The girls turned one today!  I remember the day they were born as if it were yesterday, yet it does feel like it was a long time ago.  I can’t even imagine what life was like without them.  They have completed our family and we are so in love. This past month more than ever their little personalities have really started to shine.  It’s been a lot of fun seeing how similar they are to their brothers!

Similarities

• They are not sleeping through the night.  They were for a little and then they reverted right around the time that we took them to Austin.  I think it also has to do with the fact that they are teething.  The last few nights they’ve been getting up around midnight and then again around 5 or 6 am.  They go down pretty easily for bed around 7 pm.  Slowly getting there…
• They are still taking two naps a day.  One in the morning around 10 am for an hour to an hour and a half and then another in the afternoon starting sometime between 2 and 3 for about an hour.
• They are wearing size 4 diapers.
• Neither of them is walking yet but they both can go from a sitting position to standing without holding onto something to get up.  They also shimmy around the room quickly by holding onto the furniture.
• They love to eat.  I think they eat more than the boys for each meal.  There isn’t anything they don’t eat, although for some reason Olivia isn’t a big fan of raspberries.
• This past month they tried climbing the stairs for the first time.  They show no fear and are a little too curious about them.  My parents were letting the girls have some freedom and before I knew it I heard my dad say that Emiliy was 2/3rds of the way to the top of the stairs…eek.
• They have both started crawling into our laps to sit.  Typically it’s the lap that the other one is already sitting in.  Lots of fighting over us…
• I made it a year breastfeeding!!!  I knew I could do it since I did it with the boys.  Now to figure out when to stop.  I’m wasting away. My BMI is 17.5 which is considered underweight. It can be hard after a feeding to move as I feel like my energy has been drained.  But I eat everything I see.
• Both girls love music and dancing. They are naturals.
• While there is some bruises with the girls I feel like there is already much less of that going on than when the boys were their age.
• The girls love to be near each other lately.  They also are starting to get annoyed with one another.  I think it’s time to start separating them a bit so they miss each other.

Emily

• Height:
• Weight:
• Head circumference:
• Teeth: 7 (4 on top, 3 on the bottom with another on the way)
• Favorite toy: The car or cart, she loves to practice walking by pushing things around the room.
• Emily has been screaming a lot lately.  I think she learned that one from her brothers.  She definitely knows how to get our attention.  And once you look her way she gives you a big toothy grin.
• Emily loves to stand at the gate and watch as the boys go to school and Steve leaves for work. She’ll also come over to the gates when I’m in the kitchen or near the front door. She’s very curious.
• I absolutely live for Emily’s “evil giggle”.

Olivia

• Height:
• Weight:
• Head circumference:
• Teeth: 2 (2 on the bottom.  I think we’re starting to see one of her big top ones poking through)
• Favorite toy: ALL of them.  She’s not very good at sharing.  If Emily has something she goes to take it away.  If Emily tries to take something from her she screams and looks at us with a “give it back to me” look.
• Olivia has been talking a lot lately.  I love her little gurgle noises.
• Olivia loves to take toys and move them around the room, especially ones with wheels.
• If you ask Olivia how old she is she’ll hold up one finger.  She can also clap!
• She loves to climb and can get on the couches and the love sac. She’s also getting good about getting off.  She’ll turn her little body around and come back backwards most of the time.

Us

I need to get a picture of all of us.  I got some cute ones from Steve’s cousin’s wedding that I’ll be posting soon.  Things have been crazy at work for Steve and I.  We’ve definitely fallen back into a routine and the girls are just another part of our hectic days.  The boys love their sisters but at the same time tend to ignore them.  I got the opportunity to do a voiceover for an IBM commercial that aired during the US Open.  Awesome experience!  I’ve got a few other conferences and trips planned for the remainder of the year but I’m trying to be more selective of the events I say yes to.

Gracie has gotten a few more gray hairs in the past year but she loves her sisters and the extra food they throw her way.