Big Girls

Rory and Danni are 9 3/4 months old now, and had their latest pediatrician's visit today. Rory is 27.5 inches long and 16.1 lbs, while Danni is 26 3/4 inches long and 13.825 lbs. The doctor is delighted with their growth, and took special note of the size of their heads, apparently a mark of big brains and meaningful growth. The girls tried out their new chess set on the way home.

The last few weeks the girls have become exceedingly active moving around on their bellies, and we, and the doctor, expect crawling is not far off. They are incredibly alert to their surroundings. They also have demonstrated tremendous grips, able with one hand to lift a book, a cell phone, a piece of fruit, and just about anything not tied down within reach. That is, lift it, study it, bring it to their mouths, and study it some more, as they are endlessly curious. We have placed ankle weights around the dogs to avoid surprises.

The last few weeks, the girls also have shown increasing interest in one another -- in touching each other's faces, ears, and hair, in watching what sister is doing, in smiling at sister too, and, in fact, in taking whatever toy the other is enjoying. But they are not possessive, so they allow the toy to be "borrowed" and after a moment of perplexity in which they seem to be thinking, "That's questionable," they move on to the next toy. Meanwhile, they are vocalizing constantly, testing out their lungs (very, very, very strong, and, maybe it's just us, but stronger in direct proportion to the hour of the night), trying out their vowels, and we are sure "Dada" and "Mamma" are coming soon.

Here's four new pictures, two of each of the little ladies soon to be sprinting through the house, with a large object, probably a dog, in each hand.