Walking Tall

Ava is officially our first walker!!! I know she has been taking steps here and there but now she is a full fledged toddler!!! She does more walking than crawling now. It is so funny to see her though because she is small for her age and looks funny walking around. Then she stops and gives you that classic Ava look, squinty eyes and silly grin.

Last weekend we took the girls to Washington Crossing state park for the afternoon. We had a picnic lunch and then let them loose in the grass with their push carts. Here are some good shots of the girls in their fall jackets.



Here is a shot of one of the girls' favorite things...looking out the front door. In this shot they are wearing their onesies we got them from M&M's World in NYC.

Pumpkin Pickin'

Today we took the girls to Indian Acres farm to go pumpkin picking with their Aunt Jen. They played around in the fake tractor for a little while then we took the ride back to the pumpkin patch. Ava had a bit of temper tantrum on the cart on the way to the patch, but she settled once we were off and walking around. Aside from that, we had a great time.

Livi and Lila on the tractor
Lila in the faux wagon
Ava being admired by an older gentleman
Ava picking up her pumpkin
Livi likes that one

Lila sitting in the pumpkin patch.

Back on the wagon! We had a hard time getting Livi to not eat her pumpkin.

In other news, we have switched the girls over to all milk now as we have used up the last of our Similac powder. They don't seem to notice at all. They drink mostly out of the sippy cups and get one bottle per day before they go to bed. Ava decided to scream from 3:30 to 4:30 last night and when she got up for the dat at 6, she ate everything Lisa gave her. So now, in addition to a bottle of milk before bed, they are haveing a cereal bar to try to fill them up.

One Year Checkup

We had the girls' checkup today and they passed with flying colors. The doctor saw no issues with their development. She actually said she has seen non-preemie 1-year olds that do less than our girls.

It's been a while since the last height-weight update, so here it is:
Lila is 21# 11oz., 30 1/4" tall
Olivia is 23# 1 oz., 30" tall
Ava is 20# 4 oz., 30" tall

So Ava and Livi are the same exact height, only three pounds difference in weight, but Olivia needs her seat belt loosened in the stroller. We think it's because Ava is non-stop all day long. Whatever she eats, she burns off.

As a prize for getting four shots each, we took the girls to the zoo. This was probably the first trip where they really saw most of the animals that we pointed out, especially the smaller, very active monkeys. We got a few comments about the girls, but they were all positive. We actually had an older gentlemen tell me "You're the richest man in the world." That was probably one of the nicest comments we've ever gotten while out in the general public

Here is a picture of the girls enthralled with the gorilla statue. We were trying to take a shot of them, but they wouldn't look away from the statue. (Lila is pointing to the statue in case you can't see it.)

WE MADE IT

Sunday was the girls' first birthday. As everyone who's been reading this knows, we've had quite a ride.

Friday we got the girls' 1st birthday portraits. The fact that we were able to get some pictures taken made us happy enough.

Saturday we had the big party. Lila slept for the first few hours, but once she woke up, she seemed to enjoy herself along with her sisters. They got a ton of great gifts from all their friends and family and we thank everyone who was able to make it. To no one's great surprise, Olivia was the one who absolutely loved the cake. Lila was happy with it, but Ava wanted no part of it.

Sunday we had our parents over for dinner and some more cake. We got our free 1st birthday cakes from Acme and the girls had at it again with similar results. Livi was digging in two-fisted, Lila dug a hole int he top of hers and Ava cried. They all got a good bath after that!

Overall, it's been an amazingly long and short year all at the same time. We really can't believe that they are 1, but there's no denying it now that they are scooting around with their walkers and playing with each other.