Oh my gosh Twins Twice!: 9 month Update

9 month update

I can’t believe my little babies are 9 months old. Times goes by so fast and this seems so old to me. I know I will continue to say this and feel this way over the years. It is crazy how much they are doing these days.

We will visit a development specialist every 6 months until they are 5 years old to track their development/process due to their prematurity. We had our 2^nd visit this month (well in February). The Doctor was very impressed with them. The twins have met all their “adjusted” age milestones and are even reaching many of their “actual” age milestones.

For premature infants they look at their development in these two terms: what should they be doing if they were born at their full term date and what they would be doing if their actual birth date was full term. When they reach their milestones based on their adjusted age then they aren’t considered delayed even though based on their actual age they are delayed.

For example they didn’t sit up on their own until 7 months the average for a full-term baby is 6 months. But based on their adjusted age they were only 5 months when they did sit on their own. After they sat everything went so fast and they were both crawling army style by the end of 7 months. Now at 9 months they are both crawling on all fours.

The pediatrician agreed with the specialist notes at their 9 month check up and said they are much closer developmentally to a 9 month old than a 7 month old. The specialist believes that by the time the twins are 18 months old there should not be a difference between them and a full term 18 month old. Of course this information makes this mama happy.

The twins are still on the small side but have made it on the chart.

P weighted in at 16lbs 4oz and was in the 3% for height and weight and the 75% for head size. I don’t remember the exact measurement right now for height and head, but hope to come back and edit this info in later.

N weighted in at 17lbs 1 oz and was also in the 3% for height and weight (boy) and was in the 90% for head size.

So they have big deals and little bodies! This is actually another normal thing for preemies something about gravity and being born early that makes their heads grow a little faster than a full term body.

So….what are they doing!?

P is saying Hi, Dadda, and yes. We also swear she can say “I love you.” She tries to repeat so many things we say to her and this one she really is working on! She can crawl on all fours. Clap her hands, wave hi and bye, and will also copy hand motions. For example, if we wave our hands in the air and say “yay!” (ROMP N ROLL THING), she will do it too. We get some baby sign language at Romp N Roll and I think she would copy the hand motions but because of our Development Specialist strong feelings about not doing baby sign language we are not practicing them. I read the pros and cons about it. But with preemies everything is different. So no baby

sign language for us, which is okay since it seems like she will be an early talker anyway.

N can say Hi and Dadda and copies many other words. But he is not a talker like his sister. He is much more of a do-er. He is crawling on all fours, fast, and getting into everything. He pulls up on everything (including his crawling sister’s back) and is so proud of himself when he does. He pulls up like crazy in his crib… and even decided to eat his crib one afternoon. Yes he chewed on it. Paint everywhere. I really wonder how soon he will walk. P is trying to pull up but hasn’t really done it yet.

A couple of weeks ago they were taking a “nap.” I heard constant giggling on the baby monitor so I decided to go check it out. They were playing peek a boo with each other across the cribs. It was so cute!

It is so fun to watch them interact. They talk to each other, hold hands, smile and laugh at each other, hug each other… beat each other up, pull each other’’ hair, climb on each other, take toys from each other, and take food from each other. Oh the life of having a twin!

I have some other updates to blog about which I will do later and hopefully soonish. Pumping update, Romp N Roll update, and Schedule update. I have been really overwhelmed recently so haven’t blogged like I want too.

So let me do a quick personal update and you will know why. Things have been a little out of the ordinary because of the little “extras” I have going on that are making my plate more full than it normally is. I teach 4 semester classes and 1 year-long internship class. So I got 4 new classes February 1st which means about 100 new students, to lay down the law with and get the ball rolling. My year-long class starts their internship experience March 18^th which means I had to find internship placements for 16 students. This is a whole lot of work. Once you find the placement there is the additional placement packet and information you have to set up with each placement.

I’m the junior class sponsor so have been busy with Prom details, finding a Dj, meeting with event coordinator, picking the menu, etc. Since I am the junior class sponsor I also have been busy planning for Student Talent Night, which is the fundraiser that helps pay for prom. This means a week of auditions (next week) and other random things that are taking up my “free” time. Lastly I am the sponsor of another club that hosts Read Across America (Honors Dr.Suess and his birthday) in our school’s library, planning crafts and activities and baking 200 cupcakes for the event that is tonight. Ahh just writing all this down stressed me out and I know I forgot things! But you get the idea… more is going on than the usual.

And I will also update with some pictures added in!

XOXO,

Heather

Peek a Boo nap time...