Overall, I'm happy to report that their developmental milestones have brought increased joy to the household. But not every moment has been sunshine and butterflies. Just keeping it real here - I'll note the highs and the lows.
Physical Development - Highs
- Able to hold up own head. This one was huge! When they were newborns, it was a lot of work just to handle them because they were soooo floppy. I couldn't really pick up both babies at the same time. I could hold them, if someone else handed me one of them. But I didn't have enough arms/hands to pick them both up very safely.
- Rolling over. I felt less nervous about SIDS once they could roll over both ways independently. Of course, when they first started rolling over in bed, I would flip them to their backs again, which they did not appreciate. Once I had confidence they really knew how to roll, I let them sleep on their tummies if they wanted. And when they were awake, they used rolling to move around on the floor, much to their delight.
- Sitting up independently. This is a recent milestone. It really makes life easier for activities like bathing. Baby B has been able to do it for a month or so, but A really only mastered it in the last two weeks. And "mastered" is a bit of an exaggeration because if they are tired, they both still have a tendency to tip over. They're getting pretty good at catching themselves, though :)
Physical Development - Lows
- Rolling over, early stages. Oh, the head bonking! When they first started rolling, they didn't have very good head/neck control so they were always whacking their heads on the floor. Ouch!
- Crawling. This one is really a high + low. I'm glad they figured out how to move and it is beyond adorable when they follow each other around the house. But oh my word, they get into EVERYTHING now. I can't leave them alone for a minute and 100% babyproofing has proved impossible.
- Pulling up. Another recent development, pulling themselves up has resulted in A LOT of bumps and bruises. Just the other day, I had put their carseats up on a bench, supposedly out of reach, but B pulled one down on his head. Ack!
Language Development - Highs
- Babbling. It was so adorable when they started making little noises, like "gaaa" and "ooo." Hard to transcribe, but cute nonetheless! It was like they were becoming actual people at that point who were able to communicate with the world.
- Sound effects. A learned how to click his tongue, and that entertained him for a solid week. B just figured out if he tips his head back and goes "ahhh," he can make this guttural, Godfather-like sound. He thinks it is hilarious.
- Laughing. Is this language? Not sure. I love listening to them giggle!
- Saying "mamamamama." I don't think they've quite figured out that I am "Mama," but whenever they say "mamamama," I look at them and say, "Yes? Did you need something?" so they learn that it's my name. They'll get it soon :)
Language Development - Lows
- Screeching. Seriously, like screech owls. Both of them, simultaneously, for no reason other than they like the sound of screeching. They don't do this very often anymore, thank heavens.
- Morning songs. Ok, yes this one actually is cute and I'm sure once they are all grown up, I'll be like, "Aww, remember how they used to make noises in their cribs?" But the 4AM singing of "gooo-gaaaa-laaaa" wasn't very adorable when the parents were trying to sleep. Now they usually wait till 6 or 6:30 to sing. That's not as bad.
Eating Skills Development - all Highs!
I have no complaints in the eating department. It has just gotten better as they've grown!
- Self feeding. This one took awhile to master, but now that they can do it, wow, it makes meal time so much better. They really prefer shoveling food in their own mouths rather than having to eat off a spoon. Hey, works for me! I just load up their high chair trays and then I actually get a few minutes to feed myself. Win-win!
- Bottle time. Ok, yes I wish they'd cooperate with my attempts to teach them to hold their own bottles. That hasn't worked yet. But it only takes them about 5 minutes to drink a bottle now instead of the 30+ minutes of newborn-hood. And they burp themselves! I don't usually even have to pat their backs anymore.
By this time next year, I predict they will be totally different people, running and jumping around everywhere, talking, and chewing a variety of foods with actual teeth (they only have 2 teeth each still). That's going to be exciting!
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