Wow has the last couple of months been a life changer to say the least. It has had its ups and downs, but I definitely would not change it for the world. Bannik and MiLynn are changing and growing so much every day, and I need to start documenting it better on paper rather than just pictures.
Both of the babies are beginning to roll over! Bannik more than MiLynn right now, but things change so much with them, and SOOO fast that by this afternoon, it could be the other way around. Bannik is so funny though. He's been trying to roll for about the past week, and then Wednesday, September 13, 2017 he finally got it. Bannik did his first roll!!!! Now he will be laying down and trying to roll from his back to his belly. He will fuss and fuss and fuss until he finally gets over and gets his arm out, and then lay for about a minute or two. And they it starts all over! He will start to fuss and fuss again, but now its because he doesn't want to be on his belly and can't roll back over to his back! Silly boy. He is getting so close though.
MiLynn does this arch thing, where she arches her back and puts her head back and then all of a sudden she's made it to her belly. She's only done this about twice at this point, but I know within about a week or so I will have two Rolly Pollies that I won't even be able to have lay still long enough to change their diapers!
Bannik is my snuggle boy and has been since day one. He loves to lay on my chest and it puts him right to sleep. I love this and I know its not going to last forever, so I choose to do it for just a little bit just about every day! He is also our social butterfly. This dude is the smiliest baby and its the cheesiest smile you've ever seen, gums and all! He's starting to laugh too, which is the cutest thing!!! The other night I had just given the babies a bath before bedtime, and Tyk and I were putting on their jammies. When we were done, Banny was so smiley so I started talking to him. He started talking back and then I grabbed his feet and put them towards his belly in a crunch position. I did this a couple of times, watching him smile. Next thing I knew, he was full belly laughing! It was the cutest thing! Tyk grabbed his phone and was able to get him laughing on video, so I'll post it below! Bannik also LOVES the bath! As soon as you put him in, he does this funny breathing thing like its taking his breath away. From there I put a warm washcloth on his belly and he starts kicking in the water like crazy! Last night when he was in the tube, he was kicking in the water so fast and hard that it splashed up into his face and he started coughing! He looked surprised for a split second, and then he gave me a huge smile and began to kick again. I bathe both of the babes together and they sit in their Angel care bath tubes. These are the ones with the holes in them. So I fill the bath up to about half way, put their baths in the tub and it allows them to sit elevated in the water. The babies are so funny together though. They sit facing one another and while they kick they TRY to kick each other. They will reach their legs out as long as they can to feel where the other is. And then as soon as they feel her/him, they just kick and kick at each other. I keep telling both of them that they will want to be an aunt and uncle one day so they have to be nice now and watch where they kick.
The two have really started noticing each other the past couple of weeks. Its almost like they notice the other and stare and stare at them in that one incident and then forget that they ever saw them the next time they notice again. I love it. I've told them from the beginning that they are not alone, and they always come in a pair, from the very beginning! One day they will realize this, and remember, but for now, I will keep reminding them! Especially when one is freaking out, and the other won't let me put him/her down. "You have to remember that there are TWO of you and only ONE of me." I say to them. I know they don't understand fully of course, but I tell them anyway.
MiLynn has been our sassy sister from the beginning. She's a scowly girl, but has really bloomed the last week or so. She would smile and talk a little bit before, but only right after she woke up. Now all she wants to do it talk and smile at you. Its been really fun to see her develop her sassiness into sweetness as well! She's found her hands more than Bannik, and they are always in her mouth. Which this leads to slobbering all over herself. That's okay though, its what babies do! I didn't realize though, that babies slobber before they are teething, so I ask their Pediatrician, Dr. Brown, about this at their last appointment. I said "they can't be teething yet right?" He replied and said "no, its just that they are 4 months old." MiLynn has also found her feet! They're not in her mouth yet, but I know they will be soon! She's developing her hand eye coordination the last couple of days and now she loves to grab things, like her bottle! The problem with this is that she has reflux and is on medication for it, so at times she can be a difficult eater. When she was really little you had to burp her every half ounce to and ounce that she ate, and then about three burps after she was done eating. So total she needed to burp about 5 times, and if you didn't get every single one of her burps out, she would projectile vomit her whole bottle. This was a great learning experience.... Once she got a little bit older, she began to cry every time she ate, while she was eating. This is just about the only time she would cry, and it would be in between her sucking on the bottle. It worsened and got to the point where she would eat a about and ounce, we would burp her, and she wouldn't take the bottle again so she wasn't eating much or gaining enough weight. So we hand to change things up. We learned that we couldn't take the bottle out of her month until she was either spitting it out with her tongue, or she had finished it all. This is when the doctor decided to put her on medication for reflux, thank goodness! We still feed her like that, because she still won't take it after its been taken out, but she's not crying anymore. This is why her handsiness is a problem when she grabs the bottle. She will use her hands to push the bottle out of her month and not on purpose. So I have to hold the bottle in the dip of my hand by my thumb and then extend my thumb and my fingers so she has something to grab onto. Most times it works, but sometimes we are still dealing with her pushing the bottle out.
Here's the thing with babies, you think that you've got it down to a science and you know how to do things with your baby. Then, they grow and develop and you're back at square one because what you figured out that worked before no longer works and you're experimenting with new tactics. Its a roller coast and an on going learning experience for you and your baby. Patience is a virtue they say... and parenting can't be done without it. You know that parenting manual that everyone talks about wishing they had, you are the parent are the manual, and you're writing it continuously as your baby is changing by the minute. What works for one baby is not going to work for the next. They are individuals and they need their own manuals. I have to remind myself of this on the daily.
Our babies have changed my world, flipped it upside down, and I absolutely love it. You fall into this parenting thing quick, and you have no idea what you're doing, but somehow you're doing it. As long as your kid is alive by the end of the day, you say your prays, count your blessings, and hope that you all survive the next day. Its the best and hardest thing I have ever experienced, and I'm so grateful that I get to experience it with them.
Thanks for reading,
Love,
Shandee
