Dear Rowan & Scarlett – 6 Month Old Twins

Dear Rowan & Scarlett,

I’m a week late on this letter and I realized I better write it fast because you’ve already changed a lot in the last WEEK since your 6 month birthday and I don’t want to forget anything! You guys are SO fun right now. Watching your unique personalities unfold is just a true pleasure.

Scarlett, you are our social butterfly!! You love to use your voice, babbling, screeching and laughing often. You make this crazy sound that is a mix between a purr and a screech when you’re excited. You will smile your giant grin (similar to your sister Siena) at anyone who makes eye contact with you. You love human interaction and love your grandma’s dog, Lulu too! You are an amazing sleeper and tend to not fuss much before or after naps – I’ll often find you contently awake playing with your pacifier in your crib after a nap (your sister, on the other hand, will tell us with a cry when she wakes up). When I walk up to the crib, you break into a huge smile nad start kicking your legs intensely, as if you’re trying to swim away!

Rowan, you’re a very physical baby. You learned to sit steadily on your own this month and you started getting into all fours as if you’re ready to crawl shortly after. Every time I come get you out of your crib you seem to have your legs through the rails because you rolled around the crib so much or more recently, your’e up on your hands and knees practicing. You’re our more sensitive girl – you react to other people’s emotions and loud noises. You are so sweet and love to be talked to, sung to and smiled at – and you’ll give us a big grin in return, often turning your head shyly when you do. You almost always wake up first in the morning and you and I got some time in bed while I nursed you (which we stopped a couple days after you turned 6 months, as I decided to stop pumping. The hardest part was giving up that one nursing session in the morning but as soon as my supply went down you weren’t into it anymore). You and your sister went through another developmental “leap” this month and you seemed to take it harder – wanting to be held more and crying more often.

The “leap” you went through this month helped you learn about distances between objects. Most importantly, you learned that I can walk away from you and you both protest when I do! I see you follow me with your eyes as I go up the stairs and then cry when you can’t view me anymore. Its heartwarming and also heartbreaking when I can’t physically get to both of you at the same time!

At your 6 month doctor appointment we learned that Rowan is in the 99th percentile for height, 35% for weight at 15 pounds, 5 ounces and 45% for head circumference. Scarlett is 97% of height, 35% for weight (15 pounds, 6 ounces, crazy that you two are only one ounce apart now!) and 92% for head circumference. Your sister also came with us to the appointment and got her 3 year check up!

This month you both learned to sit up unassisted, though Rowan is more steady. You are now both getting onto your hands and knees in the crawling position and Rowan will throw herself forward and fall on her face. You both are able to move pretty far by scooting, but you mostly scoot backward or sideways, not forward. We bought a large playpen and set it up in the playroom so that we can keep you contained when we need to leave the room. We can no longer leave you in the car seat unbuckled or in the rock n’ play as you will turn over and arch your back and nearly fling yourself out of it!!

This month Scarlett got two bottom teeth! You both can put your own pacifier in your mouth (woohoo!) now and you continue to put everything you can find in your mouth. We didn’t officially start solids until 6 months but Rowan showed an interest before that. One night you just grabbed a piece of (soft) broccoli off my plate and put it your mouth and ate some!

Sleep improved a ton this month! Yahoo!! You’re both sleeping through the night consistently, every night. At first one or both of you would wake up and cry briefly and we’d put the pacifier back in and you’d go back to sleep, but lately you aren’t even doing that. We dropped the dream feed about three weeks ago and you sleep just the same without it. We’re on a pretty good schedule, though it’s still not based the clock – it’s based on wake times, so I can’t totally predict when you’ll be awake or asleep but I have a general idea which makes planning a lot easier. You still take three naps a day, with the first being around 8-8:30 AM, the second being around 11/12 and the third being around 4 PM (always the shortest nap). As you’ve gotten a little older I’m able to stretch your wake time a little longer than 2 hours but I’ve discovered anything over 2.5 hours isn’t a good idea because you usually get pretty grouchy. Between naps I just try to fill you up with as much milk as possible whenever you seem hungry. Your bedtime is now right around 7 PM.

We’ve started taking you out in the Bumble Ride Indie Twin stroller so that you can look out at the world on walks but I still use our City Select Double for most excursions because I don’t have the correct car seat adaptors for the Indie. We also borrowed a second Ergo so that both your dad and I can carry one of you on beach walks. On Mondays when I have both of you and your sister in the morning without any help, we usually meet up with a friend at a park and you guys get to check out the world from the picnic mat.

This month you got a new cousin, Baby April! You also got to meet a lot of your extended family at your sister Siena’s 3rd birthday party. You visited your first pumpkin patch too! Your dad and I continue to go out for date night on Thursdays but we’ve just been bringing one of you – one time grandma watched both of you and your sister Siena but it was a bit much for her to handle (which we totally understand). Going forward we will most likely wait until you’re in bed to go out on Thursdays as you aren’t as happy just sitting in the car seat in the stroller anymore and we’re usually out well past your bedtime.

You had your first sleepover at Nana and Boo’s house this month while your dad and I went away for the weekend for our 5 year wedding anniversary and you both did great! You slept through the night both nights for them and were very predictable based on the sleep schedule I gave them.

This is officially my favorite age so far and I don’t want you to grow up! But, inevitably you will so I’m trying to soak it all in as much as I can.

Love,

Your Mama