We Have Walkers!

Matthew & Adam, proud of themselves

After 5 weeks of practicing (and 3 months of standing in place in the middle of the floor) Adam & Matthew are officially walking exclusively today! Already they are completely different kids. It seems the whole game has changed now that they can walk with stuff in their hands, and reach all kinds of heights while mobile. It also has made them more independent overnight.

So far I am loving their new independence, and this new stage! We went to a spray park for a play date today, and I was actually able to sit and talk to the other ladies while my boys played on their own, it was fantastic! Also it is adorable (and a little disconcerting) to see two little boys walking towards me out of nowhere. They are quicker and quieter than when they were crawling. :)

I have yet to be sad about my babies getting bigger/older. Each stage makes things more fun and interesting. So far :) Okay maybe for the first time I had a twinge of sadness today. The crawling stage is pretty cute. But I am loving this walking thing!!

Firsts

I love all of the firsts in the first year! Sitting up, crawling, pushing up to standing... the list goes on and on. Here are a few of Adam & Matthew's accomplishments while they were 10 months old.

1. Increased interest and playfulness with the cats.

Here is Adam saying hello to Lucy. Lucy is probably purring at this time.And here is Adam going in for the "kiss". Lucy is probably starting to get worried, as things usually progress downhill from here, ending up in "petting" (grabbing) and biting. Lucy is really good with the babies though, and will actually come up to them for attention. Our other cat, Hobbes, hates the babies with a fervor.

2. Climbing

We were eating dinner one night while the boys played quietly around the living room. So well behaved (we thought). I looked up and saw this:

Little hooligan,

We weren't sure how Matthew had managed it, so we watched as he climbed it again. Yep, we definitely have a climber on our hands.

3. Clapping/Signing

Actually Adam has been clapping for months, and Matthew for about 6 weeks, but they have learned one word in sign language, "all done". They either wave both hands or clap when they are in the high chair to signal they are done.

Messy Adam clapping.

Matthew clapping.

4. More Teeth & Brushing
You can see all SIX of Matthew's teeth!
And now those pearly whites are getting brushed every night with a REAL toothbrush.

5. Walking with Assistance & Standing on their own

Unfortunately I don't have any pics of the boys standing on their own. They actually stand up in the middle of the room and just hang out for a while before sitting back down.

Here they are pushing the same toy while walking around the house:
This often leads to one brother falling, then crawling as fast as he can to catch up to his twin.

10 Months & Best Friends (I hope!)

Matthew (blue) actually came up to Adam & gave him a hug, placing his hand on Adam's back & his head on Adam's shoulder! I got the picture just as he was turning to leave, but it looks like Adam is giving him a kiss! So cute!

Matthew crawling over Adam.

I guess Adam forgave him :)

As you can see, the boys have really started interacting more! Sometimes they will just be crawling around while I am getting stuff done, and I will hear random laughing. That is the BEST. I also will hear random crying now. That is usually when one twin has stolen something from his brother. The other day I gave each brother a carrot, left to do something and then heard a screeching cry. I hurried back in there, thinking someone had gotten hurt, and I saw Adam with one carrot in his mouth & one in his hand, and Matthew (crying) reaching out for his carrot. So the love/hate relationship has officially began.

Words the boys say:

dada

mama

nana

baba

yaya

"i do"

They are both cruising around on the furniture, and practice standing on their own for short periods.

Love my 10 month olds!

New Tooth

Last night Matthew woke up around 5am (unusual for him, as he's been sleeping soundly until 7). Alan went in to check on him, then brought him to me to nurse because he wouldn't go back to sleep. I was a little worried this might become a recurring thing, since he got to nurse. Then this morning, he woke up with his 6th tooth! So now I'm glad I gave him some comfort as the tooth was coming in :) They have been such easy teethers, this is the first wake up that I can pin point to the teething.

Current count:

Matthew: 6 teeth (4 on top, 2 on bottom)

Adam: 5 teeth (3 on top, 2 on bottom)

Side note:

It is hard to intentionally take pictures of a 10 month old's teeth.

Standing is in our Future

Adam has been practicing standing this morning.

He will have one hand on my knee while he stands up, then he will very purposely let go and stand for a second, then put his hand back on my knee.

Then he gives me a huge grin. He is so proud of his accomplishment!

Does this mean my life is almost over? (As if it weren't over already? :P)

7 Months - Milestones at Different Times

Our precious boys, Adam & Matthew. 7 1/2 months, in the bluebonnets.

What a journey parenthood has been. Both of our boys are so sweet, and (if they are napped, fed, paid attention to, etc) usually pretty happy babies. I always find it amazing, especially when I am not feeling like the best mom, that I can just look at them, and they smile back. They love their Momma so much, which I love :) Their other favorite people are Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa, and Granny Bee. And they love flirting with the ladies, of course (babies to adults) :)

We now have one talker and one crawler. But neither baby is doing both. It is interesting to see identical boys developing at different times.

Adam (The Sweet Boy):

• Words: First to say a word! Says dada, dad, a-dada, dadada-dad, and every other variation of "dada" all day long. Still not a single ma.
• Sleep: Has become our good sleeper, almost always goes to sleep on his own for naps. (I still usually nurse both to sleep at night.)
• Solid Food: Loves it. He by FAR eats more than Matthew. I gave him his first finger foods (along with Matthew) today. He liked it okay, but he still likes the pureed better.
• Movement: Very good at sitting up. Goes to belly from sitting, can get on all fours & rock back & forth. Can stand for a few seconds while holding on to something. No actual crawling yet.

Matthew (The Wild Boy):

• Vocal: Has not officially said his first word, but loves to make different noises. Also loves to stick his tongue out, which is adorable.
• Sleep: I think I have spoiled Matthew a little, because a few months ago he stopped going to sleep on his own, and would flip over & cry at nap time. So now I often let him fall asleep in his walker that I wheel around the house before nap time. Sometimes he does go to sleep on his own in the crib, but he usually (not always) cries himself to sleep.
• Solid Food: Matthew seems to be growing tired of the pureed food. He has been rejecting it lately, but he wouldn't take finger food either. Until today! He had some puffs and some cut up grapes, and he loved it. I had to feed it to him, but he sure did try to put it in his own mouth.
• Movement: He is our first crawler! Also can stand holding on to something for a few seconds. I knew he was going to be the first to crawl, because he was getting so frustrated when he wanted to reach a toy but was too far away. He tried so hard to move for weeks, and he finally got it.

Matthew around the time he first crawled. We were enjoying a Sabbath picnic in the park.Adam & Matthew (in that order) sleeping in the stroller. It's amazing how they often sleep in the same positions, especially in the carseats & strollers. (Oh, and Hobbes also snuck into the picture.)

Sitting Up

My sweet boys sitting up on their own this morning! Matthew on left, Adam on right.