The Girls - February 2013

I thought it would be fun to jot down what's been going on each month with the girls. At least for Ashlynne's first year. So many changes going on! Since there is no 29th of February this year, I'm posting this monthly update a little early.

Ashlynne:  Our little peanut has turned into quite a hungry hippo in the last week. She's still tiny (finally at 3 weeks she was back up to her birth weight of 6 lbs, 12 oz), but may be having a growth spurt right now. She wants to nurse every 1-2 hours and cluster feeds at night. And boy is she a grump if she doesn't get her way!  Luckily she is a pretty good night-time sleeper. At 2 weeks, she started going down in her pack and play thanks to her Woombie swaddle and a heating pad to warm up those cold sheets (after days of just sleeping on Mama and Daddy's chest at night). We usually put her down around 8 or 8:30, and the last few nights she's slept 6 or 7 hours the first stretch, waking around 3 to eat and again between 5 and 6.  Some mornings she'll even go back to sleep after her second feeding until 8 or 8:30.  Then she's up for 2-3 hours before two big afternoon naps with a feed in between, followed by awake/play/fuss time for the rest of the evening. She is not a fan of tummy time, but often lifts her head on her own when we're holding her. She will hang out on her back awhile though on a blanket or on her activity mat and stare at her toys and kick her feet.  Her big sis loves to play with her during this time. She's also started tracking objects and loves to stare at lights. Her belly button was slow to heal, so she hasn't had her first bath yet...but the big event is planned for this weekend. Yahoo! In other big news, Ashlynne has started smiling (yay) and tears are starting to form in the corners of her eyes when she cries (boo!). Tears are the worst, man. Thank the heavens for baby smiles!

Harlie: The best big sister, EVER! She loves her little sis with a serious passion. Loves to kiss and hug and pet Ash. Loves to sing to her and tell her she's wonderful and how much she loves her. Is already the big protector, scolding me if I don't attend to her crying in time, and vigilantly watching over her in her swing or carseat. She also loves to play with her baby doll and Raggedy Anne dolls, dressing them up, changing diapers and strolling them around the house. I'm so proud of Harlie for pouring her love into this new little miracle and it makes my heart sing. At the same time, Harlie is vying for more attention of her own and so her days are filled with big emotions, dramatic gestures and strong will. She recently decided to quit gymnastics because she wants to take ballet classes and you can find her spinning around the house at any given moment practicing her dance moves and putting on shows for company, while singing at the top of her lungs. Her songs are usually original material although she often does a mean rendition of Firework which is her favorite song of the planet! At the playground she is always looking to make friends which simultaneously paralyzes my heart and makes it swell with pride for putting herself out there (coming from her shy Mama). When recently rejected by some boys at the park, she declared to them that they were hurting her feelings and that she has a friend named Max that plays with her all the time. After getting home and heating up the apple cider I promised her, I told her I was proud if her for trying to make friends. She said "I'm proud of me too Mom, and I'm proud of you...for making me apple cider."