For a long time I thought Finley would be the one I pulled my hair out over. She would be the outgoing, stay out late, party animal- the girl LOVES to be the center of attention. Then we got the walker. Parker is going to be a handful. By day two he had figured out how to turn and back up. Now, on day four he has perfected his moves and is now flying full speed ahead into objects just to slam into them. His favorite target? The dog. Poor thing can barely get out of his way before being run over...I thought we had a few more months before the true baby-proofing would have to take place. My outlets have had those annoying plugs in them since I was five months pregnant, but I figured I could leave the glass candle sticks, vases, the table runner, etc. until they were mobile. Nope. The walker and its crazy driver have forced me to put away the flowers, take up the carpet, and remove all the things that left me feeling like a normal adult. Now my house is officially owned by two six month olds (case in point, check out the background in this picture...there's more plastic in my house than in a DuPont factory). Let's hope Parker drives his car better than his walker.

One of the biggest fears of early motherhood is SIDS and suffocation. They tell you to keep all blankets, stuffed animals, bumper pads, etc. out of the crib. Until a few months ago we adhered to this with one exception. Our babies love satin and one of our good friends gave us blankies with satin edges- the little ones love them. I figured what harm could this tiny 12x12 inch square do? So we started giving them their lovies when they took naps and went to sleep. I always check on the babes about 15 minutes after they've fallen asleep to make sure they haven't crammed themselves into a corner...the first time we gave them their blankies I went in to check on them and almost had a heart attack when I found that they had put the blanket over their face and fallen asleep. I quickly took it away from them. Fast forward to a few months ago...at four months they were strong enough to pull something off their face and roll over, etc. We reintroduced the blankets. They love them. Parker won't take a binky and no longer sucks his thumb (thank God!) and his blanket really comforts him when he goes to sleep...thing is they still cover their faces with them but Parker can't fall asleep without it. I'm not sure why they do this- perhaps to darken the room, maybe it's their version of one of those sleep masks, who knows. They love sleeping with their blankies on their face...when we try to take them off they wake up grab them and put them right back over their eyes- Parker especially. While in Durham looking at houses Parker fell asleep with his blanket over his face in his carseat and the realtor just about died. Try explaining to a stranger that you let your five month old baby sleep with a blanket over his head...she thought I was crazy. But sure enough the second she pulled it off his face he woke right up, got pissed, grabbed the blanket, put it over his head again and fell back to sleep. Now I have to explain to everyone who babysits..'oh, by the way, don't worry when my kid covers his face when he sleeps.' They look at me like I'm nuts...

Some moms won't let their children have sugar before their first birthday. Some are psycho about preservatives. Some moms do the organic thing and others the no-babysitter-unless-it's-a-family-member thing. My thing is television...

I'm not really a tv person, never have been. I'd much rather talk to my husband before going to bed than to fall asleep to Leno or Letterman. I'd much rather spend naptime reading a good book (of which I have read a TON lately!) and cleaning- yes, cleaning- than to flip on the tube. Brian on the other hand, not so much. He used to be one of those types who just flipped on the tv when he walked into a room. Not to watch it but just to have it on. Like background noise or something. Ambiance perhaps? I can't stand an unwatched television blaring in the background. I was (and still am) adamantly opposed to television sets in bedrooms, kitchens, and breakfast rooms. They belong in a family room or basement period. When I began growing a tumor the size of a state fair pumpkin (80 pounds to be exact) and we converted our guest bedroom into the nursery we had no choice but to move the tv into the master bedroom. I justified this by thinking, well if I have to go on bed rest or have a c-section I'll be stuck in my room and maybe tv would be nice. Hmmm. None of the above happened and now I'm stuck with the god-awful thing and the (insert sports team of your choice here) blaring before I go to sleep.

My children are banned from watching tv- it's my thing. Absolutely under no circumstances are they to be put in front of a screen of any kind...there are studies (numerous) that claim a child's mind cannot process television or computer screens until they reach the age of SEVEN. Yes, seven. That means no child should watch tv until then. In my dreams. It seems my little ones have inherited their father's love of the big screen. If they are across the room and a tv is on they will find a way to watch it. Case in point the following pics. Finley was playing with her back to the television when her tv super sense kicked in...she literally did a back bend to get in viewing position. I suppose seven years is a little unrealistic...

Finley loves to stand up. It doesn't matter where or how just as long as she is upright she is smiling. She is starting to understand the concept of holding on. When we practice on the bed she'll grab your fingers and smoonch up her face to concentrate, knowing that if she lets go she'll topple over. We've been going on 'walks' around the house and the girl couldn't be any happier!

As many of you know we are currently in the process of being 'matched.' On March 20 we will find out where we will be spending the next five years of our lives (starting this June). Needless to say, I have been consumed with the anxiety of the day. Can you imagine knowing that you will be moving in TWO months (i.e. hiring movers, buying a house, relocating) and yet not having ANY clue as to where it is you will be living! I can't sleep. Brian asked me yesterday how many hours of my day are consumed with the 'moving thoughts.' Without hesitation I responded "23.5." I'm a mess. I have found houses and realtors in FOUR different cities. The 'what ifs' are endless.

To make matters worse I have started running. I suppose one could look at this as a good thing, however, being alone with my angst-ridden mind for 3.5 miles everyday is torture. I'm planning on running the mini in May...if we still live in Indianapolis that is. When I was in high school (maybe even college) I used to think of myself as spontaneous, open to anything, a risk taker...who was I joking?! I need a plan. A schedule. Some organization! I can't deal....

You check the blog to hear about the babes- not their crazy mother... They have mastered the art of sitting up and are now on to creeping. They get the leg part of crawling, just not the arm part. This results in an awkward face scoot across the carpet. It's painful to watch, I can't imagine what it feels like...Finley isn't happy unless she's standing up. She can't quite pull herself up yet and she can't quite balance for long periods of time which leaves us in a slight predicament- i.e. mom can do nothing with her day but sit behind Fin to make sure she doesn't fall over. Parker's hand eye coordination is incredible...he's eating banana, nectarine, melon, etc every day for lunch and loving it. Next step crawling! I CANNOT wait!

Many of you have requested more pictures, so here they are...

Finally! Bath time can be SHARED!

One of the best inventions EVER! They're not quite ready to pick up small pieces so every afternoon we give them a different fresh fruit in this holder thingy