Always & Forever: September 2014

Madeline and Molly,
You are SEVEN MONTHS old today! I simply don't have the words to express how easy-going and happy y'all are, not to mention how incredibly fast this past month went by! When I was pregnant with Carter people warned me how fast time would go by after he was born. What I was not expecting was how much faster time would go with subsequent children. Geez, Louise! I've even started bugging Daddy about having another baby (not going to happen) just so we would always have a baby in the house. I love the age and stage y'all are in and don't want it to pass by any faster than it already is.

We are settled into our routine and daily schedule which we have been following for the past few months. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays I wake y'all up at 7:00 since we have to be at preschool or church at 9:00 on those days. Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays I let y'all sleep in a little and Molly usually wakes up by 7:30 or so. I pump and y'all get breastmilk bottles and go back down for a nap around 8:00. On preschool days y'all will sleep in the car and transition back into your cribs when we get home. Y'all wake around 10:00 to eat again and typically we hit the road for errands at this time. Most days y'all catch a cat nap in the car/stroller/shopping cart depending on what we are doing. Then y'all nurse again around 1:00 and nap until 4:00 or 4:30. Nurse again when y'all wake from your nap and then it's playtime or baths, depending on the day. Y'all catch another cat nap in your swings while we are eating dinner around 6:00. Then you nurse again for the last time at 7:00 and go right down to sleep for the night. Y'all are great sleepers and we rarely hear a peep throughout the night unless it's from Molly needing her paci put back in.

This was definitely our month of laughs! Y'all wake up smiling, laugh all day long, and go to bed happy. You will laugh at each other, laugh at brother, and freely give us those big, gummy smiles whenever we so much as look in your direction. Everything is funny to y'all! Y'all still love to be held, although we don't get to do it often enough. I try to wear one of you each day during errands so we at least get some good snuggles in regularly. Your favorite part of the day is easily when Carter interacts with you, although the fun is over as soon as he picks you up. I'm thankful that y'all still seem pleased to go with the flow, have happy demeanors, and make my job as a twin mama a little easier.

Madeline Kate,
Maddy Girl, Maddy Kate, Mads Pads...our sweet, gentle soul. I just know one day you will be loyal, dependable friend every girl wants to have in her corner. You are a little more reserved and happy to take time to observe your surroundings, but constantly happy. You can be upset over something and calm down as soon as sister bear is placed next to you. You have overcome your fear of the bath, but still only tolerate bathing. I'm not sure it will ever be your favorite activity. And, for the first time in your entire life, I can say that you are my smallest baby. By an ounce! Your piglet little sister finally passed you in the weight department. You still win the length and head size categories, and probably always will. Your hair is still light blonde, eyes are still blue, and cheeks still rosy red. You are absolutely beautiful.

This month you have started to scare/startle easily and are hard to calm down once you get going crying. Most of the time its a loud noise that sets you off, but sometimes it's something passive like Carter getting too close (which you usually love) that will scare you. When you get mad it's all hands on deck to bring you back down and assure everything is okay. You are not a baby who will ever be able to "cry it out"; you just get more mad the longer you cry. Thankfully this doesn't happen often.

Another favorite for you this month has been blowing bubbles and making noises with your mouth. You even do it when you are nursing, pulling off for a moment so you can blow a bubble. You have officially ditched the paci (noooo!) and instead sooth yourself by sucking on your tongue. It's hard to describe but it basically looks like you are sucking on a paci without anything actually in your mouth, if that makes sense. Whatever works, my dear!

Molly Ann,
Molly Girl, Molls Bolls, Millie Molly Moo...our leader of the pack. It's your world and we are just living in it. You run our schedule and let us know if we are late to wake up/ eat/ nap/ go to bed/ etc. You will be our more outgoing and independent daughter, with a million opinions about a million topics. I wouldn't be surprised if you were on the debate team or in theatre when you get older (please don't grow up!) And you have finally decided to ditch the "unimpressed" act and now smile all the time, mostly without any prompting whatsoever.

Piggy piggy piggy, all you want to do it eat! Yay! All I want it big, fat babies with rolls all over so keep it up, sister! Now I realize y'all will never be chunky, heavy babies, but I am proud of all the weight you have put on this month. You are such a great eater and we actually have to monitor how much you eat because you still don't self-regulate well and will overeat if we aren't careful.

You are a doll, inside and out. It's the first thing everyone tells us when they look at you, and the first thing I think of when you smile that sweet smile at me everyday. Your hair is really coming in (and sticking straight up!) and seems to be dark brown. Your eyes are still blue but more grey than your sisters. We still fight your eczema daily, but otherwise you have beautiful skin. And both you and your sister are going to cut your first tooth any day now, I'm sure of it!