The boys are now 10 1/2 months old, 8 months adjusted for their prematurity. They are completely mobile. They sit, they crawl, they pull up on furniture, they 'cruise', walking along the furniture. They even stand for a moment by themselves, without assistance. At their 9 month checkup, Isaac was 18lb 8oz, a far cry from his birthweight of 2lb 15oz. Gabriel was 20lb 12oz!! They have also begun to get the 'pincer' grasp, picking up food (or whatever) with their thumb and forefinger. We give them sippy cups at one meal a day so they get used to using them. In only a couple weeks, they understand to hold the handles and tip the spout into their mouths. They are such big boys!!
Yesterday, while watching them both standing at the couch trying to grab something, I had the realization that they are not my little babies anymore. I mean, they are still babies, but they are more like little kids, not tiny newborns that need to be held and cuddled constantly. They each have their own personalities that are beginning to shine through. Isaac is mellow, like Steve, very easygoing. He is thoughtful about what he does and plays with, you can see the wheels turning as he goes from one toy to another, deciding which one to play with. Gabriel is just like me. Strong, willful, assertive, wants what he wants when he wants it, and if he doesn't get it, he throws a temper tantrum. He has this high pitched shrill scream that he unleashes every time you take something away from him. Since his reach seems to get longer by the day, and he's a magnet to things he's not supposed to touch, we hear that scream quite a bit. He loves cell phones, the computer, and remote controls. Isaac for some reason loves paper, plastic, anything that crinkles and makes noise. His favorite is the disposable dealie of baby wipes. He's dextrous enough to open the package and pull the wipes out - which he then eats, of course.
Today, I ended up playing the most amazing game with them. Isaac loves to shake his head in the "no" motion, I guess he just likes the feel of it, or the way it makes us smile. So today Gabe was in my lap, and Isaac was standing up next to me, with my arm around him. He shook his head, and I laughed and shook mine the same way. The boys loved it! They laughed and laughed. So I kept at it, Isaac would shake, then I would shake, and they would laugh. Even when Isaac got distracted by something (Mama's glasses are so shiny!), I'd say "Isaac look at mama!" and shake my head, and he laughed, and knew to shake his afterward. It was like we were communicating - he understood what I wanted him to do, and he did it. So awesome.
The time is coming...this time last year, I was still blissfully ignorant that my body was failing me and that my babies would soon be born. September 10th was the day I was put on bedrest. But oddly, instead of being overly emotional (which is what I predicted), I'm really excited. Last year was hard, but this year, I have my beautiful boys with me! We can do autumnal things, pick pumpkins, bake pies, take walks in the brisk air, as the leaves change color. I cannot believe my boys are almost 1. They've been out now far longer than they were ever in. It's amazing how far they have come, even the pediatrician can hardly believe that they were as premature as they were.
I promise to update more often, more pictures, and more videos. Such big boys!
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