of December was full of new and exciting things for the girls. The girls were enamored with the Christmas lights Daddy put up outside and we even got a WHOA WHOA WHOA, WOW WOW from Sophia when we turned on the Christmas tree lights and the village inside. They especially loved a small nativity scene that Nanna gave us. They had to kiss baby Jesus every night before eating dinner. It was so cute. The words of the month were Baby Jesus
, Santa and Snowman. We had two Christmas trees. The girls had their tree in which they had to say hi to Santa every time they ran by it. So cute! I was impressed how the girls left the Christmas tree alone. I thought for sure they would be tearing ornaments off the tree daily.

We hosted a Gingerbread House party with all of the girls cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. I think everyone had a great time!!! Sophia was more interested in dipping candy into the icing and licking it off than decorating her gingerbread house. Claire preferred just to eat the candy. Typical 1 year olds. I am sure they will really enjoy it next year.

The girls first day out in the snow this year was interesting. Daddy was on a work trip and I attempted to keep them happy on my own. Claire loves the snow and was all smiles. Sophia would prefer to stay inside and see the snow through the window. The only way I could keep her happy was to show them how you could eat the snow. They became obsessed and loved when Georgie would come in the house from outdoors. They would eat any snow he drug in. I guess I learned my lesson the hard way. HA!

Claire got to have her first sledding experience at Nanna and Pappaw's on Christmas Eve. She loved sledding with her cousins and even did some face plants in the snow and always came up with a smile! Sophia stayed inside with Nanna as she hates the cold and snow. I am hoping next year that changes.

The girls were much more excited this year to see what Santa brought them. Although they really don't understand Santa quite yet they loved all the gifts out for them on Christmas morning. We did find it hard to get them to open all the gifts because they got so excited about the first gifts they opened. Sophia and Claire got so many wonderful gifts. From Santa they got a kitchen, kitchen utensils, pans and food, Tag Junior, Books, purses, MP3 player, snow globes, vaccum and best of all a HUGE jumpy house! They got so many wonderful things from family as well including a table and chairs, college fund money, tent, clothes, Mrs. Potato Head, dress-up clothes, IU cheerleading outfits, baking utensils and so much more. They were definitely blessed at Christmas.

Sophia and Claire experienced their first earthquake on December 30th. I was in bed. Matt let me get some extra sleep that morning. The girls were eating breakfast and I believe were completely unphased by it. It was so loud and it felt like the whole house shifted. Something to remember!

New Year's Eve was spent at Nanna and Pappaw's. The girls enjoyed having a great family dinner followed by fun with Riley, Stella, Drake and Will. The girls only made it to 8:00 PM and then Mommy and Daddy got to go see Little Fockers. It was so nice to get out and enjoy a movie!

Sophia is our daughter with a million faces and gestures. She can make you laugh so easily. We can't get enough of it. She is still our quiet and independent child at home. She prefers to do her own thing and not be bothered. Her independece led to our first artwork on the wall (with crayons thank goodness). Sophia has become a Daddy's girl and loves to be with him or one of her grandpa's. Claire on the other hand is loud and crazy and she has to have your attention at all times. She is our little talker and never stops! Anything you tell her to say she will. She call's her Nanna almost daily on her pink cell phone and the only thing I an make out is Hi Nanna and Bye...the stuff in between is long and uncomprehensible by Mommy. She is definitely a mama's girl and loves to cuddle up with me. I don't mind a bit!

The girls are saying new words and phrases every day. Below are the new words since our last post.

I poopy, pee-pee, football, touchdown, blue, red, yellow, bubbles, choo choo, happy, smile big, baby jesus, snowman, santa, GO IU, oh no, i'm stuck, no way, i love it, no throw, bo bo's (the girls word for boobies) and cheese (because I am always taking pictures).

The "no throw" came from when I put Claire in timeout for throwing a book and when I was picking up toys later and I tossed a book into a pile she looked at me and said "no throw"...I guess she learned her lesson! I put Claire in timeout one day (yes, she spends more time there than Sophia) and Sophia went over to her bent down and said NO with authority. She walked away like she was all business. Hilarious!

The girls are starting to recognize colors and will point them out if I ask them to. They try to count but they don't really seem interested. I don't blame them....playing is much more fun! Sophia and Claire have such creative minds already. They love to pretend they are making us lunch, tea, etc. with their new kitchen. They are constantly using their utensils and pans to feed me and can't wait for my reaction. Since they enjoy pretending so much I decided it would be a good idea to actually bake things with them. Yes, I am crazy enough to make cookies, muffins and lasagna with the girls. They make a complete mess but it is so much fun. They even know where to put all the baking utensils when we get them out of the dishwasher. I guess that proves that they are always paying attention.

The sweetest thing I have noticed in the past few months is how thoughtful they are. They bring eachother their blankets, sippy cups, etc. They are always thinking about what the other sister might need. It is so sweet and wonderful to watch! Sharing toys on the other hand is a work in process. I don't normally by two of things so they are having to learn fast how to share and wait their turn.

I will finish with what I think is so cute. The girls LOVE the movie Cinderella. Every time they show the HUGE picture of the prince on the wall inside the castle they yell "DADDY". Yes, the girls are right....Daddy is our prince charming!!! They just adore him and love when he walks in the door after work or after a long trip. They attack him with love and it is a reminder of how blessed we are and how much love they have brought into our lives!!!

Enjoy the latest pictures of the girls!!!