Miss E and Mr A have just turned seven months, so it's about time for an update on how they're getting on. That old chestnut, 'the first six months are the hardest' is so very true, and the last month has felt like the fog is lifting at long last. No doubt this has something to do with the weather improving as Spring finally arrives, and the clocks changing so it's light after the babies have gone to bed in the evening (makes me feel like every daylight hour isn't taken up by being mummy), but I think there's also been a marked change in the babies who are definitely now 'settled babies' rather than 'newborns'.
We're racing ahead with traditional weaning, with a bit of baby-led weaning thrown in for good measure (Mr A loved devouring every broccoli floret he could get his little fists on yesterday at our Easter lunch). Last week saw us introduce protein for the first time, and chicken seems to be a big hit with both babies. I'm still finding feeding two babies stressful, but am finding strategies to manage the difficult moments (mainly the TV and. Miss E has joined Mr A in being bottle-fed after she rejected the breast, and life is definitely easier with both babies fed the same way.
We took the plunge and dropped the dream feed a few weeks ago. Although it was my favourite feed as it was a quiet and intimate moment with the babies, it has left us feeling much more free as the babies sleep from 7pm to 7am, and I think the babies sleep better and are more rested in the morning without it. It also means they're much more hungry for their breakfast.
Both Miss E and Mr A (Mr A claimed the prize for doing it first) easily flip from their backs to their fronts now, though they're not as proficient at rolling from their fronts to their backs. The first night they started doing this in bed happened to be my birthday, and I spent a sleepless night worrying about them sleeping on their fronts. Having done my research I'm not at all concerned about it anymore, and Miss E now sleeps on her front pretty much every night.
Their ability to sit up unaided has been a real revelation. They can now occupy themselves and are happy to sit and play with toys for increasingly long periods of time while I pop in and out and get on with blogging and twitter chores.
Miss E cut her first two teeth without any fuss this month (bottom front), both Mr A is still toothless. He's been pretty grizzly for the last few days (unusual for him) and is sucking his bottom gums like crazy so I hope it's not too long before a toothy peg makes its first appearance.
But the biggest and best thing this month is the fabulous little people I can see them becoming. They are sociable and happy (most of the time), greeting us, each other and strangers with huge smiles and laughter. They love practising all the things they've learned to do over the last month, especially sitting and rolling, and look to us for a round of applause when they do something they know is clever. The balance has finally tipped and we have many, many more good days than bad days and I just can't wait for the summer when we can get outdoors to play.
Happy birthday babies xx
