4 months

How did this happen? How did our little newborns turn into babies this month? I can’t believe how much they have changed this month. This has by far been the biggest month of change.

Both girls are sleeping through the night most nights. We have an occasional night where one wakes up early (like last night…not to name names…Sxxxx) But most nights we never get up or get up once to put a binky in. We still do a dreamfeed for Aria before we go to bed but it’s a really fast 2 ounces and she never wakes up.

They smile ALL the time, you barely have to look at them and they smile, it’s so cute. Both kick their legs constantly. They love sucking on their hands…which is fine as long as they don’t become thumb suckers. They can hold their head up really well and are starting to enjoy their toys, chair and exersaucer more and more.

They have finally started looking at each other just this last week. I don’t think they realize who they are looking at but I’ve caught them both staring at the other one a few times. We’ve been working on this and turn them towards each other to see what they will do.

The biggest change this month has been going back to work full time. Although I don’t think the girls even realize it that much, it has been a huge adjustment on our part. Having to integrate a work identity with a mom identity has proved to be very emotionally challenging for me. Having to give up some control of them, their day and not know every minute of their life has been sad for me. Call me a control freak, it's true. They are doing great though and I love that they get to stay home with Shane. Grandma Glover has been here to help for the first few weeks and my sisters and mom are so excited to help as well. They just had their first day at my sisters yesterday and they did great. Michelle called me throughout the entire day giving me updates on their day and I loved hearing how well they did and how excited Michelle is to watch them.

I’ve noticed some differences between the girls this month. Siena seems to do everything physical first. Which makes sense since she is bigger and stronger in general. Aria though does all the mental things first. So Siena loves to put pressure on her legs and stand and look around. Aria just barely started putting pressure on her legs this last week. Whereas Aria is laughing out loud and has been for a couple weeks, Siena gives us a few small hints of a laugh but nothing huge yet. Aria will talk and talk to me and Siena will just here and there. Siena started kicking her legs and sucking her hands first and then Aria follows a couple weeks later. So my guess is that Siena is going to crawl and walk first, and Aria is going to say words first. Either way we love seeing them grow and progress and do new things.

And just so you can see the photo shoot and how it went.  I can't get them to both smile in the same picture...so here's a collage of their '4 month photo shoot.' 

New Years Eve Miracle

It has finally happened!  Last night, both girls slept through the night on the same night!!!  Both have been sleeping through the night here and there but not consistently and never on the same night as her sister.  I kept telling them if they were going to wake up to wake up the same night as their sister so they can sleep the same nights as their sister.  Well, they finally got the message.  For the first time since they were born both Shane and I got 8 hours of sleep straight.  We've both had nights of continuous sleep individually but it has usually been in a separate bedroom, separate floor of the house from everyone else in order to do it.

Here they are this morning after they got up and ate.  I kept telling them they were my New Years miracle.

We've been working hard to get them sleeping through the night as next week I am going back to work.  It's going to be a very hard, long week but if they keep this up even a few nights here and there, then it's going to make it a lot easier on all of us.  There has been a lot of sleepless nights this last few weeks as we have been trying to get all of us on a schedule in preparation with many tearful nights and mornings when it hasn't worked.  But maybe, just maybe it's going to pay off.  And if you want to know, yes I'm dreading going back to work but it needs to be for now.

Wish us luck and lots more sleeping through the night!

And here is a little bonus picture of the girls watching the BYU Football game yesterday.  Shane and I both think they look like little hoodlums, but cute little hoodlums they are.

Raise your fist

Siena has started this new little habit that Shane and I think is hilarious so we take a picture of it each day.  She does this about 90% of the time she's awake and when we go to swaddle her for naps, I sometimes have to put her arm down just to get it in the swaddle.  And as you'll see in one of the pictures, even Aria has started doing it a little.

Gaining and losing

Someone is getting more hair....

And someone is losing a lot of hair...

Aria is so funny in that she moves her head back and forth constantly.  It's always moving.  So much that not only does she have a bald spot, but she has a whole bald ring around her head.

Siena on the other hand, although she moves her head, she prefers one side of her head much to the dismay of her parents who are paranoid about her getting a flat spot.  However, the top of her hair is growing in a lot more and thickening up.

People are telling me more and more that they look more alike than they used to.  They are evening out in size and hair which has a lot to do with it I think.

Christmas

We had a great Christmas day.  It started early but was so much fun.  We officially started the day at 7am, although unofficially we had been awake since 4am settling girls back to sleep.  So at 7, we got up fed the girls and then opened up our presents.  Santa brought the girls an exer-saucer and a bumbo like chair with a toy tray.  The girls are loving it so far.  Aria has a little work to do to keep her head up all the time but can sit in them for a few minutes and enjoys it when she does.  Siena is doing great and will stay in the exer-saucer for quite a while before her head gets tired.  She's not a big fan of the bumbo yet and tends to arch her back and want out fairly quickly.  They also got some fun toys from us, from Grandma and Grandpa and some books from all their cousins.  Our house has gone from having hardly any toys to all of the sudden being full of toys.  It's going to keep the girls entertained for a while.

After presents we got ready for church while the girls napped and then Shane's sister, Margene, came over for waffles and bacon and then we all went to church.  Church was really nice and I enjoyed hearing our bishop speak and singing Christmas songs.

After church we headed over to my parents house where we spent the rest of the day.  We ate a big turkey dinner, watched some old home videos and just relaxed and talked.  The girls didn't nap or eat that well with everything going on so by the end of the day they had had it.

After my parents house we stopped by Shane's brother's house for dessert and to say hello.

Although the day started early, it ended fairly early as well.  We put the girls down a little after 9 and I was in bed by about 9:45, exhuasted!

Merry Christmas, we hope everyone had as great of a day as we did.

Christmas Eve

This year for Christmas Eve, we went over to my sister Jennifer's house.  Everyone from my family was there except for Lori's family.  We did a different menu than our traditional roast beef dinner and had mexican food.  It was delicious.

The grandkids acted out the nativity as is tradition and this year we had two Mary's...and it just so happened we had two little babies for them to hold.  Avery and Abbey were so excited to each hold their own baby.

We also had our 'open one gift' for Christmas Eve, that always just happens to be pajamas.  So Siena and Aria got to open their first present.

It was a fun, low key evening.

All 3 cousins celebrating their first Christmas

Afterwards we came home and got everything ready for Santa to show up.  I was hoping the girls were going to give me one present for Christmas and both sleep through the night on the same night...it didn't happen.  Sad...It made for a tiring Christmas but I keep thinking next year they will sleep past 4...right?  Please tell me I'm right!

Merry Christmas

More details to come on our fun Christmas weekend...