Happy 10.5-Month Birthday, T&E!!!

Dear Tamsie and Evangelyn,

I had every intention of writing this around your actual 10-month birthday (on the 12th) to commemorate what y'all were like at that time, but with moving stuff and house stuff, I figured a 10.5-month post was better than no post at all! :) That said, I DID think to take pictures of you on your actual 10-month birthday, so the ones here are authentically from 8/12. (Don't laugh. I take my victories where I can these days!) I also know that both of you were weighing around 15 pounds on your actual 10-month birthday. You've had a little growth spurt since then, though, so you actually look a little bit tinier in these pictures than you actually are right now!

 Here are some highlights from your lives right now:

All a-giggle, Tamsie in white hat and Evie in pink hat, squishing the NICU bear

 * For starters, you're eating more, and you're eating MUCH more easily! Consequently, mealtimes are now the least stressful that they've ever been. When you saw your doctor for your regular check-up, he told us that you no longer have to be on Neosure (high-calorie formula specifically for preemie babies) and that you're growing so well that you can be on regular baby formula now! Since you are such accomplished spitter-uppers, we decided to try Enfamil A.R. with you. I hate to get too excited after having been let down so many times in the past, but we think we may have found the magic bullet! You LOVE this stuff and have started sucking it down like crazy! You're eating more at a time too. Each of you are taking about 6 oz each time you have a bottle, which is about 4 times a day. I know most babies your age wouldn't be able to handle that little food, but that is the most you've ever been able to take at once! It's so exciting! You don't always finish your bottles, but you do more often than not, and when you don't, you come awfully close. You've even let people besides your dad and me feed you, which is also a new development! Grandma, Grandpa, and JJ have now successfully fed you! I am just thrilled, thankful to the Lord, and so proud of you. You're still on Prevacid for reflux, and Tamsie, you're still taking Bactrim to prevent UTIs. (Ummm, you're supposed to be. Lately your dad and I have the hardest time remembering to give you your dose before bedtime!)

I thought it would be fun to see what you'd do with your little hats.

 * You're eating solids four times a day now: once when you first wake up, with your Prevacid, and once between each of your bottle feedings. You pretty much love everything we've given you. Even the stuff we initially thought you didn't like has grown on you. Evie, you typically eat a little more than your sister does at each feed. When she starts letting us know she's done, you just keep eating and eating and eating.

"You mean to tell me YOU'RE the photographer today, Mom? Seriously?!" - T

T rolls her eyes. Disappointment is written all over E's face.

 * We bought you a play yard gate, and your grandparents got you a second one so that we could make it take up as much room as possible for you to play in. We have cushioned the floor with layers of blankets and even a duvet so that if you fall when you're trying to stand up or get around, you won't get hurt. Both of you can play in here happily for hours on end. We just put your toys in some boxes and let you go to town, and you love exploring everything! :) This is currently your favorite activity. However, I can't leave you unattended! Since you love being so close together, one of you inevitably attempts to pull up or stand on the other one... which results in tears and drama! An adult has to be handy to keep you from accidentally hurting each other.

Contemplative

 * Both of you are sitting well and crawling well. You crawl into various sitting positions, and you also love to stand. Tamsie in particular loves to practice standing ALL the time and is practicing letting go of whatever she's pulled up on! You love sitting on your knees and pulling toys out of boxes.

Plotting something silly

 * Evangelyn, I've always said you're going to be our little musician. Now you've started singing in a really high-pitched voice! It's so cute! You sing along with music sometimes. You also love to tap your arm in time to the rhythm if I sing the monkeys jumping on the bed song to you. You've also started whistling like Tamsie!

Talking, talking, talking = what girls do best!

 * Tamsie, you're our gymnast. You're always trying out new moves, and you're very flexible! You also loved watching gymnastics during the Olympics and would get to laughing sometimes.

They love feeling faces right now - especially each other's!

 * Your favorite words: "baby," "Granddaddy" (at least your Granddaddy claims to have heard this one!), "up," "hat," "hot," "mama," "dada," "YaYa," "baby," "baba," "ah-goo-ah," various consonant sounds. Both of you love clicking your tongues, and you're pretty good at it too!

I'm surprised Tamsie is taking this so well. Usually she can dish it, but she can't take it!

 * Your top two teeth are coming in, and you are NOT loving it! You've both been a little crankier than normal lately, and when I see your little gums, I know exactly why!

They fascinate each other.

* You've also been sick this past week. It has been sad! You've both coughed a LOT, and your faces have been all puffy. Your poor noses have been all congested, but thankfully you're feeling much better now. Your mama HATES it when you're not feeling your best.

Tamsie solo time with the NICU bear

 * You make each other laugh and smile a LOT!

This girl always has a lot to say!

* You talk to each other a LOT!

She loves her bear!

* Both of you love hitting your hands on tables and trays and giggling.

Done with the bear, but the smiles are back!

* As always, you LOVE being read to. Right now your favorite books are Hop on Pop, Colors, and Moo, Baa, La La La! As always, Goodnight Moon is your ultimate favorite.

That's my 10-month Tamsie!

* Both of you are incredibly squirmy and wanting to get into everything all the time. I had to enlist your dad's help for these pictures, and even then, they were hard to get because you didn't want to sit still!

Evangelyn and the NICU bear

* Your current sizes: size 3 diapers, size 6-9-month in clothes. I'm finally getting ready to sell your old clothes at a kids' clothing sale, and it's actually making me a little sad to part with them. (Your dad doesn't get it - ha!)

Amused?

She's my shy girl.

Clearly I couldn't get enough pictures of this sweet girl and her bear!

I love my sweet E!

Last week, Evie stayed home sick, and Tamsie got to ride in a grocery cart for the first time ever!!! Yes, I know that most babies have been riding in carts for a good long time by now, but I'm a paranoid mom. (Shocker.) I left their cute little seat covers in Louisville and picked them up when we went to get our stuff last week... so now the girls can finally ride in carts! Tamsie had so much fun!

JJ came over and got to meet the girls for the first time ever! Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of her with them, but while we were chatting, I looked over to see that Evie had gotten into this box all by herself! A little while later, JJ realized she was out and crawling around her play area - so she got out all by herself too! I am sad I missed watching her do this, but I just couldn't believe she did it without any help! My girls never cease to surprise me.

You are both absolutely precious, and I am so thankful to be your mama. I love watching you grow and learn new things each day! You are both such joys, and your dad and I love you more than words can express. 

Love, 

Mom