Both babies have been sitting up unassisted. We still set their Boppys at their hips on occasion just in case they get tired, forgetful, or unexpectely wobbly.
Due to the above, there have been a few instances when Mike or I have had to kiss a bumped head, repeat "you're ok" a couple of times, and find distractions for a startled baby (they're always on carpet and a soft blanket, so any pain has hopefully been minor). One of their daycare teachers pointed out a tiny bump on Michael's head one day that was due to a tumble, and I asked if she thought we should be concerned. She smiled, shook her head, and said the more mobile babies bump their heads pretty regularly, and he seemed just fine. I certainly don't love seeing my babies experience any pain, but they can't have Boppys around themselves forever, right?
Both babies also loooooove standing up. My mom was trying to help them learn to lay back without banging their heads and showed me this little game they played. She laid Sophie on her back, gave her her thumbs to grab, and lifted her into a sitting then a standing position. She then slowly guided her back on her butt and then back to laying down. We've done this a lot with both babies, and at this point they both push right past that sitting part and love looking at the world completely upright. Their faces show such pride when we do this!
Our house is filled with giggles lately as well. Combine the standing up game and a rendition of "Who let the dogs out? Woof, woof, woof, woof-woof!" while bouncing his arms to the beat and you'll hear Michael's. See the last post for Sophie's.
Michael and Sophie have progressed from sharing one jar of baby food in the morning to getting three meals of solids a day. At this point in a day we go through about nine small baby food jars. To help with the cost and just because he's that kind of dad, Mike has been making some food for them as well (avacado, sweet potatoes, carrots, bananas, and so on). This book
has been really helpful for this phase.The babies still nurse four times a day at around 6:00 a..m., 11 a.m. (I pump on work days), 3:30 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. Do you notice what is now missing? They no longer eat during the night. They still wake up needing pacifiers, back rubbing, and general soothing back to sleep here and there, but that 2:00 a.m. feeding appears to be history. As crazy as it probably sounds, especially since working our way out of that feeding has been a big goal of mine, it makes me a little sad that my babies have grown to this point. Sad, but a little less sleepy.
On a similar note, Mike and I now trade off on baby duty on a nightly basis. We used to divide the night in half, but lately it's made more sense to take it night by night. Now that there's no feeding involved, we both stand a good chance of getting a full night's sleep with this arrangement. It hasn't happened for me yet, as I still wake most of the time whenever they do, but that night is near, I'm sure! (I should do a post on all the lies we've told ourselves along the way...)
Michael and Sophie play in a more traditional sense these days. They push buttons and swiches on musical, light-flashing toys. They love their stacking rings, and suck on them, bang them together, and are getting some experience with sharing. Peek-a-boo style games crack them up, especially when the game is with him- or herself in a mirror.
The most heartwarming development over the last month or so is that Sophie and Michael have really noticed each other. It took a long time, but these days they are big fans of one another. When they catch glimpses of each other after being apart to sleep, they usually smile and squeal in ways that seem reserved only for themselves. When laying together in a crib or sitting face to face to play, they reach for each other, swat their arms with excitement, babble back and forth, and show us that these former wombmates really share a special bond.
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