7 Months Old: New tricks, adventures, and the flu!

The twins turned 7 months old on December 4th!! :-) They're really at a fun age right now! Still babies of course but their little personalities are just shining. My favorite part of the age they're at is their laughter and smiles. Nothing melts my heart more (or Jeremy's for that matter) than to see them get excited when we walk in the room or pick them up at the end of the work day, figure out a new way to make them smile, or to hear them absolutely crack up laughing. They love to play, babble, and laugh right now, and LOVE to be entertained. It seems as though everything in their world has suddenly become very interesting and worth exploring. There are new textures to touch, soft blankets to rub, toys to grab (and taste!), mirrors to look at themselves in, doggies to belly laugh at, new sounds to make, and a matching sibling to check out. Jeremy and are having so much fun watching them and helping them explore. On to the monthly updates...

They're having 5 bottles a day with almost 5 ozs formula in each one. They have oatmeal cereal in the morning and have fruits, veggies, and sometimes rice cereal at dinner. On the first round of veggies, Lucy hated all of them except squash and loved the fruit. She's now successfully loving all her fruits and veggies. Cameron loved them all from the get go. Both babies have hearty appetites and become quite upset if they think they might miss a meal. Cameron still becomes quite upset when he realizes whatever he's eating or drinking is suddenly gone. One would think each meal is his last meal. Silly boy. Pretty sure he gets that trait from daddy ;-)

They have some new tricks this month! Cameron is so very close to crawling!! He can move his legs in the proper motion but hasn't figured out the arm portion of crawling yet. The end result is he scoots on his face. It works for him though and he manages to move forward a couple feet. He rolls over tons, too! Lucy is quite the roller nowadays as well but hasn't shown much interest in crawling yet. She has very strong legs though and a sturdy stance. If I was placing bets, I would bet that Cameron crawls first and Lucy walks first. I'm not betting on my children though. Who does that?!! They can both sit by themselves. They have to be placed in the sitting position and eventually topple sideways but they're getting better! We introduced the jumperoo last month and I previously reported that Lucy is the master jumper. She still is but Cameron has figured out how to jump, too. Cameron has taken a liking to his feet this month. Somehow he manages to get them in his mouth, YUM! It's next to impossible to keep socks on them because they yank them off so quickly or kick their feet like crazy until they fly off. The twins are chatty little things these days. Cameron is most talkative first thing in the morning, at the end of the day, or if someone grabs some alone time with him. He gets excited when he has someone's undivided attention and then spins his tales as if he's just been waiting to share them. Lucy grunts, screams, coos, and practices her vowel sounds like there's no tomorrow. I swear she talks to Charlie when she catches him in her line of vision. Or maybe she's yelling at him because she's heard us yell at him so much. :-) She has also started fake coughing this month. Hilarious! I think she does it as a way to communicate. As in, "hey I'm coughing, look at me, look at me!"

The stomach flu hit our house this month. We think Lucy had a mild case consisting of throwing up once and then diarrhea for a few days. About 2 weeks later, Cameron got it really bad. He started with a single throw up and diarrhea on Sunday after Thanksgiving. By Tuesday night, he had the worst vomiting I'd ever seen so I called the pediatrician's emergency number and took him to the ER at BroMenn. My parents rushed here to stay with Lucy while we jumped in the car with Cameron. Fortunately we were rushed from the waiting room to an ER room and Cameron was given anti nausea meds and fluids through an IV for dehydration. Watching the nurses try to find veins on him was heart wrenching. I'd never thought about this before, but you can't see veins on chubby little babies so finding a spot to take blood samples from and put in an IV is very hard. They ended up going in through this foot. He just cried and screamed :-( But they helped him a great deal and after several hours we were sent on our way with an exhausted little peanut. It took him several more days to get over the flu but by Sunday he was back to his normal self.

I took the twins to the Jingle Bell Run with my sister and my good friend Kelly. It was a great plan and the twins were all suited up in their running gear but the weather didn't exactly cooperate. It was extremely windy so after starting the race (with the babies in their stroller) we detoured out of the race and headed home. Maybe we'll try again in the Spring! We had a couple play dates with friends this month, too. One of my favorite play date moments was when their buddy Jonah gave the babies kisses. Cameron enjoyed the entertainment from Jonah as well and thought he was pretty funny to watch. We celebrated their first Thanksgiving by watching the Macy's parade on TV and the twins great grandpa came over to visit. Then we spent the second half of the day at my parents house. The twins got to meet their cousin Cora this month. She's almost 4 months younger than they are. Jeremy and I don't think there is much family resemblance between them but I have a hunch they are going to have tons of fun playing together in the years to come. It was sweet to see them together! They had their first out of town adventure this month! We drove to Marion, IL the Saturday after Thanksgiving to visit Jeremy's relatives for the day. We played/napped at Suzanne's house, made a quick visit to uncle James's new house, and had dinner at MaMaw's. They saw some relatives they had met before and got to meet lots more as well. We headed home that night right at the twins bed time which worked out well. They slept the whole way home.

Christmas is right around the corner. This is going to be a memorable Christmas at the Bradley household. The babies are having fun looking at the tree, feeling the tree branches, and checking out the ornaments. Their stockings are hung on the fireplace and we've purchased their first Christmas gifts. We're trying not to go too crazy buying gifts but they're so fun to buy for!! Jeremy told me we have enough gifts bought already. I agree 100% but I can't control what Santa brings!! ;-)

All suited up and ready for their first 5K!

 

 

 

Cameron says, "plastic giraffe ears are delicious!!"

 

 

Lucy says, "HI!"

 

 

Such a big girl sitting up so good!

 

 

Cameron loves his feet this month! Who needs toys?!

 

 

My favorite 7 month photo of the twins. Pretty sure this is a sign of what's to come...

 

 

Exersaucer fun!

 

 

Happy girl!

 

Cameron scooted himself from the middle of the play mat to the carpet and then rolled over!

 

 

7 month puppy dog pics!

 

That chair is looking smaller and smaller.

 

 

Lucy says, "hey puppy dog, get on your own side of the chair!"

 

Cameron is sitting on his own! So big!

6 Months Old: Then and Now

Half a year has flow right on by!! So very hard to believe we just wished the twins a happy 6 month birthday on November 4th! Our little peanuts are growing at a rapid pace and making great strides in their development.

They had their 6 month doctor visit today. They're no longer on Zantac for acid reflux! Yeah!! Here are the 6 month stats with percentiles: Lucy weighs 15 lbs (30%), is 23 3/4 inches tall (less than 2%) , and has a head circumference of 17 3/8 inches (93%). Cameron weighs 15 lbs 4 oz (10%), is 24 1/2 inches tall (less than 2%), and has a head circumference of 17 inches (45%). Dr. Emm said they continue to look and do great!!

We're making our way through veggies! They've tried sweet peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash. Cameron has no problem eating any of the veggies but Lucy is a whole other story. So far she hates all the veggies except squash. After having a few bites of carrots, peas, or sweet potatoes, she turns her head, clamps her mouth shut, and starts fussing until we give her cereal instead. We knew from very early on that she would have a strong opinion about many things in her world. We laugh about how one of the nursery nurses described Lucy when she was hungry one time and said "she's madder than a hornet." :-) She lets us know when she doesn't care for something or has a need she would like met. On the flip side though, she gets very excited, smiles readily, and laughs at so many things. The twins still have rice and oatmeal cereal daily along with their veggies. Fruit is coming up next! I have a hunch miss Lucy will enjoy fruit. They are very interested in the process of meal time and both like to grab the spoon at times. If Jeremy or I are drinking or eating something while holding one of the twins, they will reach out to touch whatever we have. Aside from the food department, they are having 6, 4 oz bottles daily.

They do awesome with their sleep routines some days and other days, not so much. Pretty much every night they are in bed between 7:15 and 7:45 p.m. On an awesome sleep night, they stay asleep until 5:00 a.m. or longer. On a not so awesome night, they wake up several times for a variety of reasons. It's been a tough month with colds, congestion, and more teething symptoms for Cameron; all of which make sleeping hard for them. Overall though, we're thrilled with their progress and the fact that they sleep through the night a couple nights a week or more. Lucy is still transitioning out of sleeping in her infant carrier. We start her laying flat in her crib at night and she usually ends up in her carrier by morning time. It's still a work in progress. They both nap laying flat in their pack n' plays during the day. Most days consist of 3-4 naps a day.

They're currently in size 2 diapers and just switched to 6 month clothing. Some of their 3 month clothes still fit but for Cameron particularly, most of the 3 month clothing is too short.

We retired their baby swings and bouncy seats this month and got out their jumperoos and exersaucer. Lucy has mastered jumping in the jumperoo which is really funny and cute to watch. Cameron hasn't quite figured out how to jump in the jumperoo but loves it if we do it for him. They both figured out how to turn around in their jumperoos or exersaucer. Some days they strategically face themselves towards the TV. It amazes me how much they suddenly enjoy their toys. They want to grab and touch everything! Musical toys are a hit this month which is lots of fun. They enjoy watching the dogs run around and think they are pretty funny. They still enjoy being read to, which I love. Cameron and Lucy can sit by themselves for a few seconds at a time before toppling sideways. Cameron is still the master roller. Overall though, they seem to have the most fun laying on their backs playing with toys or being entertained by someone. Cameron finds Lucy very entertaining. He watches her then smiles and laughs! It's the sweetest thing to see! They hold hands on occasion or just watch one another to see what the other is up to.

We took them shopping for the first time this month. The only place we went was Hobby Lobby and they did great. They rode around contently in their stroller. We took them to their first birthday party. Our neighbor Scarlett Milligan turned two and the twins even got to bring home party favors. Lucy was a tad overwhelmed by the crowd at first but then settled down and stayed contently with Jeremy and I. Cameron let our friend Felicia give him a bottle at the party. It seems like Lucy startles more easily and is starting to get scared by strangers or faces she doesn't recognize. Cameron pretty much takes it all in stride so far.

It's so crazy to us to think about how far the twins have come since they were born. We watched the video from the day they were born and it literally feels like yesterday. Not to get too emotional here but I remember going into labor on Thursday evening and being so excited to know our twins were finally ready to enter the world. We knew we would soon be able to see their sweet faces and snuggle them in our arms. Right after birth we grew so scared to learn Cameron had breathing difficulty at first and was being given oxygen. I wasn't allowed to hold him like I was Lucy until several hours later. After that scare was over, we thought everything was fine but then they had to have feeding tubes and had to stay in incubators for 12 days. We were nervous/scared during that time and had no idea when our hospital stay would be over. The twins had a very hard time gaining weight at first and could not hold their body temperatures. Little by little though, their little bodies figured everything out and they started thriving. In the grand scheme of things though, these initial limitations were peanut size problems compared to what many babies deal with who are born early. 6 months later, we have 2 perfectly happy healthy little ones who are full of life and personality!!! Cameron and Lucy, boy how you both have changed in the past 6 months!!!

 

These little incubators are where they spent their first 12 days. The quilts were given to them from the nursing staff as part of Project Linus. We brought the quilts home and have used them for photos and play time. One day we will put the quilts on their beds once they are out of their cribs.

So tiny!! Those hats seemed huge on their little heads. I used to be able to snuggle them both while laying on my lap with ease!

 

One of our first days at home with the twins. In these 2 pictures, they were both still wearing preemie clothing and preemie diapers. We were headed to a doctor's appointment for the twins. Jeremy looks like a giant!

 

 

Fast forward 6 months...and we have happy, healthy, chubby cheeked, little pumpkins getting ready to celebrate their first Halloween!

 

Fun with toys!

 

Jumperoos are fun!!

 

They're not so tiny in our arms any more!! :-)

 

 

Cameron is all smiles!! Above he is getting some good laughs while daddy tickles him. Below, he is laughing because he thinks Lucy is just so fun to watch!! 

 

 

Classic Lucy food shot. I think she is saying, "sweet peas taste like dirt." :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6 month puppy dog shots!

 

 

The puppy dogs have some serious size competition!! :-)

 

The twins are 5 Months Old!

Time is flying by! The twins turned 5 months old on October 4th. I seriously have no idea where September went. They've grown so much in the past month though, I barely know where to begin. Let's see...

They're still eating cereal and doing great with it. Lucy has learned to like the rice along with the oatmeal cereal. Cameron LOVES both. He becomes quite upset once he realizes he's not getting any more cereal at a feeding. It takes him a couple minutes to realize he's full. Aside from that they're still getting bottles with breast milk and formula. They take 6, 4 oz bottles a day and have cereal twice a day. Sleeping is going really well at night. Some nights they still wake up in the wee hours of the morning hungry (around 3 a.m. give or take). Other nights they make it all the way through until at least 4:30 or 5 a.m. They always go back to sleep quickly after their feeding. On week day mornings we wake them up at 5:45 a.m. for the day. On weekends they typically sleep until 7 a.m. Cameron has become quite good at rolling from his back onto his tummy. So good in fact that he does his trick in the middle of the night and then can't seem to flip himself back over. He ends up fussing until we go in and flip him to his back again. One night he did this about 5 times. Silly boy! Lucy will roll over on occasion but mostly just kinda rolls from side to side. She found her feet this month and loves to lay on her back and grab them. She figured out how to pull off her socks and then of course they end up in her mouth! That's another big thing this past month, everything is going in their mouths. Bibs, burp rags, toys, and their hands quite frequently! They haven't had any teeth pop through yet but they sure seem to have all the symptoms of teething. Cameron really goes to town on his hands and he likes chewing on teething toys, too. I'm guessing he'll have a tooth pop through first. Lucy loves to look around at everything and everyone. It's hard to keep a bottle in her mouth at meal time because she's so busy trying to look around at everything! Cameron loves to watch tv. If the tv is on in the family room, he will reposition himself so he can watch it. He takes after his daddy who will seriously watch anything on tv ;-) Lucy also enjoys staring at the tv at times. Many days, I end up turning it off so the twins focus on other things. Both Cameron and Lucy like being read to but books are holding Cameron's attention the longest these days. He sat contently looking at the pages while I read 7 books to him the other day.

The acid reflux has taken a major turn for the better!! They both still spit up some but it has improved greatly! Lucy has had reflux the worst but I know she feels better than in prior months. She's so much happier lately!! Jeremy and I joke that she and Cameron switched places. Lucy is suddenly more laid back and very quick to smile or laugh. Cameron becomes fussier quicker nowadays. I think this is partially due to possible teething. Cameron seems to study people and things a bit more than Lucy. Once he warms up to someone or something though, he laughs readily and will flash some smiles. Cameron battled his first cold this month and dealt with a runny nose off and on. Knock on wood, so far neither one has had much more than a runny nose. We run the vaporizer for them nightly and use saline drops as needed.

Cameron and Lucy started enjoying their baths more this month. They really like it when I pour water on their toes and tummies. Both usually smile and laugh a bit throughout their baths. We have a good bath time routine going where I bathe one, then Jeremy gives me the other twin to bathe while he puts the first twin in their pj's. After they're both dressed and smelling like the sweet babies they are, we play in the nursery for a short bit and then they fall asleep pooped from their day. Usually one of us rocks Lucy for a few minutes and then puts her in her crib so she can fall asleep. Cameron has to be walked around for a few minutes and then we lay him down when he's out. Lucy is still sleeping in her car seat in the crib but we're working on transitioning her from that since her reflux is doing so much better. Hopefully by 6 months the car seat is gone and used only for car rides!!

They visited the pumpkin patch this month!! We took them to Rader Farms with my parents and my sister. They rode around the farm in their stroller and ended up falling asleep. We put them in blue jeans for the first time which I think is the cutest thing ever! Wearing blue jeans isn't exactly a milestone but its fun to see them in big kid clothes. ;-) They had a big play date with some of my friends and their little ones. Kelly, Lea, Kristy, Laura, Kristen, Liz and I all got together for pizza and watched the little ones run around and play. Okay, so the twins were held the entire time but it was fun to watch the 1+ year olds and get a pretty good idea of what the twins will be up to next fall. Jonah Hunt, Jameson Weber, Reagan Rudicil, and Cora Jackson are all adorable and were fun to watch.

We're already a few days into the twins 6th month and getting very excited for their first Halloween!! We're still a few weeks away but their costumes are all set for trick or treating!

5 months!! Almost as big as their puppy dogs!! 



 

 

Cameron quickly decided sitting up was for the birds. Flop - onto his tummy he goes!!

 

 

Mmmm..yummy puppy dog arm!

 

 

 Rader Farms! First pumpkin patch trip and wearing blue jeans!

 

 

Cameron's all warm and toasty in his puppy towel after a bath.

 

 

Lucy is a squeaky clean little ducky!

 

 

Hanging out in Cameron's crib watching the mobile!

 

 

They really started to pay attention to each other this month!

 

 

Play seat with LOTS of toys to look at :-)

 

 

Just rolling around!

 

 

Cute lil butts!!

 

 

Daddy and Lucy

Mommy and Cameron

 

A few more shots from the Rader Farm trip.