in other amazing news

Jane and Kate are HUGE. They had their four month check-up yesterday (and the poor babies had slight fevers today from their vaccines - but responded well to Tylenol) and they're actually on the charts for their actual age! Way down at the bottom, but they're there. And for their gestational age, they're up around the 80th percentile! They've tripled their birth weight, and Jane's finally just about even with her sister. Jane weighed in at 12 lbs, 15 oz and Kate at 13 lbs, 2 oz.

Their weight curves aren't quite normal; they sort of look like an inverted "L" rather than a gentle curve, jumping up at the 2 month mark. Their doctor pointed out that they really jumpstarted their growth once they figured out nursing. Guess the whole on-demand feeding thing works!

It's still funny-odd (as opposed, very opposed, to funny-ha-ha) having premies. They're just such a mix developmentally. They make eye contact and smile and coo and roll over and hold themselves up at a 45 degree angle like four month olds, but they still don't grab objects, and in that way they're much more like two month olds. It isn't the same progression, quite, that I watched with Brie and Sam. I mean, they're way ahead for their gestational age, but not quite caught up for their actual age. It's just a really funny mix.

But even though they haven't figured out how to grab things yet, they HAVE figured out how to get their hands in their mouths. They both love their hands. They suck and gnaw on them all day long. I'm happy about it, especially as they aren't overly fond of pacifiers. I think that's a holdover from the NICU, where they used those weird Soothie paci's, you know, the ones that never stay in. Because they got used to those, they're pretty indifferent to the NUK paci's, which are the kind Sam's still hooked on. So I'm glad that they like sucking their fingers, because it gives them a great self-soothing technique.

Of course, the other day Jane decided she wanted to be a bulemic. There she was, sucking away on her fingers, then I hear a gagging sound, and she throws up. Yes, my cute little four month old made herself puke. Oh, Jane. But it didn't disturb her much and she went right back to munching on her hands. (And eating like a horse. I'm totally joking about the eating disorder thing. It was just an unfortunate learning experience. She now knows that her fingers do not belong in her throat.)

Brie has been sweet on her little sisters since they came home, but Sam's only recently begun to really notice them. I think he's following Brigid's lead. Today he cuddled around Kate on the couch, giggling and saying, "she's touching me!" as Kate flapped her arms at him.

At some point, I should write about our camping trip, but if I never get around to it: it was great, we're exhausted. Brie and Sam loved it. Brigid is now pretending to be Becca (our friends' younger daughter) and yelling at an imaginary Molly (our friends' dog, who came along) to SIT DOWN. I loved being all six of us outside when earlier this year I wondered if we ever would be all six of us and (occasionally, at the hospital) if I'd ever be outside again. Did you know I spent six weeks entirely indoors? The trees in the mountains were almost as pretty as the one I saw when I finally came out of the hospital doors. And I loved, loved, loved hanging out with Cyndi, who had twins 7 years ago. It was good to be around someone who knew what this double-baby-time is like, and it was very good to hear how God used it in their family's life, and very good to watch them all, and see what a good, rich family life they have. Cyndi's a ponder-it-in-her-heart person, and I was glad to hear a few of her ponderings about what this strange, sleepless time means.

AND I got to help Brie walk up and down a small waterfall in a mountain stream. I love living water, and it was amazing to go river-walking with my daughter, to share something I love so much with my child, and to watch how enthusiastically she took to it.

But, we did come home early from the camping trip. It was all of those good things, but there were five adults, and two almost-teens, besides Adam and I, who were willing and able to hold babies, and it was BARELY enough. We actually went home a bit early because we were so tired. So . . . we figure no more camping this summer. Probably next summer, as camping with toddlers is not nearly so difficult. But camping is a lot of work - you miss those mod-con's, y'know? - and when there are two tiny-unable-to-walk creatures demanding to be held, well, it doesn't work so well. How do you cook over a campfire and rock babies at the same time? Yeah.

But I'm still really glad we went. I just want to wait a year before we do it again. :)

And, Mom, Dad, Jim, Cyndi, Rachel, Jacqueline, Rho? Thank you for holding babies. And Jon and Becca? Thanks for playing with Brie and Sam. We had a blast.

-Jess