It’s been far too long since our last update!  This extremely sunny and mild winter in Seattle flew by. Did we really have a winter?? Cherry blossoms began in late February!

We haven’t had a well check with the doctor for awhile but the girls are still hovering around 21 pounds each. They seem to be stretching vertically. Kat almost seems a smidge taller than Tash, and is still very wiry and nimble. When you pick her up she scrambles onto you like Legolas on a Mumakil. Tash is becoming a lot more social with strangers (role reversal there) and is our roughhouser. I’m pleased to report they do have affectionate moments with each other more frequently. Not often. But more frequently!

The biggest change here is the arrival of words. Kat’s first words were “up”, “mommy”, “daddy”, and “puppy”. Tash has moved on from the all-encompassing verb/noun/adjective “guh” to “mommy”, “daddy”, “ba” [ball], “be” [bird], “baaa” [bath], and a VERY clear “puppy”. They rotated these words for quite some time, but something has switched on for Kat recently. She now says “no no no no”, “Bruno”, “Mommydaddybruno”, and an assortment of other random words (pancake, button, monkey, airplane, cream, sticky, kick). We were really excited when she said her sister’s name for the first time yesterday. It’s such fun to watch the verbal communication thing take flight. It’s also so much easier to have them say “milk” or “book” instead of crying and straining for some mysterious item.

The girls have also become far more physical and activity-oriented. No more shaking little baby toys. They love being outside throwing rocks, mixing pine cones in a bowl, swinging or using the slide at the park, plucking the neighbor’s flowers, etc. While indoors they adore watching airplanes and birds through the window. They still love sweeping and wiping, but I’m 100% that is mimicry that will not last much longer. They have just discovered that their “babies” [small plastic dolls] can be clothed and fed with a spoon or bottle. VERY exciting development for them. Life in general is one big party of exploration.

Most recently, they acquired their own arm chairs….

….light enough for a girl on the go with places to be…

…bonus feature is it facilitates climbing!

After our lovely holiday in Canmore, Alberta we decided to repeat the trip one last time before we have to start paying for the girls’ own seats on the plane (at age two, no breaks for preemies who spent the first three months of life in the hospital, boo). The goal was also to see Uncle Anton and Aunt Vinaya there. Unfortunately, Tash was hit hard by illness in February. We postponed the trip by a few days only to arrive there and have Kat come down with the bug. Not pretty for three quarters of the trip, but at least for the end bit both girls were back to their happy selves AND got to briefly see Grandma D. and Grandpa. D.  We are grateful that the girls didn’t pass this bug on to their aunt and uncle.

Note Tasha had her first very Canadian experience of wielding a hockey stick. Bit scary.

Add grandma to the mix with another stick. More scary. Or funny if you’re Tasha.

Most recently we had the pleasure of Grandma D. staying with us in Seattle for a few more days. Lots of quality grandma time. Here’s a shot of the Grandma D and Tasha skyping with Grandpa D. We all love the ipad here.

The pics really don’t do the girls’ development justice, so a few videos for live action:

Kat feeding Tash: http://youtu.be/nuyIwW8Z8b4

Girls feeding Bruno: http://youtu.be/ZE0kUtm9sck

Girls feeding themselves: http://youtu.be/82rMtXxKw9k

Girls dancing to Metallica: http://youtu.be/c9erca5Suv4

Girls holding hands: http://youtu.be/l18PSN8JuvI

Up and down: http://youtu.be/2TZbl0cZcJs

On the deck in March…and yoga: http://youtu.be/XJjvS_AV3z4