8 months young.

I never did an 8 month post because, well, month 8 has given us a whole new set of challenges. Our little monthly photoshoots have become nearly impossible. If I turn away even for a few minutes, somebody’s pulling things off the shelves or stuck under a chair or kicking her sister in the face. They also somehow manage to roll on top of each other quite often, all while having a screaming match to get my attention. Feeding is also different, nowadays. The times of calmly laying in their boppys on the couch and quietly sipping their milk are long gone. Norah made it her life’s mission to launch her bottle through the air with the force of a thousand men, then tumble her way down the couch to retrieve it. Nadia would flop like a fish out of water until her bottle would be lodged underneath her as milk seeped into the cushions below. So now, we eat on the floor. Diaper changing is different, too. Changing Nadia really needs to be a two person job. The second she hears the straps of a diaper coming off, she takes it as her cue to dig her hands straight down into the soiled area (which is often filled with poo). I end up having to hog tie her hands and kicking feet to attempt to get her clean. Norah likes to try to roll off of the changing table the second you reach for the diapers or attempt an impressive backwards summersault escape...whatever she can do to be anywhere but where she’s supposed to be. Norah has also learned to crawl. I guess it isn’t really crawling, but more like a full dance routine of balancing in all fours, rocking back and forth, doing the worm, and face planting into the floor. Whatever it is that she’s doing, she moves fast. That child can get from one side of the room to the other in the blink of an eye. Nadia isn’t interested in crawling. She’s a brilliant, feisty little bugger who knows what she wants in life... which, right now, is to lay flat and play with minimal effort. She gets around just fine though, rolling over the floor at very impressive speeds. Both babies love food and making messes as they eat it. They enjoy baths, bouncing, drives, walks, and laughing at their puppy dogs. They still like story time when they feel up to being still long enough to get through a book. A new level of sleep deprivation and desperation have brought us to try the “cry it out” method with Nadia at 3am every morning, which has been a tragedy in itself. No sense can be made as to how something that loud and frightening could come out of her tiny vocal cords...but she manages to shake the entire house with the vibrations of her piercing screams. Sleep training is hard. We’ll get there eventually. With all these tough changes there are good ones as well. Their hair is growing in thick, further defining their perfect little features. Their eyelashes are coming in to frame their big,round eyes. They’re growing stronger, and they’re healthy and happy...which is more than a mother could ever want for her children. They laugh more often, smile more often, and look at me like I’m the most beautiful person in the world. Happy 8 (and a half) months, little ones.