four months young.

Has it really only been 4 months?

Wow.

It feels like much longer.

In a good way.

Mostly.

Quinn smiles. Like, all the time. There is something about that smile that makes your knees weak. It is just so sweet. Carly's smile used to explode upon her face. Quinn's gradually forms, like the sun rising (corny? you bet!).

Quinn growls. This scary little monster growl. And she has quite a bit of fun doing it. I'm guessing she knows we think its funny, and she just thinks its downright awesome.

Quinn curves. She rolls to her side and curls her head backwards. I think she wants to roll, to move, but still can't quite figure out how. And that big ol' head isn't helping matters. 

Quinn drools. You will always find the front of her shirt wet, and who knows when a drool bomb will hit your leg or slime your hair.

Quinn laughs. Well, kind of. It is actually an amused grunt, and it is the cutest thing. 

Quinn is balding. I was looking back at pictures of all that black hair when she was born and can hardly believe it. Her hair continues to thin out on top. Chris went to San Francisco for a few days before we went to Idaho, and he can back and said, "Woa! She's bald!" Poor girl. Carly went through the same thing at about a month old, so we'll look forward to Q's growing back in. I can't wait to see what color it will decide to be. Right now it can't decide between dark brown and red.

Quinn's name suits her perfectly. I loved the name Quinn for Carly. Like, LOVED LOVED it. Chris liked Carly more, and when she arrived, she was just so Carly. So we always referred to our next baby as Quinn, because I just had to have my Quinn. In the two and a half years between my babies' births, Quinn seemed to grow in popularity. And during my pregnancy I saw it popping up for girls all over the place. It is verging on trendy, and I get turned off on a name when it gets too popular. So I went back and forth trying to decide if I wanted to use it. And I worried about giving her a gender neutral name. I have a gender neutral name, and when I was a little girl I used to pretend my name was Michelle Rose because it was the girliest name in the world to me. But I like my name now, so it worked out. I also worried about giving her a gender neutral name with a twin brother. This has already created problems, as at their blessing the person conducting said it was the blessing of "Quinn and his twin brother John." She'll probably get that her whole life. But when she came out and I saw that tiny girl with all that black hair and those wide bright eyes, I just knew she was the Quinn I'd been waiting for. Other names we considered for her (kind of, Quinn was always the front-runner): Emerson, Anna, Mila (I really loved Mila!), Kendall. But looking at those names now it seems silly. She is just our Q.

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John smiles too. But his smile explodes like Carly's did. Sometimes Chris will be holding him and we'll be talking and I'll glance down and he'll just be staring at me with this massive smile on his face. Yum.

John talks. Like, a lot. He has mastered cooing, and on Sunday morning we were awakened by chatter rather than cries. It was the most perfect anniversary present.

John drinks. We just switched him to his fourth formula. Fourth! But guess what? He is calmer, doesn't scream all the time, and doesn't arch and struggle while taking a bottle. He is a whole new man (so far), and we like the new John quite a bit. It does make me sad to think he's had a tummy ache for 3 months, but I'm hoping he is feeling better.

John screams. His new formula doesn't make him more patient, or less of a prince. While he does seem more comfortable, he still prefers and/or demands to be held a lot of the time.

John has hair. Our once bald little old man is growing in some dishwater blonde fuzz and it makes him look quite debonair. He is a seriously handsome little guy. I hope he is a nerd, or I'll be chasing girls away with a stick.

John's name fits him perfectly, too, as it so happens. Without fail, after I tell a stranger his name, I get asked "Is he named after someone?" Like, we couldn't just like the name John and decide to use it. Today I met a baby George and I was on the verge of asking the same question, but held it in and just said how cute he was instead. The answer? Kind of. Chris's late grandfather was John, and he has and continues to bless our lives through his kindness and generosity. And his wife, Baga, is by far one of our favorite people around. Chris has two cousins named John, though neither of them go by it (one goes by his middle name, the other by his initials). We are happy our son can carry on a great name. But, we also just really liked it. I liked it before meeting Chris, a throwback to my tween obsession with the Kennedys. I have wanted to name a boy Connor Jack, for as long as I can remember. But thanks to the last name I married into, that wasn't going to be happening. But our John is just a little nerdy mama's boy, and he couldn't be anything else. Other names we considered for him were Asher, Grady, Hudson, and Kellan. If we had had two boys, I wanted to name them Kellan Patrick and Hudson Jedd, each middle name being after a grandfather. I LOVE Dexter and Burke, but Chris wouldn't go for either. Baby boy came out and we couldn't decide what his name was. I was wheeled out of the operating room I delivered in, leaving behind Quinn and Baby B. When they brought him to me I stared and stared. John or Kellan? John or Kellan? John or Kellan? John. And his middle name, of course, is my maiden name. I wanted him to not only have a piece of me, but to be reminded of all the great men who bare the name Thomas who are examples to him.

Both babies are super wiggly and watch Carly when she runs around like "how does she do that!" When John is angry, he kicks the floor and it makes him scoot. The other day I was bathing Q and came out to switch babies and he was in a totally different place. It surprised me! Quinn is close to rolling from her back to her tummy. Neither baby has rolled over yet, though they are getting better at tummy time. I want to worry about this, since Carly rolled at 2 months, but I have to remember every baby is different, and they get a month leniency anyway.

Both babies are sleeping 8+ hours pretty much every night (knock on wood!), and I give full credit to swaddling. Love those velcro blankets. Since we switched John's formula he has slept 11 and 12 hours. Monday he didn't wake up until 10:30!

They have begun to notice each other. You always hear stories about twins who can't sleep unless they are together, etc. I've always felt like my twins are total strangers to each other. But lately they look at each other and register recognition. The other day I was making Quinn a bottle and she was screaming and John was looking at her with worry. I came with the bottle and he looked at me like "It is about time! She needs her bottle!" I am sure they will be good friends. Even if they can't stand each other.

They sure are crazy.

But they sure are fun.

Happy 4 months, Q and J.

We're glad you joined us.