Social butterfly

It has been a very social week for little Miss Molly. The neighborhood kids have been playing outside most afternoons. She sees Teddy several times a day. And still she complains that she wants to play more with friends.

Last week Teddy's mom offered to take Molly and Teddy to Drumlin Farm one morning so I could go buy seedlings for the garden. I was so glad for the offer but when the time came to leave Molly, I was really sad. The Drumlin Farm trip has become a tradition for both of us and it made me really sad to send Molly without me. I missed her all morning.

OK, Kate is sleeping (seems like a growth spurt to me) and Molly just came over and said, "Will you play with me?" So I'll keep this very, very short.

Here's Molly in the sprinkler this weekend. It was SO HOT!!!!

This was Molly's request this morning: braids!! We've never done her hair like this before. We both had a lot of fun with the photo shoot.

That reminds me, we did finally make it to the portrait studio to get our family photos taken (hence Molly's new found interest in hamming for the camera). I'll post those photos once I get them on the computer.

OK, one little anecdote and I'm off to play with Molly.

The other day Kate was resisting sleep when she was clearly tired so I was telling Molly how she used to do that, too, (used to???) and asking if she had any insights as to why a baby would do that. She told me, "Maybe it's because she's lonely for your heart."

Oh, one more thing. About Kate. Last night she was cooing and I cooed back to her and we had our first conversation!!! It's very exciting that she's finally waking up a little to her place in the world. She's also getting a little control of her hands. First clue? The other morning she swatted at Molly's face. Awww, so cute.

So we're getting ready for our first big road trip with two girls. After our drive home from VT, when both girls were screaming and waking each other up with their screams, we're a little worried we might not make it. Wish us luck!!!

Party time

The party event of the season finally arrived. Molly had been looking forward to Lex's 6th birthday party for weeks and it did not disappoint.

Some scenes:

Kate ready to go in her party duds, courtesy of Aunt Anna

Molly chasing the Gator ... this was BEFORE she even had cake.

Playing on the new swingset (Molly's behind Eve on the glider)

Kate watching Lex open his presents. I swear nobody put her hand like this. She did it on her own.

Bonus shot of Kate having tummy time this morning. (Unrelated to party)

Play

I think the girls had their first experience together that would be considered play the other day.

Molly was playing footsie with Kate and got a bunch of smiles. Then they had something going where Molly was running around to either side of Kate's head and Kate was turning her head. Molly was laughing and Kate was smiling. So fun!

Here's is a recent family portrait. Molly sounded out "Kate" and spelled it "Cat." ( She also spelled Dolly "Dole") That's Kate in the top left corner. Lets see if I remember ... she's got wings, and shoulders and arms in sleeves and a belly button and wooden Dutch shoes. That's Molly in the middle (also wearing Dutch shoes), Mommy and Daddy in the top right, a sunshine, a tree and grass.

Changing pad snuggles.

Six weeks

Here we are at the point I've been anticipating as the most difficult part of our first few months with the baby -- the six-week peak of fussiness. What a relief to have made it this far!

And guess what. It's been a fantastic day!

Mostly it's thanks to two wonderful ladies who drove a long way to play with our two very lucky little girls (and to give us grown-ups help around the house and some time off).

Kate has defied all logic by sleeping longer at night, despite having a stuffy nose -- her first cold :( Last night she slept from 7 p.m. until a little after midnight, her first 5-hour stretch!

Also, I got to do some sewing yesterday. I mowed the lawn and got groceries on my own today. I'm even wearing my first pair of pre-pregnancy jeans today (and pretending they're not cutting into my waist).

Now both girls are sleeping in their own rooms (though Kate keeps waking up because of her cold), I got a little nap, the house is clean(-ish). What a day!

Thank you, Oma and Beppe!!!

Kate drinking a bottle of breast milk. We've been giving her one bottle a week just to keep her used to it, in case we ever need it. She doesn't seem to mind the bottle, especially when it comes from Beppe.

Woot!

I can't believe it ... two girls napping at the same time! And Molly's actually napping in her own bed!!!!!

This is not where I thought our afternoon was going. Kate was awake after lunch and it was getting late for Molly's quiet time so I brought everybody into my bed for stories. Last time I tried this it was a disaster. Kate cried and I couldn't kep her quiet, even with nursing. The crying made the stories less than soothing for Molly. Even when Kate was quiet it seemed way to stimulating for Molly to have her in the bed with us.

Not so today. Kate was relatively quiet, Molly happened to have picked some very short stories and we got through without any problems. Then when it came time to lie down and sleep, Kate wanted to nurse. I asked Molly if she wanted me to nurse Kate in bed or take her out of the room. She wanted Kate there. But then Molly got all crazy, flopping around and kicking her legs and stuff -- usually a sign she wasn't going to be able to sleep. I told her she needed to settle. She said she wanted to go to her room for quiet time instead. Fine. I fell asleep nursing, hearing Molly talking to her toys in the background.

An hour later, I realized I'd been sleeping for a long time. I got up to tell Molly quiet time was over. That's when I found her in her bed, sippy cup cradled in her arms, lights on, fast asleep. Unbelievable!!!

Things are definitely harder with two kids but man, what a rush when things go right!!

Crying in stereo

At least once a day lately I find myself trying to soothe two crying children at the same time. Either one can start it, but they both get going and I have to step back and laugh to myself -- otherwise there would be three of us crying (I can't say that's never happened, either). Fortunately it passes pretty quickly and then everybody seems to forget they were so unhappy.

Usually the dual crying really ramps up around 4 p.m., especially on days when Molly doesn't nap. Today it hit early -- before lunch!!! -- and I knew we were in for trouble. Today I think it started with Molly having a tantrum because I wouldn't give her lunch at 10 a.m. (snack wasn't good enough) and she shrieked so loud for so long that Kate woke up crying from a nap. Ah, joy.

I just keep repeating my mantra --  "It's all temporary. This phase goes by so quickly. This is the hardest part. It's going to get easier." We're approaching Kate's 6-week mark this weekend, which is typically the peak of newborn fussiness. Fingers crossed she's a typical baby and it's about to get better really soon.

At least we have comedy in our day, too. Today Molly had quiet time in her room instead of a nap (which she's really good at -- I had a nice little nap myself until Kate woke me up). I knocked on her door to tell her quiet time was over and found her dressed like this:

"What?"

Happy Mother's Day

I'd like to say this little baby was smiling at her mother for Mother's Day but really it was her daddy who made her smile this morning. Still counts as a gift.

Molly told me last night before bed that she wants to make me a Mothers Day card. This morning she went to work on it first thing, even before having her milk. This is what she made me:

It says "Molly" and "To Mommy" (if you can follow some of the letters vertically). My first homemade Mother's Day card!

Naps

So it's nap time. Molly wanted a very early lunch and quiet time today so I agreed, since Kate was napping anyway. Unfortunately, she didn't fall asleep after the usual routine. Neither did I, so after about a half hour I finally got up and left her in our bed. She's cool with that so far. She told me to come get her when quiet time is over. I was hoping she'd fall asleep on her own but she was singing to herself last time I went down to listen. Kate's been down in her own bedroom for a while, too, and she keeps stirring but not quite waking up. It's possible both girls are awake and being ignored while I sit here on the computer. Oh, well. At least nobody's complaining.

Some photos from the week so far:

Molly and Kate on our first day alone, just the girls.

I just missed her smile in this one. You can at least see how much her face has changed.

"Reading" to the dog.

Molly and Company "Flying to the North End for lunch"

Back to work

Well, we girls survived our first day with Jim at work. It went surprisingly well, thanks to some good luck. Mainly, it was a lucky coincidence that Kate fell asleep right after lunch and stayed asleep long enough for me to read stories to Molly and lie down with her until we both fell asleep. I think for a precious 20 minutes we were all napping at the same time. And then Kate's wake-up squawk didn't wake Molly. Phew! I'd be even happier if we had started to develop some new nap routine or strategy but hey, any sleep is good sleep.

My first trip out of the house alone with both girls was to Kate's one-month check-up today (Happy one-month birthday, little girl!). We had a long wait in a packed, hot waiting room and both kids held it together pretty well. Some weird guy waiting for an appointment offered Molly a lollipop and she shook her head no, so he gave it to me and encouraged her to take it out of my hand, which she did. It wasn't until afterward that I realized that I had just condoned, against Molly's better judgment, the act of taking candy from a stranger. She devoured the thing in the exam room before the doctor showed up. She hasn't shown any signs of poison yet, but I'm keeping my eye on her.

Kate's check-up was quick and painless. She weighs 10lbs, 9 oz. (50th to 75th percentile). None of my descriptions of her fussiness set off any alarms for the doctor. As I assumed, it's all just normal baby stuff.

OK, I must get in bed now. Must!!! Good night.