Four month babies update

Laura and Vera just recently turned four months old! We went to the pediatrician today and Laura actually weighs slightly more than her sister for the first time ever (even in the womb). She has been eating a ton lately and has gotten quite chunky with chubbier cheeks and a double chin. It's adorable. Both girls are healthy though small (they have moved up to the 15th percentile from the 2nd when they were born) and also got their latest vaccines. They are all ready for our trip to the U.S. which we will be taking shortly. Wish us luck for our flights. Any advice for traveling with little ones would be appreciated!

We have been trying to get out and about as much as possible this past month which has helped keep me sane after I went through a bit of a rough patch. I found that the repetitive routine of bottles, changes and naps was making me a bit stir crazy. Now our days have a routine to them but I do try to take the girls out for a walk with Cooper, have a coffee at the cafe downstairs and meet up with other moms and friends when I can. One day we had Jose's cousin Marta and her baby (also named Marta) over to go to our pool which finally opened this month. The three girls were adorable together. I am so excited for Laura and Vera to have a cousin so close in age. They are going to have so much fun as they grow up. We also can't wait to meet their other cousins this summer (Cawaline and Eva).

This month we have been taking Laura to a specialist in early intervention which was recommended by her neurologist. We have been given a list of exercises and massages to do with her to help with her development. It seems as if she is just a bit behind her sister when it comes to some physical things. I always try to keep in mind that since they were born prematurally my girls will have an adjusted age until they are two years old. So even though this is their four month update, they are really more like 2.5 month old babies. One of the things we are working on is their grasping and holding on to things. One major positive for me is that I am learning a lot about early childhood development.

Today we celebrated the Fourth of July at our favorite American restaurant which super close to our apartment. We ordered hamburgers and got red velvet cake for free for dessert. The girls had just come from the doctor so they were asleep the whole time. For any of my friends here in Seville, I would highly recommend Mary's Place. The food is unhealthy but really good. Plus they have a really good selection of pop.

Jose only worked until 3pm this past month and is now on vacation which is really nice since he gets to spend more time with the girls. We are getting things ready for our trip and trying to survive the heat. This past weekend we did the pre-baptism courses required by our new church so that we can baptize the girls when we are back in September. We have decided that their godparents will be Jose's sister Miriam, our good friend Salva who was also in Chapel Hill with us and our wonderful friends Alfonso and his wife Mercedes.

Laura continues to be such a sweet and happy baby. She is always smiling but has lost most of the dark hair she was born with. Laura also drools a lot! Vera is a bit more grumpy, especially in the afternoons. She loves to be held and is happy to be in anyone's arms. They have such different personalities though for me they are starting to look more similar. They both have blue eyes which are quite similar in shape. Plus their mouths are more or less the same. Everyone says that Laura looks like me but we haven't decided who Vera looks like.

June seemed to have flown by and looking back, these last few months have as well. I feel like tomorrow these babies will be talking and walking. I am so curious to see what their first word will be, whether it will be in English or Spanish. Will it be mama? Their sister's name? Cooper? Who knows?

This wouldn't be a monthly update blog without a picture of the babies sleeping so there you have it. Vera has started to sleep on her side and she can basically roll all the way over. We used to have them sleep together on one side of their crib but since they began to move a lot more we now have them sleeping on opposite sides. We just recently got a second crib so that when we are back at the end of the summer we can move them into their own room and into separate cribs. They also have been sleeping almost six hours at a time at night which is so nice. Hopefully they keep sleeping as well as they have been!