Happy Half Birthday!

Just a little over six months ago, we met two amazing creatures--one who aspired to be a hand model and one who did a killer Walter Matthau impersonation. Today, they are these funny, sweet, smart, squirmy babies that we love so much. In some ways, it's hard to believe they are six months old already, but in other ways, it's hard to believe we've only known them six months. It feels like they've always been with us, and our family was incomplete before they came along. In any case, Piper and Fletcher, we love you so much and can't imagine our world without you.

Ok, with all that out of the way, there's lots to talk about and report on. Here is an update, in no particular order.

Sleep: In my last post, I discussed the trouble we were having with sleep. It's gotten only mildly better since then. I hate to type this for fear that I'll jinx it, but Fletch is going to sleep easier. That's an improvement. Piper is still rolling all over her crib at night, and both of them are waking up several times throughout the evening. We're working on all this and trying to make it better because Eric and I are still suffering from the lack of sleep at night as well as the "joy" of two cranky babies on the weekends because they don't always nap well. So, it's a work in progress.

Milestones: The babies seem to be changing everyday. Piper is just trying to roll everywhere, and wants to explore. She's getting so strong at standing (when we hold her, of course) that she's going to be walking in no time. She's also doing amazingly well with her hands, although this is to be expected given her previous penchance for hand modeling. Fletch is starting to roll to his sides a bit and is getting good at balancing while sitting up. Neither of them are sitting unassisted yet or getting onto all fours while doing tummy time, but that's ok. We're not in a huge hurry to have mobile babies. They are becoming more talkative and make up new noises all the time. Fletch's latest noise makes him sound like a snake, while Piper is all about the giggling and squealing.

Food: A few weeks ago, we started solids. So far, the clear favorite is bananas, although they haven't discovered a food that they don't like. We did get some weird looks with green beans, which was understandable because I also tasted it, and frankly, I thought it was pretty gross, so good for them for sucking it down.

Latest visit: My mom came to visit the babies this past week while Eric was out of town. Thank goodness for her help because I was pretty sick all week, so she helped so much with some of the nightime feedings and caring for me. I guess it goes to show that no matter how old you are, sometimes, you still need your mom to take care of you. The babies had a great time during her visit and can't wait to see her again. They also had fun today with Eric's parents, who came over so I could take a nap and continue to recover from this cold, and Eric could finish unpacking from his trip. We're so lucky to have such wonderful parents to help us, and the babies love spending time with all of their grandparents.

Photos: The photos above were taken while out walking yesterday. I realize we haven't done any pro photos yet. I REALLY want to get some done, but we're waiting until the babies can sit unassisted because I think that will be cuter than if they are just laying on the ground like blobs.

Life at Six Months: All the twin moms I spoke to said that life would get easier with the babies around 6 months. So far, we haven't found that to be true. Right now, we're still in this survival phase, more so than we were even a few months ago. Being a parent is hard work, and being a parent of multiples is really rough at times. There are moments when I think I'm going to go nuts and wonder what the heck we're doing, but then I get a smile from Fletch or a giggle from Piper and I remember exactly what we're doing--raising two of the sweetest babies ever. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've been struggling a bit lately with keeping it all together, given our lack of sleep, so I apologize if I haven't returned emails or phone calls, if my hair seems a bit crazy, or I come to work with formula on my pants. I'm hoping this too shall pass, but in the meantime, I have the cuties pictured at the top of this post (and an incredible husband) to keep me sane and grounded.