Monday, August 8, 2011

12 months

Last Monday, August 1st, the kids had their 12 month well-baby check and things are going great. The dr. said "you two couldn't have asked for two better kids".....we think that too :)

Kaden
Weight:  22lbs. 15oz. (50th percentile)
Height:  29.25 inches (30th percentile)

Kenley
Weight:  27lbs. 14oz. (99th percentile)
Height:  29.25 inches (50th percentile)

12 Month Stats:
*Kaden has brown eyes, Kenley has blue eyes
*Kaden has brown hair, Kenley has (depending on the light) light brown/blondish/strawberry blondish hair
*Kaden has 5 top teeth and 5 bottom teeth, Kenley has 2 top teeth and 2 bottom teeth (and two more top teeth that are going to be coming through any day now!)
*Kaden wears 12 month clothing, Kenley wears 18-24/24 month clothes
*Kaden wears size 4 diapers, Kenley wears size 5
*Both have transitioned to whole milk without any problems. They drink approximately 16oz. of milk per day out of sippy cups and they still get a 6oz. bottle of toddler formula before bedtime. Kaden is liking milk pretty well, Kenley is not thinking she likes it as well as formula.
*Eating:  Kenley will eat just about anything and gobbles it right down. But when she's done she'll let you know by turning her head or shaking her head no. Kaden is a much pickier eater and soo much slower. He takes forever to chew his food and swallow it down. He's not much of a big meat eater. If you put a bite of food in his mouth that contains meat, he will pick around it with his tongue and the meat will remain in his mouth. When he has decided he is done, he will simply spit out the piece of food that he was currently chewing up. They both LOVE fruit, you simply can't go wrong with any kind of fruit.
*Sleeping:  Kenley loves to sleep. She has absolutely no problem being laid down for a nap or for bed time. She still loves her pacifier and snuggles right in with her blanket. Kaden doesn't need as much sleep as Kenley. He likes to stay up a little later at night and no matter how tired he is, he still has to throw a fit when we put him in his crib. Luckily, Kenley doesn't mind a bit :)
*Standing/Walking:  Both Kaden and Kenley are cruising all along the furniture and both enjoy being walked if you hold on to their hands. Kenley is able to stand independently for several minutes at a time, Kaden's longest was 10 seconds before falling to his bum. Kenley is getting SO VERY CLOSE to walking all by herself. She took her very first steps on her birthday and she gets closer every day.
*Favorite Toy/Activity:  Their favorite toy right now is their Step 2 miniature slide. It's not very big but they both enjoy climbing up the single step and standing at the top. They enjoy doing this at the SAME time! This causes quite the problem sometimes. They enjoy any toy that makes noise or plays music, as well as flipping through books and playing with their "jumbo knob" puzzles.
*Words:  Kaden says mom, mama, and dada.   Kenley says hi, go, mama, dada, whoa, and will use the sign for "more".
*Proud Mama Moments:  Both kids are starting to eat using a fork and spoon, will clap their hands in excitement, play pat-a-cake and peek-a-boo, will wave hi and bye, give kisses, blow kisses, shake their head no, and follow simple 1-part instructions such as "give it to mom", "bring it here", or "come here."
*Not-So-Proud Mama Moments:  The fighting. I can't believe how much these two can fight. Some days it seems like that's all they do! They always seem to have to have what the other one has and then will fight over it. And scream, then they both scream and look at me for some help. Sometimes they are not very good listeners (yes, I know, they are only one) but still...sometimes they are simply naughty!  Kaden will go to something he flat out knows he shouldn't be doing and then look at me and shake his head no. Yep, he's got that right. But then he proceeds to do it. And when I do tell him no, he throws himself to the ground in a big ol' fit!  Kenley, she simply doesn't listen at all! It's as if I'm not even in existence. Then she thinks it's funny and will laugh at me when I try to tell her no.  Ohhh...that makes for some not-so-proud-mama-moments.
*Together:  They love following each other around and are both HUGE copy-cats. Definitely "monkey see...monkey do". Occasionally they will get jealous of the other's attention. They love to play with blankets. They'll cover their heads with a blanket and then pull them off and then they'll throw themselves around on top of each other and giggle and giggle and giggle. Kind of like "baby-blanket-wrestling".  They can be each other's best friend and then the each other's worst nightmare. They have definitely learned how to fight and will stand their ground. They love to play behind the curtains (thanks auntie Kris). They think it is the funniest thing ever. They'll get behind the curtains and giggle with each other until my cheeks hurt so much from laughing at the two of them. They are so cute in the mornings or after a nap when they will stand facing each other in their cribs and just chat/play/giggle/exchange blankets until somebody comes to get them. That is the best sound in the world!!

Cody and I absolutely LOVE having twins. This first year has been a ton of work and I hate to admit that a lot of it is completely a blur, as many days we were just trying to survive. But the simple exchanges, touches, conversations, and giggles that the two of them share is something that is priceless to me. I have been proud of the adventures we've had in their first year of life and I can't wait for more in the years to come!


we're starting to use utensils!







The last couple of weeks, during meal time, I've been giving the kids their own fork/spoon to hold on to. When they're not deciding to dig their hands into the food, they're actually pretty good with dipping the spoon and bringing it to their mouth. They're not quite ready to feed themselves completely independently, but this is a good start.  It's soo cute :)

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Our FIRST Birthday!!

So I can't believe my babies turned ONE!!  It's a little hard to grasp at times and it still brings tears to my eyes thinking about how fast they are growing up. I simply can not imagine our life before these two entered it and how boring it would be if they were not here. What in the world did we do BEFORE we had kids?!?


Happy Birthday




 

Happy 1st Birthday Kaden and Kenley! You are two of the most beautiful children in the whole world. Mommy and Daddy can't express enough the amount of love and joy that you two bring into this home and into our hearts. We prayed for you and you are our miracles. We knew we always wanted to be parents, but I don't think we realized how special you two would make our lives. We are so proud to be your parents.

Kaden, you can be the easiest and most difficult child all at the same time.  When you are happy and feeling well, you are the most content little guy. You are laid back, enjoy playing, and can entertain yourself for long periods of time. You love to copy your sister and follow her around. Whatever she is doing, you are not too far behind. You are a little snuggler and love to be held. You love to smile and your giggle melts our hearts. You hate being told "no" and will typically throw yourself down in a fit when we do tell you no. You love to listen to music and will start to bop up and down and "dance." You are such a precious little boy. We love you so much.

Kenley, you are our wild woman. You have taken the role of  being the "big sister" to heart and you are definitely the boss around here. You are loud and boisterous and plain ol' crazy!! You are always happy and on the go, but we often catch you playing with something you shouldn't be. If it's ever too quiet around here, we definitely need to check where you two are, because you are typically getting into something. You've gotten a little attitude lately and enjoy picking on your brother. You love to eat and you love to sleep. You will eat just about anything and anytime we put you down for bed, you fall right to sleep. You are such a sweet little girl. We love you so much.

XOXO
"mama" and "dada"