Latest project.

Here's the latest home improvement project.  I took two photos that I took of the girls, each around 3 months old:

and uploaded them to Mpix, since they were giving me a massive discount via a discount code.  I ordered them in large sizes (16x20) which came last week.  I stopped by Michael's and happened to hit up a frame sale, and basically got two super-large, matted frames for the price of one!  They are now framed and ready to hang over the couch in the living room.... which has to wait, since the frames themselves need hanging wire, and I am all out....

But I really love these two pictures.  I'm glad I was able to get them around the same age with the same sort of background.

My next goal is to rework this photo

and then get it framed for each of their rooms.
For now.

Growth Table

I know some of you are curious (I was too!)

Age	Stella	Angela
Birth	8 lb 3, 21 in	7 lb 5, 20 in
1 mo	11 lb, 21.75 in	11 lb 4, 21.5 in
2 mo	13 lb 4, 24 in	13 lb 13, 22.5 in
3 mo	14 lb 8, 24.5 in	15 lb 6, 24.5 in
4 mo	16 lb 8, 26 in	16 lb 10, 25.25 in
5 mo	18 lb, 26.75 in	18 lb, 25.75 in
6 mo	20 lb 2, 27.5 in	20 lb, 26.5 in
8 mo	22 lb 10, 29 in	22 lb 8, 28.5 in
10 mo	23 lb 11, 30 in	24 lb, 29.5 in
12 mo	25 lb 4, 31.5 in	26 lb 8, 30 in
15 mo	28 lb 8 ,  33 in	29 lb 4, 31 in
18 mo	29 lb, 34.5	31 lb 12, 33 in
21 mo	31 lb 1, 35.5
24 mo	34 lb, 36 in

 

Angela started out smaller, but she is definitely up there in height and already surpassed her big sister on weight gain (my little aggressive eater).

Accomplishment	Stella	Angela
Smiled	1 mo	1.5 mo
Rolled over	Front to back 4 mos Back to front 5 mos	Front to back 3 mos Back to front 3.5 mos
Slept through the night	2 mos	1.5 mos
Laughed	5 mos	3 mos
Found my hands and feet	3 mos	3 mos
First tooth	5.5 mos	5.5 mos
Sat up	6 mos 9 mos	6 mos 9 mos
Clapped my hands	8 mos	10 mos
Pulled up	9 mos	8 mos
Stood by myself	10 mos	9 mos
Crawled	8 mos	7 mos
Walked	12 mos	9.5 mos
First words	12 mos	10.5 mos
First haircut	19 mos

 

I'll update this accordingly and let you know when I do.

Same and different.

It's really hard to not compare your kids.  Here's some of the things I have noticed so far:

Stella NEVER spit up.  Ever.  Never used bibs or burp cloths until she started making a mess with solid foods.  Angela?  I go through my supply on a near-daily basis.

They looked very similar up until about two months of age.  Their birth photos are nearly identical. 

Angela sticks her tongue out so much more than Stella did.  (It could have something to do with the fact that Stella may have/had slight tongue-tie.)

They are both super eaters.  In every sense of the word.  Angela and Stella both nursed like champs.  And Stella currently eats nearly everything offered to her - her current fave meal is pork Pad Thai.

Angela loves her pacifier;  Stella gave it up early.  (Some people give us a confused look when I don't say binky... in our family, the paci is a ciucceta - guessing at the spelling - which I believe is the Italian dialect word for it.)

Angela is much better at the whole "drowsy but awake" go-to-sleep process.  Stella had to be held or rocked until she was completely out - she'd cry insanely if she wasn't asleep and you put her down - but Angela will pretty much put herself to bed. 

A few minutes to myself.

Every day I look forward to a few minutes to myself.  They usually come sometime after lunch, when Stella goes for her nap and hopefully Angela too.

It is very hectic with two kids.  Everyone tells you it will be busy, but multiply that by ten and it is more accurate.  Between nursing, preparing meals, changing twice the number of diapers, fighting with the attention-seeking two-year-old while the baby is crying because she's tired, it is not easy.

The past few days have been wonderful, though, as nap times are starting to line up and those afternoon moments get longer.  I finally have a few moments to sit down and just watch TV while eating my lunch, without having to think about getting the laundry folded or planning my grocery shopping.  It is quite difficult, though, to turn off the brain at night - I end up reading a little longer than I probably should, just so I can go to sleep!!

So, what do I do during the rare quiet times?  Sometimes I just sit and eat my lunch in peace, watching Modern Family (a show I never saw, but so many friends have told me it's good I've got to try it out) or Big Brother (I seem to miss the first half hour or so at night due to Stella's bedtime).  Sometimes I work on projects that need completing - photo editing, decorating, etc.  Sometimes I clean because it's easier to do when the kids are not around, like dusting or mopping.

Here are the links to the latest photos on Flickr.  I can't believe that little mushie is going to be 4 months old so soon!!  The time has flown by.

Month 1 on Flickr

Month 2 on Flickr

Month 3 on Flickr