That last month just flew by.  I wish I could freeze time and keep these girls as they are right now.  I know it I say it every month lately , but I just cannot imagine my girls becoming any more fun! This month brought on full mobility for both babies and they are just loving the freedom to roam around.  Honestly, I’m loving it too (although I thought I dreaded it).  Mobility brought with it a sweet contentedness and the joy of me being the one worth moving toward.
As you can imagine, getting both babies to stay put long enough for a photo is quite the adventure these days 🙂

Let me start in reverse birth order for a change.

Bronwyn Hope
Bronwyn, you are sitting in my lap right now and smacking the desk because you’re cutting your second bottom tooth in one week and just can’t manage to sleep.  Your bottom right poked through on Sunday and your bottom left is greeting us today. You’re really not too bad when teething, but the naps sure do become impossible!

Bronwyn, you are just so quirky! Your ‘crawl’ is a beautiful inch worm.  You start on all fours but then slide your left toes into the ground and plop your belly down.  You drag your lower body using the brute strength of your arms with a little push from those toes.  Your inch worm is actually almost as efficient as Aeralind’s full crawl minus the fact that it’s nearly impossible for you to go straight.  Yesterday you inched all around the Bouncing Babies room and stole toys from every toddler who would let you.

You also are really into meals at the moment.  If I don’t give you food fast enough you grunt and growl at me.  If your sister touches your bib, you will roar at her.  If the food on your tray doesn’t look as good as sisters, you’ll help yourself to her food.  Mealtimes are very rarely dull anymore!  You are my traditional sippy cup child, though unfortunately for mommy you haven’t figured out how to tip it back on your own yet.

I can’t get over how much you love making noises right now.  Not so much squealing like a pterodactyl anymore, but using objects to make noise. You’ll crawl on over to the entry way to smack the vinyl flooring.  You love that sound.  You also are content to shake rattles or bang toys together or on other objects as often as you can.  Noise and the fact that you can cause noise just fascinates you.

You are ticklish on your tummy and love when I do “Goosey Goosey Gander” It makes you so excited.  You are also ticklish under your chin though you pretend not to be.  You love being held and will snuggle right up to me if I pick you up.  You try to hold parsnips between your toes when you’re eating finger food. You pretend to suck your thumb, but really you are just chewing on it (sometimes while saying a very nasal “gulla gulla gulla”). Oh my sweet Bronwyn baby, I wish I could bottle you up as you are now and just enjoy you like this for months!

Aeralind Grace
If ever there was a child as persistent, independent, and hard headed as I am, you, dear Aeralind, are that child. I’ve been trying to teach you not to suck your thumb at the table.  When you finally understood that I wasn’t going to allow that no matter what. you looked at me with mischief in your eyes and stuck your other thumb in your mouth just to make sure I would be as consistent on that side!  Since you’ve awoken, I’ve had to haul you out from under the desk more times that I care to count.

I really don’t mind your persistent spirit.  I actually love watching you figure things out.  For the first two weeks of your 8th month, you were thisclose to crawling. Every day you would get on all fours and rock.  Then you’d lift one hand in the air. Then you’d lift one foot in the air.  Then you’d push forward and collapse in a heap of limbs. And you’d repeat those actions over and over every single waking moment (and lots of moments when you should have been sleeping, too).  Finally, on May 28th it all came together and you haven’t looked back.  Your independent spirit is so excited to have the blessing of mobility.

Within days of crawling you had also mastered the feat of sitting up from your tummy.  Now you’re trying to master crawling over large objects like your sister or me or wipes boxes or anything else in your path.  You also are pretty obsessed with putting your hands on something in front of you and rocking back and forth on your knees. Occasionally you’ll stick a foot under you too.  I’m pretty sure you’re going to pull up to stand before 11 months and I’m afraid you’ll be an early walker!