8-9 month journal...

work in progress...



Wow! Mary and Hannah - you are 9 months old! Wasn't it only yesterday that we brought you each home from the NICU? Time is flying by! This month, you both have had the world open up to you! You can crawl! Mary, you first started on Jan 5, and Hannah, you did it on Jan 10. I, of course got little videos of you, and had one of those "twin mommy moments," when it seems unreal that I have two babies. It happened when you both came crawling to me for the first time! And I thought... Wow, I have two babies! You'd think after 9 months plus the pregnancy I'd not be "surprised." It warms my heart when you come crawling to find me... but you get stopped by the baby gate to the kitchen much to your dismay. And, to warms my heart to hear the little "clop, clop, clop" of your hands hitting the floor as you crawl to me when I have my back turned and can't see you coming. As fun as this is, it has made parenting you a little more challenging... you can go places and can reach up higher now! Mary, you started getting youself into a sitting position the same day you started crawling. Hannah, you will sit if we put you like that, but you haven't yet decided you can sit on your own. All in time, honey!
It's so funny to see you both get out of your rockers, or turn around backwards in them and look over the top. Daddy says you look like little sailers looking out over the mast of a ship when you do this. Most of the time it's to look at the TV. We have to strap you in to keep you in a sitting positon now! You are such big girls!
You were both sick the week of Christmas. It was just a little bug... just low fevers and sleepiness/fussiness. Daddy and I both got sick as well with the same symptoms. It was scary the first night you were running fevers... I didn't want to go to sleep. I was afraid that the fever would get too high and for some reason it wouldn't wake you up and it would become dangerous. I finally had to give you to God, so I could get some sleep. I did enjoy snuggling with you more while you were sick, but I felt so helpless. It made me remember something my mom (Grammy) and I would say when I would get sick. We wished she would have a magic wand to make me feel better. I wished that with you too! You both ended up with runny noses for a week or so after being sick. Hannah, you developed a cough as well, but it didn't get down in your chest. It would keep you awake at night, but putting you in your carseat helped stop the coughing. Hannah, your little face got chapped from being sick. The skin under your lower lip was red and rough. It looked sore and I tried putting different creams on it to help it feel better. You have always had the more sensitive skin though. It's cleared up now that you are well.
Bath time has gotten a little more challenging. Mary, you have decided that just laying in the tub is not nearly enough fun. So, you'll flip over and crowd Sissy while you crawl around. I can't wash you very well when you are moving around and Hannah doesn't like you pushing into her. Speaking of you and Hannah... Mary, you could crawl first, so you evidently thought it would be fun to crawl on your sister! You'll put your little fists on her belly and bounce! Or, you'll crawl on her and take the toy that she's playing with. Most of the time Hannah doesn't like this and cries for me to help. I think you are just trying to play, but it looks like you're "bullying" on your sissy! Now that Hannah can crawl... it's better. You can't catch her as much!
You both will pull up to your knees from the couch or us. Daddy and I have become your favorite jungle gym now! In the evenings, you love it when Daddy sprawls out on the floor and you can both climb and crawl all over him!
It's fun to watch you play with toys. You enjoy musical ones. Also, you will take a toy in each hand and hit them together. Watching your little hands as you hold and manipulate things is facinating. So much has changed since you were born. Things still always go to your mouth, so we have to be careful what you get a hold of!
You've seen your first snow. The first little snow, I showed it to you from inside. During a bigger snow, I sat you up next to the window and let you watch the big fluffy flakes come down (and the neighbor shoveling) I even got a pan of it and brought it inside so you could "experience" snow! Hannah, you made a face when you tried to eat some, but Mary, you just kept reaching in the pan and grabing more!
We celebrated your first Christmas and New Years. Your little lives have now spanned 3 years... in utero in 2008, born in 2009, and now it's 2010! Being sick around Christmas made things a little challenging, but we enjoyed the holiday anyway. We were able to visit your Great Grandma and Grandpa and they loved seeing you! We spent time with all your Grandparents and your Aunts. And, you got to meet your Uncle Mark for the first time! Probably the best part of Christmas for you this year was the wrapping paper! We would start it, and you would pull it from a gift. Then, you'd put it in your mouth! You could really have cared less what was in the package! It was fun buying, wrapping and watching you "open" gifts on your first Christmas.
As far as feeding goes, you really slacked off on the amount of formula you were taking. I got scared you weren't getting enough, so I didn't give you as much solid food. Your formula consuption got better, but your sleeping started getting horrible. I only assume it was from your feeding as when I started giving you more solids again, your sleeping got better. One night I was up with the both of you 5 times. That makes for a short night, a tired mommy, and 2 fussy babies the next day!
You have started showing a slight preference to me over Daddy. This is normal and only seems logical since we spend every day, all day together. But, you love Daddy and enjoy playing with him!
We saw your doctor for your 9 month well baby visit and again, he is pleased with how you are growing and developing. He doesn't need to see you back until you are 15 months old. By that time you will probably be walking, weaned from a bottle and drinking whole milk along with eating lots of table food. That seems like a long time from now, but I know it will be just a blink and it will be here. You are growing so fast! I love you more now than the day you were born! You are both so sweet and I love that you enjoy "mommy snuggles!" Your smiles melt my heart and I can't wait to see you grow into little girls. Just do it a little more slowly, ok?