Oh..yeah.. they're not identical!

Kavya & Oviya were growing up very fast, every minute & every day right under my eyes. They were becoming more independent by exploring the surroundings and they were always on the move & couldn't stop digging things. Their world was always filled with wonders. They cry one moment, forget, clap & laugh the next moment. A child's life sure is a worry-free life! ;-)

                                          

We got a little more time now to spend in the play place. The little hearts didn't know the dangers of the outside world. They always wanted to roam & move without being held by anyone. I wished we had extra eyes & extra hands to watch them outside. :-P
Going to restaurants were cool too as they would get high chairs to sit and they get to taste different country foods. But, they don't sit for a long time & we don't get much time to finish our dinner :-)

At this stage, we were able to make out their basic characters.
Kavya seemed to be soft & sensitive. Oviya seemed to be brave & strong. Kavya likes to hold hands while Oviya likes to be independent. Kavya likes soft & cuddly toys & Oviya likes creative toys. Kavya likes to play safe while Oviya always wanted to take risks. Though both have different tastes & different opinions they will be there for each other all the time. No matter what, I'm sure the bonding between the twin sisters is gonna grow stronger & stronger everyday!! :-)

Best Sisters Forever!!! (BSF) ;-)

10 months old sugar canes...

Kavya & Oviya were 10 months old and got a good grip with crawling. Hmmm... Now it became hard for them to stay in the playpen. So, we childproofed the room a little more and set them free :-) Both were so happy that they could roam around now. But, we had to watch them very closely as they might get hurt somewhere or pull each other or put something in their mouth.

                                            

Also, the Fall season started and the climate changed. Warm days were over. Days became short and the nights were cold. So, all their mini costumes were replaced by fully covered dresses. Although they were happy for the change, we missed summer.

                                                        

We had two high chairs for them to sit and eat. This is one of the most useful thing we've ever bought. We take this wherever we go, even during the flight journey. They still sit in this chair when they eat. Even though it took a lot of time for them to eat, this was so convenient. The good part is, they don't ( or they can't) run away until their tummy is full :-)

                                           

Ready to fill the tummy!

Crawling caterpillars...

Kavya & Oviya became 9 months old. They sat without support and crawled with leg support. Kavya even stood up with support. Dal & rice became their favorite food. They uttered the word I was dreaming of - 'Amma'. It was the sweetest word I've ever heard, especially when it came from them.

The first festival we celebrated after they were born was the Ganesh Chathurthy. With a hand drawn Ganapathy & with our pet Snowy, drooling over some homemade dishes we celebrated the occasion. Of course Kavya & Oviya were wearing new dresses and looked like bluebirds :-)

Our neighbour's kids became Kavya & Oviya's favourite pals. Everyone used to play together and one such time is this. Even Snowy became a part of their team :-) They loved playing in the corridor. I don't know why they have this kind of reaction in their face. Wonder what's going in every one's mind ;-).

                               

They became obsessed with crawling and were crawling everywhere. I should also mention this. Both were changing day by day. It meant that they were growing up very fast. Now, I could really see their chubby cheeks & dimple chin :-) .

                                    

I didn't swim to the deep of the ocean to find the most precious pearls. 

I was destined to shape these two :-)

Icing on the cupcakes!

We were able to take Kavya & Oviya outside now for at least short periods of time before they start crying. We took them to the mall, to the restaurants, to the shopping, for walk etc. They still had stranger anxiety and would never smile at anyone. They used to sit in the double stroller & watch the surrounding very keenly. Initially Kavya was crying whenever we entered a new place. Oviya seemed so brave, but that was not the case. She cries if someone comes close and talks to us. She'll start crying even if the bearer comes to us for taking the food orders in the restaurant :-) .
When we did shopping, we would give each some grocery item to keep them entertained :-) This might help for a while.  

                                                 

An important life event happened this month - 'ear piercing'. Gun shots in the mall are quick & less painful & hence we chose to do there. We get 14k gold here for piercing and if we buy an earring, they pierce for free (what an offer!). I was very nervous about how they're going to react & how are they going to manage. Kavya already slept in the stroller, so the first victim was Oviya :-\ .
Oviya was happily smiling & giggling at me when the measurements were taken. And within few minutes it happened, yeah her soft little ears were pierced and she was screaming. It took a while to console her, but she looked extra pretty now :-) . She gave a hi-five & cheered up immediately.
Then Kavya woke up without knowing what had happened. It was her turn now. Kavya was already freaking out when the measurements were taken. When her ears were pierced, she was sobbing & looking for help. I came in for her rescue & she was ok after few minutes. With their sad faces, we took our family picture together :-). They forgot the pain soon, but Kavya had to come back after couple of months to re-pierce one of the ears since it was pierced wrongly (whew! Poor Kavya!).
Soon everything was over & the pretty little ladies were all ready for the closeup with their pretty shiny earrings :-).

Say...cheese!!

           In the next few days, Kavya started crawling & was trying to stand up with support. Oviya would sit without support if we make her to sit, but would eventually fall after few minutes :) Oviya started clapping & Kavya was trying to do so by seeing her younger sister. They started drinking water in sippy cups (which I never thought they would do at this stage). Both laughed at each others' silly activities & were speaking in their own funny language. I wish I had a dictionary for baby language :p
Even before analyzing the toy, it ends up in their mouth. They never leave anything without tasting it.
                                          

One of my favorite pastime is to take them number of pictures until I get a good one. In the search of getting a perfect shot, I end up getting all the perplexed shots. If one smiles the other would stare, if one sits straight the other would bend, if one sees the camera the other would see down,if one wants to pose the other would spread the arms across the face, if one is ready the other would chew a toy, if one finally gets the point the other would squish her face. But, who cares? It's sooo adorable :)
                                           

     

(Click picture to enlarge)

Yet another try gave cute results. Besides, seeing here & there and getting distracted with the toys, Oviya couldn't sit for a long time & would fall down anytime (finally fell down too :P). Even though the final outcome is what I wanted, I think every pic is a moment to cherish.

                                            

Sometimes, when I need a miracle, I look into my babies' eyes and realize I've already created two ;)

New milestone

According to the human evaluation... nah... Let me start this way...

All babies are unique and meet milestones at their own pace. There were huge differences between Kavya & Oviya in meeting their milestones even though they were twins. Kavya was the first to sit on her own. Oviya was trying to crawl and would always move towards Kavya to pull her. So, we placed some pillows in between them to block (this worked out only for few days :) ). They listened & laughed even if I sing the same song or played the same game again and again and again. They never get bored :) I was happy that they were beginning to understand my 'No's and 'Don't do's.

Playpen became their favorite place to hang out. They had all their favorite toys in it. They started paying attention to the songs played in TV. It was fun watching them play all day. Eating, sleeping and playing were their whole day jobs. I wondered what a busy schedule they had :) Something seemed to strike them at this point. Since they were watching each other closely, when one of them cries, the other started crying thinking that something went wrong. This made the doctor visits horrible. Both used to be crying inconsolably even if one gets the shots. And of course, if one gets up in the middle of the night, the other one gets up too :(                                   

When beautiful moments happen, I sure like to picture it. I tell both of them everyday to give me kisses. Finally, Oviya seemed to get the point. I was a proud momma to get Oviya's first kiss :) When I take her lips near my face, she would bend and bite my cheeks :). Lucky me, no teeth by then. 
A baby's kiss - I recommend including this in the wonders of the world :P

Rolling... jumping... laughing!

Kavya & Oviya became 6 months old and nevertheless to say, every passing day was filled with fun & surprises. 
Ready.. Set.. Go... It was time to start solids even though milk was their primary food until one year. They tasted rice cereal, mashed fruits and veggies. Kavya seemed to like Peach & apple while Oviya liked carrots & beans. Somehow, both didn't like green peas. I've read that it takes more than 10 tries for a baby to like a new food. Never give up :-)

Apart from crying, now they started showing other reactions like wriggling, making noises, blowing 'raspberries' and a lot other. Each had a favorite toy too. Kavya likes an elephant toy and she would chew it's trunk & made it wet all the time :-) Oviya likes a butterfly teether which she would bite, lick and drool over it. They rolled all over the place and tried to grab & play with each other. Both became familiar with each other's company. The giggles & smiles they shared were the evergreen moments.

                                                 

We got their most useful toy ever in which they still play each & every part of it - the combined walker and activity center  The next exciting toy they ever had was the jumper where they liked to jump, jump and jump ;-) Jumping made their legs strong and of course the urge to jump whenever we were holding them in the lap too :-) They become super excited and hyper energized when they jump and my heart melts like a butter when I see them laugh hysterically :-)      

                                            

Another interesting thing happened at this phase and this is my favorite part too. They started smiling and posing for the camera :-) They always give a surprised, amused, joyful expression while flashing the light in the camera.

This is what I call a flash shock!! :-)