HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hope everyone is having a good New Year so far. Our New Year has been busy. T and E have been trying new foods, and I have had so much fun feeding them. They continue to love their oatmeal cereal though I have started mixing it with formula rather than breastmilk. It was too taxing for me to pump in between their feedings or mostly late at night in order to have milk to mix with their cereal. I introduced sweet potatoes right after Christmas, but that did not go over too well. Even on the fourth day of sweet potatoes T and E still gagged and shuddered. I will try them again later. After sweet potatoes I gave them avocado (thanks Jennifer!). I just pureed the avocado with some water. They seemed to really like it! No gagging and no shuddering. I have some in the freezer for later on. Today I gave them peaches in the jar. They are actually pretty tart even to me so I understand why T and E shuddered. I have been giving each food 4 to 5 days before introducing a new one. I think bananas will be next or maybe squash.

T and E have both been trying to roll over from their backs to their stomachs. E seems more interested in this than T. He is still so preoccupied with his feet, and he has started keeping one of his fists in his mouth most of the time. Yesterday, David put E on her back in the living room and then came back into the kitchen where I was. When I took T in the living room Elizabeth was on her stomach -- hate we missed it. However, this afternoon I saw her roll from her back to her stomach while playing on the floor in the nursery. It was heartwarming and so exciting! Even with my background I continue to be amazed at how quickly they are learning. Not just T and E, but all babies learn so much during the first year. It is truly phenomenal to me. They continue to talk and get louder each day. I have heard a few consonant/vowel syllables but they don't seem to be consistent yet. David has been working really hard trying to get Elizabeth to say "daddy." It is pretty cute to watch.

We had a wonderful visit to Arkansas for the holidays. The twins enjoyed being held by their many cousins and second cousins, and they got to see several great aunts and great-great aunts. My nieces and nephew are so fortunate to get to be surrounded by so many family members from different generations. I think that is pretty rare these days. In spite of the hustle and bustle T and E slept really well at night while we were there until the last day. I think they were worn out by then. It was good to get them home ,but at the same time I was pretty lonesome upon our return. I enjoy living here, but maybe one day we will move closer to Arkansas. Who knows? We had them christened on Christmas Eve, and it was a beautiful service. They were so good. They didn't make a sound. We have lots of pictures from that trip but haven't had time to get them on the computer.

I attended a Mother of Twins Club meeting on 1/2 and had a great time. I look forward to formally joining and making friends. I think having multiples is SO very different from having singletons. I anticipate getting to ask questions and share stories with women who have had or are having the same experiences that I am having. The club meets once a month but also has family nights and moms' night out monthly as well. I plan on doing both. I will keep you posted.

I think Thomas and Elizabeth are experiencing a growth spurt right now. Last night they woke up every three to four hours to eat. They haven't done that in awhile. They have a well visit scheduled for Monday -- more shots and measurements. I am anxious to see what they are weighing now. Thomas feels much heavier than his sister now and looks longer. He has consistently been longer than she is but their weights have been pretty close. It will be interesting to see their weight differences.

I can't believe the twins are still asleep -- I probably shouldn't have said that :) They have almost been asleep for one hour. They still don't sleep well during the day.

Gotta go!