Stray Cat

There are a few stray cats that wander by our windows. The black one has a habit of walking across our patio at about the same time everyday, much to Alyssa's excitement. I wish I could have caught her face when she first saw the cat and ran over to the window.... 

Just cute

I love the random moments during the day when I just can't stop smiling at my silly, super cute girls.

Thanksgiving 2012

Because work has been so unpredictable, we were not sure whether Mark would be joining us for Thanksgiving this year. They were trying to finish loading the catalyst before Thursday and incredibly they finished before schedule. So Mark didn't even have to go into work Wednesday night, but got Wednesday through Sunday off! It was wonderful. 

So Wednesday night, we decided to join Steve and Clark in the Turkey Trot 5K.  Mark commandeered the stroller, and it sounds like it was a wild ride. I got a head start while the men and stroller were boxed in, but I was quickly overtaken. It was a fun run. I'm glad we got up and did it. I was sure sore after though.

 After the race, we spent the day at Mark's parents. Mark and I were pretty tired after the run, a poor night's sleep, and no napping children, but we had a good time with the family. The girls enjoyed seeing their great grandma Nancy. Alyssa even went to her with a book to read. The girls also really enjoyed playing with their cousin Clark. They followed each other around laughing hysterically. Alyssa enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner, but Abby didn't eat too much. She was too busy examining the ads for any unwrinkled papers so that she could rectify the situation. 

Alyssa drinks

Weaning Alyssa has been very difficult. She has been very resistant to cups, straws, and sippies. So she has been pretty unhappy. Today though she wanted her cup and she drank a lot. I am so glad she finally decided to start drinking again.

Amy

Language

I lost my voice last night and this morning. After nodding and gesturing all my responses, I realized how much I take communication for granted. I am so grateful for my voice, for speech, and for language. 

Abigail

Abigail is so sweet and funny. She is generally a very happy little girl. She loves to look at you and smile. When she smiles really big she squints one eye a little. (Her bright blue eyes have turned a light green.)
She laughs a lot with Alyssa. She is very intrigued with her sister, follows her around, tackles her, pulls up on her. She loves Alyssa. Abby also loves her Dad. She is definitely the Daddy's girl. She gets so excited when she sees him. She loves exploring his mouth and eyes with her sharp little fingers. She loves playing with Dad. Abby loves to stand up on things, tables, chairs, hair, windowsills. She is walking pretty well along the furniture and toys, but doesn't have the balance to stand unsupported.

Abby has an instant hand to mouth action with everything. It if doesn't fit in her mouth she licks it. She especially loves sucking on tags. When we put her to bed and give her the blanket, she will methodically push and pull it around until she finds the tags to suck on. Of course it she is holding food or a bottle, the hand only sometimes goes to the mouth. She is eating better but is still very slow on the weight gain. She has 4 teeth now. Since she got her front teeth this month, her chewing has really taken off. She tipped the scales at 14 and a half pounds tonight.

Abby enjoys playing with the blinds. She mostly seems to be trying to get to the window underneath and is sometimes annoyed when the blind gets in the way.
Abby does not like to hold still. She is a very wiggly, squirmy kid. Sometimes though, she calms down and puts her cheek on mine, just for a minute. I love it.
Abby likes books, but mostly because they taste good and are fun to rip. She is getting better at looking at the pictures or feeling the textures.
Abby is terrified of our roomba vacuum but still can't resist the urge of the blinking light and periodically turns it on.
Over the last few weeks, Abby has had her follow-ups with her brain doctors. They were very impressed with her. The diagnosis is still fine-tuning, but she appears to have no functional deficiencies in her development despite the abnormalities in her brain. She is really small, but otherwise she passed all the neurological evaluations with flying colors. Thank you all who have and continue to pray for her.

I love my Abigail. Her smile makes me smile all day. I am so grateful for my happy, beautiful Abigail.

sidenote: Abby is a little harder to video or photograph because she doesn't hold still! She usually charges the camera as soon as she sees it. 

Alyssa

Alyssa makes me laugh almost all the time. She is so funny and expressive. She is learning a lot and it is really fun to watch her do new things. She learned how to unlock my phone and find a keyboard to play with. She recognized her bracelet when it fell off and held out her arm for me to put it back on. She figured out she can carry all her balls if she puts them in the pumpkin (she will be great at Easter egg hunts!). She loves to dance and bounce and sing.

She loves to read and even will sit on my lap for a book now. She likes peek-a-boo. She can get down from the couch or play-table by herself. She has gained a lot of confidence. She always has a toy of some kind in her hand. Usually a ball or a few blocks or a ring, sometimes a lion or gorilla. She is usually very happy with a big grin. She gets very excited when she is picked up. She smiles and kicks her legs with glee. She waves goodbye after Daddy when he goes to work. Last night I tried to get a video but I got this sweet moment instead.

Alyssa loves her family, and we love her so much. I am thankful for my beautiful blue-eyed girl, Alyssa.