Q and J at half a year.

Six months old. 

If I hadn't had suffered through every aching second of it, I wouldn't  believe it.

Time flies when you're going insane.

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Not too long ago, Chris and I were talking about our three little pigs, using their already-evident personalities to joke about what they would do when they grow up.

When we got to Quinn, I said just one thing,

"Quinn is going to join the Peace Corps."

That's our Quinn.

On the move. 

A little bit quirky.

Beats to her own drum.

Overly motivated.

Awkwardly smart.

At half a year, Quinn . . . 

*is a mover and a shaker. She WILL NOT stay on her back. You put her down and she is over in an instant, checking out her surroundings and deciding what she will attack first. She often grabs her prey, shoves it in her mouth, and then rolls over and over, like that death roll an alligator does. She has left some pretty moist victims in her wake. And changing her diaper has made me a champion mutton buster. She just won't relax and sis still for anything. She rolls and scoots and has even started getting up on her knees a little, but she still can't sit up, and that is driving me a little crazy.

*doesn't want to miss a thing. She is very alert, and has to be facing outward while being held. You can watch the back of her little head move as she looks around and her eyes dart of one thing to the next. And if big sis is around, forget it. Quinn only has eyes for her. She stares at her, following her every crazy move. It is pretty obvious Quinn thinks Carly is the bomb.com.

*is a little bit weird. You'll have to meet her to really understand, but she just makes quirky faces and does quirky things. She is smart in that quirky way. Her exersaucer has this little flip pictures. She will grab the little stack and take one at a time and just stare at it. We say she is studying her flashcards, because that is exactly what it looks like she is doing.

*Rivals Niagara Falls in the amount of liquid she lets flow. She is a world champion drooler, requiring several  clothing changes a day and leaving puddles wherever she goes. I've started putting bibs on her, but she soaks through an entire bib in minutes. It is incredibly impressive. She needs some teeth to hold all the drool in.

*doesn't talk much. When she's in the mood, she'll get a little chatty, but she is actually a very quiet baby. Considering the noise her siblings make, I suppose that isn't too big of a shock.

*sleeps on her tummy. Its apparently part of that "won't stay on her back" thing. You put her down and she rolls over and goes to sleep. She has started sleeping through the night off and on, making it to about 7:00. She usually gets some sort of morning catnap, and a long afternoon nap. I'm trying to get them both on a schedule, but it is trick with three of them to manage.

*looks more and more like her big sister every day. Sometimes, especially when she is wearing Carly's old clothes, I will do a double take. Q is such a beauty, with these wide eyes that stare at you, delicious little lips, and soft blond hair that is growing in rather nicely. It is harder to coax a smile out of her than her brother, but when she does you'll feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

*eats food. If she is in the mood. She is like Carly in that she doesn't seem particularly interested in eating, and seems to do it purely out of requirement. She will often put her face down and suck on the high chair try, which can be incredibly frustrating. We have resorted to airplane noises to get her to pay attention. She looks at us like we're crazy, while John thinks its the coolest thing ever and squeals in delight. She does seem to like bananas quite a bit. And green beans.

*is complex. When there is something wrong, there is rarely a quick fix. Its like she is deeper than her surface needs, and really just needs to let it out. But those times are few and far between. Q is a happy girl. She was sick a few weeks ago and it was totally bizarre to have a fussy Quinn. When she started to feel better I was sure happy to have my girl back.

Our Q is as sweet as they come.

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In another conversation, Chris said, "I feel like Carly and Quinn are so smart and have very unique personalities. And John is just a dude."

He said that in a good and loving way.

John is just a dude.

A scrumptious dude.

At half a year, John . . .

*is thick and heavy. I don't know how heavy, but the weight gap between him and his sister is growing. He is packing it on in preparation for football season, apparently.

*speaking of heavy . . . John loves food. He just has a true appreciation for it. Unlike either of our girls, John opens his mouth when the spoon his coming his away. He makes little sighs and smiles. And he can eat a whole lot of food in one sitting.

*can roll, but seems to choose not to. More and more he is rocking back and forth and arching and wiggling. It gets him around more than his old tactic of kicking his legs in the air. He is working on it. He must be sick of Quinn rolling around and grabbing at him.

*screams. He screams when he is happy. He screams when he is sad. He screams when he is hungry. He screams when he is full. He screams when he is bored. He screams when he's being played with. Screaming is something he really really excels at. It is obviously his way of experimenting with his voice, but it is loud. And it is high pitched. It is simultaneously adorable and frustrating. I'm hoping this phase is over soon, but he looks very proud of the noise he can produce.

*is a daredevil. He likes to be thrown and swung around. Once, he would not stop screaming so Chris dropped a blanket on his face for a second. He picked it up and found John with a huge smile on his face. So Chris dropped the blanket over and over again, and John thought it was crazy fun. He also likes to be tickled and "eaten" by his daddy, a nightly tradition before their baths.

*smiles. He has this massive explosive smile, and even when he is grumpy you can usually get a smile out of him. He especially smiles for the ladies, the little flirt. In Primary he just acts as sweet as can be and smiles huge at all the women who say hi to him.

[festive jammies: this is what happens when you have babies off-season from their big sister.]

*wakes up every night at 3 am pretty much on the dot. It is bizarre. He wakes up totally starving. I pop a bottle in his mouth and he's usually back down in 20 minutes or so. But what I wouldn't give to eliminate that feeding. We just don't have the luxury of letting him "cry it out", for fear of him waking up his sister.

*got his first haircut. It is crazy to look back at pictures of just how seriously bald he used to be, because John has some mighty fine hair now. It is fuzzy and delicious. But he had this especially long hair on the sides of his ears, hanging down over his ears. Chris finally convinced me to let him trim them. I think he looks SO much older. His first missionary haircut. Tear.

*is just a little simpler than his sisters. You never know what is going on with them. If John is screaming it means he is hungry, tired, or wants attention. That is really as complicated as he gets. It is a nice change of pace, even though he is hungry, tired, and wants attention a lot.

Our J is as cool as they come.

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Both babies love books. They stare at the story, totally captivated, and make hilarious expressions.

Both babies love their daddy. They smile and squeal when he gets home.

Both babies love being outside. When they are fussy, I'll take them out on a blanket and they calm right down.

Both babies love Baby Einstein. They know the introduction music, and go silent and look to the tv as soon as it comes on.

I was looking at some pictures tonight of when the babies were born and their first weeks.

Remember when John had a feeding tube, and now you can't shovel the food in fast enough?

Remember when Quinn had that jaundice tan and black hair that made her look Hispanic, and now she is proudly the fairest one of them all?

Remember when they were tiny little mousy preemies on a strict feeding schedule and being supplemented with high calorie powder? Now they move and laugh and grab and play and have these amazing individual personalities that melt me.

We have come so far in half a year.

Happy 6 months, Q and J. We're glad you joined us.