Morning Routine...

Every morning the babes wake between 7am and 7:30am. They've been sleeping around 12-13 hours per night (they go down at night around 7pm), and make wonderful and precise alarm clocks at a reasonable hour each morning. We wake, and I nurse both, then generally follow that with a banana; a sweet morning snack. The greatest part about their age of 10.5 months, is that they have begun to truly enjoy each other. After the snack, I close the door to their room and let them have the next hour to two hours to themselves. I have loved this time, not only because it frees me up to cook, clean, read and start my day, but because I love to listen to their little interactions. It is usually quiet, with the occasional giggle or sweet song. And every time I open the door, they are side by side. This goes without fail.

Also, with both of them mobile and crawling, they have begun a sort of "tag" game throughout our small apartment. One will start speed crawling through the room and into the kitchen, followed by the other. Then the leader will turn around quickly and they will both erupt into laughter. Then they will trade leaders. This is not only hilarious to witness, but heartwarming too. They really enjoy each other...

This past week they had doctor appointments. Sophie weighed in at just about 19 pounds, and Sol at just about 17 pounds. While still small, they certainly have big appetites. We've branched out with foods of all kinds, from lentils and quinoa, to more varieties of root vegetables and Japanese foods. Trying new things is always fun, and the result has been positive. I've found that if one of the babes doesn't like something (generally Sol), I'll just keep feeding it to him until he begrudgingly eats, and inevitably likes it! Too many parents I think, give in to their kid's whimsical favor and perhaps create picky eaters...

The other cool thing about this stage is word recognition. We have been working with sign language and I think some of it is beginning to stick. "Eat", "more", and "potty" are beginning to take shape, which is exciting. Our favorite new trick is to say "clap", and watch our babies immediately clap for us. Sol is particularly proud of his new trick, and loves to share with our family and friends over skype.

Needless to say, it's just getting better. I love every moment of every day with these two. Ray and I spend endless hours laughing and interacting with these little incredible creatures- they make everything new and exciting. Thank you for joining in the adventures with us, even through this blog. I could never write enough about them, and it's a refreshing way to somehow share these two little ones with you...