200

Wow, post #200.  I wonder who really thinks I've got that much important stuff to share. :)

We spent most of this week in Rockford visiting my parents because Travis was in Phoenix at a conference.  He couldn't really tell me much of the subject matter (or if he did, I found it so dry that I didn't pay attention), although he did say that for the designated networking time he had signed up for the "tequila tasting" session.  Apparently he had a good time!

We did, too.  The girls did great on the road, and Emily went the whole visit without any accidents at all.  (I think we are in the midst of another two steps forward!)  My dad had found some newborn kittens in the barn, and he was excited to show them to Emily, but he hadn't fed the cows before we went out there so Emily was pretty freaked out by all the mooing that was echoing around the barn.  It was pretty creepy if you didn't know that the cows couldn't come in there.  I don't think she understands that the fencing will prevent them from coming close to her, but for now I think it's fine if she's afraid of the cows because I prefer that to overconfidence!  But she was very brave, and after we got back into the house, she talked about the kitties nonstop.  Pretty cute!  My mom was amazed at how well Emily can sing, and it seems like they spent nearly the entire visit singing songs together.  Audrey was a little uncertain when we first got there, but warmed up nicely.  I had broken the leg off her playgym while loading it into the van, so she didn't get to play with it for a day while my dad glued it back together.  As he was snapping it back together, she was sitting on his lap and could hardly contain herself, she was so excited to see that gym!  Finally my mom had to hold her while he fiddled with it, and she jumped and squeaked and jumped until he got it ready for her.  She grinned and grabbed her feet, and we all went and did other things for probably half an hour until she needed somebody around again.  She loooooves those feet!

And, her second tooth came in!  I had a couple of awful days while it was breaking through, since she would only nurse off one side, and she wouldn't eat much either because of the pain.  I ended up pumping 4 oz while I was reading a magazine (after she had eaten, mind you), and overfilled the bottle before I knew it.  I was in some supreme pain, but so was Audrey, so I suppose that's fair.  She was soooo happy and hungry when it finally broke through.  So now I'm tryign to figure out what kept her awake this morning from 4:30 until 6:00, along with a good half-hour of screaming in there.  What was all that about??

I have such nice girls.  Emily is so delightful, and I'm really crazy about her.  If I'm in control, she and I can handle just about any outburst and she resolves herself so maturely.  The key, I guess, is me staying in control, and then she just shines. She was drawing "X"'s and circles on the sidewalk with chalk, and today she brought home a mother's day card from daycare with her scribbles on it, just vertical zig-zags but it's definitely "writing."  Audrey is very close to sitting on her own, and does really very well in the boppy. She giggles at the sight of her sister, especially first thing in the morning when they see each other.  Emily will rock Audrey in her carseat or the exersaucer, clear to the point where her head is flopping around, and it's hard to tell Emily that that's not good for a baby when Audrey is giggling her head off.  I wonder when they'll start hating each other, but I'll definitely enjoy it for now.