Our Blondies

The girls continue to transform into little ladies right before my eyes. There are mornings after we awake that they actually appear noticeably larger to me, as if they've slept in a bizarrely restorative state that has aged them 12 weeks instead of 12 hours. Developmental milestones are so frequent that it's often difficult to record or even retain them because they happen so damn quickly, often causing me to wonder, "How/when did they learn to do that?" Just this week I witnessed Emma holding a door open for a stranger, realized Sophie knows the color blue, observed Em totaling the value of several coins as she plunked them into her piggy bank, and heard Sophie say "Excuse me!" after stumbling in front of a woman on the sidewalk. The amount of physical, emotional and intellectual changes they undergo in a single day is astounding.

Part of me wants to scream STOP! every time I notice how big they are getting, but mostly I just hope I don't miss the next time they morph into something - or someone - new. It's a gift and a thrill to be home with them every day, to be the first to recognize and celebrate every accomplishment, every change. But noticing each new word/thought/skill is not enough for me. When they wake up looking or acting different, I feel cheated. I don't like wondering, "How did they learn that?" or "When did they get so big?" Selfishly, I want to see as much as I can of the process.

Here they are today, both wearing new dresses and feeling oh-so-proud of themselves. They look so...well, so grown up to me in this photo. It's as if the camera captured a glimpse into their future selves. Possible? Who knows. I just can't wait to see what layer of themselves they uncover next.