Mommy's Birthday

Celebrations began the night before and my mom gave me the best gift - a night of babysitting so that Robert and I could have our first night out without the kids since we brought them home. We went out for a lovely Italian dinner and of course, all we talked about were the girls...

The next day, I invited Robert's family and my mom for lunch and have some cake to celebrate my birthday. I turned 21 yet again... The girls got to watch our family sing Happy Birthday to me, light and then blow out the candles and have their first taste of chocolate cake! We just gave them a very small piece and mostly sans frosting since their nap time was right after. The last thing I needed was an even more hyped up child before nap time.

Rookie Mistake

They can eat with a fork with some assistance... and really love doing it.

I was lulled into a false belief - I thought my kids could handle eating grandma's spaghetti with meat sauce without me feeding it to them. I am the first to admit that I made a rookie mistake... As you will see, there were some serious flaws in my judgement... And YES, bath time was immediately after dinner... Live and learn!

Leah proud of her (lack of) accomplishment

the mess

the mess

all clean after 45 minutes of hard labor!

Two months

It has been a bit over two months now since our girls have been home with us and they still amaze us every day. They are like little sponges absorbing everything. And of course, are getting cuter and cuter by the minute.

Leah (L) and Sarah (R)

Sarah letting out a huge laugh!

Leah telling her kitty "meow"

They can now point to most body parts: head, eyes, nose, hair, mouth, legs, feet, toes, and sometimes they'll even get knee.

On most days, they are too smart for their own good: like being able to press the controls on the TV and the DVD player.

Sarah being naughty and pressing the buttons on the TV

They are even getting ready to open the door. I think a few more inches and we're in trouble!

Sarah trying to leave home

They are playing much better together. Don't get me wrong, they still fight over toys, but the frequency is a bit less now.

Leah (L) and Sarah (R)

We are preparing them for their first Hanukkah and they love to watch the dreidel spin.

Leah enjoying the dreidel spin

They are getting better with their cutlery use. Today Sarah even actually forked a noodle! That's my girl! Mommy was so proud! These are my girls after eating their oatmeal. Oh, and I highly recommend these NUK sippy cups! Some of the others I tried leak. These ones the girls have a hard time making them spill out. One victory for mom!

Leah having enjoyed her oatmeal

Sarah having enjoyed her oatmeal

They have been to their first holiday party and were the belles of the ball. We were prepared for a two minute party and ended up staying almost 2 hours the girls had so much fun. They danced and walked all over the dance floor.

Everywhere I go around town, people just come up to us and say how cute they are. I hope it doesn't start going to their heads!

Just a little cuteness

It's so hard to find a few minutes to post as I'm constantly chasing after these two all day long. When we were referred these two, they could barely stand. Now, they run! I've lost over 15 pounds since referral day! Yes, I needed to lose a few of them, but all this chasing is keeping them off!

They are turning into little girlie girls and love to play dress-up and hug their stuffies. It amazes me every day the transformation these two are making. They understand more and more English as well. As far as talking, they say "Da" for Dad and "Mama" for Mommy (me). They know countless other words and will point to the item if you say the word, they just don't speak them yet. They love to point to items and have you say the English word for them. Sometimes, they think the English word is funny and it makes them giggle.

Eating: well, let's just say that they are professionals! We have a doctor appointment on Wednesday, but I think they have gained over 2 pounds since they've been with us, which is HUGE! Their cheeks say it all, I think...

We all had a great Thanksgiving with my family and all the relatives were so excited to meet them. They had a blast with their cousins and fell totally in love with my sister's son, "T". He was truly amazing with them and they adored him which made the trip great.

As Robert was away for a few days this week for work, my mom came in to help me out. All us girls had a great time together. A wonderful bonding experience. We had many outings every day. They love to take their outings out of the house - it doesn't matter where it is. It is sometimes Target, or Costco, or the grocery store. They just get so much out of these outings and exploring this new world they live in. They love to look at the lights and the displays in the stores. They think they're pretty cool. Oh, and at the grocery store, they get to see all this FOOD! I think their eyes pop out of their sockets!

But enough words, I know you all want to see pictures...

Mom with Sarah in her pretty princess dress she wanted to wear

Dancing with Daddy is so much fun. Leah is on Robert's feet with Sarah waiting for her turn.

Leah (L) and Sarah (R) showing Grandma and I how much they love their stuffies

Leah loving her new tutu leggings and getting all giggly

Sarah: "Look Mama, I have the red block and I look quite cute in my new tutu leggings!"

Stairs are always fun, especially with my cool slippers on

Leah modeling her stairs technique

Someday I'll be a great cook and make Grandma's spaghetti and meat sauce

Boxes from Costco are the best!

Leah on the move in her new dress-up outfit