Ian and Suzette have experienced many changes this past month and it has been so fun to watch them grow, develop and learn. Introducing food went very well - carrots and peas and sweet potato, oh my! The very first thing they got a taste of was carrots and to this day the l-o-v-e them!
Mmm, mmm good!
Next up, peas! They were not a hit at first. Ian would even lean back in his high chair as if to say, no thank you. But I didn't give up and they'll eat peas and green beans just fine now.
My parents had the lucky honor of introducing sweet potato. Ian and Suzie both seem to enjoy it as well. I was surprised to see they don't seen to enjoy fruits as much as I thought they would. I've given them bananas (mashed up on their tray) and pears and although they eat them they certainly don't scarf them down like the carrots. The twins got their first taste of avocado on Easter and it went pretty well. Ian is a bit better at picking food up and bringing it to his mouth. Suzie like to be served. Cheerios are a hit with Ian while Suzie wonders what crazy thing I just put in her mouth. Maybe it's the no teeth issue that inhibits her from gumming her food well. Whatever the reason Ian does a lot better with that.
All of those photos were taken right after they turned 6 months old and I quickly realized the cloth bibs weren't going to cut it. So we've moved on to the
fantastic rubber ones that make clean up a breeze! With the introduction of food I have realized our days of relatively easy to clean clothes are at an end. I can see now that stains of all sorts in a variety of new colors will now become a permanent part of our lives. It's amazing how oxi clean can get just about get any poop stain out, but when it comes to avocado or carrot stains it seems to loose it's magical powers. Sad. Oh well, good thing we've had so many hand-me-down clothes given to us and 2 sets of grandparents that are all to eager to buy the twins cute outfits!
At 6 months 5 days Suzette rolled over from her back to her belly for the first time and it seems like she's been rolling ever since! It took Ian a bit longer, but we first realized he could do it one morning (April 16th) when Dave and I went in to feed them and found him on his belly. After his afternoon nap later that same day he was on his belly again. Then a few days later while he was laying on the floor playing I went into the nursery to change Suzie's diaper and when I came back he was on his belly. Dave and I thought it was so funny how he would not roll over when someone was looking. We called him our closet roller. Just a few days ago we FINALLY got to witness his rolling with our own eyes as he went from back to belly while Dave and I were talking and seemingly "not looking" at him. Going from tummy to back has not happened yet and I can't wait until it does because then we won't hear any more distressed cries from the nursery after their bedtime. If they get on their tummy and don't want to be there they can just roll over themselves....ahh, just imagine!
In other news Ian and Suzette are now sitting up on their own very well!!! I realized they got so used to sitting up with me or Dave behind them that they became too comfortable just leaning back whenever they got off balance or were tired. So I made a point to always have them sit up alone with just pillows surrounding them while I'd sit in front of them. And you know what? They got better so fast at balancing on their own when they realized falling meant landing on a pillow and not being propped back up right away. I love sitting in front of them and singing songs or reading books. I feel like my babies are quickly disappearing as I get glimpses of my past preschool teacher days when we do this because it almost feels like circle time. I know in reality we still have a ways to go before we're really at that point, but still it is so crazy how fast it all goes.
If you look closely at the above photo you can see Ian's teeth are getting really big! Suzie is still sans teeth, but I know they'll come.
It has been so fun to see Suzette and Ian become more aware of each other. Suzie has been aware of Ian for a while now, but Ian is now responding more. I love having them sit and look at each other while they play. It's funny to see what they do when one of them takes a toy from the other. Funny for now, I know that will get old really fast when they're older. They'll also hand each other things too and smile at, laugh and giggle together sometimes. It melts my heart! They are two social little babes.
Suzie has started to show some stranger anxiety while Ian could care less. Usually happens when we're out for walks and people stop to say hello, if they look at Suzie too long she'll turn both corners of her mouth down and start to cry. She looks so pitiful it's hard not to laugh. It has also happened when other try to help me out at church and hold her, but then she'll pout then cry. Hopefully this stage will not last long! On an upside her physical therapy for her torticollis is going extremely well! I didn't realize at first how having tightness on one side of her neck would affect so much of her body. She has great range of motion on both sides now and through the PT's technique of total motion release (TMR) Suzie has made a lot of progress with her arm, hip and leg movements as well. Her face has become more symmetrical, but she'll probably always have a bit of a-symmetry going on. I've been assured many times by the PT and our pediatrician that is will be hardly noticeable once she has longer hair. Whenever I look at her now I still wonder how she got to be so gorgeous. Her slender nose, perfect eyebrows, glowing skin and oh so kissable cheeks make her beautiful to me.
Ian is my cuddle bug. Recently he has started to cozy up to me more when I'm holding him. When he lays his head down on my shoulder I close my eyes and smell his sweet hair and breath him in. That is a moment I'd love to bottle and keep forever. He is such a sweet boy who is growing stronger and talking more each day. Still no ma-ma or da-da, but I'm sure that'll come out of his mouth soon. His sleek slender body is one I never get tired of holding. His bum still fits in the palm of my hand and I love that! Bath time has become great fun for him now, splashing around and enjoying the water. Ian has also become very good at holding his own bottle. He needs a little help getting up tilted all the way up so he can actually drink, but the concept and fine motor skills are totally there!
Ahhhh, seven months later I am more in love than I ever though possible. I so look forward to our future and cannot wait to see Ian and Suzette grow, learn and develop even more.
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| Ian has a bit of a goofy face in this one, but oh those neck rolls! And how darling is Suzette?! Love them :-) |
