Mother's Day 2010

Lucy & Jane,

Thank you for making me a momma! Last year at this time, I was pregnant with you two, so I felt like that was my first official mother's day, but I can tell you now that growing you inside of me is a LOT different than growing you outside of me. So, once again, I'm claiming this as my first real mother's day.



These past six months have been the most poop-filled, sleep-deprived, bottle-making, diaper changing, bouncing, soothing, walking, rocking, making up songs on the fly months of my life. They have also been the most love-filled months of my life. I can't help but regularly watch the two of you in amazement and wonder and awe as you discover and grow and continue to become. You are my babies. My daughters. Pieces of me and your daddy. I could not love you more. Thank you for being here.

Love,
Mama

Road Trip!

Lucy and Jane have survived their first real road trip (I'm not going to count the relatively quick drive to see Grandma and Grandpa in Jeff City)! We went to South Dakota for a long weekend so the Hartmans could meet these little cuties.

They were soooo good! Here are some highlights:

They got to see the world's only corn palace! Notice I didn't say world famous...


More corn palace fun:


Then they got to meet their great-grandma Hartman. She's where we got Jane's first name Sophia (interestingly, Grandma doesn't go by Sophia either - she's a Gertie).

And yes, that's the girls in matching pjs! Unfortunately, they have a little bit of stranger anxiety going on, so they didn't let Grandma hold them for too long before they'd start the waterworks.

They also got to meet and play with their great-uncle and aunt - Ted and Charlene, their cousins (really they're third cousins or first cousins twice removed or something like that, but it's just easier to say cousins) Bill and Lynette, Todd and Tarin and their kiddos, and Mark and Raylee, whose name I may have just mispelled.

Jane celebrated our return home by rolling over for the first time! It's amazing how quickly they're changing and developing into little people with distinct personalities and senses of humor and smiles that will just about kill you...

It's Spring! (almost...)

Yesterday after work it was warm enough (and still light out thanks to Daylight Savings) to take the girls and Maggie for a stroll around the neighborhood. It was the first time both girls were awake for a walk. Jane made "mmm" noises for every bump (so a lot of noises), and Lucy practiced being cute.

This is the seat we bought Lucy & Jane over the weekend, and they LOVE it. In fact, I think we're only a short time away from them fighting over who gets to sit in it. Jane has been practicing her sitting skills longer than Lucy, and now she likes to grab the bee and play with the little donut ring things under the bee. By the way, she's going to be a lefty!
Lucy got tired of staring at the monkey on the activity mat this morning, so I put her in the Super Seat (that's really what it's called), and she bobbled around for a good 10 minutes. She got the hiccups and every time she hiccuped, her head would loll backwards, and you could tell that it took all her concentration and neck strength to pull it back upright. Our cute little bobblehead...

4 months!

The video below was taken a few days ago. Lucy makes her most recent noise while Jane is fascinated with her own hand.

Party girls

Lucy and Jane got to go to their first birthday party today! Our friends Mike and Jen have a little boy, Finn, who turned one, and we got to join in for the festivities. It's hard to believe that in less than a year, our girls will be that big and maybe even running around. Anyway, they got to wear their party dresses, and if I do say so myself, they are beautiful in them. Thanks for the dresses Grace!

I can hardly believe they're already almost 12 weeks old. In some ways, it seems like we've had them forever, and in other ways, well, time has flown by. I was packing up clothes that don't fit them anymore and almost shed a few tears as I put those tiny little newborn onesies away. Okay, maybe there's no "almost" about it. My babies are going to be three months old in no time!

There's nothing cuter than a nearly naked baby, right?


Things I love about Lucy (in no particular order):

1. This girl has some wild hair.
2. She smiles with her whole face. Sometimes with her entire body.
3. When she's sobbing inconsolably, I can cradle her up against my body, rock her a few times, and she calms down quickly.
4. She snorts. I know. That's kind of sad because she's having trouble breathing, but seriously, it's so cute.
5. She has the most expressive eyebrows I've ever seen on a baby.





Things I love about Jane (again, in no particular order):
1. She has some serious chipmunk cheeks.
2. Her sneezes. Achoo, achoo, huh-ahhhhhhhhhh.
3. When you put her up on your shoulder, she snuggles, almost melts, right into you.
4. She's so observant. Sometimes when she and Lucy are in their crib together and Lucy starts crying, Jane just watches her.
5. She loves to coo and carries on quite the baby conversation.

A typical day

Here's Jane (Thing 2), fascinated with the mobile.

And Lucy hanging out on her activity mat.

In case you were wondering, here's a snapshot of a typical day at the Stroessner house. Eat, burp, change diapers, nap, kick it on our activity mat or under the ocean wonders mobile, repeat. Sometimes we still can't believe we have two of these! It may be a lot of work, but it's worth it!