The Eighth Month

What a great month.

(but, before we get started blogging... let's clear something up. When I say the 8th month, I'm really talking about the past month. So all the events that I'm blogging about in this post actually apply to when they were 7 months old. Make sense? Same goes for all other "month" posts. Glad we got that cleared up!)

This is the month that we broke out the babyproofing because the girls were MOBILE... crawling, perfecting their sitting skills, talkin' up a storm. This was a really, really fun month.

Sleeping

The girls are still on a great sleeping and napping schedule. They'll go down around 7:30-8 and will get up around 4 to nurse. I'm not complaining! Although, Livi would like to eat around 2, I usually try to hold her off by letting her think about it in her crib. She goes back to sleep. Looking forward to the days when she will sleep through the night entirely, but you know, I'm fully prepared that she might never be that great of a sleeper. In all honesty, I still wake up at 4 and have to make myself go back to bed... which is usually right around the time the alarm goes off (well, at least when I was working). All in all, I really can't complain about their sleeping. They are still napping at around 9 and 1. This gives me time to hop in the shower, pick up the house and start on homework.

Eating

It has been so long since I've blogged that I forget if I told you that I've been making my own babyfood? Anyway, so yes, I've been making the girls' babyfood and they LOVE it. Especially the fruit. They have been splitting four tablespoons of oatmeal cereal (mixed with formula... I'm SO over pumping for breastmilk that I don't even bother... formula is not the F word and I'm okay with the little bit that they get from the cereal), and splitting a stage 2 fruit and Yobaby yogurt for breakfast. For lunch they get cereal, stage 2 orange veggie and a fruit. For dinner they get cereal, a green veggie and fruit. These girls are also nuts for Cheerios, puffs, peas, crackers, cheese ... basically anything that they can self-feed.

They are still nursing about 5 times a day. I just can't seem to get them to take a sippy cup which is disappointing... and perhaps a reflection upon my will as a mother to "force" them to learn. I just don't see the point... yet. I know there will be a day that I will perhaps regret this. Emma used to be my baby that will take anything from a bottle, but even she won't even touch a bottle, much less formula. Oh well. I'm very against giving juice, but I have resorted a time or two to doing half prune juice (homemade, of course) and half water in a sippy cup trying to entice them to learn how to drink from the sippy cup... no such luck. I'll try again in a few weeks.

I know the importance of this skill because at the end of May, Edgar and I are going on our 5 year wedding anniversary trip to Punta Cana (yay!) and Grandmuggs and Pop Pop are going to watch the girls... so I must have them weaned and able to take cow's milk from a sippy cup by then. They'll be 11 months old. The pediatrician said it is okay to give them cow's milk by then. I just don't see the point in weaning them just to give them formula (and the heartache of a bottle) for just a few short weeks. Anyway, I'm very emotional about weaning. I didn't think that I'd be able to breastfeed TWINS this long... my goal was 4 months, then 6 months... now it is just second nature to us. I can't imagine NOT doing it. I'll save this for another post... moving along...

Milestones:

Let's see... so much has happened since then. I need to keep the months relevant. At 7 months, these girls were perfecting the art of sitting up. I think they were a little delayed in this simply because they were preemies. After all, they were born 6 weeks earlier than everyone else that is their "age". So, I have to keep telling myself that it isn't really fair for me to hold them up to the same standard as other term babies. Nonetheless, they were only a week or two behind the other kids in our playgroups. Not bad, and I'm pleased.

So, they are sitting up and CRAWLING!! Yup, they learned how to crawl. As previously blogged, their main mode of transportation for several weeks was rolling from point A to point B. Now, they are both doing the army crawl. Which is funny because both girls are doing a non-traditional crawl together. Funny how twins work. If one twin starts doing something, the other is just a day behind.

Both girls are babbling up a storm. Mama, Dada and "blah blah" (as Emma says... she's already sassy!) are their favorites. They like experimenting with the pitch in their voices and will say those words ten different ways. They both like to blow raspberries (especially while eating, spitting food all over me) and they both have learned to squeal with delight. While these girls are very smiley babies, they have yet to laugh unprompted. Not sure if that is unique to their age or their personalities. I mean, they belly laugh, don't get me wrong ... but I can't wait for the day when they cackle cackle.

Emma still prefers her right hand, Livi her left.

Emma likes to give kisses, Livi is a hugger. Emma gives big, soppy wet kisses on your cheek. She'll even crawl over to Livi and plant one right on top of her head which usually sends Livi into a fit of anger as Emma has not yet learned where to place her hands. When you pick up Livi, she throws her arms around your neck and you think you've died and gone to heaven. It is the sweetest thing ever.

I'll have their 9month stats to post next.

All in all, it was a really great month. I am amazed at how they change on a daily basis. They are learning something new every single day.

In other news, this was a tough month for me and Edgar because he was working a lot and I had TONS of schoolwork. So ready for this semester to be over with.

Also this month, we made a trip to Greeneville, TN so Edgar could meet with the CEO of the hospital there. It was a great meeting.

Here are some of my favorite pics from this month:

These next pictures were from Grandmuggs and Pop Pop's house... the girls HATED broccoli.

I really love this picture of Grandmuggs with the girls. She loves those babies. LOVES those babies. Doesn't she look like she is in heaven in this picture??