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We’re still really enjoying how much more vocal the girls have become in the last few weeks. A few days ago Elizabeth really got into it and chattered away for about 30 minutes straight. What is she talking about, I wonder? Or perhaps she’s singing? Enjoy the clip.  Click on the image to load the movie in a new window. OK, so you wouldn’t normally expect to see baby girls sunbathing by the pool on October 31st… But that’s just what our girls did today. You see, a while ago we somehow acquired a bathing suit (just one), and since there’s just no way the suit will still fit them when summer rolls around, and today was reasonably sunny and warm, Janet gave them each a turn to wear it. Later in the evening, they each got to try on their Halloween themed outfits.  Carolyn lounging by the pool  Elizabeth soaking up some sun  Carolyn & Elizabeth in their Halloween outfits Wow, it’s already late October, and we missed the 5 month update opportunity a couple weeks ago! I’m pleased to say that Carolyn and Elizabeth are both doing very well. They’ve managed to stay healthy, even though I recently got slammed with a flu virus or something that lasted for about 10 days. Fortunately, it wasn’t the most miserable flu I’ve ever had, but it did linger for quite a while! (Was it swine flu? I dunno, maybe. Probably. At any rate, it didn’t stop me from going on a fun but brutal geocaching hike around Pinecrest Lake last weekend, heheh.) Anyway, Janet and the girls are fine, and I’m finally feeling better now too. It was really hard not being able to hold them close and kiss their cute little faces for so long! Recently the girls have been learning some new tricks. For one thing, they’re much more vocal now, often making little cooing or gurgling noises at us or at each other. It’s also really funny when they’re lying on the floor, flailing their arms and legs around, and then they’ll suddenly notice their hand right in front of their face. They’ll freeze in position, eyes big and wide, and they’ll stop and stare at the hand in rapt amazement for a moment, then open up their little mouths and try to cram the entire fist inside. Seconds later, they’ll be back to flailing, and then the whole process will repeat itself. They have also become more ticklish, and more likely to laugh in response to our talking or laughter. Here’s a short video with each of the girls showing off their cute little giggles and squeals.  Click on the image to load the movie in a new window. In other news, yesterday Janet and I cruised out to visit Joan’s Farm and Pumpkin Patch on Mines Road in Livermore. Admission is free, believe it or not, so I really wasn’t expecting much — but I was pleasantly surprised. Oh, there are definitely plenty of ways to spend money while you’re there, but our kids are still too young to pester us for things, so we escaped without spending anything. But we still had a fun time looking at the museum-like farm displays and took some fun pictures of the girls propped up against some colorful pumpkins. Here are a few:  Pumpkin Girls  Carolyn  It will almost fit!  Elizabeth is fascinated by her own hands  Hey, that mud looks interesting! Over the last few months I got a little behind schedule in processing and editing the video footage we took of the girls, but recently I’ve been working to get caught up again. Here are a few highlights! The first clip shows some of the first genuine giggles from either of the girls, and strangely enough, they were produced in response to the Snot Sucker thingy. We still get plenty of smiles from them, but I think the Snot Sucker is still the only thing that has elicited real laughter. But these giggles are still pretty small and tentative, and we’re looking forward to something even more robust.  Click on the image to load the movie in a new window. The second clip is just a compilation of both girls making cute little facial expressions and noises. As Janet mentioned in a recent post, they’re definitely “talking” more now, and that’s fun.  Click on the image to load the movie in a new window. I must warn you that this last clip will be somewhat painful to watch, or at least painful to listen to. You could stuff cotton balls in your ears, or simply turn the sound off on your computer, but that would kinda defeat the purpose and would probably be rather boring. Maybe you should just turn the volume down real low… I just figured that since this sound has become so ubiquitous in our household, I might as well record and preserve a small representative sample. The two clips here were recorded just minutes apart, and of course it was just after midnight. Just a few minutes earlier, both of them were going at it full blast simultaneously — but I didn’t get the camera out quick enough to capture that marvelously ear-splitting sound.  Click on the image to load the movie in a new window. I had a “girls day” with Carolyn and Elizabeth today. Dan had an opportunity to spend the day geocaching with his Dad in Santa Cruz. I realized I haven’t spent the day alone with the girls since I started back to work full time a month ago. We went out and did some errands this morning and then Dan’s mom came over and helped us do some chores this afternoon. I think Dan and I both enjoyed our day. [Note from Dan: Let’s see, I missed out on errands and chores, and instead I got to hike in a redwood forest? You bet I enjoyed my day!] The girls are four months old today and they’re really beginning to develop. Several weeks ago they began making babbling/cooing sounds. (Believe it or not, I hadn’t even noticed that they weren’t doing that until they started.) Now they’re “talking” up a storm. They’ll smile at us, sometimes when we least expect it — like while suctioning the snot out of their nose. They’re beginning to have some measure of head control. They wiggle and move and it’s clear that one day soon they’ll be crawling and then running all over the house.  They started parallel to each other and three feet apart!  Move over! Last week we put the girls into separate cribs. Several times we found that after we had put them down for their nap, some time later one of them would be crying. When we went to check on them, we’d find that they had wiggled around and one of them was more than likely being kicked in the head. Strangely enough, it was often the one doing the kicking who was crying. For some reason it seems like they move around LESS now that they have more room. Go figure. They have also discovered their mouth and tongue. It’s cute to watch them stick out their tongue, or suck their thumb, or try to put their whole fist in their mouth. Except when they’re supposed to be eating and instead they’re playing with the nipple and then crying because they’re hungry. But then when you give them the bottle again they get all distracted and start playing again instead of eating. Still, we all seem to be managing pretty well, and we’re so thankful for all the new experiences the girls have brought into our lives. What a blessing! |
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