(By the way, I can't deselect the highlighting for the text...maybe next time! Sorry...technical difficulties!)
Eight months ago we met our girls for the first time and in
that eight months, the girls have changed my heart forever. I can’t even begin
to explain in words how much I love these sweet precious miracles that God has
so graciously blessed us with. Every time I see their beautiful faces, I’m
reminded of how amazingly perfect they are and how much I love them with all my
heart. There truly has been no greater joy in my lifetime than the joy of being
a mother. Thank you God for blessing us!
In the past eight months, both Jay and I agree that this has
been the most fun month to date so far! While there isn’t a single day of the
past that I would ever trade in, this past month the girl’s personalities
continue to shine brighter and brighter and we are just amazed at how quickly
they are growing up before our eyes. It literally seems like just yesterday
that they were so tiny and could fit in the palms of my hands—now they are both
very big and busy! Although, I’m not sure they will ever be too big to hold
together at the same time!
Our most exciting news to share is that they are finally
outgrowing their reflux. Everyone said that it would take about 6 months
(corrected age), which we are just now reaching, and boy…they were right! It
was a long 8 months, stressing over the amount they ate and if they were
growing well, so I’m very thankful that those days are behind us. You don’t
know how difficult reflux can be until you try feeding a baby with reflux, much
less two babies! Feeding was almost a battle, every single feed for both girls,
but I can honestly say, now after 8 months, they actually have interest in
eating (solids and bottle) and we actually are hearing “hungry cries” for the
first time (it is almost music to my ears!). We now can do the sign language
symbol for “milk” or “eat” and they open their mouth like little birdies…and
don’t you delay, because you will have two very impatient girls on your hands!
While it might seem like a small deal to others, it has really been a turning
point for our girls. Not only is the experience more pleasant for both the
person feeding and the baby, but it is so much better knowing that the girls
aren’t so uncomfortable. While I hate that the girls are growing up so fast, I
can honestly celebrate the fact that we have reached this stage where their
reflux has greatly improved!!
This month we have started with solid foods and are working
on vegetables (next will come fruits). They have had four vegetables to date
(squash, carrots, green beans and avocados). Jay and I have had a fun time preparing all
the baby food; however, it is trying to monopolize the space in my freezer to
store my “liquid gold!” We also continue to do sign language with the girls
(mostly the basic signs) and it seems that they are understanding “more,” “milk,”
“eat,” and “all done.” Of course they don’t mimic the signs yet (probably
closer to 9 months), but they have responsive reactions to these particular
signs.
It might not be as noticeable to others, but I truly think
the girls have “grown up” so much quicker this past month than any other month
to date. Every day it seems like they are learning something new and we learn
more and more about their fun and loving personalities. They also are getting
to be heavy weights—I just love that they are so healthy and strong. Here is a
little more about each daughter.
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Avery Grace: Weight 13 lbs (5.9kg)
**Avery is on the move. For the past 2 months she has been
on the verge of crawling, having all the mechanics, but not really moving any
measurable distance, outside of rolling.
She now has put it all together, more in the form of an army crawl, and
to nobody’s surprise, she moves from one toy to the next…usually targeting the
toys that Aubrey is playing with!
**Avery has always loved being on her belly and now even
changing her diaper is just absolutely too much time to be on her back. (Does
she not realize that changing her diaper when she is on her belly is nearly
impossible?!). However, now some of her favorite positions are where she rolls
to the side of her leg and almost sits up straight. From this point of view,
she can see everything from a sitting up position and she soon will be able to
give herself the extra boost she needs to sit up straight (which she can now do
on her own if she is placed in the sitting position). Her second favorite
position is standing on her feet, butt all the way up in the air, and arms on
the ground. It serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever, other than the fact that
she looks like she is getting ready to take off for a sprint (Lord, help me!).
I know, without a doubt, she is going to be my child that will always be moving
and on the go (yes, one of those that run around the stores and you roll your
eyes at!).
**Avery’s favorite toy is the remote control, our phones, or
her sister Aubrey. While the first two toys light up and grab her attention,
there is nothing like crawling over to her sister, stealing her toy, and then
trying to give her a *kiss* on her head! You would be surprised how many times
we find Avery sucking on Aubrey’s head.
**Avery is very inquisitive and likes to learn her
environment…usually by using her tongue! She loves to taste everything, whether
it be the carpet, toys, or the wall, she explores what is around her by making
sure it passes the taste test!
**One of Avery’s favorite activities this month is to pull
down the bumper on the crib and check out the happenings in the nursery. She
tears those bumpers down with her arms, unties the bows, and chews on the ties.
While we see this over and over again every day, it always has me roll with
laughter. She has got so much “spunk” in her personality.
**Avery now can sit independently (and when she tips after
some time, it is very graceful!), army crawls, and loves to stand and jump
(with support of course!). She also balances herself fairly well if holding on
to furniture. She now also opens her mouth (wide open I might add!) when you go
to kiss her—I love her messy kisses.
**Avery eats 4 ½-6 ounces on a four hour schedule 4 times a
day (8am, 12pm, 4pm, 7-8pm). While she still remains on Prevacid twice a day,
we are eager to wean her off this medication.
**Avery is our sleeper. She naps for 2.5 hours in the
morning and afternoon and anywhere from 1-1.5 hours in the evening…not to
mention a full 12 hours at night. Not too shabby!!
**Avery wears size 6 month clothes and size 3 diapers.
Aubrey Hope: Weight 13lb 6oz (6.19kg)
**Aubrey is not on the move yet, but I can see she is taking
mental notes on how her sister is moving around. She is doing some of the same
things that Avery did before she learned to crawl and it is neat seeing the
progression all over again. Are we ready for two crawlers? Aubrey does sit up
well but the few times that she loses her balances, she goes down like a ton of
bricks. Poor girl, she goes from sitting to “kerplunk”…at least she is a tough
cookie!
**Aubrey enjoys her tummy time and back time. On her belly,
she likes to scope out the situation and watch what Avery will do next. She is
very observant and really self entertains herself by watching what goes on
around her. She also loves to be on her back, holding on to toys that she can
put in her mouth or her stuffed dog or dolls. On her back, she causes quite a
racket, having entire conversations full of squeals and giggles.
**One thing has not changed with Aubrey-she is super social
and vocal!! Not only does she warm up easily to strangers, but this girl loves
to talk and squeal—usually the latter! She likes to carry on during nap time
(not to be rescued from her crib, but rather her time to let everything out
that has been on her mind) and during play time just before bed. Some of my
favorite times with Aubrey are when I look over her crib and she lets out the
happiest squeals of excitement and when we are playing as a family before bed.
She is so playful at night when we all are down on the floor giving the girls
our full attention. Aubrey reminds me to have a joyful heart, because every
time you hear her talking and squealing, it is nearly impossible not to smile
or laugh.
**Aubrey’s favorite toy is a simple black and white ring
that she loves to chew on. For some reason, she picks that toy over others. But
overall, she will play with any toy that she can pick up and put into her
mouth. She has really learned how to jump in the exersaucer and she now has a
blast. It is fun seeing both girls bounce simultaneously in their exersacuers.
**Aubrey’s favorite time of day is in the evening when mommy
and daddy get on the floor and play before bedtime. She lets out more squeals
of happiness during this time than any other part of the day. She has us
smiling and laughing the entire time because she continues to surprise us with
how many different noises she makes at all different pitches and volumes.
Aubrey has also grown to love bath time. She splashes all around, giving the
walls, table, and carpet a good soaking in the process! We have little plastic
ducks that squirt out water and she watches it with such anticipation when it
fills under water and then when you squirt the water from the duck, she laughs
so hard, splashing the whole time, just loving every minute. Then, she returns
to be being serious as the duck refills, waiting for all the fun to begin again.
These two times of the day have become some of my favorite times too!
**Aubrey eats 5-8 ounces on a four hour schedule 4 times a
day (8am, 12pm, 4pm, 7-8pm). Her reflux has improved even more than Avery’s
this past month and I venture to say that she is a “normal” eater these days, with
a little extra spit-up. She now is on Prevacid once a day, and should be weaned
off this medication in the near future
**Aubrey gets pretty excited about eating. Not only does she
let us know that it is time to eat, but she continues to laugh and is full of
excited energy every time it is feasting time. I look forward to hearing how
much she enjoys her food.
**Aubrey typically requires less sleep than her sister. Her
average nap is about 1.5hrs morning and afternoon and then about 30-60 minutes
in the evening. However, she loves to play with her toys during nap time, especially
giving her doll a mouthful. We feel bad for the doll sometimes—she takes a lot
of heat from Aubrey! She continues to sleep well through the night, usually
about 11-12 hours. She wakes up a little before the day starts at 8am, but she
is very happy to self-entertain herself in the crib (good thing, because I’m
pumping for their breakfast!). We are so
thankful that they have adjusted so well to sleep schedules.
**Aubrey wears size 6 month clothes and size 3 diapers.
We hope you enjoyed the updates—now enjoy the pictures from
this past month.
