Sweet Potatoes.

Not only a delicious vegetable, but an appropriate nickname for these darlings, don't you think? Here they are, with their first taste of tubers.

Naomi, still with some enthusiasm for the idea. That faded pretty quick, but we took advantage of it while we could. (The flash makes it look as though she's just made an unfortunate lipstick choice, doesn't it?)

And Lillian, who (surprise!) took to it pretty well. She still made some hilarious faces, as she adjusted to a new flavor sensation, but she got the hang of it.

We're still trying to teach them not to suck on the spoon as though it were a very inefficiently shaped bottle, and that involves a lot of noises and open mouth expression that you hope they'll imitate. Feeding Naomi the next day, I figured out that if I shook a rattle over her head, she looked up and opened her mouth. Then I could launch a surprise attack with a spoonful of orangey goodness. She was on to me in about 3 spoonfuls. You'll notice in both of those pictures, that neither girl has sweet potatoes in her eyelashes or ears. It was early in the process. Lillian had a small dot of sweet potato cemented to her nose for the next 36 hours.

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Think these two like each other much?

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I am trying to teach Lillian to give herself her Prevacid. I think she's almost there. (Disclaimer: this is _not_ a hypodermic needle, no matter what it may look like. It's really an oral medicine doser. I swear.)

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Had the girls been born on their due date, they'd be 5 months old today. They are, in fact 33 weeks exactly, or 7.6 months. (I found a 'how old are you' calculator on Google. Yay!)

Developmentally, they are doing splendidly. They are working on impressive things like sitting up for a few moments before they topple over sideways like drunken sailors. They approach lots of things two-handedly, especially those things that they'd like to put directly into their mouths. They bear weight on their legs, especially Naomi, who gives the impression that she'd like to begin pole vaulting lessons now, please.

Mostly, they just work on being cute.

Father's Day Weekend

We kicked the weekend off with a thoroughly tepid yard sale. Thankfully, the weather was amazing, so we got the most of sitting outside and chatting with neighbors. We have just barely less stuff than when we started. Anyone want a coffee table?

Sunday, we drove to Geneva to Grandma Rand's church, The United Church. We ran a bit late (surprised?) so as we walked in the front, the congregation had already started their community announcements. There were lots of murmured 'aww's, that did well to assuage my embarassment.. Nana and Papa were already waiting to meet us in the pew. The girls were just perfect through the ceremony, seeming to really delight in the singing and clapping. And especially the ceiling fans. When the time came, we all trooped up the front and the girls were baptized. There may be a few of you who are cocking your heads, puppy-style. Fair enough. I'm not one for church, really. But this is the church of William's youth and his mom still faithfully attends. And this day really was magical. Everyone, from the pastor, to the choir director, to every member of that congregation, was so warm and gracious. They were just thrilled to see the girls, as they had been praying for them since they were born in November. And Lillian and Naomi just ate it up. Naomi busted into the biggest grin-and-kick-dance as Pastor Bob touched her head with the water. They smiled at everyone, dozed a bit through the rest of the service and turned on the charm again for the after-service coffee hour. We all returned to Grandma Rand's for a delightful lunch and conversation.

I was much too overwhelmed to remember to take pictures, but Grandma Rand had her head on straight, so she will be emailing some to me.



Here we are, the shiny happy family. I've got Naomi, William's holding Lillian.



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I went up the stairs the other evening, and captured perfectly in the door frame, William sat with Lillian on his lap, reading her a story, as the sunlight splashed on the wall behind them. Naomi just lights up everytime he is near. Yesterday, he sat with her on the couch while she giggled at the dog, and his share of the joy was so obvious.

These tiny moments are only the pinhole view into the full picture of his dedication as a father.

I am so blessed.

...And the livin' is easy...

The girls are very much enjoying their summertime luxury. With William home, we are able to devote more attention to them one-on-one and have more adventures.

In the adventure category, we have spent some days outside. Lillian did a great job supervising as we laid the stones for a walkway in the backyard. We've enjoyed some time in the parks and at friends' houses. A perennial favorite, Parade the Circle, was this past weekend and the ladies really seemed to get a kick out of it. Here is the first half of the marching sandwich. We're pretty sure this was Lillian's favorite part. Note the giant toothpick guy up front. There was a person dressed as a pickle bringing up the rear. God, how I love this parade.

New skills are abounding. Naomi has learned to buzz her lips in a kind of dry raspberry and does it often. She looks like she's getting ready to say some really complicated word starting with 'p', like preferential, and just hangs out there with her lips pursed for a bit. Then she just gives up on the vocabulary and goes "ppptht" instead. Lillian has learned to imitate Alfred Hitchcock:

The cereal-eating is going well, and we've branched out to oatmeal. They really are getting better at _eating_ and not just having food smeared near their mouths. Look for veggies in the next week or so.

Next post won't be so lame, and I'll have more pictures. But we're busy playing here, people!

Road Trip!

Lillian and Naomi successfully completed their first-ever overnight road trip! We headed to Cincinatti over Memorial Day weekend to see Vanessa, Christopher, Peyton, Riley and Taylor. Saul and Leann were gracious enough to let us stay with them, risking a night of off-kilter babies. But, no worries. The ladies did just fine, sleeping in their pack and play. They certainly fill it up more than they used to!

We lounged a lot, enjoying the beautiful weather and watching the big kids ride bikes and sing songs. It was a quick trip, but we still managed to fill the Jeep with stuff. It was nice, though, just to prove to ourselves that it can be done.

Peyton and all the ladies:

The girls are doing marvelously, and growing so fast! They are over 25 inches long already. This means they've grown over 10 inches in not quite 7 months. By due date, they would be just over 4 months old, and they are right on track for the developmental milestones. They roll over (Naomi moreso than Lillian.) from stomach to back and from side to side. They bear weight on their legs when you hold them up, or they're in the bouncer or exersaucer. They laugh and smile back when you smile at them. They are using two hands to approach a lot of things now. I watched Lillian this morning as she tried to put a pacifier back in her mouth. She had the general idea, just needed some guidance. Also, she wouldn't let go once it finally got in there, so she promptly pulled it out again, only to restart the process.

Naomi seems to be getting over her fear of Papa. It was tragic, really. Everytime we handed her to the big, scary guy, she'd thrust out that lower lip and begin to wail. But, she's warming up. Soon, she'll be on the back of the Harley (or the ATV, or the plane) having the time of her life.

I hear the sounds of waking girls now. Good days, everyone.

Bad to The Bone!

Here are the girls in their Harley gear that Nana and Papa brought from Arizona. Don't they look like little tiny bad-asses? The urge to draw little tatoos on their pudgy arms was almost irresistable. (Lillian in cream, Naomi in black.)

Here are Nana and Lillian enjoying the swing and the sunshine in the backyard. Can we get a Hallelujah for summertime? The girls got to meet their friend Rowen this weekend when his parents brought him up from Virginia. It was amazing to watch this 18 month old truck around the house, talking and interacting and imagining that soon there will be two of those things in our house, all the time!

We've started our rice cereal adventure. Naomi was sincerely unimpressed the first time, but things have improved, especially once we let the soy formula work its magic. Here's her "Uck" face. Lillain? Much more inclined towards things that are edible. Or not. As soon as we were done scraping the cereal off of her face, she began eating the bib you see here.

Someday, soon, I promise, I will get video on here, because you all deserve to have the delight that is watching these girls in the doorway bouncer. Think Riverdance.

Week 28.39867240: She ain't heavy, she's my sister!

As of this point, the girls have been out as long as they were in. We've reached this milestone a little faster than your average bears, but so far, so good. (I don't actually know how long bears gestate. Anyone?)

We had our official 6 month appointment today, as our pediatrician was off on his honeymoon last week. The girls still get great marks, and are solidly in the growth charts for their full-term companions. Height and head circumference are right in there as well. Numbers say their heads are right in the 50th percentile, but you wouldn't guess it to look at them. Especially Lillian. She just looks like she has a giant head because she has tiny ears and no hair. Both girls measure with the exact same circumference. One place they are not even anymore is weight. Lillian's now the bruiser, tipping the scales at 15lb14oz. Naomi, once the perpetual leader in the weight race, is a puny 15lb4oz.

We've been given clearance to start rice cereal, so you'll be getting some interesting photos coming up here soon. After that, make way for veggies that stain! Before that, though, Naomi will be starting on soy. She's gonna be one of them vegan, tree-hugging babies. Do they make Birkenstocks this small? We're thinking it might help her catch up with Hulk Lillian, as she might be sensitive to dairy. Not that she's a twig, or anything. Sister's got the rubber-band wrists.

We had the girls out for a lovely adventure this weekend, walking the towpath trail in Peninsula with Nana and Papa. Lots of families out on bikes. Apparently the bicycle shop there rents those little seat trailers that attach to a bike so your kiddos can relax in style while you bust a hump down the trail Already looking forward to watching William tote them along!

Here are the girls, Nana, Papa and William sitting along one of the locks in the canal. (Naomi's on Nana's lap.)

Week 27 +/-

Eeep! How did this happen???

Lillian and Naomi are six months old today.

Think they've changed much?The rate at which they change is impossible to describe. I already look back at this blog in wonder--who are those tiny things??

Speaking of tiny things, Happies of Birthdays to the girls' newest friend. Nat and Amanda's baby girl was born today. I'm sure the three of them will team up in delighting us and torturting Jack in no time.

All sorts of exciting things have happened recently. Some things are not happening any more. Having demonstrated their mastery of rolling over, they have decided to forgo any futher exhibition of this skill. However, we have traded that in for laughing. Especially Lillian. I can't get this on video, because in order to make her laugh, I have to sit her on my lap and lift her up so that her forehead bonks against mine over and over again. It's totally worth it.

The girls are starting to figure out cause and effect. In their bouncer seats, we have toys that hang on the bar that goes over their heads. I hung a toy with a bell, tied a string to it and looped the string around her wrist. (Lillian first, then Naomi.) Within minutes, each girl discovered that if she flails her arm, the bell rings. Much flailing ensued. It's hysterical. This if-then thing also works in the bathtub. They have realized that if they do a whole body dance, lots of water splashes everywhere and that's fun. Bathtime has gotten a little messier for Mom and Dad. Nana helped out with baths last week and cheered Lillian on with shouts of "Make the bubbles, Lillian!" and she would kick and splash, frothing up the bubble bath.

Mother's Day is tomorrow. It's still odd to me that I am someone's mother. Two someones. As all the mothers out there already realize, it opens up a depth of feeling that I didn't even know existed. In all the stress and exhaustion, there is also calm. We worked so hard and waited so long for these little girls. There was so much anguish and worry and fear and agony. And I wouldn't give back a minute of it. It couldn't be any other way.

Thank you to all those mothers who have shown me how to do this, whether they meant to or not. And to those who are not yet at their goal to be mothers, have faith. Each moment of waiting makes each moment of joy that much sweeter.