Streamlining

No, your computer isn't messing up my layout. I'm tightening things up around here a bit. Just got tired of seeing so much "stuff" on the page. Later.

Something Sweet

Two little sweeties before bedtime.

And a recipe you for which you will thank me.

Go bake these cookies today. Yes, I am a bad blogger for not having an uber-close-up picture of a freshly baked cookie along with the recipe. You will simply have to trust me that these are delicious and every bit worth the effort!

(you'll find this recipe all over the internet, but I'm re-typing it here in my own words)

Big, chewy, chocolate chip cookies!

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 Tsp baking soda
1/2 Tsp salt
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks of butter - unsalted - don't use margerine!) melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk (creating the chewiness! best if the eggs are room temperature)
2 Tsp real vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used Godiva)

Pre-heat oven to 325.
Whisk dry ingredients together. Set aside.
With an electric mixer or by hand stir together melted butter and sugars until well combined.
Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix until well combined.
Slowly add dry ingredients and beat slowly until just combined.
Carefully stir in chocolate chips.

Roll dough into a ball roughly 1/2 cup at a time and pull apart into 2 equal halves. This creates the perfect size cookie! Place balls on a cookie sheet with plenty of space between cookies. Bake until edges begin to golden or turn under and middles still look soft. Do not overbake! Start with 10 minutes and go up from there. Enjoy!

Firsts

MCM went to her first day of Mother's Day Out last week. I wish I had a picture of her all suited up with a backpack or something, but here she is with her dear friend Mousy ("Missy" in MCM speak). She also has a sweet old-school lunch box (the metal kind) with the Disney princesses on it.

LCM is now big enough to sit in the Bumbo for short periods of time. This is where she ate her first taste of big people food! (well, organic rice cereal mixed with breastmilk - hardly a "big person" meal)

She took to it quite well, although I think later it made her tummy hurt. Lately I could see that she's been wanting to be a part of mealtimes. It's no fun to be left out while everyone else is eating! She loves to be involved in everything going on around her - especially whatever her big sister is doing!

MCM finally go a haircut! It was really just a trim to even it all up. Her bangs still fall in her face constantly, because she takes her bows out. I couldn't bear to let them cut bangs though!

We went to Sweet and Sassy, which is a beauty salon for little girls. It's a pretty genius concept - totally cutesy and girlie. They had flat screens all over the place playing Lady and the Tramp (MCM's dream!). And there was a little girl birthday party going on where they were all in dress up clothes, singing and dancing, sporting fresh up-do's and having a grand old time. MCM LOVED it! She might have thought the party had to do with her new haircut, because she hasn't stopped talking about it since! We left with a souvenir photo of "baby's first haircut" which has since been loved to pieces. MCM carried it around for over a week and even wanted to sleep with it. Ah, the beginnings of narcissism! She is pretty cute though...

Still Here

We're still alive, folks. I've officially become one of those bloggers who doesn't blog. Man, that gets on my nerves. I'm getting on my own nerves. Not to make excuses, but life with two little bitties is extremely busy and at times more overwhelming than I would like to admit. Free time...there's not much of it. When I do have it, I usually find myself either sitting and staring or (rarely) trying to do something productive like fold the mountains of laundry that keep popping up. But, we're still here.

LCM is 4 1/2 months old. MCM is fully two and everything that means. I keep thinking life is going to get easier and we'll get on top of things around here soon, but it hasn't happened yet. Between waking up with LCM at night (no, she shows no sign of sleeping through the night) and MCM's early rising (rarely past 6:30 am), I am a bit of a walking zombie. There have been some milestones that will need recording soon...MCM's first day of Mother's Day Out, her first haircut, LCM's first taste of rice cereal, and her first trip to Nashville. There's a lot to catch up on, so expect those catch-up posts soon.

I Love These Girls.

This girl makes me laugh....even though she looks a bit like a crazy person covered in leg tats. They're just stickers.

This girl has so many smiles. Each one revives a little piece of me that mostly wants to cry over how exhausted I am and how I used to be an somewhat interesting person, not just a Mom.

Three Months Old

Hanging out watching MCM, as usual.

I just rolled over!

Here I go again!

It's pretty cool learning to do things.

Snuggle time with my favorite two-year-old.

LCM is three-months-old. That is so hard to believe, but it's true. She is growing up MUCH too fast! It's amazing how I can already see her wanting to do the things her sister does. She rolled over last week for the first time. She is so strong for a little gal! She's holding her head up, and trying so hard to sit up - though that's not going to happen anytime soon.

Things are so different the second time around. I am more laid back, and she is a much more laid back girl than MCM. Still, we've had our moments. She's been struggling with tummy troubles. I'll spare you the details, but basically her poop is messed up and we're not sure why. I've changed my diet and we've tried getting probiotics into her. So far it seems better for a few days and then worse again. When her tummy hurts, she cries like a mad woman - red-faced screaming and constant interrupted sleep. Not fun.

However, when she's not hurting, she is a delight. She has a very sweet way about her, always looking around with big eyes and taking everything in. She "talks" a lot, and sometimes it almost sounds like words. She laughs and smiles and loves it when you talk or sing to her. She loves to watch MCM and doesn't seem to mind her constant hugs and kisses. She's definitely growing into a social being and loves to be right in the mix as long as you'll let her - through naps and even in the middle of the night! At night she's sleeping about 5-6 hours in the early evening, has one middle of the night feeding, and then sleeps on for 5-6 more hours. I'm so thrilled to see her do that on her own! Maybe she'll sleep through the night in the next month or so? She's still sleeping in our room, which I have really enjoyed. If for some reason she has a hard time going to sleep I'll lay her right next to me, and she LOVES it so much. I must say, those are sweet moments with her so close and sleeping. (not to mention I can feed her and sleep right through it) I am going to have a hard time moving her to her room, but I think that's coming soon.

I'm not sure what her stats are at this point as far as weight and length, but my best guess is that she's close to 12 lbs now. She is growing so much every week, and she literally looks more mature every day! She already looks different than these pictures, which were taken last week. I'm trying to stay on top of picture taking, but it is very difficult with 2 babies to care for!

A Lady and Two Babies, One With No Shoes.

That was me yesterday afternoon wandering down our street with a tear running down my face, holding one baby in my arms and another by the hand as she hobbled down the street shoeless repeating, "Bye-bye! Bye-bye!" in between sobs. We were evacuating the house.

MCM was exhausted, and LCM wouldn't sleep. I was simultaneously making dinner for LCM (and making her eat it - two separate acts) and trying to coax LCM to sleep, when all the sudden an incredibly loud, high-pitched sound started going off all over the house. I ran down the hall to the alarm system, trying to figure out how to stop the screeching, when I realized perhaps I should remove my infant child from the noise before her ear drums burst. Then, I looked up to see MCM in her high chair screaming and crying with her hands over her ears. In one swoop, I snatched her up and ran them both out of the house thinking there's either an intruder or a fire. We left so quickly that I didn't close the door to the house. I was holding the baby and trying to comfort MCM (who also wanted to be held). After deducing the situation, I realized there was no good way to go back in the house and figure out the problem - couldn't leave MCM there to cry - she was already terrified - couldn't leave the baby sitting alone in the grass or take her back into the noise, so we started over to the neighbor's house. Nobody home. Then, on down the street (This is all about 6:30 PM. Daddy still not home from work. No cell phone, no keys, no nothing.) I figured we'd have to walk down the street with or without shoes, until I noticed two young girls with a baby about 6 houses down. I yanked MCM down the street and approached the ladies (while sort-of crying) and asked if they could kindly hold my babies while I run down the street to get my car keys. Just then I see Leland pull into the driveway. We were so far down the street, he couldn't see us. He was pretty sure we'd been kidnapped. So, I thank the kind ladies, and yank MCM back down the street - she's balling now because we're going back toward the scary noise). By the time we get back to the house, Leland comes out and realizes that indeed, we're alive, but the fire alarms all over the house are going off simultaneously for no apparent reason. Even after removing the batteries, they continue to go off. So, he packs us up in my car and we go down to KK and BT's house. KK graciously bathes MCM, who is quite covered in apple juice from her meal. I feed LCM who has been awake for God knows how many hours. BT goes to help Leland make the noise stop. Now all fire alarms have been removed and holes with wires hanging out are left all over the house. (We have an abundance of fire alarms) Now MCM is scared to go to sleep. Now MCM is scared of the hole in her wall. Now MCM is refusing to nap, because the noise might come back...and her teeth hurt...and her eye (which she calls blink - "blink hurt!!)...and she needs to poop every 5 minutes. LCM went to sleep after showing off her best blood-curling screams for me and for Leland. This is a mere snapshot of the week we've had. It is never ending.

Photo Friday (still no time to chat)

I don't have a lot of time, but I do have pictures.

I'll add actual words later...

Super Close Up

MCM, it sure is good that you're so cute.

Naps...we're 1 for 3 so far. Monday, yes there was crying, but eventually there was a nap. Sure, it was shorter than usual but it was substantial enough, and we've been praising her like crazy for being such a great napper. Tuesday, more crying, then quiet until I noticed a new scenario - playing quietly in her room (so that Mommy won't hear) instead of sleeping. We got the no crying thing down, but it's still the SLEEP that is missing. Today...working on hour #2 of trying to get her to go to sleep. 2 big poops (the child actually holds her poops for naptime - manipulative poops, people!!!), some crying, probably 45 minutes of playing when I thought she was sleeping, but NO SLEEP. I'm not beating a dead horse hear, folks. The child has been falling down tired since about 10:00 AM. I hear her singing right now. It should be cute, but it's not!!!!!! Where is the sleep??????

Between the absent naps, Lucy's crying (oh so much crying), and the fact that Bachelorette Jillian let Bachelor Reid go, I am just not loving this week...not at all.