Walking Boys!

Our boys have always loved motion! Even in utero, Cody & Jaden seemed to be constantly rolling, kicking, and turning. During the past couple of months, they have been happiest while walking with Daddy or Mommy's help, crawling, or walking behind their push-rider toy. With all of their eagerness to move, we guessed they might be early walkers. Well, the big day has arrived!

Jaden surprised us by being the first one to take those precious first steps. Early this week, he proudly showed us how he could stand independently and then totter forward.

Not to be outdone by his big brother, Cody took his first steps the very next day.

One of Amy's Bible study girls took this video of both boys walking back and forth between Mommy & Daddy. Cody shows his support for Jaden with a round of applause.

We are so proud of our little guys!

A small part of us has to wonder, though, are we really ready for TWO walking boys? :)

St. Patty's Parade

Last weekend, our family had a unique opportunity to participate in our community's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. Our Mothers of Multiples club has been walking in the parade for the past couple of years as a way to advertise for our annual spring garage sale. Of course, we also enjoy the chance to show off our cute twins! :)

Here is our jogging stroller, all decorated and ready to go for the parade.

Of course, the stroller looks a lot better when it's occupied! 

Jaden, Cody

As you can tell, the weather was fairly chilly for the morning parade. We were glad we hadn't spent the money on St. Patrick's Day outfits for the boys, since the clothes would've been covered by blankets and coats anyway! Instead, the leprechaun headband-hats helped the boys look festive.

Amy was glad that dads were encouraged to walk in the parade as well. We enjoyed participating as a whole family.

Unfortunately, after arriving for the parade, we had about an hour to wait until our group was called to begin walking. Some of the other twins entertained our boys with a game of peek-a-boo.

Although our boys didn't make it in the group photo, here's a shot of the other twins before we started. Some siblings are in the picture as well. (The random vegetable garden behind us was the "float" we followed once the parade began.)

It was fun to see the various modes of transportation (wagons, strollers, little cars), all decorated in green. Here's our group starting off... The girl in white was the oldest kid in the group, so she led the way with her vehicle displaying our parade number. Her twin brothers followed close behind in a wagon.

Jason pushed the stroller for the majority of the parade so Amy could help hand out garage sale fliers to the parade spectators.

Once we were out of fliers, Amy took a turn pushing the boys as well. 

Even though the weather was a little cold, Jaden & Cody seemed to enjoy being outside and were in good moods for the whole parade. They weren't even bothered by many of the loud noises. In fact, both boys started to doze off during the last few blocks of our walk. We were proud of them for being great parade participants. What a fun family memory!

Making "Music" & Moving Around

Cody and Jaden sure know how to keep themselves (and us!) busy during the day. We have enjoyed seeing our boys' developing love for music (or perhaps any kind of noise!). Their favorite toys by far are any ones that make music. Lately, though, they've begun to create some "music" of their own, too.

 

Nearly every day, our boys will climb up to the piano and play us a beautiful duet!

Jaden and Cody are also very rhythmic, pounding out a beat on the wall, the floor, their high chairs, sometimes even one another's heads. :)

Just recently, Cody has begun making an interesting "barking" sound as you can hear on the video below. He's in the left high chair.

Although music is a top favorite for our guys, moving around is an even greater love! It is rare for them to simply sit still and play with a toy. The videos below capture them in motion.

 

Jaden has become our big leader. Wherever he chooses to play or explore, Cody is close behind.

Cody has really taken to our push-rider toy. He is great at walking behind it independently! Steering, however, is still an issue. Towards the end of the video, it becomes apparent why Mommy or Daddy has to closely follow our little steamroller. :)

 

Spring Swings

Over the weekend, we had a gorgeous weather day in Montana with highs just over 60 degrees! It was a perfect day to try out our neighborhood swings for the first time. At first, neither boy quite knew what to make of the new contraptions at the park...

Jaden

Cody

Within minutes, however, they were both full of smiles and giggles! We all LOVED the spring-like breeze and sunshine.

Cody

Jaden

When the warm weather is here to stay, this park is sure to become a regular Schleicher hangout!

The Twins in Action

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, a video is surely worth much more, right? :) As our boys grow, they are continually getting more enjoyable to watch-- even if that means one of them is sidling over to the Kleenex box to put tissues in his mouth! We have loved capturing some of their actions on camera and hope that you enjoy the following clips as well:

TWIN BABBLE

Our home is often filled with twin "conversations" as you can hear below. Be sure to watch for Cody (on the R) as he goes into "speech mode," lifting up his arms as he talks.

THE TANDEM CRAWL

One of the most precious things about independent movement is when your children willingly choose to come towards you! Daddy & Mommy absolutely love the moments when both of our sons smile and crawl right into our arms.

NO MOUNTAIN TOO HIGH

Cody will stop at nothing in the video below to reach his desired spot on the jumper-- even if that means "climbing" right over his brother. Unfortunately, a shared space equals a crowded space, and this often leads to a minor injury... sorry, Cody!

THE STANDING KING

Jaden has easily earned this title in our household with his ability to pull himself to a standing position on practically anything: couches, the piano bench, Mommy or Daddy's leg, an ottoman, the jumper, any wall, our kick-and-play, a bookshelf, a door, even this end table below. He loves to "walk" alongside these objects to get to new places.

As you can tell, our home is now constantly full of action! We love our little movers!

9 Months Old

From the moment Jaden & Cody entered our lives, Jason and I have loved and enjoyed our precious little boys. Truth be told, though, having twins has also been exhausting, challenging, stressful and-- well-- just a lot of hard work! Every day, we are thankful for each other to lean upon, learn from, and laugh with (I'm not sure how single parents manage!). Most of all, we are grateful for God's grace that has sustained us through the many challenges of parenthood we have met so far. He helps our little sons grow, learn, and develop through (and many times in spite of!) our efforts.

We're certainly not yet ready to say that parenting twins has become easy. But for the first time this month, we can honestly say that having two at a time truly has become FUN! With the twins' ability to crawl now, the doors of exploration have opened wide. In addition, their independent movements are giving us a clearer glimpse into their personalities. We love our little guys and enjoy learning more and more about them each month! Happy 9 Months!

Jaden & Cody

Here are some of our monthly highlights:

THE WORLD OF SLEEP

• FINALLY settled into good naptimes (Switching around our feeding schedule helped immensely!)
• Take 2 daily naps, approx. 1 to 1 1/2 hours each
• More likely to wake up happy (cooing or ready to crawl towards Mommy & Daddy)
• Sleep 10-11 hours at night (with occasional stirrings, usually by Cody)

THE WORLD OF FOOD

• Hearty eaters of pureed foods! (esp. fruits & orange veggies)
• New foods: peaches, mango, apricots, prunes, peas, green beans, broccoli, barley, wheat, chicken
• Prunes and apricots didn't settle too well with either boy.
• Both boys could take or leave their green veggies (sorry, Papa!).
• Experimented with some finger food: bread, puffs, small pieces of fruit
• Neither boy can consistently find their way to their mouths with the finger food yet.
• Eat 3 meals a day & nurse 5 times (Some days it feels like we're ALWAYS eating!!)

BOTH BOYS

Gone are the days that we can get smiling, side-by-side twin photos. Our boys are most content when they are moving! So... our monthly pictures will show you them in action.

LOVE to crawl! Often will follow one another to
new play sites. Jaden leads here.

Now Cody's ready to lead the way.

Both boys love standing against the edge of the couch.
Getting down from here is a challenge yet to learn!

The boys also love standing by their jumper... though
 they don't like to share this space too well.

Sometimes we can share okay!

Both boys LOVE their musical table and can pull
themselves to a standing position next to it.

Reading continues to be a favorite pastime. Most of our
books are now lined with teeth marks.

The kitchen floor is an ideal hangout while
Mommy is preparing food. 

• Lots of head bonks this month, due to their increased independent movements!
• LOVE bath times together (frequently giggle through the whole time)
• Still showing some stranger anxiety
• Giggle when turned upside-down
• Transitioned into some 9 month clothes (mostly tops & sleepers)
• Popular kiddos during our church's Lenten suppers (passed around to many loving hands)
• Attended their first friend birthday party this month

JADEN

Thanks for the great Christmas outfit,
Uncle Jon & Aunt Chelsea!

We're not exactly sure how he got
into this position in his sleeper...

First to pull himself to a standing position

Can stand practically anywhere! Used the
knobs on this entertainment center to stand!

Jaden's favorite hangout

• Currently weighs 18 lbs. and measures 28 inches tall
• Loves pulling himself to a standing position-- can even do so against a wall or a door
• Stood up in his crib for the first time (and gave Mommy a goofy smile when she found him!)
• Shows a very cautious personality (hesitant to get near our landing step after bonking his head on it only once)
• Just barely starting to cut a top tooth
• GREAT nighttime sleeper (usually sleeps through the night)
• Has shut himself in the nursery several times, almost getting himself stuck because he sits right by the door

CODY

One of Cody's new favorite pastimes...

...emptying the bookshelf WHILE
doing the splits!

Has started to give "speeches" by
flinging his arms out while babbling

More Cody "speeches"

 

•  Currently 17 lbs. 13 oz & measures 28 inches tall
• Officially got his 3rd tooth: top L lateral incisor (see what kind of new vocab parents learn!)
• Enjoys kicking a ball across the room while "walking" with Daddy
• Figured out how to lift a heating vent out of the floor in the nursery
• More likely to wake up 1-2 times at night
• More content to lie still while having his diaper changed
• Enjoys playing (or rather, banging on) his musical organ; Once even correctly completed the last 2 notes of a song that Mommy was playing!