I can't believe Ben and Maddie are now 7 months old! Time just keeps flying by. They are really becoming little people, rather than babies. And it's so fun to watch. Our friend Sonja came to take pictures today. Here's a little slideshow of the best pics she got:
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Almost sitting up
I think we're getting close to a day when Ben and Maddie can sit up on their own. Today Maddie spent a lot of time on the floor either sitting next to me or in this "pillow chair" that I made for her...
She did really well and hardly ever fell over (no face plants!).
She also got her second tooth in this morning. We think that probably accounted for her difficulty sleeping (for nap time this morning, especially) the last few days and her generally crabby behavior. However, we are amazed at how well they are taking this teething thing. Really haven't had any major trauma. Just a little crabbiness.
So now both of them have 2 teeth on the bottom. Ben's are getting big and sharp, so it's not too wise these days to put your finger in his mouth! Jamey learned that one the hard way.
We didn't end up going to the cabin this weekend. Maddie's crabbiness and lack of sleep, plus Jamey being tired, plus cold weather for Saturday all added up to it not being worth the journey.
Today I went up to Lino Lakes to the home of another set of boy/girl twins. She and her friend (who also has boy/girl twins who were ALSO born on New Year's Eve, except several years ago!) are having a big garage sale next weekend. She let me come over today to shop. I got two mint condition life jackets, plus mint condition swimming suits for next summer, a jumperoo to have at the cabin (really good deal on that!), a bunch of toys for the coming years - including a Little People farm set -- and some clothes. They had lots of Children's Place, Carter's and Gap clothing so I looked for nice, everyday-type pieces that I know they will wear. I also found some good condition sippy cups and a bunch of cabinet latches and outlet covers & plugs (which we will need to install very soon!).
We are committed to going to the cabin next weekend and I'm bound and determined to go! We haven't been there since 4th of July weekend, so I'm sure the grass is knee-high in the yard and the flowers I put out at the cemetery are probably all dead from lack of water. Oh well.
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| From July 2009_2 |
She did really well and hardly ever fell over (no face plants!).
She also got her second tooth in this morning. We think that probably accounted for her difficulty sleeping (for nap time this morning, especially) the last few days and her generally crabby behavior. However, we are amazed at how well they are taking this teething thing. Really haven't had any major trauma. Just a little crabbiness.
So now both of them have 2 teeth on the bottom. Ben's are getting big and sharp, so it's not too wise these days to put your finger in his mouth! Jamey learned that one the hard way.
We didn't end up going to the cabin this weekend. Maddie's crabbiness and lack of sleep, plus Jamey being tired, plus cold weather for Saturday all added up to it not being worth the journey.
Today I went up to Lino Lakes to the home of another set of boy/girl twins. She and her friend (who also has boy/girl twins who were ALSO born on New Year's Eve, except several years ago!) are having a big garage sale next weekend. She let me come over today to shop. I got two mint condition life jackets, plus mint condition swimming suits for next summer, a jumperoo to have at the cabin (really good deal on that!), a bunch of toys for the coming years - including a Little People farm set -- and some clothes. They had lots of Children's Place, Carter's and Gap clothing so I looked for nice, everyday-type pieces that I know they will wear. I also found some good condition sippy cups and a bunch of cabinet latches and outlet covers & plugs (which we will need to install very soon!).
We are committed to going to the cabin next weekend and I'm bound and determined to go! We haven't been there since 4th of July weekend, so I'm sure the grass is knee-high in the yard and the flowers I put out at the cemetery are probably all dead from lack of water. Oh well.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Too long since the last post
Sorry I've been a bit neglectful this week. It's been kind of busy. Tuesday night I got my hair cut and Wednesday night I had dinner with a friend (yeah, mom's night out!!), so I haven't had much "free" time after work.
Last weekend we had my family's annual summer gathering. This year it was at my aunt and uncle's in Stillwater. We had hoped for warm weather because they have a pool, but of course it was on the cool side. The older kids -- 2 and up -- ventured into the pool for awhile, but all us adults stayed put.
Ben and Maddie were their usual little angels, soaking up the affection from their cousins. And then they went down for a 2-hour nap. And Jamey went with them, so I kind of felt like I was attending the party all on my own.
Work is crazy busy. It makes the day go by faster, though. You'll start seeing my byline on stories in the coming weeks. I've got my fingers in at least a half dozen stories right now, some coming soon, others more long-term.
We are heading to the cabin tomorrow night. We're hoping that they will sleep in the car during their usual going-to-bed time. We've never tried that before, so we'll see how it works.
Jamey got this cute picture of Maddie chewing on her toes today...
And here's a picture of Ben from a couple days ago...
Last weekend we had my family's annual summer gathering. This year it was at my aunt and uncle's in Stillwater. We had hoped for warm weather because they have a pool, but of course it was on the cool side. The older kids -- 2 and up -- ventured into the pool for awhile, but all us adults stayed put.
Ben and Maddie were their usual little angels, soaking up the affection from their cousins. And then they went down for a 2-hour nap. And Jamey went with them, so I kind of felt like I was attending the party all on my own.
Work is crazy busy. It makes the day go by faster, though. You'll start seeing my byline on stories in the coming weeks. I've got my fingers in at least a half dozen stories right now, some coming soon, others more long-term.
We are heading to the cabin tomorrow night. We're hoping that they will sleep in the car during their usual going-to-bed time. We've never tried that before, so we'll see how it works.
Jamey got this cute picture of Maddie chewing on her toes today...
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| From July 2009_2 |
And here's a picture of Ben from a couple days ago...
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| From July 2009_2 |
Monday, July 13, 2009
My little sisters
Tonight Shelby and Lyndzie Phillips came to visit us and to meet Ben and Maddie for the first time. Shelby and Lyndzie grew up across the street from me and I babysat them when I was in junior and senior high school. (And our families are further intertwined by the fact that their grandmother was my father's girlfriend the last eight or so years of his life). So they are family.
Now they are all grown up, graduated from college and moving on to adult lives. Makes me feel a bit old. But also proud. They are both so adventurous and they credit me with a lot of that.
Ben and Maddie seemed to really like them. And considering their visit was just before bedtime, that's pretty amazing.
Here are pics....
Now they are all grown up, graduated from college and moving on to adult lives. Makes me feel a bit old. But also proud. They are both so adventurous and they credit me with a lot of that.
Ben and Maddie seemed to really like them. And considering their visit was just before bedtime, that's pretty amazing.
Here are pics....
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| From July 2009_2 |
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| From July 2009_2 |
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| From July 2009_2 |
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| From July 2009_2 |
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Playing outside
I took Ben and Maddie into the backyard this afternoon to play for a little change of pace. I was home alone with them when we first went out and Jamey showed up while we were there, so he took some pics.
It was quite the production to get them outside. I put them in the stroller so that I could cart them, plus blankets, toys and Bumbo seats out to the shady part of the yard -- which is quite a ways from the door.
It was quite the production to get them outside. I put them in the stroller so that I could cart them, plus blankets, toys and Bumbo seats out to the shady part of the yard -- which is quite a ways from the door.
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| From July 2009_2 |
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| From July 2009_2 |
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| From July 2009_2 |
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| From July 2009_2 |
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| From July 2009_2 |
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Maddie's first tooth!
We discovered Maddie's first tooth this morning. It must've popped through during the night. Apparently it didn't bother her because they both slept 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. solid.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
July 4th
Below are the pictures I promised of the babies' first venture in the lake on Saturday. If you can't see the slideshow, you can view the pictures separately on this page.
As I said in my previous post, this excursion wore them out and they were in bed by 6:30. But I spoke too soon. An hour after that, they were both awake and not interested in going back to sleep. We got them back down by about 8 pm. But then they woke again at 11:30 -- most likely due to Maddie having soaked through her diaper and clothes, but also maybe due to nearby fireworks. And then they woke up AGAIN at 4 a.m. Some families would consider this an easy night. At our house, this is a hard night.
Today they barely napped, so again they were exhausted by the time they went to bed at 7 pm. I've got my fingers crossed for a long night of sleep.
As I said in my previous post, this excursion wore them out and they were in bed by 6:30. But I spoke too soon. An hour after that, they were both awake and not interested in going back to sleep. We got them back down by about 8 pm. But then they woke again at 11:30 -- most likely due to Maddie having soaked through her diaper and clothes, but also maybe due to nearby fireworks. And then they woke up AGAIN at 4 a.m. Some families would consider this an easy night. At our house, this is a hard night.
Today they barely napped, so again they were exhausted by the time they went to bed at 7 pm. I've got my fingers crossed for a long night of sleep.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Lots of firsts!
The big news today is that Ben got his first tooth! It must've just popped through sometime in the last 24 hours.
We discovered it when we were in the midst of another first --- Ben and Maddie were in their swimming suits and sitting in the shallow water and sand in the lake. They loved it, especially Ben! He figured out that he could splash with his hands.
We got some pictures but haven't gotten them off the camera yet. I'll post when we do.
All that excitement tuckered Ben and Maddie out. They were both sound asleep by 6:30 pm, before finishing their bottles.
Guess it will be an early morning for us tomorrow. UGH. And/or we'll be getting up to feed them in the middle of the night. Oh well.
We discovered it when we were in the midst of another first --- Ben and Maddie were in their swimming suits and sitting in the shallow water and sand in the lake. They loved it, especially Ben! He figured out that he could splash with his hands.
We got some pictures but haven't gotten them off the camera yet. I'll post when we do.
All that excitement tuckered Ben and Maddie out. They were both sound asleep by 6:30 pm, before finishing their bottles.
Guess it will be an early morning for us tomorrow. UGH. And/or we'll be getting up to feed them in the middle of the night. Oh well.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Toe dip
We came up to the cabin this morning and had a beautiful day! In between lunch and afternoon nap, we took Ben and Maddie out on the pontoon and then dipped their toes in the lake to see what they thought about it.
Both of them seemed to like it, although they were clearly more puzzled by it. But there wasn't any crying!
Tomorrow I'd like to get a bit more brave and put their swimming suits on and set them down in the shallow water and sand and see what they do.
Here are the best of the many, many pics we took!
If you can't see the slideshow, you can also see them here.
Both of them seemed to like it, although they were clearly more puzzled by it. But there wasn't any crying!
Tomorrow I'd like to get a bit more brave and put their swimming suits on and set them down in the shallow water and sand and see what they do.
Here are the best of the many, many pics we took!
If you can't see the slideshow, you can also see them here.
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