I know I say it every month, but I really can't believe they are already 6 months old! That's halfway to ONE YEAR. That doesn't even seem right. It seems like just yesterday that I was
The girls had their 6 month checkup this past Friday with Dr. Trumbull. As always, Dr. Trumbull was happy with their progress. Hadley weighed 15.2 lbs and Ava James weighed 12.11lbs. Both girls are catching up on their percentiles; Hadley faster than Ava James. Ava James is still our petite girl :) Dr. Trumbull was very excited that both girls love tummy time. He agreed that since both girls can easily rock back and forth while on all fours, that it will not be much longer before they crawl. Neither girls have cut any teeth yet, and Dr. Trumbull seemed to think it would be a while before they do. Our main goal for the up coming months are to start the girls on veggies and fruits, finger foods, some meats, and eventually get to soft table food. The ultimate goal is to have the girls 100% off the bottle by their first birthday. We are hoping to start using sippy cups very soon! Hadley will most like start the sippy cup before Ava James- she is already tiring of the bottle! The girls got the last round of their first few vaccines at this doctors visit. Luckily for them (and Mommy and Daddy too), they don't have to worry about any more shots for a while!
It becomes more and more apparent to us that the girls love each other very much. This makes Rusty and I so proud. They reach for each other constantly and get extremely upset if they aren't within sight and sound of each other. They laugh and smile at each other constantly, and often "hug" each other.
Ava James likes to steal her sister's paci, and Hadley likes to steal toys. They have begun to "communicate" with each other as well. They dont have there own language, but they will definitely talk to each other. Both girls really enjoy being outside. They love taking walks with their Mama during the day. The girls also LOVE when their Daddy comes home from work. It doesn't matter what mood they are in, their faces will light up and they will laugh as soon as they see their Daddy. Both girls enjoy playing peak-a-boo and often think its hilarious. The girls LOVE Elmo and have become fond of the "FaceTime with Elmo" app on their Mama's phone. They have begun to reach for people, including their Mama and Daddy (of course), Nonnie and Poppa, and even their Mother's Morning Out teacher, Mrs. Diane. They love to get "sugar" and grab the faces of people that they know well. AND FINALLY both girls sleep through the night. They go to bed at about 7:30 and wake the next morning at about 6:00. Since rolling over is very easy for both girls now, they are often found sleeping on their tummies (Hadley more so than Ava James). Ava James can comfortably fit into most 6 month clothing, while her sister can wear up to 9 months. Both girls are constantly reaching for anything and everything and are very good with their hand/eye coordination. Here is some more about the girls at 6 months...
Hadley looks and acts more and more like her Mama every day. This is both good, and bad! :) She is extremely strong! Kicking is a favorite activity of hers. Where before the girls would just kick in the air, now the girls like to kick things. In our double stroller, Hadley likes to kick the back of her sister's seat. Therefore Hadley has been promoted to first (front) passenger. It is because of Hadley that we began to child-proof this house today. She can manage to get herself completely across the room in mere minutes- all by rolling. And like I stated before, she can EASILY rock herself back and forth on all fours. If it wasn't for her right hand, she would be crawling. She can't quite figure out how to get that hand out from under herself. Hadley smiles at EVERYONE, but gets startled easily. Loud noises often scare her and bring out sensitive side. You can tell that she genuinely loves people and will be very social when she gets older. Sleeping has become a lot easier for Hadley over the past month. Where as before she would fight sleep and often have temper tantrums, now she can fall asleep in her crib all on her own. Normally she talks for a while first, but after about 10 minutes she is sound asleep. Over the past month, Hadley has fallen in love with the jumper. She will literally jump for hours- even jump herself to sleep. Hadley loves to be thrown around and shows NO fear. She loves bath time and has figured out how to SOAK her Mama by kicking her feet. I have a feeling she will love swimming at the lake and beach this summer. The majority of the day, when she is not in her jumper, Hadley is eating her toes. She has found her feet and LOVE them.
Hadley continues to want to stand, and can even stand on her own for very short periods of time as long as she is holding onto something. Everything that Hadley touches, also goes in her mouth. She loves her Sophie the Giraffe and her pacifier clip- she chews on both constantly.
Ava James is definitely starting to come out of her shell! She pretty much babbles constantly. She has even begun to "mock" what others say. She copied her Poppa several times by repeating "Uh Huh" (sounds a lot like a sigh) the other day while he and their Nonnie were baby sitting the girls. She is still very observant and watches your mouth as you speak to her. She still loves to kick, but has recently started swaying her hips. She raises her booty off the ground with her legs (while on her back) and sways her hips back and forth. She will have strong thighs very soon!!! She also likes to rock back and forth while on all fours. She can easily reach for things while on her tummy and can eventually find her way to where she wants to go- whether is be by rolling or reaching. Ava James LOVES to stick her fingers in other peoples mouths. I guess she wants you to act like you are "eating" her fingers- she finds that extremely funny. So if my child ever sticks her fingers in your mouth, now you know why! Ava James also started on rice cereal this past month!
She pretty much hated it. We aren't sure if its the texture or taste that she doesn't like, but we continue to work with her. Each day she is getting a little better. She isn't a "chewer" like her sister, but she loves to shake all of her toys. She has one specific book that she loves to shake and wave in the air. AJ is more cautious around strangers and often gets upset if a stranger gets too close. She is also the more particular of our two miracles. Her bottle has to be the perfect temperature and she fusses (not that I can blame her) if her diaper is even a little wet. I believe she gets this from her Uncle Jason. :) She loves to be bounced on your knee, but isn't too fond of the jumper quite yet. She is okay for short periods of time, but then starts to fuss and want out. She would much rather be on her tummy or in her bouncy seat kicking her legs.
I am not just saying this because they are our children (famous quote by parent's every where), but they are truly the happiest two babies I have ever known. They are constantly laughing and you can tell that they love life. I pray that they always have this happiness. That they don't let the evil and darkness of this world to take that away from them. I learn more and more from these two little girls each and every day. They have changed my life and it has all been for the better. They have softened my heart and renewed the child-like faith that I so desperately needed. Their Daddy and I are so incredibly blessed...my cup runneth over.
