Hey, Cuz!

Yesterday we were lucky to get a visit from Grandma BB, Aunt Amy, Becca, Abigail, and Sam (or Sam-Sam as Lillian calls him). Lillian and Sydney are so lucky to have cousins!!

My Baby Blues

And by "baby blues" I don't mean the emotional state a lot of women get after having a new baby (although I've definitely had my fair share of all that- but that's another post another time). I'm talking about the beautiful blue eyes that my two little girls have. I just can't get enough of them!

An Eventful Wednesday

Wednesday was a big day for Sydney and Lillian. Sydney turned 6 months old and Lillian got her first haircut (after 2 1/2 years, it was about time)!!

To celebrate Sydney's half-birthday, we had a little photo shoot.

Then we went to the park and she took her first ride in the swings!

At dinner, we decorated a blueberry pancake with a whipped cream number 6 and stuck a candle in it. We figured she should have half a candle for her age and half a candle for good luck, making one whole candle! We sang Happy Birthday and Lillian helped her blow out the candle.


Then Sydney stuck her hand in the whipped cream and snatched out the candle- she must be practicing for the big cake in six more months!


Sydney is almost sitting up on her own. She can hold herself up for a few seconds before she slowly starts to slump to one side, then bottoms out on the floor! She grabs for everything in sight and anything she manages to get a hold of, she tries to put in her mouth. She drools 10 gallons a day and soaks the fronts of all her shirts. Most of her hair from birth has fallen out, but it's starting to grow back on top in fuzzy little tufts. The back of her head is still quite bald (and slightly lop-sided), but she's still CUTE and we love her LOTS!!

Lillian was a champ through her haircut. We turned on the TV, gave her a lollipop, and plopped her in the chair.



Two lollipops and a handful of marshmallows later, she was nicely trimmed up with a cute little flipped-out do. If only I had the patience and the know-how to make her look that cute every day!

BEFORE

AFTER

I've been keeping track of some of the things Lillian says. She's really exploring the English language and coming up with her own grammatical structures and phrases. Here are some of my favorites (with translations when needed):

"I can't how to do it!"
[I don't know how to do it!]

"I'm big just a little bit."

"I don't want to maybe."

"You wanna get 3 like me and go pwekool?!"
[Do you want to turn 3 like me next year so you can go to preschool, too?!]

"Don't wash my haircut!"

"I can touch him. He not wild like a bear."
[Referring to the 9-month old I babysat this morning.]

"My birthday on July, on summertime."

"She tired, pwobawee."
[Sydney is probably crying because she's tired, Mommy.
You should put her to bed so we can go play together.]

I love my girls!!

"It's hard, but it's worth it!"

I'm borrowing a Winsor Pilates DVD from a friend. I have to stretch myself along the small space between the TV and the couch in our very small living room in order to do the exercises. Even then, I can't fully extend my legs for the scissor kicks or the big circles that I'm supposed to draw in the air with my foot. However, it's still a good work-out! Just when my buns are beginning to burn so bad I want to stop, Mari Winsor says, "I know it's hard, but it's worth it! Keep going!" When I heard her say that this morning, I immediately thought to myself- hey, that sounds a lot like motherhood. It's hard as heck sometimes, but it's the most gratifying thing I've ever done. So all I can do is "keep going!" (and by that I don't mean keep having more babies...just keep going with each day! Just thought I should clarify!) :) So, thank you, Mari Winsor, for giving me my new daily motto. When the day gets tough I start chanting to myself, "It's hard, but it's worth it! It's hard, but it's worth it! Keep going! Keep going!" If it can help me get through a hard day, maybe it can help tone my buns, too.

In Our Hearts and On Our Minds

Little Charlotte Amalie has been on my mind a lot lately. She decided to make an early entrance into this world on Sunday- at only 24 weeks, 2 days gestational period and weighing 1.2 lbs, 11 inches long. I had the privilege to see her today and she is the tiniest, most precious and delicate thing I've ever seen. I've been thinking a lot about her mom, too, and how she is such an example of strength and optimism. Charlotte has a wonderful mommy, daddy, and big brother who love her very much. Her friends love her, too.

I told Lillian that I was going to visit her today. I told her that she's at the hospital so the doctors can take care of her. Lillian got concerned and asked, "Charlotte have legs? Charlotte have eyes? Charlotte have a bum?" Yes, Charlotte has all those things, I told her. Then she asked, "I hold her?" When she gets bigger and stronger, I said, but for now we can blow her kisses! So we both blew kisses out the window. While I was away, Lillian stayed home with Grandma and drew some pictures for Charlotte. On one of them she had my mom write, "To Charlotte's Mommy: I love Charlotte. I hope you get better." Children are so precious.

We love you, Charlotte, and you and your family are in our thoughts and prayers every day.