Standing Up For Herself

Emaline is mastering her legs. She can easily pull up and is working on trying to balance herself. She gets fuming angry when she lets go and has to latch back on to keep herself from falling. Sometimes she falls. She gets right back up though, determined to stand on her own.

Seeing this determination, Keillor is trying to follow in his sister's footsteps. However, he is much heavier and has a lower center of gravity. Not as determined, he gives up and crawls into the other room to get into trouble. This might mean hiding in the dining room, or just crawling into his tunnel.

We broke out the Pack-N-Play for playing this week. We took the twins out on the back porch while we worked in the yard. Covered in sunblock and hidden underneath an umbrella, they played together, or rather they stole toys from each other for an hour.

They are enjoying eating more every day (well, most days). Keillor is still trying to figure out the difference between eating and playing with his spoon. Maybe he's trying to eat the spoon. At any rate, he likes to bite down on it and squinch one eye shut like a pirate.

We have also started a new routine before bedtime: brushing teeth. At first they were...let's just say not interested in having toothbrushes shoved in their mouths. Now they enjoy it. We just have to remember to brush every night.

Keillor Crawled and Pulled Up--It is On!

The day after Emaline crawled, Keillor started crawling. They don't like to do anything alone.
Later that day, I pulled Keillor out of the tub, got him dressed for bed, and put him on the floor. I got Emaline and was drying her off when I turned around and saw Keillor climbing onto the fireplace hearth to get the toy train my dad made for him. I turned to go after him, but I couldn't leave a naked baby on a changing table. At that point, Aimee emerged from the bathroom in a towel and ran to get Keillor. We have plenty of time to baby-proof the house.
Emaline has mastered pulling up, and is now trying to figure out how to take the next step. She gets really frustrated when she tries to move her feet and falls down. Actually, just now, in the middle of typing this, Emaline, playing at my feet, just pulled herself up and lifted on leg (not to pee like a dog, but to take a step forward). I tried to help, but she doesn't want help. She wants to do it all by herself. I have pictures, but not loaded on the computer, so you'll have to wait.
They tried yogurt this morning. The freeze-dried astronaut yogurt is not their favorite, but Emaline chowed down on strawberry yogurt. Keillor was not too interested, but he ate a couple of bites. Other new foods include
lasagna--not so much
broccoli and cheese--yummy
custard--can't get enough

The sippy cups is still a device too complicated for the twins. They love to play with the cups and chew on them, but as for drinking from them, we're still working on that skill.

We have been running with the kids a couple of times so far. They like the wind in their hair. They're not so sure about the sun glasses.

Emaline Crawls

Our baby girl crawled across the floor on Friday like she had been doing it for months. She just decided she wanted a toy and went after it. I grabbed the video camera and caught it. Watch out world; here comes Emaline.

Other notable firsts:

Keillor is actually starting to eat consistently. Breakfast oatmeal is probably the most successful meal--although today I added his vitamins to the oatmeal and he stopped eating. He likes cous cous and chicken and apples.

They ate their first dessert. While they have been eating fruit, we gave them pudding for dessert on Sunday. Big hit. They love pudding.

On the talking front, we are still only getting seemingly random "dadadada" out of them.

They had their first play date with Henry Webb. Henry brought his parents over on Saturday. He hit Keillor in the head with a ball. This is the beginning of a budding friendship.

Daylight saving time is going to be an adjustment. Sunday's schedule was out of whack. This morning was OK--although we did think we would have to wake Keillor up.

Did I mention that Emaline crawled?

Nine months and all is well

The twins earned high marks at their nine-month check-up. Keillor's head (83rd percentile) remains too large for his body (34th percentile). Emaline is above-average in all areas except weight. High iron levels. Low lead levels. Wiper fluid and oil levels also good.

Besides the occasional ear infection, the food transition seems to be the most difficult issue to deal with. We are supposed to have them on a three-meal-a-day cycle by 12 months, with consistent progression towards big kid foods. Emaline is winning the food race. She can take down a container of stage 2 foods followed by a six-ounce bottle and a handful of Puffs. Keillor is still in the practice stage. He is trying to get his mouth to work with his tongue. His most recent meal did not end in a screaming fit, which is progress.

If another person asks me if they are crawling yet...

They are working on it. They can get where they want to go—I just wouldn't call it crawling. 

However, I will no longer bristle when someone asks if they are sitting up on their own. Yes, they are. They can also bring themselves from a prone position to a sitting position.

They have been on two runs so far. Aimee wants them to have run 100 miles before they can walk. As the babies get bigger, Mommy and Daddy want to get smaller.

I'm sure there's more to say, but I just can't think of anything right now.

Like and Dislikes

For twins, our babies are sure different. They don't even look that much alike.

Emaline likes big-girl food she can eat with a spoon.
Keillor would rather eat his bib.
Emaline likes her pacifier.
Keillor would rather eat his bib.
Keillor likes people.
Emaline likes people she knows.
Emaline likes having her ears cleaned.
Keillor hates having his ears cleaned.
Keillor likes lying on his back in the bathtub and kicking his feet.
Emaline likes to sit straight up and reach for toys.
Keillor cries when Daddy sneezes.
Emaline cries when anyone touches her nose.
Keillor likes his sippy cup.
Emaline likes throwing her sippy cup.
Keillor likes Peek-a-Boo.
Emaline likes to sit quietly in her crib and stare at her hands.
Emaline likes to touch faces.
Keillor likes to pull hair, scratch, and bite people.
Keillor likes trying to talk.
Emaline prefers to sing.
Emaline tries really hard to crawl.
Keillor prefers to roll.
Emaline has small, dainty hands and feet.
Keillor has meaty paws.
Keillor likes Pulp Fiction.
Emaline thinks Quentin Tarantino is overrated and prefers Robert Rodriguez.
Keillor is Emaline’s favorite person.
People are Keillor’s favorite person.

Teeth, Dada, and Dr. Ferber

Emaline's two bottom teeth are coming in quite nicely. They are as sharp as razors and are good for cutting through peas, carrots, and milk. Keillor has one tooth coming in quickly, and a sluggish one.

Keillor is quite advanced and is already saying, "da da"; at least, that's what I think he is saying. You decide:



We finally decided the babies are old enough, so last week we started the Ferber Method. While we are still working out a few kinks, they are learning to self-soothe and go to sleep on their own. It takes anywhere from five to fifteen minutes, only a couple of which are full of screams.

People keep asking if they are crawling yet. Sort of. Emaline can get on all fours easily, but can't seem to go forward. She crawls backwards though. We are working on installing a device that beeps when she's in reverse. Keillor has no interest in crawling. He would rather roll. I have been told that I did not like to crawl, but rolled around until I started walking. As I type this, Emaline is practicing crawling, while Keillor is on his back with his legs wrapped around hers so she can't move.

Christmas

Christmas break was both a horrific nightmare and a fun time for all. Keillor started the break with a double ear infection and a case of RSV. Emaline had a cold (which seems to have returned).

Keillor gets nebulized

With a prescription for amoxicillin and a nebulizer for his screaming—I mean breathing—treatments, we got him on the road to recovery, just in time to drive to Alabama two days late. The drive down was actually nice. The kids slept until we got to Nashville, enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Cracker Barrel, and slept again until Huntsville. The crying started once we got into Birmingham traffic. Hey, if you’re going to have a car with two screaming babies, might as well be during Christmas shopping rush hour on the busiest highway in Alabama.
I should back up. Before leaving, the kids got their present from Grandmommy and Granddaddy, a Jumparoo. This is their most prized possession.

Keillor shows off his Jumparoo skills

We ended up getting a second-hand Jumparoo, and now the kids can jump and talk to each other. Keillor is a fan of the jumping part, while Emaline prefers all of the gadgets on board. We ended up buying a car-top carrier so that we could carry all of their stuff with us. The Jumparoo came along, as did their Bumbos, play mat, bouncy seats, Pack-and-Play, and about a hundred other odds and ends.
In Birmingham, they stayed with Grammy and PawPaw Dee. As usual, sleeping was an issue, but they seemed to be tuckered out at the end of every day.

Keillor asleep on the floor under the Christmas tree

They were excited to get more presents including a talking puppy dog, a bilingual LeapFrog music center, books, and a baby doll (which Emaline immediately fell in love with).

Emaline loving on her baby doll

They spent the day at GaGa and GeeGee’s where they played with Keillor’s GaGa-made wooden train and Emaline’s GaGa-made bassinet (for her baby doll or Raggedy Ann). They also saw the glimmering lake.

Keillor plays with his GaGa-made train

Emaline pretends she is a doll to try out her GaGa-made bassinet

Aimee and I got some baby-free time to go shopping for a few hours. That was different.
The twins got to Skype with their Arizona grandparents and Uncle Keil. While they may not have been sure what they were looking at, they like to watch screens that light up. Hearing their voices was a nice treat.
The drive home was eventful. Well, the only event was the nearly-constant screaming of our two angels. Guess they didn’t want to come home.
To see more photos of all of their Christmas fun, go to our Picasa site.