Ellen and Harris - 9 Months

How in the world are these two 9 months old???  I knew it would go fast but we seem to be moving at lightening speed these days!  I feel like each month has been defined by certain milestones and our milestone for 9 months is most definitely....drum roll please................................................................... SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!!!!!  Wow did that take a long time.  Nick and I were starting to wonder if it would ever happen, but thankfully it did!  Harris got over his sleep strike and is sleeping like a champ!  If it wasn't for Harris...Ellen would probably have started sleeping through the night months ago.  Sorry Ellen!

But with lots of sleep comes lots of activity during the day!  They are busy, busy, busy exploring and doing their best to keep up with their big brother.

Our schedule these days looks something like this:

6:00 Wake Up
6:30 Bottle (7 oz)
7:30 Breakfast
8:45-9:30 Nap
9:30 Bottle (7 oz)
11:30 Lunch
1:00-3:00 Nap
3:00 Bottle (7 oz)
5:30 Dinner
6:00 Bottle (7 oz)
6:30 Bath
6:45 Bed

Their current stats are:

Ellen -    14 pounds 12 ounces

               26 1/2 inches

Harris -   17 pounds 4 ounces

               27 3/4 inches

We spent part of Graham's Spring Break in Auburn visiting with Gramma Jane and Popa.  This is where mom had to stay most of the time to keep this crew from falling down the stairs.  Pretty soon after we left she decided that she didn't want that job anymore and got a baby gate!

We love that the weather is starting to warm up and we get to be outside more.  Most afternoons we go outside for a stroll, swing or to watch Graham play.  We are really looking forward to backyard pool time this summer!

HARRIS

Once again sleep is certainly our biggest milestone, but Harris is also extremely mobile.  He has mastered crawling and pulls up on anything and everything including his sister (she hates that).  He loves, loves, loves to eat.  He starts shaking and bouncing when he sees a bottle and has been known to down his bottle and finish off whatever Ellen may have left behind....or just take her bottle even when she isn't finished.  

Even though he is sleeping through the night he is still usually the first one up in the morning (5:45ish).  I do my best to get in there quickly and grab him before he wakes up Ellen.  So he hangs out in my room the hunger pains are so bad that he just can't take it anymore. 

Harris loves - eating, shoelaces, watching Graham, having his back scratched, the song "This is the Day," swinging and being held.  He is s stinker, but he adds so much personality and fun to our family!  Love you Harris Boy!

ELLEN

Where Harris had a big month last month this month Ellen had a big month.  She started crawling, pulling up AND got her first two teeth!  She has been quite busy.  It's hard work trying to keep up with Harris, but she one upped him with getting teeth first.

She still loves to dance and gets the biggest smile on her face whenever she hears music.  

She isn't as passionate about her bottle as Harris is but she LOVES food!  She might be tiny, but the girl can pack down the food.  

She still loves her paci and now she likes to have one in her mouth AND one in both hands.  If she spies one in Harris' mouth you better believe she will go and snatch it!  

Ellie you are so sweet and spunky all rolled into one and we love the pizzazz you bring to this crew!

Here are their monthly pictures (minus 4 months).  They don't even look like the same babies I brought home from the hospital.

1 Month

2 Months

3 Months

Oops!  Didn't get a 4 Month Picture

5 Months

6 Months

7 Months

8 Months

9 Months

This month the outtakes are worth sharing.  It is getting more and more difficult to get these monthly pictures.

Ellen and Harris - 8 Months

These two are getting to be so much fun!  This month is full of new, exciting and exhausting (at least for me) adventures! They are finally starting to pay more attention to each other and interact a little bit.  Occasionally they will hold hands and make each other laugh, but most of the time it is stealing each others toys or pulling hair bows.

They can both can hold their own bottle now which is HUGE!  We still do most of our bottles in the table for two, but now that they can hold their own bottles it does make it easier to eat on the go or different places in the house.

Both are sitting up for long periods of time.  Which has certainly been a game changer.  They both show much more interest in their toys, the TV, Graham and each other now they they can sit up.  Sitting up also means they can now ride in the grocery cart!!!!!  YAY!!!!  I finally have room to actually buy more than one or two things!  Before I would take the double stroller and hang a basket on my stroller hook.  It was the most effective, but I was limited to what I could fit in the basket which let me tell you isn't much.  So I am thrilled that they can sit in the cart now and I'm sure we will be in the Publix race car buggy before too long!

They are both mobile (Ellen- rolling and scooting/Harris - crawling) which has presented a whole new set of challenges.  To help contain them in the living room I decided that a play yard was our best option.  Not necessarily the "look" I was going for in the living room, but it is temporary and at least allows me to walk out of the room for a second and know that they are safe.

Our schedule seems slightly different every day but for the most part this is what it looks like:

6:00-6:30 Wake Up
6:30 Bottle (7 oz)
7:30 Breakfast
8:45-10:00 Nap
10:00 Bottle (7oz)
11:30 Lunch
1:00-3:30 Nap
3:30 Bottle (7oz)
5:00 Dinner
6:00 Bottle (7oz)
6:45 Bath
7:00 Bed

The biggest change is that they are eating three meals a day.  Between 4 bottles and 3 baby food meals...I feel like all I do is feed babies!  They also are eating puffs...which is their favorite part of meal time.


ELLEN

Ellen is definitely the easy baby at the moment.  She will sit and entertain herself for long periods of time.  She falls asleep on her own and sleeps all night!  Her favorite time of day is bath time.  The second we take her clothes off she gets excited and smiles and laughs throughout her whole bath. She is starting to show an attachment to me and not a huge fan of strangers especially if she thinks she is going to be left with them.  But once she warms up she is content with whoever will give her attention. Her favorite toys right are her toy car keys, Sophie the giraffe, my iphone, the remote control and anything that has a string or a tag.  She is also a paci hoarder.  She LOVES her paci and most always has one in her mouth and holding another one in her hand.  She will even take Harris' out of his mouth if it is within reach.  She is sitting up and getting on all fours just hasn't decided to take off yet (which is perfectly fine with me)!  She is definitely starting to plump up and getting the cutest little cheeks and even a few legs rolls.  She adds much needed softness and sweetness to our family!

HARRIS

This boy is giving us a run for our money right now.  He started crawling, pulling up and has decided that sleep is not important to him a the moment.  For the last several weeks has started waking up 3-6 times a night.  We are hoping that this is somehow tied to all of his new mobility and that he calms down and starts sleeping again VERY soon.  Mommy and Daddy need sleep!  He loves to eat and mealtime is definitely his favorite part of the day.  He wants his bottles the second he wakes up and the spoon can not go fast enough when it's time for baby food.  He loves to play peek-a-boo and chase after shoe strings.  He LOVES strangers and will smile and flirt with anyone and everyone.  He started making the motorboat noise and it keeps us laughing!

Even though I am exhausted all of the time...I try to remind myself just how precious these days are and how quickly they pass.  Still find it hard to believe they are 8 months old.  We have certainly come a long way!

1 Month

2 Months

3 Months

Oops!  Didn't get a 4 Month Picture

5 Months

6 Months

7 Months

8 Months