Growing Girls

Both Annie and Siri seem to have grown so much in the past month.
First, Siri: she's smiling and talking up a storm whenever she's awake. She always prefers watching/playing with Annie to any toy, which delights Annie to no end. Her dark hair is dropping out, and underneath what remains we see blond coming in, she'll have light hair after all (no surprise really). Siri loves sucking her thumb, and as she falls asleep often has her left thumb in her mouth, and is either grasping her ear or nose with her other hand. She's been a great sleeper, and loves being outside. She getting more strength and control of her body, and tracks us (and whatever she's interested in) with her head and sometimes attempts to roll. We're loving watch her personality emerge and how she's discovering so much. It's an incredible age.

Next, Annie: she's an amazing bundle of energy these days. She started playing with words and sounds, and will talk nonsensically for hours. Besides playing with sounds, she's loves playing with volume, and we never know when those experiments will occur. She's mastered the somersault, and will jump and climb on just about anything and everything. Annie's definitely attempting to determine limits and boundaries, so Eric and I are getting to have lots of conversations on approaches to parenting and are doing our best to strike the right balance between encouraging curiousity and independence and respect and safety. Her imagination is probably what we're seeing emerge and change the most. Today at breakfast she first was the sun, then the moon, and once she settled on the moon, she determined Eric was a star and I was a twinkling star. What that meant, we were a bit uncertain, but she seemed quite happy with the imagery. You never know when she's going to stop in her tracks and make you a peanut butter sandwich and serve it to you with carrots. This creativity is also coming through in very tangible ways, as she plays with playdough, draws, and paints. The other morning she painted a picture of a rainbow and light rail train (she's seen a rainbow riding home on the train from swim lessons), that really looked like a rainbow over a train (if you know that's what you're looking for). What makes us quite happy is how taken she is with Siri, and how she loves kissing and cuddling her, and loves to make her smile.

The following pictures are an assortment from the last month, mostly just time at home together. But, also, time with cousins Kate and Elliott (and their Uncle Carl who's recently begun his residency at a nearby hospital), and with friends.







Eric and I are doing well, too. Though admittidly we are tired, we love being parents of these two and are in awe of all that awaits them.