This will be Dominik and Scarlett’s second Halloween and they’re already very excited. This year was their first trip to the pumpkin patch so we can show them how to make jack o’ lanterns.
Scarlett picked out her pumpkin right away.
Then after some very thorough inspection Dominik made his selection too.
We apologize that it’s been so long since we posted. Life’s been super crazy for the twins and for us. But we couldn’t let the day pass without acknowledging that Dominik and Scarlett turned 15 months old this Saturday.
Dominik has successfully taken 16 steps and looks like he’ll be walking full time somewhere in the near future. Scarlett now knows where her ears, belly button, and toes are and will be happy to point them out if you ask nicely. Although, sometimes she’ll point at my nose when I ask her where her nose is.
Of course, the primary reason for our jaunt back east was so that Dominik and Scarlett could meet their great grandfather Richard W. Loheed Sr. So after our visit in Baltimore we drove down the coast to Valley Lee, Md.
Introductions were made…
and needless to say everyone was very excited to finally meet.
Dom and Scarlett also got to meet Uncle Rick and his wife Wanda.
After a long day of car travel and family meetings we checked into our inn and the kids unwound by doing what we’ve come to call “noodling,” Which is basically making their bodies slack like a noodle and rolling around on anything soft (or on us).
We made it a full year and managed to keep our babies alive and healthy. Aside from those pesky shots, we had a great time at Dr. Beesley’s office.
Scarlett weighed in at 21 pounds, 5 ounces and measured 29 1/4 inches tall.
Dominik weighed in at 22 pounds, 5 ounces and measured 29 1/2 inches tall. The nurses re-weighed and re-measured both babies because Dominik is often called El Gordo while Scarlett is referred to as La Flaca, and the mere one pound weight difference was surprising.
When the doctors and nurses all left the room, Scarlett took the opportunity to demonstrate her defiance:
We’ve had such a busy week recovering from all our partying that we haven’t been able to put up any pics from the big first birthday! Finally, here’s just a few:
Scarlett’s not a big fan of sand. Here, she surveys from the safety of our blanket.
Dominik loved everything about he beach, especially the sand.
Scarlett did enjoy eating a PBJ sandwich while sitting on Dad’s lap.
Later we had an impromptu birtday dinner at the ever kid friendly Cheescake Factory complete with first birthday cake.
Scarlett has been experimenting with using a spoon and used it to good effect with the cake.
But Dominik was a little more hands on.
Tomorrow is Dominik and Scarlett’s first birthday. I just spent an hour assembling the Playskool “Laugh & Learn Learning Home,” which will be lurking here in the living room along with their new beach gear Beth got them today. Hopefully it’ll be a nice surprise when they wake up tomorrow. By the way we’re sorry that we haven’t yet thanked whoever got Dom and Scarlett the “Laugh & Learn” toy but the shipping receipt didn’t indicate who bought it. So whoever you are stand up, take a bow, and let us know– it’s a beauty. I’m hoping tomorrow to get a lot of video and photos to document their first birthday which will show off it’s various interactive capabilities.
From the swanky new beach gear you might have figured out that we’re going to take them to the beach for their first birthday. Which is a really exciting prospect and a new milestone too. The only time we’ve taken them to the beach before they couldn’t really crawl so they didn’t get to touch the sand or water. This will definitely be a lot more … interactive.
Just a few thoughts about the developing mini-humans.
Dominik loves to look at plants and feel their leaves, he’s got a quiet smile with 4 teeth. At some point in the first week at home Beth called him “Bubbie” which morphed into “The Bubbincito” which eventually became “Bunbinimide (a new element on the periodic table?) which turned into”The Bubbin” we’re just as apt to refer to him as “The Bubbin” as we are Dominik. Also, let me say those various permutations are reserved for parental use only 
Although, Dominik hasn’t yet walked he has given up the army stomach slither for a full speed scrabbling crawl which he accentuates by slapping his hand down and making a slight howl of “Oh.. Oh.. Oh.. Oh..” with each motion and he pulls himself up with confidence. He loves to pull himself up in the crib then fall backwards onto the mattress repeatedly while giggling.
Scarlett is now showing a pretty distinct preference for walking over crawling. She’s loves to point at things she would like us to hand to her for examination and has already figured out that we’re more likely to give it to her if she cries. Whenever she finds a shoe of mine or Beth’s on the floor she will now always try to put it on. Her smile is usually accompanied with an infectious gravelly laugh. Oh yeah, and Scarlett’s nickname is “Sita” which branched off as the feminine version of Dominik’s “Bubbincito.”
Both kids are doing really well meeting new people, situations, and unexpected changes in their environment. My favorite thing to do as Dad is toss them about, hold them on my shoulders when we go for walks and make them laugh.
As I’ve finished writing this I see it’s already the 10th of July. Our kids are 1 year-olds.
Happy Birthday Dominik & Scarlett.
She has two of ‘em! The first broke through on Wednesday, June 10, and the second came in this past Monday, June 15.
About once every eight or nine weeks I pick up my copy of What To Expect The First Year and although it is slightly informative, it always FREAKS ME OUT. For example, I had no idea that 11 months is a good time to start weaning the twins from their bottles. Considering they eat solids three times a day AND 38 ounces of milk/formula (each) broken up between six bottles, weaning seems like an impossibility. We’ve been using sippy cups since they were about five or six months old and, while they can down eight ounces of formula from the bottle in about 10 minutes, it takes them several minutes to drink 1/2 an ounce of juice or water from a sippy cup.
Oh, and What to Expect the First Year also recommends transitioning straight from the bottle to a regular cup. I figured I’d throw caution to the wind, surround us all in towels, and give it a try. The twins loved it and only dumped their full cups on the floor twice.
After the big weaning experiment, I decided to let the twins do whatever they wanted for their 11 month birthday. This meant that Dominik got to pull all the books off the bookshelves and Scarlett got to play with my keys, the remote, the digital camera, and my cell phone.
I finally got a picture of Scarlett walking. Unfortunately, it was during a time when she refused to wear pants. Dominik hasn’t taken any steps yet on his own, but he is a master at pulling himself up.
On Sunday Dominik’s 4th tooth broke through and Scarlett took 13 consecutive steps. Because the new teeth are so small and the walking happens randomly we don’t have photographs or video of either, yet. So…here are some pics from a recent trip to the park.
