Tuesday, March 5, 2013

A Very Special First Birthday

A&G's actual first birthday fell on President's Day which meant we all had off. We spent the day together and even had a few extra special friends along for a fun filled day. Devin was still visiting and Annette and Suz came in to spend the day with us. We had wanted to take the babies to the Baltimore Aquarium for weeks after we discovered how much they enjoyed the fish at Pet Smart. What better day to make it happen than on their birthday! We started the day off by having lunch out at Houlihan's. The babies got an extra special treat at the end, their very first taste of ice cream.

Yummy Ice Cream!

 
Avery loves to eat lemons!

Next up, we headed across the street to the Inner Harbor Baltimore Aquarium. Ouch that place has gotten expensive, but it was certainly worth it. We were there just in time to see the puffin feeding. Then we circled around the aquarium and saw lots and lots of fish. Grayson does this new thing where he points at everything. He was pointing his little finger the entire time we were there. Both babies were enamored by all there was to see. We ended our day at the Jelly Fish exhibit. This was definitely Avery's favorite spot. I think she would have stood there forever.




Poor Grayson pooped out at the end of the aquarium tour and couldn't keep his eyes open for our family picture.
We had a very special day with our little ones experiencing new things. Thanks for coming with us Annette and Suz!
Happy, Happy First Birthday Avery & Grayson! We love you both oh so much and cannot believe the difference a year can make! XOXO

Monday, March 4, 2013

Thing One & Thing Two Turn One

All I can say is Avery and Grayson's First Birthday was a hit! We had so many friends and family come and partake in the celebration of these very special little ones. I spent months planning and preparing for the big birthday bash. I started with the theme. I had to go with Thing One and Thing Two while the choice was still mine. Next up, I began working on the decorations. I handmade almost everything. I made their banner, the center pieces, the pin wheels, their month by month picture banners, the wreath, the banners across their high charis, and almost all of the food. Of course I went a little crazy but I enjoyed every minute if it. They only turn one once, right?!?!
Happy Birthday Avery & Grayson
Their month by month pictures
The center pieces & pinwheels
Yummy cupcakes and cookies
The spread
Wreath

We had the party at our house which I thought would be a little tricky since we have such a tiny house and so many were invited. However, thanks to a big back yard and our amazing friends the Clickner's, who provided us with a huge tent, we were just fine. It was freezing cold and even snowed a little, but that didn't stop the fun!
 

Avery's favorite part was the cake smash with which she dove head first into. We were a little worried if she was breathing when she stayed in so long.






 Grayson loved the cake and definitely got dirty but his favorite thing had to be the balloons. The boy is obsessed!






Whew! Party planning is over...until next year!




12 Months

Is it true? Are my babies really one?!?!?! I’ve noticed a trend in my mommy friends stating how quickly time seems to pass and how they wish it would slow down. This is SO true. I really, really cannot believe that we have had our beans for an entire year. To say this has been the best and most tiring year of my life would be an understatement. I could not have been blessed with a better set of babies. They continue to make us laugh on a daily basis and are such happy, healthy, well behaved little ones. Don’t get me wrong, they certainly have their moments but we don’t mind because those moments are few and far between. Check back when they are both in the terrible two’s! J Okay- on to the usual monthly statistics.



 
Weight
A: A whopping 18.1 pounds
G: A whopping 18.7 pounds

I swore they were both in the twenty pound range but I was wrong. They continue to feel heavier every day! My biceps are amazing considering I rarely have time to work out. I guess one benefit to twins is having evenly sized biceps from holding two babies!

Height-
A: 27 1/4 inches
G: 29 inches

Clothing size- They are both still wearing their 6-12 month clothes. They fit best in 9 month clothes. We have begun to venture into the 12 month clothes but some brands are just too big.

Diapers-
Size 3

Feeding-
We were given the go ahead to switch to cow’s milk. Both babies took to it like champs and it didn’t seem to faze them. I kind of expected this as they have loved all forms of food thus far. They haven’t quite grasped the idea of tipping up a sippy cup so we are trying different ones out. For now most milk is still sipped through a bottle. I hope to get rid of them (tear) over the next month or so.

They did get to try a few sweets for the first time within the last month. On Valentine’s Day they each got to have a sugar cookie. I gave it to them expecting they would take a couple of bites and that would be it. Oh no, Miss Avery was in love and ate almost half the cookie. And of course they dove into their first smash cake on their birthday! More to come on that.

Hair/Eyes-

Eyes are still the same. Avery’s seem kind of bluish hazel and Grayson’s are a grayish blue. Although, their doctor said she would still classify Avery’s as blue. Grayson's hair is continuing to get longer and longer. He is way overdue for a haircut.  Avery's hair is really coming in now. It’s nowhere near her brother’s length but we are getting there.

Sleep-

Here we are again with a little cold. It seemed to hit Kevin and I worse than the babies but they are definitely stuffy and not sleeping as well. Outside of sickness they are still amazing little sleepers. They sleep from approximately 7:30pm to 6:30am every night. They are both taking two naps. Although, Avery might be phasing out her morning nap as she skips it some days.

Personality & Fun Stuff-
Grayson’s mobility has certainly added to his personality. He is full of it getting into everything. His favorite thing to test me on is Ellie’s food and water bowl. I refuse to pick them up every time he goes for them. I want him to learn he cannot touch them. This one has proved to be the most difficult “lesson” thus far. He continues to go for her bowls multiple times a day. He is at the point now where he looks back at me before diving in so I think he is at least getting it and testing me now! We will continue to work on this one.

He giggles all the time at Ellie. He thinks she is the funniest thing. He also pulls at her and goes for her any chance he gets. He loves to open and shut doors, cabinets and drawers. Because of this our house has now been outfitted with lots of fun “child” proofing items.

He loves balls, toys that make noise, and balloons! We found out after his birthday party how much he loves mylar balloons. Every time we would walk in the room after he got them he would point at the balloons and want to go straight for them. They would keep him entertained for a very long time. Speaking of pointing, he points at everything, lights, airplanes, dogs, us, you name it, he points. His vocabulary seems to be growing as well. He says dada, duh-e (doggie), and eh-e (Ellie). He seems to constantly be talking. Not always sure what about but he loves to babble through the day.

Avery still hasn’t quite figured out the art of crawling, but hold her little fingers and she takes off practically running. It’s only a matter of time before this little girl is walking. She has figured out that her brother can get to anything he wants to on his own and this has begun to frustrate her. She has started grunting at us when she wants us to take her to something or hold her fingers so she can walk to it. With that I feel it might be easier when she gets the concept of moving on her own. I may eat my words on that one. She just doesn’t seem to have any interest in crawling. When we work with her and place her on all fours she collapses as if she has no muscles and then starts fussing at us.

The girl is still an eater. However, she has gotten a little pickier about what she wants to eat sometimes. She will leave things on her tray where before she would sit until her entire tray was empty.

She loves jewelry and anything that makes music. She absolutely loves to dance. As soon as she hears music her little legs start kicking and her head starts bouncing. If she’s stand up she will bounce up and down. It is the cutest thing. Her favorite song for some reason is Some Nights by FUN. Good thing she doesn’t understand all of the words yet.

She has recently begun babbling away just like her brother but her only real word is dada. She loves to say, doi doi doi. I’m not really sure what it means but she certainly loves the sound of it. She seems to do a lot of observing. I think this is going to be one smart little girl. I can see the wheels turning. If only I knew what she was thinking?

She loves to mess with her brother these days. She pulls on his hair which in turn produces tears from Grayson. I think she is a little jealous of all the hair he has. It’s kind of funny to see if she does anything to him, pull hair, take his toy, etc, he bursts into tears. On the contrary, if he does anything to her, she just looks at him funny and moves on. I’m interested to see how this pans out in a few years.

12 Month Photo Shoot:





This is how amazing the difference a year can make in the lives to two sweet little preemies!


They LOVE riding around outside in their cozy coupes

In sum, we have two very different, very special little babies on our hands. Can I still call them babies? They create so much happiness for their daddy and I and we can’t wait to see where this next year will take us. If only I could figure out how to slow the time a little!