The past week has been wonderful! Papu and Yaya came from California to visit, and we couldn't have been happier! We went to the Summer Shack for clams and smelt, talked until late, watched a few movies, went to the library lapsit (songs and music at the library), and played games like Apples to Apples. It was a great visit and we're hoping to see them again soon - maybe in California?? :)
Yaya and Ethan play with our walking toys... Sophia joined in the fun...Ethan, Yaya, and Sophia deal with a slight traffic jam on the playroom expressway... Sophia tried to merge while Ethan was making a left turn... They'll learn the rules of the road eventually... For now whoever maintains their balance longest has the right of way... Sophia...Ethan and his reindeer... Sophia and her blanket (and her baby)... The Thanksgiving crowd... Sophia, Ethan, Steve, Grandpa Bernie, Papu, Yaya, and Grandma Chrisanne... We're so thankful for our family! Sophia, Steph, Steve and Ethan... Ethan and Sophia kick back, cross their feet, and drink bottles after a great Thanksgiving dinner... We realized that we didn't get any good shots of the birthday shirts we had for Sophia and Ethan... So we dressed them up for a re-take. Sophia was glad to be in her cute shirt again!...Ethan also celebrated the chance to wear his birthday shirt once more! :) Sophia rests up to meet Santa. She looked so big and long and grown up to me today... Ethan LOVED Santa... Especially his white beard and white furry cuffs... :) ...Sophia was not as big a fan... ...so I jumped into the picture... but even with me there, Sophia was still not so sure about this Santa guy......so Grandma Chrisanne jumped into the photo... ...we never did get that all-smiling group shot, we did have fun trying! We're also looking forward to Santa's visit (after Sophia is asleep!) later this month! :) 11.21.08 :: Sophia and Ethan are playing together more and more. One of their favorite games is peek-a-boo.
Sophia and Ethan are a year old! The year has flown by and we're amazed that our little babies are quickly becoming toddlers.
Our celebrations of my pregnancy and the babies' birth were clouded with uncertainty and fear. We remember it as a very quiet time of cautious optimism. For us, their birthday was an opportunity to (finally!) have a true, unfettered, shout-out-loud celebration of the fact that we're all here, all healthy, and a loving family who are all part of a very loving and supportive community. So we wanted to have big hoopla around their birthday. To celebrate we had two parties - one on their actual birthday November 15th with family, and one the day after with friends.
Ethan and Sophia at their party with Gram, Grandma Chrisanne, Grandpa Bernie, Aunt Jo-Ann (and Mom and Dad, of course!)... Yay!!! Ethan liked Sophia's hat... Ethan and Sophia eat their cupcakes with whipped cream frosting... Opening the presents... Sophia, Steph, Gram, and Ethan... Grandma Chrisanne and Aunt Jo-Ann... Sophia, Steph, and Gram... Gram, Sophia, and Ethan decided to form a kitchen band... Steve, Sophia, Ethan, and Steph in silhouette before the party at Gymboree... The party at Gymboree with our friends...Win, Wes, and Ethan on the trampoline... Amalia looks on while Cordelia and Elizabeth play on the see-saw with Alex and Catherine... More cupcakes... Sophia and Steph...Sophia...Ethan... What a great year it's been! Steph, Ethan, and Sophia...
11.15.08 :: Happy Birthday Sophia and Ethan!!! - Cupcakes Part I
11.15.08 :: Cupcakes Part II
11.15.08 :: Cupcakes Part III
11.15.08 :: Cupcake clean-up with Dad-Dad and his "cleaning bug"!
11.16.08 :: Dancing Girl - Sophia and Gram had fun playing "Dancing Girl"
Sophia and Ethan's birthday is a week away! We've been busy!
Steve almost had minor surgery, but when the surgeon came in for the pre-op exam he realized that he'd misdiagnosed Steve's condition! Steve and Sophia celebrated his narrow escape! :) Ethan reads a book with our new babysitter Jessica... Our friends Elin and Amalia (also twins!) celebrated their first birthday this past weekend. Elin is in the pretty satin dress and Niels (in the blue and white stripes) is crawling beside her. Jessica with Maya and Joshua... Nancy with Niels... Sophia checks out Marcus's iPhone with Steve... Steve, Sophia, Marcus, and Finn... Ethan and Sophia had fun playing at the restaurant after we had lunch with Grandma Chrisanne and Grandpa Bernie... What's wrong with this picture?? Ethan and Sophia can't wait for their birthday! :)
It's hard to believe that it's been almost a year since Sophia and Ethan joined us in the world, and hard to believe that their first presidential election will be such a historic one! Congratulations President Obama!
Ethan and Sophia are quickly becoming toddlers and have made some major developmental leaps during the past few weeks! Both Ethan and Sophia will now clap both spontaneously and will also clap in response to someone clapping for them.
Their receptive language continues to get better and better - they know body parts including: tongue, feet, toes, hands, fingers, knees, elbows, belly button, and nose. I may be missing some, but they also understand yes and no, food, eat, bottle, milk, poop-poop (dirty diaper), do you need a change?, nap-nap (tired), more, all done (eating), and come-come (come here).
Sophia and Ethan are also both crawling up a storm. They've started doing this flanking maneuver. I'm not sure who exactly decides where they're going to go, but they'll often take off in the same direction at the same time and arrive at the same object. We haven't been able to catch it on video yet, but we're working on it - we think it's hilarious!
Ethan Ethan is now pulling himself up to standing from a belly position. In the past he would pull himself up from a sitting position when we sat him in front of the gate, but he is now going from his belly to kneeling to standing up on some toys (he's still working on pulling up to standing on the mirror in the hallway). He's also scooting along the gate and couch.
Ethan now enjoys playing catch. When we roll a ball to him, he will roll it back or hand it back to us (after giving it a little lick).
While Ethan does push up to all fours, he prefers to crawl army-style on his tummy. It is surprising to watch him outpace Sophia when he crawls (glides?) across the hardwood floors. He is an explorer! After meals I let Ethan and Sophia explore the house while I clean up. It started out as just letting them explore the kitchen, but they soon took off out the kitchen and into the dining room, hallway, and living room. They love it!
Ethan now has 8 teeth and counting!
Sophia Sophia finally has two bottom teeth! She's been drooling and madly chewing on things, so we think she'll be catching up with Ethan on the tooth front soon.
On October 14th, Sophia said "nana" meaning "banana". We were eating a piece of bread and a banana and I tried to give her a piece of bread and she reached for the banana and said, "nana". I gave her a piece of banana and then tried to give her bread again. Again, she reached for the banana and said, "nana". Her first word other than mum-mum or da-da. Amazing, eh?
Sophia is now not only pulling up on things, but she's also STANDING on her own. She'll push herself up to standing and then just hang out. She likes to raise her hands up above her head while she's standing in one long, tall stretch. It is so cute and we're all very excited and proud. She's also scooting along the gate and the couch, and is also making a leap between our learning cube and the "house" we have in the play room. Walking may just be closer than we think!
The leaves here are turning colors and are slowly falling off the trees... Ethan pulls up to standing to get a toy on one of the higher shelves. Ethan stands at the toy bins. Ethan holds up a toy to show Sophia... Ethan wonders what Sophia has found back down on the floor...The play group (from the left) - Ethan, Amalia, Maya, Joshua, Sophia, and Elin Play date at Katie Leiserson's house - Sophia, Ethan, and Katie Sophia and Ethan had a great time playing with Katie's play table... Sophia and Ethan... Ethan drinks a bottle on the Leisersons' big bean bag...
Sophia joined Ethan on the bean bag for a bottle. Then Katie noticed Ethan and Sophia's bottles and started to climb up to join them also... Sophia can't believe that Ethan is pulling up! Ethan and Sophia love to hook their feet under their trays when they eat... Ethan and Sophia often hold hands when they're eating... One of Ethan and Sophia's favorite pasttimes now - playing with the full-length mirror in the hallway... Ethan enjoys having the mirror to himself while Sophia explores the hallway (note her feet to the right)... Sophia's "WOW" face... Sophia, Dad-Dad, and Ethan (pre-bath on Saturday morning)... Our only Halloween costume shot taken at the Mothers of Twins Halloween Party. Ethan is the tiger on the left, and Sophia is the giraffe on the right...
10.17.08 :: Playing with the activity mat - I had put this activity mat in a pile of old toys to go to the basement, but during one of their explorations, Sophia and Ethan found it and seemed to really enjoy looking it again. So I set it up for them in the play room.
10.22.08 :: Playing in the kitchen (coke cans) - Ethan figured out that when he pulls the side of the box, the coke cans make a nice gong sound!
10.22.08 :: Playing in the kitchen (box) - Ethan and Sophia play with a good old cardboard box
Sophia joined in the fun...
Ethan, Yaya, and Sophia deal with a slight traffic jam on the playroom expressway... Sophia tried to merge while Ethan was making a left turn... They'll learn the rules of the road eventually... For now whoever maintains their balance longest has the right of way...
Sophia...
Ethan and his reindeer...
Sophia and her blanket (and her baby)...
The Thanksgiving crowd... Sophia, Ethan, Steve, Grandpa Bernie, Papu, Yaya, and Grandma Chrisanne...
We're so thankful for our family! Sophia, Steph, Steve and Ethan...
Ethan and Sophia kick back, cross their feet, and drink bottles after a great Thanksgiving dinner...
We realized that we didn't get any good shots of the birthday shirts we had for Sophia and Ethan... So we dressed them up for a re-take. Sophia was glad to be in her cute shirt again!
...Ethan also celebrated the chance to wear his birthday shirt once more! :)
Sophia rests up to meet Santa. She looked so big and long and grown up to me today...
Ethan LOVED Santa... Especially his white beard and white furry cuffs... :)
...Sophia was not as big a fan... 
...so Grandma Chrisanne jumped into the photo...
...we never did get that all-smiling group shot, we did have fun trying! We're also looking forward to Santa's visit (after Sophia is asleep!) later this month! :)
