babies first birthday

Whitney looking so feminine in her pink jacket and shoes before going on a walk.

Tucker downing 6 ounces after the birthday. He is very tired from no afternoon nap.

Whitney loves to wear her rings like bracelets and anklets.


We had so much fun with the babies first birthday. I had a blast making cupcakes for them. I forgot to buy frosting at the store, so I made some. I've had this frosting receipe from my roomie Em since college, but haven't used it (dumb me) until now. And now I'll never go back to the canned stuff. This was way better. And it was fun for me to learn something new. I spent the day with them not wandering off to do some chore when they were playing nicely, but tried really hard to play with them all day. I think they liked it. They were pretty good the next day too from all that mommy attention. I called my dad around 2 or so to ask him when he would be getting home from work, and he said he stayed home and worked from home so he wouldn't miss the web cam call. He said everyone (except scott who is at college) was home already so they could all see it. Jim came home at 4 pm and finished working after the babies went to bed so he could spend extra time playing with them. They played "climb the stairs" quite a bit. Tucker has finally grasped the stairs and goes a whole lot faster than Whitney. It seems he is saying, "You may have been able to do it first, but I can get to the top first". After all that stair climbing, they had eggplant parmesean with noodles and ate mostly the noodles. Not too much into the eggplant. But I must admit, the eggplant was still a little too firm, even for me that has molars. Tucker ate half of one of our big bowls of noodles. He really likes sauce. So does Whitney. Then we called my parents and let them watch the babies eat their first cake. (see video below). If you don't want to watch the whole video (it's kind of long and boring and I'm talking to my mom a bit), just know that Tucker ate the whole thing, plus a 1/4 of Whitney's (more on that later). Whitney picked out the frosted pieces and left the rest. We hung up with my parents and gave them a bath, then called them back so they could watch them open their presents. I didn't video that one. Didn't think much of it. The babies really liked the bows. Whitney really liked the pink one my mom put on her package. Good thing Grandma wrapped her presents. Typical me, I put all the presents from us in bags without bows. The babies really didn't tear the paper. They did have fun pulling out the clothes my mom got them and flinging them aside in rapid succession. We got them a pop up toy, that thing that you push buttons and a disney charactor pops up, then you push it back down, and a xylophone. Whitney really likes her xylophone. After all that, they went to bed. On time. Jim says, poor babies. I'm just glad that there are other people who are as excited as I am to celebrate the time they came to live with us here on earth. We really like having them around.

So I finally read the book about one year olds. Apparently I had been feeding Tucker about 2/3 of what he needs. I think he might have been making up the calorie count by downing milk instead. I thought they were one nap babies because they wouldn't sleep when I put them down for their morning nap, but now I know that they weren't sleeping because they were hungry. Poor things. No wonder tucker could eat half a bowl of spaghetti, a cupcake and a 1/4, 6 ounces of milk and a big handful of veggies in one sitting. To me that seems like so much food, but I guess it makes sense that they need half of what I eat because they are growing, even though they only weigh about 1/6 of me. Crazy to think.


Tucker is starting to stand independently for a few seconds on purpose and prefers to walk around the house holding on to walls. He still uses his one index finger to explore holes. Whitney really likes to put toys in and out of things. She crawls very fast and seems to be talking with all her voice flucuations. They made the transition to cow milk. Yeah! Next the bottles will be gone!!

I've been feeling pretty productive lately since there is actually baby naptimes again. I started recovering the dining room chairs ( I wrecked one pretty bad right before we moved). All the heavy duty fabric is on sale for 60% at Joann's. I think that is what women do during the winter here. Household projects. I saw lots of ladies in there with their bigger projects and getting fabric just like me. There are lots of crafty deals now and we are all stuck inside with the kids with all this rain, rain, rain. I don't know. It's better than snow, snow, snow. But very grey. I also figured out a few more things about making bread, so I've been feeling very "domestic" (like you, Auntie Jill:) with my bread making, frosting making, deal shopping (fabric, presents and baby clothes at Value Village) and recovering chairs.

I think the productivity has helped a little, too, in that we went hiking as a family at a local park area yesterday now that we have two baby backpacks. I feel like I might be able to get back to normal life. We also went grocery shopping as a family. So much easier in some respects, but in others, sometimes a challenge. I find my husband to be a very helpful husband and love how he helps with the babies as soon as he walks in the door until they go to bed, but some of his habits are a little like a third kid. The grocery store is one. When we got to the checkout there were "extra items" in the cart not on the list....... Now I know where kids get their ideas.

Jim has a project at work that he is really enjoying right now, the babies have started sleeping better this week due to full bellies and I've been working on some fun projects, plus I'm not in the hospital this year. It is a really fun time to be together as a family and to be alive.

There is a video of Whitney rocking Tucky in his car seat when he was crying, one of her playing with the christmas ball that got left and the others are self explanatory.

tucky's fault

I missed the funny pic, but Tucker had both bottles to his mouth. I guess Whitney "gave" him more milk.
Tucker (today) with his snugy-snugy (IN HIS OWN BED!!) made by grandma

Whitney with her snugy-snugy made by grandma

Whitney's hair is long enough and thick enough for barrettes. She seems so big. Note the cute shirt. One of the things I got at Value Village. Love that store! I'm very excited about the birthday presents I found there, too. That is one advantage of having a birthday so soon after christmas. Lots of end of season sales everywhere.


So I didn't get around to blogging last night (or doing the webcam, Dad) because we spent from 7 pm to 10:30 pm trying to put Tucker to bed without him throwing up. Sorry to those who read it on Monday morning. It just wasn't happening. I think the saying that if Mom isn't happy, nobody is, isn't true. It's more like if Tucker isn't happy, then no one else sleeps. I'm really glad that I have such an awesome husband. He pretty much took care of the babies this weekend, even though he probably has a sinus infection of his own because I was about ready to explode from a week of not sleeping due to Tucker being sick. One benefit of a late post is I got the pictures Mom requested. Finally. Tucker wasn't about to pose for them last week.

So my dad asked me when I post the blog and I said Sundays usually. He jinxed me this week I think. He says he likes to read them because they are funny. I'm not seeing it, but I'm glad he likes them. I think it's like a friend of mine explained to me. She said a friend of hers recently had a baby. This friend kept looking back at her during church and smiling. She thought she had something to tell her, so after the meeting she went up to this friend. The friend said she had nothing to tell her, but was wondering if she could see all the cute things her baby was doing. My friend said she hadn't noticed the baby doing anything especially cute, but just being a baby in general. I guess as parents it is especially fun for us to watch our kids do all the kids things. I have to agree one hundred percent. I liked kids before, but I really like my kids and feel so sorry for all those other parents that don't have kids nearly as cute as mine :). I'm sure all parents feel the same way about my kids. Poor things. Too bad they are not as cute or funny as their kids. So that must be why my dad thinks my posts are funny. The same way I think it is absolutely hysterical the way Tucker and Whitney laugh, play with, or discover something. I'm sure my dad thinks it's wildly funny that it takes a lot of time to put Tucker to bed. (No, I take it back. I bet my mom thinks it is wildly funny that it takes so long to put Tucker to bed.) Or anything else that I'm learning about parenting or about the babies. Their his kids and grandkids.

Anyway. I can't really think much about what we did this week except just a normal routine after all that fun, fun, fun of the holidays. Lots of grocery shopping, errand running, library visiting, taking dogs to the vet with twins (now even the office staff commented on how crazy that was) and me finally saying on Saturday and Sunday that Jim was on daddy duty and I was out of there to do who knows what, just as long as it was without a screaming baby.

Oh yeah. I started running again on a regular schedule!! On a treadmill, something I never thought I'd do, but then, I never thought I'd live somewhere where there isn't much sun for a lot of the year. While I run I watch stuff on Jim's cue from netflix. I watched this video about why america is fat. Boy. It really makes me want to throw out all processed or boxed food and make our land a farm. But then, there's that sun problem again. It would be a pathetic looking farm. I told Jim that I wanted to get rid of all processed foods in the house. He was less than excited about that comment and didn't really want me watching his cue anymore if this is what happens.

Whitney had her first real owie this week. Jim felt bad it was on "his watch". She slipped on the hardwood floor while pulling to stand in the doorway and landed just so to nick next to her eye on the air intake vent. Jim felt horrible. He'd never seen so much blood come from the babies. Honestly, I don't know how it managed to be on Jim's watch. I catch the babies doing all sorts of things. I'm even in the same room putting away dishes and I turn around to get more dishes out of the dishwasher and Whitney is suddenly standing in the dishwasher. Hmmm. Time to get out!! And I'm lucky she didn't fall.

I don't have much on Tucker this week. He mostly sat listlessly in my arms or the patapum carrier and watched Whitney play and me work. He did get some extra practice in on perfecting his burps, but not much else.

Whitney seems to have grown up a lot this week and become a lot more interactive. She is doing more initiation of games of peek a boo and blanket. She has invented a few others. Even though she doesn't use words, she is really getting good at voice fluctuation, so I've been able to better understand what she wants. We've been working on sign language, but that's a ways off. Her biggest and most fun feat is practicing climbing the stairs. She will climb them 5 times in a row and want to do it again, but I get bored of supervising her. She also discovered how fun it is to flick the recycle bin open and closed. Good thing that is no longer a trash can lid. Eew! I've finally been consistent about teaching them to wash their hands before meals and it is cute how Tucker knows to hold his palm up for the soap.

Next week will be fun as we will have 1st birthday pics. Enjoy the video of Whitney enjoying the trash can. I can't believe I forgot to get her a dog bed for her birthday..... Silly mom!

babies' first christmas and new years

Whitney asleep with one of her favorite toys.

My sister and I. And my new hair. For Washington

Tucker liked his new toy. He was sitting there, just biting it while the balls were flying out.

The babies around 5 pm Christmas Eve. They were in melt down because they didn't take their naps. They were having too much fun during nap time playing in Grandma Anderson's curtains.

Hannah making Whitney laugh. It was a warm afternoon, so we got our Vitamin D

One of my Christmas angels

Spinning in the hair styling chair after Anne cut (tortured) Tucky's hair. He was less than excited.
Whitney playing with "Spa Monster", the nickname for my brother after the babies threw a fit about getting into the spa with him. They wanted nothing to do with the spa. Whatever. All that making of swim diapers for nothing.


Good thing it is this year that is babies' first Christmas and new years. Even though their birthday is only 12 days away, that was 12 days less in the hospital and better health.

As all kids this age, they totally didn't get Christmas, but sometimes us adults don't get the focus for the season either, so it's ok. As far as the present thing, they didn't get it either, but for me it has been the most fun Christmas in a long time because of how excited I was to get them stuff. I used to think couples that said they agreed not to get stuff for each other, but only for the kids was because they just didn't have a good enough romantic relationship. Shows how much I knew. Now I totally get those comments. Why get each other gifts when it is so much more fun to get the kids gifts. I think that's why it didn't feel like Christmas to me, because I wasn't so excited for what I was going to get, but because I was so excited for what I got for the babies and to be with family with the babies. That and it's been awhile since there hasn't been any snow around Christmas for us.

As for New years, the babies' had colds, so I knew we'd be up at night anyway, so we went to bed after watching Invictus (good movie). Sure enough, the babies were up around midnight anyway and we rang in the new year snorking snot out of noses and giving them medicine to the sound of distant booming from fireworks echoing off the mountains (yet another bad night of the year for Sammy, too). It's ok. I've been looking forward to ringing in the new year with kids of our own for such a long time that even though I was grumpy about being awake at night again, it's still better than sleeping through the night without kids in our life.

So. On to how the babies' aren't babies, but little kids now. Whitney is really showing a lot of understanding. She can help clean up blocks (with help), initiaties games like peek a boo, blanket, and clapping and has been really good with the dogs lately. She felt sorry for Rocky before our trip and was trying to give him his chew toy that, for some reason unknown to her, he didn't want to chew on right then. She tried three times to put it in his mouth.

They both like to touch their toys to get music going to dance to. They also love to go walking around the house holding on to others or cars (as you will see in the video).

We had a great time being with family and the trip was much better now that we are "seasoned travellers"

Off to write New Year's resolutions.....

quiet week...so far

Tucker with yet another toy in his mouth. My friends say it is normal baby behavior, not because we have dogs. Good.

Tucker pushing a friend of mine's kid. Her kid was pretty happy to get a ride and Tucker was happy that the truck didn't go as fast. What's funny is her kid is 15 months or so, but one pound lighter. He walks all by himself. He's built more like Whitney.

Whitney climbing down from her escapade
Whitney getting in to drawers

She is pretty happy about it.
Whitney smiling about Christmas lights

The babies playing underneath our "christmas tree" this year.

Dancing about the lights being on



This week was very relaxing. Mostly because I got all excited that Christmas was around the corner that I really thought it was this week and got everything ready. And it is next week, so I got to relax and enjoy the season, the babies and the Christmas lights another week. Here's what I was able to watch this week.

The best part of this week is how the babies are starting to interact more with each other. Tucker thinks it is soooo funny to move his cheese around on his high chair tray. Apparently the noise is hysterical. He gets to laughing, and then that makes Whitney laugh. They also took turns throwing a block up in the air and watching it fall, something else that is wildly entertaining.

Now for the milestones. Sibling rivalry is starting to show up. At night, Whitney will wait for mommy time until Tucker is done with his instead of sharing a lap and story time. They also get impatient with each other when trying to walk with the trikes they have. Whitney is getting good at climbing. She really liked climbing on top of the music box to really reach the piano keys.

I can't believe that this week is Christmas!! I'm looking forward to a holiday season not in the hospital this year and to be with fam. Enjoy the pics.

oh yeah!!

I knew there was something else that I wanted to blog about. It's Tucker being raised by dogs. I swear he is being raised by dogs. It started when he began to growl. Then he started crawling. But this is what made me think of it the most. He carries toys around the house in his mouth when he crawls. It cracks me up!

they are no longer babies

Tucker in the christmas entry way looking at lights in his "lumberjack" outfit.


This week has been lots of proof to me that my babies are no longer babies. They are beginning to have an understanding of the world around them and how to manipulate it so that they get some things they want. Let me explain.

Let's start with today. Whitney figured out how to climb out of the tub. Bummer. The climbing season has begun. She didn't do it completely alone. She had a hold of my knee for outside balance, but she flung her leg over the side and pulled herself out. She would have fallen out if she hadn't had a hold of my knee, but I'm not sure if she would have continued to pull herself out or not if she didn't have balance. Not sure. She doesn't like falling too much. She was shaking pretty bad to keep her balance, but she did it. She also figured out how to get off my lap if we are sitting on the chair by backing up. Good. Next I can teach her how to go down stairs safely. She also figured out how to open and close the slider where I keep my pot holders and to open low drawers and pull things out. She also has 6 teeth.

Tucker has figured out that there are things in the cabinets he wants, but he hasn't figured out how to open the cabinet drawers wide enough so they stay open long enough for him to get the stuff out. Bummer for him, good for Mommy.

They both are very good at communicating with me which books they want to read. They definitely have their favorites. I gave the grandmas a list of a few that we checked out of the library they love.

We had a lot of fun this week. They went to their first Christmas party and had a lot of fun chasing their toys across the slick floor. We traveled to Centralia to meet up with a friend of mine. I found perfect gifts for my mother in law and sister there, but my friend needed help as her baby threw up everywhere and then Whitney remembered she was hungry (?!) and after all that I didn't really want to buy the stuff with all that going on. But now I'm STILL kicking myself for it because the store up here doesn't have the stuff in stock anymore. AAGGGHHH. Now I have to go shopping all over again. I think I'm more mad that I just didn't stick it out a little longer and just buy it. The babies helped me bake cookies (by playing nicely for 1/2 hour increments during the day) and we played "blanket" and with the couch pillows. Blanket is a game where I fling the blanket around until Whitney crawls over to get a ride. Yet another example of manipulating the environment. I'm having fun getting some Christmas cards already. I think that is one of my favorite things about Christmas. That and people are generally in a better mood because they are thinking of how to make others happy all at the same time. Enjoy the pics. We love looking at and watching the babies.

Playing on the couch cushions Babies laughing at bouncing toys

tis the season

This one's for you Grandma Kim

Tucker is not too enthused.

Christmas outfits with the two of them playing with a jingle bell.

Whitney takes the jingle bell.

Whitney saying hi to Tucker just after naptime. Check out the hair


So my friend Sue wrote on her Thanksgiving blog about her blessings. I've been wondering to myself about why it is that my hubby has a job in all this craziness of an economy, let alone one that allows me to stay home and just BE with the babies. I love BEING with the babies. It lets me find out about them and watch them grow, which is really fun to do on your own kid, but not others. I still have no idea why I get to have a hubby with a job and two VERY CUTE babies, but here's what I've learned about them this week.

Whitney invented a new game. It's called the blanket game. For some reason, lifting the blanket up and down is so fun. It is fun while she is sitting and trying to capture it with her arms. It is fun to lie on her back and kick like a dead bug while trying to catch it. It is fun to chase it and crawl on top of it to capture it. And it is really fun to let Mommy pull her around the room with it. She finally has four teeth, two on bottom and two on top. She crawls super fast, especially when getting ready for bath time and has nothing on. That is also a super funny game. Mommy capture naked baby.

Tucker is practicing his crawling, eating and discovering things with one finger skills. He has gone back to a huge amount of smiling and growling again. He loves to check things out with his one finger. He is crawling on hands and knees now, which makes both of them move fast. The other night I was trying to figure out why Tucker was crying. Finally he just crawled over the high chair to tell me he was hungry." Duh mom!! Isn't that usually the reason I'm grumpy?!"

Tucker and Whitney both like to play peek a boo with the table. They are just in general checking everything out 3 feet and below. We went to the Children's Museum here. They liked it. I tried taking Christmas pics, but I can't do it alone anymore. The ones here are the only ones they stayed still for. The rest, forget it!!

Tucker figured out (or remembered) that he can sleep through the night. What bliss!! I think it has a lot to do with figuring out they only need one longer nap of two hours in the day, lots of crawl time, and a full meal later than 4:30 pm. Then they are good and sleep 7:30 to 7. I feel super awesome and have gotten lots done. Like decorating the house for Christmas. I did that yesterday. It looks awesome. Christmas lights are another blessing. They make me feel so happy and chipper. One of the benefits of living in Seattle is that since it dark so much, the lights can be left on for more time. They are only not on for 8 hours of the day. Yep. Puget Sound energy loves it, too. I've also been working on baking for neighbors and making gifts. It's been a really fun week with another fun week coming up. Stay tuned.