"Helga"
"Little Bird'
Well, it's hard to believe that these girls are already 8 months old. Many of the moms with which we have been spending "mommy group" and/or "play group" time are starting to plan their kid's first birthday party. Wow! I'm not ready yet - still have plenty of time, but it sure makes me realize that it's just around the corner.
In the meantime, we'll focus on what the girls are doing by the beginning of their 8th month. They both have reached the following benchmarks which are indicative of things kids can do at the end of the 7th and beginning of the 8th month:
- Razz (or motorboat sound) when being silly and coo, babble and laugh when happy
- Smile often when interacting with people
- Sit up without support and can even stand up without assistance (but certainly with a spotter)
- They object if you try to take away a toy (or the bottle) and look for it if they drop it
- Work to get an object that's out of their reach and can pick it up
- Play peek-a-boo (and they love it!)
- Pass toys from one hand to the next
- Tina can say "mama" indiscriminately and feed herself a cracker. She's also very interested in feeding herself and usually makes a mess of eating time by sneak-attacking the spoon or food dish. Mom has to become more alert!
- They are eating 3-meals a day now and continue to add new foods every 4-days or so, although neither have signs of teeth (other than unexplained fussiness!).
Tina has really started developing separation anxiety and demands my attention or piercing shrieking will ensue. She's also jealous of any attention her sister gets. If I choose to feed Ava first, Bettina will literally throw a shrieking hissy-fit. This surprised Dad as he witnessed it during our drive up to Tahoe.
New Nicknames:
Bettina is now known as "Helga" for her sheer stoutness, size and clumsy determination. We are terrified of her "Terrible Twos" a year and half in advance.
Ava has taken the mannerisms and name of "Little Bird," showing nearly all the opposite attributes as her twin sister plus a funny habit of flapping her arms around nearly all the time.
Stats:
Tina is 18 lbs now - almost a full pound more than last week!
Ava is 17.4 lbs
It's getting hard to carry them in their infant carseats now, they're so big!
