No new pictures today, sorry. Not much new at all, really. Katie is sitting up well without any support at all. Jimmy can manage it in the Boppy pillow, but just isn't very interested. Katie gets up on her hands and knees all the time now, but still hasn't figured out how to move. It frustrates her terribly, we're hoping she will figure it out soon.

I am amazed at how happy these babies are most of the time. Something as simple as a favorite toy or a funny face from Mommy or Daddy elicits shrieks of laughter. They do get fussy (that's such a nice sounding word for it) when they're hungry, tired, or when they finally get bored with the toys within reach, but those things are all pretty easy to fix. The teething pain is a little more of a problem, especially for Jimmy, but as long as we don't run out of Tylenol we should be OK.

A New Point of View

They just got up from their naps, and I sat both of them in the Boppy pillows and gave them each a toy. To my surprise, they both stayed upright long enough for me to get out the camera and take a few pictures, and then some!

They've been working on this for a little while now, and they seem to have finally caught on. Katie's been quicker about it than Jimmy, he still needs to hold himself up with his hands more than she does.

They seem to really enjoy their new view of the world from this angle, but before long they both flopped over and go after toys and toes.

7 Months!

Seven months old today! Wow!

This picture was just before their baths the other night. They were both very happy to be free of clothing and diapers, if only for a few minutes.

Still no crawling yet, but they are getting better and better at rolling both ways and using that to get closer to the next toy they want to play with. Katie can sit up on her own (with hands on her knees or on the floor) for brief periods, longer if she's got the Boppy pillow around her for extra support. Her downfall is her toes -- she gets interested in them and flops over forward or sideways to put them in her mouth. Jimmy is catching on to the whole sitting thing, but seems not to quite understand what he's supposed to be doing in that position. He's just as happy lying on his back or his tummy, especially if he has a toy that makes noise!

Katie is still not very interested in baby food, with the occasional exception of one particular banana, applesauce, and pear mixture, but she loves Kix cereal, Gerber puffs, and cookies -- anything she can sink her gums into. Jimmy continues to eat anything and everything we put in his mouth. They're both getting better at holding their own bottles, and are beginning to get the hang of a sippy cup (the one with the handles, at least).

They had a doctor visit on Friday for their second flu shots, where they weighed in at 17 lbs. 13oz. (James) and 15 lbs. 13 oz. (Kathryn). We have started to shop for larger (convertible) car seats, as Jimmy is almost too tall for the infant seat.

Happy New Year!

We had a great Christmas and 2008 is off to a wonderful start. James and Kathryn continue to surpass everyone's expectations in their growth and development. At their 6-month checkup, they were both at the 25th percentile for weight, and they don't seem to be delayed at all in their developmental milestones. This is awesome for twins born two full months early!

Last month we started on solid foods, and that has been going very well, if a bit messily. Whose idea was it to have them learn to eat baby food and blow raspberries all at the same time? James loves to eat just about anything we put in his mouth, though his favorites seem to be pureed fruits and vegetables, especially bananas. Kathryn is not as interested in the purees, but loves anything she can chew on, especially teething cookies.

Speaking of teething, we are awaiting the appearance of their first teeth. They've been working on them for a little while now, and fortunately it's easy to wipe up the drool from the play mat on the floor. We're also about ready to buy stock in the Tylenol company, that stuff has been a lifesaver.

They have both mastered rolling over from their backs to their tummies, and they will play happily on their tummies for quite a while. James has just figured out how to get his knees underneath him and flip back over, and they're both trying very hard to crawl. I expect any day now to turn around and find one or both of them clear across the room.

We got lots of great toys and clothes for Christmas, just in time because they are rapidly outgrowing the "3-to-6 month" size. They do seem to enjoy having different toys to play with, so we keep a lot of them in their toy box and bring out a different assortment every week or so. They each have a few favorites that make their faces light up, and they're starting to reach for specific toys when they want something different to play with. It's amazing to watch the changes as their little brains continue to develop.

Lots of new pictures in the Month 6 and Month 7 albums. More updates soon, I promise.