8 & 29

This kids are 8 months and almost 29 months! How crazy! I have started telling people that Ryan is 2 and a half already (he will be in a month!). And Rachel - 8 months! How crazy is that?!!?!
So here they are:
Rachel at 8 months
It seems that the best way to get Rachel to start doing a new skill is to complain about it on the blog! Right after I posted last month she started rolling! And rolling, rolling, rolling! She manages to get stuck behind her bedroom door and she tries to get under her crib all the time - silly girl! Earlier this week I left her in the middle of her room and took a shower. I got out and she was cooing away but sounded really close. I thought she had just rolled to the heat vent (which is connected to the one in the bathroom) and that was why she sounded so close. NOPE! She was right outside the door! Time to gate the stairs again...
Rachel attempts to sit and as of last night she is able to spend a few seconds unassisted and then she topples over. I think another week or so.

*scratch that* I wrote this on 2/23 and by 2.26 she was able to sit all be herself! Of course, Ryan now likes to play "baby bowling" and see how easily he can knock her down

She is following Ryan's patterns of development (a few months behind, but the time between new skills is eerily similar). She is really vocal but no distingishable sound yet. She needs to get her hearing checked next month because of the horrible antibiotics she received in the NICU, but I think she is alright, just a slow talker (which is fine given that Ryan never shuts up!). Dadada was her string of choice but now she is on to bababa. And still with the Ah-ooOO when she wants attention (and the slamming her legs onto the floor, crib mattress, whatever surface she happens to be laying on).
Food
Rachel eats a full jar of baby food 3 times a day. I feel kind of bad - I made most of Ryan's baby food, but I can't seem to find the time to do the same for Rachel. Second child syndrome I guess!
She seems to like everything we give her but sweet potatoes are the favorite by far! I was giving her fruit puffs and she got the concept of hand to mouth but has a really hard time actually getting one in! I opened the sweet potato ones and then she figured it out! She noshes on those and cheerios while we are eating dinner. She gets a sippy of water but isn't really very interested in it yet. I have also started giving her pieces of what we are eating and she really chews them! It's very cute to see this little toothless angel chewing away on pasta, bread, veggies, fruit.

She is still nursing, but again showing little interest in it (except first thing in the morning - she is like a boob junkie when she wakes up). I am still pumping twice a day and plan on doing so for another month and then dropping one session. I seem to be getting less and less milk, but then I noticed that when I send her to the sitter with two 6 ounce bottles, 2-3 ounces come back home. So I have just been sending her what I have pumped and that seems to be working okay. She no longer wants to nurse when I get home from work (which is nice because I can eat dinner in peace) but she is insistent on a bedtime nursing whereas before she was willing to skip that one. I don't mind, I am letting her lead the way... I think she will be self-weaned by her birthday or soon after though.
She's a cutie for sure, but so BALD! By 8 months Ryan had 2 real haircuts! Doesn't that just figure - the boy has a full head of hair and eyelashes I covet! Rachel's eyes have turned decidely green - just like her mommy! She still looks a lot like Rob though! Actually she looks like his sister in her baby pictures! Too funny!

Ryan

Ryan is 29 months old. Another month and I can start calling him two and a half! He is, in short, a genius! His verbal skills are superior, his motor skills rock, and most importantly he is a very creative thinker. He is a story teller through and through (occasionally I'll have to check with the sitter to see if it is a story or the truth) and has very specific ideas about how things should be. He is getting somewhat easier to discipline as he is able to understand the consequences to his actions (sometimes) and last weekend was told that he needed to nap in order to go to Papas. When he not only didn't nap but trashed his room instead, we called papa and cancelled our visit. Ryan sobbed for almost an hour afterwards. Broke my heart but it had to be done!

Mostly for this month I want to remember Ryan's words:

"bunglebees" - Bumblebees

"pot-tohns" popcorn

"locodile" - crocodile

"lavaololis" - ravioli

"puddun" pudding (with "team" - whipped cream)

He calls Rachel "achel", "baby duhl" "guhl"

"wafwafs" - waffles

"slevin" - seven

I am sure there are more but these are the funniest ones

When I tell him Daddy is at work he just sighs and says "making the meatball sauce".

We are going to Rhode Island for my FIL retirement in May and Ryan loves to talk about our upcoming trip:

"going to see Papa on the big boat, going in a simmin pool, gonna see mickey mouse, and donald mouse..." Not sure if he thinks we are going to Orlando after R.I. but won't he be sad to learn we are not. I did also tell him we are going to the aquarium and that they have fish so he has added "gonna see dolphins and sharks!" Hmmm, maybe I had better check it all out and let him know exactly what we will see!

Size wise Ryan is a peanut! Maybe a little taller, still around 25 pounds (he was 26 with his snow boots on). Wearing all 2T tops and 18-24 month pants. He is doing good on the potty so he is wearing pull ups now. He likes to pee standing up, but doesn't understand the difference between peeing and pooping and gets them confused all the time (and yes he has pooped on the floor because of this!)