These booties are made for walkin'...

Wow, the girls have been taking what Chris calls "falling steps" towards me for a while but today Annie definitely took some strides across the living room area. It's a happy moment but a little bittersweet as it is an example that these times go so very fast. Nessa is not too far away from walking either.

They are definitely comprehending more of what you say now and it seems they are starting to mimic sounds. They are ever so chatty and they really love to dance to music. I'm pretty sure they know the word 'milk' as they know to go lie down in their boppy pillows when the bell rings (to signal the milk is done warming). Nessa definitely know the sign language signs for 'milk' and 'more'. Annie does the signs sometimes but not as consistently as Nessa. I think Annie is trying to verbalize things more - Nessa grunts when she's unhappy.

Annie has taken to just sit with me sometimes watching tv, which I love and makes my heart melt. Nessa has definitely become attacked to Tyson, the stuffed boxer dog, which totally melts Chris' heart.

It is so amazing watching these two sweet girls grow right in front of your eyes. I don't have any pictures or videos to share as I was just in the moment.

No new pic tonight but I'm posting another photo from the other night. I think it captures what I'm trying to do every moment I'm with them...cherish and love them. With the terrifying ordeal in Connecticut, if anything unexpected were to happen, I want to know that I tried to focus on the important things, which have nothing to do with money and are indeed priceless.

Sleepy time for our 13 month olds!

Time seems to be gaining speed as you see how fast the girls are changing. Annie is almost ready to walk...she just needs the confidence. Nessa doesn't care to walk at times...she seems to prefer crawling still. Hopefully, they walk before Grandma and Grandpa leave for their Philippines trip. We sure are going to miss them!

They are chatter boxes when they are in the mood and they are starting to sleep through the night in their cribs! More so for Annie as Nessa still wants to be in bed with Mommy and Daddy. It's a tough call as they are babies for such a short time but sleeping a little longer is helping Mommy's sanity.

A Year in the Life!

The girls' first birthday was last weekend! It was a pretty large gathering. We invited people who have been part of our lives for a long time and those that have been part of our journey to parenthood.

For one thing I know, people just can't help but love Annie and Nessa. With Thanksgiving next week, Chris and I are thankful for so very much. Our girls have brought a joy to our lives that we have never experienced before. Although at times cranky, needy, and a bit exasperating (aren't all babies?) they are pretty happy and absolutely love to dance!

At their 1yr checkup, the girls are still tracking the same. Generally, in the 70-80 percentile in weight, 40ish percentile in height and head circumferance.

I can't believe it has been a year already. I plan on learning more from them in the next year to come!

Happy Halloween!

Costumes on babies are so cute. We flew down to SF on the actual day of Halloween so we had two pairs of costumes. They were adored everywhere we went!

Unfortunately, they acquired hand foot mouth disease and had fevers which was not fun at all. It was a draining yrip but we were able to hold a small birthday party with Chris' family.

When they are not cranky, their personalities are so entertaining! Vanessa can be a bit of a ham in the limelight but it's still cute right now. Annie is quite the escape artist and wants to climb everything!

On a random note, the SF Giants won the world series? In strolling around Burlingame, I had them in orange and black. People loved them even more.

Growing up?

Just had to do a quick post tonight as it was a dream to put them to bed tonight - especially Nessa. I was prepared for a lengthy screaming fit as I laid her in her crib and I haven't heard a peep in the last two hours!

It might not last the whole night but I have to celebrate or acknowledge the moment while it's here. It was totally textbook!

If this is the growth they are heading, I might be what's truly holding them to be in their own room. Pondering thought.

Annie joins the world of the crawling!

It's been a few months since the last post and the girls seem to have gone through so many changes! They both definitely have teeth coming in at the top. It is a constant reminder how fast they are growing up! Today Annie finally learned to crawl properly. Vanessa advanced from army crawling around labor day weekend while visiting Chris' family.

It is so very interesting how their personalities are developing. Annie is just out there with her feelings and she's gets very focused on music, art, pretty things. She can stay focused on one thing for a while. Nessa on the other hand loves to perform for you - she has her bag of tricks: you ask her if she's cute and she coyly tilts her head to the side and she squints for 'beautiful eyes'. She is also always moving. She never stays with one thing.

They often are interested in what the other twin has. Their interactions with each other are fun to watch. I definitely think there is some psychic dialog or something. You can see it when they look at each other.

Their 1st birthday is fast approaching and we're trying so hold a fun, but modest celebration. We are going to gave a small one in the bay area, too. Both families want to have such an integral part that this is what we ended up with.

The next big challenge will be walking now. Nessa has no interest at all as she moves pretty fast while crawling. It will be interesting to see how Annie does now that she's crawling. She loves holding on to people's hands to walk. I thought she'd skip crawling all together. I like them to be able to stand by their birthday - we shall see!

Summer flying by!

Summer usually means Chris and I getting a year older but this has been full of learning new tricks for the girls.

Nessa is quite the avid army crawler now. Annie hasn't quite gotten the mechanics down on crawling but her legs are incredibly strong. She might go straight to walking! Both have two bottom teeth now!

Chris and I went on our first trip without the girls. The 4-day trip was fabulous as well as heart-wrenching. We enjoyed ourselves but I realized how much I love being around them. They are the highlight of my day.

We have Chris' parents to thank for allowing us to do the trip. They drove up and had the kiddos' 24/7...and not to mention helped out in so many other ways!

The girls are somewhat playing together now. They grab for the other's binky even if they have their own in their mouth! They don't seem to fight over toys...more like one allows her sister to take it from her. I'm quite fascinated watching them play.

We are probably going to be in trouble once they can start pulling themselves up...which might be very soon!

Rolling over!

Yesterday, Vanessa was joyfully rolling over more than once on the living room rug! Annie did as well but needed a little assistance to get the momentum growing. They are definitely sitting up now which is exciting and sad at the same time.

I look forward to seeing them after work. Being their mother is a blessing and I really want to bring up strong, competent women. I think with the mixture of Chris and my values and personality traits, I hope we won't traumatize them too much! I hope the adolescent years are not too much of a rollercoaster ride! I have a ways to go until then...I plan to enjoy the ride!

I feel so blessed

The last few days I've wanted to leave work early because I was missing my babies so much. They are changing, growing, and learning so much that it seems too fast at times. Vanessa got her first tooth the other day and Annie is somehow inches longer than Nessa!

I've been trying to keep them in their cribs all night but since I only get a few hours with them on my working days, I struggle with wanting them in bed with me/us. I want to cherish these moments so much.

Annie has become the outgoing one and she has such a delicious, sparkling giggle - although she is showing signs of becoming the drama queen of the two. Nessa seems to be such an observer, especially of new people and places. She still seems more of the easy-going one. They both are becoming much more chatty when they are in the mood.

These girls are truly the highlight of my day. They are true mixtures of us and I'm so fascinated by that. I want them to pick up the best parts of our personalities. We are so in love with them that can sometimes overwhelm me.

We went to the girls' first baseball game of Giants vs Mariners las Saturday. Dressed in Giants gear, I did get some cracks about not wearing Mariners gear from Facebook. All these firsts are so fun...I hope I don't miss too many while at work.

Turning 7 months old!

Today my babies turn 7 months old. Although they haven't been around all that long, I feel they are turning this corner where they aren't so "new". They are getting better with eye-hand coordination as they practice putting the binkie back in their mouths.

We attended Maddy's first dance recital today and Nessa was trying to practice her en pointe with Daddy. It was just adorable! I also managed to have them sit up on their own to take their 7 month picture!

My living dolls

The girls are about 6 and a half months now and I truly can't believe how time flies. They are almost sitting up and are a bit more mobile (or trying to be). Today was one of those days that I am loving the stage they are in. On one hand, I'm intrigued at what the next thing they will learn...and on the pther hand, I can have time stop.

Everyday Blessings

These days are full of new things that seem to happen all the time. I can start to guess from a certain look from Vanessa that she will start to chat outloud. Annie likes to start licking whatever is close to her mouth - be it my fingers, chris arm, or even her sister's hands. I swear I could just watch their faces all day long.

Family is arriving during the next few days for their baptism on Sunday. Even my cousin, Noemi, from the Philippines is going to be here. This is all perfect timing with the closing of the new house! Chris has been working so hard to get all the ducks in a row to make it all happen. We will hopefully gets keys on Friday and I'm getting excited. It's a big step but we have to grow up someday!

My parents continue to be a godsend with helping out with the girls. Although I think it tires them out, I think spending so much time with them makes them more attached. I can see how much they love them. These girls are so lucky and I hope they have many years of memories to come with them.

They are growing so fast!

Our friend had a baby a few weeks ago and it wasn't until we visited them in the hospital that we realized the girls have grown so much in such a small period of time! It truly is amazing. I totally understand now how everyone looks fondly on the first few months. It doesn't feel like it when you're in the middle of it - but it does go by so fast.

The girls are totally experiencing more through their hands and learning how to grasp. They are starting to get a little particular on who is holding them but they are usually ok if they are entertained. Their smiles light up my day whenever I see them - especially when I come home from work.

Spring is in the air! We've had some nice days lately so we've been trying to get out and enjoy it. It seems wherever we go, we're almost always approached by a twin or someone closely related to twins! The girls collect admirers wherever they go - including local celebrities! They were noticed by Actor Tom Skerritt and Glass Artist Dale Chihuly a few days ago in Madison Park. I didn't have the nerve to ask if we could take a group shot with them.

Practically 5 months!

Looking back on all the pictures, it's amazing how fast they grow! Their faces have changed so much and are still changing. I love that they definitely recognize us now and are responding in so many ways.

They don't roll over as they really don't enjoy tummy time. But they have really strong legs and can hoist themselves to standing by holding on to your hands for leverage. They also have a pretty good grip. My little eskrimadoras in the making!

They are definitely not sleeping through the night yet but we have sort of figured some sort of routine. My day off helps in catching up on a bit of sleep by napping with them. Today I got a 2-hr nap!

First Sniffles :(

My girls have their first cold. Luckily, they don't have fevers and they are trying to get rid of the phlegm by coughing. The sad thing is that coughing wakes them up if they are sleeping. It's so hard to watch them so uncomfortable. My heart aches every time I irrigate their noses with nasal spray. Hopefully, this cold will be over in a few days and not linger for weeks!

There are moments they forget they are sick though so there are still laughs with Mommy.

Finding their voices!

At almost 5 months, Annie and Vanessa are starting to find their voices.

Annie giggles so cute and she mainly exercises her voice in being demanding. Although, she loves being sung to and sometimes tries out a note or two. She gets a kick out of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star!

Nessa is going to be the chatterbox! She just started playing with inflections like she's talking. She often has long sessions of talking, even if it's to herself. Vanessa is a bit more chilled out than Annie. She rarely fusses unless something is really bothering her.

We continue to be rockstars everywhere we go. Chris enjoys the attention a bit because he can show off his little girls but sometimes it would be nice not to explain that they are two girls, they are not identical, and yes, there are twins on both sides of the family. Although I'd like to cut down on the notoriety, we have come upon some lovely people. Today at dinner, this older gentleman starts talking to Annie because Chris has taken her out of her carseat because she was crying. He had the most beautiful, friendly spirit. He chatted with us about how much love one has for their children. He and his wife's children are adults so I had the feeling that he's ready to be a grandfather.

Speaking of grandparents, I cannot say enough about how helpful it is for my parents to be around. They primarily take care of the girls when I'm at work. They also help a lot by washing bottles and doing the girls' laundry. Moving into our own house will be a transition. I'm hoping they won't leave for a visit to the Philippines any time soon.

A New Home on the horizon

Something that started out on a whim is becoming something very real! My mom had been making not-so-subtle comments about hoping that we can take advantage of good mortgage rates right now and buy a house. Chris and I started going to open houses around the area that we were interested in when his parents said they would help with the down payment. In a round about way, we met Shannon, a very cheery and helpful real estate agent. After discussing a possibility of one home, she took us on a tour of new construction in the Renton Highlands. We found a home that practically has everything I was looking for in a house. It's a bit scary how fast this has gone but we do want to have a place to call our own for the girls.

The girls just had their 4-month check up and they are thriving. Maybe it's being formula-fed but they are above the 60th percentile in weight for their age. They are on the short side and the heads are on the small side, though. They did pretty awesome until the shots. Chris and I both got teary at hearing them scream. They were so upset and I felt so torn. Annie needed some Tylenol that night, too. These girls mean so much to me. I love staring into their beautiful eyes. My heart melts each time they acknowledge me with a smile. I so wish I could verbally communicate with them now but I am totally enjoying the age they are at. Thank you, Lord!