9 month update

I am not going to lie. We have had a tough month. Daycare is a cesspool of germs and both Vera and Laura have been sick since they started. These past few weeks as the temperature has cooled have been especially bad. Besides feeling awful myself that they aren't feeling well, any of us getting enough sleep has been difficult, especially for Laura. We have been in and out of the doctor's office for bronchitis and chest colds for the past month. And I don't want to jinx it but during the last few days it seems like things might finally be improving and we might just have babies with congestion. Although now as I write this it looks like more teeth are coming in so I guess I should just accept that I will be sleep deprived for the rest of my life. I am so thankful for my in-laws who have taken the girls overnight a few times so that Jose and I can catch up on some rest. 

Jose's birthday was at the beginning of the month and we had a lot of grand plans to celebrate since Vera and Laura were going to be with my in-laws. We were going to go out for a date and a drink but because it was raining and we were exhausted, we ended up ordering pizza and passing out by 10pm. Maybe over our Christmas break from school we will feel more up to going out just the two of us.

Vera has started basically crawling this month. She is surprisingly coordinated and quick which is why we had to install a big baby gate structure in our living room. Vera likes to take advantage of her mobility and is constantly bullying Laura. She takes all her toys and if Laura is within striking distance, she will pull her hair. Obviously I don't think she does these things with malace but I am surprised that the refereeing has had to begin so early. Poor Laura will start whining now whenever her sister is too close for comfort. And since Laura sits up very well but isn't interested in moving she is a sitting duck for her much more agile sister. Vera has also recently cut an upper tooth and we expect another any day now. She still doesn't like eating fruit but some days are better than others.

Laura has been sick this whole month and you can tell which days she is feeling especially bad because her sunny disposition is dulled. She is still quite smiley and is just a bubbly, happy baby. Laura likes to accumulate a pile of toys around where she is sitting and if you hand her things she will keep taking them to put in her lap or around her. I am not sure if this is because she knows eventually her sister is going to scoot over and take them or if it is that she is easily distracted. In either case, it is quite cute. Laura loves the older kids at daycare and her teacher says that she enjoys watching them and interacting with them. She has been eating everything you offer her and especially like vegetables.

We celebrated Thanksgiving this month but instead of me making a turkey, we decided to go to an American restaurant that we like where they were serving turkey sandwiches. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday as a lot of people know but it kind of snuck up on me this year and I didn't feel much like cooking an entire turkey. Next year I definitely will. We did do some Black Friday shopping, however, and bought a giant new TV. The girls wore their new turkey day dresses that their abuela Carmina made for them from fabric that I had bought back in the U.S. this summer. They looked adorable as usual.

One of our friends had her baby this month and her daughter was born quite early and quite little, like my girls. We decided to give them most of the preemie clothes that we had to buy for Laura and Vera when they were because it is just one less thing to have to worry about for the parents. Plus, such small-sized clothing is hard to find and is expensive. I remember sending Jose to the store to buy preemie clothes while I was still recuperating in the hospital since none of the newborn clothes that we had bought in preparation for the girls' arrival would fit. It was all huge. I was happy to be able to pass on a lot of clothes to our friend's daughter but kept two outfits that are special for me. I took a picture with one of those outfits next to a six month pajama onesie because as I was packing up the preemie stuff I couldn't believe that Vera and Laura had ever been that little. I put my hand in the photo to help show the real size. Teeny. Now I feel like they are huge and I am so happy that although they have been sick lately, they have no residual health problems related to having been born early.

The girls have been interacting a lot more between themselves this month. A lot of times it is taking something that the other has or both crying for the same toy. Other times though, they are so sweet and smile at each other and carry on conversations, usually both shouting. We have even caught them holding hands a few times. It melts my heart.

I wrote a blog previously about losing our living room to baby stuff but now I can definitively say that we no longer own any space as adults. We put up baby gates around the girls' play area this month and none too soon since Vera started crawling. Now they are contained and I feel comfortable leaving them for a minute to put on laundry or get something to drink. At least I know they are safe in what we have started calling baby jail. I spend most of my time locked in baby jail as well, sitting on the floor and playing with the babies. Soon they will outgrow even that space though. Ahhhh!

I would love to blog more about everything that is happening with us throughout the month but I just find myself lacking the quiet time to do so so I am considering starting a video blog or vlog. I think it would be a good way to document how much Vera and Laura are growing and changing. So I think I am going to give it a try. Stay tuned.