16 Month Old Girls with Proud Parents!

Over the past month the girls have been really growing. As from the post earlier, you all know that Olivia started walking. As of right now, she is attempting to walk really fast. Almost running. Oh boy, she will be a hard one to catch I'm sure. But the new news is about Juliana! She started walking a few days ago. Her sister was the first to see as they were playing in the kitchen and I heard them giggling so I went to check it out. There Juliana was on her feet taking a few steps! She would fall and then pick herself back up and try again. For the days following she has been practicing every moment she gets. However, if she is wanting to get somewhere really fast she resorts to old habits and crawls. Olivia on the other hand does not crawl very much anymore. She rather use her feet.

I love seeing my little ones achieve a new stage in life. They actually play more when they are both on their feet. Almost like they need to share in the fun of walking. Besides walking we are talking and making more messes. Now that we are mobile the bookshelves are bare on occasion. One interest that the girls have acquired is Precious, our toy rat terrier. Olivia will go around the house holding a tennis ball saying "Pre Pre" and Juliana has learned that she can pet Precious. To our surprise, Precious will lay there and let Juliana pet her back and head. They will even give each other kisses, which is quite humorous. I would definitely call these "Precious moments."

 Precious and Juliana exchanging kisses.

 Precious and Juli playing.

Since Daddy is working long hours that means that the girls go with Mama on her errands around town. Usually we need to keep them limited to one store. Walmart would be one of those stores. It is the most fun to shop in (sarcastically said) because I can't get in and out due to the twin factor. I put Juliana in the seat in front of me and Olivia in the back with some toys. The moment I enter the store, I get people looking at me saying "oh! look how cute, she has two!" The other comment I get is "are they twins?" (Note they are dressed alike and they are the same size and look exactly alike). I find this one humorous as well. Now that we are in the store and attempting to go down the cosmetic aisle Olivia has made six friends. My child is so social she has asked every stranger to pick her up and carry her around. Most people don't and just settle for a hug, but yesterday there was a lady that asked me if she could. Erring on the side of caution, I let her. I don't know what it was, but after she put her back into the basket, she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said it made her day. I guess my children have that kind heart that can touch a soul. I only hope they continue to hold that kind of attitude throughout their life. After our cosmetic adventure we travel on to the baby section to get some food and diapers. This is where the fun begins. My children start screaming because they want food, which by the way, I just fed them. To distract them, I hand Olivia a red ball. She sat on it! You know those exercise balls that are made for adults? I just found one for my child...ah ha ha ha. She sat holding on to the side of the basket and bounced on it. This has been the new thing in our home.

 Olivia with her ball. 

 Olivia playing with her ball. 

Sweet Olivia.

Olivia has an attachment to this red ball. She picks it up and walks around the house with it. Juliana will attempt to play with her and Olivia starts screaming at her. Oh boy, maybe I should have bought two. Even "Pre Pre" is not allowed to play with it. So Juliana and Precious started playing together and left Olivia out. One day they will learn to share.

 Olivia saying No to her sister playing with the ball. 

Juliana and Precious playing together.

Some of you would probably like an update on how the girls are doing with their eating. This has been a challange as most of you know, but recently we have been trying new things. So far waffles are alright even if they have milk in them, they have also had graham crackers and seem to do fine. Fruit seems to be a better issue as well. I did not want to try strawberries yet, but blueberries are at the top of the girls list!

Today we went blueberry picking. This was the girls' first time out in the heat with Mama picking blueberries and eating them too. Every time I would pick one, Juliana would take it out of my hand and eat it. Really funny fact....when I went to change her diaper, it had a slight smell of blueberries. I know, sick, but true. The girls loved them. They started out with blackberries and the juice would run down their mouth. So cute. They really seemed to enjoy it. I love these memories and look forward to making more as the girls grow. We are really entering into the fun stage.

 Juliana and Olivia eating blackberries.

Us girls out pickin'

Juliana and Olivia are into expressing themselves. They will point to things they want and say "tat" or "tat pees". We say our prayers and they fold their hands and say "Ah um" at the end. They are singing the letter part of Old McDonald and also making the sounds of animals in the song. They are showing frustration and empathy through their moods. One instance was when I had both girls in the tub and Juliana decided to stand. I told her to sit down, but instead of listening, she tried to get away from me. She slipped and caught herself, but did hit her chin on the side of the tub. This resulted in wailing. I immediately took her out of the tub to see if she was alright (which she was) and held her while she wailed. Olivia didn't like her sister crying like that and took it upon herself to quit playing in the tub and climb out onto my lap. So here I sit, one towel, two sopping wet toddlers and one is screaming. I tried to put Olivia down and she started to cry. Knowing that Olivia can walk now, I left her naked in the bathroom and took Juliana in her bedroom and here comes Olivia toddling in, watching me dress her sister. After Juliana was finished I promptly put a diaper on Olivia and finished our normal night routine with the girls.

Juliana expressing her happiness!

So many adventures in this house there is no room for dull moments. Really, I think I would miss it all if I was away from them. As much as we all need our peace, we find so much joy through our girls. Life would not be the same without them. They are precious little angels (most of the time). These 16 months have been a blessing. I look forward to another one.

Never Been More Proud

Today the girls decided that they were going to practice their standing and walking. Olivia would walk out to the middle of the floor and then fall, crawl back to the chair and pull up and try again, she did this for 15 minutes straight. I think I am going to have my hands more full then they have ever been.

I am so proud of my Juliana today. She started walking yesterday but I could never catch it on camera. She decided to try something new today. To stand independently and even take a few steps. She is one amazing little girl.

Juliana, Mama and Daddy are so proud of you. Both you and your sister are the most awesome children we could ever have. Keep practicing my baby. You will be running in no time.

We're Walking!

Today Olivia decided she would try walking. I got in the play pen with her and asked her to walk to me. At first she didn't know if she could lift that foot, but she began to teeter from one foot to the other. After a couple of teeters, she picked up her foot and took a step, balanced and then took another step. I was so excited for her, I grabbed the video camera, for sure that she would not walk again. To my amazement, once I started the camera, she walked again to me. It is really amazing to me that she has been the first to do everything. First to roll over, first to crawl, and now first to walk. I think she is trying to make up for the fact that she was the second born. Juliana will be there right behind her grabbing at those heels. Once that happens, we will be sure to video her as well.

Mama and Daddy are so proud of you Olivia! You are going to be running around this place before we know it. Love you baby.

15 Months Old

It has been another fantastic month with our girls. I am reporting to those who are interested, the girls are still crawling. No worries. Juliana can walk holding onto one hand, but still a little unstable. Olivia really prefers not to try. They are using more words to ask for things or reject them in some cases. One case is when Olivia is done drinking water she will push the cup away and say "no". If she is done with something she will say "all duh". Both girls can say " A, B, C" and of course other words like thank you and ok. It is so amazing to see them develop so fast and use their words already.

Olivia Judith

Juliana Grace

With their everyday expanding vocabulary, they are expanding in size as well. 12 month clothes are getting a little tight and 18 month clothes are too big. We have a few clothes that are 12-18 months and that seems to be the size that fits them the best. When I have to tug a little to get a shirt over their head, I think it is time to move on to a bigger shirt. Olivia doesn't like that so much when Mama tries to fit her head in clothes that are not her size. I just can't believe that they are so big! Juliana weighs in at 19.5 pounds and Olivia weighs in at 20 pounds. We are very close to being able to switch their seats to be facing forward. Once Juliana hits 20 pounds we are safe. That will be nice to be able to see their faces.

Olivia

Juliana

The girls look forward to their weekends, since this is the time that they are able to spend with their daddy. Mike has started his new job about 2 weeks ago and is working really hard. The girls miss him terribly, but sometimes they will have a special morning where they will wake up early and get to eat breakfast with their daddy. These are rare, but cherished moments. This makes for a good day for everyone. We love him so much and are very proud of what he does for us.

 Watching the sunrise with Daddy.

Olivia playing with Daddy

This month we took a short family vacation to go see Opa and Oma Colburn. The girls had a great time playing with the toys and spending time with Oma and Opa. They even got to ride on Opa's tractor for the first time ever! How exciting it was.

 Opa pulling us in the trailer.

 Opa and Olivia

Opa and Juliana

Opa and Oma with the girls.

 Our little family.

On another note, life here has been really busy with daddy at work, and keeping up with two little ones. We have been so blessed to have friends that help us with babysitting and just calling us to come to the pool. The girls received their first floating devices from Auntie Dawn and Uncle Greg. A bee and a ladybug. (Pictures to come). It was a blast having them float around the pool. Olivia is still a little withdrawn when it comes to water, but we are hoping that by the end of the summer, she will love it.

All in all, 14 months are now over and 15 month twin girls are making their debut. Can't wait to see what this month will bring.

 Olivia 

Juliana and Olivia

I Love You

To my dear sweet loves of my life-

I am writing you this letter to express how much you mean to me. I have never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever have two of you at once. At first, I was scared to have you. I was afraid I would not be a good enough Mama to keep your booties wiped, your mouths fed, and little hands out of trouble, but the one thing I knew from the very beginning was how much I was going to love you.

Your Mama.

I love you when you scream and I can't hear my own voice, I love you when you throw blocks on the floor, spit water after drinking, or when you feed the dog Cheerios. I love you when you pitch a fit, throw your lovie, or take off your pants. I even love you when you crawl away when I try to change your diaper. I love you when you pull your hair bow out after I have it perfectly in place.

 Olivia

Juliana

I love you when you say Mama, and Dada, I love you when you wake up from your nap and want to cuddle, I love you when you say Amen "Ah-um", and when you throw something on the floor and say "uh-oh". I love you when you touch my nose. I love you when you reach for me with your whole body, I love you when you play together and laugh so loud. I love you when you play with my puffy paints, and when you play with the dog. I love you when you try to blow bubbles in the water and cry when you enter the pool. I love you when you rest your head on my shoulder when I rock you and sing in the car to your Zoo CD.

 My girls crammed in their block basket.

Olivia and Juliana with a sock in her mouth.

There are so many other things I love about you Juliana and Olivia. I am so proud to be your Mama and will love you with all my heart for the rest of my life. God has blessed me with two beautiful girls and it is my prayer that you will love Him as I love you.

Sleep tight my little ones. Tomorrow is another day full of love.

With all my heart and soul-

Your Mama (xoxo)

Feel Better Soon Aunt Ruthie!

This week my Aunt Ruthie is recovering from being in the hospital and we wanted to cheer her up as she likes to read blogs about the girls. So Aunt Ruthie this is for you:

Dear Aunt Ruthie-

We are sorry you were not feeling well and hope that you get better real soon. We wish we could be there to give you lots of hugs and kisses, (especially Juliana's love bites). We are sending lots of warm hugs and kisses your way as you recover and want you to know that we love you very much.

Take care and get better soon.

Hugs and Kisses-

Juliana and Olivia (Jenn and Mike too)

My Girls at 14 Months

Someone asked me the other day how old my little ones were. Hmmm. Let me think...oh my! They are 14 months. Time has flown! I noticed the other day that the girls legs come way down in their highchairs. Who knew they would actually fit in their highchairs! Juliana now weighs in at 18.5 pounds and Olivia weighs in at 19 pounds.

 Olivia Judith

Juliana Grace

As much as I would love to say that everything is perfect and life is great, we are still struggling with the food issues. We found that ANY fruit will give them a rash. So we are thinking that it their digestive systems are not completely developed. The doctor did say this would happen since they were preemie. So far they like lettuce, noodles, and lots and lots of bread. I never knew a child that got excited about bread the way my girls do.

This week we decided to join our friends in a yard sale. On the two days that we had it it was extremely hot. The first day it got to 97 degrees and the other 94. Mike and I took turns with the girls at home and then we brought them out in the afternoon. The last day we asked a friend to take care of them in the morning since Mike had a meeting and it was too much for the girls to be out and miss their naps. For the time they were out there, they did very good. We kept them cool with ice water and filled their bellies with bread (and baby food). Overall it was a successful two days.

Girls going for a ride with Daddy

For the rest of the week we decided to relax at our friend's pool. We can definitely tell who out of the two girls loves and hates the water. When we arrived at the pool, I changed the girls into their swimsuits. I took Olivia's feet and dipped them into the pool. She didn't like that at all. She in fact clung to whomever she could get to hold her. Juliana on the other hand, loved the water. She splashed in it and kicked her feet and wanted to put her face down in the water. I do believe she is going to be our little fish. Eventually Olivia will get used to the pool and she will love it I'm sure. We just started our summer so, she will have plenty of pool time to come.

 Olivia Judith

Juliana Grace

Just another quick update: the girls are not walking yet, but they will stand independently. Once in awhile, we will see Olivia lunge forward hoping someone will catch her...and of course we always do. Juliana has attempted to take a step but as soon as she lifts her foot, she falls on her knees. I am sure in due time they will be running around here and I will be trying to keep up with them once again.

Juliana trying to play the piano.

Olivia 

As for words: Juli and Livi are in a habit of repeating certain words.  Juliana learned the word hot from our friend Bob. She was saying it the whole time she was in the pool. She also has learned the word "mor" when she wants more of something. Olivia still says "Was tat?" but she has added more jibber words as if she is telling me a story. It is so sweet to hear my little ones try to talk. It will be nice when they start communicating their needs. That will be very helpful.

Playing together.

Now it is time for lunch again and I must go prepare for the girls.

On another side note: for those that read these blogs. I have cut back due to time, but rest assured that I will have a new post every month. If something amazing happens within that time frame I will be sure to blog to keep you updated. Thank you for sharing in our girls lives. We love you all.

 Juliana's smile!

My serious Olivia. :)