Dex says Ding... and other new tricks

It's been a busy week! It seems like every day the boys surprise me with new feats! They are turning into such little people, reacting with great intensity to their surroundings. The other morning, I heard Jax babbling to himself in his crib a bit earlier than usual. I stumbled out of bed to go make sure he was alright, only to find him sitting up! Sure, they've been sitting up for about three months, but they had never gone from laying down to sitting up on their own. I was stunned! Of course, several hours later, Dex had to show me that he could do the same thing!

Other such tricks:

- Dex has been saying "Ding." It's his new sound, so we hear it OVER AND OVER. It's adorable, because he says it when happy and it's nearly a squeal... he says it when he's upset, inbetween sobs... and he says it as a greeting, with a big, lovely smile. It just cracks me up! Jax is still big on "Ba ba ba"... or "Ma ma ma," when he's really upset.

- Dex crawled today for the first time! I was working downstairs and he just kept following me around. I kept thinking how cute it was that he was following me everyplace... and then it hit me... he was following me everyplace!! I shouted upstairs to D.R., who promptly ran down to see this new skill. Jax still seems pretty content to scoot around on his little bottom, or to push himself backwards on all fours, both of which are fabulous modes of transportation, if you ask me!

- Our mealtimes are getting more and more adventurous, as well. Jax loves beans, peas, cheese and crackers. Basically, anything he can grab with his fingers and stuff into his mouth. Dex is taking to these sorts of foods a bit more slowly... cautiously taking a bite at a time... contemplating quite seriously the taste and feel of each morsel. It's so fun to see these differences in personality emerging.

I feel like there are so many other things I should be recording... both boys are clapping all the time and they love to laugh. I love the fact that we can play together now. Almost anything can be turned into a rowdy game.

They love boxes. Sitting in big cardboard boxes, laundry baskets, etc. seems to be quite a treat for them (and a great way for us to keep an eye on them now that they're more mobile).

I wonder what they'll surprise us with tomorrow...