Happy belated five-month birthday, little ladies!
I always start these on the day of your birthday with the
best of intentions of getting them posted.
However, I think the fact that your month letters are always a bit late
attests to just how busy our little family is these days. And by busy, I mean fun and wild and crazy.
Because we are truly having so, so much fun. (Girls, mommy just started two
sentences in a row with cardinal elementary school sins—with “and” and
“because.” Don’t do it or you will get
slack for it, and that will be a great big mommy fail.)
I am pretty sure I say this every month, but this was the
best month yet! You both are so big and
fun and aware now. I mean, you have
always been fun, but it’s in a different way now. In a way that makes me want to wake you up
when you have been sleeping too long. In
a way that makes ME squeal with delight when you laugh. In a way that makes me
bring my hands up to my chin and giddily clap them together when you do
something new. In a way that makes me
love you more and more every single day, even when it doesn’t seem possible
that I could love you more than I already do.
This month started out with some amazing news—Sophie, you no
longer have to wear your hip brace 24/7! Instead of tears at the orthopedists
office, mommy clapped your hands together while you grinned at the PA. Gramma and Grampa went with us to the
appointment but stayed in the waiting room while you were being examined. When we were walking out, daddy asked if he
could drop kick the brace when we got out to the waiting room to show G&G
that you didn’t have it on anymore. I
“regulated” (as daddy would call it) and told him that might not be the best of
ideas. Anyway, now you wear your braces
only at nighttime and naps. We got the
go ahead for you not to wear it during every nap(especially you, Annie), so we
tried it the first day, and that did not go well. Not at all!
Both of you have actually become accustomed to your braces to help you
sleep. Oops! Sophia, you love to have your brace off
during snuggle or playtime, though. You
lift your legs so high in the air that your butt is off the floor. You kick and play to your heart’s content. It is so sweet, and I’m so glad we got
through this hurdle together. I know it
was devastating in the very beginning, but just like everyone said it would be,
it has just been a little blip in the radar!
Before we got that news, though, mommy had to go back to
work. On April 2, I went back as a third
grade teacher. I am so lucky, though,
for a few reasons. First of all, I only
have to work on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
This is bearable, and it still allows me to be home with you more than I
am away from you. Second, we are so
lucky because grandma Dingo and grandpa watched you for the first 3 weeks I
went back to work. It’s amazing how much
you love your G&G. Your faces light
up when you see them (and I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual). You had so much fun with them, playing all
day. Aunt Lauren and neighbor Ms. Lisa
got to watch you for a few days, too. I
was really sad the night before I went back to work, but I know it is what is
best for our family. I am still sad to
leave you in the morning, and I miss you terribly when I’m at work, but it’s
comforting to know that you are safe and sound at home with people who love you
and care about you so much.
I just have to note that both of you have become champion
nursers. I still have to pump because it
can be hard to feed both of you at the same time, but I am so proud of how far
you have come. There was a time that I
thought I would never be able to nurse you and have that connection with you,
but once again, you proved me wrong!
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| This is how much I love my toys! |
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| Mesmerized by the playmat |
You have both really shown a love for toys this month, and
it’s so cute! You can hang out on your
play mat for 20 or 30 minutes at a time playing with buggy, dolly, Lulu in her
Tutu, your snail, etc. We also got out
your jumperoo from Aunt Cindy and Uncle Jeff this month! Oh my, you could not love it more! It became clear that you loved it so much
that we quickly had to go get another jumperoo (Baby Einstein version). You will both jump and play in it several
times a day. Your feet don’t quite touch
the ground yet, so there are books under one and a Wii balance board under the
other. You also enjoy sitting up in your
Bumbo chairs and do so often. Both of
you love to play with dad and me, and you spend a lot of your time standing up
on our laps or the floor in the front of us looking around. It amazes me how strong you have gotten in
such a short period of time. You just
love to stand!
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| Hangin' in the Bumbo |
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| Sophie loves her Jumperoo! |
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| Sophia |
When we went to see Dr. Kiley for your four-month
appointment, she asked us to start giving you some rice cereal. This is a daddy thing! We have only given it to you a few times, but
you seem to enjoy it for the most part.
Daddy really loves giving it to you, and it’s super cute. Most of the time you sit up in your high
chair with us when we eat, unless you are sleeping. You love to have a bunch of toys with you to
play with, and you seem to like having a little stuffed lovey to hold onto now,
too.  |
| Annabel |
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| Heart Ultrasound |
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| Watching the screen |
We separated you (for a short time) for the first time this
month! We had to take Annabel to her
cardiologist appointment—all is well and we go back in several months for a
follow up. They did an ultrasound of
your heart, and that took a while, and you totally lost it toward the middle of
it. It was nothing a bottle couldn’t
fix, though. Dad and I went to Einstein
Bagels afterwards with you, and remarked at how “easy” it was with just one
baby. But we would never, ever want just
one baby!
You got a new car this month, too. I loved my Subaru, but it was so
impractical. Trying to fit your carseats
in the back with everything else that we needed was insane. So, daddy and I spent a couple of days looking
at cars while you chilled at home with Grandma and Grandpa. In the end, we got a Honda Pilot. We love it!
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| Daddy changing the girls in the back of the Pilot |
You are both rolling over now! You consistently roll from belly to back, and
AnnaBelly, you are SUPER close to rolling from your back to your belly. You have gotten almost entirely over except
for one pesky little arm that always seems to get stuck underneath you. I still jump up and down and clap for you
when one of you rolls over, because I am just so proud of you. (If you haven’t noticed, I am extremely proud
of you both). Grandma, Grandpa, mommy
and daddy all got to see Sophia roll over for the first time, and then I got to
see Annabel roll. I was taking pictures
of you both doing tummy time, and all of a sudden, Annie, you just rolled! I felt bad because you rolled into the side
of the rocking chair, but you didn’t seem to care.
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| Annabel right after rolling |
I can’t keep track of all the outings we have been on this
month. Belle, you are much less Hell’s Bells-ish
these days. Although you can still be a
cranky pants on rare occasions, most of your waking time is spent with a huge
smile on your face. We have discovered
that it is best if we can sit outside when we go out to eat. I don’t get nearly as anxious when one of you
cries!
Annabel, you also laughed this month—it is really hard to
get it out of you, but when you laugh it’s just adorable! Sophia, you laugh a lot! We are always guaranteed a laugh out of you
when daddy puts your feet into your mouth (eew!).
Oh, how could I forget?! You celebrated your very first
Easter this month. The Easter Bunny came
to visit you and brought you new outfits, sunglasses, books, and maybe a little
bit of candy for mom and dad. Grandma
Dingo made you the most adorable shirts I have ever seen, and you wore them
with great pride! We spent the day
hanging out as a family, and we tried really hard to get a good family picture,
but it was tough!
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| This is so indicative of our life right now! |
Daddy’s birthday was this month, too. We all had to work all day, so Grandma stayed
home with you. When we got home, we had
dinner and cake and ice cream. I made
daddy a carrot cake, and Annabel, you would have loved to be able to dive right
in and have a piece yourself. You would
not stop staring at the cake. It was
truly adorable! You girls got your dad a
picture frame for his office, so now he has even more pictures of you two.
I love you both so very much, and every day you continue to
amaze me. I am amazed at what beautiful
little girls you are. I am amazed at all of the love that daddy and I have for
you and for each other. I am amazed with
all the things you are learning every day.
There are still (many) days when your daddy and I look at each other and
say, “How did we get so lucky to end up with TWO babies?” It’s amazing. Amazing.
Life is amazing.
I love you so, so, so much my sweet Banana Boat and my
little Fia Margarita.
Love,
Mommy
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