Satterlee Family Adventures: Five months!

Another month has flown by, and this one brought many changes with it. Too start off, I went back to work and our live-in nanny Mary started at the first of this past month. Even she remarked yesterday that the babies have changed so much since she got here. When she arrived, they weren't really holding onto things--now they are reaching out and grabbing things like pros. Not even a month ago, for the first time Jackson shakily reached out and grabbed a rattle when we held it out in front of him. This morning, the rattle was laying on the blanket beside him--he saw it, reached right over, grabbed onto it and brought it to his mouth. The babies' hand eye coordination gets better every day, and they are increasingly able to control their hands. Addison used to have to stick her whole hand in her mouth to get her thumb in there--this morning, she guided her thumb directly into her mouth like it was nothing. Both babies have started rubbing their eyes with their fists when they are tired, and when they are being carried around, both are very alert and intently turn their heads from side to side to see what's going on all around them.

Boy do we have vocal babies! Jackson's new favorite thing is blowing motorboats. He does it all of the time, and spits everywhere when he does. For a while, he was constantly growling like a little lion--so cute! Addison has been expanding her lungs--in the past couple of weeks, she has started squealing. She'll take her squeals high and low--she's not mad when she's yelling, but she clearly has something to say. It is hilarious and adorable.

Lately, Addison has been needing a little bit more attention and a few more cuddles than usual, and has been wanting to eat more than her standard 4-ounce bottles during the day--I think she's going through a little growth spurt (to confirm this, I put her in a sleeper last night that I swore fit a few days ago, and now it's too small--these guys sprout overnight!). She has also started doing this gummy-mouthy thing, where she looks like an old granny who has taken her dentures out--she sucks on her gums, she gums her lips--it is hysterical!

By the way, I just love these guys in their Bumbo seats--they are too cute sitting up all by themselves!

In the past couple of weeks, Addison has really been sleeping like a pro--we have baths and our last feeding around 8, then the babies go to sleep. Most nights, Addison sleeps soundly until 3ish, then wakes up to eat, then falls back asleep until morning. Jackson, on the other hand, has been having a harder time staying asleep. Things were getting desperate--we were sleeping more nights on the couch so he could sleep in the swing than I'd like to admit--then, all of a sudden three nights ago, something clicked and he was able to spend most of the night in his crib. We've had a little bit of swing-sleeping since then, but nothing like the all-night-swing-fests we were having before. All in all, these guys are doing a great job sleeping. And bathtime is still so much fun--we end up with water everywhere, these guys love to splash!

The babies are both very active--they spend a lot of their time kicking their legs, waving their arms, and rolling around. When they are on their tummies, they can both hold their heads way up and look around. They love to play with small toys. Lately, they prefer to spend their time sitting up and standing up, as opposed to laying down--the Bumbo seats come in handy with this, because you can only help one baby sit or stand at a time. Both babies are good eaters, although Jackson is on an independent streak where he has decided he doesn't want to eat his entire breakfast at one time--he'd rather eat a little bit, then play and giggle and wiggle and eat the rest of his breakfast an hour later. While this makes for a more complicated morning schedule, it's cute to see his personality exhibit itself in these small ways. Both babies are growing--Addison hardly has a 0-3 month outfit that will fit any more, and Jackson will soon be moving out of his 3-6 month clothes. Addison just went up a diaper size and is now wearing a size 2, and Jackson has moved into a size 2-3.

The babies are really going to be ready for some real food next month. Both have really started expressing a lot of interested in food--they watch us intently as we eat, and often try to get their little fingers around something that is on one of our plates. They will be so ready to try real food out next month. Both have started wanting to hold their own bottles--they don't quite have it down yet, but it won't be long before they will be doing that on their own. Both babies have also recently discovered their toes. Addison has begun grabbing onto her toes as she rolls around on the floor, and Jackson actually tried to get them in his mouth from a seated position--a tricky proposition at best!