9 months old -- 9 MONTHS!

Wow -- this is sure a fun time to be a parent. 9 months. The babes turned 9 months on 2/17. We celebrated by bringing out the blocks and snapping a few iPhone photos. It took my mom, Frank and I, along with a few squeeze toys for distraction to get these photos. They want to put their hands on everything and then put it in their mouth. And then there is the moving...and crawling.

Doctor Love and Cuter than Cupid - Valentine's Day photos!

Cora has begun crawling. It started with a small move, ending on her belly. But it has definitely gained momentum now. She can nearly come across the living room to the dining room when I'm working in the kitchen, without stopping. She is determined. She is motivated by cords, tags on cords, shoes, socks in shoes, dirty clothes in the basket under the dining room table, and toys - especially Curious George. She has managed to pull herself up on the couch and in her crib. She loves the fact that she can move on her own. When she is not moving, she likes to open her mouth really wide, stick out her tongue, and make one long, loud noise. It is the same noise you make when the doctor puts the stick in your mouth and says, "now say 'ahhhhhhh'." But it lasts for a bit longer. She also enjoys laughing. Frank is the best at making her laugh. When you put her on your shoulders and rub your head against her belly, she laughs. When you dip your head below the high chair tray and then look back at her, she giggles. Sometimes it's just a fun noise that gets her. Whatever it is, we both do it again and again to make her laugh. We just love that belly laugh.

Sutter is working on his crawling. He sees his sister doing it and you can tell he wants to do it, too. From a sitting position, he puts his weight on his arms and moves his butt up. It's like he is hopping on his butt, but there is no movement forward. Sometimes the hop is so strong, he ends up on his belly, arms and legs outstretched with a cry for help. We're still putting him on his tummy regularly and encouraging him whenever we can to understand how to get himself into a crawling position. It's usually met with protest and sometimes tears. He does love to stand up. He still loves jumping in his exersaucer. But what he loves most is catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He smiles real big, taking in a big breath with a noise of surprise. Sometimes he just yells at the mirror. Sometimes he just kisses it. He loves what he sees and so do we.

Sutter's nickname is still Buddy. Cora's nickname is the little girl. Together I call them the brother and the sister. We are doing a better job of using their names, although it's so easy to use their nicknames.

We started swim lessons at the Embarcadero YMCA. They last for 8 weeks and they both love it. Frank and I have to each hold a babe. The class has about 10 other children all under 18 months. They learn to kick, blow bubbles and hold their breath when they go in the water. It has made our bath time at home much wetter, too, since they practice their splashing and kicking. 

We were lucky enough to have some fun visitors over the last few weeks. Granny Judy came for the weekend after her birthday. She had a good time with the kids and we were thankful for the extra set of hands. The weekend of Valentine's and President's Day, my mom and dad, Granny and Bup, got to spend time with the babes. Everyone got to go to swim lessons with us. Everyone got extra love from the babes. They are lucky to have such GRANDparents.

Laughing and Talking

The babes have hit some very fun milestones over the last few weeks. They love to laugh. They love to make crazy noises. And their first word spoken was "Dada." We can't get enough of hearing them talk or laugh. We will do just about anything to make them laugh, including dancing, singing, head bobbing, noise making and belly tickling.

Enjoy these few videos. Cora loves to laugh after dinner. Check out how Frank entertained her.

Sutter and Cora rolling around after lunch...and talking.

Here is Sutter's funny laugh. He loves to suck in the air and make a funny little noise.

I think I take a photo or video every day. It's just so much fun.

Our first Christmas!

The holiday season was a blast. We drove down to Orange County and stayed with Bup and Granny in Orange. Thanks to a co-worker of Frank's, we were able to borrow his roof cargo container as we had so much stuff to haul, there and back home.

The babes loved their first Christmas. They got to see so many of their close and loving relatives, including Granny Judy from Ohio. They received some fun gifts, including their first wagon, first walker, some balls, first doll, and of course, Mom's favorite, new books.

We kept their routine up during the visit, although Sutter had some trouble sleeping. We thought it might be teething pain, but we haven't seen any signs of teeth yet. We walked every day, because it was at least 80 degrees. There were some swings at Hart Park that we frequented, too. Christmas Day, they had their first taste of prime rib, and they loved it. Of course, we mixed it with broccoli and sweet potatoes, but it was delicious.

The time at Christmas always goes so fast. Luckily, Aunt Sara took a few fun photos of our family's first Christmas together.

Daddy and Sutter sitting in front of Granny and Bup's house on Christmas Day.

Cora, the little girl, in her Christmas outfit.

Sutter in his aviator hat.

On the swings, we sit him all the way forward so it's easier on their necks.

Let me just get a quick taste of that hat.

This is just one of many takes...but I love it.

Granny and Bup show off all their grandchildren - Davin, 12; Hunter 13; Avery, 9; Cora and Sutter 7.5 months.

In one take, everyone was looking and no one was crying. Holiday-2013.

Granny Judy and her west coast babes.

Pretty much my favorite photo of me and the littlest girl.

It's the holiday season!

The babes are nearly 7 months old. At their six month check-up, Sutter weighed just over 19 lbs while Cora weighed almost 18 lbs. They are both in the 75% for their height and weight. Their heads measured in the 90th percentile. We are headed back to the pediatrician next week for another measurement. There is no sign of preemie birth here.

They continue to hit super fun milestones. Cora is able to roll over, and fast, too. She is very familiar with her voice, as she often growls or yells. She loves to laugh when you bite her feet, if they are not in her mouth. She is flexible, curious, and really excited about learning to crawl. When she is on the ground, I see her looking across the room while she moves her legs back-and-forth. I can tell that she thinks she is moving. When I play with her on the ground, she loves to grab my face and with her open mouth try to bite, or maybe kiss, me. It's fun to have her so interactive with me now. Frank and I are still amazed everyday that she is learning new things. Any time she goes down to sleep, she immediately flips on her stomach. She loves to sleep with her arms underneath her. She nuzzles into the side of the crib, too. When we wake her up, she loves to look at you with a huge smile on her face. She is a cutey.

Sutter has mastered rolling from front to back, but he continues to cry out when he wants to roll back. He has made some moves to try to roll, but he is just moments away from a full roll. He loves to jump in the jumper and he is very curious in the exersaucer. There is just so much for him to explore. Just recently, he has discovered that he can continue to make noise all day long. So, there are periods of ooing and ahhing without stop. He loves to smile and laugh. He is a great listener, too. Sometimes, to distract the kids, I'll often point out the different shapes of the ornaments on the tree, or point out different people in photos we have around the house. He always seems interested and can follow my hand, too. He can be so chill and fun at the same time. I love to see him smile.

Together, they are both eating twice a day now. They've enjoyed Cuban Black Beans (with cilantro), turkey, kale, sweet potato, blueberries, bananas, mashed potatoes, oatmeal, pears, peaches, avocados, lamb, chicken, and peas. They love to eat food. They especially love to lick their spoons, too. We've started using sippy cups with water, too. It took a few days to realize that it was more than a chew toy, but they've gotten the hang of it. Next week, we will move to three times a day for eating.

They are both drooling. They are going to be teething soon. They are both sitting up, and are able to correct themselves if they start to tip. They are still a bit wobbly, but they are getting so strong with their cores.

Time is going by at a steady pace for us. We have a solid schedule that works. They are up at 6:30 a.m. Eat breakfast of formula and oatmeal at 7. Nap at 8:30 a.m. Bottle at 10 a.m. Nap at 11:45. Bottle and lunch at 1 p.m. 2:30 p.m. walk/nap for 30 minutes. 4 p.m. bottle. 5:30 p.m. nap for 30 minutes. 6:15 p.m. bath. 6:45 p.m. bottle. 7:30 bed. Any time that is not accounted for we are playing.

I set up a studio in the garage, just outside Frank's office to capture the following fun holiday shoot. Thanks to Auntie Sara for the super cute holiday onesies.

Sutter and his smile

I was good this year.

Curious Cora

hmmm...how can I fit this ornament in my mouth?

Cora gets so excited, her whole body goes stiff!

Cora and Sutter

Cora with her no-nonsense look.

5 months and 21 days old - Thanksgiving preview

The babes are 5 months and 21 days old. They are so aware of their surroundings these days. At feeding time, they are still eating on their boppies, but there are many breaks. They like to look around, keeping aware of who is coming in and out of the room. They like to make sure that you are still feeding them. Sometimes, we have to hold the bottle in their mouth while they move their heads around. So busy!

When it comes to play time, the babes are spending time on their tummies. They are able to teeter back and forth, like a turtle on it's back. They are kicking their feet in a motion that shows how a baby will begin to crawl. They both grunt and yell out as they eye their toys, move their legs and try to move. You can see their determination. When we put toys in front of them, they can reach with their hands to grab them. If they miss the toy on the first try, they try again. We love watching them learn.

On their backs, Cora is able to lift her legs straight up and then roll to the side. She can even roll to her stomach now. In bed, she prefers to sleep on her stomach, although it causes me a bit of nervousness. I find myself checking the monitor to be sure that she is still breathing. Sutter hasn't mastered rolling over yet, but this weekend, he is determined to grab his feet. He will lift his legs, and at least grab his pants, and sometimes even his foot.

In outdoor news, we've taken them to the two local parks for some swing time. We are able to put them in the baby swings, leaning them forward so their arms hang out the sides. At first, they didn't really know what to make of the experience. You could see them teetering inside the swing. But they are starting to get the hang of it now. They have laughed a little and Cora even opens her mouth as she gets close to me. She thinks that there may be something to put in her mouth. Funny girl!

We received these onesies from our good friends, Kelli & Erwin. They are so cute. The hat fairy sent along these turkey tops. They wear little hats every night when we take our family walk between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. They need to stay warm as the nights have begun to cool down for us. I had a good time taking their photos. I think that you can say that the babes had an OK time being photographed.