One!

I've been sitting here for a week now, trying to figure out how to put into words... a year with twins.  But I'm not really sure I can express it so here's all the new info about them.

First and foremost, three days before her birthday, Joy started walking!  She's toddling back and forth across the room now, but this was the first night when she started walking.

Joy Walking from Krista on Vimeo.

Hope will take a couple of steps and then usually do a major face plant.  She hasn't quite figured out how to really stay up like Joy has.  But I'm sure it won't be long!

My great aunt sent the girls some cute shirts and of course they were more interested in playing with the tissue paper...

Both girls have really started climbing as much as they can.  Here's Hope, standing on the heater to get a better view out the window!  And just the other day the boys turned up one of the cushions on the couch and that was just low enough for Joy to climb right up and sit on the couch.  She was quite proud of herself!

Woo hoo, birthday picture time!
Waving on command!

Since they love to climb into this basket and sit/play anyway I figured I might have more luck containing them for pictures if I just put them in it to begin with.  It sort of worked... I took about 120 pictures that day and these are the best ones!

In all these in the purple Hope is on the left and Joy on the right.

Mr. Bunny is still quite interesting since he's not a regular toy for them.

Out?

And this one is my favorite!

The girls each got one more tooth, on the left side, Hope on the bottom, Joy on the top.  I expect the matching right ones will come in soon...

They had a doctor's appointment a few days before and while I'm not sure these are entirely accurate here are the current stats: Joy 17 lbs 9 oz 28 1/2 inches - Hope 17 lbs 15 oz 29 1/4 inches
They are just now wearing all their 12 month clothes although sometimes they will crawl right out of their pants.  I think maybe we haven't been feeding them quite enough so we upped that and while their tummies are fat after eating they don't seem quite as fussy right before the next meal time either.  It's hard to know!

At the very least I'm glad they're not as big as the boys were or especially their cousin William so I can still carry both of them at the same time around the house.  Cuts down on the wailing when one gets picked and the other doesn't...

Birthday Girl!

Hope

Joy

Joy really loves books.  She will turn pages - before you're done reading - and always seems to be the one found sitting with a book on her own.  She has brought me one to read a couple of times.  Still favoring the ones with real babies in them.

She is also the sock queen.  I have to put shoes on her even if we're just going in the car to pick up Cory or she will pull off her socks and chew on them.  I can't fold laundry on the couch when they're around of they "help" me by pulling it all off onto the floor.  And Joy will go for the socks there too, anyone's socks!

And we are done taking pictures... here we go out of the basket!

Oh wait, maybe I want back in...

They are sometimes really jealous of each other, especially when it comes to me.  Hope is kind of a bully it seems, always taking toys out of Joy's hand.  She is slightly bigger.  But they both hit each other randomly and I don't think it's entirely intentional.  They just don't understand yet that it hurts the other person. 

It has finally been warm enough a few days to go outside.  This is a really typical picture of their personalities... Joy gets upset easier and all she wanted here was for me to pick her up, not take pictures!

They are not so great at communicating yet.  We're working on the sign language and they will wave their arms around when you ask if they're "all done", but half the time they will just keep eating so I don't think they know what it means.  They make sounds that sound like Mama and Dada, but so far no real connections there either.

One year... it hardly seems like it, but a year ago seems like a long time too, I just don't remember much in between...