Having some fun now

Another development spurt and we're really starting to get into the fun stuff with babies.  They are beginning to understand the purpose of their toys and how to play with them.

They've both recently figured out the fancy schmancy ball track thing we got for them.  For a while, the bottom was just a holder for balls they could fling around the room.  Now they've figured out that it's fun to put a ball in the top and watch it roll down.

I took an old garbage bag box and used some tape to make the opening for it a lot smaller.  I toss all the little plastic ring things we have (those rings that are used to attach toys to strollers and stuff, we got 2 packages of them, they're everywhere!) into that box so the girls can fish them out.  They are starting to figure out putting the rings into the box too.  I often find the balls from the track thing in that box.

Both have learned that they can carry items when they crawl or cruise.  I'm getting a lot of presents, especially from Teeny Tiny.  She delights in presenting K or I with an item, dropping it into our hand, being told "thank you" and then taking it back.

They understand when I say or make the motion for "come to mama".  I say that and they both come scrambling over.  It makes getting them in their table for meals a lot faster.

They are doing classic "check-in" behavior where they'll play, and then come over to one of us, park in our lap for a minute, and then off they go to play again.  The only problem is that when one does it, the other one suddenly wants lap time and it's a fight to see who gets the primo spot.  Teeny Tiny usually wins.  She's more aggressive than Middie Biddie.

Both are increasing their babbling sounds vocabulary.  Still no real words, but the array of sounds they make is expanding.  Especially Middie Biddie.  She likes to experiment with her voice and makes a wide variety of sounds.

They are becoming much better at playing without me.  They'll entertain themselves and each other for quite a while before getting upset and wanting my attention.  For the most part they'll accept my attention when I want to play with them, but it's really nice to be able to walk away and take care of other things without everybody getting all upset about it.

They should be walking soon!  Teeny Tiny took her first independent step a few days ago.  Just one step, and just the one time, but it's progress!  Middie Biddie now enjoys when I stand her in front of me and then let go letting her fall forward until she grabs me to break her fall.  Any day now I'm hoping she figures out that taking a step towards me will have the same fall breaking effect.  She's mostly just delighting in gravity.  She spent quite some time laughing as she picked up her monkey and threw it on the ground next to her.  She's still a little whiny, but whatever was up her craw the last month or so seems to have calmed down making her a whole lot more fun to be around.