The Babies are 10 Months and 2 Years, 9 Months

Valentines Day also marked the day that Charlotte turned 10 months and Camille 2.9 years old (is that a thing?). Yep, they were both born on the 14th! Exactly 23 months apart in age.

I have fallen slack with taking Charlotte's monthly photos, which I really regret, but wanted to take a little time to jot down some of the things the girls are now doing that I never want to forget.

is it too much to ask for one photo where they smile at me?

apparently so. 

Charlotte, at 10 Months
Charlotte is the happiest, most laid-back baby. I get her out of her crib after I get Camille at 7:30. She has usually been awake for half an hour or so at that time but is perfectly content rolling around, cooing, snuggling with her paci/lovie. Just recently she has mastered pulling up to standing in her crib! She's got sparkling eyes that accompany her easy smile. She has had a recurring ear infection basically since the very end of December and today is her consultation to have tubes put in her ears. Happy through it all. She is still nursing, eating purees and some finger foods, and napping twice a day.

Our basic schedule with her now is:
7:30 nurse, 8:00 finger foods and maybe a puree, 10:00 morning nap for an hour some days, other days if we are on the go she skips. 11:30 nurse, 12:00 pureed fruit/veggie/protein, playtime, 2:00-3:45 nap, 4:00 nurse, playtime, 6:00 pureed fruit/veggie/protein, bath, 6:45 nurse, 7:00 bed.

She has two bottom teeth and one of the top teeth seems to be working its way down as well. She can follow a few commands -- wave, clap, bonk (bump heads gently with us). She dances (sways) in her high chair when we play music in the kitchen. When she is really happy she will close her eyes for about two seconds and then open them up all dreamily and smiley. She and I attend a music class Tuesday mornings and she has loved it, especially hitting two instruments together. It's a nice thing for us to do together while big sister is at preschool. Yesterday she used sign language to say "more" when she wanted additional puffs to snack on. So proud of this sweetheart. She's still pretty clingy/snuggly with mama but has finally really warmed up to both grandmothers. Loves peek-a-boo, raspberries blown on her tummy and neck, and taking a bath at night with her sister. Also, very interested in dogs -- fearlessly holds her hand out to them for kisses.

Camille, at 2 Years 9 Months
Camille is magnetic as ever. She has grown and learned so much as a two-year-old. She loves Disney princesses, playing outside, the 2 shows she gets after nap (usually Sofia, Mickey, Shimmer and Shine, or Madeline), playing kitchen, Legos, play-doh, coloring, her sand table, reading, and craft projects. She also LOVES to help me cook -- making pizzas, helping me make baby food, pushing the button down on the toaster.

She is strong-willed. She is not quiet! She knows what she wants and she will make it known. Her vocabulary is awesome and impresses us. She retains stories well and can help us "read" books. She has become quite the puzzle superstar and can do the 24-piece puzzles quickly and with very little or no help.

She got rid of her paci several months ago and has never looked back. We are working on potty training and she definitely gets it but we haven't done the full-fledged training yet. She naps daily from 2-3:45 or at least stays in her crib during that time. She can sing all of her ABCs and count to 10, sometimes up to 14/15. She can make numbers 1-5 using her fingers. Sometimes for the number 2, she will hold both pointer fingers up beside each other. She says "paybe" for maybe, has started to say "nevermind" which is hilarious, and has recently started calling herself "Ta-meel" instead of "Mill-mill."

She is sort of over Katy Perry (but still loves "Wide Awake") but her new favorite songs are the following: "You Get What You Give" by the New Radicals, "Genghis Khan" by Miike Snow, and "Casual Party" by Band of Horses. She is also into "Whatever, Wherever" by Band of Horses which is an amazing song -- on YouTube here if you're unfamiliar. It's her special song with Ian and she loves sitting in his lap in his office to watch the music video.

She has extremely sweet moments and typical toddler tantrums, too. We do timeouts for 2 minutes on a time-out step and sometimes have to take away favorite toys and put them up high on the mantel. Disciplining is probably my least favorite thing ever behind cuts from broken glass and rabid attack dogs. Hate all of those. But disciplining is important and I just hope that she forgets the moments where I lose my mind because she is whining. whining. whining. again.

She's a creature of habit and every night after reading a book or two, she wants to "tackle hug" Ian three times in a row, then push him out of the doorway, then go check on him. Every single night. Then she comes back to me and we sing the same four songs in a row -- Twinkle Twinkle, then a made up song "Hmm Hmm Mama", then the "I Love You" song from Barney, then the chorus from "Let It Go" as I'm tucking her in. Then she reminds me to set her clock and I tell her it's already set. Lights out, door cracked. Every single night, this is how it goes.

My girls are my favorite thing in the world, and being able to stay at home with them and see all of this good stuff is the most priceless gift I have been given. It's not easy, no siree, but worth every darn precious minute.