Lovies

From Jan. - Feb. 2009 (13 months)

Hank and Clara are increasingly getting to that stage where life is all about little stuffed animals and dolls. They now hug them, and it is pretty common to see them drag them about the ground thoughout the day. They are particularly devoted to their bear blankets. I fear what might happen should those blankets ever get destroyed.

It's funny to watch how they bond with these wee things. Some stuffed animals that seem completely adorable to me just don't the cut. Yet others are so beloved that they can start a fight between the babies just by showing them the stuffed image. I refuse to buy the kids a stuffed Elmo since I can already hear the crying when the other baby refuses to share. Someone without twins might suggest I just buy two stuffed versions of the more beloved creatures, but it just doesn't work that way. Clara wants what Hank is playing and vice versa. For now, we just keep repeating our mantra of how sharing is caring. I don't think the kids are buying it.

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'...Keep Those Babies Rollin'

I know we are suppose to be moving towards the walking milestone around this age. And we are actually getting there in a way. Hank has decided walking is okay again, after taking about a six week reprieve from all things walking related. After a few particularly harsh crawling related spills, Hank decided that he might as well walk if he is going to fall anyway. Since then, he has been taking steps here and there at his whim.

But, this post is actually more about the kiddos new favorite past time--rolling. I know, I know--all babies roll at a much younger age, etc. And yes, that is true. But what the kids are doing these days is much more about trying to amuse their target audience (aka Mom and Dad). If you ask kindly and if the kids are in the right mood, they will drop to the ground and start rolling across the floor. It just is this amusing activity that for some reason never fails to make me smile. They both know this is just a party trick, but we like to pretend that perhaps it a sign of future gymnastic prowess--something I certainly never had. My favorite is when the kids roll into each other then smile when they realize they actually know the person who has just become their rolling obstacle.

Here is Hank mid-roll:

From Jan. - Feb. 2009 (13 months)

Hank Gets Croup

Having never had kids before, there are always these new ailments to discover. Things like RSV keep me up at night. So, last night when Hank's running nose progressed into a cough which later sounded like one of those seals near Fisherman's Wharf engaged in territorial warfare, I found myself pondering what this new realm of baby cold hell could be. With the add of our doctor's nurse hotline and Google, we have come to learn it is croup. Awesome. Barky cough for 3-4 days followed by productive horrific cough for 3 weeks. Fun for all. Cross your fingers that either Clara doesn't get it (which I read is incredibly unlikely) or that she gets it soon, so we aren't stretching out the family croup fast too long. On a good note: apparently one way to alleviate the coughing is to take a baby into the cold air. It reduced the inflammation. Good to know that the ridiculous cold stretch we are facing has some value!

Clara and Elmo Bond

We have been watching Sesame Street off and on the last few weeks. For the most part, I have been the one watching while the kiddos just roam around the tv room and occasionally check out the characters. But, today we had a very different experience. Clara was watching the Elmo segment which was about feet. She was mesmerized. She grabbed her feet when Elmo mentioned feet. She waved when Mr. Noodle came on. She was completely understanding what was going on. It was really neat to see her getting it. It's like these little lights are beginning to fire in her brain, a little bit each day. Hank likes to laugh and point at Elmo, but we are still working on him making connections to what Elmo is saying. I am sure it is just a matter of time.

On a slightly related but still tangential aspect, what's up with Mr. Noodle? I find him creepy. Why is he always available right outside Elmo's window? What kind of message are we teaching kids about window stalkers? I know, I know. I am making too much of it. But, every time we see Mr. Noodle, I am just a little weirded out.

Back to the point of this post...language development. The last few weeks have found us exploring more and more new words with the kids. They are beginning to identify body parts and point to words as we say them. It's slow going, but any type of communication is greatly exciting.