Our first trip away from the babies. And probably last for some time!

This weekend we went to LA to my friend Karen's wedding, leaving B. in charge of the babies for three days with babysitters coming in to give her some breaks. It wasn't as hard to go as we expected -- they are still at an age where they are pretty happy with whoever is taking care of them -- but we very much missed them and were eager to get back by the end of the third day.

We brought back 6 quarts of milk that I pumped over the weekend, carefully kept chilled in the hotel fridge and in coolers packed with ice on the plane, but unfortunately there was something wrong with it (and all milk pumped subsequently); it had a terrible, soapy, metallic smell and the babies wanted nothing to do with it. I have heard about this happening to other women around the 4-month mark. The milk has too much lipase, an enzyme that breaks down the valuable fats in the milk before the babies get a chance to drink it. The only solution is to scald the milk immediately after pumping and then to freeze it. The scalding destroys enzymes, but also other good stuff like antibodies. So we have been doing that today but also using more formula, and frankly I think this is the end of the road for me with all the pumping, etc. I look forward to being able to sleep through the night again (have had to get up every 4 hours for the last four months).

They seemed a bit bigger when we got home, but otherwise the same. However, today we found that they are a little more aware of each other. If you put them next to each other, they are doing a lot more reaching out and smiling at each other. Tuck will even grab off Emi's sock if he is close enough to her feet, then wave it happily around. He is wearing a red onesie with a big chubby brontosaurus on it today, and is about 14 pounds of pure cuteness.

I've been wanting to write a list of the Top Ten Things That Surprise Me About Babies. But I only have a few items so far. One of them is that babies yell (not cry, but yell), for example Emi "bitching out her bunny." Another I thought of today: Babies flirt. They really do. They catch your eye, they smile, they raise their eyebrows at you, they wiggle closer to you. As a survival trait, I'm sure it's very effective. It's also a skill that's constantly being improved on since they can tell what works and do more of that. Tuck's specialty is a kind of off-kilter half-smile with his head tilted away from you ... he waits until you respond to that and then turns on the full beaming version. Emi's specialty is lots of cooing. As of today, she also recognizes her name! When you say it, her little eyebrows go up, or she looks at you, or she smiles. Tuck still oblivious to his.

Thanks to friends: B., for reorganizing our entire baby care operation and leaving us with a freezer full of lasagna. Christina B. and Eileen for letting me use their houses as pumping and bottle sterilizing stations.