Baybay & Baybee: Week 84 (3/13-3/19)

84 weeks old!

The girls have started saying their names! They both say, "My" for Maya and "La" for Ella. It's really cute to hear them call their sister by her name. Ella has also been very enamored with the mirror this week. She makes faces into it and babbles at her reflection. Yet another new thing is that Ella has started to share Maya's longtime desire to put on her own socks/shoes.

Ella and Dada smell the orange tulips at the Smith College Bulb Show.

Me holding both girls. The flowers were lovely, but the place was packed with people and it was a little claustrophobic walking down the narrow aisles. Also, Maya and Ella both really only wanted me to hold them. We didn't stay too long.

All of us in a somewhat quieter room at the greenhouse. Ella was really ready to go home at this point.

On Tuesday, we got more snow! After Brett left for work, I tried to get the girls to come outside with me to help shovel, but all they wanted to do was put their snowsuits, socks and shoes on, and then take them off again. I tried saying please, but in the end we just stayed inside. Two against one.

Brett was smart and parked his trailer at the END of the driveway the night before. There was still quite a bit of shoveling to do to get it out.

Watching Dada. Maybe this is why they didn't want to go outside and shovel.


We played with snow inside, instead.

Is Dada home yet?

Brett got the girls to go outside with him later. They cleared the paths...

...Made show angels...

...And built a snowman!

Marbles are a lot of fun right now. I have a whole bunch from when I was a kid and the girls adore playing with them. They know not to put them in their mouth or push them all over the room, and for the most part, they respect these two rules. It's interesting to watch the girls sort them into sizes and colors and it's fun for me too, because I love playing with marbles!

Ella and many marbles.

The marbles on your sister's side are always the best ones.

Hah!

Seeing how many fit.

Months ago, my Mama found a LIKEaBIKE at a thrift store in Florida and when they visited last time, my parents brought it up to us. Well, for a few months now, the girls have been enjoying sitting on it when they go down to the basement to do laundry with Brett. This week, for the first time, Maya can get on and off of it by herself! And on Monday, Ella did a few pushes on it all on her own for the first time! They both need to grow a tiny bit taller to really use it, but they are on their way!

Now we have two! Guy found this one online and together with Grandma Kathy, they bought it for the girls. Uncle Guy came over and put it together with two very eager helpers. This bike is a little taller than the other, so it will be a while yet before they can ride it, but it's still exciting to have two!

In the meantime, Dada can ride it!

And this horsey is pretty good until the girls grow a little taller.

Food! Here are a whole bunch of pictures about food.

From my cooking class. We made stuffed cabbage, hummus and many other things this week!

I made this coconut cream pie one evening!


I made Chicken Tikki Masala for dinner one night. Maya approved.

The bulk section of the co-op is a very exciting place.

To each their own.

If you see two girls running with a bag of spinach and an apple, you can be pretty sure they just came from the farmer's market.

Before the snowstorm, we were almost out of snow. It's a good thing it happened because I was beginning to think Spring was here. Below are a few more pictures from the adventures we had during the rest of our week.

A walk around the block. Thanks to Selena for taking this photo.

A break to sit in the snow.

On an adventure with Dada, they found a BIG truck!

Maya was a little shy of it.

But Dada convinced her to sit up there for a minute to get this fun picture.

Playing with the magnets on the fridge.

This was my book when I was little. It's become a favorite of Maya and Ella's.


Brushing teeth in the bath!

Poor man's massage.

Baybay & Baybee: Week 83 (3/6-3/12)

83 weeks old!

Brett and I both came down with a cold this week. It wasn't surprising we got sick with all the traveling and lack of sleep. It was mostly just a head cold, with lots of congestion and general feelings of yuckiness. We tried to switch off and take turns with the girls while the other got as much rest as possible. It's no fun feeling sick.

Even with a cold we still have to eat. Here we are making pie.

Maya and Ella are good helpers.

On Wednesday, I took the girls out to the co-op to get a few groceries while Brett rested at home. I had a whole shopping list, but we ended up only getting yogurt, flour and a blueberry bagel to split on the way home. It was NOT a fun trip. Maya and Ella were tired and I wasn't feeling well. They REALLY wanted to push their own small shopping carts and I made the mistake of letting them. They wouldn't listen to directions, and there was crying, pushing, and running into things with the carts. I had to leave the little carts in the middle of the store and carry the girls to the checkout. Don't go shopping with both babies when we're all tired. Lesson learned.

A much more enjoyable time was a morning spent at the Parent's Center a couple days later.

We were one of the first families to arrive, so there were lots of bikes to choose from.

Playing with the dolls and strollers.

Snack time.

I love hearing the girls talk. They don't say too many words yet, but the ones they do say are so cute.

Just hanging out eating popcorn and strawberries. I sound so congested in this video.

"Bye" is the newest word of the week. At the end of the "Fruit train" video that we sometimes watch, the kid narrating says, "Bye, yummy fruit train! See you later!" The girls said "Bye" for the first time while waving at the end of that video. "Belly button" is also a new word. The say, "Butto".

Start them young.

Helping wash the dishes is a new fun activity.

This tag-sale boat still gets daily use.

I'm still enjoying my weekly cooking class on Thursday. It's a nice break and I'm learning how to make lots of new meals!

We dealt with a ceiling leak in our second floor apartment in Springfield this week. Our new tenants just moved in this month and we had a few days of calm before getting a call about the leak. Brett met a plumber there and it was fortunately a fairly simple fix. We went back a few other times over the week to repair the ceiling.

The girls splash and stomp in the puddles at the Springfield house.

A trip to Savers after we were done at the house. (We didn't end up getting this huge stuffed dog, but he had a fun ride around the store in the cart.)

There is still a bunch of snow on the ground and Maya and Ella still enjoy playing in it. Here are a few photos of fun outside and a walk with Selena.

Taking a rest in the snow.

Smile!

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Up the stairs.

A walk around the block with Selena!

Lucky girls get to push the stroller while being carried. We don't do this often because it's a lot of work for the grown-ups! This stroller is a "new" one that we were given while we were in the parking lot of Savers in West Springfield.  A woman was planning to donate it, but they don't take strollers for donations there, and then she saw the girls.  She asked us if we wanted it.  We just lucked into a nice new stroller!

Splash! Splash! Splash!

Love.

So cute!

Making mini snowmen.

Later in the week we visited with Brett's parents in Leyden. There was a lot more playing outside to do there, too!

A treat of raspberries before we head outside to play.

I love this picture. 

Walking in opposite directions.

Pointing to Mama.

Making their way to the slides.

Watching.

Ella decides to join her sister.

Oops? Or maybe this was on purpose.

Sliding down backwards.

Someone fell down in the mud.

Family picture!