Pedersen Twins (plus one!): January 2015

Leif has started saying "mama" in the past week. We weren't totally sure because he's to that age where he just babbles random syllables sometimes. But he seemed to be doing mama while looking for me/wanting me to pick him up. When I came home from work today, he made a total beeline for me, saying "mamamamama." Yup, first word! My sweet Leif :-)

Otherwise, just mostly holing up inside avoiding the cold. I'm on my way to New Jersey this weekend for Meg's baby shower! I'm so excited, to celebrate Meg's little bub, and to have a wonderful mama vacation. It was almost exactly a year ago that I visited Meg and Dave in New Jersey last, while pregnant with Leif. It was so refreshing to be able to sleep in, talk without being interrupted, etc etc. Thanks to Kurt for agreeing to hold down the fort while I renew myself for another year of mama hood, one with almost certainly lots of changes.

Which leads to our other bit of news - Kurt has 4 interviews so far for medical physics residencies. Two are phone interviews, but two are out of state - one in Temple, at Baylor White and Scott an hour north of Austin, and one at Jefferson, at locations in Philly and Delaware. He'll be travelling from a Tuesday morning to a Friday night, flying straight from Austin to Philly. And then I get to hold down the fort :-) We'll know if/where we'll be moving on March 27, when the medical physics match program announces who gets what spots. A little more than 2 months away. Trying to just enjoy our nice lives as they are and not obsess about what might be - it's not long until we know and I can start obsessing then ;-)

The one day there was both enough snow on the ground to sled, and warm enough to not totally freeze their little faces

Sweet twin easels for indoor fun

Another round of them getting into my lip gloss...

This baby is never bored

Birthday cakes. The girls lately are almost constantly working on birthday parties. Sometimes for Signe's stuffie Snips, sometimes for Boots the monkey from Dora, sometimes just an amorphous party

Hair washing day is no joke in our house

Super cute little firefighter outfit from John and Emily

Entertaining Ray and Leif. Whose names me and Kurt are constantly mixing up, btw.

It was storming

Such a great helper

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! What a year it has been for our family. The adjustment to three kids has been chaotic and stressful at times, but we've had tons of fun too. Nothing will ever be as hard as adjusting to twin newborns, as I often say. We celebrated Christmas at Nana and Papa's. They very generously had my whole family over to their place, since Kris and John are moving to California and already sold their house. Our family stayed overnight. The girls did well. We brought the mattresses from their beds, along with their blankets and stuffies, and put it all in the guest bedroom. Success. Leif was not so much. He had his worst night since he was a newborn. Ah well, it was still a lovely Christmas the next day.

Our new year's was very chill. The kids got to eat a picnic dinner in the living room. After they went to bed, we made fancy steaks from Conscious Carnivore, and ate it with wine in candlelight. Then we played 3 games of Dominion, and called it a night at 11. It was pretty nice waking up the next day fairly refreshed :-)

The girls have latched onto coffee dates. They have been taking sips of my coffee in the morning for like a year. Recently I let them have a little bit, with a bunch of milk, in their own cups. I said something about having a coffee date, and now most mornings we have a coffee date. It mostly means they get their coffee, and I ask them how they are. They love it.

Leif is almost done going through a "leap" according to the Wonder Weeks book. He is scooting along the couches and any other surface he can pull up on. He started waving too. So cute. He mostly does it when he's on his way to nap or bed. Before bedtime, he will just start waving - oh, he's tired! He also started his first rudimentary sign - for milk, of course. It's the first one the girls picked up too. Finally, his very first tooth just started poking through on the 30th. We've had some rough times, some tylenol, but overall he's still the same happy bambino.

On New Year's Eve, at our living room picnic, I asked the girls a few favorites. Clearly not scientific...asking them together leads to certain contamination. But these are their answers, and a couple for Leif:

Favorite color:
Freya: Pink and purple
Signe: Pink and purple

Favorite Show:
Freya: Frozen, Dora, Hello Kitty (the Crying one)
Signe: Frozen, Hello Kitty (the crying one)

Favorite Toy:
Freya: Simba and the train
Signe: Friends (Kitty/Ducky/Bunny/Snips)
Leif: Any toy he finds on the ground and chews/bams

Favorite Place to Go:
Freya: Children's Museum
Signe: Indoor playground
Leif: Anywhere in the Ergo

Favorite Food
Freya: Spaghetti, no tomato sauce or meatballs
Signe: Spaghetti and meatballs
Leif: baby puffs, frozen blueberries

Favorite Drink
Freya: Fizzy lemonade
Signe: Fizzy lemonade

Signe's photo

Helping me make rice krispie treats

He is in love with this singing, dancing, light up tree that sings Feliz Navidad. I use it for diaper changes - he's to that age where he squirms ever which way, but this thing will hold his attention

Uncle Will!

Grandpa Bill, Uncle Will, and Leif

Double piggy back

Grandpa Jim and Ann gave the girls cat masks and wigs from New Orleans. They think they're awesome. And now Freya gets to try curls and Signe straight hair!