Crazy Hair

Ooooo! Love that face. Any word spoken that has an "ooo" or "oh" sound in it by Mama or Daddy, evokes an "Ooooo" response from the girls. They are trying hard to form new sounds everyday like "la"! It is fun to see them develop on a daily basis. As you can see on flickr, we had a minor accident while swinging in the front yard. A small branch fell out of the tree and happened to strike Abigail on the right cheek. We were surprised that it happened and even more surprised when it started bleeding! I think that she was enjoying the swing time so much that she didn't think it even warranted a whine. So tough. Sydney is striking a pose in a few pictures-they turn their head to the sides to get a different view and look like shy angels. Both Sydney and Abigail seem to have kicked the sickness and are in their normal routines, which makes Rebekah happy.

It's A Tough Life

I know that it doesn't appear to be all that tough looking through this picture, but a sickness has brought unbalance to the household for the past week. We are all tired of it--Sydney and Abigail the most--and hope that it is clearing up for them. Let's just say that we have gone through about 100 diapers in the past week and a box of Kleenex. Not fun. Especially not fun for Rebekah who had to keep it all afloat while Brad was away for a couple of days. Sleep is golden at this point, so we are going to take advantage while our little ones snooze.

Sydney showing us her best Cher impression.

One year ago today our little angels came home from the hospital. They were 18 days old. It is so hard to believe how far they've come. Abigail officially began walking Sunday afternoon, and by the confidence she now shows, you wouldn't believe she has only been walking for 3 days. She walks across the room and down the hall and back around without ever falling or sitting down. She really seems to enjoy her new sense of independence. Sydney is still content to cruise and crawl to get where she wants to go, and although she doesn't seem to mind that her "little" sister can walk before her, it's apparent that she is learning from Abigail's mistakes.

Brad joined us at the doctor today for the girls 12 month checkup and by the comments the doctor made, he would never guess that Sydney and Abigail were 7 weeks early. They have both developed right on target and are doing what other 12 month toddlers are doing at this age. Who knew the exam table paper was so fun! Here are their stats:
Sydney--Weight 21 lbs. 6 oz. (55 %)
Height 29 1/4 inches (50 %)
Abigail--Weight 21 lbs. 9 oz. (60 %)
Height 29 1/4 inches (50 %)

They have enjoyed swimming in the pool on the deck and exploring the entire house (read: running away from Mama until they want her attention and running back). We are in the process of securing all of the furniture to the framework of our house--Abigail and Sydney are fearless!

Ready To Run

Yes, we know we are cute!

Abigail is not far from walking...actually, she has taken a few steps in the past few days; yesterday, Rebekah witnessed a 10 step "run" from the end of the couch towards the front door. When she doesn't know that she is not holding on to something, we can see her balance improving everyday. We have seen Sydney standing more than ever this week--I am sure that she won't be far behind her active sister.

Never fear, more pictures to view on flickr. It has been a while since our last post because we were a separated family for a week. Rebekah and the girls spent the past 10 days in St. Louis with her family and had all kinds of adventure. (Brad was able to see his girls on their birthday after making the drive on Friday, the 30th.) As you can see above, the barenaked ladies loved to cool off in the water of their own private patio pool. And Rebekah was able to enjoy a few mornings in one of her childhood haunts, Kirkwood Park.

And the girls loved their time in the swings.

Sydney and Abigail had their first encounter with monkeys, giraffe, and other caged creatures at the St. Louis Zoo, and saw some free roaming animals on the impressive Grant's Farm estate (a Busch establishment). Our little animals did not seem to stop their exploration of their new surroundings...since we do not have stairs in our house, the girls have not really had the opportunity to climb like they did last week. No-fear Abigail figured it out with the first two steps and can now crawl up the steps with the greatest of ease. Sydney was not far behind and was able to make it up a couple of steps. And we only had one major tumble...Sydney was able to pull a folding chair over that bumped her right between the eyes. The pictures on flickr don't really do the boo-boo justice, Sydney. All in all, it was a nice birthday week for the girls and was nice to have extra hands to corral our very active daughters.

You may have already seen the masterpiece, but I forgot to give credit where credit is due on the last post. Rebekah made one of the greatest first birthday cakes that I have ever seen for Sydney and Abigail's 1st Birthday Party. If you could only see the detail. She made a large cake that replicated one of the girls favorite toys--Mr. Star! Mr. Star will always hold a place in all of our hearts--as little babies the girls would be transfixed on him as they would lay on their backs under the playgym. If we heard his songs once, we have heard them a thousand times...but he made the girls so happy that we didn't mind.