22 months!

The last month has flown by. We have spent most of it at my parents house because our house is on the market. The girls adjusted easily and are loving being here. We still need our house to sell though (think positive thoughts for us!).

Kisses for Grandpa while watching Baby Ei.nstein

A few updates:

• The girls "named" my Mom. She didn't want to go by the traditional Grandma or Nana (or any other version, really), so she was holding out until the girls were able to come up with something on their own. She was occasionally calling herself, Patty (her first name), around them. A few weeks ago, they started calling her Atty. And so you have it, Grandpa and Atty! 

• They are both testing the limits (and my patience) more and more these days. They are both throwing tantrums when they don't get their way. Teagan usually throws herself to the ground, crying. Quinn will scream at the top of her lungs and usually grab onto my leg. As long as they're safe, I do my best to ignore it. I usually tell them that I will give them attention when they stop crying. 

• We started a new class last week that includes an arts and crafts component (decorating an Easter egg on construction paper). Teagan had a blast making her masterpiece. She was fascinated by the glue (but fortunately, did not eat it!). She loved decorating her egg with pom-poms and feathers. Quinn was more interested in pulling them on and off. 

• They have started calling Jenn and I by name - Mommy (me) and Mama (Jenn). They will correct themselves if they call Jenn, Mommy or me, Mama. While Jenn is at work, they constantly find items of hers and say, Mama! They will also do the same with Grandpa and Atty. They are incredibly observant and will remember that I was drinking out of a green cup, for instance, and then hours later point to another green cup and say, Mommy! 

• Teething hit our house with a vengeance again this month. Teagan's K9 teeth (the last incisors) have all popped through. She was pretty clingy and miserable for a few days. A few of Q's K9s and molars have also found their way out. 

• No! Unfortunately, they have found this word. Whenever I ask anything of them, the answer is often, no with and very emphatic head shake. 

• To elaborate on their powers of observation...We have found that if there is something we don't want them to see/learn how to do, we have to make sure they aren't watching. Teagan will see a banana across a crowded room and will continuously demand, 'nana'. Quinn adores cheese, which they only get as a special treat. If an item is on the counter that even slightly resembles cheese, she will repeat 'cheese' over and over again. They constantly amaze me in this department. When we are out, they will often point out things that I hadn't even noticed. 

Laptop, phone, water: Earnin' her keep

Mini-Atty

Happy as can be!

Habits after sickness

Please tell me we're not alone.

The girls both came down with their first real sickness late last week. My mom, Jenn and I had all come down with nasty head colds. Jenn and my Mom were flattened by theirs. We are pretty sure that Teagan got this head cold too. She was more congested than I've ever seen her. She couldn't sleep. For two nights straight, she was up no less than 8 times. She barely napped. We did everything - raised one side of her crib, humidifier with eucalyptus, Cory.zalia, eucalypus chest rub, steamy baths... The poor kid just needed extra cuddles. For the first time ever, I brought her into bed with me. I was exhausted and she needed to be upright. We both managed to catch some zzz's lying propped up. During the day, she only wanted to be in my arms. Fortunately, for the first day of her sickness, Quinn was an angel. She happily entertained herself.

Then day two hit.

Quinn had woken in the night as well (a rarity). That morning, when I went to get her up, she was moaning, saying, "Mommy" in a weak little voice. I lifted her up and she started heaving. I ran her to the bathroom where she threw up. The smell, the look of puke...none of it matters when you see your baby's little body heaving like that. She seemed to feel a bit better after getting all of that up, but only wanted to be in my arms.

Two arms, two sick babies. Sadly, it wasn't that easy. A sick baby wants Mommy all to herself. While they would sometimes go to someone else, they usually only wanted me. If I put them down, they would cry. Given that they were under the weather, I gave in immediately. Lots of extra kisses and hugs. Extra nursing if they wanted milk (for fear of dehydration). Immediately responding to middle of the night cries.

But then sickness went away. The clingyness, crying and expectations have not. They cry at my feet, saying "up." They fight bedtime wanting to be rocked and cuddled. They each want to be in my arms alone and shove the other out of the way. They want to sit on my lap and have me spoon soup into their mouths. They want me at their beck and call.

Habits were formed in just a few days. I knew that Monday morning would be rough and sure enough, the day has been challenging. Hopefully breaking these habits will happen as quickly as they were formed!

And so it begins!

We put our house on the market yesterday. Jenn and I ran around like chickens with our heads cut off for the weeks leading up to it, getting the house in 'show' order. We got a storage locker and loaded some stuff out. We purged. We gave stuff to Value V!llage. We sold a few items. We had the place painted and had our handyman fix a few odds and ends. We had the house cleaned. We moved stuff around and staged the house. This was the result:

My parents (kindly) allowed the circus to come to town. Two by two by two, we piled in. Dogs barking. Small people running around. Toys everywhere. Thank you doesn't cut it! Perhaps a weekend escape at a spa?

Have you met 'Gampa', the celebrity? Quinn, especially, is obsessed with Grandpa, yelling for him constantly and patting the couch to have him sit next to her. She calls for him upon waking in the morning, usually before her eyes are even open. The girls have officially named my Mom, Atty (short for Patty, her name). They will often pick up her slippers and yell, "Atty!!" through the house. T and Atty have seriously bonded since we moved in. The girls have also taken to morning lattes and croissants from a French bakery, courtesy of my mother ;) Not surprisingly, I'm not super thrilled about my wheat-free children eating croissants, but everything in moderation!

Quinn heads off shopping

With all of the spring snow we've been
having, it has been "work from home"
kinda days...

So much shopping, so little time...gotta
move super fast!

T the Clown!

Trampoline adventures!

After almost two days on the market, we've had a ton of interest in the house. There were several private showings today and our agent hosted a broker's open house. Apparently the feedback was positive. Fingers crossed!