I am amazed at how fast time is flying by. I sit and look back at these past five months and feel so thankful for these great months we've been able to spend with our precious sons and watch them grow into the young boys God made them to be! Oh how fast they are growing; physically, mentally, developmentally and I hope spiritually as well (for I know that the Word does not return empty; even at their young age, the Spirit is working in their lives). The boys are in almost constant motion these days. I have to break this concept up into pieces so you can try to visually see how active they really are! Below is a list of things I want to capture about this time in their lives (in no particular order):
- Gavin rolled over for the first time from his back to his tummy on 08/01/11; so we now have two rolly-pollies! They roll from their backs to their tummies and back to their backs all the time... although they roll more from their backs to tummy than anything. (For some reason, Wyatt will not roll from his tummy to his back while in his crib though.)
- They love tummy time and would spend a large portion of their days on their tummy if it wasn't for spitting up (I try to let their food digest a little before they play on their tummy, but this is a huge challenge!) and for eventual frustration that they can't crawl yet. As a side note, Wyatt has not been spitting up much lately (it lasted about 3 weeks).
- Although they have not mastered the idea of letting their arms and legs work together to move somewhere, they have realized that by moving their legs they can scoot forward and by moving their arms the can rotate their bodies. If there is a toy that they want, they will find a way to get it! Gavin loves to press up as high as he can go with his arms. Wyatt loves to pull his legs up under him and press upwards.
- Sitting... Oh how strong they are getting. As they've been doing for months now, they will go from the reclined position in our laps to the sitting up position. But these days they have a lot more balance while in that position. When I'm sitting on the floor with them, they sit wonderfully in the center of my legs, but when on their own 100%, they lean forward way too much. They haven't fully learned to use their arms as a tripod yet, although both boys have started to try this out this past week. They use the two seats we have for them excellent; the Bumbo is pretty secure, but the other chair gives them a lot more opportunities to sit more on their own than supported.
- Because of their ability to sit up is improving, they have decided that sitting in a reclined position just will not do (unless it's time for a nap and I'm reading them stories). Meal times can be a major challenge as they try to sit up continually instead of resting into the high chair. It's mighty difficult to feed an open mouth pointing down as they do non-stop crunches! Bath time was also the same way. A while back we switched to an infant tub (A Whale of a Tub) because they were getting just too big for the Puj Tub. This worked great for a while until recently; they will not recline in the tub and thus spend almost the entire bath trying to do crunches and sit up. I tried putting them at the other end so they can actually sit up the whole time, but they aren't quite there yet either. So last night I ordered the Hug Tub which is like a Bath Boppy to use in our tubs. So no more baths in the kitchen... But exciting news is they get to take baths together now and oh what fun that will be when they start to interact!!! Plus... they get to really spash now which they are learning to love to do! In the meantime I am bathing them in a seat in the tub which is working great. They really seem to enjoy the big boy bath time!
- Wyatt has learned that he can 'flail' his arms widely now instead of just moving his hands. He gets so excited he'll pump his arms up and down and sadly ends up hitting his face a lot. Because of this he has learned that he can throw toys now as well. He finds it great fun to throw a toy.
- Both boys have learned that they can drop toys these days which proves great fun while their in the high-chair ;)
- While in your arms or lap, Gavin loves to wiggle and scrunch himself down over and over again. The best word for Wyatt's movements is wiggle, wiggle, wiggle! Wyatt tries to get out of your lap or the bouncy seat. Since he can't crawl or sit up yet though, he ends up scooting himself on his tummy and then onto the floor.
- They still love the jump-a-roos. Wyatt has started a new 'marching' motion that looks like he is trying to walk with side to side steps. Gavin has started to bounce forward, backward and side to side. He'll jump, jump, jump and then stop himself by standing straight up stiff as a board!
- They love the activity centers as well. We have a sationary saucer in which they can rotate the seat and play with all the toys around them. We have a walker with a muscial keyboard they love to play with and we just bought a new one where the center is stationary and they seat roates around it. The boys love this new toy and are discovering how to move around from one toy to the next. They often love to just spin around and look down at the floor as they move. They are discovering the world of 'walking'.
- Wyatt has now learned that it's fun to try to stand up when in my lap and will pull himself up using the play center in front of him. He can stand holding on to it for a few seconds at a time.
- Both boys have excellent strength standing whether on our legs or in the activity centers. Rarely do they 'sit' in the seats in a relax manner. They stand and use the seat as balance rather. You can see them exploring their sense of balance each time they are in it.
- Wyatt has taken a fancy to cups these days. He loves watching me drink from a cup and reaches out his hands. I can not try to take a drink when holding either boy because both of them try to grab it from me. So I gave Wyatt a cup with water in it the other day to see what he'd do and he put it to his mouth. I lifted it slowly to give him some of the water and he thought it was great fun; half the water in his mouth, the other half on me! Wyatt also likes playing with the sippy cups and puts them to his mouth and sucks, but I haven't yet tried to put anything in them yet. I don't think he has the lean back and suck motions down yet, so I'll wait a little longer. Perhaps I'll give them some water in sippy cups this month and see if they take an interest in learning this new concept.
- Wyatt loves to hold his bottle when he eats. If I let go, he'll hold it for a while. He is so very kind and often helps me put the bottle in his mouth if it's not nearing him fast enough!
- Gavin just loved cereal so much, brown rice is his favorite followed by oatmeal and white rice. It has to be thick though. Wyatt still wasn't interested in spoon feeding though... until...
- We fed them carrots for the first time on 08/06/11. I cooked them and put them in the food processor and the boys thought that was the greatest thing! Gavin couldn't get enough and... Wyatt loved them! He now likes to eat from a spoon; carrots and cereal alike. Since then the boys have tried butternut squash and loved it. I plan to let them try avacados, peas, bananas, green beans, sweet potatoes (order might change...) in the weeks to come. I am so excited and happy to make our own baby food!
- Gavin and Wyatt are sleeping through the night consistantly. They've decided that between 5 and 5:15 is their new wake up time though... I've heard that this is common for this age and praying it's not something that will last throughout their childhood! If the sun is still sleeping we should be too! We can get up when the sun is up... So Gavin and Wyatt stay in their bed until 6am and then we eat breakfast at 6:30. Bath is still at 6:30 and then we eat and get ready for bed. They are asleep by 7:15-8pm each night. They are still taking 3 naps a day from 30 minutes to 2 hours with no set patterns each week. Gavin still enjoys sleep a little more than Wyatt, but they are pretty similar in this area; probably because they are twins and in the same room.
- This past week Gavin and Wyatt have discovered that there are 'things behind them' at all times. They are constantly look over their sholders and 'upside down-like' trying to see the world behind them too.
- Gavin and Wyatt love singing times. Their faces light up when we begin to sing. Their favorite song has been: sung to the notes of London Bridges: 'Jesus loves to hear me sing, see me smile, laugh and play. Hear me praise Him every day. I love Jesus.' Just now as I sang it to them they began to smile and move like always! They love music throughout the day. I have some old VHS tapes for children that are full of fun silly songs and the boys seem to really be captivated by these. They don't get to watch them much, but it's a little treat every now and then for them. Soon they'll be able to watch Veggie Tales and other fun wholesome and educational shows from time to time.
- As I mentioned in my previous post, we are starting to try to sign with the boys. It's becoming a habbit for me here at home (not in public yet though) and I pray it helps the boys as they grow.
- Gavin and Wyatt cut their first teeth this week, 08/08/11; two bottom teeth each. They are trying to be troopers, but you can really tell it's bothering both of them. I find it interesting that they are cutting them on the same day! (The pediatrician said the 'tooth' Gavin cut last month was actually a cyst that has gone away. So this is his real first tooth, no mistaking it this time.) They each have two other teeth getting ready to come out, but they have not broken the skin yet.
- Tickle time and lots of kisses on the neck will get the boys into laughing fits! They are very tickelish on their lower backs and sides and Gavin's neck is also tickelish. Games of peek-a-boo, silly songs and random sneezing will also creat lots of belly laughs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brLE9k0O6t4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx4n7TWF-xY
- The boys are wearing size 9 and 12 months right now. This means they can now wear big boy pjs which is just way too cute on them! They are growing by leaps and bounds. Just about 17 lbs right now.
- The boys roll and scoot all over their bed these days. Wyatt is EVERYWHERE in it. I had to put the bumpers back on the bed this past week because he was kicking his legs out between the bars and then trying to roll over... not good at all. So now they are safe and free to roll around as much as they want... (just please make peace with your beds and sleep past 5AM!).
- The boys love it when we make all sorts of sounds. In addition to laughing at the sounds we make, they are making a bunch of their own these days. They seem to try new sounds every few days.
- Wyatt gives his huge smile to everyone these days all the time. He has new friends the first second he meets people and entertains them from then on out. Gavin studies people the first few moments and then makes friends and flirts. Both boys love to talk and share their laughter. They are such joyful boys it warms my heart.
Even though they are very active these days, Gavin and Wyatt are still wonderful snugglers as I've mentioned in other posts. I love my time as I hold each one of them in my arms, stroke their hair, hold their little hands, and kiss their cheeks. I love it when they nestle into my body and I sing to them softly and whisper how much I love them and how special God made them. I love how Gavin still melts into me and Wyatt snuggles so tight. I love my little wiggly snuggle worms!
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