6 months in with twins

HOW has it already been 6 months???  Here's the twin update that you all haven't been asking for!

"Hey.  Did you see she's got the camera?"
"Duh, what do you think I'm smiling for???"

 

I had the sheets from their 5.5-month appointments (our pediatrician's office is weird, that's the actual scheduled appointment) that showed all their stats.  Then I very kindly left them right within John Paul's reach and he colored all over them and deposited them someplace more useful, probably the recycling bin (at least he recycles) (and at least the doctor's office keeps those records anyway). 

But I'm pretty sure they were both on the growth charts, Elizabeth around the 3rd percentile, Mary Claire around the 10th.  But their heads are both in about the 50th percentile, because we breed for head circumference.  Who needs hats that fit when instead you can have a head so big that you outgrow your shirt collar before the length or width?

"Love.  Just love you SO much!"
"Ummm get her away from me???"

Accomplishments:

As of this morning they have both pooped on the cream-colored rug in their bedroom.  You may think we're crazy for having a cream-colored rug, but it hides the spit-up and we can spray all the rug cleaning stuff all over it and not have to worry about discoloration!

Sometimes they sleep well.  Sometimes they don't.  They're still not on any sort of nap schedule (I think we'll get there in a month or two), so nighttime sleep is wonky.  Eventually they will sleep well most of the time.  Right now we're surviving somehow (caffeine and adrenaline).

Elizabeth likes to roll over WHILE swaddled, so we can't put her in the swing because it won't buckle around a burrito, so once she's up for the first time she's in bed with us for the rest of the night, either nursing or smushed into Andrew's armpit. 

Mary Claire usually sleeps for a longer first stretch, and then nurses and sleeps in the swing or stays in bed.  The lovely thing about them sleeping long stretches is that then they wake up and eat a LOT and puke a lot of it all over the bed or themselves because they weren't ready to cram their little bellies full of ALL THE MILK.  So sweet.  Not. 

But I'm glad that we don't have to be out of bed warming up bottles, and I fall back to sleep most of the time.  And Andrew's a saint and gets them from their cribs when they wake up the first time.  EVERY night, because I told him that I can't fall back to sleep if I get out of bed to get them (because I can't, not because I'm an excuse-making jerk) and if I'm going to be nursing them for hours and hours every night I need what little sleep I can get.

 

Their hair is growing!  Finally!  Still pitiful compared to other  babies, but we take what we can get over here in BaldLand.  From what I can tell, it's the exact shade of John Paul's and Cecilia's hair - a very slightly strawberry blonde that will turn light brown with red & blonde highlights.

 

We're getting closer to real mobility - Elizabeth rolls all over the place and scoots herself backwards on her back, Mary Claire rolls a little bit but prefers to stay on her back trying to grab her feet.

 

 

They love to play in their jumperoo, and Elizabeth is a much bigger fan of all toys at this point.  She's happier to be put down to play, but Mary Claire is happier at the end of the day when she gets naked time on their rug (because her feet are easiest to reach then).

 

Still cloth diapering, still breastfeeding, no solid foods yet (still need to get another high chair, plus we'll wait until they're 6 months adjusted, so 3 weeks from now, minimum).  I was seriously tempted to let Elizabeth suck on a hunk of chicken at Costco tonight, but she settled down so I didn't hand it over...  Just kidding (not really).

 

They still only really laugh at John Paul and Cecilia, and mostly just when they're jumping.  Andrew and I have NOTHING on the big kids!

 

It's exhausting, but I can't imagine just having one of them!