The Twinks' Favorite Activities

It's true that at almost 26 months Bentley is more active and coordinated than Jackson and Genevieve who are only (almost) 9 months old, but that doesn't mean that the twins aren't as busy as he is. They have their own routines and favorite activities.

EXERCISING! Jackson and Genevieve get a good workout every day. 30? 40? 50? times a day they pull themselves upright using mostly their upper body strength. They use anything available to help get them upright. You better not leave a blanket draped over the edge of the couch or you can be sure that a baby will take a spill trying to use it for leverage. They are pretty good at getting upright and they have also mastered getting back down, too, although I don't think a day goes by without a new bruise being added to their heads. (Why do babies always damage their heads?)



EXPLORING! Every corner of their living room has been explored by the twins. Genevieve is the more intrepid adventurer at this point which means she gets herself into more tight spots from which she once in a while requires rescuing. We've had to put up a baby gate at our home to keep the twins away from the front staircase. The baby gate is not a big hit.


EATING! Jackson likes solid food more than Genevieve does. He will eagerly lean forward to get to the next bite. Genevieve makes funny faces and spits out lots of what you spoon into her mouth. Genevieve plays with finger foods. Jackson eats them.


THE LEARNING TABLE! When they come to visit me (and when I can drag them away from the train set), they enjoy playing on the Fisher Price learning table. They will spend ten to twenty minutes banging away on it. Jackson also likes to make music with the rain stick. He has a pretty good attention span when he finds something interesting.


THE PLAY WALL! Genevieve likes the Fisher Price play wall that is set up in the living room at home. It's perfect for standing up and hanging on to. I haven't noticed Jackson using it much yet.


CARS & BALLS! Jackson shows a greater interest in balls and cars than Genevieve does. Unfortunately although there are dozens of balls in many sizes in his home, Jackson's brother does not always like to share even one of them! He has better luck gaining access to the cars and trucks. He likes to push them and make them move; his twin uses them to climb up on. Kara thinks Genevieve needs a nice, soft doll. She might be right.




READING! Both Genevieve and Jackson love books, especially their parents' books. Forget those shelves of baby and toddler books at home and at the grandparents' house. They prefer cook books or dad's books or any magazines lying around. It's not that they won't chew on (um, read) a good board book, but they are usually drawn to slimmer pages. Or is it the nice dust jackets that attracts them? Kara has lost a number of dust jackets lately. I'm betting Jackson did the damage, but I could be underestimating Genevieve's skills.


CHEWING! The twinlets like to chew on anything they can fit into their mouths. The wooden trains are a particular favorite. I don't know if it's the bright colors of the trains, but every time they come to visit they spend a good half hour gnawing on the trains and/or the wooden track pieces.


STALKING MOM! Their new game is to chase down adults (using their advanced crawling skills) and beg to be held. I'm starting to clue in that when a baby hand grabs my leg, it's not by accident, but by quite purposeful intent. Kara says that sometimes she feels hunted as they stalk her through the kitchen and living room. Ah, to be so loved.


NAPPING! They are still young enough that more often than not they fall asleep in the car even on short trips. Sleeping babies are beautiful.


HANGING OUT TOGETHER! They enjoy spending time with each other and with their big brother.




RIDING THE ATV! The twinks might not walk yet, but they can ride the ATV most places they want to go.


(I'm joking about that last one--they don't really ride the ATV unassisted.)

POSING FOR OPA! The twins like attention, so they are usually willing to pose for a photo or two. But not three or four, they won't sit still that long!


CUDDLING! One of the best things about babies this age is that they still like to cuddle during the day. Jackson and Genevieve are happy, happy, happy to be picked up and cuddled anytime. And what could be nicer for us adults than cuddling with a sweet baby? (Cuddling with two sweet babies!)