Wow! 8 months old!?! I can't hardly believe it. I always thought time flew by, but now with Keaton and Bronwyn it goes by so much faster. This age has been so much fun. Their personalities are more apparent than ever, it seems as if they reach a new milestone every day, and our love for the two of them grows by the second.
One thing that I am so happy about that Nate and I (along with my mom) finally got rid of was the swaddle. Yes, I know, a four month old child, let alone seven month old twins... should not be swaddled anymore. The truth of the matter is... I didn't care. They slept through the night, were cozy and warm with it; that was all that mattered. Then this month they weren't napping well at all, so I thought that I might as well slowly wean them off of this. We started with one arm out during naps for a week. It was rough at first, but they got the hang of it after three days. Then we did both arms out, and after another week we decided to get rid of it completely and try it at night. Again, it took three nights..... now I am a proud mama of two babies that sleep un-swaddled! Because of this we had to lower their crib mattresses. Bronwyn was starting to peek over the top while on her tummy. Now she likes to look through the bars at the dogs while in her crib. It's pretty funny.
Bronwyn is a ball full of energy and makes us laugh all the time. In the beginning of the month she started growling, yes that's right, growling like a bear. I have never heard a baby growl before. Leave it to my darling, extremely petite little daughter to growl like a giant grizzly bear. This month she also started crawling. She is quick! I can no longer leave her unattended. I put the plug protectors in all the sockets and took the door stoppers off. She gets into everything and if she wants to go, she goes! Because she is more mobile than Keaton, she likes to steal his toys and even his binki. Keaton, being the sweet caring brother that he is, never complains. He just finds something else to occupy his play time with. She also got her first two teeth, on the bottom. Daddy noticed them first and boy does she think they are strange. She makes funny faces and flicks her tongue back and forth over them. All of this seemed to happen in the same week! Our baby girl is growing up... way too fast!
Keaton, as I said before, is not mobile like Brawny. He sits, with the best posture I have ever seen, and plays with his toys. He will scoot around in a circle on his tummy, but really doesn't show much interest in crawling; and that is totally fine with me! Daddy taught him how to give high fives. It is so cute. He loves to bang on things, even his sister sometimes (accidentally). He thinks it is pretty funny to blow raspberries while his binki is in. He screams at Bronwyn and she giggles at him. For Christmas he got a set of sports balls. Guess which one he seems to like the most... the basketball of course. He will sit and hold it and then roll it to me. His teeth are on their way. He is drooling and chewing on everything! He is the sweetest little boy, and loves to play with his daddy after his baths. His giggle melts my heart, and I love him so much.
This month they have really started to interact with each other. They "talk" to each other, laugh at each other, and Brawny crawls all over Keaton. It's cute to see them smile and notice each other now. They love the I-pad and Stanton optical commercials. If either of those come on, no matter what they are doing, they will stop dead in their tracks to watch it. They both put their binkis in on their own now, yay! So long are the days where mommy or daddy has to run in because they are crying because their binki fell out. They take it out, put it back in, shake it in the air, and bang it on things. Both of them started to really talk this month. They do all sorts of sounds now; ba ba, wa wa, and my favorite MA MA!!!! Though I know that they don't have a clue that mama is me, I like to think that they do. Whenever one of them blurts out that sweet word, I turn to mush and it brings tears to my eyes. They both are much more interested in the dogs. They belly laugh when the dogs run around and play with each other. Brawny crawls over to them and grabs their collars or their feet and the dogs just sit there and take it. They have been so good with the babies. They also rode in the shopping carts at target for the first time this month and loved it. Keaton especially enjoyed facing me, smiling, and talking during our shopping trip.
As far as food goes, they really love every kind of fruit, most vegetables, and will tolerate meat. We are very lucky to have such great eaters. They also had their first experience with puffs. Both of them gagged the first time they tried them. Neither like them much yet, but they are more interested in them now and open their mouths when I get them out.
At the end of the month we took them to their first Clovis East Basketball game. They stayed for the first quarter and then the grandmas took them home because it was way past their bed time. Keaton didn't blink the entire time he was there. He was mesmerized by it. He sat on Daddy's lap and watched the game, literally. Brawny loved it too. She sat with me, would let out a scream or growl every once in a while, and enjoyed watching the cheerleaders during timeouts. I know that they will be attending many more basketball games next year when it doesn't interfere with bedtime so much.
As I say every month, I love being a mom. One of the best parts is sitting back and watching my wonderful husband interact with them. I know how much he loves me, but I have never been able to sit back and watch the way he looks at me or interacts with me. Watching him with Keaton and Bronwyn, I like to think, gives me a glimpse of what people see when they look at our family. This is something I cherrish. He LOVES those two. Being a dad comes so natural to him. He is the love of my life and I couldn't ask for a better husband or father to our children.
So, again, thanks for reading and checking up on our latest news. We love you all! Enjoy the pictures of our ever growing babies! Until next month...
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Month #7
We got through our first holiday season with TWO babies! Let me start off by saying that the holiday's are so much more fun with Keaton and Bronwyn. Though they weren't totally interested in the MANY toys that they got from Santa, family, and friends; Mommy and Daddy had a blast watching them pull at the paper and stare as the gift they were opening suddenly turned into a toy or clothes. Christmas truly is about the kids, and now that we had our first official Christmas with them, I look forward to the many more to come.
The best thing about this month was that Nate had two weeks off with us. Our sweet little family was together every day during the break. We spent time doing things that we don't normally get the chance to do.... my favorite was our mornings napping and when the kids got up we would bring them in bed with us and play, laugh, and be goofy. There truly is nothing better than my wonderful family. I love those three, and could watch Nate with the kids all day. He is such an amazing dad and husband. The three of us are so lucky to have him as our rock, our provider, our everything.
We started December off with going to meet the Big man himself... SANTA! They were mesmerized with him, and though I secretly wanted that classic picture of them crying, we got a darling one of Bronwyn smiling and Keaton being very serious. A big group of family members also walked down the lighted neighborhood on Peach with us. The night was perfect, and the babies really enjoyed looking at all of the lights. We also had our annul Christmas dinner party. We had 12 of our closest friends over, along with four kids. This get together just keeps growing every year! I wonder how many more new additions we will have next year.... I know of two for sure, another set of twins! Our neighbor's, Paul and Tracy, are expecting twin boys sometime in February/March! These yearly traditions are something that we will look forward to every holiday season.
One of my good girl friends, Karen Johnson, who has a baby girl that was born just 6 days after Keaton and Bronwyn has started making the cutest baby hats. Guess who have become models for these darling hats???? That's right, Keaton and Bronwyn. These hats are so cute and I am determined to learn how to make them myself. Thanks Auntie Karen for the awesome hand made Christmas gifts!
Now for the latest milestones and stats on the kids. We went to the doctor in the middle of this month. Keaton was 13 pounds 4 ounces and 24 1/2 inches long. Bronwyn was 12 pounds 15 ounces and 24 1/4 inches long. Neither of them are on the chart yet, but they're close. It's so hard to believe (and remember) just how tiny they were when we brought them home. Now when I look at them and realize how much they've really grown, it makes me want to freeze time.
Not only have Keaton and Bronwyn both grown physically, but they have both accomplished various milestones as well. They are both sitting up by themselves. Keaton enjoys this much more than Bronwyn. He likes to sit and play with his toys, he is such a mellow baby. Bronwyn, however, is always moving. She doesn't want to just sit; ever. She would rather be scooting around the room like a worm. She gets up on her hands and knees now, ready to crawl, but hasn't quite figured it out yet. She also will post up on her feet and hands with her heiny up in the air. We like to say she is practicing her yoga poses; down dog is her favorite. She has to be watched more intently now. Gone are the days where we could leave the room for a minute and not have to worry about them getting into things. Around Christmas Bronwyn relized that she can smack her tongue and make funny noises. She does it and people laugh, so you can imagine just how much she likes doing it!
Keaton is our thinker. He studies things, and takes everything in around him. When he plays with his toys he looks and plays with them so intently. I love watching his little mind at work. They both smile and laugh all the time, and really enjoy the puppets on their Baby Einstein DVD's. Bath time is the highlight of their day. No matter how fussy they are by 6:15 pm, that all goes away when bath time starts. They love splashing mommy and playing with daddy while they get dried off and ready for bed.
They are now eating all sorts of foods. So far they love every fruit we have given them, with peaches being their favorite. Vegetables are a different story though. Green beans and sweet potatoes are their favorites. Squash and Carrots still give them some trouble. Peas were a definite NO for both of them. They gagged and pushed the spoons away with every bite we tried. It's funny to see their reactions to new foods. This month we will be introducing meats.... that should be interesting!
As I have said probably every month... I love my life! I have an amazing husband and father to my two darling children, and our family and friends are the best anyone could ever ask for. What more could you want out of life? So, until next time.... Thanks for checking in and keeping up to date on our life here in the Allen Family's household. We love you all!
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
The best thing about this month was that Nate had two weeks off with us. Our sweet little family was together every day during the break. We spent time doing things that we don't normally get the chance to do.... my favorite was our mornings napping and when the kids got up we would bring them in bed with us and play, laugh, and be goofy. There truly is nothing better than my wonderful family. I love those three, and could watch Nate with the kids all day. He is such an amazing dad and husband. The three of us are so lucky to have him as our rock, our provider, our everything.
We started December off with going to meet the Big man himself... SANTA! They were mesmerized with him, and though I secretly wanted that classic picture of them crying, we got a darling one of Bronwyn smiling and Keaton being very serious. A big group of family members also walked down the lighted neighborhood on Peach with us. The night was perfect, and the babies really enjoyed looking at all of the lights. We also had our annul Christmas dinner party. We had 12 of our closest friends over, along with four kids. This get together just keeps growing every year! I wonder how many more new additions we will have next year.... I know of two for sure, another set of twins! Our neighbor's, Paul and Tracy, are expecting twin boys sometime in February/March! These yearly traditions are something that we will look forward to every holiday season.
One of my good girl friends, Karen Johnson, who has a baby girl that was born just 6 days after Keaton and Bronwyn has started making the cutest baby hats. Guess who have become models for these darling hats???? That's right, Keaton and Bronwyn. These hats are so cute and I am determined to learn how to make them myself. Thanks Auntie Karen for the awesome hand made Christmas gifts!
Now for the latest milestones and stats on the kids. We went to the doctor in the middle of this month. Keaton was 13 pounds 4 ounces and 24 1/2 inches long. Bronwyn was 12 pounds 15 ounces and 24 1/4 inches long. Neither of them are on the chart yet, but they're close. It's so hard to believe (and remember) just how tiny they were when we brought them home. Now when I look at them and realize how much they've really grown, it makes me want to freeze time.
Not only have Keaton and Bronwyn both grown physically, but they have both accomplished various milestones as well. They are both sitting up by themselves. Keaton enjoys this much more than Bronwyn. He likes to sit and play with his toys, he is such a mellow baby. Bronwyn, however, is always moving. She doesn't want to just sit; ever. She would rather be scooting around the room like a worm. She gets up on her hands and knees now, ready to crawl, but hasn't quite figured it out yet. She also will post up on her feet and hands with her heiny up in the air. We like to say she is practicing her yoga poses; down dog is her favorite. She has to be watched more intently now. Gone are the days where we could leave the room for a minute and not have to worry about them getting into things. Around Christmas Bronwyn relized that she can smack her tongue and make funny noises. She does it and people laugh, so you can imagine just how much she likes doing it!
Keaton is our thinker. He studies things, and takes everything in around him. When he plays with his toys he looks and plays with them so intently. I love watching his little mind at work. They both smile and laugh all the time, and really enjoy the puppets on their Baby Einstein DVD's. Bath time is the highlight of their day. No matter how fussy they are by 6:15 pm, that all goes away when bath time starts. They love splashing mommy and playing with daddy while they get dried off and ready for bed.
They are now eating all sorts of foods. So far they love every fruit we have given them, with peaches being their favorite. Vegetables are a different story though. Green beans and sweet potatoes are their favorites. Squash and Carrots still give them some trouble. Peas were a definite NO for both of them. They gagged and pushed the spoons away with every bite we tried. It's funny to see their reactions to new foods. This month we will be introducing meats.... that should be interesting!
As I have said probably every month... I love my life! I have an amazing husband and father to my two darling children, and our family and friends are the best anyone could ever ask for. What more could you want out of life? So, until next time.... Thanks for checking in and keeping up to date on our life here in the Allen Family's household. We love you all!
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
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