Hats off to the class of 2008!

I didn't expect it, but attending graduation as a mommy felt different than in years past when I was just 'teacher'. As I snuggled little Mia on my lap and my friend, Dianne, snuggled Alli, I couldn't help but to picture what life will be like 17 short years down the road. I'll probably be running around buying dollar buns and plastic silverware, fretting over whether to have balloons or streamers for their grad party. Whoa... May the years pass slowly!

(P.S.- Nikki, on the far left, is going to be a UW Hockey Badger!)

Tummies and tummy time...

It seems the sweet potatoes, peas, bananas and pears are doing their job. The snaps on Mia's jammies are becoming a little stressed as her tummy grows rounder and rounder. Little Allison's turtle pocket is a bit more rounded too!

The girls are also growing stronger by the day. Allison has been flipping on to her tummy and looking like she wants to move (and getting pretty flustered that she can't...). Mia just joined in on the flipping yesterday. Last weekend Allison sat unassisted for minutes! Just like her turning over, the ability appeared out of nowhere, as just the day before she was really tippy in the sitting position. We were sitting on the bank of the Mississippi River when she decided she could sit on her own. Maybe she just needed something really good to look at. Mia is sitting for minutes at a time now too, but we still have to be close by to catch them when they get distracted. Could scooting around be next?! Yikes! I'm not sure I'm ready to parent two little movers...

At last the bunny room video...

A long time ago, when Mia first came home, I had made a little video to show the girl's room. I went back to it recently and was struck by the amount of crib space Mia needed then compared to now. The bulk of her bulk in the video is blankets. (She came home in November and I was always paranoid that she'd freeze.) Her head just looks so little! Again, I'll ask that the cheesy commentary be disregarded...

Then...

Now...

Allison, meet apples...

Auntie Amy films and provides commentary as little Allison attempts to eat apples for the first time... (The video is a little long, but I love the noise Alli makes at around 1:10!)

You might be surprised to know it was Mia, not Allison, that ended up getting sick after this meal!

Splish, splash...

Mia (top) and Allison (bottom) taking a dip in the new ducky tub. It even quacks!

Sunday fun at Auntie Amy's...

Congratulations Mark and Sarah!

This past weekend we got to celebrate our friends' wedding. Mia and Allison got all dressed up, but I'm afraid their daddy, in his tux, was the cutest of the three. The girls were pretty fidgety observers so this is the only picture we had the chance to take. After the ceremony, we took the girls home to the first lone sitter they've had. (Teams of people have watched them in the past, but not just one person...) Mia and Allison were on their best fussy behavior, but Shawn and I were grateful for the big night out with friends, a yummy dinner, and the first chance to dance since our own wedding! We hope Nanny Jenn wasn't too rattled by the experience and might be up for doing it again sometime. We'll continue to try to work out the bugs from the bedtime routine so they'll be more cooperative next time.

Congratulations and thanks to Mark and Sarah for including us on their big day!

Back to normal...

After the great weekend we had in which Mia and Allison napped well, slept well at night, and fussed very little, it took only a couple of days for things to go back to 'normal'. They are resisting naps a bit and napping for a shorter amount of time. They seem fussier during the day and particularly at night time when they cry and scream as if their crib mattresses are poking them. Perhaps they are back to being bored with mommy all day... They do seem more chipper when they have visitors!
As far as eating goes, Allison has decided avocados are so two months ago. Both girls LOVE bananas and pears and really like sweet potatoes too. Yesterday we introduced carrots... a hit with Alli, not so much with Mia. She got sick in the croozer after lunch... Maybe we'll try again later!

My first Mother's Day in Madison...

We loved being in Madison!... getting to go to the Farmer's Market, introducing the girls to family and friends, seeing the girls get snuggles from their cousins, Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle and Auntie, and just enjoying being together with family.

My first Mother's Day was very memorable! We started the morning with a cuddle fest in bed, all cousins included. I got sweet cards and fun gifts from Shawn and the girls, Mom and Dad and even Bryn and Henry! Then we all had breakfast together with my Uncle Scott, Aunt Barb and cousin Jim. Again, to get to share the day with my mom was so great. In the paper Sunday there was an article about the 'dreaded moment' some women have when they realize they have become their mothers. I, however, cross my fingers that the day may come that I am even half the mommy she is for me. I am so lucky to have her example to follow. The low point of the day was saying goodbye and embarking on a long road trip home, made even longer by road construction and traffic.

The relieved feeling I have following the weekend just shows how much I've missed being with my side of the family and may also stem from the fact that the girls behaved themselves better than they have for a while. They napped well and went to bed without much fuss. I attribute their cooperative mood to the fact that they had way more entertainment than when they are stuck home with just me during the week. I'll have to try to be as captivating as possible to keep them in such good moods, though I bet that they, just like their mommy, will feel a little blue after saying goodbye to their Madison family. Good thing we get to reconnect at a wedding in just a few weeks!

After the eight hours in the car it was good to get home, especially because we were greeted by Grandpa Ken, Auntie Amy and a yummy dinner together. As always, and on Mother's Day especially, we miss Shawn's mom, Grandma Sherry. We try to keep her close by thinking of her so very often. I have to think she is watching over us and her granddaughters all of the time.

A Four Cousins photo shoot...

Mia Allison

Meet the cousins!

I had been growing more and more bothered by the fact that my girls are nearly 10 months old and had never had the opportunity to be snuggled by their Uncle Jay and Auntie Sarah, nor meet their cousins. The last time Jay, Sarah and the Littles got to even see the girls was back in November before they came home from the hospital and that was just through the little window in the door of the NICU. As my patience with the 'no exposure to young children' rule ran out, it had come time, long past due, for a trip to Madison. It was so great to see my brother and sister (in law) hug and hold their nieces! Cousins Bryn and Henry were so loving and gentle. They were so willing to share their toys with the girls (see the toy pile on top of Mia in the picture above), and do anything to make them smile and giggle. At one point Henry even took it upon himself to put the Bumbo chairs on the table and get things ready for Mia and Allison to eat. I just hope Mia and Allison grow to be as thoughtful and gentle as their cousins! (Mia and Allison were looking down at their weiner dog uncle, Orville. They were pretty fascinated watching him walk around. They were probably wondering who shrunk Rudy...)

A Baby Blessing...

Tuesday night, Grandma Sherry's Women's Spirituality Group came to our house to hold a blessing for Mia and Allison. It was an evening of singing and snuggling, blessing and reconnecting. The girls are truly blessed to have such loving nanas.

"1000 Grandmothers"

One of the sweetest parts of the blessing was when Mia and Allison were lifted up in Grandma Sherry's memory quilt and rocked back and forth as the women's group sang to them. Mia and Alli were so content in that blanket, as if they were snuggled up in Grandma Sherry's very arms. They really love listening to people sing for them and I'm hoping their nanas might consider reenacting this part of the blessing each night at bedtime!

Camping at Grandpa's

Last weekend we pulled our new camper over to Grandpa Ken's to open it up and air it out. With the family additions our old pop-up would have been a tight fit... The girls were taking a tour and I'm hoping they thought it was pretty fun. We're planning a trip to Glacier again this summer! It could be a blessed journey or hell on wheels, but we're excited for these girls to meet our favorite place!

Mmmmmmmama...