9 Months Old

From the moment Jaden & Cody entered our lives, Jason and I have loved and enjoyed our precious little boys. Truth be told, though, having twins has also been exhausting, challenging, stressful and-- well-- just a lot of hard work! Every day, we are thankful for each other to lean upon, learn from, and laugh with (I'm not sure how single parents manage!). Most of all, we are grateful for God's grace that has sustained us through the many challenges of parenthood we have met so far. He helps our little sons grow, learn, and develop through (and many times in spite of!) our efforts.

We're certainly not yet ready to say that parenting twins has become easy. But for the first time this month, we can honestly say that having two at a time truly has become FUN! With the twins' ability to crawl now, the doors of exploration have opened wide. In addition, their independent movements are giving us a clearer glimpse into their personalities. We love our little guys and enjoy learning more and more about them each month! Happy 9 Months!

Jaden & Cody

Here are some of our monthly highlights:

THE WORLD OF SLEEP

• FINALLY settled into good naptimes (Switching around our feeding schedule helped immensely!)
• Take 2 daily naps, approx. 1 to 1 1/2 hours each
• More likely to wake up happy (cooing or ready to crawl towards Mommy & Daddy)
• Sleep 10-11 hours at night (with occasional stirrings, usually by Cody)

THE WORLD OF FOOD

• Hearty eaters of pureed foods! (esp. fruits & orange veggies)
• New foods: peaches, mango, apricots, prunes, peas, green beans, broccoli, barley, wheat, chicken
• Prunes and apricots didn't settle too well with either boy.
• Both boys could take or leave their green veggies (sorry, Papa!).
• Experimented with some finger food: bread, puffs, small pieces of fruit
• Neither boy can consistently find their way to their mouths with the finger food yet.
• Eat 3 meals a day & nurse 5 times (Some days it feels like we're ALWAYS eating!!)

BOTH BOYS

Gone are the days that we can get smiling, side-by-side twin photos. Our boys are most content when they are moving! So... our monthly pictures will show you them in action.

LOVE to crawl! Often will follow one another to
new play sites. Jaden leads here.

Now Cody's ready to lead the way.

Both boys love standing against the edge of the couch.
Getting down from here is a challenge yet to learn!

The boys also love standing by their jumper... though
 they don't like to share this space too well.

Sometimes we can share okay!

Both boys LOVE their musical table and can pull
themselves to a standing position next to it.

Reading continues to be a favorite pastime. Most of our
books are now lined with teeth marks.

The kitchen floor is an ideal hangout while
Mommy is preparing food. 

• Lots of head bonks this month, due to their increased independent movements!
• LOVE bath times together (frequently giggle through the whole time)
• Still showing some stranger anxiety
• Giggle when turned upside-down
• Transitioned into some 9 month clothes (mostly tops & sleepers)
• Popular kiddos during our church's Lenten suppers (passed around to many loving hands)
• Attended their first friend birthday party this month

JADEN

Thanks for the great Christmas outfit,
Uncle Jon & Aunt Chelsea!

We're not exactly sure how he got
into this position in his sleeper...

First to pull himself to a standing position

Can stand practically anywhere! Used the
knobs on this entertainment center to stand!

Jaden's favorite hangout

• Currently weighs 18 lbs. and measures 28 inches tall
• Loves pulling himself to a standing position-- can even do so against a wall or a door
• Stood up in his crib for the first time (and gave Mommy a goofy smile when she found him!)
• Shows a very cautious personality (hesitant to get near our landing step after bonking his head on it only once)
• Just barely starting to cut a top tooth
• GREAT nighttime sleeper (usually sleeps through the night)
• Has shut himself in the nursery several times, almost getting himself stuck because he sits right by the door

CODY

One of Cody's new favorite pastimes...

...emptying the bookshelf WHILE
doing the splits!

Has started to give "speeches" by
flinging his arms out while babbling

More Cody "speeches"

 

•  Currently 17 lbs. 13 oz & measures 28 inches tall
• Officially got his 3rd tooth: top L lateral incisor (see what kind of new vocab parents learn!)
• Enjoys kicking a ball across the room while "walking" with Daddy
• Figured out how to lift a heating vent out of the floor in the nursery
• More likely to wake up 1-2 times at night
• More content to lie still while having his diaper changed
• Enjoys playing (or rather, banging on) his musical organ; Once even correctly completed the last 2 notes of a song that Mommy was playing!