The babies' eighth month of life passed by in a blur of turkeys, stockings, and Christmas lights! It was filled with holiday preparations and gatherings, photo shoots, and the first days spent in the care of their nanny (and Mama's first days back in the classroom). Of course, the month also brought much growth and change for both Maddie and Will, who continue to bring such joy to our lives. They have made the holiday season so much brighter and happier!
Both Maddie and Will have grown much more independent in all activities this month. When the babies' seventh month drew to a close, Will was very close to holding his own bottle. Now, Will confidantly holds his bottle at nearly every feeding! In fact, he can even hold the bottle in just one of his giant hands! Maddie isn't quite there yet, though sometimes I think she just prefers to be fed by someone else and could actually feed herself if she simply wanted to do so. The girl is just not as motivated by food as Will is. While it can take up to 20 to 30 minutes for Maddie to drink 5 to 9 ounces of formula, Will can easily slam a 9 ounce bottle in less than 10 minutes...and still have room for a full serving of vegetables, fruits, or meat! Will continues to be fascinated with the food that he sees others eating. He literally drools and moans as he watches us eat our meals, and he continues to make attempts to swipe bottles and/or cans away from us. The twins have moved on to eating Gerber Stage 2 foods - Macaroni and Cheese with Vegetables, Turkey with Rice, and Farmer's Market Vegetables. They smell exactly as bad as you imagine they do.
All of this eating has amounted to gains in weight and height for both babies. When I took the babies to the doctor's office for the second round of their flu shots on December 17th, I asked if I could put them each on the scale to get a quick read on their weights. Maddie weighed in at 16 lbs. 3.5 oz., while Will tipped the scale at 18 lbs. 7.5 oz. Both babies have grown longer, of course, but Will is growing like a weed! He's tall! He was wearing 6 month sized pants like high water pants. Both Will and Maddie are now wearing mostly 9 month sized clothing.
It was a bottle of vitamin water that first inspired Will to crawl/swim/roll across the floor to reach it. At the end of month eight, Will continues to move in his own unique way to reach the objects of his desire. He hasn't quite figured out that there is a more efficient alternative to moving. I'm not necessarily convinced that he will ever crawl in the traditional manner. He might walk before he would do so. Will can now stand on his own while holding on to or leaning against furniture. One of his favorite activities is to stand, leaning against an ottoman, and attempt to grab a toy or phone. Maddie, too, is making progress towards crawling. She often rocks back and forth while on her hands and knees as though she is going to begin crawling at any moment. Though she has not made forward movement yet, she gets an 'A' for effort; Maddie grows visibly frustrated when she does not move in spite of all of her kicking and flapping. She so badly wants to crawl!
Maddie continues to be our little Independent Woman when it comes to play. She would much rather sit in one spot and play with her toys than anything else that Will might be doing, though Will did master sitting this month! He still chooses not to sit still for very long, but he can definitely sit! He sat beautifully for the pictures that his Uncle Bobby shot earlier in the month, and continues to sit without support for short periods of time today!
When Uncle Bobby first arrived for that photo shoot, Maddie greeted him with tears. She had not seen him in a while, and she was a little frightened. After some time had passed, Maddie warmed up to him. She only started to cry again later when she was simply done with the pictures. We have found that Maddie generally takes some time to warm up to others she has not seen in a while or with whom she is unfamiliar. She prefers to listen to and watch the person before she grants them her trust. Will is usually a little less suspicious of others, though he, too, likes to watch and listen to others before giving them his goofy grin.
The babies' grins remained gummy and toothless at the eight month mark, but both Maddie and Will got teeth for Christmas! Now some of the drooling, chewing, crabbiness, and spitting up during Month 8 makes more sense!
Both twins showed some fear of various objects and activities this month. When I set Maddie down in front of a ball of Christmas lights for a picture, for example, she freaked! She demonstrates the same reaction to a bath in the baby tub (we still give sponge baths on the floor of their room most of the time...it's not so easy to bathe two infants on your own!). Will isn't afraid of much, but he is TERRIFIED of one particular toy: This Fisher Price Go Baby Go Bat and Wobble Penguin that we had received as a hand-me-down and have since removed from our house. If I brought it out from the closet, he would stare at it with wide eyes before reaching out for me and breaking out in a loud, frightened cry.
This month marked the babies' first in "daycare". After months of searching, we finally found the nanny that we had hoped for JUST before we were about to tour a nearby daycare facility. Maddie and Will have taken to Renee as we had hoped that they would, though their initial meeting didn't go so well. Maddie cried at her, of course, and Will...he blew out both his diaper and clothing. It didn't seem that they wanted their Mama to go back to work! In the weeks that have passed since that first meeting, Maddie and Will have enjoyed spending their afternoons with Renee while I am at school. Thankfully, the time away from them passes quickly, and I am walking through the door to two happy, excited babies before I know it!
Month 9 has already brought the babies' first Christmas, and will soon bring their first New Year, their first Rose Bowl, and {hopefully} their first experience of playing in the snow (We haven't made it out there with them yet!)! We can't wait!
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