Bacon

We have found a meat-based protein source that both our girls will eat, and this is it. Before you accuse me of promoting unhealthy levels of cholesterol in my children, please peruse this list of protein choices that Annie previously ate but has gone on strike against:

chicken
turkey sausage
fish
pork tenderloin
meatballs
steak

Jemma is at least consistent; she has never really liked any meat at all, unless I sneak it into some sort of melted-cheese quesadilla. Sooooooooo . . . . this leaves us with bacon. Also, they will eat a cheeseburger from McDonald's (note that I have never taken them there, but thank you Jason and in-laws). I guess we will be having a lot more pancake-and-bacon breakfasts here at the Doublestein household.

Jemma is doing a lot of teething and is sort of miserable about getting her top four front teeth all at once. Poor thing. Also reflecting her newly-one-year-old status, she's begun taking a few steps here and there. She'll totter from Jason to me, and then back again. So far, no trucking across a room by herself, but the time is near. I can barely believe that she's becoming so independent - asking for her milk cup from the fridge, sleeping straight through the night for 12-13 hours with no feeding, riding the little red car up and down the hallway with great joy. I'm wistful, but at the same time, I feel like I'm getting my life back, and it's a relief. (I can almost hear Ariel singing "A Whole New World" from The Little Mermaid in the background . . . .)

This past week, there were several moments when Annie and Jemma were actually enjoying each other: dancing to some Beatles music in the car and giggling at each other; taking turns riding the car down the hallway; Annie reading a book to Jemma; dancing together to "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" (of course it's 80's music coming out of our stereo at 9:00 on Friday morning when Jason's home); waving to each other across the dinner table. It's so great to finally see them interacting happily without any intervention from us and it makes me so glad for them they they'll each have a sister to go through life.

I've just returned from the gym with Annie and made myself a hazelnut latte. The rest of our weekend is wide open, and with the house already clean and the laundry mostly done, we're going to just enjoy a lazy winter weekend!