H + E | FOUR MONTHS

The girls turned five months old last week.. like what the?! We’re seven months away from that big ONE and while at times it seems like it’s taken forever to get here, it’s also coming so very quickly.  And if I had a dollar for every time someone told me it goes by too fast..the girls would have one year of college fully paid for.  Yes, I see that now…

It’s like overnight, Elsie found her feet and Hannah became a chatterbox.  Overnight they were standing in their SKIPHOPS and holding their heads up for just a little longer each day.  Like, where did four months even go?!  And will summer always speed the growing up process?  I don’t think I can handle that… 

We have two back to back vacations planned and between the six checked bags and the cumulative twenty-eight hours in the car, six months will be here and I’ll be 33 going on 84 and Dad will wake up with seven new grey hairs—both of us still saying that our girls are worth it all.  Worth it ALL.  But four months—thank you for being so so kind to us!

Things to remember:

You both HATE being swaddled, preferring to have your arms out.  In fact, I can’t remember the last time you were swaddled; it’s been a while; probably about as long as you’ve been sleeping through the night.  I think you started sleeping through the night around three months.  We can’t remember—we were sleep deprived. 

You love when Grandma sings to you – especially her version of “Old McDonald” … had a farm -e-ah e-ah ohhhhhhh.  By the way, who says “e-ah” ?!?!  Right, I didn’t think so.

Daddy loves to sing to you too and he is the only one who can get you girls to giggle on command.  He loves you more than life itself. And so do I.

Hannah we LOVE to watch you find your hands.  And Sweet Elsie girl, we think your addiction to the paci needs to stop soon—as soon as vacation is over it will, and we apologize in advance for letting you cry it out almost more than our hearts will be able to handle.  It’s a good thing you love to suck your fingers.  I debated trying to break your thumb sucking habit but I like that it’s how you’ll self-soothe.  My addiction: watching you put yourself to sleep; you like to rub your head with your lovey in one hand while you thumb suck on the other.  Well, actually, just watching you in general.

You really are just the cutest thing ever…So is your sister.  Never mind.  You are tied.

Hannah- your sweet voice is the best I’ve ever heard.  I’d say that about Elsie but you talk WAYYYY more than her.  Maybe you really are like your mom in every way possible.  You LOVE books about as much as Els likes TV… which is A LOT.  You fall asleep in the bath because it’s your most favorite thing ever, and when I comb your hair, you are patient and calm.  P.S.  I had to get a wet comb for you girls because you have so many tangles.  Daddy says no haircuts until you’re six months old… at least.  We need to work on that.

No sleep regression (not yet at least) and we like to think it’s because of our firm commitment to BabyWise-ing you both.  We’ll see…

You have the most protective big sister, EVER. And though we feel guilty for a lot of times neglecting her because of your needs, we know she is loving the opportunity of looking after you.

Hannah you give the BEST hugs burrowing your head into our necks especially getting bashful when we tell you how cute you are.  Els—your interest in everything around you makes it so hard to snuggle you, but we try anyway—sometimes you even let us.  You love to sleep with us in the early morning hours and somehow your little thirteen pound body is strong enough to push Daddy right out of bed.  Even so, he is the ONLY one you will give those sloppy wet kisses.  We’re still teaching you, Hannah.

I LOVE to read to you and I get really sad when you fall asleep before we can finish a book. Holding you in my lap makes me feel like this is what it was made to do.

You both love Uncle-Doctor Paul and some of the most funnest parts of parenting you girls are when we get to see him and learn all about your growth and development.  It’s affirmation for us—who knew we could be fully capable for keeping you alive as long as we have.  Go us.

We’re beholding God’s creation in you.  We watch you as you sleep, seeing those tiny breaths that raise your chest and bellies up and down, up and down.  And with each breath you take … woah, suddenly realizing this sounds very much like the Police song.  What I was going to say was, we thank God for you. Always we are thanking God for you.  We look at the intricacies of His design in you.  The long eyelashes, the birth mark on your eye, the finger toes, the little bubble toes, the way your belly buttons remind me that I gave you life…

all of it, because God was gracious enough to give you to us. Believe us when we say, we don’t take any second for granted. at all.

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Four month check- up in photos below.  Also- please don’t judge that I photographed the girls getting their shots.  There was something about the way they stared at their dad that made me fall in love with him all over again.. the way they looked to him for protection and the way he delivered it 110%.  Being a family is the greatest, GREATEST gift I’ve been given and of all the things we get to do together, having him next to them is the very best part.