Usually when I sit down to write a blog post, I know exactly what my topic is going to be.  This time…not so much.  I know it is time to write a post and that is about it so I expect this to be a smorgasbord of topics. 

Harper is still such a good baby….honestly from her temperament to her feeding and sleeping schedule, she is awesome.  She has never had her days or nights confused and basically only wakens for one feeding.  I usually last nurse her around 11:30, nurse her again about 4:00 or 5:00 and then not again until 7:00ish….not bad for 4 weeks old!  She certainly does make up for it during the day as she nurses almost every 2 hours much of the day; however, she takes 10 minutes or less on average to nurse so I can’t complain.  We’re still working on her birth announcement (sigh) but should hopefully have it finalized this weekend.  I purchased some bows from Amazon last week and was happy with the way the pictures turned out….not sure why we can’t figure out this birth announcement thing.   Here are some of our favorite pictures from the past month. These first pictures Harper was only 5 days old….hard to believe as she looks older than that!

Almost 2 weeks old wearing a beautiful outfit and bonnet made by Gigi’s cousin Joyce. 

Guess Harper didn’t like it that much….

Almost 3 weeks old….wearing a pretty bow given to her by Uncle Russell, Aunt Mary, and cousins Michael and Caroline….

Still almost 3 weeks old here…

3 1/2 weeks old….bows courtesy of Mommy…

Harper fits into our family so perfectly.  We haven’t really let having a new baby keep us from our “normal” routine.  We still try to get out as much as we can.  At Meadowlark….

At home….playing…

At home…napping…

We’ve also had a few people visit us including Elisha (my best friend from growing up) and her 6 month old daughter Ella.  Elisha is my oldest friend…we have been friends since we were age 2!  At home with friends….

These pictures crack me up especially of Emerson.  First of all Avery and Emerson had just had a bath and Ana parted Emerson’s hair on the right side which I think looks odd on her.  Secondly, she wouldn’t smile which is quite contrary to her typical cheese face that she displays the majority of time for pictures.  The night before my parent’s had their pool closed and while the two men were closing the pool, the ice cream man came by and one of the men bought the girls shaved ice.  It was practically melted before they started and it was blue.  What was I to do but to quickly strip their shirts off, put on a bib, and let them dig in.

There you have it my friends….a selection of Emerson’s cheese faces. 

This upcoming weekend is my birthday.  The weather is supposed to be beautiful.  I’m looking forward to a fun filled weekend with my family! 

Sometimes it is all the little things that make up such great things!  I know I have already said recently how the girls are cognitively developing at such rapid paces these days and here I am saying it again!  It’s a good thing that I have kept my blog a “secret” because I think my followers would become sick of hearing the same things over again.  But I can’t stop thinking and talking about it because these little things bring Justin and I so much joy and happiness.  Our weekend started out Friday evening with a trip to Foster’s Grill for dinner.  We had no food in the house and we like taking the girls out.  They have been there a few times already and I always order them the chicken fingers and fries to share.  Avery is very particular some meals and basically only ate fries.  Emerson of course ate not only her fries but also her chicken and a few bites of mommy’s chocolate shake. 

Saturday morning Justin and I got up early and showered before the girls got up.  Granted they did not get up until 9:00 so it wasn’t like we got up at the crack of dawn, but nonetheless we got ready early because we wanted to get an early start on the day.  Our first destination was the Farmer’s Market in Reston.  This was our first trip of the season and while it was good to get there, the bulk of the summer fruits and vegetables had yet to arrive.  We did buy some delicious tomatoes though!  I gave the girls samples of cucumbers to try.  Emerson tried hers, while Avery sniffed and decided she wasn’t interested.  In the end Emerson wasn’t the biggest fan either, which doesn’t happen with too many foods.  Unfortunately the weather was somewhat rainy so the girls were forced to sit in their stroller and we didn’t stay as long as we would have liked.  We had originally planned on going to the Arts Festival at Reston Town Center (RTC) next but the rain became heavier so we were forced to come up with another plan.  The girls love being out and about and especially love being outside.  Within minutes of waking up each morning, the words “out” come out of their mouths.  Knowing that we couldn’t be outside and that we promised them they would get to go out, we decided to take them to the indoor playground in Dulles Town Center.  We had never been before and as Justin and I approached it we were intimated and sadly did a “stroll bye” before we decided to enter.  The girls were hesitant for two minutes max; however, after that they couldn’t get enough.  It was very busy and they were quite aware of all the other kids and did a pretty good job of “sharing” the slides so as not to get trampled or not to trample any other kid.  I continue to be quite impressed at how well Avery navigates new environments; however, there were a few times when she fell head first off of some stairs.  It didn’t seem to phase her and she did it at least two other times, which makes me wonder if it is more related to vision or related to her free spirit no fear attitude thinking it was funny as she never got hurt or cried. Emerson found this little girl that was probably about 4 years old that she became infatuated with. She kept following her around and wanted the little girl to play with her but I don’t think the girl was terribly interested.  The girls are lucky in that there are a lot of elementary school age children on our block and Ana takes them outside all the time.  All the young kids on the street know and like the girls from what I understand and I think Avery and Emerson enjoy playing and learning from the older kids.  Emerson just saw this girl as another one of the neighborhood girls and expected that she would play with her just like the neighborhood kids.  Speaking of playing in the neighborhood, the girls LOVE going for walks outside, playing in the driveway with the ball (my old deflated basketballs) and trying to shoot them in the hoop, and drawing with chalk on the driveway.  Emerson also wants a bike now.  She sees all the little kids riding their bikes and now she clearly says, “bike, me, bike, me” while pointing to herself.  It is the cutest thing EVER!  They also like to be helpers and pick bamboo in the background.  They know pandas eat bamboo as we went to the National Zoo last weekend and they both say “bamboo”…..that too is the cutest thing EVER!  Back to the indoor playground though, they had a great time and while Justin and I were up on our feet constantly tracking one of them as they were some of the younger aged kids playing, I couldn’t believe they had gotten to this point already and couldn’t help but think it wouldn’t be long before I was one of the parents sitting watching their child play.  While the girls didn’t want to leave they were pretty good troopers about it and we somewhat bribed them with the next activity….lunch at Red Robin!  Justin had never been to Red Robin; I think he only partially wanted to try it, but by the time we left the Dulles Town Center playground, I knew it would be too late to wait for them to eat until we got back to the house…plus this mama didn’t really feel like “cooking” or cleaning up.  So off to Red Robin we went! Once again I ordered the girls chicken fingers; this time with mandarin oranges on the side.  Justin had extra fries with his and I figured they would eat some of those as well. And once again Emerson ate decently including drinking almost an entire glass of water with a straw by herself; and Avery ate French fries and spilled water on herself as she refused to let anyone help her hold the cup so it wouldn’t tip.  Once we got home, it was nap time….nap time for the four of us!  The rest of the evening we spent indoors. Earlier in the day my mom had taken out the little play cradle of mine from my childhood.  The girls LOVE it.  They are very much into their babies right now….love to walk them in their stroller, feed their babies, change their diapers, and now rock them to sleep in the cradle.  Much of the evening was spent playing with their babies in the cradle.

Sunday morning’s weather started off misty but by lunch time, the clouds had cleared, and the sky turned sunny.  We dressed the girls in their pink Naartjie outfilts and set out to RTC.  Emerson was having a great hair day and her Shirley Temple curls were in full force!  And with the humid weather even Avery’s short hair was curly.  We let them walk for the most part and heads turned everywhere we went.   I think the curls combined with the cute outfits and of course the fact that there were two of them grabs the attention of so many. I know I am biased but they really did look so darn cute.  I am still kicking myself for not getting their picture together.  Justin took a couple with his iphone but the truth is getting a picture of them together is so much easier said than done because they are constantly on the go…in different directions!  We were at RTC during the girls snack time in which I brought raisons.  We were sitting in the pavilion with Panera right across from us so I ran in to get the girls milk.  They each had their own milk straight from the box with a straw.  So there they were with their milk and raison box.  I can’t get the image out of my head….I think because it just shows how big they are getting…crazy!  Emerson isn’t the biggest fan of milk but she LOVES drinking from a straw so she drank all her milk with only a few spills here and there.  Avery didn’t get the hang of the milk as well as Emerson.  She got really excited with the music that was being played and went to clap with the milk carton still in her hand = spilled milkL.

After the Town Center we stopped by the Reston Library for a few.  Our goal was to read a few books to the girls and check out some books to take home.  The girls enjoyed picking out books and constantly wanted yet another book to read so we never actually had a chance to read a book.  They had fun though and we weren’t bothering anyone so again it brought a smile to my face that our little ladies were actually old enough to hang out at the library!

Last but certainly not least the girls continue to talk more and more each day.  Both girls can say Avery, not very clearly, but clear enough to know that is what they are saying. Emerson’s name is definitely harder to say and Justin and I may need to take that into account with naming this next baby girl!  Anyway, we tried to see if the girls could say “Eme” for short and they both not only can but they both say it SO clearly.  Yesterday when I got home from work the girls were still napping.  A few minutes later when I walked upstairs to my room to change, I heard Avery wake up happy and talking. Then she started to say Eme, Eme, Eme.  It was the sweetest sound.  Emerson was still sleeping and Avery was trying to get her attention.  On a funny note, Emerson had been saying fork pretty well.  She uses one very well and defintely likes to say the word quite a bit.  This weekend, “fork” somehow turned into “f**k”.  We tried hard not to laugh out loud; like I said it is ALL the little things that make being a mommy to these two little girls the greatest gift ever!

The past month the girls have literally been growing before our eyes!  I think in part it has to do with the changing of the weather and their new wardrobe…they look older in their new clothes.  But also they really have been growing physically. They are capable of reaching so many more things now and each week we have to find a new location for things because nothing is safe in its original place anymore. They love to climb; on chairs, on the coach, on diaper boxes, just about anything.  And when we discipline one of them, the other one goes and does the same thing!  Even things like picking their noses!  If one of them has their finger up their nose, and I say something about it the other one will put her finger up her nose. Sometimes they even try to pick other peoples noses!  They are so funny!  Back to growing though, cognitively they are getting smarter by the day.  Emerson repeats most words these days and Avery’s vocabulary is definitely starting to increase.  Last weekend they graduated from their high chairs and now have booster seats at the “big girl” table.  They love it and it does make for less clean up now that there are two less trays to wash every meal.  Now for anyone who has ever seen my parents kitchen table…the one that they have had since before I was born when my parents were a family of two….all six of us now sit at that table on nights when we eat together.  Growing up as a family of four it was ridiculous at times that we couldn’t invest in a larger table, but NOW with six, it is just so ridiculous that I have to laugh.  Here ALL six of us sit at this little table….it is so small that if Justin or I get up during dinner to get the girls something, we literally pick up our plates, utensils, and drink and take it with us or else the girls will start playing with our plate of food.  The other night we were eating Chipolte and there was now room for my chips so I put the bag of chips on the floor and would fetch a chip from the FLOOR every time I wanted them.  Sadly both Avery and Emerson caught on and would point to the floor for more chips….probably not the best thing for them to learn. The girls are also starting to be in tune with their poops which is a good thing as that is the first sign towards being ready for potty training.  It would be great if we could have the girl’s potty trained by their second birthday or shortly thereafter.  I’m not going to force it but I really do have a good feeling that it is going to go well and quick. 

In other recent events my sister was in town last month.  She was in the States for three weeks and each week she was in Virginia for about 3 to 4 days.  While I was at work most the time she was around, we did manage to go out for a few dinners, one of which was incredible.  I don’t know if it was truly that good or Justin and I just don’t get out for “foodie” food anymore that it didn’t take much to impress us.  Twice we went out with the whole family including the girls so our options were limited.  Dad chose Tequila Grande for his birthday and the girls were very well behaved.  Lauren’s last night here we went to Outback and I forgot the girls snack cups.  Service was on the slow side and while the girls weren’t bad, they wanted to walk around and not be confined in a high chair.  While I am sure others parents would have considered the evening one of their better restaurant experiences with children, for me and Justin it was one of our worst.  Those snack cups are key to keeping them content in their high chairs!  The most memorable dinner though was Tuscorara Mill where we had a double date with my sister and her boyfriend Gabriel.  Our mouths were salivating as we saw all the possibilities for appetizers and entrée so this easily could have been disastrous as we had built these extraordinary expectations when we had yet to even receive our drinks.   We all got something different and we were not left disappointed.  I had the filet which I always get (once a year when I go and the last time being three years ago) but I didn’t recall it being as amazing as it was.  If I did, I probably would have suggested that Justin and Gabriel get the filet or strip steak as well.  They each tasted it and while I know they were enjoying their dishes the filet was a cut above the rest and I could see the rewind decision occurring in their eyes.  Seriously though for two to three days after our night out, I couldn’t stop thinking about the evening….great food, great atmosphere, great company.   When we weren’t out eating, my sister did get to spend some time with the girls and while they were hesitant at first to approach her, it didn’t take long for them to warm up and feel at ease with her.  Her visits always go by quickly and she’ll be back again before we know it hopefully in the fall to visit Baby Pistachio (our code name for Baby girl)!

Also on the home front, Justin and I have started to look at some open houses, although the truth is we still have no idea where we want to be.  I guess options still include some areas of Fairfax County and some areas of Loudon County.  There are just still too many unknowns though with regards to our job locations and actual commutes though that I think is making the decision as to where we want to buy that much harder. We can obviously get a lot more for our money the further we move west but at the same time, commute time can make or break a day and we need to take that into consideration.  We looked at open houses in Vienna one day and in Great Falls another day mainly because they were convenient with the time frame that we were working in for that day but we still have tons of looking to do in multiple areas.  I just hope home prices and interest rates don’t continue to increase too much as we take the time in making our decision.

On another note, Avery had an eye exam under anesthesia last week mainly to check her eye pressures.  Even though Justin and I hate the fact that she has to endure such exams, I can’t help but to admit how darn cute she looked in her hospital gown and red non-slip socks, sized for an elementary school age child!  The exam was very quick and took a lot less time than I anticipated.  The results were great…her pressures were 11 in each eye which is completely normal.  Dr. Ellis again confirmed that everything else in her eyes looked good, her optic nerves and eyes are small, but not profoundly so.  We go for a follow up with Dr. Ellis at the end of the month at which time we will probably talk to him more in detail about the American Nystagmus Conference that Justin is going to attend on behalf of our family this July in Orlando, FL.  While I would love to go, I will be 8 months pregnant so it just isn’t realistic. Now that we have ruled out all the “bad” diagnosis, I think we can say pretty confidently that her diagnosis is aphakia (due to cataracts) and nystagmus.  Although I know Justin is nervous about going to some extent, we are looking forward to the networking opportunities and leads.