Non-Photo Update

EJP
Evelynn at 7 weeks seems to be doing better since Mom eliminated almost all milk from her diet. There is still room for improvement, so Mom needs moral support as she tries to kick her chocolate habit as well - milk was hard enough to give up! However, Evie is no longer seeming uncomfortable and crying all the time. In fact, we have had some really good days with her as well - smiles are starting up regularly and sweet baby coos as well - a much needed change. And she appears to have one easy soothing technique - baths - which she loves!
Evie is a scooter already. If placed on her tummy, she propels herself around pretty well. No signs of rolling over yet, but she definitely appears to be advanced when it comes to muscle control, so I'm sure it's coming.
She is a big baby. Most of her 3 month clothes are too small, but cousin Nancy's gift package wasn't too late for us to wear everything at least once! She is in size 2 diapers, but I honestly think they will only fit for another few weeks at most - they are certainly already stretched pretty well to their limit. She certainly likes to eat all the time! But despite frequent nursing, even at night, she's a good sleeper - already well on her way to a decent routine of a 10 hour night and three actual naps.

MCP
Things I forgot to mention in Claire's 18 month post are as follows:
Claire is addicted to the Wiggles - she wants "Woo Woo" almost any time she's awake. She really likes Dorothy the Dinosaur (the character, not just the song) and loves to dance ballet. Her favorite songs are "Hot Potato" and "Rock-a-bye your bear."
Claire wants to dress herself morning, noon, and night - which includes putting any clothes she can find around the house over what she is already wearing. She seems particularly fond of skirts and hats and loves to put socks on her hands and feet. She has one hat from Nani that is hard to get off her head even when you try to bathe her.
The unusual spring-like February has meant that we can spend a little time outside. This is still Claire's favorite thing in all the world and it is very hard work for mommy during the workweek. Evie does NOT like to be out there and cries the whole time; Claire cries when we come in; Mommy is exhausted either way! However, we keep trying to take advantage of the nice weather and get out there anyway.

These two active little girls are keeping me on my toes all the time. Geoff and I are usually getting pretty good sleep at night still. We are not sure how to go about moving Evie into a shared room with Claire in the next few weeks, but that should probably affect our sleep more than having Evie in our room has, because it will probably mean two babies waking at night for a little while. Our house is a bit messier and more chaotic than we are used to, but for the most part, life is good in the Peel home.
More pictures are coming, I promise!

Photo Shoot

There are plenty more, but I wanted to get a few of the best ones up tonight so Geoff could have them to show off tomorrow. Evelynn Jane Peel, 7 weeks
The Peel Ladies

Martha Claire Peel, 18 months

Evelynn at 6 Weeks

At six weeks, Evelynn...
still has her umbilical cord

still has a full head of beautiful thick dark wavy hair

has started to smile and coo
is fighting baby acne
has consistent signs of acid reflux despite mommy's dietary changes
has amazing head control
sleeps a little less
eats a lot more
and grows, and grows, and grows!

A Year and a Half

My how the time does fly! 18 months have come and gone in the life of Martha Claire Peel. As you can tell from the photo above, she continues to thrive and enjoy every minute! We're going to blink and she'll be steering the canoe down a river, not simply wanting to play with it on the ground.
I marked a new spot for her on the wall growth chart and she is considerably taller than the 12 month spot. I'm not sure on her weight or length at 18 months because we are avoiding the doctor for a bit longer right now - she is extremely afraid of the doctor at the moment and I feel no need to press the issue until she starts preschool this fall. I think she is around 21lbs. She is finally wearing mostly 18 month clothing, still about 6 months behind, though she appears to be growing rapidly.
She is starting to repeat more words and babble incessantly, which is adorable when it's not whiny. Her favorite things to say are, Oh man! Oh buddy! Oh baby! Oh no! She is still in love with all things Dr. Seuss and loves to point to the word "BUMP" and say it over and over in the Cat in the Hat. Her favorite thing continues to be playing outside, and her favorite indoor activity is coloring.
She is definitely in the 18 month phase - clinging to mommy, being leery of strangers, testing boundaries, etc. The tantrums that were going on a few months ago have disappeared for the time being - I'm sure they'll show up again in these next few years. She doesn't do much to get into trouble, but when she's particularly whiny or difficult, so far the only method of discipline I've needed is to ask her if she needs a minute in her crib. Usually she says no, sometimes mommy has to put her there anyway. It's been doing the trick so far.
She's being a great big sister. People have asked if she's been jealous and I have to say I really haven't seen signs of it. Sometimes she is frustrated for having to wait for things (usually because mommy is nursing Evie), but she has done pretty well with understanding that what's Evie's is Evie's and what's Claire's is Claire's. She is good with Evie - always wants to help, which sometimes means that she shoves a paci in Evie's mouth unexpectedly or wipes Evie's face a little too vigorously. I've seen her do a few little things that show a mild hositility when she thinks I'm not looking - raising a foot to step on Evie or "patting" her head a little to forcefully. These are quickly interrupted by a minute in the crib and are really few and far between.
Mostly, life is good here. A little frantic at times, but good. And Claire continues to blossom into a beautiful little girl as she rapidly grows toward being two years old...

Daddy Daughter Moments

Naptime... Playtime...
With Daddy, all are good times!

Five Weeks Plus Picture Post

To make up for lost time (since Evie is well on her way to 6 weeks), I'm posting a bunch of pictures downloaded from my phone - something I haven't done since week 1! So this is a bit of a digest of the past 4 weeks or so - enjoy! At five weeks, Evie is a wopping 10lbs 14oz! (Claire was only right at 8lbs at this same check-up). She continues to thrive and delight, although to be truthful she is not quite as easy a baby as her sister was. We are still having considerable trouble with spitting up/gas, but sometimes that's just the way things go. This little chunky monkey is already outgrowing 0-3 month clothing. She has amazing head control and already sits in the bumbo seat for short periods of time.
My favorite Evie outfit so far - it has a matching blankie and came from our sweet neighbor.

Got to love the Kramer hair-do

Beautiful girl - yes I'm biased

Nestled in her sling (made by Aunt Kathy for Claire). She now does pretty well in her front carrier as well which allows me to play with Claire a little more when Evie is awake. Claire is a little jealous of her in the sling/carrier, though.Found this picture of the two girls together - isn't it cute? I wish I had bought that "little sister" shirt in a larger size. We really thought we were going to have another tiny baby, but she's already outgrown it and I didn't get a chance to have her picture made with Claire in her Big Sister shirt...

Speaking of the big sister, here are a bunch of photos of Martha Claire. It's funny, Evie's the new kid, but I still take more photos of Claire. I was told that this is normal and it's probably because Claire is into so much more these days. Evie pretty much eats, sleeps and poops, but I'm sure we'll get plenty of pictures of her as she grows and changes.Eating an apple - yep, she can eat a WHOLE apple

Trying out a tricycle - not quite big enough to reach the pedals, but she is getting close!

At Cracker Barrel with her big cousin, Sara (We were celebrating the family January birthdays - mine, NiNi's, and Sara's)

Wearing one of Evie's hats - doesn't she look like a little flapper chick?

She arranged a group of her dolls and sat down and "read" a book to them. Too cute!

You can't keep kids out of boxes! Incidentally, this picture reminds me of Colson when he was a puppy always trying to get into boxes, baskets, etc. that were really too small to fit him. So funny. :)

And saving the best for last - Claire's very first pigtails! Daddy thinks she is stinkin' adorable in pigtails.