Oh So Much Is Happening!

It's so exciting to watch as Abby and Jimmy learn new things and reach new milestones. I am addicted to reading books similar to "What to Expect the First Year" and the week by week books. So I know what is supposed to happen around certain weeks. And then I wait and watch... and surprise, things start happening.
These are the newest things both Jimmy and Abby are doing these days...

They both found their hands. They stare at them and have started sucking on their fists. I had no idea hands could be so exciting and tasty!

They both have begun following us around the room with their eyes. They are very interested in what we are doing, so much so that it seems to distract them from falling asleep for their naps. So Jim and I have to sometimes hide out behind their bouncer, swing or whatever contraption we are trying to get them to fall asleep in. (no cribs for naps...yet!)

Oh and the smiles... they come all the time now! It is so fun to watch them look up at us, or their favorite toys and smile, sometimes the biggest smile imaginable. They smile when we smile; they smile randomly; and they smile when playing with certain toys. Their smiles most certainly melt our hearts and make the difficult times all worth it. Here are some big smiles while playing on their jungle playmat:


Well, I guess it is hard to get the babies to nap in the bouncers, because they have so much fun playing in them! They love to bat at the animals that hang on the toy bar above them. We have affectionately named the animals for them... Larry the Lion and Gina the Giraffe are some of Abby's favorites in the blue bouncer and Tommy the Turtle, Fred the Frog and Sally the Snail are loved by Jimmy on the green bouncer. Both babies use both bouncers, neither being an absolute favorite. Watching the babies play by themselves in the bouncers is much fun! They smile and (dare I say) giggle up at the toys for a while!


The nights are going much better these days. Both Abby and Jimmy slept 5-6 hours on Oct 31-Nov 1. YAY! I would like to think it was because they were all tuckered out from pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating on Halloween, but they napped during pumpkin carving and we didn't do any trick-or-treating at all. They did participate in a photo shoot (as always - I love pictures) and we came up with this adorable 1st Halloween picture (ha - Jimmy has his sneeze face on... not sure if he sneezed after but it sure looks like he is going to!):



Abby loves looking in mirror on changing table. Thanks Lina for sending us this marvelous gift - I bet you had no idea what a hit it would be! Abs (yes, I have shortened Abigail to Abby, and Abby to Abs!) loves to stare at it, bat at it and push it around. Jimmy isn't interested in it in the least though. Check out our little Abs and her favorite toy:

Tummy time with the babies is going great. Both Abby and Jimmy seem to enjoy being on their tummies and they are doing great with their neck and head stability. Sometimes there are still face plants that happen where their face meets the ground, but those are starting to be few and far between. They make the cutest noises too while on their tummies. It's only a matter of time before they are pros at holding their heads up!




Jim and I are starting to really get to know the babies and figure out what different cries and noises mean. And both Jimmy and Abby are giving out cues to help too. They both are starting to rub their eyes when they are tired. This is new for them and it is nice to use as a signal to start to wind them down for a nap.

Jimmy and Abby are both starting to love being carried around in the Baby Bjorn. It is nice to use on occasion because if one of them is sleeping, but the other is fussy, we can pop them in the Baby Bjorn and walk around getting some stuff down. And it works out because they seem to love it! I guess it is even relaxing enough to sleep in. Ha!



Well, on the not as exciting, and more frustrating front, both Abby and Jimmy hate, and I mean HATE, when we take the bottle away to burp them. We are only stopping to burp them once during the feeding and then after (as the gas issues have significantly improved at this point). Well, it just isn't even possible at this point to get through a feeding without a bout of crying, and sometimes all out screaming, when the bottle is taken away for the shortest second to burp! Jim and I have figured out that the paci in place of the bottle during the burping session works as a nice distraction, but I imagine it is only a matter of time before they catch on a realize our ploy. :-) So far so good though!

And here is my absolute favorite picture right now! I love my Team Mommy/Team Daddy babies.