Cousin Time

June 25, 2014

While Alli and Edd are in the Bahamas for a band trip, McKenna (9) and Aidric (6) are staying with Gramma and Grandpa Marquardt for the week.  I love that my mom lives so close so that I can bring the girls over to play with their cousins as much as possible.  It is so cute watching the big kids play with the small kids.  It is going to be such a fun adventure when my girls are old enough to walk and talk.  They are going to give their bigger cousins a run for their money.
     McKenna does such a great job "babysitting" the kiddos and Aidric loves to make them laugh.  Here are some pictures from the week so far :)

Clara was more interested in the cardboard than the actual toy

Getting some hugs from Gramma Sharon

Clara loves our flying game.  Her laugh is contagious

Clara is stylin cousin Aidric's hair

Clara is trying to get Aidric's s'more

He wasn't sharing :)

Adelyn is chillin with cousin McKenna

Adelyn is already sitting like a "lady"

It is hard to tell in this picture, but Adelyn was totally leaning into McKenna, relaxing

McKenna is an EXCELLENT babysitter

8 MONTHS

 June 2014 8 Months

It is an amazing adventure I am on.  Eight months is even better than seven!

Adelyn	Clara
Weighs 22.6 pounds	Weighs 21.4 pounds
Very inquisitive	Sits by herself
Loves stealing her sister's pacifier while it is in Clara's mouth	Loves her pacifier
Picks items up with fingers	Hates going to sleep now
Hates "mixed vegies"	Talks A LOT
Loves "jumping"	Loves Nalla.  Eyes get so big when she sees her
2 bottom teeth	LOVES books.  Eyes get so big when she sees me bring out a book

The twins are continuing to talk to each other in their "twin talk." Lately when you are holding Adelyn she loves to use her thumb and first finger to pinch your neck and then roll the skin between her fingers.  It hurts.  She still loves to sing and is very expressive with her talking.  It is almost like she is yelling at you with a smile.  Along with her beautiful Gerber eyes, Adelyn has become quite the faker.  She fake coughs.  Gramma and Grandpa Marquardt had a bad cold for awhile and did a lot of coughing.  Adelyn has picked up the coughing technique and it is funny to see her "cough" and then laugh at herself.    She is also VERY aware of her sister.  When Clara is upset or crying, Adelyn will lean in and try to make her laugh.  Even though she loves her sister very much, she still steals all the toys that Clara has.  If Clara has it, Adelyn wants it.
     Clara is sitting very well on her own now.  She "talks" a lot and seems to have a lot to say.  She is starting

to stand up for herself in regards to her sister.  Before, when Adelyn stole her pacifier or toys, Clara would just start crying.  Now she either tries to hold onto it, throw her fists down in frustration, or steal it back.
     Both girls are still fascinated with hair.  They will find that one strand of your hair and pull, hard.  I now have wild strands of short hair around my face because both girls have ripped my hair apart.  My poor hair dresser is going to have her work cut out with me when I can finally find the time to go in.

    Bath time is a lot of fun now as well.  Before I use to have to bathe one girl at a time.  Now I can put them in their mini laundry baskets and they can play with their toys while talking to each other.  Both girls love the water and have discovered how much fun splashing can be.  I think I leave the bathroom wetter than they do.  I also got them a kiddie pool for outside.  The weather hasn't been tooooo cooperative, but the one or two days it was, the girls loved playing in the pool.  They would try to scoot their little bottoms across the pool while splashing each other.  Finally, we don't watch too much tv at my house but when we do, we watch the Baby Channel 124.  There is a program that the girls ABSOLUTELY love.  It is called, VocabuLarry.  He is a brightly colored parrot, named Larry, who learns knew vocabulary.  I don't know if it is the color of the bird, Larry or the music they play during the episode, but when he comes on, BOTH girls' eyes get soooo wide and they start kicking their feet, and they squeal in joy.  They don't do that with any other program but it is amazing to see their excitement when Larry comes on.
      On a side note, I want to give a shout out to Gramma Marquardt.  She watches them everyday while I go to work and is the best Gramma out there.  The girls love their Gramma Marquardt and I don't know what I would do without her help!  Thanks Gramma Marquardt!
     As always, I am so honored to be their mother and I look forward to every day I get to spend with them.  Every day is an adventure that I don't want to end.

They love interacting with each other and Adelyn is always ready to make her sister laugh!

Gramma and Grandpa Marquardt

We took the girls to the beach at Kirkland for a fun afternoon out :)

The girls love setting up our "picnic" in the front yard and Nalla is always there to play guard dog.

Adelyn stole her sister's pacifier and is trying to nah on it.  Must feel good on her teeth.

Clara is just the sweetest!  I love that smile!

Fun in the pool

I can see you ;)

Gramma Daycare

Gramma Daycare

       At 4 months of age, when I had to go back to work, I have dropped off the girls at Gramma's Daycare Monday-Friday from 6am-2:45pm routinely. 

     Typically I will get dressed at my house and wake the girls at the last minute and place them in their car seats and drive to Gramma's house. Gramma greets the girls & me at my car and brings one baby in while I brings in the other. Gramma is always greeted with a smile or 3 which is the only way to start the day. Priceless. Inside, while Gramma bibs the girls in their "table for two", I get a cup of coffee and then help feed while visiting with Gramma who has their bottles warmed and ready to go. Smooth like a finely tuned watch.

     Once I leave, the twins are ready for some relaxing 124-TV and then down for a little extended morning nap about 7 am. After their nap which ends about 8 am, Gramma changes them out of their PJ's and into their day clothes which I have already brought over for the week. Once dressed, the day is full of "stations" of twin time, laughter and hugs of joy. Gramma has said she has the best job ever!!

The rest is from Gramma's journal: 

     Gramma has several "stations" for the girls to enjoy. One is "twin time in the crib" where they play with three dimensional and musical toys for about 1/2 an hour. We have Johnny Jump up time in two separate door jams and tummy time either on the living room floor or best in the babies room free of animals and distractions. When they start to grumble, Gramma knows it is time to either move to another station or change it up somehow. Sometimes they just need a diaper change. Another station they enjoy is sitting in their "activity chairs" for 1/2 and hour or so. Each time Gramma puts them into them she will change up which seat they sit in so they have a chance at both of the two available seats. Then because they rub their eyes and get tired, it is "morning nap time" which lasts anywhere between 20 minutes to an hour. They have their own crib in the babies room. 

     At noon Gramma bibs them in the "table for two" and they have food and a bottle and a few minutes in their incline chairs  to digest watching 124-TV and then more station time for exploration and play. We always have time for individual baby time of hugs and laughter. We are spontaneous depending on our frame of mind. Often the girls like to touch the entry stained glass windows and smile watching the 2 gold fish in the entry tank. Clara especially loves time with the house animals and will grab onto the cats and Daisy though Daisy will steal her pacifier and chew on it any chance she gets. 

The twins then usually need an afternoon nap (they rub their eyes) around 1 pm and sleep until 2:15 and have one last snack at 2:30 so Mom can come get them about 2:45 "fed and ready to play". 

Gramma loves her daycare job!!