Getting so close

Emma is getting closer and closer to crawling. She is now going from sitting to all fours, but doesn't quite have the confidence to move from that position. I am thinking soon. We all have colds, which is no fun. We went to the doctor's office this morning because I thought Charlotte had an ear infection, but it is only a cold. She does weigh 21 lbs 3 oz now. Hopefully we will all start feeling better soon.

Bows in Her Hair

While at my husband's sister's house for Thanksgiving we opened some Christmas presents.  Here is where the bows ended up.  I think she is a pretty great present.

Fun with a box

Today we had a lot of fun pulling toys in and out, banging it, and listening to what it sounds like when we run our fingers on it.

Visiting with great grandma

We had a wonderful visit with some of my husband's family. Here are E and C with their great grandma.

We are ready to go!

Well, I have the most important things packed!

So many leaves!

We have been battling leaves all weekend. While we are not near done yet, we had an enjoyable moment when Charlotte and Emma came out to help.

Not to be out done

Emma saw the camera and didn't want to be left out so she smiled big. She is becoming quite the ham. She has also started scooting on our wood floor while she is sitting up. It is pretty funny.

Sippy cup

We have yet to master drinking from the sippy cup.

Attempting Something New

Since having twins I feel like I have had to learn how to do a lot of things all over again, taking into account two very small children.  There are instances everyday where I am trying something new or figuring out the best way to tackle something.

This weekend my husband and I had the opportunity to eat out with the girls.  This was the first time we had done this, just the four of us, since the girls were born.  I have to admit that I was nervous, but also tried to be as prepared as possible.  We made sure to go at a time when they would be awake and hungry.  I packed bibs, spoons, food, wipes, and sippy cups in the diaper bag, as well as the normal assortment of diapers.  The girls did great.  They were so distracted by all of the different people to look at that they didn't get much eating done, but it kept them very entertained. Both my husband and I were able to order and eat our food, although we did take turns trying to feed them.  We did make a mess and were loud with lots of happy noises, but there were no huge meltdowns.

It is very encouraging to have such a great family outing.  I am looking forward to the next time that we are able to go out together.

Charlotte having fun banging on the table.

Emma was too distracted to eat very much.

A Fun Project

This fall I joined our local Mother of Preschoolers group (affectionately called MOPS).  It has been a great way for me to get out of the house, be with other moms, and have a little bit of me time.  At our last meeting we did a really fun craft, Turkey Hand Print Shirts.  I was really impressed at the work and organization that went into helping 30 plus moms applique hand prints onto shirts.  Everyone's turned out great.  I ended up not being able to finish mine before I had to go pick up the girls, so I finished mine at home.  Once I started working on sewing the hand prints on, I felt like they really wanted to be angels and not turkeys, so I turned mine into angels with just a little embroidery floss and a few stitches.  Very fitting for my miracle babies.  I will use this technique again for decorating shirts and other items, it was surprisingly easy.

Standing up

Today Emma worked on standing up at the learning table. She is very unsteady right now, but loves it. Charlotte was rolling all over the room while this was going on. Also, we went to the doctor's office today to get their second flu shot and got their current weights. Charlotte is 20 lbs and 11 oz and Emma is 19 lbs and 10 oz.

Play date

Today we went to play bunco at a fellow mom's house. One of the other moms there has a little boy who is six months old. Emma had a lot of fun playing with him. Granted, her idea of playing involves taking his toy.

Got Milk?

This milk jug was a huge hit.

An Easter Memory

Since I started blogging again when the girls were five months old, I haven't put any pictures of when they were tiny up.  I plan to do that fairly often.  At Easter this year the girls were one and a half months old.  We were still really getting to know each other and I was so concerned with eating and sleeping and caring for them.  A family friend brought over an Easter basket for each girl and we dressed them up in smocked dresses and bonnets.  It was a bright moment in a very overwhelming time.

Eight Months Old!

My sweet babies are eight months old today.

Here they are ready for bed tonight.  I love these jammies!

Both girls are very busy these days.  They are eating three meals a day that consist of a variety of veggies, fruit, meat, cereal and yogurt.  They eat finger food at least once a day and love cherrios, puffs, crackers, frozen peas, and banana.  They nurse four times a day still.  We are down to two naps a day but have an early bed time.  They are still up a couple of times a night to nurse.  Both girls are sitting up very well.  They enjoy playing with toys, especially banging, shaking, and chewing on things.  We try to get out of the house at least once a day and the girls enjoy being outside and with other people.

Charlotte is rolling all over the place.  Last week she found the fire place.  She is able to turn easily on her stomach as well and likes to roll to toys.  No pulling up or crawling yet.

Emma has been a bit more resistant to moving.  In the last month she has starting rolling over consistently and just in the last couple of days she has started scooting backwards.  Today she had scooted herself into this corner, and was not happy about it.

Emma Nicole Hoemann, eight months old.

Charlotte Beth Hoemann, eight months old.

Moving

Emma has finally started moving around. Instead of rolling like her sister, she is scooting backwards. Here in this photo she had scooted her way into the corner and was not very happy about it.

Beet explosion

Yesterday we had beets and Charlotte was especially messy. It was all over the place! Feeding is becoming more exciting.

Last year this week...

Last year this week I was 21 weeks pregnant with twins.
Last year this week I went into premature labor.
Last year this week I was in the hospital getting all kinds of medicine.
Last year this week my husband had to come home early from a business trip because I was in the hospital.
Last year this week I started the "do not get out of bed for any reason" bed rest that I ended up being on for months.
Last year this week I didn't know how I would make it to March and was sure that my babies wouldn't make it.

This week I have two healthy babies that turn 8 months old.
This week I am able to be up and about without any restrictions.
This week my husband is on a business trip and I feel completely capable of handling things at home.
This week March already feels so long ago.
This week I am so thankful.

It is AMAZING how things can change in a year!

What is she doing?

I was taking this photo and ended up catching charlotte in a funny pose. What do you think she is thinking? I know there is a good caption for this one. Let me know your thoughts.

A great day

Today was a great day. The weather was cool but clear. John and I got a lot of work done for the bathroom an around the house. We took a trip to walmart, the girls enjoyed getting out and looking and grabbing at the various things walmart offers. This photo shows the girls in their new, bigger car seats after we got back from the store. Emma had fallen asleep bit Charlotte was all smiles.
Hope your day was great.

Hug

Here Charlotte is giving her learning dog a hug. She has become rather affectionate lately. I love getting hugs from her also.

Big Girls!

We have been in the process of changing the girls clothes to the 12 month size. Today I put them in these jeans and shirts and thought they looked so big. We also went over to our church this evening and had our photo taken for the directory. It was fun to dress up but made for a late evening.