32 months

I never got a chance to write Lily's 32 month blog, but here are the pictures I took for this month! We Love you Lily! You are growing and learning so much! I'm so proud to be your Mommy!

4 Months

Dear Violet and Ella,

I know I saw this every month, but SLOW DOWN!! How are we already at 4 months?! I JUST had you two! I can't stand how fast you two are growing up already!

We've had a lot of laughs this past month. At the beginning of the month you only laughed when tickled. You are both ticklish under your chins and your bellies. You guys love to be tickled! Over the month you've both started laughing at other things. Ella, you think your big sister Lily is hilarious! When she runs around you just crack up. You also think it's funny when I sing a string of staccato notes! Violet, you loved to be bounced, and crack up when we bounce down the stairs sometimes! Both your laughs brighten my day, and make the hard job of being a twin Mommy more than worth it!

You both have gotten so strong this month (as I'm sure you will every month!). Violet, you are now rolling over from tummy to back more often!! Finally it's not a fluke anymore! Ella, you still haven't rolled over, but you sure to try! You can get up onto your side from lying on your back, and just almost get onto your tummy, but not quite. Violet, you do this too. I'm keeping my eye on you both...I know we'll see back to tummy rolls from both of you this month! I think one of the reasons you haven't rolled from your tummy yet Ella is because you have actually started to enjoy tummy time! You like to look around at the room for a while! You both are lifting completely with your arms now during tummy time, so you get a good view of the room. You also LOVE looking at a mirror during tummy time!

You both discovered your toys this month! It started with kicking your toys on the play mat, and then hitting them with your hands on the play mat. Now you are both grabbing the toys from the mat...and playing with toys that we give you! Just like with Lily, Freddy the firefly is a big hit with you too. You also have the grouchy lady bug and Mortimer the moose that are big hits. All are the same type of toy....bright colors, crinkly noise, with rings and soft teethers to touch and bite.

Speaking of biting things, you two are definitely teething now! Everything we give you goes straight to the mouth to chew on, and your hands are constantly in your mouths! Sometimes, if you are close enough, you even chew on each others hands! You both are soaking through shirts every day with crazy amounts of drool. We've had a few very fussy days where the only thing that will calm you is one of my fingers to chew on and rub your sore gums. I feel so bad for you both being in pain! Teething does not look easy for you little guys! I'm starting to feel some puffiness on both of your bottom gums, and a roughness on them too. I think we may see your first teeth pop through within the next 2 months!!

You both have also just barely discovered your feet! Just this week I noticed you both grabbing at your feet and staring at them! You both like to hold your toes! I started helping you get your toys to your mouth. You both LOVED though and though it was so funny! I had you both on the floor next to each other when I did this for the first time earlier this week, taking turning helping you get a foot to the mouth, and you both were just cracking up!

We had your 4 month doctors appointment earlier this weeks, on Tuesday. Eleanor, you are 12lbs 8oz (25%), 25 inches long (75%), and a head circumference of 41. You doctor was pretty happy with that. She still thinks you are pretty thin, but nothing to worry about. Lily was almost the exact same size at 4 months though, so I think you are a great size! Violet, you are 10lbs 12oz (5%), 23 1/2 inches long (25%), and a head circumference of 39. The doctor wasn't to happy with your weight gain, even though you stayed on the same range on the growth charts. I'm not worried though. You are healthy and happy. I just think you were meant to be smaller! Even your doctor admitted that that could be the case. Either way, she wants us to start solids. We'll be starting them next weekend, once we get a new high chair! I'm so looking forward to starting solids, but at the same time I'm sad that we're already at that stage! As for how you are eating now, we are still on the 4oz every 4 hours during the day schedule.

This month has been full of learning for you both! We are so proud of how fast you are hitting your milestones! It's such a joy watching you two growing up together! I can't wait to see what this next month holds for us! First solids! Rolling over? Sitting up? First babble? I look forward to it all! Just don't grow up to fast girls! I'll miss these baby days when they are over! Love you both more than I can say!

Love,
Mommy

Ella's 4 month shots:





Violet's 4 month shots. (She was not feeling taking photos this week!):





Tummy time with the girls:


Ella kept reaching over for Violet's hand the whole shoot! She loves her sister!


They love to hold hands! This is my favorite photo of the day!!


Happy 4 months girls!!

Aquarium Day

On Good Friday we took the girls to the aquarium. Lily had been begging us to go again, and since Sean had the Friday off, and it was beautiful out, we took the long trek down there! Lily was so excited to see the penguins! When we got there, we had a quick grilled cheese sandwich and nursing break, then headed to what is always our first stop, the beluga whales. Lily had a one track mind today though, she wanted to see the penguins, so we moved along the path quickly, stopping briefly to watch the sea lions. We stopped for a little bit to watch one of the sea lions with a trainer.


We've never seen this before, with all the times we've been to the aquarium! This sea lion is huge! We also saw them demonstrate some commands like scratching with back flippers and demonstrating the flexibility of their necks. I just love these animals!

But soon of course Lily was back to tugging at our shirts begging to move on to see the penguins! So on we went down the path again. Sean stopped with the twins to feed them on a bench, while I took Lily. The penguin exhibit was swamped with people because it was feeding time, so I tried to distract Lily a little bit longer by taking her to the nearby pool with baby sea lions, hoping the crowds would thin while we were checking them out. Lily wasn't easily distracted though, and we were soon moving our way to the crowded exhibit. We were able to squeeze our way into a good spot to watch Lily's favorite penguins!


It was really interesting watching them feed the penguins. Like most aquariums, each penguin has a tag on their wing with a different combination on colored bands. As the trainer was feeding them, he would call out the color combination and what that penguin had eaten. So we'd hear "yellow, silver. 2 mackerel." Then I noticed among the crowds of people was another trainer, writing down on a note pad what each penguin was eating! It was very interesting to notice how they kept track of what each penguin eats!

We watched them eat for a long time, until Lily wanted to check out the under water viewing area of the penguins.

"Come on Mommy!!"


Since all the penguins were up out of the water getting fed, there wasn't much to see at the under water viewing area. We quickly walked through it and met up with Daddy, who had just finished feeding Ella her bottle. We walked around the pond area, on our way to the main aquarium building. Some where along the way Lily got tired and wanted to sit in the stroller. well sine Violet was using it, Lily invented a new way to ride!


Inside the main building we quickly see that they have taken out the anemone tank, and replaced it with a touch tank with baby white-spotted bamboo sharks! Lily and I headed over to check this out while Sean took the babies for a bit. Unfortunately Lily's arms were to short to reach the sharks, but she enjoyed putting her hands in the water. I got to touch one...they are very scaly feeling. Next Lily and I wandered around for a bit. Lily liked climbing into the special viewing area for the barracudas.



She made a could friends under there! She also liked climbing under the lobster trap tank! Next we wondered over to the hidden amazon exhibit. This has always been one of Lily's favorite tanks at the aquarium...and mine too!



Next, after checking in with Daddy, we grabbed Ella, and wondered over to the shark, sea lion, and ray tanks. Lily checked out each one for a bit. Here she is at the ray tank:


Then Lily made friends with a turtle:


And then onto the touch tank, where we spent a lot of our time! Lily has never really checked out this exhibit before, but it quickly became her favorite tank once she did! She had so much fun touching shells and watching the crabs. She tried out every part of the tank, to see what was there. Her favorite area had some empty shells that she could pick up. It was so hard to tear her away from this tank!


I finally tore her away from the table so we could go see Daddy. He took her for a bit then, while I sat with the twins. I got Violet out for a chance to look at the big center tank. Sean and Lily went back to the touch tank I believe! When we met back up we decided it was getting time to head out soon, so we checked out a couple more tanks as a family on our way out.

Violet and Ella checking out the fishes:



On our way back to the van we decided to give Lily a treat, our first creemee of the season! Of course Lily was thrilled!

Violet while we wait:


Ella while we wait:


Lily and her chocolate swirl creemee:




It was a very fun day! Great way to spend a day off! Lily is really starting to get a lot out of the aquarium! I can't wait till we go again!!