It's been a crazy busy couple of months. I'm sure that has NOTHING to do with the two busy, growing, little girls in our household coupled with my return to work. Nah. That just can't be it...
Lately, I'm definitely finding it challenging to keep a good balance of everything. It seems my days home are a whirlwind of laundry, wiping bottoms, bathing little bodies, teaching, shaping, exploring, cleaning, sorting, soothing, rearranging, navigating a meltdown, cooking, nurturing, getting frustrated, mourning the loss of 'me' time, relishing, basking, savoring, marveling, longing, worrying, restless, sleepless, exhausted amazing days. My days at work are much the same...except the bottoms are bigger and there is no cooking. :) While I love my job, work is leaving me utterly emotionally empty. I'm exhausted from all the heaviness I carry around with me and then I feel I have little in reserve to offer the family when I get home. Balance...I'm seeking a better balance.
A quick re-cap of the girlies:
Lelia is now just over 22 months old. She's got a second birthday in less than two months! What?!? Where has the time gone? In looking over photos of the past several months, I can definitely see Leelee swiftly settling into toddlerhood. She seems to be changing daily. It's bittersweet. I love seeing her accomplish new feats and broaden her boundaries but I also mourn the newborn Lelia it feels, just joined our family. ::sniff sniff:: She's learning new words and mannerisms. She's very affectionate, always giving kisses and hugs. And best of all, she's an amazing big sister. Always asking about and pointing out 'sissy'. Wren gets ample hugs (smothering) and kisses on a daily basis. Lelia has a sweet spot in her heart for her little sister!
Wren is our chubby mostly happy baby. She weighs over 17 1/2 pounds now, just shy of being 5 months old. She is wearing 9 month clothing. She's a moose! She has amazing rolls on her chubby rolls. LOVE IT! It's taken us awhile to figure her out. She's quite a complex little girl. She loves to be rocked rather vigorously and have a hand placed on the side of her face when she's falling asleep. She is mostly happy but when she gets her pampers in a bunch...watch out! She has a very short fuse. She likes to watch Lelia putter about and is most happy when she can be entertained. She's also an extremely social little girl...she LOVES people...aka...she LOVES to be held. People often remark about how laid back and sweet she is and that the stories we tell about her screaming bloody murder just can't be true. Truth is, she IS sweet and happy...when she's being held. Set that girl down for any amount of time and she unravels rather quickly. Suffice to say, things are finally hitting somewhat of a stride now. Almost 5 months into her life as an outside baby! PHEW! It's been a challenging few months, to say the least. We are so blessed to have two healthy thriving girls who love each other immensely.
Overall, I think we're faring pretty well. We're tired, sure. But we're also deliriously in love with these two little girls. Just love 'em to pieces! Enjoying the wild ride in this phase of life!
From March to present, a little photo essay of the past few months...
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| "cheese" with two fussy girlies (early March) |
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| Lelia and Wren meet their second cousin, Grace (early March) |
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| Hanging out with Gpa Reinbold (Tre's Dad) (early March) |
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Lelia and Wren meet Great Nana and Papa Reinbold for the first time (Tre's grandparents) (early March)
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| teeter totter at the park (late March) |
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| puddles (late March) |
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| mi familia (late March) |
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| our 'french' binkie thief...always stealing sissy's binkies (late March) |
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| Papa cutting the diva's nails (late March) |
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| first encounter with a snake (late March) |
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| Leelee's love affair with sunglasses begins (late March) |
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| winner of the Don King hair look-alike contest (late March) |
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| conference (late March) |
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| almost 3 months old (late March) |
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| snuggles with the little bird (late March) |
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| little purple riding hood (early April) |
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| those eyes, that pout (early April) |
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| Mama and Wren (early April) |
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| sisters (early April) |
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| 3 months old (early April) |
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| silly monkey (early April) |
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| sweet little bird (mid April) |
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| happy chubby baby (mid April) |
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| Lelia learns croquet (mid April) |
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| With Great Gma Doty...some family resemblance there, perhaps? (Easter Sunday) |
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| Hugs with Great Gpa Doty (Easter Sunday) |
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| grumpy Wren/sympathetic Papa (late April) |
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| fell asleep reading Moo, Baa, La La La (Vegas, early May) |
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| happy little bird enjoying the Vegas sunshine (early May) |
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| Valley of Fire, Nevada (early May) |
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| Papa and Lelia hiking in the Valley of Fire, Nevada (early May) |
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| water baby (Vegas, early May) |
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| Lelia and her BFF Madalynn (Vegas, early May) |
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| Wren working on her tan in Vegas (early May) |
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| Lelia debuts pigtails (early May) |
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| Tre showcases his skills at the St. John's Parade (mid May) |
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| playing together (mid May) |
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| 4 months old...getting bigger (mid May) |
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Leelee at swim class (mid May)
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| our older gals (l-r: Ginger, Dharma, Ophelia) (mid May) |
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| silly face (mid May) |
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| enjoying the view (mid May) |
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| Spring arrives (mid May) |
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| the pups, Ellie & Tsavo (mid May) |
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| like father, like daughter: Converse edition (mid May) |
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| "helping" with yardwork (late May) |
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| 4 1/2 months old, still blue eyed and bald (late May) |
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| Mama and Wren (late May) |
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| book club (late May) |
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| a birdie who loves to smile (late May) |
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| cooking with Koko (late May) |
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| blue eyed baby (late May) |
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| new accomplishment...sitting up (June 1) |
