The babies haven’t passed any major milestones over the past month or so. They continue to smile lots and are doing a bit better job of tracking movement. Lucy’s particularly good at tracking mommy’s boobies as they walk past her. :-) They both really like being in the exersaucer and jolly jumper…I think they were starting to get a bit sick of being in a reclined position all the time. They seemed to love all the action at Christmas time with Grandma Sandy and the Klantzers visiting and didn’t seem to mind being passed around from person to person. All 3 girls love being outside. Ruby continues to be a good walker/hiker and the babies love the baby carriers (it’s a guaranteed snooze so Mom and Dad like that!). Java more than anyone is happy that the crying has slowed down a bit…the old dog would rather see them drop food from a highchair, not cry!! Ruby was super excited about all things Christmas for the first time this year. She loves singing Christmas songs (Jingle Bells and Frosty are the favs) and is in awe of the Christmas tree with all its decorations and lights.
It's now towards the end of November and we think Lucy MIGHT be starting to come out of her funk. We've had a few better days on and off so we're hoping she's turning the corner! Both Lucy and Charlie have started to smile a tonne in the past week or so. They're definitely seeing more and are starting to be interested in mobiles and rattles. Ruby is SO excited that she can make them smile! They continue to love having baths, Lucy loves leg massages and Charlie loves to be cuddled. Ruby started swimming lessons this month and we've had mixed results. Despite doing great when we go to the pool on our own, she's been reluctant to get in the pool at lessons so we're still working on that. Ruby's still having lots of fun hanging out with Brodie and Fiona (another new friend) and we're planning on starting to attend the Strong Start program here a couple of times a week (a free preschool-like program where parents participate). Ruby's thoroughly enjoying the snow (as is Java!) and is getting excited for ski season to start in a couple of weeks.
October was a busy and somewhat intense month with the kids. Lucy morphed into a bit of a fusspot so she was demanding lots of extra attention. Luckily Charlie is extremely laid back to try and help balance things out. The babies both grew like crazy, gaining lots of weight becoming more alert everyday. They still fed about every 3 hours and we began to really look forward to when they start to stretch a bit longer through the night...a bit more sleep would be REALLY nice :)
Ruby started going to preschool two mornings a week and is really enjoyed it. Her new best friend is a little boy from preschool named Brodie. She seems to really life in Fernie although it's hard work to keep her stimulated. Two half days of preschool is a far cry from full time daycare so we started lining up more things for her to do. She's been incredibly patient at home since we're so busy with the babies. Her imaginary play is crazy these days so she's quite good at entertaining herself. She also really loves to read books and will lay on the couch and "read" them to herself. Java's loving living on this property. Even on days when we don't get out for a big walk, she's happy to explore the 5 acres and is slowly getting more adventurous in terms of how far she'll wander on the property.
We welcomed Lucy and Charlie to our family on August 20. They are super sweet little babies. Despite being twins, they don't look too much alike. Lucy is quite fair, both her skin and her hair. Charlie's hair and skin tone are quite dark (similar to how Ruby was). They were good little bottle feeders early on and they tried their best to get on the boob but we still needed them to grow a bit more before they got the hang of it. They fed about every 3 hours and slept a lot during those first 6 weeks.
Ruby absolutely loves her new little sisters and is incredibly gentle and sweet with them. Ruby continued to go to Gwen's (her dayhome) right up until we made the move to Fernie on Sept 17th. She absolutely loved her time at Gwen's and still misses her like crazy! Ruby's embracing her new "big sister" status and is taking pride in being able to do things by herself. She can now go pee all by herself from start to finish, can get dressed and undressed (she needs a bit of help with shirts and socks) and can take her dishes to the counter after meals. We continue to work really hard on manners and she's now trying to learn how to be patient and not interrupt her parents when they're talking (a work in progress).
Ruby has had a super fun summer so far. She continues to absolutely LOVE her daycare and asks, even on weekend mornings.."Am I going to Gwen's today?". She then proceeds to look thoroughly disappointed when we break the news to her that she gets to spend the weekend with us :) She's been very understanding of Mommy's limitations due to the magnitude of my belly. She's actually quite empathetic, constantly offering to rub my back, give me kisses, and even share her Baby Tylenol. We've had lots of company (see 2009 Adventures section) so Ruby's had to do lots of sharing with her toys and generally she's done really well. Ruby celebrated her 3rd birthday a couple of weeks ago. We can't believe how fast she's growing up.
Ruby's pretty keen to have warmer, pseudo-spring weather here at last. After a long winter, she is loving being able to get outside more easily. It's really cool to see how much she loves being in Fernie, spending time by the river, looking for "special" rocks (which she strangely likes to put in the fridge). Her vocabulary continues to expand and she seems to love using new words and learning their meanings. She absolutely loves to be a helper and is really embracing her independence. If I ask her to let Java out for a pee she takes her job very seriously, talking Java through it the ENTIRE time and will even go get Java a treat at the end. She's a keen observer and a 3 year old's memory is like a steel trap...nothing gets by her! We're hoping her desire to be a good helper spills over to when the twins arrive as we'll take ANY help we can get :)
Ruby has had a fun winter. Despite moments of fussing, she's generally enjoyed learning to ski. She might enjoy going up on the lift a LITTLE more than actually skiing down but it's been a fun experience for all of us. Ruby finally got the hang of going on the potty over Christmas and she's been pretty consistent now since early February. There's still a bit of a fear of public toilets but who can blame her?? I'm 38 and I'm still a bit scared of them too :) We also made the move to a big girl bed over the past month. We're still having to work on getting her to stay in her bed at bedtime (she sneaks downstairs and scares the crap out of us!) but generally she's adjusting really well. Ruby pretty much talks non stop...she has a great expanding vocabulary and loves to learn new words and their meanings. She asks lots and lots of "why's" these days and can do both her alphabet and counting 1-10 in both French and English. She absolutely loves music...mostly her annoying kiddie music but she has quite a love for the Beatles (she calls it Grandma Nandy's music). Her interest in make-believe play has really taken off recently too which has helped her play a bit more independently at times. We marvel at her ability to look at something quite plain and simple and imagine it to be something much more exciting. She's lots of fun!
