Over a half of a year has passed since Maddie and Will made their debut in April. Half. of. a. year. They are closer to one year old than they are to the day they were born (and you better believe that I'm already planning their first birthday party - it's going to be off the hook!). As Jim and I listened to the two of them jabber away in the backseat of the car earlier today, we noted that they are more like kids than babies now. Yes, yes, we know they're still babies, but they are beginning to act more and more like kids - Kids who possess endless amounts of energy to roll and jump, kids who cry when a toy is taken away, kids who love to read books, dance and listen to music, and play, play, play! Our two little peas in a pod have suddenly grown into kids - Kids who have favorite toys and books, kids who eat food from spoons, kids who are beginning to find and make trouble! As Jim remarked tonight, the babies have recently transitioned from "little lumps" to "little lumps who did some stuff" to active, energetic, talkative KIDS!
It seems that the twins morphed into kids during their sixth month of life, which brought big changes to their rapidly expanding world. The first of those changes was in their mobility and physical strength. Do you remember how, during their fifth month, Will rolled from his back to his belly once and could never do it again? Well, early in the month, Will figured out the rolling thing. He hasn't stopped rolling since. I used to be able to leave the room with the babies on the floor, knowing that they wouldn't be going anywhere. I have to think twice about doing that now, as Will can roll several feet away from his original position in seconds. He may not be able to crawl yet, but he can certainly roll to get to where he wants to go! Rolling all WILLy-nilly got young man Will into some trouble this month, as he rolled into furniture, closet doors, and his sister. If I didn't belt him in or hold him down, he would easily roll off the changing table. Diaper changes, which were already juggling acts, have become wrestling matches.
While Will is our rolling pin, Maddie is our jumping bean. The girl loves to jump. For months, Maddie has been obsessed with kicking her short little legs in and out and up and down while laying on the floor. If she is in the middle of a kicking routine in the nursery, you can hear her kicks as they reach the floor all the way down to the basement. Her legs may be short, but they are powerful. Because her legs are much shorter than her brother's, Jim and I didn't put her into the Jumperoo much at all - her legs barely graze the floor. We thought that she had some growing to do before she could use and enjoy the Jumperoo the way her brother did. One afternoon, I thought I'd put Maddie in the Jumperoo to see if she had grown at all and if she was any closer to touching the floor. She still couldn't plant her feet on the floor, but her toes were touching the carpeting. As if to tell me that she might be short but she can still jump, Maddie began bouncing up and down in the Jumperoo as if there were no tomorrow. My guess is that she had been observing Will in the Jumperoo for weeks and planning for her turn at jumping. The thing is - she jumps higher and for longer periods of time than Will. She just can't get enough! When she isn't in the Jumperoo, she continues to kick her legs in and out and up and down. Lay her on her belly, and Maddie holds her arms back while frantically kicking her legs. She looks as though she is practicing for skydiving!
Maddie reached a big milestone during month six as she learned how to sit on her own. I still wouldn't go far from her while she does so, as she remains a bit unsteady, but she can hold her own for a minute or two. Maddie even sat for a few shots during yesterday's fall photo shoot. When Maddie conquered sitting a couple weeks ago, Will did not seem the least bit interested in trying to sit on his own. Why would he want to stay in one spot for any extended period of time, right? At the very end of month six, Will began to show potential for sitting up on his own. He's got a lot of work to do, but he *should* have it down in a few more weeks.
This month brought more interactions between brother and sister. Maddie and Will definitely notice each other more than ever before, often exchanging smiles and "conversation". The two of them constantly hit, kick, and roll on top of each other. Will is generally the instigator, even reaching over to pull the pacifier right out of Maddie's mouth at times. Yet there was this legendary smackdown in which Maddie was the aggressor. Nap times had become difficult, as the babies seemed to upset each other with crying. Authors of books on twins insist that twins find each other's cries comforting and will not react to them. Our twins don't fit that mold - they definitely notice the other's cries. I eventually decided to separate them for naps so that they wouldn't disrupt each other's sleep.
Both Maddie and Will began eating solid foods during month six. Starting with oatmeal and moving on to vegetables, the twins now take at least two solid feedings each day. Will is our eater. The boy can chow down! We literally cannot put the spoon to his mouth fast enough as he babbles and breathes with excitement while grabbing at the bowl and spoon. He has taken to all of the foods that we have given him, and he seems anxious to try more. Will is even eyeing up and making grabs at our foods and beverages! Maddie is much less passionate about eating solids. She may take a few spoonfuls here and there, but it seems as though she could take it or leave it. I have a feeling, though, that her attitude may change when we add fruits to the repertoire in another week or two.
Month six brought more "talking" for both babies. At times, Jim and I think we hear actual words like "Hi" or "Mama". We know that the twins are just babbling, but it's fun to think that they may soon be able to communicate with us. I don't know how many times we have begged the babies to just tell us what they need or want!
With all of this growth and change, one might think that the babies would really be tired and in need of peaceful, solid sleep. While they (and Mama and Dada) are certainly in need of good sleep, it was hard to come by at times during month six. Early in the month, Jim traveled to Europe for work. They slept fairly well during naps and overnight for the first few days, but by the end of the week, it seemed that they just wouldn't sleep soundly...and of course, I was alone with them at the end of the week (That was a Mama milestone!). We (I) adopted some bad habits that week. First, I started rocking Will to sleep every night. Guess what continues? Yep. The guy is earning a reputation as a "Mama's Boy". Second, I resorted to giving Maddie her pacifier when she awoke in the night. We had all but broken that habit, but with Jim gone and with the babies still adjusting to arms outside of their swaddles, I gave in and popped that pacifier in when she cried out. We're now dealing, once again, with a little girl who cries out for her pacifier several times each night.
Their sleep could have very well been disrupted by a big change to our schedule this month - we moved from a 3-hour schedule to a 4-hour schedule and from three to two naps a day. I was finding that the babies just weren't sleeping for very long stretches of time when I put them down for three naps, so I figured that they were ready for the transition to two. Maddie and Will now take two naps each day. Ideally, each nap should be 1 1/2 to 2 hours long. Note the use of the word "ideally". Every once in a blue moon, all the stars will align and the babies will both sleep for the entire duration of the nap time. More often than not, however, the babies will wake before their ideal wake-up time. Sometimes, they go back to sleep. Sometimes, they don't...which drives Mama a little bonkers. Thank goodness for candy and Starbucks and cell phones and...
Wine! Yes, I can now drink wine again! As you may have read, the milking parlour is now closed. Things are...well, still drying up, but this cow is no longer being milked! Over the last week, the babies have been transitioning from breast milk to formula. Because we had supplemented with some formula for the last few months and because the babies have taken turns on bottles from the get-go, the transition has gone smoothly for the babies. I was more emotional about the changeover than I anticipated being, but I'm coming to terms with it. Wine helps!
As the babies grew into kids over the course of the month, we had more fun with them than ever before! Maddie and Will bring so much joy and laughter to our lives! I have a feeling that the fun is just beginning...crawling and walking are probably not too far in our future for our big KIDS!
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