Show-offs

No pictures for today's post, just boring old WORDS. But life does not feel boring right now! (For the record, I tried to take a bunch of pictures on Tuesday but the girls were not cooperating. I have very high cuteness standards for what I will put on this blog.)

Walking on Sunday was not a one-time event for Miss Riley, she is definitely honing her walking skills this week. It's so cool. For those of you who know Riley as "the serious baby", you'll be surprised to hear she's really lightened up this week too. She's been much goofier lately. I think it helps that she finally popped out a molar that's been about 3 months in coming. Hailey's first molars seemed to come much faster.

While Riley is working on the walking, Hailey is getting a vocabulary. "Mama", "Dada" and "moo" aside, we have identified "Hi" (which sounds more like "ha" and serves as both "hi" and "bye") and "book". "Book" sounds more like "boo" but she also does the sign language for book when she says it. And I'm pretty sure she was saying "milk" last night at bedtime. Oh, and she's already been going around pointing at everything saying "Zat?!" for a few months, which I interpret as "what's that?"

So between Riley walking and Hailey talking, there's a lot of excitement this week. We're also attempting to go from two naps per day down to one, which is interesting. The sleep change is making Hailey cranky (she is definitely momma's girl), so it feels like the girls have switched personalities once again.

Who knew 14 months would be so exciting?

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my 31st birthday and Riley gave me the best gift, she started walking! She took about 4 steps to Chris and about 4 back to me. Then we got out the camera, and she wouldn't take any more than 2 steps at a time. So here's a tiny little taste of what she can do, until we can get more. Which I'm sure will be very soon! Riley is very, very proud of herself, and we are too. And as soon as Hailey realizes what her sister is up to, I am sure she'll be right behind.

Chris' present to me for my birthday was a trip to Loon Mountain in New Hampshire for the weekend. It was actually a 30th birthday celebration since I didn't have much of a birthday last year (two month old twins will almost always prevent much celebration). We haven't skied in 10 years, but it came back very quickly and we had a blast. Thanks to Josh & Kristina and Larry & Andrea for coming up too and celebrating with us. The girls stayed home with Jade and Grandma Gerry, and I think they managed OK without us. I'm glad that Riley waited for us to get back before walking!


Here are me and the girls cuddling on the couch before bedtime sometime last week.

The Funniest Thing Ever

I have never seen either baby laugh this hard. Hailey thought Chris spinning his wedding ring on the coffee table and Riley reaching for it was the best thing she's ever seen! Sorry for the shaky video, I was laughing too hard myself!

First words?

These girls "talk", and they talk a lot. There is constant babble, lots of "da da da" still, and even hand motions to go along with the chatter. But we are struggling to identify their first word. They've been saying "Mama" and "Dada" for quite a while, but those words aren't only assigned to the actual people Mama and Dada. Dada can apply to about any object!

So, is "Moo" their first word because they really do only "moo" when you ask them what sound a cow makes? Or is it just a sound and not a word? "Hi" might be Hailey's first word, since she pretty consistently says "Hi" and waves simultaneously. Who knows?!

Anyway, while we figure that out, here are some pictures from the week. First up, a BIG feat for us, getting both girls to drink their bottles by themselves. We are probably the only parents of twins that didn't force their babies to do this at 6 months old. That would have been much more convenient for us. But we are learning we have very stubborn babies.


Dual bath time. It was fun, but still required two adults and didn't save any time. We'll wait a few more months and try again.



Hanging out in the place space at the mall, trying not to get run over by all the running crazy kids.


Riley trying to rock climb. She probably needs to walk first.

Big Post

It's only a "big post" because I haven't done a decent post in a while, not because there is big news or anything. Chris informed me our readership is down, so I guess I'd better get on the ball. And if you just can't get enough of these babies (I know I can't!) more pictures can be viewed on our web gallery.

Here are our little Steelers fans, decked out for the Superbowl. Thank you Pittsburgh resident Aunt Michael for the "terrible towels" ("terrible bibs?").


While we're at it, here are our Texas fans too, thanks to cousin Kerri in Houston. We'll root for the Longhorns for now, but if the Wolverines ever get their act together, Chris will be dressing them differently. (Hint for our Michigan readers, the girls are seriously lacking in UofM gear!).


Riley looking super tall:


Hailey, being a total goof:


And hanging out in the cubby hole in the kitchen island that in a different era was a wine rack:


Here's a little video of the girls singing. The first baby you hear is actually Riley, who is standing in front of me and not in the shot, then Hailey jumps in.

And lastly, here's the Great Baby Race Rematch, this time walking with push toys. (You may remember the crawling baby race back in November.) I think we need a bigger house.

Bedtime!

Riley says, "night night!"