During their fourth month of life, Maddie and Will seemed to truly move away from that floppy, fragile newborn stage and into wiggly, giggly infanthood. They both have grown much stronger and have gained more control over their bodies, which they have learned are the source of great entertainment. Will was the first to discover that he can put his hands in his mouth quite some time ago, and has continued to stuff his little fists into his mouth at every opportunity. While Will likes to force his full fist in his mouth, Maddie takes a subtler approach, uncurling her fingers and sucking on three or four of them at a time. Nearly everything goes in the mouth or is tasted these days - hands, fingers, toys, blankets...you name it. A couple weeks ago, Maddie decided that her brother's head looked like it was worth a try - she was literally licking his head until I pulled her away! Toward the very end of the month, Will found his feet! While I was changing Maddie's diaper, I turned to see Will holding both of his feet in his hands with a look of wonder and fascination on his face.
With their newfound strength and control, the twins were introduced to some new toys and activities this month. Maddie and Will now sit in their "big kid chairs" (Bumbo seats) for a few minutes every day. Maddie still sits a bit slouchy, and Will arches his back to escape the chair after a while, but they're coming around to the idea of sitting. They also take turns in the Exersaucer that their daddy assembled for them. Will seems more excited by the lights, sounds, and sights of the Exersaucer at this point. Maddie...well, she likes to sit in the Exersaucer and lick the pouch that she sits in. One of the babies' new favorite activities is "flying". They just love when either mommy or daddy lifts them to soar high in the air. Mommy and daddy just need to watch for cascading drool!
Play hard, sleep hard, right? Right...for the most part. There have been some small bumps along the road, but the babies continued to sleep well at night during the month. Nap times have become more of a struggle, however - especially for Will, who puts up a decent fight. Swaddling, pacifiers, and lots of "shushing" and white noise {eventually} soothe the babies to sleep. We're looking at moving the babies to their cribs for all naps soon, as they seem to be outgrowing their bouncers. With two babies in a two-story house, it's been convenient to keep them on the main floor for two of their daily naps.
The babies' individual personalities continued to show themselves this month. It seems we have two very different children! Will is a goof - always smiling and laughing, while Maddie is a little more serious. She is a happy girl, especially in the morning, but Maddie takes life a little more seriously than her silly brother (except when she's blowing her infamous bubbles). We've noticed that she simply watches more than she engages. Will leaves little time for observation, diving right into movement and play. Maddie is at her most intense when she is eating. She's all business. Stop her to burp and you'll get an earful. Moreover, she will refuse to bend to be burped. Maddie will literally stand up on your lap to try to avoid the pats on the back. She wants the milk and she wants it NOW. Will had his own feeding issues this month. After noting that his fussiness after eating was only worsening, I gave the good doctor a call. It was decided that he most likely has reflux, and was prescribed the same medication that his sister takes. Days after starting the new medication, Will seemed to lose his appetite. It was a battle to feed him from the bottle, and it wasn't that much better on the breast. A few weeks later, Will is now eating better, but he still is nowhere near as efficient as his sister is. Ten minutes on a bottle. Boom! Done.
When we first got Bailey as a puppy, he never barked or howled. He cried a whole lot at night, but he NEVER barked or howled...until he finally "found" his bark/howl at Deb and Steve's house one day. Well, it seems as though the babies are finally "finding" their own voices. They've been babbling and cooing for a while, but just this past Friday, Will began "talking" like it was going out of style! It's a hoot to listen to him!
I have to disagree with those parents who told us last month that parenting twins wouldn't get any easier after three months. Now that we've caught up a bit (not completely...we're coming to the realization that we'll probably never catch up) on sleep, it seems that it truly has gotten easier...and lots more fun!
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