8/52

We made a valiant effort to be creative and relish in each other's company despite another week of temperatures keeping us inside.

Avery 8/52

If we do an "experiment" that includes food coloring she's on-board. We alternated between baking soda and colored vinegar games and homemade water colors in the bath tub. Her hands looked like this for a few days. She also avoided wearing clothes and I avoided brushing her hair. 

Logan 8/52

Playful eyes for a playful girl. 

7/52

Avery 7/52
Her smile makes us smile.

Logan 7/52
A first taste of rice cereal. She was mostly curious and a little indifferent but her sister was absolutely delighted to feed her "real" food.

6/52

Per usual, photos have been taken but the uploading, editing and posting has gotten the best of me. Catching up...

Avery 6/52
A trip to California was exactly what we needed. A break from the cold and a week of playing in the sunshine and outside. Avery was a brave little fish, swimming everywhere her little floaties would take her.

Logan 6/52
A trip cross-country was rough for Logan but after the first day and a half she settled back into her calm and happy demeanor. She's such a content child. I often find her awake after a very brief nap, not crying and asking for company but delighting in her new discoveries.

5/52

We may be settling into a little routine together and it feels nice. I know it will keep changing as Logan's schedule and demands change but we're getting out of the house a bit more and the time spent inside is really enjoyable.

Avery 5/52
"Play" is her new favorite word. We get to witness Avery's imagination on a daily basis now and it's nothing short of amazing. We may be fish, characters from her favorite movie or taking care of her babies or animals when they fall down (she throws them and then says "awww, fall! shhhhhhh while patting their backs or attempting to nurse them). I can't get over what a little girl she is these days. She is becoming more and more independent, running far off in the distance at the Zoo and playing by herself in her little kitchen.

We took advantage of a break in the cold weather to go for a small hike in the "forest" and a trip to the Zoo. Avery runs after her dog and laughs so hard when he fetches a ball and runs back to her. This girl just radiates happiness.

The cold days are more frequent. Hair doesn't get brushed, clothes rarely go on and we get silly and creative to prevent going stir crazy. She's been asking to be Cinderella and I happily oblige (with the wand she requests I use). Once she's turned into the princess she gets this sheepish smile and insists on dancing with her Daddy, demanding he kneel and sway back and forth. Doesn't get much sweeter.

Logan 5/52

Logan has found her voice and takes every opportunity to try out new sounds (including each middle of the night wake up). It is straight up adorable and makes us laugh no matter how exhausted we are. She is incredibly strong and already sitting in her little chair having tea parties with her sister. 

We've all spent a lot of time in our pajamas this week. It isn't uncommon for Logan to spend the whole day in what she slept in the night before. She doesn't seem to mind. We're still napping together each afternoon and I cherish that quiet time together. 

Sisters

Their relationship is already starting to form. Avery thinks she's hysterical and is so sweet, kind and gentle with her little sister. She's her cheerleader during tummy time and tries to be her comfort when she's sad. Logan tries to eat Avery's fingers which causes fits of giggles from her older sister.

4/52

A bit behind with the blogging but not the documenting. Week four included a rather large snow storm by Virginia standards, accompanied by frigid temperatures and a lot of time indoors while we dreamt of of being outside.

Avery 4/52
As soon as she opened her eyes Tuesday morning she shouted "snow!" and jumped up to pull back her blinds and look out the window. She was delighted with the fresh white blanket that covered our street. We didn't manage to get outside to play in it until that evening because of the freezing temperatures but we spent a lot of time looking out the window.

Logan 4/52
This is the week little Lo found her toes. Whenever I'd pull off her diaper her naked legs would go straight in the air and she'd grab at her sweet toes (restrictive diaper, perhaps?). We spent a lot of diaper free time so she could explore this new part of her body.

She watches everything her big sister does and smiles more for her than anyone else. They both give each other a lot of kisses and Logan is very tolerant of the big hugs.

3/52

I wrote this in my head last night. I laid there thinking of my sweet girls and all the things I want to remember. Like Avery's enthusiastic squeal when she's excited and the way she hugs and kisses us before she goes to sleep. The way she always says “one minute” when I tell her it’s time for something to end and the way she and her Daddy draw every night before bed. I want to remember the first time Logan really laughed and found her feet and the way she is always watching me from across the room or looking for her Daddy if she’s in someone else’s arms. All things too lovely to forget.

Avery 3/52

It was a good week. We had the opportunity to witness Avery with her peers on two occasions. I was so proud of our little girl. She is fun and brave and spunky and so very sweet. She is kind to everyone and shows her affection through hugs and kisses. People are drawn to her and her sunny disposition. There were two little girls who clearly wanted a hug and kiss from Avery (who was giving them out freely) but were too shy to approach her or ask. Avery noticed and tenderly placed her hands on their cheeks and lifted their heads so she could look in their eyes. Then they hugged and my heart exploded both times.

Logan 3/52

And Logan. Delightful Lo Lo. We’re getting to know her more and more each day. We have alone time every afternoon while her sister naps. She relishes in being the center of attention, showing off her voice and her smile. She discovered her feet on Sunday and loves to grab them and rock back and forth and back and forth.

Her afternoon nap is also mine. This girl will only sleep in my arms and this is the only time we have to do so. Instead of fighting it I succumb to the quiet time and try not to think of my ever-long to-do list and just enjoy the weight of her body on mine.

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2/52

A lot of rain and mercurial temperaments. Big smiles and thunderous temper tantrums. Lots of snuggles, books, movies, dancing, experiments and play. 

Avery

Her smile is contagious, wide and genuine. She is extra chatty lately and comes up with new words every day. She has taken to screaming as loud as she can while we're all having breakfast or lunch just to get us to laugh. She had two play dates with little ones her age and played hard, laughing and running after her friends and calling their names (Chase! Pace!). 

Avery and Daddy watch Bao Bao and her Mommy on the Zoo's Panda Cam every night before bath. As members of the Zoo we were able to have a special viewing of Bao Bao on Sunday. We got up early and made our way. Avery yelled "Mama, Mama, Mama - Zoo!" the whole way. She got to see Bao Bao wake up and play with her Mommy from atop Daddy's shoulders. She melted my heart when she'd look for me in the crowd and call me over to make sure I saw, too. 

Logan

This beautiful girl laughed for the first time over the weekend. She's becoming very engaged and talkative, finding her voice and new sounds with her throat. Her smile comes so easily and her eyes are so sparkly. Logan is especially interested in everything her big sister does and watches her every move.