7 and 8 months old!

Well the 7 month update just slipped right by me..ha!  The twins were 7 months old on November 27 and I completely forgot to take their picture.  It has been a whirlwind the last couple of months so I am just going to combine these two updates and go with it!  I don't have much time to blog but I do want to document some things here so here goes!  

8 months old on December 27!

FEEDING:  The babies eat great.  They nurse 7 times a day but some days just 6 as we are trying to head in that direction.  

We started giving them solids at the beginning of November.  The first thing they had was acorn squash.  Benton LOVES food and Emery is not the biggest fan.  He will eat anything I try to feed him but Emery has to be in the mood.  Besides squash they have had carrots, green beans, peas, apples, bananas, and sweet potatoes.  I can usually get Emery to eat a couple of bites and then Benton just eats the rest of it.  

We got highchairs for Christmas and I LOVE THEM

This was when we were out for breakfast at our favorite place.  We gave them gravy since it was the first thing Blakely had.  Sappy, I know.  Benton wasn't sure...Emery loved it.  Since then totally opposite.  (no gravy though!)

I am making the baby food just like I did with Blakely.  I spent one afternoon boiling, steaming and baking all the food.  Then I puree it and freeze it in ice cubes trays.  Once frozen, I pop them out and put them in ziplocs in the freezer.  So easy and makes a bunch so I have only had to do it once in 2 months.

SLEEPING:  Oh these babies are so different in this category.  Whew.  Benton sleeps great for naps during the day.  Emery fights naps but eventually gives it up.  They take 3 naps per day with the last one being a cat nap in the evening (Emery fights this one the most but she just can't make it to bedtime without it).  

The night sleeping.  Oh the night sleeping.  Emery has always been great at this.  Put her down at 830 and she sleeps until 7-730.  Benton wakes up at least once to eat.  Then they got sick in December.  Both had ear infections.  Emery would not sleep laying down...I guess the pressure on her ear or something?  Anyway, so she's been waking up multiple times a night.  Benton got an ear infection about a week after her and started waking up multiple times at night.  I couldn't just let them cry because I knew they didn't feel good.  So it has been a REALLY rough 6-8 weeks of no sleep for me.  

Benton is finally better and off his antibiotics.  Emery got another ear infection and is on a second round of antibiotics BUT no one is sleeping.  I am pretty much at the end of my rope on the no sleep.  I feel like a zombie every single day and it is really wearing on me.  I am determined to make them sleep at night...New Year's Resolution!  Ha!  

When I feed them early in the morning between 6 and 7 I just put them in bed with me and lay down to nurse.  Sometimes they both fall back asleep and those are the best snuggles in the entire world.  I will miss it so much when they stop doing this.  

CLOTHING:  They both wear 9 month clothes but if they don't have a cloth diaper on then those are too big.  Emery can really fit in 6 month stuff if it weren't for the big booty diapers.  

DIAPERS:  Cloth diapers during the day and a (size 2) disposable at night.  

WEIGHT: I am guessing Emery is about 14 pounds and a few ounces and Benton is getting close to 16 pounds.  We've been to the doctor for sickies a couple of times and they weighed close to that with their clothes and diaper.  

HEIGHT: Another guess but probably an inch or so long her than at their 6 month check up. SO Emery 26 1/2 and Benton 27 1/2.

HAIR:  Benton's hair appears to be darker that Emery's.  Hers is growing super fast and hangs down over her ears now.  

EYES:  both have blue eyes with Benton's being a darker blue.  I think Emmmers is going to have the bluest eyes of any of us.  

These babies think I am hilarious!  

A few things about Benton:

• he is the sweetest boy.  I mean seriously.  He just smiles at me and it kills me every time.  

• he is so content.  I can set him down with a toy and he is happy to play with that toy for a long time.  
• he has 2 teeth.  He got the first one (bottom left) on 12-15 and the second one (bottom right) on 12-20.  
• he started sitting up unassisted just a few days after Thanksgiving (right at 7 months old)...a few days after his sister!  

• he is close to crawling but doesn't really care about it much.  Like I said, he is content where you put him.  But if there is something he REALLY wants, like my phone or if he sees a pacifier, then he does army crawl over to get it.  He gets up on all fours sometime and rocks back and forth.  He scooches backwards when he is on all fours and that kinda makes him mad because he ends up backed up against something.  
• we call him Benny mostly but he does have a few other nicknames.  Benners, Benny-boo, and Ben-man are the most common.  
• this boy is finally not snotty.  he had an ear infection but antibiotics cleared that up.  he now has fluid behind both ears but it is not infected.  if we can keep him from getting a cold, etc then that should go away.  PLEASE!
• he kicks his little legs when he gets excited.  Blakely did the same thing and I had forgotten it until he started doing it.  

A few things about Emery:

• she is never still.  this was the best I could get of her laying on the blanket!  

• she is going to make me go gray.  before she could sit up she would get so mad that she couldn't.  Now that she can sit up she is mad that she can't crawl.  She just wants to go places.  Until she can run around as fast as her sister she will not be satisfied! 
• she wants to be in on the action.  if we are in the kitchen then she wants to be there.  Basically she wants all the attention!  

not laying on this blanket, mom

• she has one tooth (bottom right 12-22) but she is working on a few more.  she chews and slobbers on everything
• she started sitting up by herself right at Thanksgiving (7 months old).  

• my poor girl has been snotty for a month.  bless her.  her very first ear infection was so bad.  it came on so quick.  she woke up snotty one morning with no other symptoms.  by the next morning she was lethargic, inconsolable and a fever that wouldn't quit.  i took her in a rush to the doctor when she refused to eat and was so limp I couldn't really rouse her.  it was pretty scary for this mama.  severe ear infection it was and they thought it would rupture but we avoided that.  shot of antibiotics in the office and a bunch of motrin for fever and pain and she was a little better.  we also had ear drops for pain and those helped her a lot.  now we are on our second ear infection but this one wasn't as bad and we are almost done with abx so hopefully the sickies will go away and stay away.  Blakely never had an ear infection so this is all new to me and I don't like it!
• Oh sweet little Emery has a lot of nicknames.  The most common ones we use are Em-doodle, Sue (no idea), Sue-doodle, Rem, Rem-turkey, Rem-a-lem, Emmers and Emmy.  
• she is oh so close to legit crawling.  I give it days.  she gets where she wants by getting on all fours and then pushing forward, landing on her tummy and then doing it all over again.  Sometimes she does a real crawl on hands and knees but she hasn't mastered staying that way yet.  Soon.  oh so soon. 

she has been getting on all fours and even doing a little plank since she was 6 months old.  

The both love their big sister so much even though she sometimes throws them around like rag dolls.  Haha!  Just kidding.  Although she thinks they are big enough now for her to pick up.  I keep telling her no but I have to watch her like a hawk.  They are getting to the age where she likes playing with them and especially making them laugh.  I love seeing them all three together.  I am the luckiest.