Ten months

When did this happen?! How is it that you have been living with us for ten months now? You girls are such a joy. Lucy, this month you have started to crawl. And I can't put into words how ridiculously cute it is to watch you cautiously maneuver around. But, at the same time, you're like a tonka truck, climbing over anything (or anyone - watch out Jane!) in your path. Jane, you continue to show us you're excited by stiffening your legs, flapping your arms, and making a big O with your mouth. It's adorable. And, not to be outdone, you've also begun crawling, just a week after your sister.


You ladies started daycare this month. So now your schedules are completely jacked up! You still spend Mondays with me, two days with Nana and two days now at daycare. The first day I dropped you off, Lucy, you cried and cried when Miss Linda took you from me. Jane, you were pretty happy playing on the floor with some new toys. As much as I wanted to take you back Luce, and make it all better, I knew that the best thing for both of you was for me to hightail it out of that room. And I did. And then I cried my eyes out in the hallway. However, your daddy and I are so excited about this place we've found for you. You are going to grow and learn so much over this next year with your new friends and Miss Carla and Miss Hattie.


Lucy, you've just started clapping your hands together. I can even get you to give the occasional high five. The funny part to me is that you actually clap at appropriate times. If you're proud of yourself, you clap. If we say, "good job, Luce", you clap. You're a freakin' genius. Jane, just the other day, you were watching Lucy do this and decided to get with the program. Only, you can't figure out how to clap your palms together and instead you hit your fists together and then seem confused about why your knuckles don't make the same noise Lucy's claps make.


It's funny to see some of your differences. Like eating. Lucy, you're the neatest little baby eater I've ever seen. I can put macaroni covered in pesto sauce on your tray, and you pluck up one piece between your thumb and finger and pop it into your mouth. Repeat. Jane, you pick up a similar piece of pesto macaroni and first it gets rubbed in your hair. Then you see if it will fit in your ear. Next, you check the smushability factor by squishing it in your little baby fist. Finally, any remnants are pushed into your mouth. I'm pretty sure your favorite part of mealtime is getting your hands as dirty and sticky as possible and then waiting for Maggie to walk by your high chair so you can pet her and collect a handful of dog hair. This has made you squeal with delight on more than one occasion. It has made me squeal with something a little less than delight.


There's so much about you two that I just want to hold onto forever. The way you crawl and climb all over your daddy. Your sweet baby hands grabbing my neck (even though that really hurts!). The way we can be in the car or going for a walk, and Lucy, you'll start in on your humming, and I'll join in, and then Jane will join us. Your daddy seems to think this is the three of us "droning", but I love it. The way you grab food from your sister's tray, even though you have the exact same thing on your own. Your soft breath at night when we go in to whisper good night and make sure you're covered.

How did I get so lucky?

All my love and then some,
Mama

These are a few of our favorite things...

What baby doesn't love these?






ALL NATURAL, GOURMET SNOW CONES The syrups are made from all natural ingredients without ANY artificial colors/flavors. Yummy! I'm convinced Jane & Lucy remember their mama slurping these things down all last summer, and now they love 'em. Closest thing to a mojito these babies are going to get for a while.




Christmas present from Grandma and Grandpa Stroessner. They love to knock over anything Daddy builds.







One of our best books



I know; it's kind of a surprise to all of us.






These are my favorite things.

Happy 1st summer!

Jane & Lucy,

Here's the thing. I feel so blessed, fortunate, lucky. To borrow (and alter) an idea from Lewis Carroll, you two are full of muchness. I'm sitting here typing at the kitchen table, while you, Lucy are chillin' in your high chair, eating cheerios and talking to me. Jane is upstairs napping. Sometimes, simple things like this make me feel so full from the "muchness" of it. You're sitting there, patting your little hand on your tray, sunlight hitting your sweet head, kicking your feet, and you're being such a sweet, precious, beautiful, normal but so beyond normal baby that I'm overcome with momminess. I did not know about this feeling before I had you two. Sure, your dad and I wanted kids, and we thought it would be fun and fulfilling and all that good stuff, but you girls are so much more. Thus the muchness.



I adore everything about you two. Lucy, your hair is a hilarious faux-hawk, and I refuse to tame it or flatten it or try to make it anything other than what it wants to be. But don't worry - we're not trying to make a baby hipster of you. I love that you pat my legs while you're sitting on the floor playing and that you turn around to make sure I'm still watching you and that you hate to be talked over so your voice gets louder and louder until you're screeching, but you're not angry, you're just making sure you're heard. I love your belly laugh. Jane, I'm pretty sure you give the best hugs an eight month old can give. You are a book, toy and cheerio stealer. If your sister has something you want, you take it. At some point, this will not be okay (like maybe next month when we start to tell you no), but right now, it's funny and cute. You flap your arms at everything. You want another bite? You flap your arms. You want to be picked up? You flap your arms. You're excited? You flap your arms. You have a high humor standard, refusing to laugh at our silly antics. It's not that you're unhappy - very much the opposite. You're almost always smiling. But we have to work to amuse you. And then it's almost as if you laugh (your half cough/half laugh) just to humor us. But you love to make Lucy giggle and that is maybe the cutest thing in the world to watch.


Happy first summer ladies. I find myself looking forward to all the fun things we're going to get to do together in future summers while also wanting this one to never end.


Love,
Mama

The Seventh Month

How did this happen that our girls are 8 months old today? Jane and Lucy are ridiculous. They're ridiculously beautiful and fun and funny and smart and strong. I often say their cuteness isn't fair to all the other babies. This has been my favorite month so far. They've had their first sno-cones, their first trip to the zoo, their first ear infections. They've gone swimming, been to the farmer's market, and learned the polka at Kindermusik (rather, I learned the polka at kindermusik, and they got to dance with me). Jane, Jeff and I survived Jane's first diaper rash. We all got through Lucy's bout with the ear infection that wouldn't go away. They have a high chair! They sit up by themselves; they fall over by themselves. They love reading with Daddy. They are my favorite little people in the whole world.

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.