Callista. Sweet Pea. Nosy Rosy. Ninja Baby.
Callista was the last to greet the outside world and had my OB elbow-deep to pull her from her grip on my ribs. No joke, I felt like I had been punched the next morning because she was so wedged up there.
Callista’s smile would melt even Freeze Miser’s heart. Her gorgeous blue eyes are rimmed with dark, long lashes – a look that’s uniquely hers, as her brother and sister’s eyes are a warm brown. She has the hint of a dimple in her left cheek, and we’re forever debating her hair color – golden brown? Dark blonde? Wait, is it light blonde? Maybe a bit reddish?
Callista loves attention, whether she catches your eye with a grin or your ears with a whispered, “Heeee” or a startling yell growl, she knows how to capture an audience. She loves the camera and smiles excitedly when she sees one that could point in her direction.
Nothing makes her laugh quite like being smothered in kisses, though her daddy can make her giggle like crazy by making her pretend to shoot lasers (Don’t ask. I don’t know how it happened, but it’s hilarious. I need to get it on video, it’s that funny).
Callista loves animals. Nothing can distract her like a pet who walks by, and she has a special yell she uses only when she excitedly notices a cat or dog in her view.
Unless she’s excited, she’s gentle and delicate. Callista grabs only a small handful of bubbles in the tub, just enough to taste, while her brother and sister fill their arms to stuff their faces into.
Her cries are heartbreaking, accompanied by the saddest pout you’ll ever see. It’s impossible to not scoop her up and promise her the world, if only she’ll smile again.
Callista is most active in her jumperoo and was the first of our trio to figure out the magic of jump-jump-jumping. She’s happy to stay in one spot on the floor to play, though, and it’s even better if you fetch her toys.
She does what Rob and I call The Callsita Dance when she’s rescued from her crib after a nap. She wiggles her whole body in your arms, kicking her legs and waving her arms while giving a little cheer that almost sounds like “Yay!” She loves, loves to sleep, but she’s always so happy to rejoin the party after a snooze.
Callista sucks her thumb when tired and loves to grasp her giraffe Angel Dear lovey while falling asleep. She loves it so much that Grandma hasn’t been able to snatch it away for an upgrade (she’s added tags to Eleanor and Toby’s Angel Dear loveys made from ribbons left over from our wedding and from wedding gifts and baby gifts). Callista would love the tags – we just need to get her blanket away from her long enough to add them.
As sweet as she is, our girl has a stubborn streak that will make you do a double take. She isn’t afraid to forcefully let you know she disagrees with what you are making her do – be it napping (there’s too much to see, and despite the glassy eyes and yawns, she IS NOT TIRED), getting a fresh diaper while waiting for a bottle (no time for butts, need food NAOW) or just sitting in her rocking chair when she wants O-U-T.
The force is strong in this one. Not that I’m surprised. She is Ninja Baby, after all.
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!
(the operating room white board – birth order, heart rate, sex, time of birth)
It’s been nine months since the most terrifying day of my life, but it’s the day I’m most grateful for.
We’ve had nine months of sheer pride so far. Difficult times, tired times, frustrating times aside, I am bursting with pride over three of the strongest and most amazing people I’ve ever known.
A, B and C; PB&J; 1, 2 and 3; Tobias, Eleanor and Callista – happy nine months, babies!
(Sorry you have to celebrate with your pediatrician later. Getting old is a real bitch!)
I’ve started gathering videos for the babies’ first birthday (!!!), and cannot get over how far they’ve come in the last (nearly) 9 months. Free time is hard to come by, so I’ll probably take every bit of the three months between now and their birthday to put together something presentable.
Plus, my brain keeps exploding, so it may take even longer since I have to piece things back together constantly.
Did you not just die at how tiny Eleanor’s 2-day-old foot is?! I’m sure you did. I’ll let you rest in peace.
Hello, google creepers! Sorry to disappoint, but this isn’t an entry about how glorious my cleavage is. Buh-bye!
It is about breastfeeding, however. Yes, I’m still doing it. No, I still haven’t needed to supplement with formula. Yes, I still have a ginormous freezer stash.
My trio will be 9 months old in a week. Back pats are welcome, but don’t waste your time with the “zOMG, you’re ah-mazing!”s. I’m lucky. I’m determined as hell, but luck also helps a lot.
Blah-blahs out of the way now, I have a question for the Internet. I’d normally tweet something like this, but I realized it’d take way more than 140 witty characters, so I’m blogging.
I started breastfeeding with no “I’ll breastfeed until” date in mind, just planning to do it as long as it worked for us. Well, folks, a year (HOLY CRAP) is creeping up on us ninja-style, and I’m starting to ponder about stretching this breastfeeding gig past that typical, in-heavenly-lights one-year mark.
No, I’m not crazy. Swearsies.
Why, you ask? WHY, YOU CRAZY WOMAN?
RSV, cold and flu season, of course. With my kiddos celebrating their birthday in November, quitting a valuable source of good-health weaponry seems a bit silly. Maybe silly isn’t the word, but it seems like not the smartest idea just because one year is the mark when many women hang up their nursing bras and wave their middle fingers at their pumps.
We were on house arrest (recommended, not enforced, obv) through this past RSV season, and I fully intend to take the necessary precautions again this year to protect my three preemies from the evil that is Are Ess Vee.
So, yeah. The breastfeeding. I imagine that my trio will be taking in a whole lot less breastmilk at that point. That being said, I know nothing about what to do with this abundant supply and a lower demand. How will it all work? Is once a day all at the same time for each baby possible, or will I need to do more and/or space out their feedings (one in the morning, one mid-day, one at night)
Right now, I only breastfeed all three first thing in the morning, when I have the most output. I can feed two at each subsequent feeding, but getting the third to patiently work at getting his/her desired amount of milk is damn near impossible. If I breastfeed two, I pump after, most during-the-day sessions yield about 2 oz, which is 3 oz. short of a full third bottle (they drink 5 oz. bottles). Most often, I breastfeed all three first thing then take only one for the next three feedings, giving us one-on-one time.
Are you confused yet? Me, too.
With one, you just breastfeed when your baby wants to breastfeed. I have a feeling it won’t work this way.
Don’t you dare recommend any books. That ship has sailed, way back when I had zero idea this whole breastfeeding thing would even work and thus decided to skip reading about breastfeeding multiples. Now I couldn’t find the time until long after I needed the information.
I’m babbling now because I’m nervous thinking of my breastfeeding future, your “You are so dumb for asking this nonsense” responses and what I dread will be the responses full of, “Yeah, um, good luck with that because I’m more clueless than you!”
Bottom line: I want to give them all fresh breastmilk through cold/flu/RSV season for the sake of my antibodies. How am I going to make that work for three babies?
Help? Someone?
(I intend to also chat up my lactation consultant, but I’m thinking about this now, and God only knows when I’ll remember to call and the stars will align so we can discuss future plans.)
