9 months-A Year of More Firsts

 

 

 I think this post is indicative of our life right now...it's taken me 3 weeks to complete their 9 month post! Oh well, such is life with a family that always has someone awake and ready to go! Both twins are on the go in their own separate ways, very vocal and chatty - go figure, and growing in personality and size everyday.
 



Here's what Ryan's been up to lately-
* Had his first double ear infection and first round of antibiotics this last month.
* First trip to the beach. I actually have no pictures of the twins on the beach because both of them were super sick and it was freezing!!
* Has 2 teeth now (bottom front).
* Nickname: army man, because of his fast pace arm-over-arm tummy crawl.
* Learning to get up on his knees and will crawl forward short distances. Pulling up on furniture too.
* He also learned how to go from a lying down position to sitting upright super quick.
* First one to have his crib lowered. Getting a little too good at pulling up on things.
* Outweighs his brother this month. 21 pounds vs. 20 pounds.
* Loves the bath and gets mad when Taylor is going to take a bath and he's not.
* Loves to hold anyones hands to walk.
* Listens and follows - no touching - rules very well.

Here's what Jacob's been up to lately-
* Had his first ear infection and first round of antibiotics.
* Finally has his first 2 bottom teeth.
* Finally started to become more mobile. He army crawls like Ryan but hasn't figured out the arm-over-arm technique that Ryan uses to move fast. He just pulls with his hands out in front and pushes off with his toes.
* Nickname: inchworm
* Fascinated by doors, door stoppers, wheels, cords, the microwave, and watching you eat.
* Loves the bath.
* Gets frustrated if he's left in a sitting position and can't get down to his tummy to crawl. Very tentative still.
* Loves to hold your hands to practice walking.
* Likes to dance to a toy car's music (see video below).

 



Today Was YOUR Day!

 

Happy 6th Birthday! 

 

 

Six years ago today you were born at 1:51pm...

 

This 6th year you wanted a putt-putt birthday party.

You invited old and new friends.

You walked through green streamers taped to your bedroom door to start your special day.

You tried to eat a green chocolate chip donut for breakfast

- your choice but you didn't really like it very much.

You picked out an Angry Birds Mylar balloon to go with the other green ones.

You wanted a cookie cake with a golf cart on it.

You couldn't wait to open your presents once we got home.

You played lots...with everything!

Daddy picked up your favorite dinner - Rudy's!

 

 







 

 





 

 

You're growing up so fast...we love you so much!

 



You Did It!

 

About a month ago I came home from an afternoon appointment to find Taylor happily riding his bike along the sidewalk.

 

Let's rewind a little bit...last spring after the twins were born Andrew and Taylor decided that it was time to remove the training wheels off of his bike and dust of the cobwebs that had recently accumulated on it from sitting in the garage. However, that's about as far as they got. With the turbulent 3 months that surrounded the twins birth, Taylor wanted nothing to do with learning how to ride his 2-wheel bike without the training wheels. As with most things with Taylor, we didn't push the topic and just sat back and waited...and waited...and waited...and waited. We would offer up a random question here or there like, "Taylor you want to go outside and practice riding your bike?" Unfortunately, the answer was always the same, "no, not right now, maybe later." Well needless to say "later" turned from spring into summer and from summer into autumn.

 

So as I am pulling into the driveway last month I found myself in total amazement of what I saw as Taylor offered up a very calm, "hi mommy" from over his little handlebars. I was floored! No, Andrew wasn't home and they had spent the afternoon together running up and down the street practicing starting and stopping. Instead Taylor had taken it upon himself to hop on that bike (with a little peer pressure from the second grader up the street) and taught himself how to ride his bike all by himself. Everyday thereafter, Taylor has asked to go outside and ride his bike. I loved riding my bike as a child! The speed, the wind, the solidarity or camaraderie of others.

 

Congratulations on another independent milestone!

 

 



8 Months - Christmas Joy

It's been a busy month around here! Both boys are becoming a little more active, both physically and linguistically. Our evenings are usually so go-go-go with dinners, baths, and bedtime routines that sometimes everyone gets a little overwhelmed, especially since everyone (except Taylor) have been up since 5am. Both boys are starting to settle into a more defined nap schedule which has been nice. However, they are both NOT sleeping through the night consistently. I think it's my new normal, waking up at 3:30am to console someone in the nursery. If they both happen to have a good night and sleep past that mark, I usually wake up anyways. Since Ryan is teething and Jacob is soon to follow, I guess it's safe to say, and realistic to think that they WON'T be sleeping through the night anytime soon. That's why God invented coffee!! I'm readdicted to it - I love Starbucks holiday drinks. Luckily, I had none while I was pregnant. Nowadays, it's 1-3 coffee drinks a day - especially around the 4pm hour. 

 

Here's what Ryan's been up to:
* Got his first tooth (bottom).
* Army crawling is his preferred mode of transportation. He's FAST too!
* Finally said "Dada". Also likes to say, "lala and baba"
* His birthmark appointment with the pediatric dermatologist went well. His birthmark is NOT a Mongolian birthmark just a congenital birthmark that's darker in color due to it being so close to the surface of the skin. His little identifier will be with him for life and will grow a bit more as he grows.
* So active and always on the go...a mini Taylor!
* Hates green vegetables. He'll gag and spit them out if he can.

Here's what Jacob's been up to:
* Not crawling yet which frustrates him because he sees Ryan off somewhere and can't get there.
* Has recently decided that he can just roll continuously until he reaches his destination. It's cute to see because he does this tuck-and-roll with his head because of the hardwood floors...he's learned it's not a soft surface!
* No teeth as of today.
* Loves the Christmas lights on the tree.
* Said "Mama" one day when I was leaving for work. Broke my heart...needless to say I was a bit late that day!
* Loves all foods as of now. Just eats whatever you give him and hardly ever complains.

 

Merry Christmas from the CW Family

&

Happy New Year 2013

7 Months-Lots to be Thankful for!

 

I've tried to take the boy's month picture on the same chair each month so that I can go back at the end of their first year and have a point of reference as to how much they've grown and changed. As you can imagine this month was more difficult to have them sit and stay still for the camera...what a bunch of clowns! They were both all over that chair in one fashion or another. By the end both babies were done with their photo shoot! Both happy babies are still doing great this month!

 

 

 

Here's what Ryan's been up to:

*early crawling (scooting a lot on his tummy, pulling with his arms, and pushing off with his feet).

*LOVES his bottle time!
*new nickname - wiggle worm

*high maintenance baby (HMB). Loves to be held, whines to be picked-up all the time.
*lots of talking but no true words yet.
*wants to move sooooo bad. Always on the go!
*first stomach bug this month, got it from Jacob.
*the picture doesn't do it justice but he has a double chin.
*we will be going to the pediatric dermatologist in December to have his birthmark looked at more closely (right wrist). It's gown since birth (but so has he) so our doctor wants to make sure everything is fine with it. Only 10% of Caucasian babies have Mongolian birthmarks, and luckily most go away by age 5.

 

Here's what Jacob's been up to:

*happy to sit and play or jump.
*LOVES his bouncer!

*new nicknames - J.J and Jakers

*low maintenance baby (LMB). Loves to sit and chill or bounce for that matter. 
*first spoken word this month...Dada!!
*had his first stomach bug-yuck! It's going to be really hard keeping one twin away from the other when it comes to times of sickness.
*LOVES to smile and giggle at Taylor all the time.
*still has hazel eyes!?!
*LOVES to giggle when kissed on the neck (funny video below).

 

 Wrestle time and a little bit of hair pulling...

Oh what trouble will the Curtis-Wellings boys get into together!?!

 

 

Is it nap time yet?

 

How do I get off of this thing? I'm ready to go!



Coming Full Circle

 

One evening when everyone was a little busy, Taylor said that he would go stay with Ryan, who had just woken up from a nap. While I was finishing up the bottles in the kitchen I could hear Taylor talking away at Ryan. When I finally peeked my head into the nursery, Taylor was quietly just reading Ryan a book. I said stay there I want to get my camera! Taylor then proceeded to jump into the crib to continue reading to him. What struck me most as a moment to capture forever was the book Taylor chose to read. It was a book we read to him as a baby. It was an amazing moment for me to watch our first born son reading to his baby brother. We are so proud of him and his reading and happy that he's beginning to share it with his brothers!   

 

October Randomness...

 

If I had to sum up my life right now the word randomness quickly comes to mind. It seems as though I'm running a marathon everyday to make it home to spend some time with ALL of these cuties. So here's a picture walk through some of the moments of the last few weeks.

 

Taylor was Robin Hood for his Kindergarten Nursery Rhyme Parade.

 

He was so proud of his costume! Thank you GeeGee!

 

Daddy came too!

 

Taylor was a Ninja for Halloween.

 

The twins were along for the ride on Halloween night-

they slept through the first block but were wide awake for round two! 

 

Brotherly LOVE!

 

Motherly LOVE x2!!

 

Nothing like a drooly, wet kiss from Jacob.

 

When will I get TEETH?