6 months old!!

Can you believe it? A half year has already gone by and look what we have achieved!! We both have outgrown most of our clothes (and our swaddle blankets). We have started eating lots of yummy pureed veggies. We both can roll (although Claire prefers not to most of the time). We both can make fun sounds like "hoo hoo and DaDa."

Amazing!!

Here are some pictures. The last one is great --looks like Jack is about to hit Claire (although he wasn't). I imagine at some point, though, he probably will try (ahh the fun of being siblings).

Added info: We weighed the babies -- Jack is a whopping 16 pounds 14 oz and Claire has finally tripled her birth weight and is 14 pounds 1 oz!

DaDaDaDaDa!

Jack has learned some new sounds (he actually started doing this about a week ago, but now he does it every day!!). Of course Nick is so proud that he said "DaDa"first (before MaMa). I have to keep reminding him that he doesn't know what he is saying (he isn't referring to Nick when he babbles, he has just learned a new sound :). Anyway, it is adorable. It is kind of funny because he now uses it when he is happy and when he is frustrated (screams DADADADA -- this is usually when he realize that although he can roll and turn himself around in circles he still cannot crawl to the toy he wants).

Claire is still her laid-back self. She isn't interested in rolling anymore (she did it once so has really nothing else to prove, I guess). She hasn't said any more sounds yet, but I know it will be coming soon. Her new thing is eating her toes whenever she gets a chance. At night when she is in her sleep sack this is quite difficult, but somehow she manages.

Their 6 month birthday is tomorrow (can you believe it????) Pictures will be coming soon...

Happy Babies (except when we have to go the pool).

For babies that like baths so much, you would think they would like the swimming pool. Not so much. Nick and I got this great idea on Saturday afternoon that we should get a swimming pool and put the babies in it. I had some of those "little swimmers" diapers, and I didn't want them to go to waste, after all. Jack usually loves the water. When he is in the tub he splashes around like a little fish, but that pool...no way. I think it was the water temperature. Claire doesn't always like the tub either, so I wasn't really surprised when she didn't like the pool. Here are some choice pictures... and some pictures of them smiling (Jack has his mouth full during his smile picture...yum yum peas)

We love our veggies...okay maybe not all of them.

It amazes me how Jack and Claire were born on the same day, from the same parents, in the same environment yet they are so different. My mom equates them to a puppy and a kitty. Jack is more like a puppy (kind of hyper, happy, and I suppose the slobbering makes him look like a puppy sometimes too). Claire is like a kitty. She sits back and observes and does things on her own time. She likes attention, but she is okay sitting and playing on her own, too.

These differences clearly extend to their palates as well. As we have been trying new foods with them, it is kind of funny that they both have such different likes and dislikes. So far, Jack hates avocado. I am going to keep trying it with him, though. I think he will eventually learn to like it. I gave it to him yesterday, and he spit it right back at me. Figures. Takes after his daddy. Claire seems to really like it (I guess she gets that from me). Jack, on the other hand, loves peas. He could eat a whole jar if I let him. He dives for the spoon when I put it near his mouth. Claire seems indifferent about peas. She can take 'em or leave 'em. She doesn't exactly spit them out at me, but she doesn't exactly do a nose dive toward the bowl when she smells them. Bizarre. Nick and I both like peas...a lot. Maybe uncle Curt's genetics are involved here :)

The babies went to church for the first time last week. We are getting ready to get them baptised on the first Sunday in August, so we needed to all meet with Pastor Burris and make sure everything was in order. Very exciting. Jack Tom decided he wasn't too interested, though, and he slept through the entire service (after I went out and got him some very cute church clothes too). Claire was the center of attention...the pastor held her and several members of the church held her. Even though she was supposed to be napping, she stayed awake during the whole thing and just looked around at everyone. Pictures above are of them in their church clothes after the service.

Tricks and Treats

New tricks -- Jack is rolling from back to belly all the time! He loves it. It is funny, though, because if you put him on his belly first, he can roll over to his back, but if he rolls himself to his belly he can't figure out how to get back to his back. He cries because he is so frustrated! Claire Bear has rolled one time from back to belly, but hasn't felt like doing it again.

New treats-- we are on to sweet potatoes and squash. Yum Yum. Not sure they get it yet...a lot of the food ends up on the bib, their hands, the bumbo chair, their clothes and everywhere else but their mouth. Oh well. Practice makes perfect. Tomorrow-- peas!!

Real Food!

Jack and Claire had their first bite of real food yesterday...rice cereal! It was interesting. Jack I think ate quite a bit...he was confused by the spoon aspect, but once it got in his mouth he seemed to enjoy it. Claire Bear just kept spitting it back onto her bib. I am not sure if it is because it didn't taste good or she just didn't get it. I personally tasted the stuff yesterday, and it is kind of icky. I think they will like it better when we start veggies and fruits.

Grandpa

For those of you who haven't heard...my Dad passed away on June 26th, 2008 of Carbon Monoxide poisoning. It is very upsetting and hard to talk about, but I wanted to mention him on the blog. Jack and Claire never met him, but he had seen many pictures and always commented on what fine grandchildren they were. My Dad was a brilliant man who will be missed. Please see link to his obituary.

http://www.legacy.com/CourierPress/Obituaries.asp?Page=Notice&PersonID=112423253