9 month dr visit

Yesterday was our 9 month doctor visit. The doctor and nurse seemed very satisfied with the boys' progress so far. It was pretty amusing - as the nurse was checking off the milestone list, the boys were doing each of the things, like clapping, waving, pinching objects, and making consonant sounds. As we described their abilities, she noted the exact same thing we have - while Riley excels with gross motor skills, Logan excels with fine motor skills. Everything looked good, so the appointment was pretty uneventful, but 2 hours long. The boys got a vaccine but were so well behaved - Riley cried for like 10 seconds and Logan 15 seconds - not much longer than it took to get the vaccine in, put the band-aid on, and pick them up.

The best part of the  appointment was that we were given the go ahead to try more and more table foods - eggs, pancakes, waffles, meatballs, sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes (with butter), tilapia, etc. Riley was also given the green like to stop taking Zantac.


Here are the 9 month stats:

Logan:
Weight: 17lbs 1.4 oz (15th percentile)
Height: 27 1/2 in (25th percentile)
Head: 17 1/4 (5th percentile)

Riley:
Weight: 15lbs 15 oz (5th percentile)
Height: 26 3/4 in (2nd percentile)
Head circumference: 17 3/4 (25th percentile)

Our boys are moving up in the world!

We love to laugh!

9 months!

On Friday the boys turned 9 months old. We can't believe how big they've gotten! They seem more and more like little boys instead of babies...

9 months 

Size

According to our home scale, Riley is about 15lbs 12 oz. He is still in 3-6 month sleep’n’plays, and 3-6 month clothes (he’s finally out of 0-3 month jeans!) Logan has made the big move to 6-9 onesies and outfits, but 3-6 month jeans. The 6-9 month sleep’n’plays still fit him pretty well at this point. According to our home scale, he is about 17 lbs 2 oz.

Their shoe sizes haven’t changed – Riley wears a 2 and Logan wears a 3. Logan is still the culprit taking off his shoes, but the funny part is that lately he takes his right shoe and sock off and leaves the other on.

Eat-Sleep-Play

Riley and Logan are still getting sensitive formula, and they still don’t drink much. They only take 2-5 oz at a time and usually take 4 bottles a day. We stopped worrying about it since they seem to gain weight and we can’t make them eat. Riley is still on Zantac, the same dosage he’s always been on. He takes it really well, so we don’t mind. They still get solid food three times a day; still a yogurt in the morning, rice or oatmeal mixed with fruit in the afternoon, and a “dinner”, a veggie, and a fruit or dessert in the evening. That’s 2 full stage 2 containers now. Plus they get finger food appetizers. They love the gerber graduate little crunchies in veggie dip and mild cheddar. Logan also likes yogurt chips and will eat banana hunks.They still are not fans of the wagon wheels or puffs. They are still using “training sippy cups.” Logan uses it independently, and Riley is at least trying to drink it by himself.

Sleeping continues to be a mess. Their last feed is still usually around 8- 8:30, but they wake up several times during the night and can be difficult to get back to sleep. Riley’s third tooth is finally coming in, and Logan has two teeth. We blame that for a lot of the waking up, although I have no idea if that’s really why. Steve has started the boys taking a nap in their crib each afternoon. They are put in their room for an hour, and have to stay in there whether they are sleeping the whole time or not. Steve thinks that has been helping, and now they are starting to go down faster.

Riley is now the fastest crawler in the west. You blink your eyes and he’s in the other room. Apparently last month he was only pushing himself up on things. Now he is pulling himself up on the couch to standing position. Logan has been army crawling and is still rolling. He butt scoots once in a while, which his PT is dead set on against. She said crawling is better for visual development.

Both boys still LOVE toys. They are starting to form attachments to stuffed animals. Riley’s favorite is his lion from Sarah. (It says Riley on it and is so cute!) Logan’s favorite is the blind elephant, also from Sarah. She bought it when she first found out I was having twins, but Penguin pulled the eyes off. We washed it, but never got around to sewing new eyes on. They also really like to hold balls and small things they can bang together. They also like toys that make a lot of noise, which mommy and daddy love.

Logan continues to get physical therapy sessions on Tuesday mornings. His PT doesn’t normally dismiss kids before they crawl. His head still has a flat spot the size of a half dollar, but it’s not nearly  as noticeable, and I do think his head rounded out in general.

Personality

Riley and Logan show their personalities more every day. Riley is very giggly and curious and wants to get into everything. He just recently has started to get a little more wary about strangers. When in a new situation, he wants to stay with mommy or daddy for 15 minutes or so until he’s comfortable. Logan will let us pass him around immediately. He is much more easy going in general and still likes to hug, snuggle, and kiss. He still smiles more than Riley, but does not laugh as often (except for at Riley!). They are still wonderfully behaved when we are out and about or visiting family or friends. We are constantly stopped by people telling us how ridiculously cute and well behaved they are. Today (Friday) we were out Christmas shopping, and we probably had about 15 people stop to look at them.

Likes:

Riley: Logan, eating solids, toys, crawling, playing with mommy and daddy, the jumparoo, bread, crunchies, computers/phones, Penguin/dogs in general, stuffed lion, banging toys together, stealing Logan’s pacifier, and the remote control.

Logan: Riley, Penguin, his pacifier (he is addicted. We are in trouble), stealing Riley’s pacifier, being held/cuddling, toys, baths, playing with mommy and daddy, bread, crunchies, banging things, the jumparoo, stuffed animals, computers/phones, and the remote control.

Dislikes:

Riley: Waiting for food, not having his pacifier when he’s tired, sleeping on his back, and being left alone (when can’t see mommy or daddy, like if we go change Logan’s diaper).

Logan: Waiting for his bottle, not having his pacifier, teething, pooping, and being left alone.

New this month: Logan army crawling, Logan’s teeth, Riley pulling up to standing, Riley waving,  Logan clapping, Riley’s top tooth, Logan holding his own bottle and sippy cup, Logan snuggling with stuffed animals.

Hooray!!!

I eat you!

Whatcha doin', dad?

Turkey Day!

Well Thanksgiving was a month ago, but we never posted any pictures! On Thursday we went to the Hood house (Carrie's cousins) for some deliciously good food made by Uncle John. The boys had a blast playing with everyone, but they especially enjoyed playing with cousin Sean, who got on the floor and played with them! We attempted to give the boys turkey and mashed potatoes, but both boys threw up when we tried to give them turkey. (Logan on the turkey chopped up by the food processor, and Riley on the piece of turkey we figured they'd suck on). When they gagged on the mashed potatoes, we said that was enough! (They said what, no butter?)

Riley and Ryan

Alicia and Logan

Tina and Riley

Mommy and Riley

Mikey and Logan

Seanie on the floor with the boys

Playin!

How adorable are we?

Before we left, we took a Sasso family picture and a Sweeney family picture!

 Saturday we went to the Steve's parent's house for Thanksgiving round 2. Logan's favorite part was sharing mommy's crescent roll. Both boys LOVE bread. As always, the boys loved spending time with Aunt Ninna, Cousin Alex, Grandma, and Grandpa!

Logan and Aunt Lynda

The boys, Grandma, and Cousin Alex

Riley and Grandpa

8 months!

We can't believe that its been 8 months already! The boys have gotten so big (although really they are just peanuts). Here is out 8 month update!

Whatcha doin' Dad?

Everyone is thankful for us!

Riley, where are you going?

Penguin was very jealous that the boys were getting all the attention. She made it a point to remind us that her "month birthday" was the next day.

But then she decided that she was afraid of her sign, which made picture taking difficult! Check out that drool!

8 months

Size

According to our home scale, Riley is about 15lbs. He is still in 3-6 month sleep’n’plays, and wears mostly 3-6 month clothes (but 0-3 month jeans). Logan is still in 3-6 onesies and outfits, but some of the shirts are starting to get a little short on him, and some brands of onesies are getting a little snug. The 6-9 month sleep’n’plays still fit him pretty well at this point. According to our home scale, he is about 16 lbs.

To aid us in keeping their socks on, the boys now wear shoes when they go out! Surprisingly enough, Logan is the one who is the biggest culprit for taking off his shoes. Riley of course still enjoys taking off his own socks and eating them.

Eat-Sleep-Play

Riley and Logan are still getting sensitive formula, but they really don’t drink much. They only take 3-5 oz at a time and usually take 4 bottles a day. We still worry sometimes, but the doctor has assured us that it’s fine, and they each gained a pound since last month, so I guess we are okay. Riley is still on Zantac, but I don’t think he really needs it anymore. It’s really funny that he used to spit it out, because at this point he gets excited for it like it’s candy. They have been getting solid food three times a day. In the morning they get a yogurt, in the afternoon rice or oatmeal mixed with fruit, and in the evening they get a “dinner”, a veggie, and a fruit or dessert. That means they eat a stage 2 size container and a half for dinner.  Honestly, if we gave them more, they’d eat more, but on the few occasions when we did, they spit up a half hour later. We have started giving them the gerber graduates crunchies on a daily basis. We’ve also tried the waffle wheels and puffs, but they seem to handle the crunchies the best. They are big enough to hold, but small enough that if they get the whole thing in their mouth they don’t choke. They seem to really enjoy “veggie dip” flavor. We are also using “training sippy cups” thanks to Mema. We were trying to teach them to drink from sippy cups, but it usually just meant they ended up soaking wet. My mom found these cups that still have bottle like nipples, but in a sippy cup shape, which have handles as well. They are much more successful with those, although Riley refuses to even attempt holding the handles. Mema also found teething biscuits (which we couldn't find anywhere) which they ate and made a huge mess of on their 8 month bday.

Sleeping has still been a mess. Their last feed is still usually around 8- 8:30, but they wake up several times during the night and can be difficult to get back to sleep. Logan can still calm himself after crying a few minutes, but that just doesn’t happen for Riley – he will cry and cry until we go in there. Before he would only calm for daddy, but now he’s decided he can give mom equal opportunity comforting when he’s upset in the middle of the night. The waking up in the night has been especially bad with teething. Riley has two teeth, and we think he’s working on a third. Logan doesn’t have one yet, but we know it’s ready to burst through any day now. Naps haven’t changed at all - The boys mostly still take their longer naps at the same time, and their naps still can be 20 min cat naps or 1 ½ hour long naps. They typically take one longer nap (like 40 min) in the morning and one in the afternoon.

The boys are now both all over the living room. Riley has been crawling for 3 weeks and is a pro. He has started pulling himself up on things, and can go from crawling to sitting position. Has finally started to use rolling as a means of exploring the living room. He has been able to roll for quite some time, but was quite content to stay in one general area. He sits up beautifully and has great balance, but he can’t get to that position unless someone put him that way. Logan is still very stationary in that regard. He can, however, successfully go from sitting to his belly. He still has made no attempts to push up on his knees, but he does get his belly off the ground with his hands and has gotten into "plank" position.

Both boys still LOVE toys. Their new favorite is a dino that plays music and pops up brightly colored plastic balls, which was a gift from Danny and Jill. They also like the fisher price gumball machine from Mema. Riley has totally figured out how to pull the lever and get the balls out. Both boys love toys in general and will play with anything, especially things that make noise. They are more in love than ever with their jumparoos. It’s pretty hilarious to watch.

Logan continues to get physical therapy sessions on Tuesday mornings, and although his head does not appear to be getting that much rounder, our pediatrician has officially said no helmet and that he has confidence it will round out eventually, especially now that he’s not on his back so much.

Personality

Riley and Logan could not be more different! Riley is the adventurous one. He is a giggly little kid who doesn’t want to stay in one place and wants to see what’s going on everywhere. Logan is much more chill and he is our cuddler. He loves to hug, snuggle, and kiss. He is very smiley too, and tends to smile more at others, but does not giggle nearly as much! They are both very social babies and are willing to let anyone hold them and play with them. They will reach for certain people and want mommy or daddy when they are crabby, but are generally willing to visit with anyone. They are wonderfully behaved when we are out and about or visiting family or friends. We are constantly stopped by people telling us how ridiculously cute and well behaved they are.

Likes:

Riley: Logan, eating solids, toys, crawling, playing with mommy and daddy, the jumparoo, computers/phones, Penguin/dogs in general, and the remote control.

Logan: Riley, Penguin, his pacifier (he is addicted. We are in trouble), being held/cuddling, toys, baths, playing with mommy and daddy, the jumparoo, the gym, computers/phones, and the remote control.

Dislikes:

Riley: Waiting for food, not having his pacifier, and being left alone (when can’t see mommy or daddy, like if we go change Logan’s diaper).

Logan: Waiting for food, not having his pacifier, pooping, and being left alone.

New this month: Logan reaching for specific people, Riley’s teeth, Riley crawling, Riley pulling himself to sitting up, Riley pulling himself up to his feet, Riley clapping (11/20) (Logan clapped a while back but won’t do it now), both boys giving high fives, finger foods, Logan planking

Out takes:

Riley falling over

Catch me, brother!

Gee, thanks.

My arch nemesis the sign is back!

Taken as mom chases after Riley  "Dad, are we done yet?"

Playin' with our balls.

Riley: "I bet I can get this whole think in my mouth"
Logan: "Worst candy ever."

Can we just wrap this up and take a nap?

So many milestones!

So apparently I wrote this on 11/8 but never actually posted it! So.... whenever you see a date, add 10 days!

Our boys are getting so big, so quickly! It seems like every day there is another milestone.
It all started with Riley getting his first tooth a week and a half ago. (11/18 update: he's actually got two now. Logan is still sporting the toothless grin for now) Then a few days later Riley perfected sitting up (Logan already had that down) and last week Riley started crawling (hands and knees - he was army crawling for forever!). (Update 11/18: Riley can now pull himself into sitting position from crawling)

Crawlin' all over

Yesterday we gave the boys their first finger foods. Logan choked a little, but luckily babies have great gag reflexes! They were maple flavored and the boys still smell like pancakes. (11/18 update: we learned to give the puffs BEFORE dinner after Logan threw up for the 2nd or 3rd time)

 


Riley said mama about two weeks ago, but we had a hard time getting him to repeat it. The first time we asked him to repeat it, he said Obama. Then he would say it randomly, but almost never when prompted. Yesterday he started saying dada like a champ. Dadadadada all evening long. We'd prompt him to repeat it and he would. Today he started crawling towards the kitchen where Steve was making dinner. I said, "Where are you going?" to which Riley replied, "Dada!" That made me laugh. So I guess his first word is Dada. It figures - Riley is definitely daddy's boy, and has made it clear that he prefers him to me. That got us thinking though, when do most people count the first word? The beginning of consonant babbling? When they will repeat it back to you? When they say it with a purpose? (When with Dad or reaching for Dad?) The dadada started when Steve was at work....
(11/18 update: Riley stopped saying dada. I think he got annoyed at our asking him to do so. Steve swears last night that when Logan started crying he was calling mamama, but I think he's just trying to make me feel better! He has not repeated it today).

It doesn't end there.... yesterday when we were on Skype with my dad, Logan started independently clapping his hands. My mom always claps with his hands because he holds them flat and not in a fist (like Riley). This was all him though.

In other news, Riley is beginning to pull himself up on various objects! Steve caught him on camera pulling himself up on a toy from Danny and Jill, which the boys love.

While Riley might be pulling ahead of Logan in gross motor skills, Logan is the leader in fine motor skills. He can easily pick up smaller items by pinching them with his thumb and index finger. He can then manipulate the object and turn it around in his hands (especially his pacifier). Riley can do these things, but not nearly as accurately. He is much more clumsy with his hands, dropping things and putting the wrong side of the pacifier in his mouth.

Since you waited until 11/18, here's two bonus videos:

2 cute pics:

Plus here are the boys in their first shoes, purchased today!