11 Months

I don't know where the past year has gone, it's unbelievable that my boys will turn 1 next month! Here's all the new things they're doing these days:

*No idea how much they weigh, but I'd guess about 20 pounds. Cullen is quite a bit heavier than Jack again (maybe a pound?) and I think he might be just a tiny bit taller too.

*So much more hair! They're really starting to look like little boys and less like babies every day.

*They sleep from about 8:30 pm to 8:00 am. They still take 2 naps a day. The first nap starts around 11 am and lasts for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Their second nap is usually about an hour and starts around 3:30 or 4 pm.

*They eat 3 big meals a day (at around 9, 1:30, and 5:30) with a bottle before each nap and before bedtime. If they're fussy in the afternoon, they also have a snack.

*They are both standing up and 'cruising' (walking by holding onto furniture). Their balance is getting much better. I often notice that they're barely touching the furniture for support. They'll just keep a fingertip or two on just in case, but are mainly balancing by themselves.

*They also finally learned how to lower themselves down. For a few weeks they'd stand up and couldn't figure out how to get down so they'd just stand there screaming until I went over and helped them get down. At first I did it gently, trying to teach them how to do it. After a few weeks though, I just hooked their belt loops and pulled them down so they'd see that it didn't hurt to just plop themselves down. Neither of these approaches really worked, they learned how to slowly squat down in their own sweet time.

*They're getting stronger and stronger. They've pulled down the baby gate several times this week. I just ordered a new one that mounts to the wall with screws and has a swing-open gate so I don't have to climb over it every time I go into the kitchen. I was so happy with my free gates at first, but now I think that $30 is well worth the extra safety and convenience for us all.

*Cullen's two bottom teeth are almost entirely in. Jack's have broken the surface and are coming in too. They both have started biting me, though. I try to pull them off and give them a teether instead, but they prefer my knees and ankles. I'm just glad they are late teethers and didn't start until after I had finished breastfeeding ;-)

*They eat SO much! I can hardly believe their appetites! For breakfast they often eat an entire banana and a cup or two of Cheerios... each! We took them to IHOP a couple weeks ago and they each ate 2 1/2 pancakes. That was as much as I ate... it scared me a little bit! If it's spaghetti night, there's no stopping them, they'll eat nearly a full adult serving.

*They are also sporadically picky about food. Sometimes they'll eat broccoli or green beans just fine, other times they'll flat-out refuse it and throw it on the floor. I usually melt cheese over green vegetables and they used to love it, but not so much anymore. Does anybody know why this is?

*I've been trying to teach them a few baby signs for the past few months, but no luck so far. Although, I'm sure by now they must know what the signs mean, they just can't do them themselves. I've only focused on 4 signs: food, drink/bottle, more and all done. At this point, they like to ask for more by hitting their trays and yelling and they signal they're all done by swiping all their food onto the floor or looking directly at me and dropping it one piece at a time. Ummm, aren't they too young to be defiant?

*They also like to dramatically tear their bibs off and toss them on the floor. Sometimes I hold their bibs on and try to distract them but other times I just roll my eyes and let them get messy. At Thanksgiving dinner, our hosts had their little girl in something called a 'Pelican' bib, I think. That thing was fantastic! It was like plastic baby armor with a big pocket at the bottom that caught all the dropped food. I've definitely got to get some of those!

*They aren't saying any words or anything, but they have definitely picked up on the 'rhythm' of conversation. Their tones, the rise and fall of their voices, their pauses and starts, everything makes their jibberish sound almost like real words. I often copy what they're saying and I think they can tell what I'm doing because their eyes light up and they'll say more to see if I'll copy them again. I can't wait to see what their first word will be! I bet it will be 'Dada' because they already say that. I think it's only a matter of time until they're pointing at Brandon and saying it.

*They like to wake up and shake their crib rails violently to let me know they're awake. They'll also start talking to the other one, trying to wake him up.

*They still aren't pointing with their index fingers but they do sort of gesture with their arms sometimes. They also clap alot, though I'm not convinced they only do this when they're happy about something. They don't really wave much either, I've only seen them do this a handful of times. I'm not surprised, though, because they've been late doing most of their motor skills. They always catch on eventually though and then there's no stopping them.

*Whenever Cullen gets excited, he starts kicking his legs and twirling his feet around like crazy. We've started calling him "Happy Feet" because of this habit. Jack's so much more chill, he usually just gives smug little smiles.

*Cullen also does this monotone yell whenever he's headed somewhere, as if he's announcing his presence. I can usually tell whenever he's going into the bathroom or kitchen or some other 'off-limits' area because I hear him yelling 'AHHHHH' on his way.

*They totally have inside jokes with each other, they're always laughing together about something. One of them will be holding a box of cards or a pen or something and he'll just look at the other one and they'll both burst out laughing. I never get it, I feel like the third wheel ;-)

*They like grown-up things much more than their own toys. Some of their favorites are cell phones and remote controls (of course), Daddy's laptop, pens/markers, cameras, the vacuum, doorstops (they love the sound it makes when they pull it- don't worry I superglued the little white caps onto them all), the cat food bowls, shoes, and whatever book Mommy happens to be holding.

*I let them hold toys while I'm changing their diapers or dressing them. They still squirm alot but it's about 1000 times easier now.

*They still don't really have separation anxiety but they do cry sometimes when either Brandon or I leave even though one of us is still sitting right there next to them. They also cried for the very first time last week when we left them with a babysitter and went to see New Moon. We waved goodbye and shut the door and all of a sudden we heard two loud wails as we were walking away. I feel guilty saying this, but I secretly enjoyed it!