Rollin' rollin' rollin'

Maggie is really rollin'! Jack could care less, he'd much rather sit.

Ladies afternoon out

This afternoon Maggie, Grandma Charlotte and I went shopping! It was neat to let Brian and Jack spend some quality time together, and taking one baby out is a cake walk! We found Easter outfits for the kiddos and of course some additional outfits that will be nice for this coming summer. Maggie loved shopping, which is a great thing, unless you ask her Daddy- Ha!

The weather has continued to be wonderful and we've been enjoying it to the fullest. A couple of walks a day and should it remain warm I may walk the kids down to the neighborhood park and perhaps even try out the swings. My bulbs have started coming up in the front yard, which has made me eager to get my gardening started. Soon summer will be here and I'll be in full 1 year Birthday party planning mode!

8 Months Old!!

On St. Patty's day the babies turned 8 months old!





Jack 8 Months Old!



Maggie 8 Months Old!



The past month just completely flew by at the Keller house. And it has been quite a past two weeks. Poor Brian was sick, and he helped out with the kids as much as he could, but for a few days I was on my own. We managed though and fortunately neither baby nor myself caught anything from Brian. And now that he is healthy again, things are going back to normal...as normal as it can get around here. :)

Spring has arrived and the weather has been fantastic. Each afternoon we've been going on a walk around the block. Friday I took the kids downtown to meet Brian's co-workers and my former co-workers. It was neat getting to show them off and they were very well behaved for the visit. Maggie still had some of her stranger fear, but she warmed up by the time we got to my old work. Then they got to visit more people this afternoon! We went to the annual Soard Birthday get-together and the kids got to meet tons of new people. Thank you to Mike & Kristy for having us over, Happy Birthday to Chad & Erin and congratulations to Kate & Geoff on their engagement!! The visit went very well. Jack was unusually fussy when we got there, but after a diaper change, burp and bottle he was his happy self. Maggie was happy, and even played with Erin for quite some time, which was awesome! Next year maybe there will be another small person for them to play with? ;-)

Today was their last RSV shot, and they took it very well. Jack weighs just over 16 lbs and Maggie just over 14 lbs. The nurse confirmed that Jack is really close to cutting teeth, which might explain his recent trouble with taking bottles and sleeping. Hopefully they cut soon and we can move on from this phase. He has been waking every 4 hours, which isn't terrible, but with Maggie waking in between for pacifier and body repositioning, it can get tiring. Jack is sitting independently and playing with toys very well. We need to work on his tummy time, he has started to scoot a bit. Maggie still doesn't want to sit, but will when she is having a story read to her or watching her nursery rhyme book. She is rolling a lot better and has even started rolling towards toys. The other day she rolled over to the ottoman and then laid there smacking it for well into 5 minutes. Maggie has also started playing independently, keeping herself entertained with toys, her feet or just babbling on the family room floor. They are both enjoying their new trick, patting and banging around toys. Both enjoy their jumperoo and are really starting to get the bouncing down.

Each day seems to bring something new or fascinating with each of the munchkins!

Here are some random pictures from the past week.

Maggie just after a nap


Jack fell asleep during breakfast


Another afternoon at home


Maggie "teething" and sitting!


Watching Daddy...can you tell they are twins?


Maggie enjoying a good book


Grandma & Grandpa went on vacation and brought back onesies

"I scream for ice cream"


"Johnny Cash Folsom Prison 1968"

A quick moment of peace

It's been crazy around here lately, so while both babies are napping (for now) here's what's new. This past weekend we spent half of Saturday with Grandma & Grandpa Keller, then drove into Waynesville since it was such a gorgeous day! Sunday we drove out to Lexington, KY and visited our friends Chad & Erin. It was awesome getting to see them...it had been way too long! The kids took the drive down very well, with only a short period of fussing. Of course Jack was all smiles and giggles at Chad & Erin, but Maggie, she was a different story. The little gal is a sweetheart, but has a pretty bad case of stranger anxiety. She was OK, as long as I held her or was right next to her. She eventually warmed up to Erin a little, just before taking a nap. Both kids were pretty well behaved, and it was a good visit. Hopefully we'll be able to visit them again soon, perhaps when everyone gets together later this year. We miss our friends!

Jack & Maggie both have new tricks.
Maggie:

• Loves to sing! She will babble, scream, grunt and says Da-da-da-da-da! She also has this new sound, Ah-ah-ah-ah-ahhhh that she makes when she sees something she wants or likes.
• Loves her projector attached to her crib and Wilma, aka: Doggy.
• Rolls onto her belly constantly, but hasn't quite figured out what to do once she is there. Somehow she's forgotten how to roll onto her back.
  
• Can sit better, but still prefers to stand and has learned the art of "jumping" while being held.
• Isn't interested in baby food at all, but has become interested in cups. Whenever I have something to drink she tries to grab it to her own mouth. I've given her a small sip from my glass of water, so we're going to try sippy cups soon.
• In addition to giving hugs and kisses, pats my back like I pat hers.
  
• Still loves bath time, whether in the tub or patiently playing on the mat while Jack gets his bath.
• Sleeps on her belly. Since she's started doing that, she's been sleeping a lot sounder at night.
• Loves being sung to, especially with hand gestures. We sing Little Bunny Foo Foo, You Are My Sunshine, Itsy Bitsy Spider and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star all day long!
• Loves her pacifier!

Jack:

• Has started babbling and playing with his tone.
• Enjoys the jumperoo and has learned to really bounce. Also loves to lie on the floor and bang his feet, sometimes for no real reason.
• Will smile at anyone!
• Is almost sitting independently, just a little wobbly on the sides. When he does fall over though, he just rolls over and continues to play.
• Has some interest in baby food, but only at the right time.
• Doesn't like going to sleep, but once asleep is peaceful.
• Gives hugs!
  
• Thinks the laptop is quite interesting.
  
• Loves blankets and shoulders!

Both babies will chew on just about anything, including fingers and knuckles. The biggest struggle I'm having right now is how to give my time to them. They want 110% of my attention, individually, and I just can't give it. I'm hoping once they learn about mobility they will want less of Mommy and more of all the fun wonders in the world. We shall see!

During this post Maggie woke and went back down to her nap, and now I'm holding Jack while he watches me type.

Melts my heart

Both babies have started hugging! When I pick them up they will actually hold onto me, sometimes wrapping their little arms as much around me as possible. Maggie has started giving kisses, which is the best treat ever. They aren't sloppy, wet kisses either. She will pull my face down to hers, open her mouth wide and give me a good smooch on the cheek!

I love it!