274 days

9 months = 274 days = 6576 hours = 394560 minutes = 23673600 seconds

I could stare at this picture for hours. Okay, I may have stared at this picture for hours.  I just love it.  I feel like I was able to get genuine smiles from both girls.  I look at Halle and I really see her - her friendly, open hearted, sensitive, loving personality.  Then to Erin - her casual, happy, free spirited, and spunky little self just beams through in this picture.  

It seems that since the girls turned 6 months old, things just relaxed.  Like the whole house took a deep breath and muttered "I can't believe we did it...."  I know there are bound to be difficult phases in our future, but man, these past few months have just been glorious.  This month we were actually able to take a road trip without me wanting to curl up in ball and cry at the sheer proposition of such a trip.  That's progress people.  Progress.  

Here is the runner up for this month's picture:

For the first time yesterday I saw Erin and Halle actually playing and laughing with each other.  I was in the kitchen washing bottles for the millionth time and heard two little giggles.  I snuck over and got this video, hoping not to ruin the moment.  It seems like Erin was pulling the towel over her face and Halle would grab it trying to find her.  This is the fun part about having twins.

To see all the pictures of these little ones growing up in their chair, take a look.    

ERIN

• Crawling up on all fours and gaining a ton more confidence in this skill.  She is trying to go faster and faster but occasionally ends up face planting because her legs went faster than her hands.  She looks up, shakes it off, and keeps on trucking.
• Starting to follow noise or my voice (or Auntie's voice on Voxer) from the living room to the kitchen in search of people to play with.  The other day my phone was sitting on the coffee table playing an audio message from Elizabeth and Erin pulled up on the table, grabbed the phone and just stared at it while it was talking to her looking very confused.  I just giggled to myself thinking that she will probably be confused the next time she sees Auntie in real life!
• Still bigger than Halle, but I'm not sure by how much.  They have their 9 month MD visit on Monday.  
• Wearing 9 month clothes
• Eating all table foods - we tossed the baby food as soon as possible!  Erin loves most foods, but does not like apples, avocado or peaches.  I think she puts too much food in her mouth at one time because she gags much more often than Halle does.
• Consistently burps within 10 seconds of me getting her up from a nap - so strange!
• On the go all the time - she is so busy!  She is crawling around the house finding her "own" fun with the door stoppers, dog toys and cabinet doors.  Toys will keep her attention for a bit, but usually she puts it aside to find the next new thing.
• Sleeping is still touch and go - she either goes to sleep very quickly or she will be awake crying for awhile before finally falling asleep.  She is a noisy sleeper and "talks" herself to sleep no matter what.
• Antagonizes Lia without knowing it.  Erin loves to crawl after her, toward her and mess up anything she has been playing with (read: train tracks), much to Lia's great displeasure.  Lia stands up, points at Erin and says "Move Erin Mama!"  Move Erin NOW!"  If I don't get there in time, Lia has been known to drag Erin away from her toys by her feet.  Resourceful or abusive?  I'm not sure...

HALLE

• Crawling on all fours about 50% of the time.  She hasn't quite built up the coordination yet to crawl full time.  
• Gets frustrated easily with things she can't accomplish.  She will sit down and put her face on the floor just crying really pathetically.  It takes quite a bit of reassurance and convincing to get her to try the task again.
• Wraps her arms around my neck and lays her head on my shoulder like a big Halle hug.  *Melt*
• Does not like the transition from our arms to her bed and will grasp, cling and cry on the way down into her crib.  I've started putting her lovie in her hands while I rock her and that seems to help.
• Started waking up when Erin would cry during the middle of a nap or would have a much harder time falling asleep at the beginning of a nap if Erin was crying.  She would also get disturbed if I went into the room after she was laying down to put Erin down.  So, we have separated the girls for nap time.  Erin sleeps in a pack n play in the guest room and this has been working wonderfully.  We are entertaining the idea of moving them into different rooms full time, but they are still doing well at night so there is no rush there.
• Enjoys toys and will sit and study something for a long time.  She seems to be trying to figure out how it works.  She has a longer attention span than Erin seems to.  Right now she enjoys things with unusual textures that she can feel with her mouth.
• Loves to be held and enjoys books.  She lives for the swing and loves to go high.  She is becoming more adventurous when we are outside and has had fun with the water table lately.
• Wearing some 6 month clothes but mostly 9 month, they are just a little baggy!
• Halle and Lia have a touch and go relationship.  For some reason, Halle seems to be the target for Lia's acting out and she receives the brunt of the hitting and other misbehavior when it does occur (thankfully rarely).  Halle seems to hold a grudge for awhile and refuses to be anywhere close to Lia for a long time afterward.  
• Eating all table foods!  Halle loves what Erin doesn't - which works out great.  She loves, loves, loves avocado and I think would eat that all day every day if I let her.  She loves peaches and will choose them out of a fruit cocktail mixture and leave the rest.  She also likes big pieces of foods (crackers, heel of french bread, etc) to gnaw on and gums it to death.
• Todd has started calling her "sweet tea" which I think is the most adorable thing ever (if you forgot, her middle name is Teagan).

They both have hair coming in evenly all over their heads and it is about an inch long - much different than with Lia who had the classic wispy hair tuft for a long time.  They both are ticklish which is the cutest thing ever. Both are pulling up to standing and it took a few days for each of them to learn how to let go and sit back down.  I had to basically push them down work with them for a couple days and then cheer loudly when they successfully sat down to get them to learn.  Now Lia still claps and cheers for her sisters when they sit down.  So funny.  Sleeping through the night is very consistent and it is odd for them to wake up after falling asleep for the night.  Occasionally I'll hear one of them fuss for a minute or so around 10pm but that's it.  SO nice.  Most people are amazed at how happy they both are and how quiet they are.  I think people expect that with twins it is just a house full of noise and crying.  To which I respond, "wait until they are 2."  I think it is coming.  I'll enjoy this as much as I can now!!