I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to write. This month has been full of firsts. From smiles to head turns to sleeping in the nursery, we are making great strides!
Still, there are moments that I'm totally overwhelmed. When five babies are hungry and we only have two adults to feed them. When the first baby I bathe poops in the bath water. When I realize I haven't been alone in my house since August. All of these things can overwhelm me, but I'm trying to learn to hang my hat on the good moments. The smiles, the coos, the cute outfits. These moments keep my spirit afloat. The other night, Millie was working on her smile. Here's her progression.
Of course, smiling is hard work, so a nap is a necessary recovery method.
Smiling came a little more easily to Clara and Luke.
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| Happy Clara! |
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| Luke loves selfies with Jess! |
Smiles really started to come for Ava when we allowed her a bit of naked time.
Michael's parents were generous enough to host a shower for us in Connecticut. Since traveling is difficult these days, we Skyped in to introduce our new family to Michael's family and friends. This was one of the first times I played dress up with the quints and boy was it fun!
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| L to R: Millie, Clara, Izzy, Ava, and Luke |
Izzy pretty much slept through the entire thing, but she loved cuddling with her sisters (see far right).
Luke quickly grew weary of all of this drama.
We were also happy to welcome Michael's mom's cousin, Terri, to meet the quints. Millie especially loved her girl talk with Terri.
We were also thrilled to welcome my sister, mom, and Emma Kate (my eight-year old niece) this weekend. The quints LOVED Emma Kate and her mom, Leigh Leigh!
Lastly, my friend Mairi hosted a little get together this weekend to officially welcome the quints home. Thanks to my mom, the kiddos were ready for their close up.
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| L to R: Millie, Izzy, Luke, Clara, and Ava |
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| Millie and Izzy |
Michael and I loved seeing our friends and family for this special day. I certainly had a moment when I looked around and realized that THESE are my children and THIS is my life. Yes, that life is overwhelmingly chaotic, but it's full of love, joy and the sweetest smiles I've ever seen.
The one thought I'll leave you with is this. Know that in this time of hate, fear, and judgment, know that kindness is real. Love exists. People can and do give without expectation of anything in return. Their is beauty in love, forsaking all things and all others.
We thank each one of you for your love and support. Without our family and friends, we wouldn't have made it to where we are today.
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| From our days in the NyICU in Arizona... |
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| To our insta-family in our Virginia home! |
