Baybay & Baybee: Week 69 (11/28-12/4)

69 weeks old!

On December 1st we had some snow! It was just a little bit, but we were excited. It melted away quickly, so we didn't get a chance to go out to play in it. Next time we'll try to make that happen. I'm sure we will get more snow soon.

The early morning Snowfall Observation Team.

Ella's big thing this week is climbing. She has started climbing everything. Chairs, couches, beds, stools... and just like when her sister learned to climb, it is all she wants to do! Here are some cute shots of Ella (so proud of herself!) standing on a stool she recently learned how to get on and off of by herself.

Look at me!

I did it. By myself. 

Yup. And with only one slipper on!

I may just stay up here forever!

High five! Maya's turn soon...

You can put a shirt on me, but you can't make me get down!

We always have a yummy lunch when Aunt Anne visits. This time she brought a homemade apple cranberry pie for desert. Mmmm!

Aunt Anne, getting her hair done.

Jim stopped by for a visit on Wednesday. The girls had a blast knocking down the block towers that he built.

Work of art, about to be destroyed.

Block + apple = happy Ella.

So much happiness!

Maya and her apple.

The experienced climber hones some new skills.

We visited Brett's parents this weekend. We went up to their house for a few hours, over lunch, and came home before it was too late in the afternoon. Both girls napped on the drive home, which worked out fairly well. I think it will be easier to do more visits and activities out in the world once Maya and Ella start taking only one nap. Right now, there is a lot of pressure for us to be home for both naps, so that the girls have the best chance to get good rest (and for us to get a good break!). It will be nice to feel like we can go visit people for longer, without it messing with our routines.

Looking longingly out the window at the snow-covered play area.

Phone call? I'll get it!

A very popular place to climb.

Hugs.

Kisses.

Helping with the watering.

The learning tower that Guy built for us has been so useful! These aren't the greatest pictures, because they don't show the whole thing, but they give an idea. I'll get some better ones for the next week. Both girls are learning how climb up into it themselves. Maya is better at it, but Ella will get there.

Eating a snack of frozen raspberries, while I make muffins for a very early breakfast.

So happy to be up before the sun!

The dinner prep team. Maya is standing on a chair here.

Silly #1.

Silly #2.

I think Maya wearing her overalls is just about the cutest thing ever.

Yup.

We are in a I-must-have-a-whole-banana-all-to-myself-thank-you-very-much phase right now.

Dada, Maya, Ella, and papaya.

What? I've got my fork and spoon--I'm set.

I made these placemats for Maya and Ella. We experimented with all eating at the table together, instead of the girls using their trays. It worked out okay, but after a couple of days, we went back to their seats with trays. This was partly because Maya found the trays and demanded to use them again, and partly because it actually is a lot less stressful to do meals that way. Maybe they aren't quite old enough yet. It was a nice thought anyway, and now the placemats are stored away and ready to use for a later date.

Hmm... where is Ella? Where is Maya?

I can't see them anywhere...

Oh! There they are!

Grandma Kathy's Birthday.

Though we did not get to see her today, Kathy was in our thoughts many times. We told the girls about it being her birthday and they signed, "Grandma" a lot throughout the day.

Here is a little video that we made for her this evening. 

Happy birthday! We all love you so much! 

Baybay & Baybee: Week 68 (11/21-11/27)

68 weeks old!

We spent Thanksgiving on Thursday in Leyden with Kathy, Craig, and Guy + Selena! The food was yummy and the time with family was special and relaxing. I realized during this visit that Maya and Ella really recognize and remember Grandma and Grandpa's house. They went right over to the toy basket set up under the spiral staircase and started playing.

"Hey, there's an empty chair here, so someone needs to come sit next to me!"

"Hi, Uncle Guy, what's new with you?"

Ella, wearing a fancy hat while nursing.

Vroom, vroom.

Brett's parents got these play sets from someone via Craigslist! Maya and Ella are so lucky.

Up the slide.

Up the other slide!

Both girls with their grandmother. Brett and I got a relaxing few bites of food during this special moment.

Not only did we get to spend time with Selena on Thanksgiving, but she also stopped by for a visit later in the week. It makes me a little teary to see the girls run over and hug her as soon as she walks in the door. They just love her so much (as do I)!

Nice boots.

Coloring with crayons is a new activity for us. The girls aren't ready for anything more than scribbling lines on the paper, but that's enough to be excited about for now. I can't wait to do more art projects with them when they get older!

Tracing Ella's foot.

Nights are still lacking in sleep around here, and we have been wondering if possibly Maya and Ella are waking up because they aren't warm enough. I even bought a little heater to try in their room, but it was kind of loud and the girls seemed afraid of it, so I took it back. We made an effort to bundle them up a bit more for the night, but that didn't seem to make much of a difference in their sleep, either. Who knows--they will sleep well consistently at some point, right?

After all the laundry is folded, the basket is for sitting in.

Vroom, vroom.

Spices from the kitchen belong in the living room, obviously. (She's about to run back to get more.)

Eating a snack while I make dinner. There will be a picture next week of the AWESOME learning tower that Guy made for us! He finished it just as the week ended. It's been such a useful and fun addition to our kitchen.

Baybay & Baybee: Week 67 (11/14-11/20)

67 weeks old!

There aren't a ton of pictures this week. I had a cold and therefore didn't take a lot of photos. I was mostly better by the end of the week, but by Saturday, Maya and Ella were feeling sick. Fortunately they got over it within a few days and Brett never caught it.

A pretty shot from a walk early in the week, before I felt sick.

Moon + geese + late afternoon sky.

On Friday, Maya and Ella had their 15 month doctor's appointment. They got two new books to take home, and Maya is now around the 50th percentile for weight while Ella jumped up a tiny bit to above the 35th percentile. We didn't do the shots because they both seemed under the weather. The next day, Maya was definitely sick, so I'm glad we held off on the vaccinations. 

A ride in the rocking car while we wait to be seen at the doctor's office.

Maya learned how to make the sound for a horse this week and she can also tell you what an elephant says -- complete with arm gesture! Recently, both girls have been babbling a lot more and they really watch when we say words. Sometimes they try to imitate us when we talk, but it doesn't usually sound like the word they were intending to say. They seem very shy/embarrassed about speaking or trying to pronounce words they don't already know how to say, but I can tell that they also really want to be able to do it.

Another thing that has become more pronounced is the girls' copying of each other and us. If Maya is having some water to drink, Ella must have some too. Ella has shoes on? Maya NEEDS to wear her shoes! Ella says 'up', Maya says 'up'. Mama's wearing a jacket with a zipper? Ella and Maya go get their jackets with zippers. 

Putting away clean laundry takes a lot longer now that we have twins. And it's not only because we have a lot more laundry!

On Friday evening, Brett and I went out for a short time to check out Guy's art, which was on display, along with other artists' work at the Knack Holiday Pop Up store in the new Signature Sounds building in town. Selena was so nice and stayed with Maya and Ella (who were asleep, but woke up once while we were out) so that we could go.

Guy poses next to some of his beautiful earring trees at the art opening.

Because of being sick and the girls waking at night not feeling well, we did some night-time nursing this week for the first time in a while. Nights have been tough and It's hard to get back on track with sleeping through the night now that they are used to nursing again. 

On a more positive note, Maya and Ella have been playing really nicely together on their own more often. I've noticed this especially when they are in the bath.  Often, Brett or I will just sit in the bathroom and read while the girls happily babble, splash, and play in the water together for a long time. The cutest moments are when I look up and notice that one of the girls is gently washing the other's back with a cloth, or trying to comb her hair.

While I was resting one day, Brett took the girls on a stroller walk. These big dump trucks are parked near the Crimson and Clover farm. Sadly, the girls were zoned out in the stroller and didn't seem at all interested, despite their current intense interest in books about trucks.

Here are two cute videos of Brett with the girls.

Apple sauce is yummy.


Peek-a-boo is funny.

Baybay & Baybee: Week 66 (11/7-11/13)

66 weeks old!

Maya learned how to shake her head "no" this week. She was so excited to be able to express herself in this new way that she overused it a bit. Pretty much every question we asked her resulted in vigorous head-shaking--whether or not it was something she really wanted to say "no" to. This made for a pretty humorous week and a lot of quick 'changes of mind' for Maya. "Do you want some water, Maya?"  Result: shakes her head, and then proceeds to grab for the water.

As always, there was a lot of playing with toys this week. The boat is still a favorite, as are the stacking boxes.

Two smiles and one blank stare. Pretty good percentage, I think.

Bath time shenanigans -- dumping water and drinking from the potty.

Maya and Ella are becoming more skilled at climbing on and off things every day. It's incredible how quickly they get better with practice. This trampoline has been great for them to play on and useful for working on climbing without much height to fall from. 

It really hasn't been very cold, so we've enjoyed our time outside lately. We went for a few walks (some with the stroller and some without), explored in the yard, and one day Maya helped Dada plant garlic for next year!

Holding hands.

Hats and boots for everyone!

My lovely family.

Off for a quick walk before dinner.

The rows are dug -- ready to plant garlic!

Maya took her job very seriously.

So helpful!

Another day, both girls helped me clean up more of the front yard.

Stroller ride with snacks.

Maya and Dada.

We had a bunch of carpentry work done on the outside of the house over the weekend. The roof above the back stairway was rotting in places, along with a few other wood spots around the house. Everything got repaired and next week we will be hiring someone to finish the scraping/painting on the trim work outside the house! This is a project that is long overdue and we are very excited to finally be making progress. Sometimes the hardest part is deciding who will do the work and when. It's such a relief to have that part completed. I can't wait until it's all finished!

Ella cuteness.

Maya cuteness + lots of teeth!

This bus has been a popular toy this week. Both girls are good at putting the people in and popping them back out.

Concentration.

Sisters.

Who climbed up onto the chair all by herself?! Maya!