Sniffle, Sniffle, Ma-ma

Well, a change in seasons has officially occurred, and therefore, we are all experiencing the onset of allergies, sniffles, sneezes, etc. It's been pretty brisk outside lately, and we've been using the heater a lot more than we normally do (due to Aaron's frugality) since we have babies to keep warm now. Coincidentally, their nursery is the coldest room in the house...so we really have to keep the heater set at a decent level to keep them warm. Since it's a gas heater, it really dries out the air in the house, and thus the problems with sore throats and dry, irritated nasal passages. Aaron and I both grew up in Victoria, TX where the humidity was basically 100% year round. We are still trying to get used to the dryness here. Aside from what's already been stated, my skin gets so dry in the fall and winter, I have to bathe in lotion to keep it hydrated. Anyways, the babies and I have really been sniffly lately. We've had to suction snot (sorry if that's gross) everyday, and they just sound terrible when they're sleeping, trying to breathe through their stuffed up noses. We have two humidifiers that we are in the process of cleaning out. We'll put one in the nursery and one in our room to put some moisture into the air. Hopefully, we'll all start breathing better soon.

In other news, Alec said "ma-ma" repeatedly this morning. Daddy was worn-out and stayed home a little later than usual this morning, and Alec did this while he was feeding them breakfast and I was making breakfast for us grown-ups. I'd like to say that Alec knows the exact meaning of the sounds he's making, but it's probably just his natural first babble. I don't know...we repeat "mamamamama" and "dadadadada" to them over and over again. I'll bet Emma will say "dada" first. She is his little baby doll. Regardless of whether he knows what he's saying and which one Emma says first...it is really cool, and both of us got a big kick out of it.