My Mini

Oh be still my heart! Couldn't you just eat him? Such a sweet boy.

Phil's paternal grandparents call Max "Little Phil" every time they see him. I think otherwise. Our eyes crinkle the same when we smile, we have the same shaped head and solid body.

When I was pregnant I wished that our little girl would get Phil's skinny genes and not my sturdy, will always fight for my weight genes. Thankfully Max has my build and Kate is lithe and light like her daddy. We will see how that translates as he grows. He may not thank me...

And every time I look at my baby pics I want to kick myself for being an overzealous "scrapbooking" 14-year old who butchered my pictures. Yes, the originals. My mom should have beat me, I am sure she wanted to when she saw the damage.

Now if I could get my hands on Phil's baby pictures we could compare Pip and her dad.

Over the Weekend

First time swinging at the park.

We got flocked by two 13 year olds, so my photo op was "ruined" since they wanted to hold them. Hence why Max got short changed. Oh well, there will be plenty of opportunities and as I was posting this Phil remarked that our children are surely not going to be lacking any baby pictures.

As we left the park to take a walk the girls chased us down to give us their number so they can babysit. I don't think I am ready to leave my kids with little girls! How did parents ever trust me with their children when I was their age?

8 Months

Ah, can they get any cuter? I think not!

Good grief. My kids are 8 months old!

Max is so close to being on the move. He gets on all fours, rocks and can get to the toys he wants via an inch worm/face plant, he hasn't quite figured out that his arms can move. Secretly I am okay with that! It is pretty cute to watch his determination and calculation as he eyes a toy across the blanket and then works to get there. He is an expert sitter now as well, though we have to put him in that position.

This morning at 3am the kids were crying so I went to get them. Max was on all fours rocking, I turned to Kate's crib to pick her up first and when I turned back around Max was sitting on his bum! All by himself! Add that skill to the list.

Max loves to have his belly "eaten" and lets loose the most joyful squeals as we munch on his chubs, we pause and he waits with breathless anticipation for the next round. I love it!

Kate is perfectly content to lay on her back or tummy and roll to get things she wants. We practice sitting but she doesn't have the balance down and the little stink will arch her back so she can lay down. We keep trying. She is an expert sippy cup drinker though as well as drinking from a "grown-up" cup without too much dribble if we keep the water slow and steady.

Our little Pip is also the proud owner of one tooth! I haven't captured a picture of her little grin yet. She did practice biting down on me a few times while nursing and I flicked her little cheek each time and she thought her world had ended. Sad for both of us. She got plenty of love afterwards and thus far she has not bit me again.

Both are quite grabby now, swiping toys from each other and pulling on hair if it is in the vicinity. This morning Kate was chilling on the floor and Max started munching on her toes, she of course protested-loudly!

Our most spectacular achievement has been sleeping through the night. Glory be! We are all much more rested and happy. I think I may start sneaking in a little nap to catch up from the move. not to mention the past 8 months of my life.

Eating is going great. We still nurse every 3-4 hours and the latest food addition has been blueberries. They were a hit! See for yourself:









We couldn't get it in his little mouth fast enough. Phil was feeding them and between the three of them that ofttimes means a mess.

I love to hear the little chatter that goes on and nothing will melt my heart faster than watching them catch each other's eye and bust out the big grins or hear their little conversations. Equally so is witnessing the excitement they have when daddy comes home to play with them. I am sure they get tired of my face day after day. Well, they are stuck with me!

We ventured out to the craft store so I could pick up some fabric and ribbon to make a curtain for our bathroom and we were stopped so many times by the nice old ladies as they oohed and ahhed over the babes, asking me if they were twins, boys or girls (really? Kate is in pink with a nice bow on her head and Max is sporting a blue onesie with footballs on it). But through it all the common theme expressed was how lucky I am. And I am. So lucky.

We're Alive

We are here. Safe and sound and surrounded by chaos as I go about putting back together our life in the new digs. Phil has been working like a dog readying our beloved Talbot Circle for the new renters. Seriously, every night since Thursday (moving day) he has been gone from 7am to 10 or 11pm. Tack on the minimum one hour drive and you have one ragged tired daddy. We miss him, though it is giving me a good taste of what is to come for the next 8ish years. Phooey.

I have proven to be quite handy as I have tackled the large to-do's at the new home; hook-up washer/dryer, assemble Kate's crib, assemble our queen bed, move various heavy pieces of furniture around and empty box after box. Throw in constant care for two semi-neglected* children and you have one ragged tired mommy. (*I flit to and fro between unpacking and playing with the babes, nursing, diapering, cleaning, loving, cuddling, comforting, playing, etc.)

Max is progressively getting more mobile but is not full on crawling yet, he is listening to me and waiting until the house is complete. Kate rolls everywhere. They are finally sleeping wonderfully through the night with an early morning feed at 5am and then I put them back down and our day starts around 7am. It's amazing what separate cribs will do! (All my multiple mommy friends are nodding their heads and muttering "I told you so!")

With an absent husband I still don't have my main computer hooked up so pictures will be forthcoming. Someday. Soon, I hope.

The final countdown

It is 10:15pm. The kids are down and Phil left a moment ago to father's & son's. We just wrapped up a lovely dinner with our two best neighbors, potluck style. One last hurrah before we depart next week. I made carnitas and key lime cheesecake. Kendra made salsa and brought tortillas and crema. Karen brought Spanish rice and drinks. We talked, ate and laughed. We are blessed.

It is quiet and I should be in bed. The kids have slept until 4ish the past two nights and I am hoping for a third. I have plans for eliminating that feed once we are settled in our new home. It is time, past time really but I haven't minded so much. But I am also tired.

We are leaving in 6 days. SIX days. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

The house is almost packed. Boxes are stacked in our front room, cupboards are bare and walls are empty. Phil packed the main PC today and I won't have access to download my pictures or edit until we move. Sad since today I snapped Max & Kate in their swimsuits and I could just die from cuteness. I have much to post about but pictures are certainly required. So during this final countdown expect some quiet as I pack up our life one box at a time and tend to the littles.