A lot has happened since I last updated, most notably, the muppets turned a year old.  We had a fun, if a bit chaotic, outdoor party for them, complete with an Animal birthday cake, a pinata that dad finally had to break open, and their friends and family.  Each muppet had their own smash cake with lime green frosting and multi-colored sprinkles.  They both loved the cake, but Avery was so exhausted by that time that she ate it, but she wasn't happy about it.  Not one single smile the entire time.  I can't wait to show her the pictures of her when she's older.   

Thank you all so much for coming and for the lovely gifts.  It truly means so much to us that you all were there.

On the day of their actual birthday, Kenny and I took the muppets to downtown Madison to visit State Street and the UW Campus.  We had a wonderful day walking around, eating rainbow ice cream, and playing in the grass.  The girls loved people watching on State Street.

On the day of their birthday party, I noticed a little white in Emmaline's mouth.  Sure enough, it was the beginning of her first tooth.  I keep trying to get a picture of her with her big toothy grin, but she isn't cooperating.  She looks too cute.  I keep thinking Avery isn't far behind because of the increased drooling, but so far, nothing. 

They're both crawling and pulling up to a stand now.  Emmaline is a bit more cautious and makes sure she has sure footing before she attempts it, but Avery is a daredevil and attempts to pull up one everything.  She has matching bruises on either side of her forehead to prove it.

Their personalities are really starting to develop.  Emmaline is still a bit more cautious than Avery, but not by much and she's really starting to show a sense of humor.  Everything makes her laugh, especially herself.  The cutest thing she does is smooshes her face between the crib slats (while I'm getting Avery ready for bed) and then waits for me to react.  When I can no longer contain myself and crack a smile, she falls back giggling.  Avery is still super independent and is letting me know (frequently) just how strong-willed she is by throwing mini-fits during diaper changes, dressing, and buckling into her high chair.     

I love watching them interact with each other.  Just today, they were crawling around the kitchen floor, while I cleaned up, and were playing a sort of chase game.  They'd follow each other, laughing, and then Emmaline would crawl one way around the table and Avery would crawl the other way until they met up in the middle -- they'd both just giggle as soon as they saw each other.  Also, we have a Little Tikes activity zoo that they just love. Activity Zoo.

Occasionally, I'll catch them playing peek-a-boo with each other, meaning one sits inside and the other is outside of the zoo and they'll get up on their knees or feet and then just laugh when they see each other.  On average, it takes them about twenty minutes to go to sleep now because they both pull up on the sides of their cribs and jabber at each other.  I could sit in the other room listening through the monitor all day.  Both girls are easy to make laugh, but they don't laugh for me the way they laugh for each other.  This is what makes having twins so wonderful.

We had their one-year well child check up and everything's looking good, though we were advised to try to up their iron intake.  According to their pediatrician, they're borderline anemic -- nothing to worry about, but worth responding to anyway.  We were given the okay to "officially" start them on whole milk, so I've been starting to wean them.  "Starting" is a loose term, but I do hope to have them fully weaned by the end of October. 

We also had their one-year appointment with their Occupational Therapist, who told us there was still no need for a Birth to Three program.  Developmentally, they're both functioning at their adjusted age (ten months) and in some cases, closer to their actual age.  There was very little difference between them, which wasn't very suprising to me as they seem to be within a week of each other for every milestone.

As much as I've enjoyed the summer with them and as much as I'm not a fan of cold weather, I'm really looking forward to the next few months.  There's so many fun firsts in the fall ... first pumpkin farm, first trick-or-treating, etc. 

Our newest and most exciting news is that the muppets are crawling, officially. Emmaline is still pretty deliberate in her movements, so it takes a little bit to get whereever she's heading. Avery still mostly does the army crawl, but she can get from the living to the kitchen in 60 seconds flat.  She is trying to get up on her hands and knees to crawl.  It's slow moving, so she generally reverts back to the army crawl.  Clearly, she doesn't have time to waste.  They're both able to get from a crawling position to a sitting position without any trouble.  That, of course, means that nap time takes a little longer because they both sit right up and then talk at each other.  Avery's fallen asleep sitting up twice now.

We took the muppets to the Aquatic Center here in town for some swimming and their first bite of pizza.  It took a few minutes for them to decide if they liked the water, but the pizza was a no-brainer.  Eventually, they came around and started splashing and giggling.  It just doesn't get much cuter than babies in bathing suits.

Unfortunately, the lil' stinkers wouldn't (won't) leave their hats on, so we couldn't stay in the water very long.

We also went to Bastille Days in Milwaukee, recently.  I treated them to a strawberry custard crepe and some fresh squeezed lemonade.  It seems the craving for sweet and sour comes at a very early age because both treats were a huge hit.  More importantly, they got to hang with the Krauses, my (and now their) second family.

Kenny and I took them to Madison this weekend to see their grandparents and some of their grandparent's long-time friends.  It's always nice to be spoiled for a while. 

Before heading over to grandma's and grandpa's, we went to the park to feed the ducks, walk along the trails, and play on the swings.  We also took a walk along State Street and shared a Jamba Juice and some lunch.  I'm always amazed by how content they are to just watch people.  I suspect they'll be a lot like their parents and want to be right in the center of all the action.

They're growing so fast.  It's hard to believe their one-year birthday party is in three weeks.  They have an occupational therapy appointment at Children's on the 29th to check up on their development.  I'll be sure to update after, but I think they'll "pass" with flying colors.

It's been way too long since I've updated and so much has happened that I'm not even sure where to start.

Since I last updated, the muppets both started refusing pureed foods.  I was a little reluctant to stop at first, but realized I couldn't force them to eat it.  Aside from some infant cereal in the morning (if I'm lucky), the girls are solely eating table foods.  Emmaline isn't too fond of green beans, but otherwise, we haven't found a food they don't like.  We've even given them some dahl bhat and they LOVED it.

Avery is hilarious.  She shovels food in with both hands.  It's a little frightening because she sometimes ends up with more in her mouth than she can handle, but for the most part, she does really well.  Emmaline is a little more reserved, but definitely holds her own.

They're also both sitting up and I'm guessing it won't be long before they start crawling.  Emmaline has figured out how to push off to move forward and Avery is getting up on her knees and even rocking.  Emmaline still has a difficult time getting from sitting to laying down, but doesn't seem to mind when she falls.  Avery just recently figured out how to fold herself flat and then pull her legs out from under her to go from sitting to her belly.

We took the girls to their first parade on Memorial Day and followed it up with a brief swim at grandpa's and gradma's house.  They were pretty indifferent about the parade, though they did show interest in the marching band and people watching, in general.  Avery was happy as can be to be in the water and splashing.  After the intial shock of the cool water wore off, Emmaline loved the water as well.  I'm glad we didn't take her out when she first protested (adamantly) because it turned out that splashing in the pool is even more fun than splashing in the tub.

They had great fun fingerpainting with pudding a few weeks ago.  Like all food, it was just as much fun to rub it in their hair as it was to eat it. 

Some other recent firsts were their first trip to a strawberry farm to pick strawberries, their first playdate, their first time riding in the grocery cart like big girls (without their car seats), their first festival (the Mexican Fiesta in Waukesha), and their first street dance ... all in one weekend.  It was a busy weekend for us.

We're looking forward to taking them to see the fireworks next weekend.  Grandma and Grandpa are both concerned that they'll be scared, but mom and dad think they'll love them.  They both LOVE lights and aren't the slightest big frightened by loud noises.  I'll let you know next week if mom has to eat her words. ;)

The muppets had their 9-month check up a few weeks ago.  They're healthy as can be and their pediatrician told us that other than their size (still tiny little fraggles, though Emmaline has finally made it on the charts), he'd never know they were premature.  There's just a few developmental areas that they're not reaching by their actual age (not crawling, etc.), but he believes they'll have caught up completely by a year old.  

I'm amazed by their developing skills. (I'm sure I'm the first mom to say that, right?) The other day I was singing a song that counts from one to ten.  I was holding up the appropriate number of fingers to correlate with the song, and I was extremely surprised to see Avery start anticipating me holding up the second hand to sing 6 - 10.  As soon as I hit five, she'd look at my other hand.  So smart. Clearly, she takes after her mom.  

I thought it'd be a good idea to document the muppets' similarities to us, at their current ages. Emmaline is very much like her dad, while Avery is more like her mom ... in appearance and personality.

Emmaline and her dad both move around a lot in their sleep. I always find her on the other end of the crib and smooshed up against the rails. Before getting her some bumper pads, I found her with both legs sticking out of the slats.

Avery and I both wake up in the same position we fell asleep in.

Emmaline and her dad are both heavy sleepers. Avery and I both wake up very easily, though oddly enough, she can sleep through Emmaline crying.

Emmaline and her dad will eat anything. So far, Emmaline has never met a food she didn't like, including pickles and lemons.

Avery and I are both picky. Of course, she loves any fruit offered to her, but it really takes her a while to warm up to her vegetables. She does like pickles and lemons, just not green beans.

Emmaline and her dad are slow to warm up to people. She's a little less skeptical these days, but still far less impressed with new people than Avery and me.

Avery and I are are both outgoing and more than willing to flash our smiles at anyone who pays attention. She's definitely going to be a little flirt, just like her mom.

I'll add more as I notice them.

-- Natalie

UPDATE 6/23/08

Turns out, Avery just didn't care for pureed foods.  She'll eat ANYTHING.  So, she's more like her dad in that respect.

We took a walk to the park today and had such a good time. Anyone who knows me knows I'm horrible about remembering to bring a camera, but thank goodness I remembered today.

Avery's absolutely adorable smile and Emmaline's classic reaction to a pinecone (also in the gallery, "spring days")

While we were walking to the park, we stopped to look at some pinecones. I don't think I could've predicted that it'd be the highlight of the walk for me. Emmaline looked at her pinecone for a brief second and then just started cracking up, though I guess I can't be sure that it wasn't me saying, "Emmaline, what is that?" that made her laugh. Avery was just as impressed with her pinecone, but in a more inquisitive way. I took a picture of Avery examining her pinecone, which caused her to look up. As soon as she saw the camera, she smiled the biggest smile I've ever seen from her. Uh oh, is she going to be one of "those" kids?

We also spent some time in the sandbox while waiting for one of the bucket swings to free up. They both loved smooshing their feet into the sand, but Emmaline was the only who actually played with it. Avery was far more interested in a leaf she found. She was also really interested in a stick, but I had to take it away from her as she was swinging it dangerously close to Emmaline's eye.

We finished out our day on the swings. As they were swinging, two little girls came over and asked if they could push. I said "yes" as long as they promised to go slowly. I'm not sure the muppets are ready for "under ducks" yet. Both of the girls did a great job and not surprisingly, Avery and Emmaline really enjoyed the attention. They swang for quite a while, but eventually, Avery alerted me to the time and we went home to have some dinner, take baths, and go to bed.

Other random updates --

Emmaline is really starting to sit up well. I don't think it'll be long before she'll be a pro. Right now, she can sit on her own for well over a minute. She usually loses her balance trying to look for me.

She recently figured out that she doesn't have to roll back and forth in the same spot and is now all over the place. We have a mat laid out on our living room floor for them to play on; in the time it took me to change Avery's diaper, she had rolled from the center of the mat to the rocking chair and was stuck underneath it. She took it in stride though -- as soon as she saw me, she lifted her head up and grinned.

I've also been noticing how much more observant she's becoming. She's starting to understand some cause and effect, mostly with this really obnoxious toy we found at Grandma's and Grandpa's. She quickly figured out that she could make it light up and sing if she hit it, which she did ad nauseum.

Avery's also showing her understanding of cause and effect ... in a much sassier way. While in her high chair, she likes to yell at me when I have my back turned to her getting her food ready. It's a very demanding yell, followed by a very prideful smile when I turn around. I'm not sure when it'll stop being cute, but so far, I still can't help but laugh every time she does it.

She's really trying to crawl lately. She gets her little butt so far up in the air and gets her little legs moving, but just can't figure out how to push up on her arms at the same time. When she does figure out how to take off, I suspect she's going to be very fast.

From the cute files --

Thursday afternoon, Emmaline woke up approximately a half hour before Avery, so I brought her into my bedroom with me to nurse her. While she was nursing, Avery woke up. The second Emmaline heard Avery babble, she (painfully) de-latched and smiled the most delighted smile right at the monitor. Too cute.

-- Natalie

We celebrated Mother's Day early with Grandma by having our very first grandmother-mother-daughter day. My mom and I have a little tradition we've always called our mother-daughter day, which always involved lunch, spending one-on-one time together, and more often than not, money spent on me. I fully intend to start my own mother-daughter day tradition with the muppets, as well as continuing the newest grandmother-mother-daughter day tradition.

We first met Grandma and Grandpa at church, so they could show off the girls to their friends. Grandpa left for work and us girls left to go shopping. The highlight of the day (aside from simply spending time together) was having lunch at Ella's Deli in Madison. For those who have never been, Ella's Deli is an assault on the senses. There are little (and enormous) gadgets hanging from the ceiling, on the walls, and inside the tables. We were sitting under Betty Boop swinging from a trapeze.  She was clearly the favorite of both girls. Avery's eyes were wide, alert, and all over the place, though they kept finding their way back to Betty. Emmaline slept through part of the lunch, but once she woke up, she was also wide-eyed in amazement. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera.

Grandma and I both had lunch, which included delicious shakes.  We couldn't resist giving the girls a taste of the whip cream.  I'm sure it's no surprise that they loved it.  Avery grabbed the spoon to try to feed herself -- I'm guessing Grandma just wasn't going quickly enough.  Though it wasn't the first time, they also tasted pickles and loved them.  Mmmm pickles and whip cream.  Click here to see Ella's Deli.

We spent the rest of the day hanging out at Grandma's and Grandpa's, taking a walk, and going to the park.

-- Natalie

The muppets each had a teether biscuit for the first time this evening.  Not surprisingly, they loved it.  It took approximately ten seconds for them to figure out what to do with it and then I spent the next half hour retrieving Avery's biscuit from the high chair before she blew a gasket and telling the dog to stop trying to steal Emmaline's.  Emmaline thought Dichoda was hilarious, naturally.  I don't speak dog, but I suspect Dichoda now thinks Emmaline is the coolest kid on the planet.  You guessed it, Emmaline held her biscuit out to Dichoda and smiled as he ate it out of her hand.  *sigh* And so it begins.  I'm just happy I spent so much time training him to "take it nicely" because she still has all of her digits.  He was so gentle about it.  I should mention that this all took place while I was retrieving Avery's biscuit from the high chair after she dropped it yet again.  They're too young to gang up one me, aren't they?

Aside from the teether biscuit adventure, the muppets are both doing so wonderfully.  I know it's been said by a parent or two, but oh my goodness, where the heck does the time go?  I can't believe they're eight months old already.  Every day I'm amazed by something else.  Avery isn't far from crawling.  She can get her butt up in the air and her legs working, but she hasn't quite figured out to push up on her arms at the same time.  Emmaline hasn't shown much interest in crawling, but she rolls all over the place.  They're both very close to sitting.  Avery can sit up for about thirty seconds before she tips to the side.  Emmaline sits up for about the same time and then folds flat. 

I recently put my foot down and decided to stop nursing them in the middle of the night.  Admittedly, I was reluctant to do it because they're both so small (Avery more than Emmaline), but they're always going to be small.  What the heck was I waiting for?  I put my foot down, but they put theirs down in return and refused to go back to sleep, despite my soothing shushes and back rubbing.  Two days later, they were pretty much sleeping through the night. 

-- Natalie