Three-fourths

With three quarters of their first year under their tiny baby belts, Tobias, Eleanor and Callista continue to kick ass and take names.

Eleanor can sit herself up (and peek over the crib in a scary-dangerous fashion), so we lowered all three mattresses this weekend.

I thought it was rad till I went to kiss them goodnight one final time that night and realized I could no longer reach them. Their IKEA Gullivers allow only two mattress heights, so the babies are more or less all the way down to the floor. I can touch them with my hands but not with a smooch.

Sigh. They’re growing up and away from me already.

No one officially crawls (yet), but they sure are on the move. We’ve set up a baby jail using our sofas as two walls and have been able to keep them safely entertained and contained. I can once again do fun things – like empty the dishwasher – while they play together or just next to each other.

At 9 months, Eleanor and Callista can sit with little to no wobbling issues. Toby can sit, but he’d rather be on the move. I’m blaming his boy parts for this.

They eat Mum Mums on their own and are starting to pick up smallish pieces. They’ve tried and tolerated (no spitting or refusing yet, but not everything gets a smile) oatmeal, pears, sweet potatoes, avocado, peas, carrots, mangos, peaches, bananas and butternut squash. Best food-related news? We got the OK to stop fortifying their breastmilk bottles with preemie formula (boosts it to 24 calories rather than 20). So long, Similac, Enfamil and gas drops!

They had their 9-month checkup yesterday and all got a clean bill of health.

Toby is 26.5″ long, weighs 14 lb. 10 oz. and has a head circumference of 44 cm.

Eleanor is 26.5″ long, weighs 13 lb 3 oz. and has a head circumference of 42 cm.

Callista is 27.5″ long, weighs 14 lb. 13 oz and has a head circumference of 43 cm.

They’re all still barely clinging to the 9-month growth charts for weight, but Toby and Eleanor have climbed to the 18th percentile in length, and Callista is sitting pretty at 50th percentile!

Callista and Toby have officially grown an entire foot in length. TWELVE INCHES.

Wow.

We don’t see the developmentalist to check their neorological and motor skills until next month, but I have a feeling they’ve made even more progress toward their actual age.

Toby is adventurous and loves to climb over things – his sisters, pillows, you name it. He’s learned how to request being held only to get closer to the couch so he can romp around up there. He blows raspberries on his own, on our legs and arms and attempts to blow them on our cheeks (zerberts!). His belly laugh is infectious, and the twinkle in his eye when he sets out to be mischievous is hilarious – for now.

Eleanor is into her new sit-on-her-own skill and loves to move around baby jail by going from sitting to scooting to rolling to sitting to rolling to sitting to scooting … you get the picture. She loves this new ability to play with whatever toys she sees whenever. She’s ticklish and jumps at any opportunity to chat with her brother and sister. She and Toby both love to hold their soft books over their heads while lying on their backs and read to themselves.

Talk about melting the heart of their bookworm mommy.

Callista and her teeth love to smile at everything she sees, and she’s super curious about everything that passes her view, especially the cats and dog. She’s getting more and more mobile, but she’s still most content to have her toys fetched. She doesn’t laugh easily for anyone but Daddy, but her giggles then ring out and bounce off the walls. She loves to practice standing and holding onto things (with help from Big People), especially peeking over things like baby jail walls. We should probably quit showing her what fun that is, huh?

Eleanor continues to be slower to warm up to new people and things and would much rather study new people from the security of a familiar lap. Toby can go either way, but he’s starting to want to hang out in my lap more and more. Callista is a social butterfly and can’t get enough of new people. She has nothing but smiles for her world.

They all babble, and it’s super fun to hear them talk (aka shriek) to each other while they play. I need to record it, but they stop or pay more attention to me when they notice me watching. Tricksy babies!

Happy 9 months, my loves!