11 Months

 

The babies are 11 months old! Less than one month away from being one year old! Their due date was April 3 so I am telling myself that they really won't be one for another month or two. I'm the mama so I can do that.

I have tried very hard not to wish their babyhood away because caring for just one baby is a challenge but two babies sometimes feels very overwhelming. Before the girls were born Jackie interrogated several parents of twins, and the general consensus was that the first year is "the worst." I think he has been counting down to their first birthday in the hopes that they will no longer be so needy. I resolved to go with the flow as much as possible and at least attempt to enjoy my babies. Somedays I succeed, Somedays not so much. I have very much been looking forward to the day they would sleep through the night or , heck, for four or fives hours in a row. Truthfully, the older they--mainly Braelyn--get the worse sleepers they seem to become. Braelyn must sleep beside me and knows if I so much as sneak out of bed to go to the bathroom. Most of the night she will not sleep unless she is nursing which I find just plain uncomfortable. It's sad to say but I have considered weaning her just to see if she would leave me alone at night! I know deep down that's not what I really want for her so I'm sure we will continue our breastfeeding relationship but, man, has it been tough lately!

Other than long, trying nights things are going well. Here's a breakdown of where the girls are at individually.

Brooklyn smiles and laughs so freely. She still crinkles her nose up when she smiles. She is growing more and more verbal each day. She can say mama, dada, Pappy (paa-paa), Piper, bite, hi, bye, and dog which she calls every animal she's seen so far including birds and cows. Brooklyn loves splashing HARD in the bathtub! She claps along if you say pat-a-cake. She doesn't crawl in the typical way but has found a unique way to get around; she scoots along on her bottom with one leg bent pulling herself with her hands. It's funny to watch. She can go pretty fast until she hits a patch of carpet. Brooklyn is a very good eater and has recently discovered grapes. She has gotten her first teeth this month. Three are coming in almost all at once, one on top and two on bottom. They haven't seemed to bother her a bit. I have learned to only nurse her when she's genuinely hungry, however, because she will just bite otherwise! Obviously, she is still nursing I'm happy to say. She has been sleeping fairly well over the last week only waking once to nurse and has even slept completely through the night a couple of times. She is okay with sleeping in her crib by herself. Brooklyn is quite rough and usually smacks people playfully. Her sister does not appreciate this type of play! She also throws a fit if Braelyn takes something away from her and just starts smacking! We have called her a bully. She definitely doesn't take anything off anyone! I wonder how this attitude will develop as she gets older! 

Braelyn has more of a sensitive personality and is much more gentle. She become quite the mover this month! She crawls easily on hands and knees and pulls up EVERYWHERE! I often find her in the bigger kids room exploring toys and giving them a taste. She is a pickier eater than Brooklyn. She closely examines any food you try to put in her mouth and refuses many including the meatballs I cooked for tonight's supper. She really loves cheese, however, and ate an absolutely unreal amount of macaroni one day at lunch. Braelyn seems more attached to nursing not only for nourishment but also for comfort. Like I mentioned, she sleeps with me and nurses very frequently throughout the night. She most often says mama and bye (she draws it out and waves along!) but also says dada and bite. There is still no sign at all of a tooth in her mouth! Braelyn really loves her blankie but also hugs and drags around any toboggan (knit hat for you Yankees!) she can find.

I can't decide if the past 11 months have gone by quickly or slowly. It truly does not seem that long ago that I was holding tiny babies in my arms and now I wrangle wiggly almost-toddlers! I'm sad that they are outgrowing their 6-9 month clothes but look forward to sweet sun dresses this summer. 

I'm so thankful God blessed out family with these two very different little girls!