Today, the girls have been with us for half a year. I have been fortunate enough to spend these last six months watching them grow and change. Sometimes it feels like it flew past me in a blur, but more often than not, I have experienced it fully - meaning it has felt like six months. I know it differs greatly for Ches, who has been back at work since the day after we brought the girls home from the hospital.
Here are the current stats for Alina & Avery:
Here are the current stats for Alina & Avery:
AVERY
Weight: 16 lbs 7 oz (50th-75th Percentile)
Length: 24.75 in (10th-25th Percentile)
Head Circumference: 43.75 cm (75th-90th Percentile)
ALINA
Weight: 17 lbs 2.5 oz (75th Percentile)
Length: 25.75 in (50th Percentile)
Head Circumference: 44 cm (90th Percentile)
That is a solid gain of three pounds per girl over the last 2 months. The doctor was so impressed with their development of their abilities. They are quick learners. Object permanence is no problem, other than babies getting pissed that there is a toy they know exists beyond their reach.
They are ready for solid foods, as they spend at least one bottle meal a day chewing on the nipple instead of drinking. They love blowing bubbles in their milk and have fun trying to teach themselves how to hold the bottle. They understand the nipple goes in the mouth, but not that they have to lift it up to get the good stuff. Maybe they are having too much fun just playing around!
The new sounds of the month have been roaring like dinosaurs and a little funky cough noise, which they doctor said they developed to manage all of the saliva. Often time, in the morning, we will be awoken by some great roar from their bedroom alerting us to their happy & wide awake state. Ches has been sweet, trying to give me extra sleep, but his attempts are thwarted by these tiny dinosaurs that are way too busy exploring the range of their vocal ability. Alina is a bit ahead in this area, as she will often spend minutes at a time shouting "Ba ba ba ba ba, da, da, da, da, da, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, blah, blah, blah, blah!"
Avery seems moments away from truly crawling. She has the commando crawl down pat, but when she gets on the flat palms and knees, she just rocks front to back and will occasionally rocket forward with one push. We know this means that one day soon, she will be no where near where we last placed her! Alina is a star roller and they both love to thump. They thump by banging either their hands or their feet really hard on the ground/crib mattress/changing table. Ches relates it to calling for a sand worm from Dune. I think of Thumper from Bambi.
They are grabbing everything. I love how I will often think "Wow, they are doing ______so much" only to then be shocked a week later at how much more they can be doing the same task. For example, they used to reach for all of their toys - hence me previously stating how they are grabbing everything. Now, it is way beyond toys. Anything and everything that is within reach is or should be theirs. I thought I had to pay special attention before! They keep me on my toes! It is really hard to watch two babies all the time and still try to do something as basic as sterilize.
They get frustrated really easily these days. We have a circuit here, including: 2 bouncies, a swing, a jumper, floor rolling in living room on mats, floor rolling in their bedroom, being held, walk/drive outdoors. We used to be able to keep them in any one station for at least 15 minutes before a needed switch. Now, sometimes 5 minutes is too long. We probably spend most of the time in their room, all three of us chilling on the ground. Bouncies just frustrate them b/c they want to sit up, but just don't quite have the muscles for it yet.
They love cold teething toys. We have a gallon-sized plastic bag full of teethers in the fridge ready to go at any moment. They have been big fans of the brand Nuby. Each girls has both of the front 2 bottom teeth coming in. We can see the cute little teeth whenever they smile now. We are also going through bibs continually. We had to ask the doctor about their drooling because their saliva started to have this distinct odor to it that was unfamiliar to us. Dr. Monk immediately responded with another questions: "Does it smell like decaying flesh?" Ches and I paused then laughed a little, not know how to respond to that question. Guess becoming familiar with the scent of decaying flesh is a part of med school that is not public knowledge.
They have hair! It is finally starting to grow back in. We have noticed a major difference in just the past 30 days. It actually gets matted when wet in the bath! It probably does look like much to others, but it is apparent to us! And, not sure if you saw this up top, but their heads are humongous. They are already wearing 12-18 month hats, and might grow out of those soon. The doctor complimented them on their beautiful foreheads stating, "The better to grow those frontal lobes!" That is where a lot of the cool stuff happens (executive functions and all).
We get many special moments of being close with the girls, with them gently feeling our faces - okay, sometimes not so gently and more along the lines of slapping/pulling, but whatever. They still love cuddling and want to be close for kisses. They prefer it if we are singing and will hold conversations with us. Overall, they are very responsive to us as their caregivers. We need to work on socialization as they are fairly isolated with us hermits for parents and are entering the months where stranger anxiety is to be expected.
SIDs risk has dropped greatly for our gals, so Chesley has been able to move back into the bedroom. His back is very thankful, as the air mattress left much to be desired in the department of comfort. Since I am not allowed heat in our bedroom, I will be thankful to have my personal space heater back with the temperatures starting to drop.
They are ready for solid foods, as they spend at least one bottle meal a day chewing on the nipple instead of drinking. They love blowing bubbles in their milk and have fun trying to teach themselves how to hold the bottle. They understand the nipple goes in the mouth, but not that they have to lift it up to get the good stuff. Maybe they are having too much fun just playing around!
The new sounds of the month have been roaring like dinosaurs and a little funky cough noise, which they doctor said they developed to manage all of the saliva. Often time, in the morning, we will be awoken by some great roar from their bedroom alerting us to their happy & wide awake state. Ches has been sweet, trying to give me extra sleep, but his attempts are thwarted by these tiny dinosaurs that are way too busy exploring the range of their vocal ability. Alina is a bit ahead in this area, as she will often spend minutes at a time shouting "Ba ba ba ba ba, da, da, da, da, da, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, blah, blah, blah, blah!"
Avery seems moments away from truly crawling. She has the commando crawl down pat, but when she gets on the flat palms and knees, she just rocks front to back and will occasionally rocket forward with one push. We know this means that one day soon, she will be no where near where we last placed her! Alina is a star roller and they both love to thump. They thump by banging either their hands or their feet really hard on the ground/crib mattress/changing table. Ches relates it to calling for a sand worm from Dune. I think of Thumper from Bambi.
They are grabbing everything. I love how I will often think "Wow, they are doing ______so much" only to then be shocked a week later at how much more they can be doing the same task. For example, they used to reach for all of their toys - hence me previously stating how they are grabbing everything. Now, it is way beyond toys. Anything and everything that is within reach is or should be theirs. I thought I had to pay special attention before! They keep me on my toes! It is really hard to watch two babies all the time and still try to do something as basic as sterilize.
They get frustrated really easily these days. We have a circuit here, including: 2 bouncies, a swing, a jumper, floor rolling in living room on mats, floor rolling in their bedroom, being held, walk/drive outdoors. We used to be able to keep them in any one station for at least 15 minutes before a needed switch. Now, sometimes 5 minutes is too long. We probably spend most of the time in their room, all three of us chilling on the ground. Bouncies just frustrate them b/c they want to sit up, but just don't quite have the muscles for it yet.
They love cold teething toys. We have a gallon-sized plastic bag full of teethers in the fridge ready to go at any moment. They have been big fans of the brand Nuby. Each girls has both of the front 2 bottom teeth coming in. We can see the cute little teeth whenever they smile now. We are also going through bibs continually. We had to ask the doctor about their drooling because their saliva started to have this distinct odor to it that was unfamiliar to us. Dr. Monk immediately responded with another questions: "Does it smell like decaying flesh?" Ches and I paused then laughed a little, not know how to respond to that question. Guess becoming familiar with the scent of decaying flesh is a part of med school that is not public knowledge.
They have hair! It is finally starting to grow back in. We have noticed a major difference in just the past 30 days. It actually gets matted when wet in the bath! It probably does look like much to others, but it is apparent to us! And, not sure if you saw this up top, but their heads are humongous. They are already wearing 12-18 month hats, and might grow out of those soon. The doctor complimented them on their beautiful foreheads stating, "The better to grow those frontal lobes!" That is where a lot of the cool stuff happens (executive functions and all).
We get many special moments of being close with the girls, with them gently feeling our faces - okay, sometimes not so gently and more along the lines of slapping/pulling, but whatever. They still love cuddling and want to be close for kisses. They prefer it if we are singing and will hold conversations with us. Overall, they are very responsive to us as their caregivers. We need to work on socialization as they are fairly isolated with us hermits for parents and are entering the months where stranger anxiety is to be expected.
SIDs risk has dropped greatly for our gals, so Chesley has been able to move back into the bedroom. His back is very thankful, as the air mattress left much to be desired in the department of comfort. Since I am not allowed heat in our bedroom, I will be thankful to have my personal space heater back with the temperatures starting to drop.
