Rolling, rolling, rolling! Brooklyn has started rolling over. She loves to balance on one side and watch the world go by. I haven't yet seen her roll over but I know she does it. We leave her in bed for her afternoon nap flat on her back and not on any sort of incline. When we go to get her she has rolled over to her front and is usually calling for us with all limbs flailing. I can't wait until I get to see her roll over.

She has also begun doing a lot of talking. She coos and gurgles and has this very petite sounding language all her own. When she starts to talk Isabella gets down right next to her and starts talking back in a sing-song sort of voice 'really brook-a-lyn, wow'. Nick was watching them do this interaction yesterday and commented how he can't wait until they start talking to each other. I'm excited too, although I'm a little frightened there might not be enough air time for the two of them to share. Our house is going to be a loud house one day and I can hardly wait.

Mischief

Isabella has been getting into a lot of mischief lately. This picture shows her finding the "hiding" spot for her crayons. We put them up because she has been coloring on everything again. So we take them away to only be used with supervision for a bit, then when she's diligently coloring on paper only we allow her to color whenever she wants. She found the crayons, wrote all over her table and then proceeded to bite the end off the brown one. Gross. She has also not been napping so well. Twice this week I went upstairs to find the entire contents of a package of diaper wipes strewn about her room. I was able to find containers for the first package, but most of the second package ended up in the trash. She decided to stash a lot of it in her toys and toy box and in the pages of books to hide the evidence. She got in a lot of trouble for that one. I still didn't learn my lesson though. I left a package of diaper wipes on top of her shelf in her closet, (which she can reach), it was unopened. The safety seal was still on the part you pull the wipes out of. She figured out how to open it and was in the midst of tearing them out when we caught her. Sneaky girl. She is learning to be quiet. She has also begun undressing herself in the morning before she calls us to say she's awake and she is climbing on everything. I can hardly wait for Spring, I think she has cabin fever already!

I know I said I would post here way more often about the girls, but the truth of the matter is that it's hard to find something to blog about everyday with them. They do a lot of pooping, eating, sleeping and crying. None of that makes for very good reading, with the exception of some good stories. So I will try to post more often here, but trying to do it every day was a rather silly idea on my part. I do have some cute pictures I just need to upload, so stay tuned for more cuteness!

Three Months Old
Brooklyn is now 3 months old! That information is completely surreal to me and for some reason hard for me to comprehend. On the one hand she seems so new, and on the other she seems to have always been a part of the family. I can't imagine our lives without her.

She is doing all the normal three month old things, especially being held. She just loves to be in someone's arms at every given moment. I can't get over it. Isabella loved to be with us all the time, but in her own space. Brooklyn wails as soon as we put her down.

But put her down we do and she sleeps through the night for 11-12 hours. She has begun to play on both her tummy and back in her Ocean Wonders 3 in1 Playmat and Tunnel, (the best toy we have ever purchased). She has started to stretch out of the fetal position while in the bath tub and melts us all with her coos and smiles.

This week Brooklyn has been pulling herself to 90 degrees, which amazes me. I know that most babies are doing these feats at this age, but for some reason I am amazed daily at her abilities.

Brooklyn is great. It's so nice that she's exiting the blob stage and entering the fun one! I'm so happy the next few months will find rolling over, sitting in a high chair and more slobber than one can wipe up! Yay!

Today Isabella did a somersault by herself for the first time! Way to go!

I just saw some amazing family pictures in honor of the new addition to their lives, (thanks T!), and it got me thinking about doing a family photo shoot. Oh wait, we've tried that. Even my uncle who is a photographer can't get Isabella to sit still. I am at war within me. I really want those awesome white t-shirt and jeans pictures of the whole family in the woods, but I think those will have to wait until my kids are in school and can sit still for seconds in the double digits. For example, we just wanted a picture of each girl with this bear. Brooklyn had to be held the entire time, (yep I'm ducked down behind him and camoflauging my arms), and when we tried for the same pose with Isabella this was the best we could get. Do you notice her launching herself off the chair! This picture of Belle and the bear is the best one because all the others are her on the ground in some phase of a wrestling match with the darned animal. At least in this one you can see her face and not just her butt after she whupped him. I wonder if I can purchase a straight jacket. I'll tell them it's for my sanity, and it is, even though Belle will be wearing it.

Ofcourse as soon as I say out loud that I'm going to do something, there inevitably comes up something to keep me from doing so. This time around an awful head cold! I laid in bed all day yesterday doing nothing but feeding Brooklyn and sweating. No jokes. Nick would bring me her so she could eat and then take her away. It was not a fun day. But now I'm back, sorta. For today just pictures.

To all the women...who independant.....

Isabella hasn't gotten much time to play outside this winter. We still do not have any snow, (minus the freak snowstorm the day Brooklyn was born and some flurries), but it has been grey and cold and very windy for the last three months. Each day we do take a small walk around our crescent to pick up the mail. It's a short walk when I do it alone, but takes about 10 minutes with Isabella. Most days we go for the walk just after Brooklyn falls asleep in the afternoon so we can leave her snug in her bed and not push her into the cold. On this particular day we took her with us, so I probably walked a bit faster than usual and instead of stopping to play on our stoop I went right in with Brooklyn. Isabella still wanted to play outside so I sat in the living room able to see her on our stoop and let her play. She said hello to everyone and everything, chased her ball for a bit and sang some songs. She then sat on the raised wood beside our driveway and just watched for about five minutes. Then she got too cold and asked to come inside. She had such a content look on her face and sees stoop playing as a real treat now. We're still holding out hope for some snow so we can do fun things like build snowmen and go sledding. But seeing as it's already January and we have green grass and confused flowers that are blooming, I'm not sure if it will happen. Until then we'll continue our walks and let Belle play on the stoop, all by herself like the big girl she is.

For 2007 I resolve to write a post about these two adorable girls each week day. They definitely brighten each day here for us, and will do the same for you I'm sure.

Here's an endearing story about Isabella to start off the New Year right. The other morning Nick took Isabella downstairs while I slept in with Brooklyn. I fell in and out of sleep a few times then awakened noticing how quiet it was downstairs. I thought to myself 'I must run downstairs and see what magic Nick is doing to


keep her quiet, perhaps I can use his trick this week.'. I came downstairs to find Nick passed out on the couch and Isabella quietly unwrapping and devouring a bag of Hershey's Kisses. She ate half the bag. I don't think I'll use that trick.

Brooklyn isn't doing many mischievous things yet, but she has begun cooing and talking. She can wriggle all around her playmat. She rolls up on to each of her sides and has begun pulling herself into sitting positions while we have her on an angle. That girl is strong! She's begun to make 'eye contact', (I'm not sure what she sees yet, but she finds someone and waits for them to notice her), then she smiles hugely. Isabella causes her to smile all the time!

Tune in tomorrow for another great moment.