One Year Later

It's been one year since our two beautiful little blessings joined our family.  It's gone by so very fast!  That saying, "The days are long but the years are short," - I can't even describe how true that is.  The first several months were a blur of feedings and rocking and diapers.  I'm so thankful that I take a gazillion pictures and for Facebook (and this blog) where so many sweet memories are recorded for me to look back on when I forget how tiny my girls once were.

36w1d pregnant - the day I went to the hospital to have the girls

Sweet sweet 3 day old princesses

They were SO TINY.  These are preemie clothes, y'all.

And now they have more than quadrupled their weight.  I'm not sure exactly what they weigh right now but at their last sick visit they were both around 21-22 lbs.  They started out at 4.11 and 5 lbs!  Crazy!  They are wearing 12-18 month clothes.  They are precious little girls and we honestly can't imagine our family without them.

Rylan at a year old:

This girl is so beautiful. Honestly, she has the sweetest smile.  I just love how she shows me all her little teethies (she has EIGHT!) every times she smiles up at me.  She has really long hair for a one year old - it is getting to the point where I have to put it up or it hangs down into her eyes.  She's got a teensy bit of curl right on the ends in the back but it's mostly straight.  She says "Dada" all the time and has said "yay" a couple of times when she claps (she LOVES to clap!) and yesterday, I'm not even joking, she said "gentle" several times.  I have a feeling we're in trouble with this little chatterbox!  She has said "Mama" just once and it was precious but I know I'll be hearing it from her all the time soon enough!   She loves to blow raspberries - and for others to blow them on her tummy. She also tries to put things on her head - hats, headbands, tries to brush her hair.  It's so cute.  She has also learned to drink out of a straw, she thinks that's pretty awesome.  Rylan is a giggle-box.  She is always laughing at Sadie and at her big brothers and sister, too.  She crawls everywhere and can stand up and walk some while holding onto things.  I adore this girl, she is such a little love!

Rylan Grace

Sadie at a year old:

My mischievous little Sadie-bug.  Sadie is adorable.  She has the funniest little laugh that makes me smile every time I hear it.  She crinkles up her nose when she smiles and I love love love it.  Sadie has started playing peekaboo just this past week and it's so funny.  I love how she actually covers up her eyes, soooo cute.  Sadie has 6 teeth - she had caught up with Rylan but then Rylan pulled ahead again.  I absolutely 100% adore Sadie's curly hair.  It is awesome!  Sadie says "Mama" all the time and sometimes says "Dada".  She gets very easily excited and is still always "on the move".  She is our most active baby, honestly.  Kyler started walking really early but I still just don't remember him ever being quite as busy as this little miss!  Sadie walks a lot while holding onto furniture and a few times has let go for a brief second before falling or grabbing on again - yesterday I counted 5 seconds that she was standing on her own!  She'll be running around here before we know it!  This girl is so special to me, I am so glad to have her!

Sadie Jane

They are both great sleepers still, napping 3-4 hours total during the day and typically sleeping from 7:30 pm to 7 am.  (If only mommy could discipline herself to get in bed at a decent hour we'd be doing great....)  We do have the occasional night when one or both wakes us up....like last night...when Rylan was awake from 2-5 am and Sadie was awake off and on all night.  They were just so excited about their birthday, haha!  But mommy is exhausted today!  They are also great eaters - they will eat pretty much anything I give them but their favorites are strawberries, blueberries and sweet potatoes.  If there are strawberries on the plate they don't want to eat anything else until ALL the strawberries are gone.  The two of them stick pretty close together, which I love.  I can almost always find them playing together in the same area.  A couple of times recently I'll find that they've both crawled off to play in their room together and if the bathroom door is open they will discover that quickly and try to get in there before mommy notices, giggling all the way down the hallway.  They love taking baths so I think that's why they try to get in there, although I have caught Sadie trying to stick her hand in the toilet a few times!  They laugh and chatter at each other all the time, it is one of my favorite things to watch.  I love seeing them play together!  

As for family life....well....we're tired.  Shocking, right?  It's busy with 5 kids, and it will only get busier once these babies figure out walking (and running, yikes!) but we really wouldn't change it!  I love having these kids, all of them, and I think they all love having each other.  They are all pretty good at playing together and it's such a blessing to watch them together.  I truly feel so thankful to have them.  When people say "better you than me" you can believe I am agreeing with them.  So much better that it's ME and that these kiddos are MINE!

Melissa at 8 years old

8 years ago tonight I was spending time with my two best friends and they painted my toenails for me - cause I was humongous! - in preparation for Melissa coming soon (they figured my pretty toes would make a great focal point during labor!).  Little did we know that she would be in my arms less than 24 hours later!  I was already having contractions that night, more frequently than before, but not much more intense than the braxton hicks I'd already been having so I didn't think much of it.

Amanda, me and Chara

Toes!

The next day was one of the best of my life, truly.  I woke around 5 am having serious contractions and called my midwife later that morning.  She came over late morning and at 1:09 Melissa was born in my bathtub at home.  So peaceful to get into bed, my very own bed, all calm and quiet with my newborn baby girl and to spend that whole first night snuggling with my baby and my husband, awakened only by her need to eat, no nurses coming in and out flipping on lights and checking vitals.  I adore my kids, I treasure the memories of each of their births but Melissa's will always and forever be my favorite birth experience.

Melissa Dawn

Now my baby girl is turning 8 years old.  She is tall and getting that gangly girl look, no more chubby rolls and waddling running.

- She's in second grade and always gets wonderful reports from her teacher.  She is so proud that she hasn't had a single color change during all of second grade so far!

- She reads SO well.  Brian has been reading the oldest two the Harry Potter series.  Every time he finishes one she checks a copy out from the school library and reads it all over again by herself.  She's probably read the first few at least 3 times already.

- She wants to learn to play the ukulele and can't wait for me to sign her up for basketball - musical athlete, maybe?  :)

- She is an amazing big sister - perhaps a bit bossy, though, too sometimes....

- She is the best of friends with her big brother.  

She is amazing.  I love this girl.  So so proud and blessed that she is my daughter.

My favorite of her 8 year pictures

Melissa's favorite :)