Lily's First Hair Cut

Today we finally got your hair cut! We have being saying for about a year now that we needed to go get it cut, but Mommy has been having some trepidation about getting those beautiful curls cut off! Your hair only curls at the ends, and it's so pretty...I didn't want to lose those! But at 3, it needed to finally be done!

You were so exited you we getting it cut! You told everyone at little gym this morning what we were doing, and announced it to strangers at Breugers. You practically skipped into the salon (called Cuts for Peanuts)

First a couple of before shots of you rag-a-muffin hair:


Long wavy (messy) curls

Our hair dresser, Karen, let you pick out what you wanted to sit in, and you picked the fire engine!


She got you set up in it and got started on putting your hair in a little pony tail so she could cut of the first lock for me to save for your baby book.



First cut!

Showing you your first curl


And then down to business making that hair of yours beautiful!



You were so good and stayed still the whole time, and listened to her directions on which way to look! I was very proud you weren't the wiggle worm I was expecting!




All done! It was really quick! The whole cut probably took only 5 minutes! Taking a quick peak in the mirror while Karen was getting some hair ties!


Letting you pick out a hair tie. You picked a sparkly pink one!


Putting your bangs up in a cute side pony tail


The big reveal! Don't you look beautiful!


You were very pleased with your new do!


First curl

After you were all done, Karen let you pick out a prize for being so good! You picked a green apple lollipop!

You were very excited about it!


Outside Mommy of course wanted to take some photo's of your new hair cut...and of course you were not cooperating!


This is what you did when I asked you to smile like a princess:



I'm so glad we finally got you beautiful hair cut! The experience with Karen was great, and your new hair do is beautiful! I'm glad you had so much fun with it too! Now I just wait to see if your beautiful curls come back!

8 Months

Dear Ella and Violet,

Happy 8 months girls!!! Another month has flown by in the blink of an eye! I can't believe it!! This month has been a huge one developmental wise though! This is my favorite age in the first year, where you are discovering new things, and learning new skills almost daily!!

The most exciting thing this month is Ella is crawling!!!! You started this month getting up onto your knees a lot and rocking. You are constantly on our knees! You even started moving backward and in circles on your knees! And you starting being able to get to a sitting position from your crawling position on July 22nd. Then the night of July 26th, you took your first tentative steps forward on your knees!! Then the next night you crawling across the length of the hallway!! We are so proud! Since then you have been crawling like crazy! You have gotten so good at it in such a short time! Now you are constantly following me around the house, and always getting into the cat food! As soon as I put you on the floor it seems like you head straight for the cat food! We've had to shut the door to the bathroom when ever you are on the floor now, to keep you from eating it!

You've had another huge motor development this month Ella. On August 10th, you started pulling up to standing!! The first time I saw you standing up by yourself, you were trying to climb the stairs! I walked into the study, and there you were standing at the stairs, with one knee up on the first step! It was very scary for me! For the rest of that day you practiced standing at any chance you could get...pulling up on me, on the baby scale, on any toy you come across! You perfected it that day, and were a pro at pulling up to standing that night! Since then you've been pulling up at any chance you get, and are even letting go with one hand now! Slow down baby girl! You have been flying through motor development milestones this month....perfecting sitting up, moving from crawl to sitting, crawling and now pulling up to standing...crazy month for you Ella!!

Ever since you've been so mobile Ella, you've been like a different baby! You are SO happy all the time now! You're laughing, and smiling and playing all the time! It's like you were just aching to move around before, and now you are, and you are just thrilled with yourself! It's so wonderful seeing you so happy!

As much as Ella has been cruising through the motor milestones, Violet, you have been flying through cognitive milestones this month! On July 24th, you started waving! We were leaving Kyan's 3rd birthday party, and you started waving back at Becky's family! You love to wave now, when someone waves at you! Then on August 7th you showed us your first sign! While at little gym you were eating puffs with Daddy out in the lobby, and when I poked my head out to check on you guys, you looked right at me and signed "eat"!!! I was SO excited to see that! You also may be signing milk, but I'm not sure yet!

Another fun and really exciting thing you've started to do Violet is play a copy cat game with me! I'll click my tongue, and you will click your back at me. Then I will press my lips together and make that motor boat sound...and you will follow! You love playing this follow the leader game! I hope you continue it as you start to learn how to make babbling sounds!

Speaking of babbling, you both are talking like crazy now! You both love talking! Lots of Ba Ba Ba still, and Ya ya ya, and Ma MA Ma! We are still waiting on Dada. I sometimes think I hear it...but not sure yet! It's so much fun watching you both develop your languages skills! You love talking to each other too!

Ella, You are also starting to wave, and on August 13th you clapped for the first time!! You clap all the time now! Violet, you also started to clap on August 15th, at your first Pawsox game!!

Violet, you are doing great with motor development too! You are not crawling yet, but are getting so close! You are getting up onto your knees, and rocking all the time! You have also started to pull yourself up to standing as of the 15th!! It gets crazy now when I am on the floor with the two of you...you both climb all over me and pull up to standing on me!

In other exciting new, we have seen the appearance of teeth!! On August 11th Ella had two tooth cut through her gums! I noticed that you were a little warm that afternoon Ella, so I checked your gums to see what was going on, and sure enough you bottom right tooth was cutting through! I kept checking it through the day, because you other bottom tooth was right there too...and sure enough, right before bed we noticed that your bottom left tooth had cut through! They still aren't all the way up yet....but are getting bigger by the day! Violet, you still have no signs that a tooth is coming! Someday!

For food this month, you both have started eating more foods with texture...and have even started to feed yourself some finger foods! You both have a pretty good pincher grasp already. Violet, you are able to feed yourself really well already. You both love to eat puffs and mum mums! You have also had cut up bananas! Your first real finger food!!

One of the funnest things this month is watching you form a relationship with each other! This is the first month you have really started some parallel play! You follow each other around the house now, going after the same toy often! You are always at each others side though! And you love talking to each other, and handing off toys to each other! It's so nice seeing you together all the time!

It has been an amazing month with lots of new things for you both! I can't wait to see what the next month holds for us all! You are both growing up so quickly! I wish you would slow down, but I am so proud of all you have accomplished so far! I love you both with all my heart!

Love,

Mommy

Violet:

Trying Yogurt for the first time:









Ella, trying Yogurt for the first time:



So proud of herself for standing:





Happy 8 months girls!!

7 Months

Dear Ella and Violet,
I can't believe we are now over half way through your first year! It's been a busy month, with lots of new things and amazing development! I can't believe how quickly you to are growing up on me!

The most dramatic development this past month has been how mobile you two have gotten! You are now both creeping all over the place! You both are quite good t it, and can get where ever you want by pulling yourselves along on your bellies. Ella, you've even started getting up onto your knees and rocking!! You do this all of the time! I'm sure that crawling will happen soon! One of these days you are just going to take off! You're also twisting yourself while on your knees, almost getting into a sitting position. It's just crazy to me that you are already at this stage!!

We've also seen the excitement of real babbling starting this month! Violet, you started "talking" to us on June 28th. Out of nowhere that morning, while we were getting ready to leave for vacation with Nanni, you started babbling "Bababa!!" We were so happy you did that before we left so Daddy could hear it! Ever since then you've been talking away non stop! You LOVE to talk! You're favorite thing to say is "Blah blah blah!" It's the cutest thing ever! Ella, you started babbling not that long after Violet. Lots of "bababa" from you. You love to talk now too!

You both continue to love solid foods. You've both tried a lot of new things at this point, so I am no longer worried about spacing out new foods. You get a lot of mixed foods now too. You have both found one food that you don't like though! Neither of you like peas at all! The first time we tried peas, on June 22nd, you both gagged and made the funniest faces! I ended up having to mix them with banana's to get you to eat the green stuff! Thankfully bananas continue to be your favorite, and masked the flavor well! Ella, you went on a bottle strike earlier this month for a few days. Starting on June 24th, you wouldn't take an milk from a bottle, but were nursing nonstop. After a few days you went back to drinking from the bottle though. I still have no idea why you stopped drinking from a bottle those few days! Maybe it was teeth?

You saw a lot of new things this past month. You had your first time going into a pool while we were at Jimmny Peak with Nanni! It was very cold in the pool though, so you poor girls were shivering the whole time, and were only in for a few minutes! You both seemed pretty terrified! You also saw your first fireworks this month, on the 4th of July! I was worried you you both be scared of them, but the first set we saw on the 3rd, you both slept through. Then the second set, on the 4th, you both we fascinated with watching them! They didn't scare you at all! We also had our first time a way from Daddy, when we went on vacation with Nanni. It was hard being without him for 4 days, but we survived!

You both are really starting to interact with each other! Now that you are creeping, you both go after the same toy a lot, and fight over things! You love looking at each other and grabbing at each others face too. I can't wait to see how your relationship as twin sisters grows over the years!

We are so proud, as always, of how far you two have grown and learned this month! We love you more than we can saw! Keep learning and growing girls! I can't wait to see what new stuff you learn this next month!

Love,
Mommy

Ella's 7 month photo's:







Taking a nap with Ouija:


Violet's 7 month photo's:





Lily covered Violet with Mango and peach puree!


Violet's adorable Mohawk!