Long Weekend Wrap-up: Baby Edition

So another long weekend in Seattle is over. For those Internet vagabonds just recently stumbling onto this site, my brother and sister-in-law (Joe and Lisa) had twin babies (Lorelai and Reece) roughly six months ago. This is my second visit to spend some time with them and for them to get to know one of their loving aunties.

Quite a few things have changed since I was here a couple of months ago. The babies can both roll over now, and lie on their stomachs and hold their heads up (though Lorelai tires more easily). Since they are both eating solid food now, I found I could be far more involved with them during this visit (and had much more fun) and did very little reading compared to the last time I was there.

Reece has become even more active, and is always up for bouncing. He dances with this crazy deep-knee bend bounce with a reckless side-to-side motion, trustingly dependent on either the adult holding him or a “bouncer” in which this kid simply flies, such that I nicknamed him “Mosh Baby”. This time, it felt as though Reece truly recognized me when he saw me and would usually flash a big smile my way when he did. There are no words to say how great that was.

One thing that did not change was the incredible sweetness and sparkle of Lorelai’s smile and personality. It is truly extraordinary, and I hope it never changes.

There was a lot of tickling and goofing this visit. As I told Natalia, I spent a lot of time kissing delicious baby cheeks or pretending to feast on baby belly just to hear delightful squeals and giggles. I don’t know about the twins, but I had a blast.

It’s also such a pleasure to see what amazing parents Joe and Lisa are. They are besotted with their babies yet level-headed, thoroughly attentive yet inclined to teach their children independence when they can. They are both utterly, totally committed to the babies and to each other. Like Lisa’s mom Marcia says, they are great partners. I couldn’t be more proud of Joe or grateful to Lisa.

I’m home now, after a relatively pleasant flight (though I have to find a way to take less stuff with me when I travel!), but I still have my own variation of Michael Buble’s song, “Everything” running through my head:

And I can't believe, uh that I'm your aunt,
And I get to kiss you baby just because I can.

I highly recommend nieces and nephews. Get yourself one or two if you don’t already have one.
:)

Yes, I know Lorelai looks unhappy in this photo, but it wasn't my fault - honest! She was just a little tired and cranky and needed a nap, but I love her anyway! :)