Cooking

The girls have really gotten into pretend play recently. It's adorable. They can spend an hour diapering their babies (and like to use every cloth diaper we own for this).

They also like to cook. We have a toy grill outside and they make hotdogs and pizza in the fake oven (its a grill/brick oven. They have nicer stuff than we do). 

They also really adore our new stool and are learning to help us cook for real. Most recently Quinn helped put the cheese on our pizza and Avery helped me make cookies. She was shockingly good at putting the flour in the bowl. She's also a kid after my own heart and kept trying to eat the dough (sorry kid, momma can give herself salmonella but not you)

At the moment they're parading around with gift bags talking about leaving to go shopping. Hysterical. 

Two

Incredible. 

The girls' birthday was on a Monday, so they had cake at daycare...and again at home after presents :)

An hour or so before officially two!

Cake at school!

Favorite present, hah!

And this weekend we had a small party with some family and a couple of friends. We kind of dropped the ball on invitations and not many people were available - plus all the summer vacations- but it was a nice size for our small house :)

More cake!

Two Year Well Visit

 We had our two year old well visit last night, and it was kind of awesome.  We talked a bit before going about what the doctor would do, and they were apprehensive going in, but generally did really well.  They weren't that excited about sitting on the scale or being measured, but we counted to ten while the nurse did it, and they did ok! The only major tears were when the doctor looked in Quinn's ears.  They also got one shot (Hep A), and the doctor used numbing spray this time and there weren't even tears...

 After she went, Quinn did say "Avery turn!" I guess she wanted to make sure Avery suffered like she did ;)  And they both got Daffy Duck bandaids, which were pretty exciting, even the next morning!

 The other bonus of our well visit is the doctor was ok with their 24-32 oz average milk consumption (being honest, Quinn pretty much always gets 32 oz). She said there's some new research indicating high calcium and vitamin D intake as babies breeds taller children.  Our homework is to start multivitamins and get to the dentist.

 

percentiles from this site for actual age. I THINK it uses the CDC and not WHO charts, but whatever, good for scanning curves at least. It also reports anything under 5th percentile as 5th percentile, which is ridiculous...Quinn has never been ON the CDC chart.

Quinn
Birth: 3 lbs 8 oz & 16 inches
1 month (40w gestational): 5 lbs 13 oz (5th) & 19 inches (5th)
2 months: 7 lbs 13 oz (5th) & 20.5 inches (5th)
3 months: 9 lbs 9 oz (5th) & 22.5 inches (29th)
4 months: 10 lbs 9 oz (5th) and 23 inches (16th)
6 months: 12 lbs 0 oz (5th) and 24.75 inches (24th) 
9 months:  13 lbs 14 oz (5th) and 26 inches (38th)
12 months: 15 lbs 14oz (5th) and 28 inches (25th)
14 months: 17 lbs 6 oz (5th) and 28 inches (8th)
18 months: 19 lbs 5 oz (5th) and 31.25 inches (51st)
24 months: 21 lbs 7 oz (5th ) and 34 inches (66th)  (according to this site about 8th and 50th on WHO)

Avery
Birth: 5 lbs 0 oz (5th) & 17 3/4 inches (5th)
1 month (40w gestational): 7 lbs 13 oz (7th) and 20 inches (38th)
2 months: 8 lbs 14 oz (9th) and 22 inches (46th)
3 months: 10 lbs 4 oz (10th) and 24 inches (80th)
4 months: 11 lbs 13 oz (12th) and 24 1/4 inches (60th)  
6 months: 13 lbs 2 oz (6th) and 26 inches (71st)
9 months: 15 lbs 6 oz (5th) and 27 inches (47th)
12 months: 16 lbs 14 oz (5th)  and 28 inches (25th)
14 months:  18 lbs 4 oz (5th) and 28.5 inches (16th)
18 months: 20 lbs 4 oz (5th ) and 31.25 inches (51st)  
24 months: 22 lbs 5 oz (5th) and 33 inches (33rd) (around 13th and 21st on WHO)

After our poor weight gain months last year, it's super awesome to see their weight tick up a bit. Quinn's still way below the weight for length CDC chart and just below 2% on WHO, and I feel bad you can see her ribs, but is what it is. Avery is just over the 3rd percentile line now on CDC and a bit over 10th on WHO...they're just going to be skinny kids.  The pediatrician isn't worried anymore, so I am trying hard not to be. And it keeps them economical - they're still wearing some tees, skirts and dresses from last summer. You don't hear of a lot of 2 year olds doing that :)
And Quinn is offically taller - considering she started out almost 2 inches shorter, I am impressed!

Two tomorrow

I can't even wrap my head around this.

They're so big and such toddlers now. 

Winter boots on July 27 at the mall. And sitting is protest at said mall. 

Climbing around a mid sized play set with minimal hovering. And only one mom. (That's probably another post)

Diapering their babies. 

Knocking on the backdoor in the 9 month dresses. Um. Yeah. They'll look awesome with jeggings as tunics this fall though. 

Getting In Trouble at daycare ;)

23 months.

How are they almost two? I feel guilty calling them one year olds now, "just one" and similar, but am eating it up while I can. They are just not babies anymore and I am not sure I am ready. 

They're just so BIG now. I mean, they're still petite, but all of a sudden they are looking and behaving like little kids. Well, true toddlers. They (mostly Avery) tumble. They wash their hands. They have opinions and give orders and pretend to diaper themselves, toys and each other (mostly Quinn). They sing and talk and make requests. They eat cereal with milk and a spoon for heaven's sake!

All of a sudden their feet grew and shoes that were falling off in April when I bought them are perfect now. They wear pebbles ponytails most days (though Avery sometimes comes home from daycare with a real ponytail). I think they are going to get their first haircut this month.

They're really incredible. We are so lucky. 

Words and words and words

The girls are talking so much now. It's just crazy. At Christmas, just shy of 17 months, I counted over 60 words, signs and sounds. I have no idea how many they have now, but it is a lot, and they're adding  more every day. They'll repeat pretty much any word you say to them. It really started picking up around 20 months and got dramatic around 21.5. 

 They're both speaking in simple sentences, especially Quinn. Avery sticks to things like "milk please" and "mamma up you" while Quinn says things like "Avery come here sit down!!!"  Avery is really into singing and will serenade you with "old mc Donald" or "twinkle twinkle" (complete with signs) randomly. Last week she sang the "rain rain go away" gone randomly on her own after hearing it once in the morning! Sponges!!!

It's really funny and fascinating to see their personalities continue to develop. Avery is physically bossy, a thief and a pusher while Quinn is more into words. She'll collapse on the floor screaming about how she was wronged - "Annie broom! broom! Mama! Annie no!!"  Quinn is also a bit more rule oriented. So far Avery spend more time in time out, often twice in a row, and Quinn will come over repeating the offense "no touch baby grass! Ouchies". She may be a tattle eventually. 

Life with twins

The girls are doing so many funny things now. I try and try to video them, but mostly I have videos of nothingness and screaming. They know the camera is there ;)

Their new obsession is the rocking chair in their room. They have started sitting in it and having milk while we (moms) read books sitting on the floor ;) sometimes they will start to get ready to sleep and pat (read: beat) each others backs. At daycare, their teachers (well, only their favorite, because they won't go to sleep for anyone but Ms. Caroline) pat and rub their backs and they expect the same at home. Sorry kids. Do each other. Momma doesn't hang out that long after bedtime ;)

Tonight Quinn bucked the trend though and pulled a diaper out of the box, laid it out on the floor, and demanded Avery get down and get changed. This didn't totally progress, but they spent a good five minutes pretend changing each other, diaper cream and all. Hilarious.