5 months old

The twins are five-months old today and while for some people, that seemed to go fast, for me, it has not. I do not mean that in a bad way, but it does seem to go faster for other parents/babies. The same can be said for pregnancy as well. It does not help either that I expect the kids to do things (i.e. rollover, sit-up, crawl, etc.) way ahead of a normal schedule. I guess I am just in a hurry, while people say I should enjoy them at this age. I love them as babies, but am more excited to have them sit up, grab items, and interact a lot more. I am most excited for them to walk and talk, but that won't be for some time. For now, I will just have to be along for the ride.

Speaking of that ride, Everett made another milestone yesterday, rolling over for the first time. He went from his tummy to his back about 3 or 4 times. (He must have been excited about another Packers win!) Isabel rolled over first on October 19th, so the boy was just taking his time. He is very content with achieving such milestones while both kids are so happy and calm. We hosted our Wii bowling league ten days ago and the twins got a lot of compliments about their calm demeanor. Trust me, it is not always that way, but mom and I are extremely pleased about their attitudes. Both of them are trying to rollover from back to front and they get close once in a while, but that last push of their leg is still defeating them. Everett has really developed a close bond with his puppy, Junkyard Dog, while Isabel likes to snuggle with any one of her three dolls. It is very cool!

Their first Christmas is coming soon, which means I have to stay away from Toys R Us. Anytime I enter that building, I forget about budgets or account balances. However, it will definitely be an enjoyable first Christmas with kids in the house. As you can see above, they went to meet Santa Claus over the weekend with mom. She said they were on his lap a long time, meaning their lists our quite extensive.

Happy Holidays from the Johnsen's

New Foods

Since I last wrote, the kids have flown to Atlanta, starting eating solid foods, and they continue to grow rapidly, whether in size or development.

We all flew to Atlanta to visit my sister's family and my parents on Tuesday, November 24th. Sadie and I did have seats together on the plane, but apparently you cannot have four people in two seats, because only three oxygen masks are available, so I was moved to the row behind. I sat with Everett and Mom sat with Isabel. She slept all the way, while Everett only slept about 20 minutes. Thankfully, he was just calm and relaxed the rest of the time. Flight time was only 2 hours. It went much better than we could have expected. In comparison, there was another baby in the row next to me, that cried the whole way. Nice work twins!! The flight back was similar. Once again, I sat with Everett and he slept about half the time, while Isabel slept with Mom the whole flight. The great part about the trip was having direct flights from Milwaukee to Atlanta, avoiding any connections, gate changes, etc. That was a huge help. We had a great time in Atlanta with family. Thanks to Candice for cooking great food and entertaining us for six days. We miss you all!

Over Thanksgiving break, the kids started eating solid foods. They had a doctor's appointment the day before we left, and the doctor said we could start with some solid veggies and fruits. Carrots were the first choice, followed by sweet potatoes, and now bananas. At first, they were not sure what to do, but they picked it up quickly and it is now a regular part of their day. They seem to have the process down pretty good. I was a little apprehensive to start since I thought bottle-feeding would be much easier, but feeding them solid foods and watching them learn how to do it, has been very rewarding. The twins are starting to develop a schedule of eating, playing, and sleeping, which really helps me and mom. Now, if they could just sleep all night!

They have not reached any significant milestones since last time, however, they do continue to grow in development. They both are very good at holding their heads while sitting up, watching people and following them with their eyes and head, and picking on each other (already!). They with turn 5-months old in a week and they have already learned how to irritate each other. This morning Everett was pulling on Isabel's left ear, thus making her quite upset. Usually, he is the bully, but he is also the only one that cries at certain toys when they make noise. She will learn quickly to fight back.

Isabel and Everett wish you and yours a Happy Holiday season!