Parker & Jolie: 9 Months

As late as I am for this post (total momma fail, for sure), I half way contemplated combining months 9 and 10 into one long post (I'll spare you..) but in the end I couldn't bring myself to actually do that because so many exciting milestones have happened in this last month!

At the girls' nine month appointment (9/9) they weighed in at nearly the same amount.

Parker weighs 16 pounds 12 ounces and Jolie is 16 pounds 2 ounces.  Good news for little bit Jolie Grace as she has grown tremendously since Dr. Butler saw her last.  Miss Parker on the other hand dropped a little on the growth chart.  I was so sad to hear this, but Dr. B reassured me that she looked perfect and so she wasn't so concerned about this slight drop for her.  A drop in mere ounces can make all the difference when it comes to maintaining that growth chart curve- and the fact that Parker had literally come off a 10 day vacation of altered eating habits without momma or dad (store bought baby food, some formula supplementation) she could have made the change then.  Parker is definitely the picky eater of the two.  If one little thing is off (texture, temperature, too sweet, too bitter, air bubbles) she's done done.  And there is littler encouragement to get her to finish.      

Both babies continue to wear size 2 diapers- and they are filling them perfectly these days.  Size 6 months in onesies, rompers, shirts, and jammies- mostly for the length. Size 3 month dresses and shorts will still fit them well, except Jolie's thighs are almost making them too tight for comfort.  I've started to make small purchases here and there for the next size up, but it is so hard to gauge when they will actually wear the larger sizes- they have stayed in smaller clothes for much longer than a typical infant at their age.  Thinking about Halloween and their birthday.. what size should I purchase for those outfits?  

Parker is still long and lean while Jolie is short and round as all get out. That baby has some thighs that are rock solid.  I absolutely adore their differences.  

What's New

Everything!  Number one on that list- TEETH!  Thats right- after 3 months of anticipation, those babies finally broke the gums.  August 23rd marked the date for Parker to get her first two teeth- front bottom (and from my understanding those are usually the first for most infants) and Jolie's finally came in (finally) two days later on August 25th.  Two babies, four teeth, one weekend.  To tell you the honest truth- they were completely fine that entire weekend- not really fussing, no fever, no crying, no sleepless nights.. the actual teeth breaking event was harmless.  It was the after that marked for the worse.  The following weekend entailed of three solid days/nights of crying, fever, and bloody gums.  Thats right, bloody.  Poor baby Jolie would nurse and as a result would drawn blood.  Thankfully the bad and the ugly of teething was over in a short time- until next time.  Awesome.  

These movers and shakers are all over the place and we've learned a whole new meaning to 'baby proofing'.  The girls have seemed to find every little outlet, hole, cord, knob..anything and everything.  I feeling like I follow behind them with bubble wrap and safety plugs to make sure I haven't missed anything they could get into and hurt themselves with.    I did find an outlet in my kitchen I hadn't a clue was there before miss Parker decided she wanted to attempt to fit her little finger into it.  Looking back at their 8 month post, I can't believe how just 4 short weeks can make such a difference in baby land.  The girls are very skilled at getting around now, cruising around the furniture and pulling up onto anything and everything they can get a grip on (daddy's leg hair included!)  Parker is a little speed racer and can crawl so quickly across the room- before you realize it, she's gone.  Our little foreheads are staying clear of those opportunities for bumps and bruises, which is much better than having to explain- "Yes, they are twins.  Yes, two girls, and yes, she had a bruise on her face."   

We absolutely ADORE bath time and get so excited when we hear daddy getting the water ready in preparation for our night time routine.  They play so hard together in the bath, and have gotten better at tolerating the water being poured over their heads and getting a good rub down from momma and dad.  Jordan and I have actually started to bathe them as a team because we have such fun watching them be silly in the bath before bed.

The toy envy that started a couple months back has occasionally turned into a full out brawl.  Parker will start swinging her arms and yelling at the top of her little lungs when she sees Jolie coming in for the kill to steal whatever she's got her eye on in Parkers hands.  Even with that being said- they still have so much fun playing together.  They will stand and play together at the music table, and even trade toys back and forth.  Its amazing to watch their engagement with one another and how well they can comprehend things at this age.  

Jordan and I decided that Parker and Jolie now have real understanding of who 'mum-ma' and 'da-da' are and whether wining or being silly will say it in reference to who they are looking at (or wanting to be held by for that matter..)  

Eat

Eating has continued to be a blast for this momma!  We have now advanced to giving them small bites of anything and (almost) everything!  They are super interested in what Jordan and I are eating and almost always want a bite (especially picky Parker- she wants a taste of EVERYTHING.)  

New Foods this month: Baby puffs (LOVE), guacamole (love!  Even though neither of you will touch avocados), kale (really unsure), zucchini (like), corn (love), peaches (neither are a fan at all), berries- blueberries, strawberries, raspberries (LOVE), pancakes, no syrup (love), Cheerios- crushed (love), Goldfish- crushed (love), whole diced banana (Parker LOVES, Jolie dislikes), cheese (love)

Early this month we ventured to the world of baby puffs and began offering the girls more table foods- in super small or crushed up versions of them. We also started adding in more fruits now that we've made it through the bulk of veggies in the produce department.  After realizing how much I was spending on 'baby yogurt' I opted to start buying regular cartons of organic yogurt and portion it out myself.  I can spend $4 on two days worth of the baby yogurt or spend $4 on a week's worth.  Every little but counts in my book.  I usually will offer it to them plain, or mix in a fruit puree I've made (blueberry or strawberry are favorites for the girls).

It seems like the feeding schedule is one thing we can't quiet get down to a science, but consistently we offer them a mid-morning and evening solid meal.  After dropping the 4 am feeding last month, this month I started nursing them before I went to work around 5:30am. We continue to stretch the girls about 3 ½ to 4 hours between feedings, giving them 4 liquid feedings each day.  At our 9 month appointment, I asked Dr. Butler about dropping the 'dream feed'.  Basically I've continued to offer it before bed at night because I was unsure if they were getting enough.  At 9 months, infants should be getting at least 30 ounces a day of breast milk or formula.  Occasionally the girls wouldn't finish their bottles during the day while I'm away, so it always made me uptight if they were getting enough or not.  Dr. B suggested we increase their bottles to 7 ounces and then after about a week we should drop that last feeding.  Currently our daily routine goes a little something like this (and I can't promise it wont be different when you see their 10 month post in a couple weeks!):

5:30-6am:  breast feed

8am: wake for the day- snack (puffs, toast, yogurt melts)

9am: 7 ounce bottle (or breast feed when I'm home)

9:45am-10am: fruit/vegetable and yogurt

10am-12pm: nap

1-1:30pm: 7 ounce bottle (or breastfeed when I’m home)

2-2:30pm: nap

5pm: breastfeed

6:30pm: (eaten between the two of them) 1/2 to 3/4 cup of oats mixed with 3-5 ounces breast milk and 4 ounces of veggies/fruit and more yogurt

The girls have been doing pretty well with eating the extra ounce in their bottles.  Some days they scarf it down in minutes and other days it takes a little more work for them to get it all in.  We have just decided that our girls aren't big eaters.  They have a real interest in food and act as if they are ravenous when its time to eat, or they see me making their oats in the evening, which is great, but they just don't/can't/wont eat a ton.  I'll be shocked if they advance much more than the 7 ounces in their bottles before their first birthday.       

Sleep

These babies have fought sleep off and on this entire month.  When they were teething early this month, it was a battle to make it through the night, but recently they have become quite the sleeping pros!  Sleeping the entire night through has become more regular and how thankful this momma is for that.  Bedtime is between 7:15-7:30pm and they'll sleep well until about 5:30am.. for two reasons.  1.) they wake up hannngry, and number 2.)  Poop.  Every. Single. Morning.  Poop wakes them up- most of the time is it both of them, but ALWAYS Parker.  Talk about regularity:)  So, we eat and get a clean diaper and down they go until around 8am.          

Naptime is consistent:  Since they eat at around 5:30am and go back to sleep until 8am, their nap has gotten pushed to around 10am and they'll sleep until close to noon or 12:30pm and again between 2pm and 3pm until around 4:30p or 5p. Those naps are somewhere around 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours and of course we have the occasional 1 hour napper, but for the most part they get in a good solid nap at least once a day. 

Sweet Parker Baby

Your Favorites: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, your monkey Wubanub, your paci (can't sleep without it!), chatting it up with momma, babbling and smiling, any toy that lights up or plays music, sitting up, morning walks, crinkle paper, the tags on anything, looking/touching the iPhone, the remote control, bath time, music and singing, playing in the mirror, hide and go seek, laughing at Daphnee through the back window, and most of all- cuddling.

Food: You will pretty much try anything! Oatmeal, yogurt, sweet potatoes, bananas, carrots, and butternut squash, puffs, Cheerios, pancakes/bread.

Your Not-So-Favorites:  Sitting and playing alone, being in your car seat for too long, loud noises,, the dark, being left out, getting dressed or diaper changes.

Food: avocado

This picture pretty much sums up your over the top personality. I would have never in my life ever thought I could have a 9 month old for a best friend, but truly I have found a best friend in you and your sister.  I find myself belly laughing over your facial expressions and silliness over and over throughout the day and cannot get over how precious you are.  I cannot wait to come home to you in the afternoons to hang out and have 'girl time'.  You have grown up so much this month and it makes momma sad to think how quickly things are progressing for you and Jolie.  I feel like tomorrow you'll be walking, and next week you'll be heading off to your high school prom.

This last month has proven to be a big one for you and your independence.  You have gotten so much better at playing solo as well as with your sister or while mom and dad play with you on the floor.  And let me tell you how proud I am of your sleep habits!  You have learned to self-soothe and in the morning when it isn't quiet time to get up yet you will lay in your crib and quietly play with your monkey wubby or babble and eventually fall back asleep.  I love to watch you on the monitor in the mornings I have to get ready for work- these small successes make momma oh-so-proud of you.  When it is time to wake up you are so giggly and SO happy to see momma and dad.  I LOVE going to get you out of your crib in the morning.  Screeching and laughter fills the room the moment you hear the door click open.  My heart swells and overflows with emotion and desire to just scoop you up and squeeze you tight.  It is always too long since I had see you the night before.

Your separation anxiety has much improved and you now will smile and giggle with anyone that makes a glance your way.  You even will fight to get out of my arms a time or two to check out whats going on and make sure you aren't missing a thing.

More and more everyday I see myself in you and it makes me tear up in excitement.  Your daddy and I were looking through baby pictures and came across one of me with the same exact facial expression that you make all the time!  It is real.  I am your momma.  Amazing.   Love you.

Miss Jolie Bear

 Your Favorites: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, reading books, frozen teether rings, anything that lights up and sings, smiling and laughing, conversations with momma and daddy (and now your sister, too!), crawling, climbing, and exploring, rough housing (Your FAVORITE to play rough with daddy), bath time and splashing the water, playing in the mirror, nap time.

Food: Oatmeal, yogurt, sweet potatoes, mango, apple, and butternut squash. 

Your Not-So-Favorites: Neck stretches, fighting sleep, being in your car seat for too long, finding a comfortable position to sleep in, getting dressed (always a fight these days)

Food: avocado and banana.

Sweet Polie- how can I even express the joy you bring to my day?  You are borderline Looney Tune and have recently picked up the nick-name Tweety Bird by your BB and me.  You are so curious, and buy curious, I mean touching, feeling and tasting anything.  I catch you more than once a day attempting to lick the floor, or the cabinets, or anything for that matter.  What is it about that, silly?  Again, Looney Tune and always the root of my laughter.   You continue to turn into the most beautiful baby girl- I always get compliments from strangers about how beautiful you and your sister are, but people really swoon over you and your gorgeous baby blues.  My perfect little beauty.

This month we started using the TOT collar in PT and you officially graduated to once a month visits with Suzan at Our Children's House.  Just a little bit more to go before that tilt of yours is practically nonexistent and how exciting that it to look back and see how far you've come- You were once so weak and little bitty (4 1/2 pounds little bitty) and now you're a powerhouse of activity, advancement, and skill- growing like a weed!  Lets take all that and focus it in on athletics once you are of age, yes?        

You have definitely become more needy of momma and dad this month- almost like you and Parker switched places. Even though you are so super busy still, you don't mind to be held or sit in my lap for longer periods of time- and I surely don't mind!  You've become very cautious of your surroundings and will assess the situation and will think a bit before flashing your toothless grin to just anyone.  But, if a stranger is lucky enough to get that sweet smile, they are a puddle.  You sure know how to melt me, Jolie Grace and I am so thankful God chose me to raise you up as my daughter.  I love you so very much, sweet girl.

Jordan and I sure did get lucky with these two girls.   Parenting is tough.   Parenting twins is tough.  Lots of decisions, lots of loving, and lots of wishing I had another pair of arms..

9 months down.

Wouldn't change a single thing. We are so very blessed.