It all happens so fast...

I know my sibs, my friends, my extended family by blood or heart that have experienced new parenthood stand by and watch with what must be the quiet amusement of someone who knows how the story goes but they don't want to spoil it for me. I make what posts I can (or just upload another batch of pictures trying to keep up with what my wife posts...), marvelling at my amazing children, boasting of their accomplishments and all the while, you know this. You've been there. Our parents, without whose help I don't know how we could have made it this far, are still teaching us. Showing us how to do things, how to respond to them, maybe at some level we're seeing how *we* were cared for before we were old enough to remember it.

Amy did SO much work getting Christmas cards together, getting prints ready to tuck them into the envelopes... I had one simple little job, print up labels for the backs of the pictures... I apologize now to my youngest daughter for goofing up a batch and spelling her name incorrectly. Sorry Syn... oops! Sydney!

Sydney's been a little moody lately, we think she's about to push her second tooth out into the world. Poor girl... She's changed so much in the last few weeks, visibly putting on weight. Her cheeks are so round now when she throws her little pout.

Emily's proud pair of bottom choppers are all she has at the moment, but she loves to show them off whether it's a huge smile for whoever she's looking at or during her vocal practices. She's stringing more syllables together all the time. Her latest achievement, however, is so much fun to watch. She sits up unsupported on the floor and plays. Her wobbles are decreasing and she catches herself more often than not.

Sydney and Noah can sit up for brief stints, but they haven't quite got the balancing right and they'll tip over pretty easily.

Noah is an absolute eating machine. He knows the schedule, and he does NOT like to eat late. He still gets the Sensitive Formula and the daily doses of Zantac and Prilosec, but he hasn't had any major reflux problems for a while. His biggest problem with his baby food is if the person with the spoon is moving too slow.

They nap well (most days), they eat well (most days), they're no too fussy (most days... seeing a pattern?)... I say it a lot to most people who ask about them, but they are absolutely three individual little people. Noah and Sydney love to play together, Emily loves to be the center of attention (sometimes pushing one of her sibs away from the center, but we have time to work on that...).

I can't describe what it feels like to have a little face light up when it looks at you, let alone two or three little faces. They hug us, they kiss us (watch out for Noah, he'll slobber all over you), they respond to their names. They love to look at the Christmas tree when it's all lit up, they love the ornaments that have little bells.

This may be the best Christmas ever.

-John