Twins are so much fun...

Have I mentioned recently that we LOVE having twins. What fun we have! Here are some of the reasons. They have a constant playmate (or I have 2 kids hanging from my skirt instead of one around dinner hour). The boys have started their version of chase in the house...so far very cute. At the dinner table when a new food is introduced, they look to see if the other one has eaten any...if so, then it's okay to try! They definitely talk to each other and imitate the other's sounds. In fact, they both say "huh?" if you if you ask them something. We were getting strawberries at a stand the other day and the lady asked them if they wanted to try a strawberry to which Thomas immediately said "huh?". I guess I must say that. On Monday, I was drinking a cup of coffee. I always tell them it's hot when they try to touch it. So I set it down and a couple minutes later, they were pointing at it saying hot when I started drinking again. Very cool because it wasn't just mimicking.

Every time Thomas starts looking publicly presentable, he falls again. This week he met the driveway with his forehead. It swelled up to a huge goose egg. The check out ladies at the grocery store always make me feel better. This week I heard "get used to it, it's part of toddler-hood". Nathan does just as much climbing but seems to have better balance and understanding of gravity because he rarely has cuts and bruises. Just last night, we noticed both boys can climb on and off the rocking horse.

all for now,
Love,

Vacation in Boston!

We decided this year to vacation from home! Tuesday was our first vacation day which turned out to be sunny and 80 in Boston! We walked the USS Constitution end of the Freedom Trail in the morning. We walked through the Constitution museum but decided museums were not for 14 month olds in strollers! We saw the Old North Church where lanterns were hung to warn the Charlestown residents that the British were coming. We were headed to Paul Revere's house only to be distracted by the lovely Italian smells coming from Hanover Street. We had a delicious lunch at a cafe there. Our first time to go to a sit down restaurant without the help of grandparents! It went fine. Both boys like Italian food so they helped us eat our lunch...ravioli and gnocchi with sausage. We decided to head back to our car to get to our 3 PM duck tour reservations. The duck tour is an amphibious vehicle that gives a guided tour to Boston. It winds around Boston and the Charles River pointing out the sites and monuments in the city. Very cool. Both boys ended up sleeping for the second half of it which ended my horrible anxiety that they were going to leap out the open sides into the river. I really had to concentrate on putting those thoughts out of my mind and loosing my grip on Thomas. A new feeling for me. After the tour we headed home to a pizza dinner and then a quick visit from our sister ministers. They were in Hudson for another appointment so they stopped over in the evening. What a day! There are so many other things to do in our area, I'm looking forward to our next vacation day.I must admit though, both boys still seem to be recovering from it. The boys didn't do much walking, but all the new sights, sounds and fresh air tired them out.

Other news:

Nathan weaned himself starting on Saturday. He was nursing in the morning and in the evening, he was shaking his head no and turning around. This is fine with me...a little strange but really a good thing that it happened on his terms. Thomas continues to happily nurse away.

Nathan is walking sideways and backwards. Something he thinks is really cool!

Love,

Lots of stuff...

Just a few pictures from the last couple of days. Wanted you to see my handsome boys in their new sandals. We went down to Carver, MA to visit Isabell and her mom, Sarah on Monday. It was a beautiful day. We took a long walk around the cranberry bogs. When Mom came Tuesday, we walked around Tower Hill botanical Gardens. It really was a nice little excursion. Thomas is into hugging the animals. Doodle is such a rock. I'm very impressed with him. The dogs stick right around me all day long so I don't have to worry about Thomas doing this when I can't watch.

The boys had their year assessment with Early Intervention today. The summary is that they both scored from 13 to 15 months in all the categories thus rendering the state service unavailable. They asked the boys to do several little jobs as well as asked me several questions to evaluate them. Being in a new setting, the boys were very distracted and not too interested in performing but I think this is typical. They were evaluated by a speech pathologist and a physical therapist. Here is a few examples of what they wanted the boys to do:

given several small wooden blocks, they were to fill a cup with at least 9 of them
given a blank sheet of paper and a crayon, they were to draw anything
given a small doll and a sippy cup, they were to feed the doll
given 6 wooden dowels, they were to plug them in round holes and take them back out
given cheerios, they were to pick them up with their thumb and index finger
given cheerios in a bottle, they were to shake them out
given a small cardboard box, they were to open it to get toy

All for now!
love,

14 Month Checkup

The boys had their 14 month checkup on Wednesday. The doctor had nothing but good things to say. He did recommend we get rid of the bottles now and just use a cup. I think I'll continue what I was doing for awhile longer....a bottle with breakfast and one with supper while they use a cup at lunch time. We are still having little problems like not rotating the cup back to vertical when they pull it away from their lips so what's left dumps down the front of them. The boys received 3 more vaccines so I was very glad to have my Mom there to help comfort. Their next appointment is 18 months which will also have a group of vaccines. Nathan is still not 20 pounds so both boys will continue to face the rear of the car. Thomas is 21 pounds, 9 ounces and 30" long. Nathan is 18 pounds, 14 ounces and 28" long. The doctor did recommend getting the children out to play with other kids for socialization. I'll try!

Matt fixed the drain plug on our bathtub so they have been bathing in the full tub which they think is absolutely wonderful. It's really fun to watch your kids having fun!

Thomas is so thrilled he can walk. It has been neat to watch the progression. Early on, he walked with both hands out straight like he was stopping traffic, then he learned to carry things and now he is learning speed. Early on, he would just enter a room, do the entire circuit and leave again to navigate the next room. Nathan is not quite running yet but he is getting quick! I bought them each a pair of sandals from Stride Rite last night. They both do very well in their new shoes.

Thomas loves our cat Ellie. She is extremely tolerant and when given the chance to leave the torment, she stays! He hugs her and lays his head down on her. She has a tiny little meow which both boys will copy when she starts it.

Must run, Thomas calls!
love,