6 month update

6 month stats

Number of babies rolling: 2

Number of babies sitting: 2

Number of naps taken per day: 6ish (3ish per baby)

Number of times babies nap together: 5ish (go mom for getting them to sync up!)

Number of times I have pumped (to date): roughly 255

Number of times I am still getting up at night: 5ish (2.5 per baby)

Number of days of the week I feel lucky to have spent over the last 6 months with my boys: 8

WOW!  That sums up the last month.  My boys have changed so much!  I am stunned by how many miles stones they hit this month.  Especially the last 2 weeks, it seems like they were changing right in front of me.

One of the biggest changes that happened for our boys is they went from being Arizona babies to California babies!  We are in the process of moving to the Bay Area and are super exited to have our boys growing up here.

First Sit
In general, the difference between 5 and 6 months has been dramatic.  The biggest difference is that both boys are now sitting up. It kind of happened all of a sudden.  I noticed that Brody was fussing a ton when he was laying on his back so I sat him up and voila! he was sitting.  I then decided to see if Brady could sit as well and low and behold, he started sitting too!  They both sat up long enough for me to find my camera and snap a picture!

Having two new sitters presents challenges that I had not thought of, mainly, trying to prevent one baby from falling over into the other one.  Its like one giant game of baby dominoes over here.  I feel like I have to do advanced mathematics in my head, constantly calculating angles and figuring trajectories in order to prevent one baby form taking out the other one.  I am the defensive line of Team McLean, foreshadowing I bet for crawling and walking.

There are so many fun things that happened this month, but I think my favorite is the debue of belly laughter from my boys (I know I mentioned Brady's laugh last month update but I swear it is getting even better!).  Both boys have learned to string their giggles together to produce the most joyous sounds in the world.  The icing on the cake is that EVERYTHING I do is funny!  All I have to do is look at them and say "Boo" and I get giggles.  Rubbing my nose against theirs results in hysterics.  Kissing their necks, forgetaboutit,  I have lost them for minutes.  The other day I had the hiccups and Brady laughed at each UP.  I could listen to them giggle all day.  I wish I could bottle that sound for the future when I need a pick-me-up.

First beach trip

Despite having already driven across country, our boys had not yet seen the ocean.  We remedied that our first weekend here by taking them to see the Pacific.  We also broke in Bob by doing some off-loading.  We were all very impressed, including the dogs!

First swim (ok, technically this happened at 6 months + 1 day old, but  I can't wait another month to blog about it!)
The boys took their first swim in my Aunt and Uncle's pool (have I mentioned how nice it is to live near family?!).  They loved it!  They looked like naturals in the pool, already doing the frog kick and  floating on their backs.  I think we win the award for the family with the most clothing on in the pool!  All I can say is that Chris bought me a bathing suit because I did not have one and. . . well. .. its descriptions was "cleavage enhancing".  Let's just say that enhancing my cleavage is something that I do not need help with these days.

(sorry Brody, but you were sleeping!)

(Pictures courtesy of my Aunt Kathy)

Oh Boys, don't grow up too fast!

Babies to MB's: 5 month update

Sometime over the last month I went from having little babies to little boys.  Now, instead of two infants, I have two smiling man babies (MB's)!

(L: Babies month 2, R: Babies month 4+)

These precious guys have really matured the last month.  No words can really describe how cute I think they are!

We had a fun filled month with the babies.  Chris was off from work during this time and was able to spend plenty of time with his tots.  At some point during his vacation, we decided to drive across country with the babies, our 2 dogs and 2 cats (more on our trip in another post, certainly it deserves a post of its own!)  The boys were amazing travelers really matured during our trip.

One of the most fun things that happened this month was a clear desire for these brothers to interact.  Although this picture is blurry, you can see that Chris captured a precious moment where Brady wanted to show Brody the farmer from his book.  Things like this are happening more often and I consider it  foreshadowing to how close these guys are going to be.

Brady-

Two new nicknames for this boy have come into play this month: Honey Bager and Mighty Mouse.  At some point I started calling Brady Honey Badger (now abbreviated to 'Badge' for short) because this boy is so clearly tough as nails.  My little peanut coninues to amaze me with his strong will, clear communication skills, and overall good nature.  Though words are never used, Brady has an innate ability to fully describe and communicate what he needs.  He is strong and powerful and full of smiles.  His second new nickname, Mighty Mouse, came from me noticing that his build was similar to the cartoon superhero's.  He has a broad chest and a narrow waist and can puff out his chest and curl his arms to show how strong he is  (I am so happy to have caught this on film).

After their 4 month birthday, we broke out the Bumbo chairs and have let the boys play sitting up!  Brady loves the new perspective on life and enjoys the play stations I set up for him.

He doesn't even seem to mind that his chair is purple!  Brady is able to grasp objects and obtain toys at his own will.  Watch out if he gets frustrated though, that Honey Badge will let you know he is not happy!  

My two favorite things about this month are that Brady found his laugh.  He has the best giggle and is not afraid to use it.  For some reason, he found my dad particuarly hysterical and was quick to give him a smile and a happy laugh!  

Also, Brady rolled over!  One morning I found him sleeping on his belly, suggesting that he rolled over in his sleep.  Then, on Mother's Day nonetheless, he rolled both from front to back and back to front all in the same day!  Thanks baby for the most wonderful gift ever!

Brody-

Oh Brody Bear, what to say.  Brody is pudgy and cute and full of snuggles and love.  This month, Brody really found his smile and he was ready to have it captured by camera!

In addition to his smile, Brody has also found his feet.  This boy LOVES to try and get his toes into his mouth.  He is happiest when he has no socks on (or pants really) and is able to fold his little body in half to get to his toes.  It is actually pretty impressive given that he does not the the flattest stomach!

(Note the way he has locked in on said foot)

(going for it)

(total satisfaction)

The other new addition to Brody's list of cute activities is something we have termed the "Brody Bite". The 'Brody Bite' starts out innocent enough.  Your holding Brody in your arms, looking lovingly into his eyes, then all of a sudden he locks onto a part of your face, (usually your chin, but not always) and tries to bite your face off in what can only be described as a total love bite!  He does this to me multiple times a day and I was fortunate enough to be able to capture him doing it to my Mom!  

 

(the innocent start)

(the gaze)

(the latch)

(and the release)

It is kind of like watching an Olympic event! 

Although Brody has not rolled over yet, he has made the first signs of trying to sit up by himself.  Whenever he is in his car seat or his relaxing chair, he lifts his head up a does what seems to be a massive crunch.  Pretty soon this boy will be sitting up by himself!

The boys were around lots of family for their 4-5 month lives and it greatly enhanced their development.  The constant holding and playing was a great way for them to develop some skills that they did not have at their 4 month birthday.  This month was so much fun, I can't wait to see what next month brings!