2005 January 07 « Leah, Emma and Claire (and Jen and John)

It feels like just yesterday I was writing the 6 month update…

The girls are doing very well. They are quickly developing into two very different little girls.
Emma has two modes…asleep and on the go. She continues to be a great sleeper. When she is awake she is a busy girl. She loves to twist and turn her body and grab whatever she can reach. She is rolling and when awake she rarely stays where you left her. She is full of smiles and giggles and when she gets really excited she flails her arms and legs and it looks like she’s Irish dancing (I know this because my mom made me take lessons when I was little!). She loves to play peekaboo and will pull the blanket over her face and then laugh when you ask where Emma went. She is ‘talking’ more and more and right before she falls asleep she makes these cute little noises. Emma did very well with all the people over Christmas but she still occasionally screams her head off with people. She is eating very well although she has a nasty habit of laughing and blowing raspberries during meals so it can get messy. Emma got her two bottom teeth this month and they are still working their way up.

Leah is a very social baby. She loves to see what’s going on. She is a great night time sleeper but naps can still be a challenge. She loves people and is much more interested in her sister than her sister is in her. She is also started to become attached to her toys. We have a bright blue Pampers Koala that came with some diapers and he is her favourite. She is usually the first to get up in the morning and she just lays in the crib and babbles. She is rolling and seems to prefer being on her belly. Leah is sometimes content to quietly lay and look around. When she is happy she laughs and babbles. She developed this awful high pitched whiny scream this month but we haven’t heard it in a few days now so fingers crossed it was a phase. She is a very efficient eater. Her hair is starting to grow back and we think it might be curly…we’ll have to wait and see. She has her two bottom teeth that you can’t miss.

For most of the month they were going to bed at 10 but it slowly seems to be creeping to 9pm as they get more active. Their daily routine goes something like this (we play it by ear). Naps aren’t scheduled but they usually nap after they eat and every once in awhile they do it at the same time!

8:30am - they wake up and ‘talk’ in their crib
9:30am - breakfast cereal mixed with fruit and 4 oz bottle
1:30pm - lunch veggie mixed with cereal and 4 oz bottle
5:30pm - dinner different veggie mixed with cereal and 4 oz bottle
9 or 10pm - 6 oz bottle then bed.

They are still on the beginner food and so far have had carrots, sweet potatoes, peas, squash, wax beans (under protest from John), bananas and apples. They are both pretty excited about food…especially their bottles. We feed them their solids first then they get the bottle. They get so excited when they see the bottle - they both quiver and giggle, grab the nipple and attack it with their mouth. Once they start to drink they get this glazed look of absolute happiness. Makes us laugh everytime.

Both girls are teething. Their gums are bothering them a bit and they have been a bit fussy at times but nothing like what we were expecting. You can see their gums are red and sore and we just give them some Baby Ambesol and they are fine.

John and I are doing fine. He had a lot of time off this past month which was nice for everyone. I am still pumping but have decided this will be my last month so I am gradually decreasing the frequency. I have mixed emotions about stopping but I’m getting pretty fed up. I am looking forward to being able to exercise again but not to having to watch what I eat!

We signed the girls up for the library reading group. We’re going to go on Tuesday nights so John can come. Our first class is Tuesday - I hope it’s fun.

We put the condo on the market today. I really hope we can sell it without too much stress.

7 months