Feb 10, 2015 - 14 months

The twins are 14 months old today.  This month we have been amazed by how many words they can now say.  Josie is especially good at learning and saying new words.

Here us a list of words that one or both of them can say:

More, milk, dog, ball, balloon, please, nose, eyes, up, hi, bye, mama, dada, grandma, grandpa, neh, grrrrr, moose, banana, hat.  That's 20 words!  Developmentally they should be able to say 20 words by 18 months.  We are so proud of them!

  This month Josie also learned to walk.  She still crawls when she has a long distance to go but she gets more confident and adventurous with her walking everyday. 

James learned to run this month.  He also developed a love for being chased.  He howls with laughter whenever we fake chase him around the room.  Josie lives watching James get chased.  

This month James also became particularly find of balloons.  

Their appetites are growing and they continue to be awesome nappers.  They nap so much during the day that I feel guilty about all the down time I have compared to Brian.  As a result I've been letting him sleep in on the weekends.  

It's almost valentines day.  Here are some cute pics of our little angels :)

New Milestones - Feb 1, 2015

The milestones are coming fast and furious now.  Josie is walking a lot and she learned to sign and say "hat" today.  She also regularly says hi, up, dada, dog and mama.

James has learned how to say "banana", he has been able to sign it for a whole now.  James has also developed a bit of an obsession with balloons.  Similar to Josie's obsession with dolls.  

They are both really enjoying swimming lessons and this week have really stepped up their eating.  I think a growth spurt might be coming.  

These little rascals get into everything.

Visit from grandma

Visit from Brianna

Enjoying Uncle Kevin's birthday cake (without uncle Kevin)

Walking!

Love this face

Josie loves dolls. These are BG twin dolls!

Balloon obsession

Just doing a little cleaning before bed.

So cute

Josie is walking - Jan 28, 2015

About a week ago Josie started experimenting with taking steps on her own.  Now she is walking back and forth between us.  Yesterday she did about 20 steps walking to Uncle Pat.  

Today we have her 1 year follow up appointment at the hospital.  I am a bit worried about her weight but I am excited to meet with the Ocupational Therapist to talk about her developmental progress.

We are back from Credit Valley and it is no surprise that Josie did very well.  She is above average in her problem solving and communication skills.  She is also right on track with her gross and fine motor skills.  The OT was impressed with how friendly and happy her and James are.  She sent us home with homework including scribbling on paper, stacking and putting small items into a box/bowl.  

Although she wasn't officially watching James she did comment that he is doing really well too.  

Josie was weighed and is now 15 lbs 2 oz.  she is still in the 3rd percentile but has been there consistently.  The nurse and Dr are not concerned about her small size.  Brian and I are thrilled that they are both developing so well.  

1 year corrected jan 20, 2015

Today is 1 year since the twins due date. It's amazing looking back at how far they have come.  

They are honestly the most amazing kids and I love everyday that I get to spend with them.  

13 months - First swimming lesson (Jan 10, 2015)

The twins turned 13 months old today.  We also started swimming lessons.  I was a bit worried about James because he cried last time we took him to the Olympium, because of the cold water.  He was great today.  His lips turned blue but he never indicated that he wanted to get out.

Before our first swimming lesson 

Waiting patiently 

First swim lesson complete!

This last month has flown by.  James and Josie have both grown up so much.  They are both wanting to feed themselves now and are generally eating pretty well.  

They are also getting really into sign language.  Here are the signs they regularly use.  I have put an * beside the words they they both say and sign.

James: more, all done, eat, hi, bye, dog*, drink, banana, wash hands, blow kiss, hat*, bird, grandpa*, grandma*, dada*, up, hurray, story, please

Josie: more, all done, eat, dog*, wash hands, up*, hi, bye, kiss, hurray, bird, story

They are also both saying mama (still only when they are crying) and they can identify their shoes and socks.  They can also point to our eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, hair and ears (James is really good at this).

It was -13 last week so we had to get really bundled up to go for a car ride.

It was -18 last Wednesday so rather than go outside we pitched a tent in the living room and filled it with pillows.  It is still up and we call it the snuggle fort.  They love it!

JJs birthday party

I think that this will be my last post :(

The twins are ONE and today we are celebrating with our closest friends and family. It has been an amazing year; more challenging and rewarding than we ever expected.  

We took the twins for their 12 month check up on Thursday.  Here are their stats.

James:

Weight 17 lbs (5th percentile)

Height 29 inches (10th percentile)

Head Circumference (50th percentile)

Josie:

Weight 14.5 lbs (3rd percentile)

Height 27 inches (5th percentile)

Head Circumference (40th percentile)

Both James and Josie are small but they always have been so their Dr is not worried.  Plus, their proportionally large heads mean that their bodies are focusing their nutrients on brain growth which is of course much more important than height and weight.  

They also met and exceeded all the 12 month milestones.  They can both say 4 words, use sign language to communicate 6 words, respond to our cues and use emotions and gestures to communicate their feelings.  Physically they are right on track: crawling, pulling up to stand on furniture and standing unassisted.  James is even taking a few steps.  His record to date is 22 in a row!

When we think about their start as almost 4 and almost 5 pound babies it is amazing how far they have come.  They are both so curious and eager to experience new things.  They are also incredibly personable and social.  I am really glad that I took them to the daycare at my gym and to so many baby groups from such a young age.  

The twins have been so blessed this year.  They have received so much love from our families and friends.  I can't help but smile when I watch them reach to be held by their godparents or grand parents when they walk in the room.  There is no greater reward for your patience and love  than when you are greeted with a big smile and they reach to be picked up.  

What's our plan for the future?  I am thrilled to be staying home from work while we wait for our Nanny, Joy, to arrive from Hong Kong.  She will most likely arrive in the Spring.  Now that the Etobicoke Olympium is open again we hope to get the twins comfortable with cold water so that they are ready for a summer of swimming at the cottages.  We will continue to stay social at the Early Years Centres but we may have to move up to the toddler groups soon :).  Brian will continue to let his marking pile up so that he can rush home after school each day to play with his little ones.  

James and Josie will continue to learn and grow.  They will continue to play together and become even better "friends".  As a family we will continue to be thankful everyday for all of our blessings.

James and Josie's Winter ONEderland 

Cake Smash

Birthday Stat Chalkboard Photos

What would a 1st birthday be without a cupcake?

I made the pennants from old baptism/baby shower cards.

Our family!

Almost ONE

This post was from Dec 9 but failed to upload.

This time a year ago Brian and I headed to Credit Valley Hospital for what we thought was going to be a "test run".  My blood pressure was dangerously high and my ankles were the size of my thighs.  Even sti, we certainly were not expecting to be told that in a matter of hours we would meet our twins.

I have been extra emotional this week thinking about how much we have been through as a family over the last year.  I have never been so satisfied with my life or sure that I am exactly where I am supposed to be.  I love Brian more than ever, but also in a different way since he became a father.  I have always appreciated what I have and what I have worked to earn but never as much as I do now.  I feel like I am going to burst with pride when I see the babies using sign language or investigating new situations with confidence. Being a mom was really hard in the beginning but it is totally amazing now.  I am thrilled that I get to continue to stay home with these little ones.  It feels like they are learning new things everyday.

Today, for example, James took his first steps on his own (he has taken a single step a few times already but never more than one before today).  Today he took about 4 steps.  He did it 5 times throughout the afternoon and evening.

Today Josie also said her first two-syllable word - "daddy".  She said it multiple times to Brian while they played tonight.  

Here are James and Josie at our Making The Connection class last Thursday.  The leader gave them each a tangerine and they both devoured them.  

On Friday James got away from me during a morning diaper change.  I then spent about 10 minutes fake chasing him around the room while he squeeled with delight.

On Sunday the twins had their first 1st birthday party in Oshawa with the Geogirls.  The twins are lucky enough to share their birthday with Josie's godmother, Vickie,  so they had their first joint party.  It was an awesome day with all five Geogirls and our Six Geobabies.

Today James also climbed this ladder at the early years centre.  Stairs were just the beginning for my little monkey :)

Tonight we did some sample crafts for the twins birthday party.  Nikki also helped me make these adorable t-shirts for the twins to wear for their birthday tomorrow.  Nikki is a grade 8 student who has been living with us for the last few weeks while she is a Page at Queenspark.  The babies adore her and I can tell that she loves playing with them too.