The Beard Babies: June 2014

Wow! January 20th, 2014 seems like such a long time ago, but in some ways it seems like a few minutes ago. Since I may not have time to complete baby books until the girls are sixteen, I want to use this blog to mark milestones for the girls. I hope they enjoy reading about their infancy and childhood and remember days that they had no choice but to smile and take pictures for Mommy!

Dear Elizabeth,
You are 5 months old today. You are our first born and have taught me so much about being a mommy. You do not like carrots or rice cereal very much, but you do love milk! You are very playful and anytime I smile at you, you smile right back at me. You only cry if you are fighting sleep or need to potty. (Sorry, sweetie, but it's true.) You make gleeful sounds and coo and are content to be in your crib in the morning until we come to get you. You love music and your favorite song is "Shake my Sillies Out..." You enjoy looking at books and like to follow Mommy across the room. You do not like loud noises, especially church bells and car washes. I think you will have a good sense of humor one day, as you always laugh at my jokes! You have a way of always finding the television screen even if I turn you the opposite way. You can hold your head up and roll over. I love you, baby girl A!

Dear Mary Charlotte,
You are 5 months old today. You are my second born baby and I love you so much, little red. You are smiling and love to talk to everyone or just to yourself with a deep coo, like you mean it from the tip of your nose to the bottom of your toes! "Umgee" is your favorite expression. You can hold your head up very well and have strong legs when we hold you up. You are rolling over and love your Clifford Wub-a-Nub. You make Mommy laugh through the day. The only time you cry is if you are hungry. That can be a pretty loud cry too! You are helping Mommy stay on a schedule! You have pretty red hair and give us burps with lightning speed. You like to look outside and you like shiny things. Watch out, Daddy, that could get expensive someday! You love to eat carrots and the first time we fed you, you seemed thankful for every bite. You are curious about new things and like to side smile and bat those pretty bluish gray eyes. I love you, baby girl B!

Mary Charlotte rolling over on Saturday made Jason's first Father's Day weekend even more special. All of us including Elizabeth have been rooting Mary Charlotte on over the past few weeks. With one baby, I wouldn't think as much about milestones such as this with any anxiety or concern. But with twins, it's hard to not make comparisons from time to time when one baby is doing something the other one isn't able to do yet. MC proved her Mommy wrong again because this week she has grown by leaps and bounds, making it harder and harder to pick out the "bigger" baby. I'm so proud of her! She's also smiling and talking so much more. It's truly a gift to see such progress and I'm so thankful for their health. I put her on a quilt on Saturday for tummy time and not thinking much about it noticed how much she was holding her head up. I called Jason over quickly and about that time she rolled over. She had this look of accomplishment all over her face! I think she even surprised herself. We cheered for her and then her big sis gave her a beaming smile.

Sunday started out with heart cut French toast and breakfast in bed for J. I was able to find a "Dad in Chief" card that suited him perfectly as well as having Shutterfly mugs made for him and our dads. I hope he felt loved and appreciated on this day because he has three girls that are crazy about him. We are so thankful for his work ethic, care for others, and his funny personality that make life with him sweeter each day. He's always made me laugh, but watching him make our girls laugh is beyond fun! Jason's parents came over for church and lunch on Sunday and we celebrated Father's Day with lasagna, salad, bread, and fresh peaches. It was nice to be at home and spend time with them. J and I are so very thankful to have two wonderful dads that taught us so much and worked so hard to provide for our dreams. Jason's parents surprised him with a gift that his dad gave to his mom thirty-one years ago. It was a terrarium, full of small, beautiful plants, rocks, and soil. It had been in his parents' basement for several years and had been used as a fish tank to the little boy that it was originally given in honor of. J said he had no idea that it was such an important jar and wouldn't have used it as a fish tank if he had only known! G spent several hours scraping it clean as well as arranging for a family friend who is a florist to restore it back to the way it looked on the day Jason was born. They had originally intended to give it to us at the hospital the day the twins were born, but as we all know the girls made a surprise early entry that no one was prepared for, including the two of us! What a special gift that we will treasure for years to come. I only hope we can keep it alive for the girls to see someday!

One of my former students, Maddie Kate, came to visit and meet the girls with her mom on Monday. She is so sweet and special to me and it was great getting to catch up with her. She is a triplet, so needless to say, I've asked her mom so many questions about raising multiples. Maddie Kate instantly bonded with Elizabeth because she had the blue blanket instead of the pink one and she has the same hair color as Elizabeth! Our refrigerator is now dressed with pictures she drew for our girls as well as a doll high chair that she gave to the girls to play with someday. It was very sweet of them to come visit and we enjoyed it so much!

Today I was able to Skype with a life-long friend, for whom our Elizabeth was named for. We always pick up right where we leave off and although she is thousands of miles away, we feel next door for the hour or two we are able to catch up. So thankful for modern technologies to stay in touch with friends around the globe. I'm so thankful for her friendship and commitment to faith. I only hope our Elizabeth has her sense of adventure, confidence, and love for others. What a name sake to have! Elizabeth Diane and her mommy and sister love you, Elizabeth Anne!