Spring blossoming

As the trees out back are blossoming and filling in their leaves, so are the twins. They seem to learn something new every day.

They love our "go-round" toy. It's got a seat attached to a table with music buttons and toys. They can walk the seat in a full circle around the table. A month ago Alyna's toes didn't come close to the ground, and Ryan's could just tiptoe in it. Today they can both be seen cruising around in circles smacking the music buttons as they go. It's great, noisy fun.

They are still working on the crawling gig. They get their tummies off the ground by planting their toes behind them and their faces on the ground. Sometimes they get into a crawling position, but can't seem to figure out what to do next. Ryan likes to pull himself forward with his arms (tummy on the ground).

Grandma Delores was here visiting last week. She worked with them on moving their legs like on a bicycle, but Alyna always threw a stiff leg into it like that was the game. It is always nice when Grandma visits because she cleans the house before she leaves... thanks Mom.

One of the greatest joys in the last couple weeks is that they have found a new way to show affection: the forehead kiss. We touch foreheads together and look in each others eyes. They both love to do it and will grab my hair or neck to turn my head to theirs to initiate the move. Barry thought it was odd at first, but when Alyna did it to him his heart just melted.

The challenges of this stage are many. Ryan gets frustrated because he can't easily get to every toy he wants, and he vocalizes his needs very loudly. Alyna has developed a little bit of separation anxiety after our recent vacation. She often starts to cry when she sees me leave the room, and will stop when I return. It's not encouraging for this to happen at such a young age.

The twins both seem to be more aware than ever that the other exists. They always seem to want the toy or book that the other has, and this often leads to tugging fights and fussing babies. I'm not sure what to do with a 7 month old when they want what someone else has. We just let them work it out on their own if they do it calmly, but when they seem angry about the situation we try to remove them from the toy and distract them with another. That's not always possible though. My biggest fear is that one will become totally dominant of the other and the behavioral issue will reach into other areas of their lives. But I know that a 7 month old is totally self-absorbed developmentally so it's difficult to know how to proceed. It also makes meal times longer because I can't feed them their baby food at the same time. They start to fuss when they see the spoon go to the other's mouth.

I'm excited that one of my friends from church delivered a baby girl named Sydney yesterday. I hope she and Alyna will be good friends as they grow up together. One of my other friends is having a little boy this summer, so Ryan will also have someone to play with. We have a great group of young adults at church that we are close to. It will be great to have that sense of community as our kids grow.

We're enjoying the spring weather and are spending much time outside each day if the wind isn't too harsh. I've put the play pen on the porch and sit and read while they play. They like being outside and always sleep and eat better afterward. Sunshine and fresh air is good for the body and spirit.