Right on Schedule

I've rigged up my old desktop in our bedroom, so here I sit on the bed with the computer monitor on the dresser, all so I can follow through and write my update on the 15th, just like I wanted to!!  Granted, the post probably won't be too long because of the awkward angle at which I'm sitting in order to have something to lean against and to see the monitor.  Oh well, what matters is that I'm actually doing what I said I would!

Tori...

• ...is talking a mile a minute and starting to have some really funny conversations with us.  Her imagination is coming to life, and sometimes she'll initiate a pretend scenario on her own!  Like, the other day, she called from the very back seat, where she insists on sitting, "Mommy, look at that big fruck (truck)!  There's a sinosaur (dinosaur) in the back!  Go fast!"  Even since she said that, she's learned to correctly say dinosaur, and it honestly makes me a little sad. 
• ...is very concerned about animals.  She's always carrying around a stuffed animal, usually a puppy, and one of her favorite books is a large board book that's mostly pictures of animals.  She LOVED the zoo when we went a few weeks ago, and still prays for the animals she saw there.  And prays that we can go see them soon. 
• ...now climbs out of bed and comes to see us first thing in the morning, usually.  She always has a cheery, "Good morning, mommy!" and then immediately asks for a "nack" (snack).
• ...counted correctly for the first time recently.  Usually she just lists off some numbers, but she's started saying stuff like, "I have one, two, three..." and she's been right!
• ...pronounces her full name "Bictori Hepper Tamm."

Sophie...

• ...is a spitfire.  She's pretty feisty and isn't afraid to fend for herself.  She actually stood up against an older little girl who tried to take a toy from her.  The other girl walked away with a scratched face.  We're working on that.
• ...is saying new words almost daily.  "No" is still one of her favorites, but she also says, "Help me," "hunry" (hungry), "Nilk" (milk), "Hi, daddy" (when saying hi to anyone), "Mooie" (movie), "Momo" (Cosmo), "puppy," and much more.  She has a deep husky little voice that is too cute. I'll try to post a video soon
• ...likes to sing.  She often will sing to herself while playing, and especially loves circle time at the log cabin.  She sits down and does all the motions to the songs right along with the older kids.
• ...is a climber.  On tables, chairs, stools, wherever she can get up.  Russ once caught her running on the dining room table recently.  She gives me a heart attack whenever we go to the park because she just climbs right up, but isn't great at coming back down!
• ...is a snuggle bug.  Nothing melts my heart more to have her want to sit and cuddle.  Tori's not as likely to sit and snuggle for very long, it's nice to have one who wants to sit and be near you.

We love both our girls to pieces, and are so blessed by them!  Can't wait to share what's new next month!  I'll post new pictures sometime soon...

So Grown Up!

I've decided I should start doing a monthly post about the girls and their developmental milestones. I'm horrible at keeping track of things, so maybe this will be a reasonable way to keep track of how they are growing! I've given up on the baby books...

Little Tori is our "big" girl in the house. This month she has advanced quite a bit in her speech. I've been worried about her because she hasn't started saying too many words, unlike our neighbor who talks a ton! I know you are not supposed to compare, but sometimes you just can't help it. Just when I was really starting to get worried, she started saying a whole bunch of new words!

Here's a list of what we hear regularly: Hi, bye bye (which she also says when going to bed), mama, dada, yeah (apparently we say "yeah" more than "yes"), no, uh-oh, please ("eeee"), Jude, car, woof woof (whenever Cosmo barks), head, nose, eyes, mouth, and mole (while pointing to the one beside my nose.

Most of her communication includes gestures, her favorite include pointing, waving, flapping her arms and blowing kisses. She really understands quite a lot, it's just a matter of time before her babble is understandable.

Tori also enjoys helping me around the house. She likes to help bake cookies, get spices out of the cabinet (I often find spices stashed in random places), vacuum and sweep. We're working on putting things away and now after she empties a cabinet, I can often coax her to fill it back up! Thank God! :)

Baby Sophie is also growing fast! She has almost outgrown her bouncy seat, so I'm going to borrow an exersaucer from a friend for her to sit in while I cook etc. This is necessary for two reasons, one because I don't quite trust her older sister to take great care of her, and two, because she is now mobile! When I lay her down on the floor, she rolls and scoots all around! Often she ends up under the coffee table.

Sophie is definitely a people person. She loves to interact and smiles so big when Tori or Jude give her attention. She looks you right in the eye and coos and squawks quite intentionally. She also loves exploring faces, which is often painful because her nails are constantly in need of clipping. Her bottom two teeth are in, and I suspect more will arrive soon based on the amount of drool and hand chewing that occurs. She is really quite sweet. We ofter refer to her as our "jolly baby."


The girls have been getting along pretty well. Sophie loves it when Tori gives her attention and talks to her. This has started happening more and more. Now, when Sophie is laying on the ground scooting around, Tori will end up laying down next to her for a little while. Sometimes in the morning I let Tori sit in her high chair eating a leisurely breakfast and Sophie will sit next to her in her bouncy seat while I work in the kitchen. This month, they've started "talking" to each other during these interludes. It's so cute!

As well as they get along most of the time, as sisters, of course they have their moments of jealousy. As of now, this is occurring more on Tori's part than Sophie's. If I'm sitting holding Sophie on my lap, Tori will come up and squeeze her way onto my lap between us. Recently, she's especially wanting attention while I feed Sophie. I try to talk and sing with her and teach her that she doesn't have to be in my lap to have my attention. Tori also finds it difficult to share toys with Sophie. If Sophie touches something she is playing with, squawks and arm flapping are sure to occur. To combat this, I've had her bring Sophie a toy instead. This seems to be working well. Working on sharing will be a continuing project.

That's all for now, more milestones to come next month!