We made it half a year!

If anyone is still keeping up with my sorely neglected blog, I thank you. The girls are doing great, and mommy is now home with them for the summer. We reached a big milestone yesterday as the girls turned 6-months-old!

Elzi is almost 12 pounds, and Lilly is about 13 pounds. They began eating baby food a few weeks ago. So far, we have tried apples, bananas, pears, sweet potatoes, and green beans. All have been successful with the exception of the green beans, but we are working on that.

Both girls are smiling A LOT. Lilly has also discovered how her tongue works. She is constantly sticking it out and moving it around. Both girls are working on rolling over. Lilly is pretty good at making it from her back to her belly. In fact, last night I heard her crying, and when I went to check on her, she had made it onto her belly and had her face all the way in the top corner of the crib. I guess its a good thing we removed the bumper!

We are still waiting for a little more hair, and it looks like the bottom teeth could pop up any day now, but our favorite new development is the ability to laugh. It does not happen very often. Elzi has done it twice. Once for the nanny and once at church. We have no idea why she found the lady at church so funny, but we would LOVE to hear that laugh again. Lilly has also laughed a few times, and I was quick enough to get the camera. Of course we repeat whatever it is that makes them laugh, so please pardon my obnoxious bellowing. Enjoy!

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Sleeping through the night!

I am wrapping up the end of a wonderful spring break spent with my girls. Getting to spend so much time with them just makes it so much harder to return to work tomorrow. I am really going to miss them...maybe even more than when I first went back!

Lilly now weighs 10 lb, 1 oz, and Elzi weighs 8 lb, 15 oz. They are doing so much more now than the last time I posted. They have started smiling A LOT. They especially love to smile in the morning. They will just lay in the crib, look around, and smile the biggest, cutest, open-mouthed smiles you have ever seen. This started last weekend when we spent about 5 days at Grandma and Grandpa Harris' house. I think they really enjoyed the new crib there and the yellow room.

They have also begun to make a lot of sounds. I like to say that they are babbling and laughing, although I am not quite sure if that is technically what they are doing. I may just be a proud parent who is exaggerating a little.

Of course, my favorite new thing they started doing a few weeks ago is sleeping through the night. That's right, you read that correctly, my 4 month-olds (2 month-olds, adjusted age) are sleeping through the night! I'm not even talking 5-6 hours. They normally sleep 8 hours straight! There is the occasional 6 hour stretch, but they usually go to bed around 7:30 or 8:00 and sleep until around 3 or 4. Since I am fully taking advantage of the first few hours they are asleep to get chores done, I am still lacking a little in the sleep department, but Ben is getting a full night's rest as we have dropped the midnight bottle and are now doing breast on demand all night. Don't worry, I fully intend to hold the imbalance in sleep over his head anytime it is necessary. I must say, we are much happier to both be getting close to our regular 8 hours, even if mine comes in a few chunks. 

We are still working on coordinating naps during the day as the girls tend to stagger their sleeping times so that one is always awake. It is like living with a baby who never sleeps. By some small miracle, they are both sleeping right now, allowing me to have time to write this update. Hopefully, by next month our sleep schedule will be locked in and all will be happy and rested!

Easter at Grandma & Grandpa Harris'

Monthly Update

So, I know it has been a while since I gave an update, but I'm trying. My friend, Amy, recommended that I update the blog on the girls' monthly birthdays, so I'm going to shoot for that. I realize that I am overdue this month, so let me try to catch up.

Everyone is doing great. I am still counting down the weeks until summer (10 more) when I don't have to be away from my girls. We still adore our nanny, especially the girls. They love when she reads and sings to them. Yesterday they all got in some good cuddle time as the girls just wanted to be held all day.

Elzi is now close to 7 pounds, 14 1/2 ounces and Lilly is 9 pounds! They have outgrown all of their preemie stuff and are now in newborn clothes and size 1 diapers. They are getting so big! They are still eating about every 3 hours at night which means we are still a bit sleep deprived. However, one night last week they slept for 6 hours straight, so there is hope in sight.

We have taken a few trips this past month, one to Morganton to visit the grandparents and to meet Great Grandma, and one to Charlotte to visit Uncle Ben and (soon-to-be) Aunt Leslie. The girls ride well in the car. As long as they are fed before we leave, they usually sleep almost the whole way.

Nana and Papa (Buchanan) have been to visit once, and Grandma and Grandpa (Harris) have been a few times. Since these are Grandma and Grandpa's first grandchildren they just can't get enough, and threaten to take one of the girls home with them each time they visit. They gave us a disk of pictures from the past 3 months. The link is below. It is AMAZING how far we have come!