No more Swaddles!

Elizabeth proved last night she is ready to be done with swaddling. Wednesday morning she stressed me out a little as I walked into the nursery to find her face down and wrapped up. This momma decided her first born may be getting too big for her swaddling nightgown. So, Wednesday night we put her down without it and  she made it all night  without the comfort of velcro, so she is officially in sleeping sacks! It was almost like she was proud of herself as she was laying all twisted and happy as a clam in her rubber ducky big girl gown. She had huge smiles as I picked her up this morning.  Mary Charlotte is still enjoying hers and I am secretly a little happy about it. G-Daddy had MC standing by her swing this week. This may be just the beginning of our dads teaching them new tricks!

This week we started making homemade baby food. We cooked several frozen vegetables they've already tried and used ice cube trays to freeze them. We popped all of them out and are using Ziplock bags to store the individual cubes until we are ready to use. It's working really well so far. The girls are enjoying them and we are saving a lot of shelf space and money from making it ourselves!

Happy Thursday from Nashville!

MC and E

MC and E take two!

MC and E, take three!

Bath time

We like tummy best!

Wow! Look at me!

E takes a break to look at Mommy

E before lunch

MC before lunch

MC after lunch

E after lunch

Sugar fingers

MC after rolling in the carrot and green bean patch

7 Months

Dear Elizabeth,
These past seven months you have taught me so much about being your Mommy. I've learned when you start squealing and put your fingers in your mouth, that means you are tired and want to be in your crib. You love to be tickled and you love to see new things. You are very curious. It's fun to watch you try new foods. You don't particularly like new foods the first time. After you get used to new introductions, then your mouth opens wide. You enjoy playing with lids, spoons, and jewelry can content you for hours. I love when you melt into me and let me cuddle you. Sometimes when I put you in the middle of the rug, I look back in a minute and you are off on the hardwood floor!

Dear Mary Charlotte,

It's been more than half of a year since you were given to us. You are our baby and the three of us love to take care of you. Clifford is your best friend other than Elizabeth and you love to have your belly blown on by Mommy and Daddy. You love to stand up with our help to see the world better and Lemon drops and Gum drops is your favorite song. You like to play peek-a-boo with the shower curtain and your smiles and laughs are huge. You've learned how to put your paci in your mouth all by yourself and you love to swing more than anything. Grandpa and Grandma's baby swing makes you happy for hours. You like to be outside and you love going to see new people and places in your stroller. 

Just had baths, bellies full and ready for the ride back home

Elizabeth with one of my old toys

MC stayed in the exersaucer for 20 minutes all by herself this morning!

Blue eyes

Elizabeth and Mary Charlotte at seven months

E says, "Yummy!"

MC says, "My turn for yummy!"

Taking these monthly pictures is slightly more challenging than it used to be!

The reason we both have our own cribs

Illinois Trip

This past Friday, the Beard mobile loaded up and took a trip to see my Mom and Dad in Illinois. The girls did really well traveling and loved getting to see Grandpa and Grandma Di Pie. My parents found a swing for their back porch that proved to be a hit with the girls. It was a great weekend. Mom and Dad got my favorite kind of pizza from Pizza Man as well as making homemade rolls and having lots of farm fresh produce. When we got there we were immediately greeted by our first baby, Annie, our dog. They have been taking care of her for us these past few months as we are currently in a no-pet townhouse. We miss her a lot but let's face it, she is definitely getting more attention there than she would at our house right now. There are so many fun things about having baby girls, but one of my favorite parts is all the adorable clothing out there. Mom bought several adorable sets of outfits as well as making ruffled Christmas pants for the girls. We always come home with more things than we brought and truly are blessed to have both sets of grandparents within driving distance. It's good for the girls to have more one-on-one interaction and also good for us as we got to have a date night to the movies. The girls got to meet my parents' neighbors. They've known our family for years and even though my parents have moved to a new house, I still consider the Mullens my favorite neighbors from childhood. I have so many wonderful memories of their sweet family. Mrs. Connie makes the best meatballs and has the most infectious laugh. 

Daddy is feeding the girls mangoes tonight as I finish blogging and we are going on a late night walk in a few minutes. This week I plan to start making homemade baby food with our blender and ice cube trays, so wish me luck! Happy Monday night from Nashvegas!

Mom with Mary Charlotte

The six months pictures came in the mail on Friday!

E trying to catch a fly with that mouth open!

Di Pie and Elizabeth with green beans

Grandpa with Mary Charlotte and sweet potatoes

Dad with MC

E fell asleep on the back porch swing that Dad just made

Connie, a neighbor, that held me when I was Elizabeth's size

Grandma with MC

Grandma Golda with girls

Grandma with her bracelet from the girls

Love this picture. I have a fun Grandma and the girls have a very fun great Grandma!

Fun times with caterpillar

Time for a bath

Arms full of babies

Smiling girls

Sunday lunch

Fun watching my Dad interact with our girls

Yummy!