The Willms: 13 Months

The twins have already turned 14 months back on April 27th, but I'm now going to write their month posts at the end of each birth month milestone. This way I can make sure I get all of the new skills, adventures, favorite activities, etc at their correct age. (If that all makes sense.)

I have also decided not to take the pictures with the monthly stickers now that they are over one year old. Those were starting to get hard to capture now that this kiddos are mobile and don't want to sit in one place too long anymore. The monthly posts will just have pictures within the post from the month.

Here are the new things the twins have been up to at 13 months:

Katherine Ilene:

* You finally have started to become a better eater. You will now eat most vegetables and love fruit. I was starting to worry you were only going to like bread, noddles, and cheese. You still don't like meat. The only kind you'll eat is lunch meat. You're favorite foods are cheese :), mac n' cheese, strawberries, oranges, green beans, and peanut butter toast.

* You love, love, love to read books. You will flip the pages and babble like you're reading it. You're little voice is adorable. We now give you books in your crib that you'll read before you fall asleep. Your favorite books are the color books and the ones you can touch and feel.

* For your birthday you got these animal cards. These have been your favorite toy to play with. They will keep you busy for a long time. You're two favorite cards are the kitty and crab. It's amazing to watch you flip through them until you find those two cards to hold. You definitely recognize them and try and say the word "kitty".

Playing peek-a-boo

* You have started to imitate the words we say to you. You are great at copying the inflections in our voice. For example: You do this a lot when we play peek-a-boo with you (your favorite game). We'll say, "We're is Kate" and you will cover your face and then pull the blanket off and then copy our normal response, "There she is!" It sounds a lot like it. I need to get it on video to post on here.

* You have a contagious smile and laugh. You giggle so loud especially when we tickle you! You also find it funny when other people laugh and will start to laugh really loud over everyone else.

* This past month you started to walk with the push cart. You're not the best at steering it yet. You need someone to turn it around so you can go the other direction. Since you're brother has started walking we can tell you really want to too! You love walking if we hold your hands, but once we try and have you walk only holding one of our hands, you want no part of it. We can also find you spending a lot of your time walking around the ottoman in the living room.

* You still take two naps a day. Once in awhile you might just take one nap, but that's only when you've slept in later in the morning. Your naps are around 9:30/10 and 2:00 for about an 1.5 hours in the morning and then anywhere from 2-3 hours in the afternoon. You still love your sleep, girl!

* Right before you turned 14 months, we decided it was time to take away your morning bottle. You now get your morning milk in a sippy cup. So far the transition has been going well. You now are down to one bottle right before bedtime.

* You make the funniest sound effects. You like to explore the sounds you can make and then smile real big like you're pretty neat! :)

* You had your first Easter egg hunt. You maybe were more into crawling around in the grass than finding eggs, but Mom and Dad enjoy all of it.

* You are very much a little teaser! You love to offer us your blanket or toy and then take it right back. You think you're pretty funny laughing at yourself.

* You still prefer to be held, all of the time if you could. You are very much a snuggler!

* You have become very vocal and talk (jabber) all of the time. We think you definitely have the gift of gab (maybe like your mom? ha!) It's fun to watch you have a conversation with us or your brother.

* Words: (to us it sounds like she is saying or trying to say these words and associating them) cheese, kitty, Daddy - or at least likes to babble Da-Da :)

* You continue to sleep on average of 12 hours a night. Most nights this month you didn't wake up once needing your paci and slept straight through until morning.

* New adventures this month: Watching Aunt Jenny play UNI vball at the UofM, Went and watch cousin Andrew's baseball game in Ankeny, Spend a long weekend at our friends house in Des Moines, You got to see horses at Lindsay's Aunt's ranch in WI, Sitting in the cart now when we go shopping, Went to Grandma and Grandpa Willms' church for the first time for Easter service, Spent at week an a half with mommy back in Iowa at Grandma and Grandpa Dufel's, and Celebrated Great-Grandma Willms' 82nd Birthday

Card reader? "I think this one is a cat?"

The big Kater smile we all know and love!

Katers at the horse ranch in Wisconsin.

Lindsay or a.k.a 'Aunt Lindsay', Kate, and Mommy. The three of us (having girl time) went to Lindsay's Aunt's horse ranch.

Kate getting to see a horse for the first time.

Matthew Edward

* At the end of 12 months/beginning of 13 months you started walking!!!! Such a huge accomplishment, Little Man! You learned very quickly how to walk all about and had this huge smile on your face showing us how proud you were of yourself!

* You taught yourself how to climb down the couch feet first!

* Now that you can walk, you think it's pretty neat to walk back and forth along the couch. You have taken some tumbles off the couch, losing your balance. You make Mommy very nervous!

* You've started to point at things you want especially at meal times. If you see something on the table you want more of you'll point at it and make a little noise telling us that's what you want.

* You've become so interested in pushing any button you can. If we are holding you and walk past a button or a light switch you point right for it. You like to flip the light switch and then figure out what light it turns on in the room.

* You're still a crazy, climber! You climb up and down the couch, chairs, and now the activity table you play at. Oh yeah, you also still love to climb inside any bin or drawer you can!

* If you're walking around the house, we can most of the time guess you're carrying around some object or toy. It seems like you have something in you hand at all time. A lot of times you'll have something in your hands that you end up taking to bed with you. In the morning we see all of the new stuff you've collected.

* Not only are you walking all over the couch, but you love to throw off all of the pillows on it. You think your funny making a mess!

* You love to play with plastic dishes and Tupperware containers. You've figured out how to take off and put back on the lids on the containers.

* You are a great eater! We've introduced you more to meat and you seem to shovel it in. So far you don't seem to be a picky eater. You know what you want and let me know when you're full by trying to escape out of your high chair.

* At the end of 13 months, we decided to have you transition to going down to one bottle a day. You now get your morning milk in a sippy cup.

* You love breakfast. You're favorites are waffles and peanut butter toast. Some of your favorite foods are: clementines, strawberries, pork roast, lunch meet, cheese, cake and ice cream, and bananas.

* You are a bit of a mooch. If we are eating anything you want a bite too and won't stop bugging us until you get one. If I sit down with my snack during the day you'll come hop in my lap and open your mouth for a bit.

* You have continued to be an awesome sleeper. This past month you would sleep 12 hours at night and only some nights wake up and need to be picked up, calmed down, and then laid back down in your crib. You like to still sleep with your green, circle blanket and will cuddle up on us with it when you're tired.

* You are taking 2 naps a day. One in the morning around 9:30/10 and again in the afternoon around 2:00/30. Your naps usually range from an hour to 2 hours a time. You will wake up first from naps most of the time.

* You continue to be a smiley, happy boy! It's very unusual not to see a smile on your face.

* New adventures this month: Watching Aunt Jenny play UNI vball at the UofM, Went and watch cousin Andrew's baseball game in Ankeny, Spend a long weekend at our friends house in Des Moines, Sitting in the cart now when we go shopping, Went to Grandma and Grandpa Willms' church for the first time for Easter service, Spent at week an a half with mommy back in Iowa at Grandma and Grandpa Dufel's, and Celebrated Great-Grandma Willms' 82nd Birthday