Call Me Crazy

I decided to pull the trigger and put the girls into toddler beds.  Yes, I put two 18 month olds into toddler beds, in the same room.  On Monday we went to run errands in Bellevue.  When we got home I gave the girls dinner and let them play for a while.  While they were running around playing I took off the side rails of their cribs and screwed on the toddler rails.  Madeline did great, partly because she was exhausted after not napping well all day, but mostly because she was too scared to get off the bed.  She has a funny fear of heights.  She will hang off the side of the couch shaking from fear that she is ten feet off the ground, when she is only 2 inches.  Anyhow, she didn't move off her bed.  Emma on the other hand, seized the opportunity of her new freedom.  She came to the door crying a couple times but after going in and placing her back in bed twice she gave up and fell asleep.  Night one was a success. 

Day one of naps on Tuesday was another story.  After playing with the Boyer boys all morning we came home for naps.  The girls both fell asleep in the car on the way home.  I carefully and quietly carried Emma up to her bed, laid her down and watched her rub her eyes.  As I was running back down the stairs to go get Madi out of the car I was thinking to myself "yes, she's back to sleep".  So in I come with Madi all snuggled up on my shoulder.  As I climb the stairs I can hear Emma laughing with delight.  Nope, not back to sleep, wide awake ready to play.  I put both girls in their room and walked out.  Tears and laughter followed so I went back in and silently put them back in bed.  Before I could get to the door Emma was up and running again.  So I decided I would sit in there with them.  Every time they got up, I silently put them back in bed without talking to them.  I meant business!  After almost an hour, I gave up and stuck Emma in the pack n play in the guest room.  They both slept for 3 hours!

Night two was pretty interesting.  Madi found her confidence and now climbs down in a flash.  There was a lot of playing going on but finally after a while they got quiet. Kendra was staying with us and helping out because Daddy is in Alaska, so she went to go check on them and this is how they were found.  Emma crawled in bed with Madi, so cute!

Nap time today, not happening!  Emma was put straight into the pack n play and pretty much spent three hours crying on and off.  Madi did nap but slept in Emma's bed.

Tonight I had my twins PEPS meeting so Kendra got the girls dinner, gave baths and put them to bed.  When I got home just after 8 they were still up playing.  I went in and Emma was sitting in her bed and Madi was either half way in or half way out of Emma's bed. I placed Madi in her own bed and after a tiny fit by her, decided to see what would happen if I put them together.  So I laid Madi down in Emma's bed and laid Emma down right beside her.  Sure enough 20 minutes later we weren't hearing a sound.  I went to peak in, Emma was sound asleep and Madi was scrunched down by her bum, still awake and gave me a look.  A few minutes later, she was out too.  So I moved Madi back up onto the pillow and tucked them in.  I LOVE HAVING TWINS!  It's moments like this that make it all worth it. 

Next, we are on to potty training!

18 Month Stats

The girls had their 18 month well baby visit today with Dr. Dudas.  They are both healthy and doing well. 

Madeline is 19 lbs, 3 oz and 30 inches long/tall

Emma is 21 lbs, 1 oz and 30.25 inches long/tall

After our appointment we had the Boyer boys over to play.  Poor Madeline didn't tolerate the shot very well and needed an early nap.  So it was just Emma and the boys.  I am sure Emma secretly loved it.  The boys are 6 months older than the girls and it is so fun to see where they are and where we are going to be.  They are very good at puzzles and counting, I can't wait to see if the girls can do those things in 6 months. 

Emma and Jackson busted into Daddy's office to see Papi.  The girls aren't quite tall enough to reach the door knob but Emma was able to convince Jackson to open it.  Look at how happy she is.

The boys left just before lunch.  After lunch Emma went down for a nap and Madi woke up from hers.  I brought her down and had some fun one-on-one time with her. 

Madi loves snuggling up on her bean bag.  Here she is all comfy watching a little Baby Einstein, wearing Caroline's head band that she found.  Sorry Caroline, I don't think you are getting it back.  And yes, she is still in her jammies.  It was easier to take the girls to their appointment in their sleepers than to worry about clothes.  Since she went straight to bed when we got home, I never got her dressed.  She got new jammies after her bath. 

Happy Birthday Nana

Wednesday was Nana's birthday.  We celebrated with the family at our house on Monday.  Kiersten and the kids  were still visiting from Texas and able to join us.  The girls and I also went down to Gig Harbor on Wednesday.  Nana and Papa made the mistake of taking Kiersten, myself and all five kids to dinner.  You wouldn't believe the mess three 18 month olds can make in a restaurant.

The three little babes, so cute.

Caroline eying that birthday cake.

First Hair Cuts

Today we celebrated being one and a half with new hair cuts for the girls, their first hair cuts.  We went to a cute little place in Phinney Ridge.  The girls did great and were so brave.  I am sure it helped that the gal put on Baby Einstein for them to watch, a.k.a Baby Crack.  Our girls are growing up so fast.

Goodbye mullet

 

18 Months Old

We are now closer to 2 then we are to 1, where has the time gone?  The girls are turning into little people faster and faster these days.  They are adding new words to their vocabulary almost daily.  Chad and I tried to make a list of the words they know, this is what we have so far...

momma dadda baby BB papa hi bye dog cat pig duck boo zoo choo choo thank you & thanks trot trot no uh oh E-I-E-I-O ball lamby & bunny

ouch & owie off on here that tree milk banana book sock shoe oink oink quack quack moo woof night sign for all done sign for more sign for milk sign for eat sign for water shake their heads for yes

They have very unique and strong personalities. 

Madeline is fully in toddler mode, if I see it- it's mine, if I want it- it's mine, if you have it- it's mine.  She loves to trade Emma for what ever she has even if it is identical to hers.  She is still a big reader, reading books to herself or making mommy and daddy read her books all day long.  She will chase me around with a book until I stop and read it to her, usually at least three times.  At home she is very independent.  She will go off into the living room by herself and play quietly.  But out in public she is stuck to my side.  It takes her a while to warm up to new environments but after a while she is pretty good.  She has really sped up on her feet, it won't be long until I have a hard time catching her.  Madeline is a very intense and focused little girl.  She will work on something until she gets it, usually with her tongue sticking out or gets frustrated and screams.  She gets so busy in her little world that she could go days without eating, I have to tell her when it is time to eat.  She loves music! She dances and plays with all of her instruments throughout the day.  She has just mastered the slide and will now go flying down it faster than anything.  She loves my camera, I can't get any pictures of her because as soon as I pull it out she wants to see the "babies" on the screen.  She also loves anything that is electronic, cell phones, laptops, and ipods.  Her laugh is still one of my favorite sounds especially when she is playing and laughing at her sister. Lamby is her life line, without it she is lost. 

Madeline making music with her xylophone.

Emma is also in full toddler mode, mommy can't be out of sight and no one is as good as mommy (mommy is tired).  She wants everything she can't have and screams if Madeline comes near her to steal her toy. Although, when Madi does her funny trading thing, Emma is very easy going and has no problem trading her fork for Madi's fork; hey a fork is a fork.  At home Emma loves to be in my arms or on my lap, I don't get much done but love the affection.  But unlike Madi, Emma loves to run off and explore in public.  The minute we get to a new environment, Emma is ready to go see the world.  She is also getting faster and faster and I am starting to have a hard time catching her.  She is very physical, loves to run and jump.  Still a jumping bean. A few weeks ago I noticed a screw had come loose on her crib because of her jumping.  This has encouraged me to start the transition into toddler beds next week.  I don't need her crib falling apart with her in it.  Plus it sounds like she is going to come through the ceiling any minute. She loves to jump on the bean bags nana got them for Christmas or rock as hard as she can in the rocking chair.  She has also picked up on her sister's love of books.  She will sit in the "cove" and read out loud.  Although, more than books she loves telephones, real ones, fake ones, or anything she can hold up to the side of her head and pretend is a phone.  She jibber jabbers around sometimes using her shoulder to hold it in place so her hands are free.  My goodness they really do pick up on everything. She even uses voice inflections as if she is really having a conversation.  She loves her slide and any thing she can pretend is a slide even the emergency room bed.  At play grounds she has no fear going down some very large slides.

 

Emma hitting the slide.

Other favorite past times for both of them are playing peek-a-boo, bath time, being chased by Daddy,their very special bedtime routine with Daddy and taking Papi for walks and looking at the trees.  Bedtime is a long process of stories, hugs, kisses, and high fives with Daddy.  When he is out of town, I try to make up for it, but don't even come close.  In the car they will play peek-a-boo back and forth with each other, pulling their blankets over their heads or putting their hands over their eyes.  At bath time, they run to the bathroom and can't get in fast enough, thinking it is the greatest thing to splash and pour water on themselves.  They are also both using forks and spoons to feed themselves, albeit very messy it is nice. 

I still am unable to put into words how absolutely blessed I am to have twins (and an amazing husband who helps out so much).  For all the tough times, there are ten times the good times.  The last 18 months, although busy and tiring have been amazing!

Happy half birthday girls! I love you more than you will ever know.

We have our 18 month appointment on Thursday so I will post their stats then. My prediction is that Emma is 21 lbs and Madi 19 lbs.

 

 

The Cat in the Hat

Saturday morning we dressed the girls up in their Thing 1 and Thing 2 t-shirts and took them down to Pottery Barn Kids to meet The Cat in the Hat.  At first the girls were a little unsure of the giant cat standing in front of them but after a while Emma warmed up.  Madi on the other hand was very content sitting in daddy's lap. 

*A note to Papa-these pictures would have been much better with my flash and light box system. Look at those horrible shadows. :)

Thing 1 and Thing 2 running around the house causing chaos.

 

Seattle Aquarium

On Thursday we had plans to meet Katie and Emerson at the aquarium.  Unfortunately Emerson was sick so they couldn't come, but the girls and I decided to go anyway.  The girls had a great time looking into all the fish tanks.  Emma had a great time running away as soon as I let her out of the stroller.  But overall, they did good and we had a nice time.

Looking at the jellyfish.

 

Looking at all the fish swimming around and above us in the fish dome. 

 

When we got home I put the girls down for a nap.  I took Madi up first and then came back down to get Emma.  As soon as I hit the bottom step I saw Emma showing off her new skill.

Climbing on the kitchen table and going through mommy's purse.

Playing at Nana and Papa's

On Tuesday I took the girls down to Gig Harbor to spend the day at Nana and Papa's and play with the cousins. The girls were in a great mood and had fun playing with Caroline, Nicholas and Molly.  It was also Nana and Papa's 41st wedding anniversary.  Happy Anniversary Nana and Papa! 

 

Emma and her pout.

 

Madi and her tongue.

And little miss Molly Moo.

What a weekend...

On Thursday and Friday poor little Emma had a runny nose.  I figured it was caused by teething because she is still missing a bunch of teeth and they have to come in sometime.  But I was wrong.  Saturday morning it was worse and she clearly wasn't feeling well.  We had to cancel our appearance at Jacob Morales' birthday party.  Nicholas was coming to stay the night with us while Kiersten spent a night with some girl friends.  The evening went well.  The girls had a lot of fun playing with Nicholas.  As we got closer and closer to bedtime it was clear Emma was still getting worse.  We put the girls to bed just after 6 and at 9 she was still up screaming and wanted nothing to do with sleep.  Finally, we had a moment of quite and she fell asleep.  At 11 Chad heard her coughing and went to check on her.  I could hear her barking from downstairs.  I ran up and she was breathing so hard and shallow so I grabbed her, my shoes and wallet and off to Children's ER we went.  Three hours later we were home with a diagnosis of croup.  I was very relieved and quite proud that with two premature babies it has taken us nearly 18 months to make our first trip to the ER.  I am sure it won't be our last.  She had her ups and downs all day but overall is doing much better.  She went to bed at 5:30.  And then... Round 4 of snow.  Madeline is thankfully feeling great and is in a fantastic mood so she and I went out to see the snow for a few minutes. 

Nicholas and Madi playing.

Poor Emma trying to eat her peaches and cream with a little snot.  (she is going to kill me for this pic later)

The three kids playing nicely in the tent this morning.  Emma already feeling better.

Chad, Madi and Nicholas taking Papi for a morning walk.

 

 

Madi playing in the snow tonight.

 

Time for a change again

With the new year, I thought I would update our blog title picture.  They sure are growing fast.  Here is the retired one

Happy New Year!

2008 is finally over and I am sure like most Americans we are hoping 2009 will be better.  Don't get me wrong, we had some great times in 2008.  2007 is still my favorite year though.  In 2008 we watched the girls turn from blobs into little people, mini Chad and mini Courtney to be exact.  It has been so much fun to watch them grow and learn everyday.  We have been very blessed with a happy, healthy family and wonderful friends.  We spent an amazing week on Martha's Vineyard with 4 other couples/families, we sent the girls to Nana and Papa's for 6 days so we could watch the most amazing golf tournament-the US Open with Tiger winning in a 19 hole playoff, we sent the girls to Nana and Papa's for a weekend so we could attend the Motley Crue concert and have an extra day to recover, Grandma BB came to visit a couple times, and Grampy Rick and Grammy Jeffie came to visit also.  The girls started co-op toddler preschool in September and have learned so much and have had such a great time.  They have spent many many days playing with all of their friends.  Despite the ugliness in the financial world, 2008 was still a good year. 

To celebrate the new year we had Katie, Ryan, Kendra, Austin, Katie H, and Emerson over to drink and play games.  It was pretty mellow but lots of fun.  The girls must have known something was going on because they woke up 5 minutes before midnight and were able to bring in the new year with us.  Then of course Daddy had to put on the video of Eddie Vedder singing “A Quick One While He’s Away” with My Morning Jacket. 

 

Another year down.  I hope everyone was blessed with a wonderful holiday season. 

Christmas Eve aka Christmas part 1

I know it is about time I got this updated.  We had such wonderful three days of Christmas with friends and family.  BB flew in on the 23rd, Sean came up from Portland on the 24th, and the Karhans finally arrived on the 26th.  We spent Christmas Eve here enjoying a fondue dinner with BB, Nana, Papa, Auntie Kendra, Auntie Katie, Uncle Ryan and our friend Sean.  It was so fun to see the girls start to get into it.  On Christmas Eve they were allowed to open a few gifts, one being PJ's and then one each from Sean.

 

Emma giving Mickey a kiss.

 

Playing with Sean, Mickey and Pooh.

The traditional reading of "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

  

Getting restless

 

Almost done and off to bed.

Christmas Day aka Christmas part 2

We woke up Christmas morning, brought the girls downstairs and watched the chaos begin.    After all the gifts were opened and naps were taken we had a wonderful dinner with the family again.

Christmas part 3

On the morning of the 26th the Karhan family flew up from San Antonio.  We went down to Nana and Papa's in Gig Harbor for another go around of family fun and gifts.  It was fun to watch the girls play with their cousins. 

Caroline and Nicholas having fun in the snow, quite different than the 70 degrees they had in Texas.

 

 

Three toddlers in the bathroom, never a good thing.