splashing, belly buttons and spider hands

since the weather turned into SUMMER for about 2 days, we took advantage of the sun and brought the girls to a small local "beach". this is the one picture i got (zoomed in from a LONG way away) before the camera died. grrr. lets just say avery had the time of her life splashing through the water with zane and running wild ;) nola and i sat in the shade and enjoyed the calmer part of the beach. we ate a lite lunch/snack after avery came out of the water and avery said "buh bye, buh-buh-by" when a butterfly flew behind some bushes. it was one of the cutest things i've ever heard :)

later that afternoon i took nola to the dr's to check out her still-hidden belly button. after a bit of poking around by the dr (and agreeing that the cord stump was in fact getting stinky), the little bugger fell off! they had to put some medicine on to cauterize the oozing (ah, the joys of motherhood ;)), but said there's nothing more we need to do and can now move to real baths! it was all exciting until last night when i was talking to zane about how cute her belly button is going to be, when i started to cry. sounds silly...but it felt like my last physical connection to her from the pregnancy was gone. she's on her own now. well, as much as a 3 week old can be on their own. can't wait til these hormones settle down :)

it's really fun to see all the differences and similarities between the girls emerging already. avery loved to be held on her side and shushed loudly when she couldn't calm down otherwise. nola doesn't so much care for that by human touch, so today we tried out our old routine of swaddling, bouncy seat, side sleeping and noise machine and she's currently on her 3rd good nap of the day! avery had her fists closed tight for weeks and weeks after she was born. we call nola spider hands/fingers. she's so expressive with her hands and is always trying to grab something--her face (oh the scratches!), your fingers when you're feeding her, her clothes, or just plain air when she's sleeping.

some more observations...
-"raven-mouse and raven-bear". when avery was just days old and we'd feed her bottles, she'd frantically root around for the food and we nicknamed her "raven-mouse". nola is equally as ravenous (or seems it) and has followed with the nickname "raven-bear".
-avery sucked down a bottle in no time at all. nola takes a bit more time. at least at night. last night it took roughly 40 minutes for her to (not even) finish a 3 oz bottle.
-they both sweat like PIGS in the car seat. throughout avery's first winter, i'd always be surprised when i'd take her out of the carseat and her head would be sweaty. i shouldn't be so surprised this time around, where it is july. but it's hardly been warm here. but nola's got the curly-haired, sweat-head to prove it.
-nola loves to cuddle. loves to be held on your shoulder when she's sleepy and be patted on her bottom. avery definitely had her moments of snuggles, but overall liked to be on her own a bit more.
-furry ears. furry shoulders. furry necks. both of them. love the little baby fuzzy fur.
-i'm tempted to keep having kids just so i can see if we can produce one with a small cry. these girls have super lungs. and they aren't afraid to use them. zane was in the kitchen the other day when i was putting nola in her carseat and she started to scream. he came into the room asking if she was hurt. nope. that's just her cry. :) i remember going to a new mommy group when avery was born and hearing these other babies and their little whimpers while i had my little banshee with me. i guess that's just how the walsh girls let their voices be heard...
-right after avery was born, i spent a good hour rubbing her back while i was getting fixed up. it was the smoothest thing i had ever felt and i still love rubbing it under her shirt. nola also has a smooth back, but i love rubbing her head. it's so soft and fuzzy and the perfect size for my hand.

hopefully my next post will be the birth story...i keep meaning to type it out before i forget key parts. happy 3 weeks nola!