Nine Months

Man oh man we have come a long way. It is down right shocking to think our babies are nine months old already. Here are some updates... and some color pictures from our summer photo shoot!

Ezra is fearless and can't sit still. He is always on the move. He loves to be up on his feet, and every time we put him down he is pulling himself up with the biggest smile on his face. A few days ago he escaped from the Bumbo seat and used it as a walker to move across the floor. While in the crib he is walking around the sides by holding on, and starting to let go with one hand. We are expecting him to take off running really soon.

Cedric is gaining speed across the floor. He prefers to use his arms to pull himself around though. He doesn't really use his knees to crawl traditionally. He is really happy to be on the move and turns around to make sure people are watching. He is also pulling himself up, but isn't all that excited about it just yet.

Both boys really like to float around in the pool. We had a nice swim session yesterday to escape the Delhi heat. We also made a trip out to Saket to one of the fourteen Mothercare stores and finally found high-chairs that are not plastic. The boys loved people watching at the mall and really enjoyed the day out and about.

We are busy working on travel plans. Douglas and I both have work trips planned. I am going to Singapore next month and he is going to Munich in mid-October. I have also just finalized our trip to Hong Kong for Doug's 30th birthday! Then in November we are escaping Delhi for a few days to avoid Diwali (loosely translates to chaos and noise). My mother is going to meet us in Istanbul and then come back to India with us for two weeks over Thanksgiving. Then lastly we are working on winter break travel plans to a beach in South East Asia that we have not yet visited. I will let you know if we find one!

The teeth tally is Ezra 3 and Cedric 2.

Family Photo Time

"Take my picture!"

"Look what I can do!"

"Are we done yet?"... "I'm out of here!"

Chad

Gone Fishin'

At the beginning of June, the boys had a mini photoshoot with the uber-talented Amanda Beam (Southwest Ohio). Now, I just have to figure out what kind of frame to get and where to hang it in our apartment.

Meanwhile, things are a bit louder here in the loft. Cedric is working on some teeth, and has not been pleased for the last 48 hours. We're thinking about buying better noise-cancelling headphones.

Kidding (mostly).

Cheers,
Douglas

Let's Give 'Em Somethin' to Blog About

If you haven't heard, we're on vacation in the USA. Not India. Unfortunately, the weather in Indiana, and much of the middle feels more like New Delhi. Despite the obnoxious heat, we've settled into a routine of eating new foods, playing in our rented loft and walking around town. We've visited with family in Indiana and Ohio and seen fireworks, and all is well. For several weeks, everything has been pretty normal.

Ah, yes! The doldrums of summer have arrived.

And then, yesterday our dear Cedric decided to sprout two teeth at once! He has been remarkably calm and not very fussy for all of the dental calamity that he must feel on his little gums. With this recent development, he evens up the tooth count. Both boys have two.

Exciting times!!

Twin Update

The boys are almost eight months old, and we went to the doctor in America for the first time. Everything is going great, and the boys are growing bigger and bigger. Here are some highlights:

Ezra has two teeth and is starting to crawl. Others who meet him often remark how athletic he is. He has very muscular legs and loves to move about. He smiles often. He's no longer stoically silent twin, as he has found his voice in the last couple of weeks; although he's still not quite as talkative as his brother. He is eating two "real food" (read baby food puree) meals per day and loves all of the food we've tried except for sweet potatoes. He is still our petit homme but has added on almost two pounds since we left India and now weighs 13 lbs, 6 oz and he is 25.7 inches long. Despite the severe weight discrepancy between Ez and his brother, the doctor is not concerned as he is growing at a normal rate. He's had some eczema patches on his skin since the beginning of June (which will be the subject of another post), but those have been kept under control with lotions and emollients. He loves to go hunting for his brother's pacifier and use it as a teething toy.

Cedric loves to roll on the floor and uses his hands to turn in a complete circle while on his belly with remarkable agility and quickness. None of his teeth have broken through, but he has two that are waiting just below the surface of his gums. In the last week, he has become an expert at sitting up on the floor unassisted and is becoming very proficient at holding his own bottle and feeding himself. He loves to swim and go under the water. He is still our big boy and weighs 16 lbs 15 oz.He is 27.5 inches long. He follows conversations that are going on in the room and really loves being around people. He has a severe addiction to his pacifier when tired and falling asleep (way to go, Dads!). He loves to eat and gets very excited when he sees his food. He's loved everything that he's tried except for peas.

All in all, a great trip to the doctor! 

We Have a Tooth!

Ezra's first tooth popped through this evening.

Just being honest it actually feels pretty creepy.

Chad