Just Playing Around

I think Gavin has decided that the Boppy pillow is something to be tackled. He loves to crawl over it and hit it, kick it, and chew on it. In these photos, the Boppy was on the floor behind Evie - he crawled over it, sat on it, and just about ended up in her lap:

"Gang way! Here comes my brother!"


Evie is suspicious, "Gavin, what are you about to do?"


"Ooof!"


Here are the twins playing on one of their playmats:


"A little higher, Evie. Aahh, that's the spot!"






Here's Evie chattering away. This is exactly what she does when we put her down for the night - she jabbers in her crib for 10 - 20 minutes. I think she likes to sound of her own voice!

Gavin's New Tricks

Somehow Gavin decided it would be fun to push Evie's Bumbo seat around the house. Sometimes he puts a toy in it, sometimes not. He came up with this idea all on his own - we never know what he will do next!



( I think it's even funnier that he moved the rug out of the way!)
He's so proud of himself - here he goes down the hallway:



Here's the first cabinet he figured out how to open: the one with the Xbox and Nintendo Wii video game consoles! Evie is keenly observing this:



He loves the remote controls! Even though he has his own Sesame Street remote, it's not always as interesting as these:


Who can resist those baby blues?


"Now, pay attention, Evie. You use this big bar here at the bottom to make spaces."


Maybe we'll see a blog post from Evie one day soon!

First Playdate!

Yesterday the twins went on their first play-date! They got to meet 8 other twins & I got to chat (although in fragments) with their moms. We had so much fun and can't wait to do it again! Thanks so much to Natalia, mom to Konrad & Emilia, for opening up her house (and toys, bouncy seats, and highchair, etc) to all of us!

Most of us met last summer when we were all pregnant with our twins. Edward Hospital offers a "Marvelous Multiples" prenatal class, and the friends I have met there have been invaluable resources!

I am sitting here with Evie & Gavin, Emma & Caroline are with mom Gretchen, and Konrad is in front:





Gavin looks on as Emma & Caroline are both interested in their Pooh-Bear book:


Evie meets another Evie (her full name is Evangelina)!


Gavin turned a tin into a drum:


Gavin & Pierre (doing "hard time" in "baby jail"). "It's rough on the inside, yo," says Gavin.



Gavin & Felix (Pierre's twin):


"Hi, I'm Evie!" "Hi, I'm Felix!"


Evie and Felix (getting more friendly!):



Gavin says, "So, yeah, Felix, sometimes it's tough having a sister. But most of the time she's alright!"


Pierre, who is really enjoying his lunch, and mom Kelly. Kelly has some more playdate pictures on her blog.

Fun in the Shade

Our backyard does not have any big trees, so there is zero shade. We wanted to play with the kids outside, though - so we got a small tent and a blanket with a waterproof back, and voila! The kids like feeling the breeze on their faces and touching the grass (they are not ready to venture off of the blanket yet though)!

The tent is the One Step Ahead Family Beach Cabana Tent, and the blanket is the J.J. Cole Outdoor Blanket from Babies R Us. The tent is really easy to set up! It automatically unfolds into its shape, and has some optional stakes that we have used because one little gust of wind could tip the tent over. It's just the right size for all four of us right now... we can imagine the kids "camping" with it in the basement when they are a bit older!









After playing in the tent, Gavin had so much energy that he tried to destroy the hanging mobiles in the pack-n-play by kicking them! (OK, he had a little encouragement from me!)

Happy Birthday to Daddy!

Evie & Gavin are happy to help Daddy celebrate his 33rd birthday today - and it is also the twins' 9 month birthday! Here are some comparison photos:

Yesterday morning the kids didn't want Daddy to leave for work:



Babies (appx. 1 month old) and Daddy:



Gavin, about 1 week old, and Daddy:



Evie, about 3 weeks old, and Daddy:



Last week, tackling Daddy when he got home from work!

1st Fourth of July

For the twins' first 4th of July, we had the whole family over for a lunchtime cookout. Francis was busy grilling cheeseburgers, hotdogs, and brats. We were so glad to have nice weather instead of the usual early July steambath! The twins were asleep by firework-time, but they had a fun day with everyone anyway.

Uncle David & Evie:



Evie with Grandpa Cermak & Aunt Clare:



Evie & Mommy:



Gavin & Grandpa Cermak:



Gavin & Auntie Di:



Mommy & Gavin:



Daddy & Gavin - this was the only time Daddy sat down all day! But lunch was wonderful, honey!

Evie Gets Tackled

Well, it was only a matter of time before Gavin reverted to old habits. After all, he did kick Evie for 9 months in the womb! But Evie is used to it - they were both giggling and having fun in the photos below. One of these days though, she will surprise Gavin with another swift left hook!

Unsuspecting Evie...



"Gaaah! Gotcha sis!"






Later, Evie tried to take comfort in Daddy's cheeseburger...



...but settled for a bottle with Grandma Cordes. No beef for her just yet!

We Love Oatmeal!

The oatmeal with banana contines to be a hit with Evie - she took 3 tablespoons yesterday and I don't think she EVER ate that much of the plain stuff. I also gave some to Gavin, who did not like bananas, and he ate it up! Maybe the key with him is to mix all new foods with either sweet potatoes or oatmeal...

I had them both in their jumpers the other morning and took the pics and video below. Francis thinks Evie is taunting Gavin with the football rattle in the video. (The football is one of his favorite things to chew on, and it's fabric, so it has soaked up so much drool that it could float away on its own. Now I know why parents buy 2 of some things - or in my case, 4!)

New Foods!

The twins love playing with the beads from their Bucket of Beads. (I think they're more like blocks, but that's just my opinion.) Eventually, the kids can connect them, but right now they like to chew or (in Gavin's case) chase them across the floor.

I am happy to report that Gavin tried turkey today (mixed with sweet potatoes) and liked it! And Evie tried oatmeal with banana flavor and liked it too! I will be so happy if he likes at least one meat and she likes at least one cereal.

"Mmm, my block tastes like sweet potatoes!"



"I'm not sure about this one... is that banana I'm tasting?"



Evie: "Yep, definately banana!"
Gavin: "You can keep that one - I don't like bananas!"



"Where are the other 18 blocks from our bucket, Mom? We need to taste those too!"



Gavin in the laundry basket



Huge smiles from Evie!