Weaning

Ben and Erin came over to play today. 

Margot took advantage of Ada's being occupied with her new playmate to spend some alone time with her toys. 

Ada and Ben get along famously. Their first collaboration as little ankle biters was to both climb up on the toy basket and simultaneously tip it over and start removing the contents for distribution around the carpet. 

Everywhere Ben went.. Ada was not far behind him. Here they are playing with the musical barn thing and animal magnets. 

The time has come at last to begin weaning the girls. They are ten months old so it is a little early but my motherly intuition tells me they are past ready. They have been nursing 4 times a day since they were 8 weeks old. Last week (I think) I dropped that back to 3... this week we are down to 2 (morning and night).. next week I will drop one of the two and then we will only have the last session to let go of. I am sure I will miss the closeness of this, but I will appreciate getting my freedom back. Also, they have never really linked nursing with comfort.. in any sort of observable way (of course there is comfort in nursing but since they don't get to really cuddle as they nurse - eating at the same time - the comfort factor is a little harder to come by). Last week I noticed Ada starting to really ask to nurse. She is not hungry and she really just wants a cuddle. I have never nursed the girls for a cuddle (unless they were sick). I can not deny that it feels nice to be wanted for the sole purpose of a mommy/daughter snuggle. However, this is not a trend I want to encourage. I have been toying with the idea of weaning them before we head to Florida in a couple of weeks and Ada's new habit just sealed it for me. I know I will miss it when it is all over with. They will not remember that I single handedly nourished them for the first 4 months of their lives. That I dedicated myself to nursing them 4 times a day for almost 10 months in total. That I made the difficult decision to try this thing, succeeded with God's graceful mercy,  and now feel comfortable in bringing it to a conclusion. But I will.  

Boone

We went to Boone again this weekend. This time, with the sole purpose of spending the weekend with Jeremy and Michelle. We brought our camera, ready to take loads of pictures of all the cuteness, but didn't realize the battery was dead until we actually got it out to use it. Then we charged it.. and still didn't use it until Sunday morning when we all went for a walk/hike on the Greenway. It is difficult to bring out the camera when you feel as laid back as we do when we are with J&M and their girls. As we commented to each other on our way home, "It's like  being at our house.. but so much better.. because it's not our house!" We had a wonderfully relaxing weekend. 

Ada and I have spent quite a bit of time cuddling in our Ergo lately. For all you baby-less folks out there.. I know the Ergo may look a little awkward .. but it is ABSOLUTELY the most fantastic, comfortable, life changing carrier we have owned. Just fabulous. 

This was the first time the girls have been on a bridge over a stream like this. Ada touched the rust on the railing so tenderly. 

The air was so cool and fresh that morning. 

Daddy and Margot enjoyed their walk together as well. Margot particularly liked when Stephen climbed down the riverbank to stand in the chilly water. He scooped some water on Margot's little foot and she curled her toes up and looked a bit concerned. 

What a weekend. I can't say enough good things. J&M are talented cooks and they fed us like royalty all weekend. The most amusing part of the visit, for me, was the way that we all changed once the kids went down for the night. During the day we all visited quietly and spent our time watching and rounding up kids, while trying to keep everyone from melting down and attempting to stay as close to their schedule as possible. Once those girls were in their PJs and down for the count, it was like we all got a second wind. Adult beverages in hand, we worked together to tidy the living space and get dinner going while we laughed and visited the way we did before our number jumped from four to eight. Thank you guys for sharing your home with us and for making us feel comfortable in it. 

Art

David sent Stephen this photo recently. If you have been following this blog for some time, you might remember that he is an artist as well, and is currently living in Denver, CO. He has an incredible eye and is a proficient sculptor. Recently, he has been making paintings of his awe inspiring surroundings out west. Please visit his blog  for images of his most current work. It is, in a word, refreshing. 

While I am waiting for Conan's big debut..

.. I thought I would post a few pictures from baby baths tonight..

Ada watching Margot get her bath.

Margot showing Ada her duck/pelican/ water bird thing..

Ada says "I'll take that!"

Look at my tugboat :)

Clean Margot puppy with her gator. 

The end. 

God speed Mr. O'Brien.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for..



..sleepy puppy on vintage bed linens..



..tender puppy paws..





..early afternoon naps :)



..baby Motrin and cold teething rings = happy little Margot



..amazing collection of wooden toys on loan from Mo and Maddy = my new obsession with wooden toys and figuring out a way to get more!







..a yummy lunch including some of Page's venison summer sausage..

..my tiny shower which, when paired with Aveda Rosemerry Mint shampoo from Mom, feels like a luxurious spa..

..a washer/dryer in my apartment..
..a washer/dryer in my apartment..
..a washer/dryer in my apartment..

..two new tires and a full service that makes our little red scootin' car feel like a first class limo..

..a few more days before Stephen is done with school and we can all have breakfast together every morning.. maybe..

..a couple of weeks until we pack up and head to Florida for a nice long relaxing visit!!!

..the fact that I could go on and on with this list :)

Baby Steps

It's the Ada show today... this little lady has been climbing up the steps all day today. She got as far as the 3rd step before I caught her the first time.. then she fell.. no tears.. just got up and crawled right back up again. Tough as nails.



Hi Mommy!



Ada's new favorite place to hang out.



Ada has also spent the last two days pushing a Cheerios box around the house. I taped it today so it doesn't collapse anymore like it does in this clip. Margot likes to join her and sometimes they push the box together but I haven't been able to catch that on tape yet.

Mountain Time

We spent this weekend up in Boone at a cabin in Hound Ears owned/loaned by one of my dad's clients who might as well be part of our family. What a sweet and generous man he is. While we were up there we got to see Jer and Michelle and their girls in their new house. Jeremy and Stephen have been friends since middle school and Michelle is just amazing. You know that feeling where you meet up with old friends and it feels so familiar.. as if time stood still while you were away from eachother.. ? That's how it feels when we see Jer and Michelle. Wonderfully relaxing and just like home.



Here are the babies on the deck of the mountain house. It was cloudy this day but when it is clear there is a perfect view of Grandfather Mountain right over Margot's head.



All eyes on me.



Here is the youngest J&M offspring. The last time you saw her on this blog she wasn't even walking yet!



Ours and theirs...



The new house is really incredible. Makes us so excited to build one of our own one day.



Here is Ada checking out her PJ's in the kitchen while Nana cooks breakfast.






Daddy giving Margot a bath in the kitchen sink.


Sweet Margot playing with her gator.



Sweet/busy Ada trying to climb out of the sink.



Here is my favorite series of photos from this weekend. My brother, John, was in Charlotte this week to take a test for a work certification and he spent the remainder of his time in NC at the mountain house with us. He surprised the girls with two Hungry Caterpiller books, matching puppets that accompanied the books, and a soft Noah's ark with animals inside.



Here are Margot and Uncle John enjoying some story time.



Margot loves her caterpillar puppet.



Meanwhile, Ada studies Nana's pancake technique.



Margot showing Uncle John her early prowess for matching games.

We certainly missed Mariel but we were happy to see John for as long as we were able. What an amazing weekend we had. I wish I had been better with the camera. On Friday, John, Stephen and I all went out for an awesome dinner with Jeremy and Michelle (sans kids) followed by a few hours of pool at a local pool hall (at least if felt like a few hours). Good beer and good conversation can not be beat. Saturday the babies slept until 9 am (?!?!??!?) and we went to J&Ms house for lunch and some visiting then back to the mountain house for a fabulous dinner and visit with Page and Jenny (Dad and Page spent Saturday at a bow hunting tournament and Jenny and Riley drove up to meet Page in Boone and have dinner with us all). Can't believe I didn't break out the camera! I think I end up having so much fun just visiting and being normal that I am afraid bringing out the camera will break the spell. Oh well. It was just a wonderfully relaxing weekend and visit with everyone. The girls were wonderfully flexible with their schedule and to be honest.. it's a little hard to be home right now...

Cousins

My sweet cousin, Christa, and my Aunt Margie came to visit us last week. She was in town from MN and drove all the way from Elkin, kid-less, to come and hang out for a little bit with the girls and yours truly. It was such a sweet visit and I only wished it could have lasted longer.

I think it's particularly amusing when I visit with Christa, now that I have the girls. See, she and I know each and every word to the original Disney's The Parent Trap, by heart, and used to attempt to dress like/be twins whenever we were together as kids. So it's sorta funny that I now have my very own Sharon and Susan :) Christa has her own set of adorable little ones, Maddie and Sam, and though I was happy to get to spend uninterupted time with she and Aunt Margie, I am looking forward to seeing her sweeties the next time she is in town. She is my scheduled parenting mentor/example :)



While we visited, Ada enjoyed entertaining Aunt Margie with her standing and dancing talents.



They almost matched perfectly in their pink outfits.

Thank you guys for coming to see us last week. I know that family time is so precious and I can't tell you how much I appreciated your taking the time to come down our way. Love you both so much :)

Thank you..

...ah hem..  thank you, dear Lord, that you gave me the motherly instinct to check on Ada (who was exploring the living room) at the exact moment that she attempted to swallow the above bracket with nail attached. Thank you Lord that she let me fish around in her mouth until I found said object and didn't try to gulp it down the way Oliver would have done. Just a warning to all you parents out there.. Stephen mounted our TV antenna cable to the baseboard using the above brackets, thinking that would help keep the cord away from the babies reach.. who knew they could pull them out of the wall so easily. We immediately removed each and every bracket right away. Major scary accident averted. 

.. and now for some adorable pictures that need no explanation..

Good Night :)