Eight Months Old

The babies turned eight months (35 weeks) old last week. It won't be too long before they have been outside of my belly longer than they were inside my belly. I can't believe how much time has passed.

Eight months is a combination of fun and laugher and pure hell. 

Fun and laughter because the kids' personalities are really emerging. They will reach for you, (in Reese's case) crawl to you, laugh with you, play and interact with you and toys. This is awesome. Pure hell because they now have awareness of their surroundings but no ability to communicate their wants or needs. What you are left with is a whole lot of this:

At eight months old Reese:

• can crawl, go from sitting to crawling, and from crawling to sitting.
• will pull herself up to standing (in her crib, on furniture, on her toys).
• is able to walk on her own while holding onto us or a toy.
• babbles a lot. So far we've heard a definite "dada" and "mama", though it's quite clear that she doesn't associate those words with us yet.
• is an excellent eater and loves all food.
• can feed herself and will get food in her mouth 80% of the time.
• will give you a kiss if you ask for one.
• LOVES animals, and will go to great lengths to pet them. She is generally fearless. Almost a little too fearless at times.

{ feeding time at the zoo }

{ earning her keep }

{ too cute to be mad at, but she really should be sleeping }

{ kissing her own reflection in the drain cap }

{ rocking out at the music table - Daddy put her in Ryan's PJ's }

{ standing in the tub for the first time, so proud of herself }

{ Dancing in her crib during naptime. This is after 

she threw her pacifier over the side at her brother. }

At eight months Ryan:

• can sit unassisted and hold toys (he no longer needs his hands to balance).
• has four teeth! (Two bottom and two top.)
• hugs me tight when I get him from his crib.
• will kiss you if you ask for a kiss, but often gives kisses without prompting. To do so he grabs both sides of your face and pulls you into his lips. There is nothing better than this.
• rolls to his tummy, but then just stays there. And after months of forcing him "back to sleep" he's finally a very happy belly sleeper. 
• is a picky eater and will inspect the colors/smells on a spoon before opening his mouth.
• prefers to feed himself and is very good with the pincer grasp.
• laughs like a maniac all day. When he's really tired he'll start laughing at every and anything and you know that this is the happiness before the storm. Get the boy to bed!

{ loves to eat on his own }

{ bathtime is their favorite }

{ his hair is completely out of control, but I love it }

{ a typical day: one just got done throwing a tantrum, 

while the other is laughing hysterically }

{ miss sassy pants }

It is amazing to watch them blossom. We were told by so many multiples parents that the second six months are so much easier than the first six months. I haven't exactly found that to be true. But I can say that when the kids are on and fun - life is amazing. Their hugs and kisses and cuddles and laughter is so rewarding. Watching them interact with objects and figure out their world is incredible. But now more than ever Joe and I look at each other and actually ask things like "what the fuck just happened?" We can go from insanity to amazing and back again in the same day. 

This momma is really looking forward to words.