9 Months

It was a super, special September of 2010 with our sweet twins...

The boys had their first doctor's visit since their 6 month appointment. We were so excited to get updated weights and heights. Without further delay...

Jackson weighed in at 18 lbs 3 ounces and was 27 inches
Connor weighted in at 20 lbs 2 ounces and was 29 inches

Their doctor was pleased with how they were progressing and was able to admire first hand how much Jackson had to offer in terms of maneuvering and remarked at how "solid" that Connor was when he picked him up.

Eating updates:

Besides the foods that the babies had already tried, we have continued to take advantage of some of the local farmers markets to get the boys fresh produce like peaches and pears. Also, we really enjoy getting them out in the mornings for the experience. The boys are still having around 30 ounces per day but feeding has been difficult at times. They are starting to sleep later and later, well Jackson is starting to join Connor and trying to give them a couple of bottles in a couple of hours isn't really working. So, this is a work in progress.

Sleeping updates:

There haven't been many changes other than Connor getting better adjusted to having to take a nap. Still napping in the morning and afternoon. The morning nap is getting shorter in time but it is still something.

General updates:

The most important thing in September was our 1st family trip and the boys 1st drive over state lines into Delaware. Other than the trip to Rehoboth, we had a relatively quiet month for us. The boys returned from the trip, as did I, with a slight cold that took awhile to go away. Jackson spent a lot of the month with a runny nose that almost refused to go away despite giving him some Tylenol and using the humidifier on a daily basis. His 2nd tooth arrived and we can now say that he has teeth but it was very sad to watch him with what either appeared to be a consistent cold and/or teething.

The boys are still in 9 month clothes and we had to take Jackson back to a size 2 diaper. There were a lot of "instances" with poop up the back for both boys that led to a lot of frustration and laundry to process. Neither boy wants to sit for diaper changes so we have started to place toys that they like in easy places that we can reach when we know that there is a diaper change in the near future. We didn't switch the size and diaper brand until later in the month but started to notice a difference almost immediately.

Despite a cold for what appeared to be the entire month of September, Jackson's bundle of energy never slowed down. He spent a lot of time crawling and standing and has added furniture surfing to his repertoire. The walker is probably his favorite thing as it feeds off of his desire to get around. His creativity is endless and just amazes most who see him. On one night, he had crawled into the Bumbo and grabbed on to the frame of the walker. He looked liked something out of Gladiator as if he was getting ready to whip his horse/walker to move on. It was so funny that we couldn't stop laughing.

Connor has continued to perfect his sitting and wants to stand whenever possible. This, of course, is difficult because he doesn't realize that he actually needs to hold on to something to make this happen. He appears to be looking at Jackson and under the assumption that standing and maneuvering should happen immediately. When Connor falls down in one of these situations, he appears to be more devastated than hurt. He has also started to flop around like a fish out of water. Everyone around him is encouraging him to crawl but we know that he is in charge.

The initial optimistic words from last month with regard to Jackson caring for Connor have almost disappeared.  Jackson still notices Connor but for a different reason -- to take whatever he has. With Connor sitting up and getting around a little more, Jackson has started to realize that he can't really push him around as much. His new way of dealing with the better coordinated Connor is to smile in his direction and rub his arm in an attempt to distract him to remove the toy that Connor has. It doesn't matter if he has a similar toy, he wants what he doesn't have and for Connor to be left with nothing. We are working on sharing and continuously give toys back to Connor and encourage Jackson to play with other items like his walker but inevitably, it comes down to the same rattle or block.

Looking forward to an "outstanding" October...

Jackson has his 2nd tooth; still waiting for Connor

You can see the 1st tooth in one of the pictures of Jackson at the beach. The second on is to the right of the 1st if you are looking at his face. Connor is going through all of the symptoms of teething again and we can only hope that he has one for all of his crankiness and reluctance to taking the bottle.

Aunt Gina and Uncle Tony have been married for 25 years

And, to celebrate, Andrew and Kim hosted a surprise party for them. Despite having to lie to Gina multiple times as she was very suspicious, it was well worth the look on their faces when they realized how important that they were to so many people that showed up to celebrate. Congratulations on making it to 25 and hopefully 25 more plus some.

let's just call him the Cord Hunter!!

Jackson appears to be on a mission to find any and all cords recently. He wants to reach out and touch every one that he can get his hands on. It seems as though he is starting to push the envelope with his curious behavior and has been a lot to handle recently BUT we are working on accepting our little drama king and his fascination with electronics. The outlet covers have already made an appearance and we are working on finding new homes for items that have a cord, including the lap top.

move over Flacco and Sanchez, the World's Cutest QB plays at "our" house

We were all ready for the 1st Ravens game of the season. We took a picture of Jackson but his football romper had the Jets' green and we didn't want to display the other team's colors. But, Connor is soo cute that we couldn't resist.

A flashback to their first game ever on January 3, 2010....

their little seats and working on sippy cups

Connor watching the T.V. I think that it was Sports Center. Starting him early..



I had spotted these "little seats" online and thought that it would be a great alternative to eating out with the boys. They have worked well and it makes them feel as though they are part of the group. Plus, they actually fold down and fit back into their matching fabric bags. These pics are from our dinner at the Summerhouse Salon in Rehoboth. Usually, it is the boys that attract attention but this time it was their seats. From the hostesses (who were almost in shock when we indicated that they boys didn't need a highchair) to the servers and other people eating in the restaurant, there were lots of questions and attention, as usual.

The boys have been given a sippy cup to introduce the idea of drinking out of something other than a bottle. Both realized that they needed to pick it up with both hands and figured that they could get something out of it or use it for a teether. Hopefully, this will help during our transition to no bottles (sigh, they are getting too big too fast!!).

now, wherever they go, they will ALWAYS know their names

Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.



Who doesn't love that little bar in Boston.. and one of the best t.v. theme songs ever made. Boston is one of our favorite cities and you can not visit the city without going to the Bull and Finch Pub.

Both Jackson and Connor in the past couple of weeks have started to show signs that they know their names. Along with knowing his name, Jackson will often stop doing things when you tell him no and follow small instructions like sit down or meet me at the door or come over here.

introducing.....Ms. Sophie

We have had her for a month and she has created some fights and unfortunately is on back-order so we can't get another but she is a very welcome addition to our house. She is very popular with the celebrity babies and regardless of the latest fad in tinsel town, she is VERY VERY helpful with teething.

Finally...Connor is moving, backwards but we'll take it!!!

This really can't be caught on camera and we can't do videos but Connor has started to show off his ability to get around after admiring Jackson for the past couple of weeks. It started at the beach with using the Boppy as a way to get around by rolling over top of it and pushing away from it. This progressed to getting up on his hands and moving backwards and he has added spinning around in circles and has moved on to connecting multiple rolls to get where he wants. We have started to question who it is when we realize how well he can "maneuver". He has gotten very good at it and is working on getting up and going forward. It still hasn't helped him get the toys he wants from Jackson BUT we'll keep everyone posted on his efforts.

This is a picture of Connor enjoying his other favorite pastime - napping. It was taken after some fun in the pool during our trip to Rehoboth. I couldn't help but share.

Rehoboth Beach Vacation

We had planned for our first family vacation around Labor Day and loaded up the Acura to start our week long trip to Rehoboth. Both Michael and I had chatted with the boys about going to the beach and Baby Neptune gave them a good idea of what fun that they could have in the water. Tony and Gina joined us for the majority of the week. We only made it to the beach one day for a couple of hours to taste the salt water and dip the boys toes in the sand. Regardless, we had lots of fun in the sun, enjoyed the pool, shopped and ate good food. Despite probably needing a vacation after we returned from ours and Michael often reciting that "the boys are a lot of work," we are looking forward to our next family vacation!!!

that green thing plays our new favorite, DMB! sorry Bob-it was good while it lasted

Connor is so proud that the ipod player is on his crib. He just beams with delight when we talk about it!! We had to move it off the floor once Jackson became so quick with his crawling and realized that it was probably safest on Connor's crib due to Jackson's affection for cords.

We had a little situation, with peaches, that is

Connor appears to have some anger management issues or just prefers to not be stepped on, pushed on, touched all over and used as a step stool by his brother and have his toy taken away. This afternoon, there was a lot of mommy asking Jackson to leave Connor alone and Jackson could not oblige. I started to feed the boys peaches and Connor was squealing with delight and DID NOT want to share with Jackson. He was grunting at me if I motioned the spoon to Jackson. He was very ADAMANT that the peaches were his. Connor generally lights up when Jackson glances in his direction and after the peaches were done, they were having a Stare Off. Jackson knew that something was definitely going on when Connor wouldn't even open his mouth for a grin when he tried to catch his attention with a smile. The first of many fights that they will have, for sure.

walk this way...

While on vacation, Jackson was able to get a lot of use out of his new walker as there was a long hallway that went the length of the place that we were renting. Prior to vacation and on the first couple of days in Rehoboth, he would fall down after the walker would get too far in front of him. He figured things out so quickly and would walk to the front door with a little "steering" assistance and waited for someone to help him turn around and start the process over and over and over...again!