9 months

Harper and Ryan,
   I can't believe that it has been almost 9 months since you were born!  You have both changed so much and have gotten so big that its almost like you aren't babies anymore!

Halloween- Almond Joy and Mounds Bars!

6.5 months old at Halloween

One of my favorite pictures of Ry!

Ryan,
  You are the sweetest little cuddler ever.  All you want is to sit in someone's lap and play and give hugs and kisses and have someone hold you.  Your sister is very much focused on trying to walk, but you my sweet boy are happy to be held and are much more focused on communicating with us instead.  You love to wave at us and are so proud of yourself when we wave back!  You say da-da, and have started to say bu-bye.
     You are so silly! You figured out that you have a tongue and like to stick it out! You also like to lick my face, but I think those are supposed to be kisses, so I don't mind too much.  You also think that getting your tummy tickled is super fun and like when mommy says shes going to get your belly! When Harper is in the bath tub, you like to stand at the edge of the tub laughing at her.  You love that sister, for sure.  Anything that she does you just have to go do too ( so maybe you're jealous of her!). If she laughs, you crack up! Sometimes she likes to pretend to laugh so that you will laugh for real.  You are defiantly a mama's boy and while you love Daddy, too, Mama is the best!   You like books and like when mama reads to you. I think you may be my little bookworm!
        You are a super fast crawler and started crawling when you weren't even really 5 months old.  You are also an escape artist and it is super hard to keep you contained because you want to be with a big person. You have a love/ hate relationship with the bath tub and you HATE bedtime.
           I am so excited to see you grow into a big boy and I hope that you stay just as sweet and cuddly as you are now!!
                             Love,
                                 Mom

Harper,
             You are so independent!  You want to go and crawl and explore and go everywhere.  You are trying SO hard to walk and have even taken a couple of steps here and there.  You like to jump, jump, jump and I think you may skip walking and just start skipping everywhere you go.  You laugh and giggle every time we say jump jump jump, and then you jump!  You like to climb things too.  I caught you climbing up the side of your crib not too long ago and you thought it was the best thing ever.  Stephanie says that she has to watch out for you all of the time because you try and climb things and are going to fall!
       You also figured out you have a tongue, but I think that prefer to lick stuff off your lips than to stick it out like your brother.  You taught yourself how to clap a week or so ago and now you clap when something you like happens.  Yesterday Daddy came home from work and you were so happy and clapping!  You are a daddy's girl, but you want mama when it gets closer to bed time.
    You like Ryan OK, but get really mad at him when he tries to take your toys or when he grabs your helmet.  You LOVE the bath most of the time, but get really mad when mommy or daddy won't let you stand up in the tub. You don't even mind when you have water splashed on you to rise your head off.  You just think everything is funny.    You HATE getting your diaper changed and having to be still enough to put clothes on.  You also are not a huge fan of your helmet, but hopefully this is the last week you will have to wear it.
      One last thing about you Harper Jane is that you LOVE LOVE LOVE Abby, our dog.  She is really your favorite family member.  You think her barking is funny, you think her wagging her tail is funny, you think her just sitting there while you climb all over her is funny.  You also crawl all over the floor with things in your mouth like a puppy.  We joke and say that Harper wants to be a puppy when she grows up!
                 You are the sweetest, best little girl and I just know you will stay that way!

              Love,
                       mom

Harper at almost 4 months

Harper,
  Why can't you stay this size forever?  It may be my favorite age so far! You will be 4 months old on Saturday and you really have grown up so much already.  You have figured out how to blow raspberries the past few days and you just do that at me and your daddy constantly.  I can barely get you to eat a bottle because you are too bust smiling at me and babbling at me telling me about your day.
   You are also the perfect little size.  You are still small, but you have chunky little legs and a cute little belly.  Your head can rest on my shoulder and if you are laying across me your little feet hit just about at my waist.  Your tiny hands are so determined to grab things.  It's so funny to see you grab something.. you hold on like you just know it is going to run away!  The toys that you and your brother have are all slobbery because you bite those things when you get a good grip on them.  You aren't limited to toys either... my hair and fingers have found you little mouth a few times now.  Sunday, I was feeding you and afterwards you grabbed my finger in your sleep and it still managed to end up in your mouth!  I can tell we are going to be getting stuff out of your mouth a LOT in just a couple of months as you get more mobile.
    Daddy thinks you are going to skip crawling altogether and just go ahead and walk.  You like to be held standing.  You already move your feet like you are walking.  It is SO funny!  You just have to get that whole balance thing down and you could be walking!!
   As tired as I am the next morning, i kind of like when you wake up at night.  I get to cuddle with you and hold you my sweet girl.  I like feeding you and your brother separately.  You deserve some one on one attention from mom.  I know things are only going to get better, but I know I will also miss this age.

I love you.

love,
 mom

Dear twins...

Dear Twins,

    I had to go back to work yesterday.  It was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my whole life.  The idea of someone besides me taking care of you is just ridiculous in my mind. I am your mommy! I have been your source of comfort, care, nourishment, smiles, laughter, tears, and almost everything in your whole life the past almost four months.  I can't fathom that someone could possibly take as good of care of you as I do.  Aunt Katy is watching you this week, and she loves you SO much, but even then, I am your mom, I love you a million times more on a bad day.  Next week Ms. Shannon is going to start watching you... I know that you will have fun, but I miss you already and I have only been at work two days.

    Ryan, yesterday you didn't feel very good.... It made me wonder if it was because your mommy wasn't there to make you smile and love on.... last night you woke up and daddy went to get you because we thought you were still hungry.  Nope, you just wanted to be able to see your momma.  You settled right down in your boppy as long as you could see mommy.
   This morning, I held you an extra long time so that I could be smushed by all my sweet Ryan loves... I can't wait to get off work so I can go get you and hold you for a long time!  You are such a sweet little boy!  You are already a flirt and smile at everyone.  When you smile, your eyes smile, too, and it makes everyone around you happy. You are so much like your daddy already, it's just silly.  You make the same faces as him and even stretch exactly like him.  My favorite 'daddy' face is when you poke your lips out just a little bit when you are thinking about something.
    You are either really happy or really sad... there isn't much in-between!  I wish I could get your pouty face on film.. it is SO cute! I've gotten the beginning and the end, but not the whole thing... it makes me giggle, as mean as that seems!

   Harper, you were especially sweet today.  I don't know what I did to deserve such a sweet girl, but you just curled up after I fed you when you woke up last night on my chest and were content to stay there, so I held you a little longer before I put you back in your crib to go back to sleep.  I am so proud of how smart you are already.  You reach for things and have started to grab and hold things pretty well.  You talk to me ALL the time... you are already so vocal and expressive.  You have the BEST smile- your whole mouth opens so wide, you look like a cartoon character! I wish I could get it on camera, but every time I go to snap a picture you look at the camera with a not so sure about this whole camera thing face.  You love when I smush your cheeks and kiss you by the ear...its one of my favorite things to do to make you happy. You are such a happy girl most of the time. You just want to sit up and observe the world.
 

 Mommy loves you both so very much... I have to say that being your mom is probably the most rewarding thing that has ever been in my life.

I love you both,
  Mom.

Hello kids!

Dear Kids,
    I am making this blog to hopefully remind myself (and you later) of all the amazing things that have happened in our little family.  Having the two of you has been the most amazing thing, and I really can't believe that things have already gone by so fast.  You are already so big and so much different than you were when you were born not quite four months ago.  Your daddy and I are so happy that you are ours and really do genuinely believe that you are the best kids on the planet.
    Sometimes I may write a letter to both of you, sometimes to one of you, and sometimes to the two of you together.  I am not playing favorites! You just do things at different times.
                         Love,
                            Mom