Lil' Hawkeyes: March 2010

I think one of the most special things about having twins is seeing how much they are unique individuals. Instead of wondering if a behavior or quirk can be attributed to all babies, I can confidently say, "That's definitely an Audrey trait!" or "That's Isaac for you!"
The twins are 8 1/2 months old now. Here are some neat things that make them their own little people:

Isaac:
1. He loves people and is always ready to give out a smile. He finds pleasure and humor in the simplest things, and brightens everyone's--and I do mean everyone's!--day. His name is Hebrew for "he will laugh," and Ryan and I cannot believe how fitting of a name we chose for him.
2. Although he is our happy camper, he also has his grumpy moments. One thing that has stayed with him since birth is this face he makes when he gets upset. He scrunches up his eyes and turns beet red in the face when he cries, and most of the time he is too mad to stop and notice that whatever he wanted is right in front of him. His appearance has changed so much since birth, but I remember this face from the first minutes of his life! It reminds me often of those early days.
3. He LOVES story time. He hangs on every word and anticipates his favorite parts of the stories we often read (he starts smiling before the words even come out of my mouth!). He also knows when the stories end, and will usually get upset when storytime is over!
4. We started telling him that his middle name is "Danger" (before I remembered that came from Austin Powers!). Although he's not yet crawling, where there's a will, there's a way: He finds a way to get to--and into--everything he shouldn't!
5. The bigger the toy, the better. He loves the bongo drum, the "big ball," and basically anything that is bigger than him. He will try to lift it, eat it, bang it, throw it, and eat it again. He has also figured out how to take off his high chair tray and eat and bang that, too.
6. He has started signing "milk." This means that a good hour or so before his next meal, he will start signing and get cranky when I don't respond. When he sees the bottle, he starts frantically signing as though the faster he signs, the faster it'll come!

Audrey:
1. Audrey is our little trooper. Her name is English for "noble strength," and I'm already starting to see why. She somehow is always the one who gets her head bumped, tumbles or falls, and yet she magically recovers from all of it. Isaac also steals toys from her and has lately started grabbing and pulling her hair if I put them too close together (big ouch!). I've started telling her to be tough--that this is only the beginning of the years of brotherly bullying ahead of her!
2. She loves it when I smile and wave to her through the car window. She watches intently and waits for it while I pump gas or load up the trunk. It's our little game: She has come to expect it now and gets upset if I forget.
3. She loves her bath ducky. We give it to her during bath time, and she carries it with her the rest of the night sometimes. We don't even try to take it away anymore--she has an iron grip on that thing!
4. Audrey also loves storytime, although she concentrates on the pictures while Isaac focuses on the words. She could be bawling, but the second you start reading her a story she perks up.
5. We think she'll follow in my footsteps and be a dancer--or a gymnast. She is happiest when she is jumping, kicking her legs, or standing (her latest trick is standing holding onto the couch one-handed--she's very proud of this!).
6. Although she doesn't talk as often as Isaac, when she has something to say--boy, does she have a lot to say! And she says it very seriously and matter-of-factly--like, "I'm telling you something! You had better pay attention." She has also expanded her vocabulary to include all sorts of consonant sounds, so when she talks, be ready for a vocal smorgasbord.