KimballÂ
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/The kids had their 6-month appointment last week, and apparently Kimball is fat.  He is at 50% percentile for weight for a six-month old and 10% for height, which I guess technically qualifies him as obese (the doctor’s word, not ours).  He is 25 inches tall and weighs 17 lbs 3 ounces. We’re thrilled that he is on the normal baby charts! They have all been on higher calorie formula since birth, and the doctor wants us to water his down a little so it’s the normal caloric density. I haven’t done it yet. What if he’s about to have a length growth spurt and is storing up a little fat for that? We have to go back in for a weight check in a few weeks. Considering 6 months ago he weighed 2 pounds 12 ounces, we are thrilled with his size. Besides, babies don’t know how to overeat. They just take what they need.
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/Kimball is finding new make out partners besides himself. He has moved on to the attachments on the exersaucer and jumpers. By the time they outgrow them, there just might not be any attachments left.
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/SawyerÂ
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/Sawyer also is now on the “normal” kid charts, at 20% percentile for weight and 10% for height. Â He weighs in 15 lbs 4 ounces and is also 25 inches tall. Sawyer’s harem continues to grow. He is a shameless flirt. He works those shoulders and bats his long, thick eyelashes and coos and giggles. All the women think they’re his only one, but I make sure they understand there is no commitment. He loves them right now, in this moment, but as soon as they are out of sight, he is on to woo another. He even flirts with more than one at a time, and in front of his current ladies. He’s so cute they don’t even care. Sawyer is currently the quieter of the the three. That always changes, but for right now, he is the quietest. Maybe I should say calmest. He is still very observant and looks at and studies things constantly. His new source of exploratory delight is faces. He loves to look at and touch and feel faces. He’ll feel every part of your face and smile and coo and giggle. It’s really cute, except when he has been sucking on his hands and he’s covering your face in saliva. He’s still not sure what he thinks of Adam’s stubble. He still takes his time with his bottle, which we don’t appreciate when there are two more hungry babies to feed, but it will probably serve him well in the long run. He might be the food lover, like I am, and he is just enjoying his meal. He can suck it down when he wants to, he just doesn’t usually want to.
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/BrinleeÂ
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/Alas, Brinlee still is not on the charts.  She weighed in at 13 lbs 11 ounces and 23.5 inches.  She has consistently gained weight, but just not at the same rate as the boys. She is very petite, but very strong. She does pull ups if you hold her by her hands. Do we have a gymnast? No, we have a dancer, of course. Actually, Brinlee did her first full dance routine to “Stayin Alive” by the Beegees. It was simple but impressive. Her audience at Johnny Rockets enjoyed it. She also loves to dance to Fergie’s “Glamorous”. Her dad choreographed that routine. I was responsibile for the other. She laughs and laughs while she dances. She also has a really strong grip. I’ll hold her football style to carry her down the stairs, and she holds on so tightly with her hands and legs that I don’t have to do much at all. She’s just like one of those baby monkeys that hold on to their mothers’ chests. I’m trying to train her to do that so I can hold her and still have the use of both my hands. Brinlee makes lots of noises, but her favorite is sort of a gutteral growl. It’s really very cute, but maybe it’s supposed to be intimidating, so don’t tell her we think that it’s cute. She loves to kick like crazy when she lies on her back, and actually gets quite worked up and breathing pretty hard. Maybe that’s why she’s still so tiny, she’s burning all her calories. She’s hardly emaciated (as you’ll see from the pictures), just tiny. The one thing guaranteed to make Brinlee laugh is the Z sound. Adam discovered this. She thinks it’s hilarious when he calls her Brinzzzzzzzlee, or says any Z noise.
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/The kids did not react well to their shots this time. They all had fevers for 2 days and were pretty cranky. It was obvious they didn’t feel well. Tylenol helped some.Â
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/Our kids are all screamers now. They just love the sound of their own voices. They are happy screams (usually), but it is a little taxing on the nerves. They can all also sit up on their own. They don’t sit all the way up right. They lean forward, but they can sit that way unsupported. The doctor was quite impressed. They also love to stand. If you offer tem you fingers, they immediately pull up to a standing position.
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/All three of them are starting to respond to their names. Kimball for sure knows his name. He always looks up when we say it. Brinlee and Sawyer are starting to respond more and more when we say their names. They are also starting to reach up for us to pick them up. If they are upright in the exersaucer they will lift their arms so we can pick them up, and if they are lying flat, they arch their backs so you can get them.
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/Last Saturday the kids experienced their first solid food, rice cereal. So delicious. I thought Kimball would be the one to just yum it up, but Sawyer was positively giddy with delight at every bite. He could hardly contain himself. He laughed and giggled and yummed the whole time. Brinlee was pretty luke warm about it, but did a good job. Kimball was the least interested. He had not had good naps that day and was starving when we started the cereal, so his patience level was minimal. He wanted his belly filled NOW. After a few bites we went ahead and just gave him his bottle. He has done well with the feedings since, but it is not a sinful delight for him the way it is for Sawyer. So far it’s just been cereal, but we will be adding some veggies in the next day or two. They manage to cover themselves head to toe with it. My laundry is about to triple.
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/Everyone loves their hands now. We were visiting with some people and Sawyer was slowly licking his fingers like they were a chocolate pudding pop, up one side and down the other. The person holding him yanked his hands out of his mouth and said, “Oh yucky, don’t eat those! Those are nasty!” You should have seen the hurt and surprised look on his face. His little paws aren’t yucky or nasty. They’re delicious! They’re so delicious he tries to share with others, after he samples them first, of course. Lucky us.
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/Along with solids we have also tried sippy cups. On their first try they took all the milk in it, which was only an ounce each, but they did it. If they are cranky or super hungry, they won’t even fool with it, but if they are pretty content, they go along with it.
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/We had our first out-of-diaper poopy experience. Yet another milestone I could have done without. Definitely not my favorite thing to find. It just made me glad we don’t use cloth diapers. I would hate to have to do that clean up a few times a day. Sawyer is really on a roll in the diaper department. Last Sunday I was changing him to leave for church, and I had his and Kimball’s clothes on the changing table. The moment I opened his diaper, he peed all over both their outfits. We had to leave in ten minutes! I scrambled and found two more outfits. He laughed and laughed. I was less impressed.
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/All three kids are now napping in separate rooms. Sawyer is a light sleeper, so whenever one of the other two woke up, even if they were just jabbering, it woke him up. Since he was still so tired, he would cry. The two of them together would wake the third, and I would have a three-baby riot on my hands, not to mention 3 cranky babies the rest of the day. Sawyer was sequestered first. This week I’ve also separated Kimball because he has developed the habit of waking up 45 minutes into his nap and whining. He goes back to sleep with a little help, but not before waking Brinlee, who is not ready to get up. Being the girl, Brinlee got to keep the bedroom. Kimball is in our room in a packnplay and Sawyer is in the guest room. Let me just add that our kids have never slept in our room before. This is a naptime only situation and because I’m out of quiet places to put babies. Our bedroom is the no baby zone.
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/They also take turns waking up early and waking the others. It’s usually around 6. Kimball is the most frequent offender, followed by Sawyer, then Brinlee. They will just wake up and talk (or squeal, scream and shriek, in Kimball’s case). Again, it’s not like they’re upset or something. You can’t soothe a happy child. And they’ve been asleep for 11 hours, so the chances of getting them back to sleep are slim. One of the boys is usually second to wake. Brinlee never did this until a couple of days ago. I swear, they take turns on purpose. “Seriously guys, one of you has to take over. I’ve been on early wake up duty for a few days now. I’m tired. Who’s turn is it?” On one hand, it’s extremely annoying because it keeps us awake listening to it in the monitor. On the other, how much can we complain when they are sleeping 11-12 hours a night? One nice thing is they always wake up happy. We go in and get them and they are grinning up a storm, or they start grinning the moment they hear our voices or see us.Â
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/The thing I am really trying to cherish is the way they look at Adam and I (and only Adam and I) with total, utter adoration. We are the center of their universe and their absolute favorite everything. They think we are the best comedy act around. That will change someday when they figure out that we are not cool (even though we are), we don’t know everything, we’re not funny (we are DEFINITELY funny) and that we are, in fact, simply human. Until then (and I hope it doesn’t happen too soon), I will soak up every moment! My heart feels like it will burst when they look at me that way.
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/Speaking of how funny they think we are, I am constantly amazed at the foolish lengths I go to to make them laugh. Their laughter is addictive. We were at Johnny Rockets and I was making a total fool of myself making them laugh. The people in the mall could only see this crazy lady through the window, not my audience. I was singing and dancing and being thoroughly entertaining to the kids and the pedestrians.
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/Finally, more pictures for you. And, I have it on good authority that the pictures from our trip are in the mail, so I will post those soon.
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/Kimball’s new make out partner of the moment
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/Brinlee kept hamming for the camera with her hand behind her head. Very 40s glam.
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/Kimball at 6.5 months
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/That’s Kimball’s intense face. He usually makes that face when he’s doing his River Dance.
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/What a happy group!
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/I think we’ve seen this roundhouse kick to the belly before.
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/This was the first attack, six months ago.
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/Sawyer at 6.5 months
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/Brinlee at 6.5 monthsÂ
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/Daddy’s tender touch. He’s got such a way with them….. :)Â
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/All three lined up for some lunch.Â
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/Brinlee is taking it slowly.Â
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/Kimball is not sure what he thinks of this, but Sawyer looks ready to take the bite for him. “Are you gonna eat that?”
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/Sawyer gets his first tastes of solid food. Delicious.
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/Is nothing sacred? I can’t even sit in a chair by myself? I need to get potty trained so I can get some alone time.
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/Brinlee is boxing Kimball’s ear. She had it in this tight little pincer grasp. I had to pry her fingers off. After I took a picture of course.
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