Man, the girls are doing so many new things left and right that it's hard to keep track! Here's what comes to mind:
Lilah has started sharing! When she has something in her hand that she likes, she'll hold her arm straight out and if you open your hand she'll give you the item. And then quickly take it back. When we put our hands over Lilah's mouth and pat quickly she'll make an "aaaaaaaaah" noise and is completely proud of herself for making a new sound. Charlotte took a little longer to catch on, but she finally got it this weekend. And then Lilah one-upped her by figuring out how to make the sound on her own. But Charlotte has started figuring out how to clap and is equally proud of herself. And both of them are now sitting completely independently!
Charlotte has started using her knees ever so slightly in crawling and Lilah can now crawl several feet but she'll stop within arm's reach of what she was going for. It's like she's doing the bare minimum even though she's perfectly capable (kind of like holding her own bottle). This afternoon she threw a rattle down the hallway and both girls headed down the hallway to get it. Sean yelled, "Baby races!" Maybe that's what we'll do tonight. We'll take bets!
About two weeks ago I graduated the girls from the dissolvable O's to real Cheerio's, one at a time. They were a little confused about the transition but after about a day they jumped up and down and waved their arms when they saw the box come out. Now I can scatter a handful on their tray or Exersaucer and they'll have the time of their lives snacking away. I think, more than anything, they just like the ability to feed themselves, to control their own food, which sounds suspiciously like someone they're related to.... When they mastered the art of Cheerio's I moved on to some other items: chopped bananas, scrambled eggs, bits of bread. And at Easter we had access to some new fruits, so the girls tried kiwi, strawberry, and grapes. (All chopped into tiny pieces, of course). The girls look pretty grown up stuffing food in their mouths.
Lilah's bottom two teeth are about halfway up, and Charlotte's single tooth is all the way up with the one next to it finally breaking the surface. Charlotte was a midnight monster as a result of the new tooth and between the two of the girls, who alternated waking up all night, made me long for the days when I was in the hospital. Who knew that would be the most rested point in my entire life? When they have fussy teething days, even Nanntastic Cindy gets worn out. When Sean got home one day this week, she said, "Thank goodness you're home." After spending a day entertaining these two and trying to keep them happy in the midst of teething, I can honestly say that even I'm not cut out for childcare work.
Charlotte surprised us all this week by crawling up to a bar stool, reaching up for a rung, and pulling herself to kneeling and then standing! When she kneels, she then kicks her feet to one side and can get to a sitting position. The drawback to this newfound mobility is that I'm finding tiny tooth marks on the bottom of the rung.... I may have to get plastic crib rail protectors for our chairs.
Unfortunately, the ladybugs have kept us so busy that we haven't had much chance to take any pictures of their cute little faces, so you'll just have to check back soon!
