So. Tired.

It's been more than a week - I'm sorry. I'm just. so. tired.
Zoie has gone back to being awake between 1:30/2ish and about 5/5:30 am.  It's a horribly long stretch in the middle of the night. By the time I finally get her down again I'm wide awake, starving, and have horribly chapped lips from "shushing" for so long. For crying out loud baby (literally).

Anyway. I'm just. so. tired.  But I finally figured out the slideshow! So that's your new stuff.  The new slideshow (there is also some recent artwork I did for a friend mixed in there).

Harper you are talking up a storm and we are having more conversations about details, for example; last night we talked extendedly about the fact that Zoie has nipples (you noticed while we were doing a diaper change), and then upon putting your hand on Zoie's chest said: "Pretty hot?"  (Referring to her skin temperature).  Oh so entertaining.  I also was tickled the other day in the middle of a tantrum when I told you "Oh Harper, hush hush", and you looked at me and screamed "NO HUSH HUSH!!!!".  I about died laughing inside, I didn't want you to think I wasn't validating your feelings. Your tantrums are definitely getting more dramatic and louder....nearing the Terrible Twos we are just a few weeks away I'm afraid.

Zoie I can see your little tooth! You are eating pears, bananas, apples, baby cereal, and avocados (still don't like the sweet potatoes).  And you are sleeping horribly. Again. Laughing at your sister all the time and you are sitting up really really well.  You are starting to like the stroller more (I've been walking twice a day with you girls) and we're able to make it a little longer each day.  Daddy even took you for a run yesterday and you fell asleep in the stroller for the first time. Hooray! Don't get any ideas though, I'm not running with you in the stroller in the middle of the night in order to get you to sleep. 

There are so many other things to say I'm sure....but they are all lost in the fog of my sleep deprived memory.  Just wanted to do a quick update & will try to post more later in the week. 
Enjoy the slideshow!

Your mama loves you girls :)

A Very Merry Half Birthday to Z!

We are having a rough nap today, so it's going to have to be a quick one! Hopefully I'll get a slide show of photos going at the top of the blog so you can see the new ones easier.
Five Things About You this week:
--Zoie you turned 6 months! Hooray! I can't believe a half of a year has gone by and you're already halfway to your first birthday.  What a whirlwind it has been, but you have turned out to be a sweet snuggly little girl.
--You are sitting up all by yourself without the boppy.  This has inspired Harper to sit and play with you much more often, and she thinks it's pretty funny that you reach for and grab your own toys now.
--You have cut your first tooth! We can't quite see it yet, but we can feel it, sharp as a little razor in your bottom left front.
--You started eating sweet potatoes this week, which you have completely hated thus far. Gagging and wincing with each bite.  You even tasted the 1/4 teaspoon that I mixed into your rice cereal. Little stinker...you're so particular! They are of course fresh sweet potatoes, baked and pureed right in my own kitchen....but you still don't like 'em....it's gonna take quite a few rounds of trying new foods I'm sure.
--You are almost sleeping better....I would say 6 nights out of 7 you get up every four hours to nurse and go back to sleep pretty easily. The 7th night your midnight demon comes out and we spend about 5 hours crying, shushing, rocking to get you to sleep, but to no avail.  You always fall asleep at 6am soundly and want to sleep until 9 or 10.  Again.....little stinker!

Harper you LOVE your new stroller and are so excited to have Zoie ride in it with you. You like to peek around the corner of your seat to see her back there.
-- You said "you're welcome" to me for the first time the other day after I said "thank you" for something. It was so cute! We are really working on getting you to use your manners.
-- You are obsessed with painting and art making right now. You want to be sitting at the desk most of the day coloring, using colored pencils, or painting. Daddy brought home a canvas board with a big painted number 3 on it that you and him have been painting together. It is a Jasper Johns tribute he says.....pretty cool looking right now I must say. We'll have to post pictures when you two are finished with it.
-- We went to story time at the library yesterday and you are starting to sing the songs and fingerplays with the librarian this week (we've gone about 5-6 times now). It is great to see you learn new songs and look around to see the other kids trying out the movements as well. You love to get your hand stamped at the end of the session and you are ready to run up to the front before she's done singing the good-bye song. Between the stamp on your hand and the coloring of your own hands with markers each time you're at the desk, I don't have any doubt that you'll be bugging us for permanent body art as soon as you're old enough. Just like I did to my parents. I'm in for it......
-- You discovered that you love raw zucchini this week! It's been great to give you something fresh and healthy, easy to cut up and you love to dip it in ranch. Well, you love to dip pretty much everything....but this is a great new addition to your "favorites".  You also have started drinking out of a "big girl" cup (without a sippy lid). We found the perfect little colored plastic cups at Ikea last weekend. I think they were $1.99 for a set of 6 cups. All perfectly sized for you! You are great about slowly taking sips and we have had very minimal spills thus far. You have picked up every other skill we've started with you pretty quickly, but this was a really easy one for you. Potty training however has been a different story....we're hoping that you'll be more interested SOON because your 2nd birthday is right around the corner. Whoa! Just a few more weeks and our baby girl is going to be 2!!!! How did that happen? We're looking forward to a celebration!

Smile girls, your mama loves you.