foodies

I have budding foodies on my hands- the girls love flavor! Cumin, red pepper flakes, ginger... They love it all!

Recent creations include homemade "goldfish"

I'm currently making gingerbread apple waffles- they are delicious!

updates

The girls have been busy lately! They are crawling all over the place and pulling themselves up and standing too.

The girls are a bit more interested in playing independently now- they will crawl from room to room and find something to entertain themselves with. Favorite activities include pulling all of the clothes out of their drawers, taking their shoes off the shelves, and pulling all of their toys out of the toy baskets.

The girls still love bath time! I give them a bath almost every night- it gives me a chance to sit down and take a break. In the evening when they start to get a bit cranky, I put them in the tub for an instant attitude adjustment.

They are willing to eat almost everything. Yesterday we went out for lunch and Claire loved black beans and enchilada soup- she is such an adventurous little eater... which shocks me, as back in her newborn days, we routinely had to strip her down to her diaper to get her to finish her bottle. Audrey will try almost any food, but she doesn't have the same enthusiasm for meal time that Claire does. I've heard that once they hit the toddler stage kids tend to become very picky, but hopefully we can keep their good food habits going.

sleep training

My most recent post on sleep was from about a week ago. Two days ago we finally decided to listen to the pediatrician's advice and try sleep training. They both cried for about 10 minutes, then got up for a 5 am bottle and then slept again until 8:30! I didn't have quite as stellar results last night, but Claire was only up once versus every hour- definitely an improvement!

I'll sleep when they are 30?

We've had a bit of sleep regression in this house with miss Claire. She will be happy if she is being held, but put her back in her crib and she screams. 

I texted my cousin my idea that in 29 years I will get a good nights sleep (2 am texts are acceptable when you are a newly minted 21 year old or new mom) Her response was that when the girls are my age they'll have grand kids to keep me up.

Maybe I'll sleep when I'm 70?

broccoli, cheddar, and sweet potatoes, oh my!

I've been trying new recipes for the girls lately. Tonight I made broccoli cheddar patties and they are delicious (and easy)! Steam some cubed sweet potato and broccoli, mash it up, throw in some cheese and mix in a beat egg. Then form into patties and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. I'm not even a huge sweet potato fan, but Iove these!

I'm on a mission to kick my nasty junk food habit. For the next week (maybe longer?) if I wouldn't feed it to the girls I'm not eating it (with the exception of beverages). Here's to some adventurous snacking!

fake out

Trying the pediatrician's advice and replacing Audrey's night time bottle with water.

Somehow I'm guessing letting her get super cozy in your bed wasn't part of her sleep training solution. #babysteps

Happy Halloween

Better late than never? I wrote this on Halloween but it failed to publish.

Cousin Cameron came to visit and we had fun shopping.

apple bars

Today I whipped up a batch of apple bars (adapted from a recipe on allthingsgd.com). They were super simple to make and were delicious- the babies and adults alike loved them! I will definitely add this to my cooking repertoire- especially when this was the reaction I got from the babies:

9 months

The girls had their 9 month well-baby visit yesterday. It is hard to believe that the next time they see their doctor (barring any illness) they will be a year old! The girls keep on creeping up the growth chart- Claire was 16 lbs 12 oz (26th %) and 26.5 inches (12th %). Audrey was 22 lbs 4 oz (93rd%) and 28 3/4 inches.

Size wise, Claire is in mostly 9 month outfits (although I have a few 6 month items that she still wears). Audrey has moved into 18 month sizes for the most part... she was in 12 month sleepers for about a week, but then they got too difficult to zip up. Thankfully Claire should be able to use them. Audrey seems to skip sizes... she really jumped from 3 month clothes to 9 months, and now from 9 months to 18. Good thing I have two babies so everything gets worn :) 

The doctor said that there is no reason for the girls to be getting up for night feedings, and suggested letting them cry it out. I gave it a go last night, but I couldn't let them cry for more than five minutes. I did however listen to her suggestion of getting them water in their bottles... Audrey didn't seem to notice the difference.

Claire and Audrey are now ready to start table foods- it is kind of scary, but the doctor said that the girls should be eating whatever we are eating... time to get some meal ideas from Pinterest!

dolls

The girls have acquired quite the collection of dolls. I decided it was time to give them names. 

Starting with Claire we have Chloe, Amelia, Isla, Lila, and Madeleine. I also have it on good authority that Santa is bringing the girls another doll for Christmas, I'll have to start brainstorming more names.

new shoes

My awesome new shoes arrived in the mail today- I love them! They are sperry Pennington (available at Nordstroms) and are super comfortable!

I wear flats constantly these days and love that they make a statement. I also spied the most perfect pair of nude pumps at tj maxx the other day and am contemplating those, but in the last 2 months, I've bought 5 (okay, six...) pairs of shoes, and realize that is more than some people own, so we'll see what I end up doing. I also really want a pair if riding boots (hint hint Justin) so I'll have to decide what I want the very most (if this was a multiple choice test the answer would be all if the above!)

organized baby

Lately I've been working on baby proofing and organizing- I find an organized home is much easier to child proof. I have delusions of being the second coming of Martha Stewart (minus all those pesky legal issues) but in reality my home making skills are probably only a notch or two above Peg Bundy.

Having a semi organized home helps me keep my sanity (I detest clutter... although it isn't always obvious). Enter my current bffs- baskets, trays, and empty cabinets.

Rather than put locks on the cabinets, we decided to put our cleaning products out of reach- the basket helps the assortment of cleaners look more presentable... but here is my moment of pure genius- I left the cabinet under the sink empty, so when I want to spruce up the countertops it is as simple as moving a basket... come to think of it, now there is room for Justin's espresso maker too (I hate having two coffee making devices on the counter! As an aside, once in an organizing frenzy, I attempted to hide the toaster in a cabinet... Justin was not impressed).

Next up is my buddy the tray:

This helps keep the girls' formula, snacks, and face wipes corralled. There is also a super cute anthropologie bowl I received from Amanda that houses pacifiers and teethers. Our supply of pacifiers has dwindled, but I refuse to buy more, as I am half attempting to wean Audrey from them... If one is sitting around she will use it, but doesn't protest if it is taken away, so I figure out of sight out of mind (but easy for mom and dad to find in case of emergency).

Now for keeping bath time tidy:

When the girls used their infant tub, I stored all of their bath time paraphernalia in there. When they outgrew there tub I was in need of a new storage solution. This inexpensive laundry basket fit the bill- it is large enough to fit all their toys, plus can be hosed off in the event their baby wash leaks. The sink under the bathroom counter is also nearly empty, so the basket can be stored there if need be.

I don't have a picture of my final storage solution as I was going to risk waking the girls by snapping pics in their room, but if you go back to their closet post you can get a visual. Their top shelf in the closet houses diapers, wipes, and keepsakes... I figured why not add snacks? I purchased several puffs, but our pantry is full of other things that need to be immediately accessible (important stuff, like candy) so I decided to store them in the closet... Not the best long term solution, but it works for now.