The Malone Family: 6 MONTHS!!!

I still can't believe it's been over 6 months since these little miracles came into our lives and changed it forever:) They are growing by leaps and bounds and every week it seems that they have learned something new! Our most recent "developments" are...
Harper's first (and only) word

Owen's little 'rolly poley' night-time routine...

Both kids are learning to sit up unassisted!!!

6 month checkup:
Owen weighed in at 13 pounds, 11 ounces and was 24 3/4 inches long. This puts him in the 1st percentile for weight & length for a (full term) 6 month old. Yeah we're on the charts!

Harper weighed in a little smaller at 13 pounds, 2 ounces (3rd percentile). She's slightly taller (actually longer) than her brother at 25 inches, which puts her in the 12th percentile! (woo hoo!)

Little Explorers!

These little ones are continuously exploring everything around them at all times!!! EVERYTHING goes into their mouths (yuck), which means mommy is constantly cleaning toys. They want to grab everything they possibly can in their little 1 foot radius, including each others' hands, feet, etc.
Owen, who we like to call "Houdini" is our little escape artist. He's figured out how to crawl out of the Bumbo, the Nap Nanny (yes even when he's strapped in) and he can nearly crawl out of the swing! There's NO leaving that child alone - even for a second.

Harper is not quite as mischievous. However, she is on the verge of scooting and she's figured out how to scoot while lying on her back... Pretty funny

Exercises:
Our daily "exercises" and activities include tummy time, playing in their "jump jump" as we call it (Baby Einstein jump seat) and rolling. And boy do they like to roll. Back to tummy, tummy to back, sometimes they just roll over and over again to get from one place to another. Owen can do a full 360, by just rolling back and forth! Of course Owen thinks this is fun to do at bedtime in his crib - rather than going to sleep- (roll back and forth, back and forth...). He cracks himself up:) They also love to go on walks, bike rides, watch TV and read. Of course the 'reading' usually involves mostly chewing on the books. But hey it's never too early for education right?!

"Talking"
We've decided Owen and Harper both like the sound of their voice. Harper can say "dada" and several other undetectable "words". But Owen sticks mainly to "aaaaabababa" and "aaaaaaahhhh" gradually getting louder until we can ALL hear him. Oh we just can't wait until they have their own little language and talk to each other non-stop! Haha:)

A "typical day" in the Malone household:
With twins you definitely need a pretty rigid routine and a lot of organization (and patience of course - which we're working on)... The kids are sleeping 11-12 hours a night (thank goodness) and usually wake up around 7:30, which is when our nanny, Kristen, arrives. We basically stick to EAT, PLAY, SLEEP... all day in about 3-hour increments. We try to keep them on the same schedule, but it doesn't ALWAYS work out that way... In addition to formula the kids are eating rice cereal, oatmeal, fruits and veggies 3 times per day. They've even started eating meats every once in awhile. (They love everything except peas... and mommy's homemade carrots :-0) Kristen has been such a blessing & the kids love her. She does a great job while we're at work and sends daily updates & pics so we don't miss out on too much. They usually get 1-2 good long naps during the day & the third nap is a "crapshoot". Every spare minute is spent doing laundry (mainly Owen's because of the spit up problem - poor guy - it doesn't even phase him anymore:)), cleaning bottles, dishes, toys, etc... After their last meal the kids go down around 8 or 8:30... Then FINALLY mommy & daddy time. And it starts all over again:)

I must say that although it's ALOT of work, Harper & Owen are becoming "little people" and are more fun every day! They have truly completed our life and have already brought us so much joy & adventure. Here are a few more pictures from the last few weeks: