Send in the Clowns (and Ladybugs)

For almost 30 years, Grandma Laura has been storing the handmade Halloween costumes she made for me and my brother. Today she finally gets rewarded.

While we skipped the trick-or-treating this year, Lucie and Ryan were clearly in the spirit. The hats were quickly discarded, but both were facinated by the pom-poms adorning Ryan's clown outfit. And, needless to say, Lucie makes a much cuter ladybug than either me or Greg.

Dining Alfresco

There's something romantic about eating outdoors - chocolate croissants at a Parisian sidewalk cafe, mai-tais on the lanai in Maui, soggy graham crackers and grapes at the park. Wait a minute, soggy graham crackers? Oh, how life has changed.

Lucie and Ryan love to eat their lunch out and about. They enjoy the change of scenery and easy access to each other's food & drink; I'm thrilled about the effortless clean-up. Once I put lunch down, it turns into a free-for-all as little hands, sippy cups and crumbs fly everywhere. I sit back, relax and think about the two fewer high chair trays I have to scrub - now that's romantic!

One Year Stats

Lucie and Ryan had their official one-year pediatrician's appointment in early October. After a ridiculously long wait (more on that in another post) and subsequent exam, we get little slips that list their vitals. Like most premies, they remain small in comparison to the entire baby population with all those full-term singletons :> In any case, our babies are long, lean, and most important of all, healthy.

Lucie's in the 5th percentile for weight at 17 pounds, 3 ounces, but 29.5 inches tall (75th percentile). Ryan weighs 19 pounds, 13 ounces (10th percentile) and is 30 inches tall (75th percentile).

P.S. Champagne again tonight, but no burp clothes. A welcome change from last year.

Our Little Monkey

While Ryan and I enjoy the smoothie stand at the mall (yum, pumpkin smoothies!), Lucie keeps an eye on the teenage girls cruising in and out of Claire's Accessories. She's becoming quite an accessories fan. She loves examining Gigi's bracelets, touching my earrings and grabbing her Dad's baseball cap.

Just today she showed an interest in one of her own accessories - this funny monkey hat. Though it wasn't exactly cold out, Lucie pulled this hat out of her drawer, put it on, and wouldn't take it off during the entire twins playgroup at the park. Maybe she was inspired by this morning's reading of Curious George? Who knows, but it sure was cute to watch Lucie proudly sport one of her own fashion choices.

Hooray, Tate's here!

Last Thursday was a great day. After months of waiting, Lucie and Ryan's first cousin entered the world just in time for mid-lunch celebrations. From all reports, Tate Logan is doing great and spending most of his time learning how to eat. We know he'll catch on in no time, and will someday soon be smearing sweet potatoes all over his face just like his crazy cousins.

We haven't met him yet, but here's the photo R & L have been looking at to get to know their new cousin. Welcome Tate!

The Latest on Sleep

It's been a rough few months in the sleep department. Ryan and Lucie consistently slept through the night in March and April. But after a series of trips in May, June, and July, they became dependent on midnight feedings. So for the last five months, a typical night meant 1 to 2 nighttime visits from Megan.

On the advice of their pediatrician, we decided to show some tough love with Lucie and Ryan. A weeks ago, we re-implemented a cry-it-out policy -- a 10 minute waiting period for all night-time crying. The first night was disasterous with at least 4 attempts to wail through the waiting period. We're fortunate our neighbors didn't call the police. But after a few nights, the crying jags dropped to one per night. And, just in time for the weekend, Lucie and Ryan slept from 7pm to 7am on both Friday and Saturday nights. Ahhh!

Cool Toys: Radio Flyer Wagon

Another much enjoyed birthday present came from Grandpa and Gigi -- the latest in wagon technology. With built-in storage, cupholders (4!), and seat-belts, Lucie and Ryan are sure to enjoy their new Radio Flyer Pathfinder Wagon for years to come.

They both enjoy riding and pushing the stroller -- I'm happy to have the help. But we have found that their favorite wagon activity is to drop items on the sidewalk as we roll to the local park. Must be great fun to watch mom as she scrambles to pick discarded cups, balls, and other flotsam and jetsam.

Look! An Elephant!

We took Lucie and Ryan to the zoo last weekend for just the second time. With so much to see and do close to home, we haven't ventured very far for baby outings. And while I doubt they'll remember much from this trip, at least they didn't sleep the entire time like the first visit.

Turns out, zoos are not designed to maximize animal viewing opportunities from a stroller. That meant that Lucie and Ryan could really only see the large animals so we spent most of our time looking at the elephants, giraffes, and zebras. Never having seen something so large, they were facinated just watching the animals eat. In fact, you can see their disappointment at being turned around for a quick photo op.

Nothing Boring about Twin Toddlers

We're only a few weeks into parenting toddlers and one thing's for sure - it can be very unpredictable. (I bet our parents could have told us that.) One day Ryan can't eat his chicken fast enough, the next he can't spit it out fast enough. Lucie goes for weeks sleeping until 6:30 am, suddenly she's waking us all up at 5:45 am.

Here's a little more about their latest likes - but watch out, they could change at any time...

Ryan LOVES: cantaloupe, opening and closing drawers and doors, rubbing noses with Porter the Puppy (more on him later), giving high-fives, watching his Dad shave in the morning and remote controls.


Lucie LOVES: hanging upside down, reading books, dancing (preferably ended with a dip), turkey meatballs, trying on clothes, and sucking her fingers (here she's showing her buddy Owen the best fingers to choose).