Six Months Old

Official Stats - 

Ian -  17 lbs. 12 oz. (56 %tile) & 27 3/4 inches (91 %tile)

Suzette -  20 lbs. 4 oz. (97 %tile) & 27 1/4 inches (94 %tile)

My cute giggly chunky monkey

Suzette loves being sung to and will even try to "sing along" sometimes.  She does pretty well sitting up and can lay on her tummy for 15+ minutes at a time now.  Her physical therapy is going very well and she has made a lot of improvement already.  Suzie is more aware of Ian and tries to interact with him when they're near each other.  Ian seems oblivious...for now.

My handsome little man

Ian is quite the character.  He loves games of peek-a-boo!  Never fails when I take my hands away from my face and say peek-a-boo he jumps then giggles so hard, it's adorable.  He is also sitting up very well.  We have this game that I do during a diaper change.  Before I take off his diaper I ask him what kind it is.  Then when I open it up I'll act surprised and say, "It's just a pee-pee diaper!" or "You did the poopies!"  And I swear every time he goes #2 he gets this sly grin on his face before I open his diaper then when I do and say "poopies" he just laughs and laughs.  I told Dave about this one day and he asked if I did it with Suzie.  I said yes I tried once, but she didn't seem to care or give any reaction.  After growing up with 3 older brothers, living with my husband for 5 years and now having a boy of my own I firmly believe boys are BORN WITH a sense of humor about bodily functions that girls just don't have.  

This month we said goodbye to the wash pod, the twins are now too long to fit in it anymore.  It was PERFECT to use for the past couple months and such a great and thoughtful gift from my Aunt Karen and mom.  Suzie loved being in it and Ian, as usual, was a bit more cautious of the pod.  It made bath time such a breeze, I knew they were warm the whole time and it was great using a smaller amount of water.  But alas, all good things must come to an end, right?  We've now moved on to using our Primo infant tub.

In other developments this past month Suzie was pretty excited to welcome her newest cousin baby Reese and Ian discovered just how yummy his toes really are!

 Wow, has 1/2 a year already gone by?!  These babies are growing up fast!  It has been such a thrill to see each of their personalities develop.  Month six brings new exciting things like FOOD.  Yup, we got the all clear from our pediatrician to start feeding them table food (minus a few foods that are choking hazards) and using baby food as needed as well as drinking water from a sippy cup.  I think there are some exciting adventures ahead!  

Cherry Blossoms

Dave had the day off today so we headed out to see the cherry blossoms before the rain forecasted for this weekend washes them away.  We scored a parking spot right by the MLK memorial then headed over to lay our blanket down under the cherry blossoms along the tidal basin.  The weather, the company and the scenery made for one of the BEST days I've had in a while.  I love spring time in DC!  

 The detail on the MLK memorial is remarkable and going during the daytime really allows you to enjoy all it has to offer.  While making our way to the tidal basis we had blossoms shower us.  The wind was blowing just enough that the blossoms would glide through the air in groups like a school of fish.  Ian and Suzie didn't quite know what to make of it, but we thought it was pretty cool :-)

 This year, 2012, is 100 years since Japan gave the United States the gift of trees.  I sure am glad to be able to enjoy such beauty on a yearly basis, thank you Japan!

This was Ian and Suzie's view while laying on the blanket, magical!

Lucky

Happy St. Patty's Day!  

Instead of forking out nearly $40 for 2 of these...

I decided to run with the cute idea and make our own.  

I sure do feel lucky to have these cute faces to look at everyday.  

Ian just warming up...

Ian looking at me, Suzie looking at Dave

We have a winner!  Both looking at me and seem somewhat happy/interested :)

"Hey sister, let's hold hands."

"Don't worry brother, I've got your back."

 This evening we took Ian and Suzette to a nearby neighborhood in Bethesda called Kenwood.  Breathtaking!  The pictures do not do it enough justice.  If you live locally you MUST make your way to this neighborhood in person during the next week or two to see the gorgeous cherry blossoms in person.  Strolling the tree lined streets under a canopy of blossoms, feeling the warm breeze, enjoying all the smiles and sweet comments of the passersby who loved seeing Ian and Suzie was the perfect way to end our first St. Patrick's day as a family of four.

Newest Niece

Two weeks ago on Tuesday, February 28th my brother and SIL welcomed Reese Alexandra Hellie into their family.  I had the pleasure of seeing her at 1 day old and she is precious!  I could not be more thrilled for my sweet sister-in-law, Jamie, to have this amazing experience of motherhood and it's been so fun to see my brother, Brook, who has always been so good with children to have a lovely baby girl of his own.

Born 2.28.12 @ 7:48pm / 7 lbs. 0.5 oz / 19.5 inches long

Already a super star requesting, "no more pictures please" and knowing from the moment she entered this world right where her thumb was and how to get it into her mouth Reese is a girl full of personality and knows exactly what she wants!  She also has the most beautiful skin tone of any of my parents grandchildren.  I'm jealous!  And how cute are those those lips?!  Reese is 5 months younger than Suzie & Ian and I can't wait to see what fun these cousins will have growing up so close in age to each other.

Want to know something else that melted my heart?  This sweet girl's middle name came from someone pretty special, her Uncle Nick (my brother who passed away in 1998) whose middle name was Alexander.  I love the she will forever have that connection with him.  Oh Reese, you are adored by all those around you and couldn't have been born to better parents!  We are all so glad you've arrived safe and sound and just as beautiful as can be.