7 Months

Our girls are SEVEN months old!! They are really coming into their own little personalities lately; it’s been so sweet to watch. I know these days and moments are fleeting so we’re soaking it up second by second. I could just sit and stare at them all day!

Both girls had RSV this past month, but fortunately did not have it as bad as they could have AND bonus, they seemed to get over it quickly. We had been told to anticipate at least 2-3 weeks and they were significantly better just one week later.

Other milestones in this past month worth remembering, we started using their high chairs this month. We registered for the Fisher Price Space Saver High Chairs after several friends recommended this particular style and we couldn’t agree more! We love these and so do the Amelia and Mae! In fact, I wish we would’ve started using these a lot sooner than we did. They eat great in them, but they also stay fairly occupied for a while in them if we put some toys and books on the trays for them to play with.

Also this month, the girls have owned eating baby food. Whether it’s premade food we’ve bought at the store, or food we’ve made ourselves, they love it all. The only thing they made a horrible face at the first few bites was peaches, but they soon started gobbling that up too. I think Stephen and I would agree that their favorite veggie is squash and their favorite fruit is pears. They just cannot get enough. We were splitting a jar between them but Mae Parker can easily eat a whole can herself now if we let her. For now, we feed them baby food twice a day and they’re to the point where they’re used to it as part of their schedule and you can tell when it’s they’re hungry for it between bottles. They let you know they’re ready!

Amelia

We suspect this girl is probably close to 15 pounds. They missed their 6 month well visit because of RSV, but she weighed a little over 14 during her sick visits. They go for their 6 month later this month when they’ll be close to 8 months. She is still her happy, content, smiley little self. She is fully of energy until she hits her wall and girlfriend is D.O.N.E. when she reaches that point. I have used the phrase “bouncing off the walls” to describe her on multiple occasions this month. She gives the sweetest little smiles and seems to play bashful at times. She can go from stone cold serious face, to her lit up face and sweet laugh in no time flat.

• She is ALMOST sitting up well by herself. She still needs a little assistance, otherwise she throws in the towel and the next thing you know, you hear a thud and she’s laid back on the floor.
• She is rolling in all directions.
• She is still jabbering and talking up a storm to any who will listen especially if it’s in the car while her sister is asleep. It’s like she knows she can talk without someone else butting in on her.
• She has slept for a week now in her crib all night. It’s glorious. I won’t call it a success just yet, because it has just been a week, but I think we’re off to a good start!

• Since sleeping in her crib, she is ALL OVER THE PLACE in  her crib at night. It is not uncommon at all to find her shoved against one of the side rails, jammed into a corner, or facing opposite directions from the direction you laid her down in.
• Her two little front teeth are still glistening right below her gum line but haven’t peaked through yet. I’m literally waiting for any day to see them pop on up.
• She is the happiest baby to see in the morning.
• She loves Bible Class and starts kicking her legs in excitement when you sit her in the chair.

Mae Parker

This girl…I don’t know but it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see her near 20 pounds at their well visit appointment at the end of the month. She is solid. We moved her up to a Size 3 diaper this month and man, I wish we had done that sooner too. I didn’t realize how ready she was until we put that first 3 diaper on her. She’s probably relieved we moved her up too! She is still in our room in her rock and play for a couple of more days until our 2^nd camera for our monitoring system comes in later this week. I’m not totally reliant on the monitors watching them while they sleep, but I’ve learned in just a week how easy it is to look at the camera when Amelia starts moving around to know when I’ll have to get up and when she’ll just soothe herself. I feel like Mae Parker will be a less restless sleeper. When she naps in her crib she sprawls out and that’s about it. I suspect she’ll sleep through the night the same way. I could be wrong, BUT I think it should be a fairly easy transition for her as well. It was just time for them…they were / are ready.

This month, Mae has really come into her own. My phrase for her this month has been, “She’s just so happy!” And she is…unless she’s fighting a nap in which case she’s a little terror. But overall, she’s a slobbering mess of a happy baby!!

• She loves the jumperoo we have in the kitchen and will bounce and sway in that while I’m making dinner each night.
• She is crawling and scooting her way all over the place. If you turn your back for just a minute, she’ll literally be half way across the room when you turn around. She can get around.
• She is sitting up like a champ, and you can just tell she feels like a big girl and is so proud of herself when she does sit up!
• She touches your face when you hold her facing you. It’s awkward but in the sweetest way. It’s one of those little things I don’t want to forget.

• If it’s within reach, it’s going in her mouth.
• She jabbers some, but screams and squeals even more. Stephen and I agreed over the weekend, that her sweet little baby voice and cry is gone and has been replaced with the voice of a grown man hollering. HA.
• She’s a people watcher like her mama. At church, in a restaurant, at Lowes…doesn’t matter. She watches people like she’s trying to figure out their life story.
• She LOVES to stand.
• She is content but only for a while; you have to entertain her and change her surroundings from time to time. Typically if she starts getting fussy in the living room playing, you can take her to their Nursery and let her play back there and she calms down and is happy again.

Our girls LOVE and THRIVE on routine and schedule, which I still say for multiples is VITAL. This month, their bedtime routine has gotten earlier and earlier. We went from almost 9pm bottle to a few nights barely making it to 8pm. Somewhere between 8 and 8:15pm, we start their routine and they’re asleep by 8:30/8:45 and will sleep until 6:30ish. They are active babies and soon will be on the move! There are many nights after we put them to bed that I feel like I’ve just finished running a marathon. Gone are the days of a lot of naps and quiet, down time. I’m not complaining because I love this new phase they’re in and seeing the pure joy they have for life, but man, it’s EXHAUSTING some days…most days.

Motherhood is not for the faint of heart; being a Twins mom is CERTAINLY not for the faint of heart. On days that I feel like a ragged hot mess, I just keep telling myself these days are fleeting; I’ll never get these times back. Everything is  a phase and soon enough, we’ll be on to the next step. We’re cherishing every exhausting moment that we’re being given now…and loving every second of it!