HAPPY TEN MONTH "BIRTHDAY" CHARLOTTE AND JACOB

Before I started writing this post I spent some time looking at the pictures we took of Charlotte and Jacob right after they were born. They were so tiny and fragile and I realized how quickly I have forgotten what they looked like 10 months ago today. So much has changed over the past 10 months but one thing has remained the same and that is how much fun we are having watching the kids grow. They are both at a very fun stage - lots of "chatting" and moving. From  October 1st - October 30th Charlotte and Jacob have:


Continued to gain weight: Charlotte weighs 17 lbs 13 oz and Jacob weighs 17 lbs 3 1/2 oz. 

Continued to sleep through the night: We are still working on stretching their bedtime to 7pm from 6 or 6:30p.m. but most nights this month (with the exception of a few) we all slept through the night


Sat unassisted: Jacob has mastered sitting on his own over the past few weeks. He still has the odd wobble / fall but he is much more sturdy on his bum


Pulled themselves up on objects: The other day Charlotte pulled herself up on the "toy box". She enjoyed her new vantage point and played on her knees for a few minutes until she realized she couldn't figure out how to get down. She has been getting better at the getting down part but still yells for "help" from time to time. 


At more solid food: We took Charlotte and Jacob to a Japanese restaurant with us and they thoroughly enjoyed sampling things we were eating. We didn't give them any raw sushi but they tried edamame beans, tempura veggies, tofu, beef, rice, udon noodles and a small taste of our green tea ice cream. We also introduced a few new foods including oranges, pasta with meat sauce, and Gerber Graduates cheese puffs


Attended Andrew and Tegan's 1st Birthday Party: On October 15th we got to celebrate Andrew and Teagan's 1st Birthday. We met them (and their parents Lindsay and Jon) at St. Mike's NICU and have remained close ever since. It was great fun to celebrate this milestone with Andrew and Teagan and we can't wait to share many more milestones with them. 


Attended their first Halloween Party: Charlotte and Jacob got to test out their Halloween costumes early when they attended their first Halloween party on October 28th. The party was hosted by our friends Sarah, Lucas and Ewan and was also attended by two other sets of twins. It was quite a sight to see all the kids in their costumes! 


Activities outside the house: More walks in the stroller, More Stars and Strollers Movies (I Don't Know How She Does It and Ides of March), drop in play time at CECC, Music Class at CECC, runs with Daddy in the Baby Jogger and Swimming Lessons at Douglas Snow Aquatic Centre

HALLOWEEN...TESTING 123...TESTING 123

Today Charlotte and Jacob attended their first Halloween party. The party was hosted by our friends Sarah, Ewan and Lucas. In addition to Charlotte, Jacob, Ewan and Lucas there were two more sets of twins - Gabriel and Jacob and Zoe and Zack. All the kids (including Sarah) dressed up in their costumes and enjoyed some play time on the floor. It was amazing to watch the kids - roughly 9 months in age - play with each other. They were all well behaved and enjoyed crawling, rolling and sitting around each other. Thanks Sarah, Ewan and Lucas for the fun afternoon. 


We are looking forward to Charlotte and Jacob's first Halloween on Monday and can't wait to carve the pumpkin this weekend! 

Jacob and Charlotte sporting their Halloween onezies at home before the party

Sitting pretty in their Halloween onezies

Halloween Party (Zoe = princess, Zack = tiger, Ewan = pumpkin, Lucas = pumpkin,
Jacob = monkey, Gabriel = dog, my Jacob = dinosaur, Charlotte = pumpkin)

Jacob (dinosaur) and Charlotte (pumpkin)

"Sarah White" and her 8 dwarfs ;) 

A TUNNEL OF FUN...

Yesterday the kids and I went on an adventure to Ikea. The purpose of our trip was to buy light bulbs and picture frames but we ended up coming out with a few additional items not on our list including...two long sleeve bibs, a cheese grinder for hard cheese and the best impulse buy of them all...a fabric tunnel for the kids. Had I known just how much enjoyment the kids would get out of the tunnel I would have bought one a lot sooner. It has honestly been one of the best purchases I've made in a while. Charlotte and Jacob have not stopped crawling through it since I popped it open. Jacob also enjoys rolling in it. One of the best parts of the tunnel has been hearing the giggles and shrieks coming from inside as the kids crawl through. I have yet to capture that on video but when I do I will certainly post it! For now here are a few pictures from my Blackberry of the kids enjoying their new tunnel:

Charlotte preparing to enter the Tunnel of Fun

The look on her face sums it up - THIS IS GREAT! 

A tunnel built for two

They simply can't get enough....

Get out of my way...or else I'm going to crawl right over you

Jacob also enjoys rolling in the tunnel

Almost at the end...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING...

We have so much to be thankful for this "Thanksgiving". We have two healthy children, a lovely home, good jobs, great family and fantastic friends. This Thanksgiving was very special because it was the first one that we celebrated with Charlotte and Jacob. 


We hosted "Thanksgiving Dinner" at our place and it was a great success. My Mom, Dad and Step-Mom Sandy joined Doyle and I and the kids for Turkey, Potatoes, Stuffing, Green Beans and Pumpkin Pie. It was great to have everyone together at our place - we can't wait to do it again next year! 

Doyle is very serious about his turkey prep

No Thanksgiving feast would be complete without a "special" bib
it's a good thing we can use it again at American Thanksgiving! 

The bird 6 hours before 

The Browns

Grammy Pam with Charlotte and Jacob

Gramz and Grandpa with Charlotte and Jacob

Waiting for their 1st Thanksgiving feast -
Charlotte is so hungry she is eating her finger!

Jacob covered in sweet potatoe

The bird...6 hours later 

The family ready to feast

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!

HAPPY NINE MONTH "BIRTHDAY" CHARLOTTE AND JACOB...

We have had another busy month in our house. It is so hard to believe that today is October 1st. September already feels like a blur. Yesterday marked Charlotte and Jacob's nine month "birthday". From September 1st - September 30th Charlotte and Jacob have:


Continued to gain weight: We don't have official "nine month" weight numbers because they aren't due back at the doctor until 10 months - but we can definitely feel and see a difference!

Continued to sleep through the night: We are still working on stretching their bedtime to 7pm from 6 or 6:30p.m. but most nights this month (with the exception of a few) we all slept through the night

Started to "crawl": I use the word "crawl" loosely in this statement because the kids are not up on all fours just yet - but they are both "on the move". They use their arms to pull them forward on their tummies to get from one spot to another. I call it "commando crawling". Luckily, the previous owners of our house installed baby gates at the top and bottom of all the stairs so we have been putting those to good use. Although the kids seem to prefer to play under the table most of the time!

Got their two bottom teeth: Jacob sprouted his first bottom tooth before Charlotte's but it didn't take her long to catch up. Her bottom two teeth came in one right after the other. Jacob has since sprouted his second tooth and both are sporty very cute toothy grins! 

Sat up unassisted for longer periods : Charlotte is getting stronger with sitting up on her own. Jacob hasn't quite mastered sitting on his own yet but likes when we help him by propping him up


Ate more solid food: We have been giving the kids more solid food. This month they tried french toast, grilled cheese, Cheerios and tomatoes in addition to everything else they have already been eating


Attended their first wedding: On September 3rd we were honoured to celebrate Carrie and Nelson's wedding. The ceremony was held at St. Cuthbert's Church and the reception took place in Carrie's back yard - it was a truly magical event and we enjoyed being part of it. 


Celebrated Grandpa's 65th birthday: On September 25th we all gathered at my dad and Sandy's house for a birthday brunch. The festivities included a pinata, yummy brunch and presents for Grandpa. Charlotte and Jacob really enjoyed playing with their cousins Kieran and Quinn who had many neat toys to show them! 


Activities outside the house: Walks in the stroller, More Stars and Strollers movies (Contagion, I don't know how she does it, Moneyball), Lunch with mommy's work colleagues, picnic at the beach with Andrew, Teagan, Kai and Kaz, and Swimming Lessons at Douglas Snow Aquatic Centre