Always & Forever: August 2014

Madeline and Molly,

You are SIX MONTHS old today! How has an entire half of a year passed by?!? Another six months and we will be celebrating your first birthday! Before we know it y'all will be leaving for college, getting married, and having your own babies. Okay, okay. Maybe I shouldn't be so dramatic but I'm truly shocked at how fast this milestone has crept up on us. Maybe it's because y'all are twins, or maybe it's because we have been so busy these last six months, but it really did fly by at warp speed. Knowing y'all are my last babies it really makes me sad how fast all of this is going by and I'm trying to slow down and soak every bit of your baby stage up. I just love y'all so very much!

I brag on y'all every chance I get to every person I see about how y'all are truly the BEST babies that there ever was. Y'all are so happy all of the time, and love to smile and laugh. We do get some tears but most of the time it's because you are hungry or because Carter is laying on top of you (or banging your heads together, or pinching your toes.) Otherwise you are happy to play on the floor, hang out in your swings, go somewhere in the car, or just stare at each other. Yes, y'all have finally discovered each other! If you can reach y'all are always holding hands and will roll onto your sides so you can look each other in the eye. You haven't started talking to each other yet, but I know it's coming soon.

Y'all continue to be great eaters and sleepers...a mothers dream! We moved y'all into your room sometime in July and typically sleep through the night from 7:30pm until 7:30am, give or take an hour. If you wake up before 7:00 I will feed you and put your right back to sleep when you will wake again around 9:30am. If you sleep until 7:30am we will just stay awake and start our day. We are somewhere between and 3-4 hour feeding schedule, but thankfully y'all are perfectly happy to be fed earlier or later, depending on our schedule for the day. No matter what I always feed you at 1:00pm so you can go down for your long nap from 1:30-4:30pm. At some point in the coming weeks we will likely start some solids so our schedule is bound to change some, but I'm confident that y'all will adjust with ease, just as you have to everything else so far.

Madeline Kate,

Our sweet Maddy Kate, you are just the sweetest and happiest of all the babies. You honestly never stop smiling and get so thrilled when anyone talks to you, especially Carter. You carry a deep love for your Daddy but are pleased as punch to be in anyones arms. As long as they don't try to bathe you, then all bets are off. You remain our "bigger" baby by 9 ounces, although that is truly astonishing since you don't nurse for that long and consistently refuse the last ounce of your bottle. Your sister majorly out-eats you but you remain our "chunker." I say that with love since y'all are both still teeny tiny!

I feel confident saying that your hair will be blonde and your eyes will be blue. I'm still surprised that your Daddy and I were able to make two blonde children with our dark brown hair, brown and green eyes. You have the smoothest baby skin and rosy red cheeks. Your eyebrows and eyelashes are almost invisible they are so blonde. You love to smile and when you do you smile with your entire face and create little wrinkles in the top of your nose. Daddy and Carter love to spend their time trying to make you smile and laugh, which you do all the time. You are so very happy!

You are becoming more spoiled by the month, and you now know that if you fuss your sad little fuss we will pick you up and rock you. You are just so sad and pitiful sounding when you cry (compared to Molly's shrill shriek of a cry) that we cannot ignore you. And you love to be right where all the action is so you typically eat dinner sitting on my lap and keep your eyes open at night until you just can't make it anymore and fall asleep while I'm rocking you. You will fight your sleep like a champ until someone picks you up and then you are out like a light. You sleep pretty soundly; not much will wake you up, including Molly's cries. Your absolute favorite place to be is in the Ergo pressed up against one of us. We literally have to peel you off of us and wake you up when we are done wearing you. I love to watch you sleep since your big, chunky cheeks rest sweetly on your swaddle. You always look so peaceful. We love you, baby girl!

Molly Ann,

Our precious Molly Ann, you are so calm and content I can't believe we got so lucky. You are shy with your smiles but never seem the slightest bit upset, unless you're hungry and then you get "hangry." I'm in awe of your sweet, calm demeanor and cherish the handful of times where you actually let me rock you. You are so satisfied to rock in your swing or bounce in your bouncer that you would rather not be held. You are still our "bitty" baby but you would never guess it by watching you eat. You eat and eat and eat and we have to cut you off less you throw it all back up on us. We cap you at 6 ounces on a bottle which you suck down in less than 10 minutes. You love your bath, love to ride in the car and stroller, and love your paci. It is such a sweet pleasure to be your mama.

You definitely got mine and your daddy's dark hair, but still are sporting dark blue eyes. You are stunning with your blue eyes and dark hair, eyebrows and eyelashes and everyone tells us how pretty you (and your sister) are. And when you smile you almost have a smirk about you, winking your eyes and pulling down your little chin. It fills me with joy to see you happy and watch you laugh at your brother, who works the hardest to make you smile. Your favorite spot is sitting on our hip and being paraded around the house.

You will be our independent child. You know when your hungry or tired and know how to get both problems solved in a timely manner. You fuss when you are hungry and fall asleep wherever you are when you are tired, simple as that. You sleep in your swing, in the car, in the stroller, laying on the floor, in your bouncer, basically anywhere you are. You love to be swaddled still, but can always break your right arm out when mama swaddles you. You have a harder time breaking out of daddy's swaddles, but I know your swaddling days are numbered since you have mastered rolling onto your stomach. We will soon move you out of your rock-n-play and swaddle and into your crib. *cue tears from mama* I'm confident that you will be a stomach sleeper when the time comes as you love to lay on your stomach and look around. And you still love your paci! We love you, baby girl!

Madeline 6 month Stats

Weight: 13 pounds 1 ounce (5%ile)

Length: 25 inches (25%ile)

Eating: nursing 4 times a day with one breastmilk bottle overnight. Typically 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm, and 7am

Bedtime: around 7:30pm

Awake: either 7:00am or 9:30am

Naps: 8:30am, 1:00pm and a catnap around 5:30pm

Diapers: size 1 Huggies

Clothes: 0-3 months

Favorites: being held, your Daddy, smiling, sitting up and "talking" to us, being worn in the Ergo, Carter

Development: holds head up when pulled from back to sitting position, puts hands, paci and clothes in mouth, plays with toys in front of you and pushes with legs to reach toys, possibly teething, rolling over

Milestones:

7/27- moved out of Mama and Daddy's room into nursery