9 Months Old

*disclaimer, i know how to use a space bar, indentation and the return button....blogger has just decided to ignore them, as usual. sorry. Wow, how things have changed in the past month! I was just looking back at my 8 month update, as i do with each new month to guide myself on what to say, and the first thing i said
was how co-bathing would have to stop until they could sit in the tub unassisted...well ta-da! They do. Every night. AND play with each other and their toys and splash around. I'm pretty sure i was expecting that to take a little but longer but here we are.

So here's the update:

FOOD: They officially love to eat and nothing of my own is safe from those little vultures. New foods include: Dill Pickles...which they really love. Tomatoes--which Holden does not seem to enjoy. Pureed Turkey and Chicken...which both take some major hiding in their favorite vegetables in order for the babies to eat. They do not mind grilled chicken that i give to them in small pieces. They've started eating oatmeal every morning and they really seem to like it. They have also tried and liked mangoes, blueberries and prunes. Also this month i have started putting some spices in with their purees. Nutmeg in their apples went over VERY well, curry in their carrots did NOT go as well as i had hoped, although it is getting better.

The babies are still nursing, although i have started the weaning process. We are down to 3-4 times a day and i am planning to introduce some beginning dairy products this month. They eat a BIG breakfast every day...a whole banana each and oatmeal. For supper they eat a mixture of vegetables, fruits and meat and then usually something snack-like that they can practice picking up with their hands and feeding themselves.

SLEEP: Still great sleepers. Nothing new. They sleep about 10-12 hours and then take 2 naps about 1.5-2 hours each.

TEETHING: Holden just made the cut for the 9 month update and broke through his 3rd tooth. Its his top left lateral. Nora on the other hand has been cutting teeth like its her job. She broke all 4 top teeth this past month and we've had the drool and snot and tears and diaper rash to prove it. Her center top one is coming in the slowest so she looks like a little snaggle-tooth...i love it!

MOVING: They have both really gotten so much more active this month. Although neither are quite "on the move", they both are consistently moving. Nora is pretty good about getting to what she wants by scooting and rolling. Holden for the most part stays in place...pretty content just being around his toys. They are both pretty masterful at sitting up...so much so that i have them in the big kid tub now. Both can stand holding onto something unassisted. Holden can only do it for short periods of time but Nora has really gotten the hang of it. Nora is also starting to be able to keep her balance standing without holding on as well. It's really going to be interesting to see if she cruises/walks before she crawls. Both are making strides with crawling, but not quite there. Nora has more motivation, i really feel like it will be any day now--although every once in a while Holden will just pop up on all fours just to show us he knows how to do it and then he'll just lay his head down and decide he's done for the day.

COMMUNICATION: We've got no words yet, and oh how i want them. I'm trying to be patient. They do babble a lot, especially to each other. I have read that i can expect some delays in speech because they will develop their own language with each other. I was a little doubtful, but its happening. It's more a mixture of sounds--coughs, gurgles, laughs, and growls mixed in with the babbles--but they do it to each other for long periods of time. Nora started this, but they both do it--slap their hand up and down when they want something or more of something. It may be more food, or a toy or to have us sing a song we just sang again. We put words to their gestures each time, but its cute and effective for now.

~Nora Grayce Burns~

oh my princess....she is constantly cracking me up. she has a face for EVERYTHING...where does she get that from?

We had our 9 month well baby checks yesterday. She weighs 14.3lbs and is about 27 inches long. That's 5% in weight and 62% in height--for her corrected age (6 weeks premature). Obviously she is well under the curve for a 9 month old, so they didn't even calculate her uncorrected percentages. Still a little sprite, not that you would know it from the way she eats!

Nora is just as passionate as ever. She's totally led by her emotions, laughing and crying in the same breath. She's curious about everything. She wants to touch and hold and see all that is going on. She's happy. She's silly. She has a temper. She frustrates me one second and melts my heart in the next. She's my baby girl--she's what i've always wanted.

Her Likes Include:

Eating

Holden

Jumping in the jumparoo

Playing with toys

Singing

Bathtime

Swimming Pools

Being Tickled

Laugh

Being Startled

Animals

Stand Up

Dance

SHE LOVES HER PACI

twist and twirl

feed herself

Baby Einstein

Her Dislikes:

swinging

being thrown in the air

the sense of falling

the ocean waves

being stationary

people eating around her

being left

~Holden Reece Burns~ he's my sweetheart. just look at that smile!

Holden weighs 17.8 pounds and 27.75 inches long. That puts him at 28% in weight and 65% in height. These percentages are also for his corrected age not real age.

Holden is pretty reliably good all the time. I love that about him. He's definitely still tender-hearted. He's also a thinker...just trying to figure things out. He's a bit needy when he doesn't feel well. He wants to be with someone all the time. His face shines when he thinks he's done something big and to my hearts content, he still allows for some cuddle time. Holden is the my little boy whose temperament reminds me so much of his father and for that i am very very lucky.

His Likes Include:

Eating

Sister

Jumping in the jumparoo

Being thrown in the air

Bouncing

Dancing

Standing

Blowing air in his face

Being startled

sweet foods

toys that make noise

walks outside

kisses

Baby Einstein

His Dislikes:

Greenbeans

Turkey

Tomatoes

Being Alone

Teething

Feeding himself

Waiting to eat

here's a succession of pictures that i just couldn't leave out. their interactions with each other are just priceless.

brother, let me get that out of your eye ( daddy is this familiar?)

she's got a mean right hook!

i gotta secret for you, but don't let brother hear! bro, i'm outta here!

lemme help ya sis

you wanna come too?

i got nothing for a caption...but i do love the randomness here

i can't get enough of these two!