Sunday, August 10, 2014

We survived the first year...





I was asked some tough questions the other day.  The Hubby and I made “the decision” of who would be taking care of the kiddos if something were to happen to us (God forbid!).  She in turn came back at us with questions of her own, such as “When are they going to be allowed to date? What kind of school do you want them to go to? Where?” and the all important “Do I have to take the dogs too?”  It started a few conversations with the Hubby and it really got me thinking- they are little people now! They aren’t my babies anymore, but they are SO MUCH FUN now! 



Since it has been awhile since I blogged – the most important news of all is that they are now one year old!  In fact, I am so late that they will be 13 months old in just a few days.  They have grown so much in the last few months that I could hardly track all the “progress” they have made.  Both babies are full speed crawling around the house right now.  They pull up on anything and everything and walk along, they bravely move from table to couch also – but they don’t let go but for a split second.  They can both stand alone for a few seconds and are SO CLOSE to walking, but they must have my confidence. Ha ha.  They don’t seem to trust themselves to try it on their own and always want to make sure that they have a hold of our hands.  They do love to walk around though with assistance and you would never even know that Landon had any “issues” or that he was “behind” in his development.  In fact, he seems to be steadier on his feet because he is more slow and meticulous about it whereas Riley puts her little head down and charges forward.  (So which one of them is like me and which one like the Hubby?)  They love to push toys around the house, and usually it is not a toy that is intended for walking. Their activity table ends up all over the house along with laundry baskets and empty boxes… the actual walking toys stay in one spot most of the time.  

We took a big trip back to Illinois/Wisconsin in the beginning of July.  They did great in the car with a little help from the portable DVD player and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  We ended up staying at 7 different places so you can imagine there was a lot of packing and unpacking and only minimal items lost.  On their actual birthday, the Hubby was in a wedding so we celebrated it up at the hotel and my  parents so graciously agreed to keep track of the babies for a few days so we could enjoy the wedding festivities.  Unfortunately, the weather was not so cooperative so the day was not spent exploring downtown LaCrosse as planned and instead they got to see LaCrosse Wal-mart. J We visited some of the Hubby’s family in the Chicago area after the wedding as well as some friends in Wisconsin.  The babies saw the World’s Largest Six Pack and went on their first Brewery Tour.  In their short life they have already been to 10 states, the baby book is getting full! My parent’s hosted an amazing First Birthday party for them while we were back in the ‘Burg and it was great to see all the family and friends together.  It ended up being a beautiful day and we were able to enjoy the outdoors – which was perfect for their first cake.  They seemed to enjoy it and Riley ended up needing a quick bath before we could move on to the presents. J  They weren’t so much into the opening of the presents as they were the wrapping paper and the tissue paper, but they had fun nonetheless and received some great gifts.  We started the journey back the day after the party and stopped for the night in Kentucky.  By this time, they were very tired of being in the car – and we didn’t blame them at all- so we stopped short of our goal for the night and took them for a swim in the hotel pool.  









So, let’s see… Riley just got her 6th tooth.  She now has 4 top teeth and two bottom teeth and we have begun saving for braces.  This girl loves to eat! She will eat everything and will not let you sit anywhere near her with something to eat if you do not share.  She loves yogurt, bananas, PBJ sandwiches, Veggie Straws, and pancakes.  We switched her to milk from Soy Formula after the trip and she has been doing well with that.  I do also give them some juice once a day, but it is REALLY watered down and there is probably more water than juice, but they don’t seem to mind.  Riley is impressed with everything and you can hear her constantly saying “OOOOOO” and she puckers her face just as you are imagining now.  She has started pointing at things and will guide your hands to toys if she wants you to play with her.  She will try and pull you up if she wants to walk.  Some amazing friends got them a slide for their birthday and when we put it together she “oooo” ed as she turned the corner and saw it and made several trips down the slide on her belly.  (Our basement is now a large toy room, but no worries all the beer signs are still on the walls.)  She loves to play with anything will wheels and will keep the wheeled item in her hand when she is crawling in an effort to crawl faster.  Riley still loves to giggle and be tickled on her sides and feet.  She loves to explore and try and pet the dogs, Jasper is more willing.  Some of her favorite toys include the dog food bowls, my make up, Little People zoo animals, the turtle water mat, anything she can climb on, and her pink buggy car.  


Landon is doing great! He has about two more sessions of physical therapy and then we will be on a home program with check-ins every few months to make sure he stays on track.  He was impressing everyone at the last session and in all technicality took a few steps on his own, but hasn’t even attempted since.  He also loves to eat and we haven’t found anything he won’t eat, he is a bit more meticulous about it though.  If you put a bunch of different items on his tray he will pick out what he wants and eat one item at a time while his sister just shoves it in! J  Landon also loves to dance and he has several favorite moves – recently a head nod/side to side head as well as arms waving in the air.  He will dance to any music and there have been times I didn’t even hear the song until I looked over and saw him dancing.  He continues to love Doc McStuffins and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Landon has 7 teeth – there is bottom tooth still holding out so he has his four front ones on top and only three on the bottom.  He loves to jabber and talk and wave his arms around while he is talking.  His favorite toys are anything with balls, anything he can put a ball into, the dog food bowl, my broom, and his red buggy car.  They both loves those cars and we take them for a “drive” almost every night.  The cars remain in the living room and there have been a few occasions where I walked back into the room to discover them just sitting in their cars watching the television. 
We had another birthday party here in Charlotte with a Mickey Mouse theme and it was a lot of fun! We appreciate so much all of the love and support from family and friends and it makes my heart feel full to know that there are so many people out there that love our children.  Our next fun trip – Disney World! 


Now for some picture overload since I am so far behind on putting up this post!

 



























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