The babies enjoyed plenty of time with mommy and daddy over the holidays. It was a real treat spending so much time with them since they are at such a cute stage. Christmas was fairly quiet compared to previous years – we enjoyed a small family gathering amongst daddy’s brother, and mommy’s sister + cousins. The babies enjoyed opening their presents, but probably loved the wrapping paper more than the gifts :)
Kailen, Ariya, and Jaiden are developing quite rapidly these days. We’re really starting to understand why parents say that their kids grow up too quickly. We’ll certainly do our best to absorb all the cuteness that we can given that it will likely be our first and only experience raising babies!
This stage of baby development could possibly be our busiest period yet. Every stage has its challenges – the first few months were about sleep deprivation, the 4-7 month stage was the honeymoon period (relatively smooth sailing), while the 8 month to present stage has been really tough. We have had the pleasure and challenge of dealing with lots of firsts: teething, changing sleep patterns, crawling, standing/falling, feeding solids & liquids, lots of screaming, interaction amongst siblings, competition for attention, and showing of affection and love.
What’s new?
Ariya is crawling now too now! She doesn’t seem to like crawling all that much though and only does it when she really wants to reach for something close by. She is so cute these days – daddy’s princess and mommy’s angel! She’s so independent compared to the boys, never demanding to be picked up and always keeping herself entertained. Sometimes she’ll lie in her crib by herself talking for quite a period of time. She’s giggles frequently, and likes to toggle her lips with her finger to make unique sounds. Ariya also commonly interacts with Jaiden, and tends to crack him up frequently. In fact, Jaiden seems to keep a close eye on her at bedtime or nap time, often standing up in his crib and watching over her while she sleeps.
Jaiden is all about mobility these days. You can’t take your eye off of him for a minute; if you do he’s likely crawled out of sight. He’s fearless – he’ll often crawl into small spaces and get stuck, or stand up if he has something to grab onto. He’s so adorable these day as well – he talks and talks, loves to socialize, and has an apparent sense of humour often laughing uncontrollably after playing with his brother or sister. He’s yielded at least three teeth now and mommy and daddy often let out a small shriek after being bitten. He also tries to sound out and mimic words that he hears.
Kailen is crawling all over these days – often in the company of his brother. He smiles and smiles all the time, and has a real good time playing with Jaiden. He tends not to socialize too much with Ariya yet. Kailen likes books, often reading to himself! He loves his baths, and is very affectionate often giving mommy and daddy hugs out of the blue and sometimes even to his brother and sister too. He’s also screaming a lot these days; he’s got this ear piercing scream that is making everyone deaf :) We can’t figure out if it’s a lack of attention thing or just something he likes to do. Hopefully, it’s just a phase because he’s surely figure out how to drive us nuts :)
Princess Ariya:
Uncle Sumit, JJ, and KK
Mommy and her babies
Daddy and his babies
We love playing in the kitchen with pots and pans
We love playing with each other...
