Breakthrough Babies

It seems that the theme in our lives right now is breakthrough. We're either experiencing one or hoping and praying for one all the time. A lot of what's going on is very exciting, and a lot is very difficult... but progress is happening, and I keep hearing that it only gets better!

Evie and the NICU bears

 * Let's get the not-so-fun out of the way. After what seemed to be a fading-out process, feeding issues have returned. We are trying to get the girls to see that eating is goooood. Bottles are goooood. Apparently that's not always an easy lesson for everybody to learn! In fact, it's getting hard to hear about babies who just love to eat and can't get enough. While we're happy to hear about that, it just makes us feel so hopeless. What also makes it particularly hard is that we'll have a few good days with no tears during feeds, and we'll get all excited and think the worst is over... then it just randomly returns. We are praying for a breakthrough to come very soon!

* Also, we're hoping some teeth literally break through any time now. The poor girls' pain has escalated, and they are awake at all hours of the night, crying and biting their hands. Tylenol helps... for a while. I just feel so bad for them and so helpless!

Tamsie and the Peek-a-Boo Monkey her grandparents gave her. She never knows when it's going to say, "Peek-a-Boo," so she just eyes it suspiciously whenever it's around!

 Now on to some enjoyable breakthroughs! :)
* The girls are laughing when we play peek-a-boo these days!

Wrestling is not just for boys! Of course the girl version involves something akin to playing with hair....

Care for a scalp massage?

Sister love

 * The girls have been recognizing their names for a little while now. They have also learned what "Can you sit up?" and "Can you stand up?" mean, which is really fun! If we're holding their hands, they will sit and stand on their own when we ask them these questions. I think it's so neat they can understand us, even though they can't talk yet!

Tamsie wanted to help hold her dad's bag of chips,  which made for some funny pictures! :)

 * Tamsie has been learning to splash in her bath, which has made bath time more fun for her. She initially loved her baths, then she decided she didn't care for them too much... so it has been nice for her to learn to have fun during bath time.

 * The girls slept in their cribs last night for the first time since their pre-Nap Nanny days! They really didn't have a hard time with the transition at all. While they woke up a lot, it seemed to have more to do with teething issues than anything else. Who knows? Maybe that's why feeding is so difficult right now too. Those poor little gums!

Evie bites on a teether. She and Tamsie both love this rattle, and their eyes get huge whenever we shake it!

Tummy time with Evie and a mirror

While it's not without its share of long days and long nights, being a mom to Tamsie and Evie is by far the greatest thing I have ever done! It's so easy to be scared that we're doing something wrong, or there's something we should try that we haven't yet. Sometimes when they're crying I wish that they could take a break, look at me with a smile and say, "We get it, Mom. You're trying. We know we're hard to read sometimes, but we appreciate what you're doing." Alas! All they can do is cry or maybe crack a smile or say, "eh-goo-ah!" But I always say that when they smile and laugh, that makes the hard times MORE than worthwhile, and I just keep remembering that this time will go by so fast, and it's important to enjoy it while it's here!