Just had to share this great picture of Amelia.... I can't wait to get this out when she's in high school so I can embarrass her in front of her friends! Thank goodness Grandma and Grandpa Reinke were there to help me get her changed and all cleaned up!Earlier in March, we took our first road trip out of Ohio so we could introduce Amelia and Penelope to their Great Grandma Hasler and my Aunt Debbie and Uncle David. The babies did OK, but they both had some fussy moments. It's about a 2.5 to 3 hour drive and while they slept the whole way there, they were kind of cranky on the way home. At one point, we even pulled off on some little country road so I could feed Amelia and try to stop the crying. It didn't work that well (she fussed as soon as she went back in the car seat) and stopping the car woke up Penelope so then she started crying. Lovely... and I wouldn't recommend nursing a baby in the back seat of a car. With 2 car seats, the space was limited back there! But considering the trip threw their nap and feeding schedule off a little.... it's no big surprise they got fussy. We ended up not getting home until around 7:30 and decided to just put them to bed a little early which not only gave Paul and I a chance to have a quiet (although late) dinner, but also helped with the daylight savings time change. All in all, I'm really glad we were able to go. It was nice for more of our family to meet the girls and the trip itself was a good practice run for those long drives to Michigan we'll be taking one day soon....
The following week was our 4 month well-vist and we are happy to report that both of them are doing great and growing just like they should be. Amelia weighed in at 13# 0oz (40th percentile) and Penelope was 14# 8oz (75th percentile). In length, Amelia was 22 1/2 inches and Penelope was 23 1/2 inches. They got a few vaccinations and while they still weren't too happy about the shots, they both did better than at their 2 month visit (meaning there was just a little bit less crying - LOL ). I'm not sure I'll ever get used to watching them get shots and be in pain - especially Amelia. When she cries hard, it's so pitiful and it makes me want to cry right along with her. I can't imagine all the Moms and Dads out there that have to watch their children be in pain day after day and not be able to help them (like babies in the NICU or getting chemo). How hard and heartbreaking that must be.... We've been blessed to have good health and I pray for that to continue. Whoa...got a little sidetracked there. Sorry about that....
OK, back to happier topics... The weekend following our road trip Grandma and Grandpa Reinke stopped by for a visit on their way home from Alabama. While those 6 weeks that they were down South seemed to fly by (at least to me), I know the girls changed a lot during that time and impressed Grandma and Grandpa with all their smiles and "talking" and holding up their heads. Now if we can just get them to roll over before the next visit. :D Both babies have moments when they look like they're ready to roll to their tummy but then their weight shifts and they are right back to their back. I think Penelope is going to do it first, but the Dr said chubbier babies are slower to roll (b/c of the extra weight I suppose??) so who knows.
Paul and I bought them an early Easter gift that weekend - a jumperoo - and I thought for sure Penelope would love it and Amelia not so much. And wouldn't you know, they proved me wrong. Babies are so good at doing that to their parents. :-) Anyway, Amelia LOVES LOVES LOVES the jumperoo. We can put her in that and she's happy for up to an hour and it's such a great sight to see! Paul says every night how he could just sit and watch her "jump" all day long. Penelope isn't so sure about it though. She watches Amelia and appears to be interested but when I put her in the seat, she seems to get frustrated after about 5 minutes. Oh well... she has her playmat for entertainment. And since Amelia doesn't seem to be into that as much, it works out pretty well.
It also seems like the girls notice each other more, which is pretty cute to see. One morning we held them up to each other face to face and Amelia hiccuped and that made Penelope break out into a big grin. Seeing them really start to be more aware of - and interact with - their surroundings is pretty amazing. Especially when I think back to just a couple of months ago when they barely even acknowledged Mommy and Daddy. I know it is only going to get better and better and I can't wait to watch them become each other's friend and playmate. Sometimes when I lay them next to each in the crib, they grab hands and while I know it's completely unintentional, it's still so sweet to see. Someday I know they will do it for real.
As for how Paul and I are doing - we are busy and tired and sometimes completely overwhelmed, but we also seem to be getting into a routine. It's taken some time to adjust to all the changes we've experienced during the last 4-5 months, but each week seems to get a little better. Now if only we both didn't have to work so much... I had some required overtime this past week and now Paul has to work both Saturday and Sunday this coming weekend. No fun! We really hope that our work schedules slow down as the weather gets nicer so we can have more family time on the weekends going to the metro parks around town and just getting out and enjoying spring time in Columbus.
