The Duo- 8 and 9 Month Update

In case you have not noticed, I have been totally slacking on the updates and the whole blog. We have been very busy this summer and my computer is still on the fritz. So today I finally sat down and made a list of all the May/June posts I want to catch up on and realized that tomorrow is JULY! Oh Lordy. I had better kick it into high gear. So instead of showering during nap time today I decided to blog. ha!

I never got around to the twins' 8 month update. I even had a few emails from some of you asking how they were doing after our whole weight gain issue I mentioned HERE. I really appreicate knowing that some of you actually read these posts! I do not have a baby book going for these two so this blog is it. If I do get around to writing it down pen/paper style this blog will be key to that! So knowing that y'all read is fun. thanks!

A lot has happened in the last few months. They are growing like weeds and into EVERYTHING. I think the gates are going up this weekend, because we have some mobile babies. Watch out world- they are mobile and have VERY sharp teeth. They keep us very busy and are little showstoppers when we are in public.

By the way. These two REFUSE to smile while wearing the monthly sticker...REFUSE. ha!

Here are the stats of our little ones this month:


Weights: (from 9 month check-up)

Shepard- 16lbs. 12 oz.  - <5th  percentile  (5.1 at birth)

Sara Kate- 17lbs.0 oz.  -20th percentile- ON THE CHARTS! (5.11 at birth)



Lengths: (from 9 month check-up)
Shepard: 26.5 inches  - 25th percentile On the charts! (up from 17 at birth)

Sara Kate: 27 inches  - 30th percentile On the charts! (up from 18 at birth)

Diaper Size:
Shepard: Size 3
Sara Kate: Size 3
We had to buy our first package of diapers this week! We have had quite the stock pile from a diaper shower and other gifts. We are beyond thrilled that we made it 9.5 months without buying diapers!! We have several boxes of 4s too!

Clothing Size:

Shepard: 6-9 months

Sara Kate: 9-12 months

Sleep:
Sleeping great. We have made a few changes in our bedtime routine. During the whole "we decided not to grow" phase I was pumping (to make sure just how much they were eating) and giving them 6 oz. night time bottles before bed. Well, they started fighting this. They would not finish them, and push them away and it became quite the battle. So I started giving them 3 oz each at bedtime and then mixing the 6 oz. that was left in their morning cereal to make sure they were getting it all. Well then they started refusing the 3 oz. after a while too! So, after the 9 month check up our doc said he was very happy with their growth (yay!) and we could cut out that bottle if they did not want it. This was great news because instead of that bottle calming them down and getting them ready for sleep it was kind of like a wrestling match to get them to eat it all. Now, I nurse them before bed if they are interested. If not, they just go to bed. SO. MUCH. EASIER.

They are going to bed between 7:00 and 7:30 each night and sleeping until 8:00 ish. Most mornings they wake up around 6:00-6:30, but they just lay up there and talk, and roll around. We do not go get them and they usually fall back to sleep until 8:00 or 8:30 and then it becomes obvious they are ready for some food!

They are napping 2 times a day for anywhere to 1-2 hours each time.
They sleep and nap in their cribs in their rooms and at night they are still sleeping in their sleep sacks. We even bought bigger ones. I really think that they know that when they put that sleep sack on it is time for bed. We change them, nurse if interested, put on sleep sack and lay them down awake and they usually have no trouble falling asleep on their own. I say usually, because they are both teething and cutting new teeth and have been slightly more fussy and LOTS more snotty. They snotty noses make it a little difficult to get to sleep.

Eating:
They are good little eaters. I have not found much they don't like. I think we will be done with purees soon. They are eating tons of table food. They love goldfish, cheerios, puffs, Mum Mums, frozen waffles, most fruits, pasta, mashed potatoes, cooked veggies- anything they can get their chubby little hands on. They are eating 3 meals a day, plus snacks, plus nursing 4 times a day. Yes, I clean high chairs and bibs all day long! :)

8:00 Nurse
9:00 Breakfast (usually oatmeal with fruit, yogurt and cheerios)
11:30 Nurse
12:30 Lunch (the choices are endless- usually a veggie, fruit and meat)
4:00 Nurse 
5:30 Dinner ( very similar to lunch- sometimes they just eat bits of what we eat)
7:00 Nurse before bed if interested.
10:00 pm ish- I pump before I go to bed.

Shepard:
You are such a sweet boy. Really, you are. You are very calm, laid back, and go with the flow. You only cry when you are starving, tired, or hurt. You sit back and take in all the action. You have a smile that will be very hard to say no to. You love watching your big brother and don't fight back when that sister of yours is mean to you. You have ONE tooth and one on the way. Your hair looks like it might be starting to grow. We think you are going to have either red or blonde hair. It looks very light. You are a chatty guy and becoming quite a momma's boy. You don't like it too much if you can hear me but not see me. You LOVE to eat. You never miss a meal ( like your momma) and you do such a great job feeding yourself. You love anything you can pick up on your own. You are starting to army crawl and you love to stand when supported.

SaraKate:
Sister, you are a wild woman. You are EVERYWHERE these days. You have moved on from the army crawl to the "peg leg" crawl. You crawl on one knee and drag one leg behind you. You are such a funny girl. You like to know what is going on all the time. You want nothing to do with your toys and only want to play with things you are not supposed to. You can find and pick up the tiniest things. We are always on the lookout for things you might find. You keep us on our toes. You have TWO teeth and we think you are cutting a few more. You are a sassy little thing and you make us laugh everyday!

They are quite the duo. I have totally forgotten what it is like to only have one baby. Doing double of everything has become the norm. We love our normal with this traveling circus we call family.