Saturday September 14th 2002

Almost 14 months old

SHE WALKS!

A week ago Kate took her first steps from Mummy to Daddy. She has walked intermittently since then but only if the mood takes her.

Aiden is still cruising around furniture and is yet to stand for a long period unaided. We figure he will all of a sudden "get it", particularly when he sees Kate walking (well when she decides to walk all the time).

Our biggest focus in the past few weeks has been on improving Aiden's sleeping. We have successfully gotten him off that 5am bottle. Of course he expects me to stand there and rub his back for 40 minutes until he falls asleep! I did that for a few days and now we are doing controlled crying. This are slowly improving but it's been a long time since we've seen a full night's sleep.

This past week Kate and Aiden have given indications that they may be ready to shift to one nap but they can't make up their minds, making life very tough.

What happens is Kate may decide she wants 2 naps, morning and afternoon and Aiden decides he only wants a nap in the middle of the day. This means there is always one baby awake.

We've forced the issue and put them back on 2 naps for now (if they'll do it).

Their eating is slowing down and some days they don't want much to do with food. We try not to panic because we know this coincides with a slowing in their growth and need for calories.

They are comprehending so much more and now point at everything saying, "Dat!" No discernable words yet although they will chatter away. They are very good at listening when we say no, wonder how long that will last!

Kate and Aiden love to have their teeth brushed in the evening before bed. They then have a turn with their little toothbrushes. They often swap over and they toothbrushes look like a couple of mangy dogs, having been chewed way too much.

Kate sits in the activity table	I can't quite get my fingers up her nose	Kate and her friend Will play in the submarine	Hand me the blue one Kate...	Kate talks to her new friend Alexander
Outside in their cubes	Kate and Aiden have a bath with Will	Hanging out the dirty washing	Playing peek-a-boo at Nana and Pop's	Mmmmm dirt

Sunday September 29th 2002

14 months, one week

Kate is now very capable of walking, however she chooses to crawl. We think she is waiting for Aiden. She just loves him and it's much more fun to crawl around with him. Aiden has now developed an obsession with grabbing a finger from each of our hands and hoisting them above his head in a subtle request to be walked around the house. He just LOVES to do this and he steers us very strongly in the direction he wishes to go. Kate spots this and immediately wants someone to do the same with her. Thing is you aren't really holding her up because she walks fine but she feels like she is part of the fun. We'll all end up with hunched backs from walking them around the house.

Aiden has the most delicious laugh. Nothing beats it. When I have put him into the car I go inside to lock up and on the way back to the car I hide behind things and pop up for peek-a-boo and he squeals with laughter. I am always late because it is so addictive. I have to remember this endearing quality when he wakes us up and 5:30am. Today he did sleep until 7am.....oh we live in hope....

Kate has such enormous enthusiasm for life. She embraces it without holding back. We got them a blow up submarine full of balls. It has a big opening at the front and 2 side windows. Aiden always  heads slowly towards the large opening. As soon as Kate spots him heading that way she drops whatever she is doing (let me be more correct by saying she throws it violently away) and tears over to the submarine. She takes a big spectacular dive through the window and beats him to it. 

One of the babies in our Parent Group has a vocabulary of 40 words. Kate and Aiden can say Mumumum and Dadadadad and they can call to each other like monkeys....I am sure they will end up on the school debating team, either that, or in a zoo .

We are still alternating between one nap and two.