The Fairy and the Mermaid

The last ten days have been eventful. Auntie Amy and Uncle Richard came for a visit Saturday evening through Sunday afternoon. Grandma and Grandpa the Great, Grandmother, Auntie Amy, Uncle Richard, Granny, Granddaddy, and the four of us had dinner at Granny and Granddaddy's house. The girls were a little fussy from their shots on Thursday. Once they had their medicine and their fever broke, they were all smiles and giggles. Cora and Hazel enjoyed playing with everyone, being the center of attention, and staying up past bedtime. Everyone slept well Saturday night.

Sunday Papa brought home a new John Deere riding lawn mower. The girls are not sure how they feel about it yet. Hazel took a few laps around the front yard with her Papa. She likes to play with the steering wheel but only if she can move it herself. She does not like it when you try to help her. Cora has not had a ride yet. That will happen soon. She was taking a nap during riding time.

Hazel decided crawling was not enough. She started pulling up on furniture and standing. She loves it. Once she is up, she will wiggle, smile, and laugh. She attempts to pull up on everything: the furniture, doors, windows, Mama, Papa, the fireplace hearth (her favorite), Cora's head, anything is an option. Cora does not like it when Hazel uses her as a pull up prop. Papa had to lower the mattress in the girls' cribs. Too many times Mama and Papa found Hazel standing in her crib trying to pull herself out after she woke up. This afternoon when Papa put Hazel in the crib, she moved, while standing, from one side of the crib to another. Mama and Papa can no longer leave the room for a quick second. Hazel is quick and fearless. She is never in the same place you left her and she is always smiling. All this movement is also getting Hazel in trouble at school. She has become a bottle, toy, and pacifier thief. It does not even matter if it is in another child's mouth. If Hazel wants it, she goes for it. We are still working on sharing. Hazel is being to recognize the word, "no". It does not always stop her. Most of the time it just makes her smile, but it does make her pause for a second.


Hazel's movement motivated Cora. She is talking more and trying to crawl. She will rock back and forth on all fours, get from sitting to her belly without falling (most of the time), and spend a lot of time on her belly. She does not seem to mind it as much now. You can tell Cora is starting to feel left out. Hazel is crawling all over the house while Cora is stationary. The other night Hazel crawled to the hearth and pulled herself up. Cora was about six feet away on the living room floor. As Mama and Papa were clapping for Hazel, Cora was in the background waving her hand in the air yelling, "Hey-aaaaaaaa!". Cora has started to wave when you say, "Hey". She is also a master peek-a-boo player. She gets excited when you say boo. She will laugh and giggle every time. The work she does every week with Marsha, her developmental therapist, is really showing. Everyday Cora makes an effort to crawl and meet her goals.

Friday was Ms. Kristine's last day at school. The girls will miss her. Their new teacher, Ms. April, seems nice. It took a few days for Cora to accept her but now she smiles at Ms. April. The girl's first school pictures also came back this week.Both poses are excellent depictions of the girls. Hazel is smiling with her arm propped just like her Papa, leaning back, and relaxing. Cora is frowning in one and studying the photographer in another. She would not smile. They are cute first pictures for the girls.

Saturday night, they had their first bath together in the big girl, real tub. The water was only about two or three inches deep but plenty enough to float all their favorite bath toys around. Cora loves it and smiles non-stop while Hazel is much more tentative about the idea. She seems scared of how slippery it is and can't get her hands or a grip on anything. Finally, Cora's scoot along on her bottom method of movement is bearing fruit. We'll need to get some non-skid to put in floor of the tub to keep them from slipping so much.

Upcoming events:
Thanksgiving with the Creefs!
The girls will turn 11 months old next Sunday.