A Day of Milestones

Candace got her first tooth yesterday! Now all the excessive amounts of drool, fussiness, and sleepless nights have an explanation! It is her bottom right tooth and boy is it sharp! Thankfully she is not biting me with it when she eats. I'll try to get a picture, but she is not particularly fond of me sticking my fingers in her mouth and trying to hold it open. No signs of teeth in Cassidy's mouth yet.

Yesterday was also our first day of solid foods! We started with the standard, rice cereal. I decided to start at breakfast since they are in a better mood in the morning. It was VERY interesting, LOL! Candace kept grabbing the spoon and trying to wrestle it away from me. She didn't seem too interested in the food, just in chewing on the spoon. Cassidy is such a little pill. She kept blowing raspberries and spitting the cereal everywhere! She also made the most hilarious faces of disgust and disbelief. I don't think she's a big fan. I doubt much got into their tummies, but it is only for practice at this point. We'll continue with the cereal at breakfast until Friday and then maybe this weekend we'll introduce oatmeal at dinner time. Aidan and Sean are eager to participate in their feedings so that will be fun!

I took lots of pictures and two videos so enjoy!



Candace (So pretty, even with cereal all over her face!)








Cassidy (Her expressions never disappoint, LOL!)








Cassidy's First Cereal Experience



Candace's First Cereal Experience
(That's Cassidy you hear spitting in the background, lol!)

Giggling Girls

I finally got some video capturing the girls' adorable, infectious giggles! The audio quality is not that great, but it'll give you a tiny glimpse of their personalities and sweet laughter.

Cassidy LOVES peek-a-boo!


Candace thinks her Daddy is so funny! She loves his "sugars"!

That was then...

For you Heidi... thanks!

4 Things I was doing 10 years ago -
- Going to college
- Living in the dorms
- Still dating my high school sweetheart
- Trying to decide what I wanted to be when I "grew up"!

4 Things I was doing 5 years ago -
- Student Teaching
- Dating Sean
- Living in AZ
- Renting an apartment

4 Things I am doing this year -
- Living in Florida
- Celebrating the girls first birthday this fall
- Returning to work as a teacher (hopefully!)
- Celebrating our fourth wedding anniversary, also this fall

4 shows I like -
The Office
Jon & Kate + 8
Lost
Survivor

4 biggest joys of the moment -
Candace
Cassidy
Aidan
Family & Friends

It's interesting to see how much things can change over the years. It makes me wonder where I'll be and what I'll be doing 5 and 10 years from now!

Mother's Lunch In

Yesterday was our monthly "Mother's Lunch In!" There were a total of seven babies (3 sets of twins) and 5 mothers! We had a wonderful time. I always enjoy the adult conversation and it is so much fun to watch the girls interact with other babies. Megan's house had plenty of room for the babies to play and roll around. Cassidy got to show off her sitting ability and Damiane's 7 month old girl Indira is already crawling and pulling up on things! It was a glimpse of things to come.

The girls were SO well behaved. They got a little cranky right before we left because it was past nap time, but otherwise they were happy and friendly. It is a little over a 30 minute drive out to Megan's (more when you get stopped by a train, ugh!) and the girls were so patient on the ride there and slept the whole ride home... with NO crying!! Unfortunately, I'll miss the next two lunches in June and July since we'll be in Arizona. By the next time we get together ALL the babies will probably be mobile. How interesting that will be!

Catherine, Ryan, Cassidy, Arjun, Indira, Candace


Ryan, Cassidy, Arjun, Indira


Mamas and Babies!


Me at Home with the Girls


Now that she can sit up, Cassidy refuses to lean back in her bouncy!


Candace, Miss Drool Face, her shirt is soaked!

Random Ramblings

The past few days have been fairly uneventful, just filled with chores and errands. I was beginning to get bored of my surroundings so I rearranged Aidan's room, the girls' room, and the living room on Saturday. That's the extent of the excitement around here!

The girls are doing well. Cassidy is sitting independently for quite long stretches now. She sat for nearly ten minutes last night! They aren't crawling, but Candace has become more mobile. They both move now with a purpose and goal, as opposed to just rolling and scooting because they can. They will see something that sparks their interest and try to get to it. Last night Candace wanted to get to her Daddy who was sitting on the floor across the room with Cassidy, so she figured out an inch worm + rolling combo to get to where she wants to be. It is so cute and clever! Also, in the past week or so they have begun to do the sweetest thing, they lift their arms up to me when they want me to pick them up or hold them. It melts my heart!

On a less positive note, Candace has been VERY fussy the past couple days and has been spitting up and vomiting frequently, both indicators that she still has an allergy to the milk and soy I reintroduced. So it looks like I'll be milk and soy free for another 6 months. It is a small sacrifice for me to make to be able to give the girls all the wonderful benefits of breastfeeding. We will wait until next weekend to start cereal so all the milk proteins can get out of both of our systems.

Since it's been a few days, I have lots of pics to share!

I had to get pics of the girls in these onesies before they outgrow them! One of the activities at my baby shower was to decorate onesies, so these were made by a friend at my shower. Thanks Mandi and thanks again Mom and Jen for the awesome baby shower!




This isn't the best quality, but I love Cassidy's expression in this one.


Aidan playing with Candace, she loves to grab people's faces!




Cassidy somehow managed to get under the playmat, lol!



Wonder what Candace is dreaming, she looks like she's thinking hard!


Cassidy playing

Jump Around

I was starting to wonder if the girls were ever going to figure out their jumperoo. They've been sitting in it for nearly two months now and aside from the occasional little bounce, they just didn't really seem to "get it." They were very content to just sit in it playing and gnawing on their toys. Well, Cassidy has finally figured it out! She is now our little jumping bean....

6 Months Old!!!

The girls are 6 months old today and despite the sleepless nights, colicky evenings and struggles in the very beginning, the time has gone so quickly! I am in a little bit of shock and denial that they are really 6 months old and already halfway through the first year. Each month passes quicker than the last!

I am truly enjoying this age. They are so social and fun! I love their big smiles,little giggles, and looks of curiosity as they explore the people and world around them. They are only fussy when overtired, which is rare now that we have a solid nap schedule, and they are finally going three hours between nursing sessions. We can go places and do things now with more freedom and without fear of major meltdowns!

Here's a brief summary of what each is doing at 6 months:

Candace
Rolls both ways constantly to get where she wants to be, our roly poly!
Quick to smile at everyone, but slower to laugh
Grabs and inspects EVERY object within reach... including her sister!
Babbles and "talks," especially to Daddy
Still regularly munches on her toes
Is in LOVE with Big Bird (they watch a Sesame Street video during dinner/baths)

Cassidy
Sits unassisted for up to a minute
Can roll both ways, but prefers to roll onto her tummy and then scoot around
Shy with most strangers, but has lots of grins and giggles for us
Babbles and "talks"
Her new favorite game is "Peek-a-boo", especially with Aidan
Thinks Aidan is the funniest and most fascinating person in the universe

We are currently working on sleeping through the night and sitting. I'm in no hurry for them to crawl as that is just more work for me, lol! Besides, if they're anything like their brother Aidan, they'll skip crawling and go right to walking. Really I'm just trying to enjoy the stage they're in right now, we're in no hurry to reach all the "big" milestones. I DO want them to sit soon because that will make things easier, but otherwise I'm not pushing them to crawl, walk, talk, etc. They are bright, happy, healthy babies and they will do these things when they are ready.

I posted their six month weights in the doctor appointment post. Both are in the 10-25% for height and weight. They are just not big girls! They are both healthy, growing steadily and have more than doubled their birth weight, they're just my petite little princesses. After all, it's not like they have big parents, lol!

We are still watching for Candace's reaction to the little bit of dairy I've reintroduced. So far so good! We have not had any major problems, but we will still wait to start solids until after I have determined if she is still milk/soy intolerant. I am looking forward to starting cereal and having something new for them to experience. Those will be fun pics!

All in all it has been an exhausting, but extremely rewarding, 6 months. I am eager to embrace all that the next six months has to offer! I am so incredibly grateful everyday to be blessed with TWO, gorgeous, sweet, amazing little girls!

Cassidy Sitting Pretty




Candace TRYING to Sit, LOL




6 Months Old!