Motoring

Well, with both kids now on the move, life is a little different around here. We now have to keep a super close eye on both kids. Whenever I say that, I feel like it sounds like weren't doing that before. But, I guess the distinction now is that even leaving for a minute requires making sure the gates are closed, the babies are contained, and there aren't any dangerous objections within the near vicinity, rather than just within the surrounding 5 feet or so.

Both kids are presently interested in eating Norm's rawhides. Norm doesn't help the situation much, as he is constantly bringing the rawhides near the kids, almost taunting them if you ask me. Hank and Clara generally are most interested on those items they can't have, so the rawhides are pretty fascinating. I do believe Hank would love to spend a few hours chewing one if he could. He is continuing his love of all things chewing.

I am amused that the kids' crawling styles mirror so much of how they were, even in the womb. Clara's elongated inchworm style reminds me of how she was always stretched long when I was pregnant. She took up most of the limited real estate. Hank, in contrast, crawls and becomes super compact in his body shape. Just like how he was when I was pregnant. I will be curious to see whether this trend continues.

For now, it's all about watching, pulling them away from danger, and identifying our house proofing deficiencies.

Go Clara!

Unwilling to have Hank make more progress than her, Clara has decided that it is time to crawl. Unfortunately for her, her little legs don't necessarily agree. So, she has instead created her own version of crawling. She pulls herself across the floor with her arms, like the cutest little inch worm. It's amazing how much work it takes, but Clara is determined and focused in her mission. She can make it easily half way across the floor. We have videos of both the young Bartholomews exercising their new skills. I hope to upload them in the next day or two. For now, it's all about making sure both Clara and Hank don't get into too much trouble as they begin exploring their world. We are super proud of them both!

And here are the long awaited videos...

And He's Off!

Update:

Well, I was right that Hank was close to crawling in my last blog entry. He is now officially a crawler. It is great to watch him. He moves slowly but deliberately as he plunges ahead. Half the time he is crying as he crawls, which we can't figure out. Does it hurt? Is it just the effort? Who knows. I'll try to take a little video of it tomorrow.

Almost there

It's pretty exciting around here these days. Hank is just so close to crawling. He is rocking onto his back legs then hurling himself forward. He isn't quite understanding how to use his arms to assist the effort, but he is getting close. He has figured out how to pivot in circles using his arms, which is amusing, too. It's like watching a little top go round and round.

Clara wants very much to emulate Hank's efforts. When he rocks onto his back legs, Clara starts trying to rock, as well. But, she hasn't figured out that rocking requires that she lift her belly off the ground a bit. So, she instead rocks on her stomach. Hey, it provides a little stomach massage, which must feel pretty good. She remains our ardent stander and enjoys any opportunity where someone helps her with this mission.

I find myself fascinated by the babies' mobility gains. Whatever aspect of development governs this progress is amazing. The babies have such a clear drive to want to move. Even just watching the kids in the jumper highlights this innate drive to be in motion. Today's visuals are the kids working things out in their walkers:

From August 2008 -- 8 12 months

From August 2008 -- 8 12 months

The Big Weigh In

The babies were weighed in yesterday at their nine month appointment. Much to our happiness, they did well. Hank is up to 17 lbs 10 oz, and Clara weighs in at 16 lbs 5 oz. This puts Clara in the 10th percentile and Hank in the 6th percentile--by far the highest percentiles either of them have had. Yippee!!

We are continuing to have eating challenges. We have figured out two strategies that seem to help a bit. First, we are giving them a lot more finger food. Of course, this would be a far more effective strategy if, oh I don't know, the kids could actually get the food from their fingers to their mouth. Second, we are trying to give them five meals a day, if they are willing. They do better with a bunch of small meals, since it combats the boredom associated with longer feeds. It is a bunch more work for Mark and me, but hey, parenthood is often all about doing the work.

On to more fun topics. The kids are really enjoying going to the park and playing on the swing these days. The two can fit pretty nicely in a single swing seat, and both seem to love it. Here are some photos:

From September 8 12 - 9 months

From September 8 12 - 9 months

We don't know how much longer the joint swing action will work, but for now, it is a nice way to enjoy the afternoon walk a little more.

Food Pains

Ugh, so feeding time has become a bit of a disaster around here. Clara has decided she hates it. She hates her high chair. She hates being feed. She hates her bib. She hates her food, and she pretty hates any effort made by anyone to get her to eat. It's been fun. You get her within a foot of her high chair, and the screaming begins. This started up about a week ago and is increasingly playing itself out.

Hank, watching all this, decides that Clara is pretty darn smart. So, starting last night, he, too, is loudly expressing his discontent with meal time. Oh, the joy never ceases.

We are hopeful that when they are weighed on Tuesday, we will get news that they weigh enough that a few missed meals here and there aren't too big of a deal. For now, we are just trying to find the patience to coax a little more food into them, one bite at a time.

Everyday Toys

I am fascinated by which toys the kiddos like. It seems that the more simple, the better. Clara and Hank are presently completely occupied by stacking cups. They just like to hold them, clap them together, exchange them with each other. You name it. It's about 20 minutes of occupation. Yet, the more colorful, musical, mechanical toys only hold their interest for about five minutes. Typical.

I started back to teaching yesterday. It was surprisingly hard to leave the babies in the morning, even though it was only for a few hours. And, I was leaving them with their dad (really, there is no better babysitter). Yet, I still just wanted to play with them instead of heading out. I guess it confirms that the right decision for me was to stay home with them these first few years. It's a personal decision every parent has to make, and I would never pass judgment on another's path. I'm just glad this path is working for me.

We are on day 3 of the antibiotics for the kids. So far, no improvement, but I suspect it's a slow going process. The good thing is that neither of the kiddos seems allergic to penicillin the way I am! Hey, small victories.

Today's pictures are in honor of Hank and Clara's present love of their bath. The last few nights, they have really started to enjoy the splashing opportunity. Okay, okay, these pictures are from their time with in their mini-pool a few months ago, but I thought the robes were still appropriate for a bath time reference.

And the Colds Go On...

We are still fighting bugs around here. Just when the babies seem to get better, they then get a little worse. Lots and lots of nose running around here. I'm beginning to feel better, so I'm hoping that the kids will be soon, too. We are seeing the doctor today, just to check that it isn't something more than the common cold.

Beyond cold management, it was a quiet weekend. We went a few long walks, which the babies seemed to enjoy just fine. The weather has been super warm, which makes me feel like the summer is a nice long one. I still am nervous about how to handle the longer winters with two babies.

Hank is getting closer to crawling, it appears. He is rocking onto his back legs more and more. Clara is less excited about working on that, but she sure does love doing the standing routine. She will happily spend most of her standing if she could have it her way. We are noticing that her legs are getting a lot stronger. She is still a lot leaner than Hank, but growing tall.

Food and eating is still time-consuming task #1 around here. The new food introduction of late was curried lentil and rice. The first time around wasn't a big success, but at this point, the kids are surprisingly willing to eat it. Awesome!

Off to the doc appointment.