Laughs and Hugs in the tub

My girls are total goofs. They are the BIGGEST goofs in the bathtub. My sister in law so nicely said to me that no one will ever believe that the girls are ever clothed and dry. Probably true because sometimes I feel like they purposefully get so messy they must be bathed, sometimes twice a day.

They are also really into hugging and kissing (and blowing raspberries) each other. Tub time brings this out ten fold. Tonight they were really extra loving so I had to get the camera out. What can I say? There are more on flickr, but you have to be my "friend" to see them since some may not be as censored. :)

Leah is walking!

A late walker, yes, but she is walking none the less!

She has been teetering with the idea for a little while now, but she has finally decided to show some initiative and work on this skill. She had been taking a few steps, and then falling and crawling the rest of the way.

Today she walked across the living room and dining room, and is really walking most places now. She is very stiff and not so confident at it, and when she falls she may or may not get up again and try walking. But she is definitely walking!

I did get video of it, and it is on the same video mini dvd as Hannah's walking video a few months ago, but the dvd has to be out of time and finalized before I can pull anything off of it. We have now used the end of the disc so maybe Matt will get some videos accessible for me. We shall see.

So Yay for my little Leah. In two weeks she will be chasing after her sister and I will be after them both :)

The bottle update...

As I said, I have packed up all bottles and are never going back. We made it by 15 months so I am happy about that. Both girls were taking their milk fine from a sippy cup, and now Hannah has decided she hates it. She will not drink it with any flavor in it. If she sees the milk in the cup she wont touch it. If she tastes it, she makes a face and pushes it away. I have resorted to giving lots of yogurt and putting some chocolate or strawberry syrup in her milk at night, and then having her drink it without a lid for a few sips. Then I show her that I am putting the lid on the same cup and she will drink about half a cup before she is done and wants to go to sleep. Leah is fine with plain milk, and likes hers in a straw sippy cup. Whatever works!

Hannah has really taken up with a blankie too. She cuddles with it when she goes to bed and it has become her trigger to go "nigh nigh". Very cute.

So we have made it through the rough part anyway, even though Hannah is not getting the amount she needs but I am sure she will be fine eventually...

Christmas time has come and gone

But what a wonderful time it was...

I am a little behind in my postings so this will just have to be a recap. All I can say is we have a very generous family and enjoyed the time that we got to hang out with everyone. There were several family get-togethers and lots of great food!

This year was so different than last year. The girls were involved in the present opening (even if they like bows and boxes more than presents), ate at the family dinner table, and ran around the houses. This year they were able to play with their cousins, and read books with the great grandparents. Last year they sat in their little bouncy chairs or napped, while Matt and I - still somewhat sleep deprived - enjoyed our Christmas in a tired state. Ah memories... This Christmas night we went to Matt's parents for dinner and gifts with all 4 kids and the mass chaos was wonderful. Definitely different.

The girls seemed to really enjoy Christmas morning. Though they didnt "get it" they were excited with all their new toys. Santa brought them a kitchen and a climber and both seem to be a big hit. Now toys have infiltrated almost every room of the house - including the dining room :)

It was a very enjoyable time and it is a little bittersweet that it is over. The tree is down and decorations are packed up. Now how do I get Leah to STOP saying "ho ho ho?" :)

Hannah getting another stocking surprise


Leah and her new "Vwooom" (Vacuum)


Playing in the kitchen




Reading a book with Papa


Goofball sitting in a box


What else can I say?

Bottle Free and Good Nights Sleep!

Knowing my luck, the fact that I am writing about this means that I am about to jinx myself and all good things will come to an end.

Hopefully that wont happen, but here is our latest progress...

Leah has been sleeping great. She is no longer screaming when we put her down, and she is not waking up at night. Also she is consistently sleeping from 8-8. Good news! We put a night light in her room and I think it has done the trick! I briefly had to go in there tonight about an hour ago because she suddenly cried out dramatically, but I just patted her and covered her up and then sat by the crib for a few minutes. She was fine! This is a far leap from a few weeks ago when we would have to put her in the pack n play and settle her down with a movie because nothing we did helped at all...

Hannah went a few days where she was waking up around 3am. I would give her a bottle, change her, and she went back down in 15 minutes. But that seems to have stopped now. She is also sleeping from 8-8. She is still in the pack n play in the playroom and we are trying to decide what to do about this. We have been enjoying our sleep these past few nights since Matt and I are so exhausted with everything that we have had to do lately, so we have kept them separated. But they need to be back together at some point. Well, we are going to try again. Honestly Leah just may do better sleeping on her own. So we will put them back in the same room again next week and if it doesnt go well then I guess we will have to move a crib to the playroom temporarily, Until they are out of cribs actually... We will see.

And I am happy to report that yesterday and today we were completely bottle free. They do not get as much milk as they need, but Leah will drink a morning cup and her night cup (with some carnation instant breakfast in it.) Hannah took some convincing tonight but I accidentally called it a "Ba Ba" and she decided she would drink the cup after all. Goof.

So if we made it two days, I think we can give up on the bottles. I do not want to regress and give them one in an act of desperation one day. So I am going to pack them up. I need the room in the cabinets anyway! This is a big thing for us because I did not think Leah would do well at all, and she is actually adjusting nicely. Maybe we just started a few weeks too early and now she has decided it is not too bad. Plus we have been diluting their bottles slowly for the past few weeks as well and they really were not as interested in them as they once were.

So pray the sleeping will continue! And that we do not give in on the "no bottles" clause!

A cute Leah moment

Leah is loving to give hugs lately. I love her loving this. If I say, "can I have a hug?" she will reach her arms around me and lay her head on my shoulder and give me a real hug. Ahh

So we were at the orthopedic doctor on Thursday and they were really decorated for Christmas. There were Santa's everywhere. She was enthralled with all of them. At the front desk, as I was checking out, she saw the 4 foot plastic Santa next to us and kept reaching for him. So I let her "pat him gently". Then she was reaching ALL the way to him and I realized she was wanting to give him a hug! She put her little arms around Santa and laid her head on his beard for a good little while. I laughed and asked if she was hugging Santa and her reply was "Ho Ho Hooooooo". The waiting room was hysterical. Then of course the hugging continued about 10 times.

Seriously, why could she not have done that with the REAL Santa??? :)

On the way home I was recapping the moment with some of the family and everytime I said Santa I heard a little "Ho Ho Hoooo" from the back. Gotta love it.

Just a typical week for us McCays :)

This was one of those weeks. Aside from the obvious that I am ready for Christmas, and with that, a little break, this past week was so hectic. One of those weeks that you just want to get over with.

I am sitting here writing this as I think of all I need to do to get ready for the week to come (the usual million things going through a working mommys mind) but thankful it is a new week, and Christmas week!!

Last monday started it off. I had to get a new phone since I dropped mine and it was officially unrepairable. Also, the dogs were WAY overdue on their shots and needed baths so Matt dropped them off at the vets on his way to work so they could get bathed. I had to be there at one for the actual appointment. Well my van battery was dead (again) because I seem to have a problem with leaving cabin lights on. So I had to jump the van off, which left me no time to get the phone, so I just went to get the dogs. When I got home I took Hannah with me to get my new phone and we shopped a little bit.

So, when I got home for the evening, my sister says that Abby (beagle) was acting strange and her stomach was hard. I confirmed this and called the vet and had to take her in emergently to rule out an allergic reaction to the shots. Apparently she had gotten into a LOT of water (toilet???) and just drank too much. Of course. I am glad all was ok but still... Water?

Anyway tues and wednesday I did not see the girls at all because of work. Thurs I had to drive downtown 3 separate times. I went to work early for a meeting that was actually not that morning. Then I did my case and my surgeon was an hour late. I left work at 12:30 and had to go home to pick up Leah for her orthopedic appointment. We had to get an XRAY to make sure her arm is fully healed after it had broken at birth. (Perfect by the way). Then I had to take her back home and quickly get ready to drive back downtown for Matts work Christmas Party. I missed the appropriate turn and took the LOOONNNGG way to McWanes Center. About an hour after we were there my sister, who was babysitting, called and said to come home immediately because Abby had PUS coming out of her back. WHAT???? She called the vet and we ended up giving her Benadryl and a bath when we got home, with the order to call in the morning with the update. I got in the shower with Abby at 10pm and had to wash all these pus pockets (sorry guys) off her back all the while getting an extreme allergic reaction myself to something on her back and my eyes were swollen and red and so painful I couldnt see. I just went to bed.

Friday I worked early but it was a basic day at least. Matt picked up some Prednisone and an antibiotic for Abby from the vet on his way home and we thought it was better. Oh yeah, no clue what this is by the way. Seems coincidental from them being at the vet.

The weekend has been busy with shopping and family events, but otherwise good. Abby is now losing hair and has really red spots on her back. Waiting on vet to call back and will probably have to take her tomorrow.

So, hopefully this week will have a little less drama and maybe I wont work too much! :) I just hope Abby gets better and it is not something like Mange that is contagious.

A successful Santa picture!

I cannot say that we have smiles in the picture, but at least it is not a picture of two screaming babies desperately trying to get out of Santa's arms.

The plan was to tell Santa to hide behind his chair while we approached and sat the girls in the chair. Then Santa could pop up when the time was right. The girls would never see Santa and therefore just sit in the chair unaware.

The plan worked. However, Santa, as he said does not "pop". When he tried to "pop" he pulled the chair back with him.

So the picture is sort of a startled look from the girls as the chair quickly tilted back. Also, I had given them little dissolving fruit bits as they sat down to distract them from us walking away. So they are also chewing.

The photographer was warned that it could get serious quickly and to be fast. The girls actually were happy, and probably would have smiled if they had tried to get them to, but they quickly took the picture and were done. Funny actually. So we have a picture. I do not even care :)

Goodnight kisses

I forgot to mention this, but Hannah has gotten to where she tells me Nigh Nigh and then gives me a kiss before I lay her down. It is the sweetest thing. She lays her head on my shoulder, I tell her Night Night, and she says Nigh Nigh, I give her anywhere from 10 to 100 kisses :) and she will lift her head back and give me a big kiss on my lips. Then we say Nigh Nigh again and she lays down. Those are the moments to live for...

And the twins take it! Santa goes down

Well, round 2 did not go so well today. They did great in the line, and played with some other kids. But once we got up to see the big man himself, Leah held on as tight as she could to me, and started freaking out. At which point, Hannah took her cue and also started screaming. We got a quick shot before Leah squirmed out of Santa's arms...



I did not buy the professional photo since I had this one and it gets the jest of the day. But we ARE going to try one more time. My plan is to go to Brookwood this time where the girls wont recognize the chair. Santa will hide behind the chair before the girls see him, and pop out from behind it as the girls sit in the chair. If that doesnt work, there is always next year.

For those of you who are suggesting we just get in the picture with them, I tried that today as well - even though I was in scrubs. Still did not happen. The screaming starts upon sight of Santa.

Round 2 goes to the twins...

words of our days

Everyday it amazes me what these little 14 month olds know! Leah will copy everything we do now. It makes for a lot of laughs but we now really have to be careful about what we say!

Here are some of her new favorite words - or what I can think of off the top of my head...

Thank you - "Tank ooo" she says this ALL the time, but actually seems to know the meaning pretty well. She says it every time she takes a drink and hands it back to me. Or anytime she gives me anything, or we give her anything. Its so cute.

Night Night - "nigh nigh" Hannah says this word finally - she has emerged from her "d" words!

Uh Oh -"Uh ooooo" Oh my gosh both of them say this ALL THE TIME every time they fall or drop something. I am trying to explain it is not an uh oh if they drop something on purpose

Dog - "daw" this is a common one with three dogs in the house

Abby - "Abeeee" our dogs name - this really impressed her neighbor who has a daughter named Abby

Ball - "Baw" - This is more frequently said now because of all the balls on the tree

Ho Ho Ho - "Ho ho hooooo" with her lips in an exaggerated oooooo - Teacher her what Santa says of course!

Gobble Gobble - For thanksgiving - This comes out in a way I cannot even write out.

Cracker- "Cacker" a normal snack

Duck- "Duh"

Quack Quack = "Khack Khack"

Book - "Buk"

Mama and Dada

Laura - "LaLa" but it is very mangled as she works on her L's

Hi - "Hiiii" This is said while waving

Bye Bye - also said while waving

Up - said with enthusiasm. She says this when she wants out of the high chair or when we are playing the "up down" game. They stand and sit repeatedly.

Down - "Dow" Actually Hannah only says this again while playing this game.

"Juice" - Joosh - they both say this about all drinks in general

Yabba Dabba doo! - ok not really but both randomly say Yabba Dabba all the time. No clue.

Things they just know
"Rock the baby" or "Love the Baby" - they hold a doll or bear close and rock it

"Pat them gently" - they know this means to pet the dogs nicely

"no touch" - Ok they know what this means, but sometimes they push the limits here. Like when they go to the Christmas tree and hold out their hand to touch an ornament and then look back sheepishly as we say "no touch" and we can tell they are weighing their options

"get your book" - Leah will get a book and then crawl into our laps. She would read a hundred books with us if we did not have another child taking the book from her.

The garage door means Dada - So cute. I was in the nursery getting them dressed after their bath and Matt came home, opening the garage door. Immediately they started saying Dada and going to the door so they could then go to the stairs and wait on him.

"Peek a boo" - Leah doesnt necessarily cover her eyes but they both love this game. Anything that is in their hands is an object for peek a boo

"If your happy and you know it" - they clap their hands and stomp their feet

"Can I have it?" I love that they know this because they willingly give me almost anything - especially if they have something I dont want them to have

They blow kisses and make the appropriate noise

Leah blows on her food like I do to cool it down.

They wash each others hair. I love it!



I am giving Leah a lot the credit in this post since I normally share Hannah's accomplishments. Also she may be interested in walking now! As she cuts about 6 teeth and is eating a lot more lately, I told Matt she is going to start walking too. About 10 minutes later, Leah took 6 steps. And she is showing a lot more interest. Maybe she will be walking by Christmas!

Oh yeah, and both girls are really working on learning to eat with a spoon.

Oops - gotta go. Hannah is screaming randomly.

A visit to Santa

I dressed the girls extra adorably today in their Christmas dresses and we tracked to the mall to see Santa. I was worried about Hannah and how she would react around Santa since she is a little more apprehensive around strangers. We get up to Santas little chair area and I let Hannah investigate things a little bit. We FINALLY put them next to Santa, (who was very nice by the way - at the Galleria) and Hannah sat there very nicely. Leah... not so much. She would not let me leave her at all. Santa tried getting behind the chair, on the floor in front of the girls... nothing appeased her. So we decided to try again later. Santa Vs. Twins - Round 1: GOES TO THE TWINS
I had wanted to try to get some pictures at Sears, which I will NEVER do again. I have 2 14 month olds. How much patience do you think they have??? We got there and they were in pretty good moods. I really wanted to get one of them together. Hannah just wanted to walk everywhere unfortunately so she was not very cooperative. We got some cute ones of Leah though! None of them together. Of course.

But here is my issue that I had with the portrait studio at Sears. There was ONE associate working. ONE. So when we were all in the back room trying to take pictures of 2 impatient toddlers, she had to keep leaving to answer the phone, take care of other customers, etc. She left sometimes for 15 minutes. I actually took a few pictures myself with their camera while she was gone. And its not like the associate did much honestly. She just set up the backdrop, stood behind the stationary camera and pushed a button. I was the one breaking a sweat finding props or entertaining the girls. Finally she left again for another 20 minutes at which point the girls lost it. They were done. I think we got about 5 pictures that were decent. Well, THEN she took time to tell me about the overpriced packages. I ended up getting 3 8x10s that Matt may be able to scan into the computer and we can use later, but they wont even be ready until the 16th. I did get a website that has the blurry proofs so I can at least give you some of the pictures to look at. I was hoping to get a Christmas card made but it will have to be of something else it would seem. Ugh. Anyway, we got a few cute ones, so here ya go!

A little Christmas preparation

I have this week off from work which is so wonderful. And I have been very productive thus far. Yesterday we took my grandmother shopping and today my sister took the girls to the mall all afternoon and I put the outside lights up.

This was the first year that I was in charge of decorating the outside and you can tell because there are WAY more lights than previous years. Unforunately we have 2 big trees by the house and one of them blinks and one does not. I bought the wrong lights for one of them. Oh well. Too late to fix it now. I am kind of wondering how much our power bill will be going up this month.

I also finally got some stockings. They are enormous but honestly I bought them for their cuteness, not for their possible storage area. The girls already have stuff in them. (a toy remote control and some nesting blocks).

And Matt and I are DONE shopping for the girls, Laura, and my grandmother. Hey, its a start! We got the girls a play kitchen since they love their little crawl through one. This one they will be able to grow into. They wont be able to reach some of it yet but I remember playing with our kitchen for so long. I think this one will be like that (I hope)


The other thing we got them is a climber. They love to slide and try to find a way to slide down anything, especially in the tub much to my chagrin. We can keep it downstairs until it is warm enough to play outside.



And then I found this, and I really want to get it though we have already spent enough and I know they dont need it, but it would be really cute.

According to reviews on this, kids who got this for their 1 year birthday were able to ride it. Now, I think Leah need to WALK first before getting a riding toy, but I am hoping she will start walking some day :) But how cute is that? I just see them buzzing around outside and it kind of kills me that they could be that old! But I think we will wait on this for a while since we would need two...

We are going to see Santa on thurs. Pictures to come!

2 good nights... and then we have tonight

Wow Leah is a tough one. She is cutting her top tooth so we have been giving her motrin for the last 2 nights. And the past 2 nights have actually been great. No one has been moved to the pack n play mid night and they both slept until about 8 (today they slept until almost 9).

Still gave them a bottle though. I know I know, Ill work on it I promise.

Anyway tonight Hannah laid down and was fine as usual and Leah decided she did not want to go to sleep. We let her cry for well over an hour (ok scream uncontrollably). I finally got her and tried to rock her, at which she then wanted to play. And then I laid her down in the pack n play and turned on a movie. Movie is still going but there is no more screaming. I have to say we did hear some strange noises in there though. Like she was trying to scratch or tear her way out of the pack n play. She wasnt crying at that point so we are not sure what she was doing. Now I am wasting some time before I go in there and turn the Princess Sing A Long movie off. :)

On a different note, I am reading an interesting book. It's called "The Happiest Toddler on the Block". There is also a "Happiest Baby..." book but I didnt have time to read when they were that young and my pregnancy was spent reading twin books. I am kind of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants type mom and end up reading things about situations I am in. Rambling. So I am reading this book and it talks about different temperaments of children and how to react to situations.

Basically there are 3 types, according to this book. Children can fall in between but will normally lean towards one over the others. They are 1) easy, 2)shy and 3) spirited. I like the word spirited by the way :)

There is a little questionnaire to do if you are unsure what category your tot falls into. But a "quick test" is this - and its funny. Put your child down in an uncrowded mall and pretend you are not watching. If he stands still, hes easy. If he clings to you, he is shy. If he runs away, he is spirited. Guess what my kids do... (we were actually at Belk).

So they are stubborn, can be defiant, passionate, do not handle change well, have BIG ups and downs, etc. That describes them to a T. I am not saying I have bad kids. I think my children are perfect. But it does explain a lot of things... mostly that I already knew. And my babies definitely have big ups and downs. They KNOW how to throw a tantrum :)

I am only about 1 third through the book but I think it is interesting so far, though I think it will be more relevant for kids above 2.

I have some more books coming in that I am interested in reading, but they are mostly about sleep habits/tricks for twin tots. I dont know how it would be different than other young kids who share a room but I thought I would try it :)

Well I thought I would share that tonight. Guess I need to go check on my youngest...