Play time

The girls are now seven weeks old, and it is astounding how much they have grown (physically, mentally, socially, etc). Sure, most of the time they are just laying around staring...but in a completely different way from what they did a few weeks ago. They are, however, still entirely unaware of each other. When laying next to one another Cora will hit and kick Evaline reapeatedly and act like she doesn't know she's doing it. And Evaline will act like she doesn't feel a thing. I find it particularly odd that they are entranced by the baby in the mirror, but don't care a lick about their sister.

But on to the new things that they are doing: I have received some of the most beautiful smiles that I have ever seen from each of the girls. They've been smiling in the "I'm having fun and finding whatever (face, toy, etc) I'm looking at to be amusing" way for awhile, but just in the past few days have they started to smile these HUGE "hey, you're my mom and therefore the most important person in the world" smiles. Only because he will be mad if I don't admit it: Cora gave one of these big, gummy (I'd say "toothy," but they're just not there yet) smiles to Ian first. However Evaline, our alleged "Daddy's Girl," gave me a big one that had not been seen before (ha!).

They're also making weird but adorable new noises all the time to indicate particular levels of excitement or distress; batting at toys hanging from their floor gym (Cora particularly likes to go town with this); holding their heads up; and lots of other little things that before I was a mom I would have thought were silly, no big deal, or not worthy of notice (but now elicit happy dances). And since they have begun to do a modicum of napping as well, life is very, very good.

Evaline, however, still has a bit more trouble with napping than her sister. In fact, we're trying to implement a bit of routine into the girls' lives and while Ian and I are completely convinced that they are geniuses, they seem to have a few things confused. For example:

Here is Cora during "playtime":


And here is Evaline during "naptime":


Here are some additional recent pictures of the girls as they are progressing - all are in keeping with the "playtime" theme:

Cora, just chillin' with some "boppy" time:


Evaline "reading" with her Dad: "Here is a mouse. M-O-U-S-E is how you spell "mouse." A mouse has two ears, can you find the ears?"


Cora, wishing that her arms were longer so that she could truly enjoy this toy.


The girls - see earlier comment about their refusal to acknowledge each other.


Evaline - chillin' on the "boppy."


And here I have to add the girls in their Linn-Mar onsies (just to make Ian jealous).