10 Months and crawling....

My First
Mother's Day

Maia sitting on Callia's lap watching a few minutes of Baby Einstein

Callia: "Go Red Sox!"

Mommy & Maia

Maia "watching" her first Red Sox game with Daddy

It is so hard to believe the girls are already 10 months old. They are keeping us very busy now that both are crawling and pulling themselves up to stand! Maia has figured out how to get herself down from standing on one knee and Callia still needs assistance. They follow each other around the room now very interested in what the other is doing.

Well, I know most parents talk about how brilliant their kids are but Callia and Maia really are! :) Callie is still babbling but more focused on her new found physical skills. She can now clap her hands and raise her hands up when you say "Touchdown!" It's adorable the way she and Maia will do it at the same time. Callia has become more assertive with the toys she has and has started taking them back from Maia. She still enjoys seeing people and reading lots of books.

Maia has started using sign language and vocal sounds to communicate with us. When I ask if she would like more of something she either makes a happy little coo or does the sign for "more" (putting the tips of her fingers together). She also does things like put her foot out for me to put a sock on it or hold her hand out when she sees the nail clipper. Maia has this new fake cry that is so funny...very hard to describe but one night she did it at dinner and Jason and I laughed at her. She looked at us and actually started to really cry complete with "the lip" (for anyone who has ever seen her do that). The girls entertain us daily and we are so thankful to have them!

Here comes the Sun...

Basking in the sunlight

We have enjoyed beautiful weather over the past few days and have been taking full advantage of getting outside! One of our favorite things is just hanging out on a blanket in our front yard with some toys, books and bubbles! Sometimes our neighbors will stop over to say hi and we love seeing everyone. There are 12 kids on our street (with another on it's way) and among them are 4 mth old twin girls! Who would have imagined two sets of twin girls on the same little street?

Callia playing ball

Maia, wondering what to do next

Callia taking out a book to "read"

Maia, discovering new places to hide

Happy Spring!

Maia and Callia with Easter Bunnies

Maia's first swing ride

Callia's first swing ride

We are so happy that Spring is slowly creeping in. It has been such a long Winter to be inside and our living room is not so entertaining any more. We have been able to get out for some long walks lately - especially helpful since we are having some construction on our house and naptime is easier when we are out walking.

Callia is very close to rolling. She is schooching backwards and twisting more. I can imagine she is a bit frustrated seeing her sister moving all around. She really loves to sit in front of their book basket and pull out a bunch of books, sometimes opening them up to look at the pictures. It amazes me how much they both love stories at just about 9 months old! There are certain books that Callia responds to like "The Very Hungry Caterpillar"; she smiles and laughs at the end when he turns into a "beautiful butterfly". She also "smells" flowers in books and smelled a real one out in our garden the other day! Her smile still brightens my day and I have been calling her "Sunny". Both she and Maia are trying all kinds of new foods and Maia tends to love everything, Callia not so much. But we keep trying. They are both picking up Cheerios now so we are starting some finger foods. Can't wait until they can feed themselves!

Maia is crawling everywhere now and is trying to pull up to stand! She loves to find the toy baskets and tip them over so she can help herself. She also got her first tooth last week and is using it to bite down on the rubber tipped spoon when I feed her. She continues to make us laugh without trying by just making goofy faces. She laughs when she is tossed into the air, upside down or moved in any way. She likes to do downward facing dog (yoga pose) and we are practicing forward rolls (prepping for the Olympics someday). One cute thing Maia does now is she gathers all three of the "lovies" (small blanket animals) at bedtime to snuggle with. We usually just give her one and the others are in the corners but she now reaches out to get them to go to sleep!

Jason and I are doing well and excited for Spring. I look forward to getting out into my garden and Jason can't wait to start mowing the lawn again (ha ha). We are about to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary in a few weeks and have planned a night out in Boston while our fabulous babysitter, Jenna stays with the girls. Have I mentioned how much we LOVE Jenna? I feel so lucky to have found her as she does so much to help us and takes incredible care of the girls. They truly adore her, as do we.

Happy Springtime to all!

Callia with her new BFF, Elmo

Maia practicing guitar with Daddy

Mamamamama.....

Yes, you guessed it. Callia is saying "mamamama" and it was wonderful to hear her little voice for the first time! She has been practicing her consonants for a long time now: "mmmm, fffff, ththth" but I had never heard her put a vowel with any of them. Although I would love to think she is saying "Mama", she may just be exploring the sounds. However, she did look right at me the other day and say, "Mama". Now she has moved on to "babababa" which Jason thinks she is really trying to say "dada". I think someone is a little jealous...:) Callia is also playing peek-a-boo on her own covering her face with fabric and taking it off when we say, "Peek-a-boo!" It is so adorable.

Maia has still not officially crawled yet but can get herself to wherever she wants to go. She loves to do her new yoga pose, "downward dog" and still laughs at just about anything. Her new trick as of this morning is giving us a "High Five".

The cats are doing so much better after we implemented some of the suggestions the behaviorist gave us. I am sure the Prozac has nothing to do with it. It is amazing how just adding some things have really changed their behavior (e.g. cat tree, 3rd litter box, places to hide). Needless to say it is a little less stressful in our home these days.

Happy Spring!

Latest developments of Maia & Callia

Fun shirts from an Isis Maternity friend

Callia & Maia enjoying their new alphabet puzzle mat from Grandma & Granddad!

Callia loves her carrots!

Maia doing yoga

Practicing sitting up

Daddy goofing around with his girls

Callia intently reading

Maia & her jungle jumperoo!

Maia & Callia with Aunt Alexandra (our great friend)

As the girls are approaching 8 months in a few weeks, we are amazed at how quickly time is going by with their many new acquired skills!

Callia is still laid back and a happy girl although she definitely has found her voice and tells us when she does not want something. She is so social and just loves to "talk" to anyone who smiles at her. She is sitting up very well with only a little support from a pillow. Still not very interested in rolling but she is "thinking about it." Callia's new tricks are sitting up, grabbing her feet, staring with amazement at her fingers moving and taking a toy from her sister.

Maia is rolling everywhere! She does not confine herself to any blanket or foam alphabet mat we have down for she likes to explore everything! I often find her at the edge of the blanket in our living room playing with the fringes of the carpet. Maia continues to find everything funny. She giggles at certain sounds, words, motions...right now she laughs when I say, "Pssst.." Maia's favorite activities are rolling, kicking her legs, arching her back, jumping in her jumperoo (the funniest thing you have ever seen)...anything physical. We went through about two weeks of her waking up every hour most every night. We are not sure if it is teething/tummy issues but we hope it has resolved itself for now.

Both girls are going through a growth spurt and eating 3 solid meals per day plus bottles. They have just tried Cheerios and are not completely sure about them but are giving them a chance. We are all so anxious for warmer weather as it is so hard to be stuck inside all the time. Mommy and Daddy really like the time change since they are now waking at 6:30 instead of 5:30 and going to bed a little later. I am trying to get them to consolidate their 3 naps per day into two but it is taking some time. They just can't make it all the way yet and have a really hard time getting to bed at night if they are over tired. All in all, they are very happy babies who are wanting to explore everything. We are almost done with babyproofing but still need to get those gates up!

As far as the cats go, we have decided to consult a Cat Behaviorist to help us with Anya and Owen. We thought long and hard about what to do and although it would be easier to find another home for Owen, we don't think we will be able to so quickly and I refuse to put him in a shelter - he would be miserable. So for the time being, he goes in the basement when other people are here and we look forward to hearing what the behaviorist has to say. He actually loves the girls right now and likes to come around and hang out with us. He is very sweet with them but we will have to be careful when they are even more mobile and can start pulling his tail.

Hope you like the recent pictures!

Heartbroken...

It is with great sadness, that we have decided to find Owen a home that is better suited for him. He is a sweet, loving cat who loves to play and snuggle on a lap. However, he is very stressed about having babies in our house and has become a bit aggressive (not to the babies at this point). I am so incredibly sad but know it is better for all of us if he is in a home with no children or other pets. If anyone knows of someone looking to have a nine yr old cat, who is a great, loving companion, please let me know.

New pics January 2009