Peaceful slumber...

Maia Callia

All is going well for us as Maia and Callia officially turned 4 months old on the 19th. They are both amazing little human beings who delight us every single day. The first thing they do every morning when I approach their cribs is present me with a huge smile and sometimes a giggle. This is my favorite moment of every day! They are truly happy little babies who just love to be spoken and sung to, but also value their "independent time" sitting in their bouncy seats or together on their "aqua mat". It is so fun to watch them interact as they will coo back and forth with their own secret language. Maia especially looks up to her "big sister" and smiles from ear to ear when she sees her.

Jason has been working incredibly hard on a very important project he is leading for his company. He has a major demo coming up on Dec 4 and is working many nights and weekends to make sure this demo goes without a hitch. We are very proud of him here but miss him terribly. Luckily, the girls and I have had many people helping us while Jason works so much. Thank you to Alexandra, Jen R, Linda, Susan, Gillian (our fabulous babysitter), Audrey and others who have helped me put the girls to bed this past week. The girls (and I) were having a hard time going to sleep at night and putting them to bed by myself was hard. It took all of these wonderful people and a full week of letting them cry a little to get to an evening where I put them to sleep and I haven't heard a peep from them since 6:30 pm. Phew! It was hard work, but I finally feel like we are establishing more of a routine around sleeping and it is pretty easy to put them down.

Anyway, I so enjoy my days with these amazing babies. They are smiling , giggling, "talking", grasping objects, etc. They are each over 13 lbs and of average weight and height, according to our pediatrician. She thinks they are wonderful babies and I would have to agree!

We are looking forward to the holidays with them and we are so very thankful to have Callia and Maia in our lives.

Sleeping "Through the Night"

The girls are nearing their official 4 month birthday but are now 16 weeks and doing many new and exciting things! First and foremost, they generally sleep through the night now with the occasional waking. Getting them to go to sleep, however has been challenging but once they are really sleeping, they will wake usually around 6:30 or 7 am - we feed them at 10:30 or 11pm and so that is 8 hours!!! I have moved back into our bedroom and so it feels to me that the girls are all grown up now, having their own room!

We are currently taking another Isis Maternity class and learning great things about their development at this stage. They are able to "sit up" a bit more with assistance like in an excersaucer or Bumbo seat. They are also grasping onto toys more often and putting them in their mouths. I really think they are starting to teethe because both girls tend to chew on their hands quite a lot. They find some relief with a frozen washcloth but there is nothing like a hand!

Their favorite activity continues to be cooing and gooing at each other and with mommy and daddy. Callia is especially social and "talks" to all people when we are out. She "chatted" with the woman sitting next to me at Mommy and Baby Yoga and won the heart of our Isis instructor as she "sang" along with the songs she was singing in class. Maia is still so animated and loves being sung to and read to.

Jason is extremely busy at work these days but after December 4th when he has a demo for a project he is working on, things will calm down for him. We miss seeing more of him but he always finds time to spend quality time with his girls each day. I am busy trying to keep the house afloat - always a bottle to wash - but it is easier these days to get to some things now that the girls sometimes nap at the same time. Plus, our wonderful babysitter, Gillian (who comes twice a week) takes great care of the girls so I can actually go out and run errands, knowing they are in great hands.

We all took an Infant Sign Language class at Isis and learned great ways to incorporate signs into our day. The girls love any song I sing that has hand motions so it has been fairly entertaining for them to watch me sign "thank you" and "more" among others. Just another fun way to teach language development!

Maia being animated

Callia in her Bumbo seat

BFF's

Happy Halloween!

We had such a nice evening and so much fun seeing Maia and Callia in their Halloween costumes. Callia, the sweet kitty cat, did not love her hood on and cried until we took it off. She rarely cries so we knew it really bothered her as she has never likes to wear hats. Maia, the adorable pumpkin, seemed very content in her role as a pumpkin - although, she took a little snooze in the sling while some trick-or-treaters came. It was fun to introduce the girls to some of our neighbors who hadn't met them yet.