"Wy" Not?

Wyatt, 7+ mos.

In four short days, my twins are going to be 8 months old.

Eight months already... it seems impossible. But here we are.  Not that long ago, both babies were oh-so-very small and oh-so-very helpless in the NICU.  They, and we,  have come so very far.

Continuing from last week, Zoe has indeed learned to crawl.  She is most definitely on the move.  We have started calling her "puppy" as you will look down and she will be happily gnawing on your foot/the table/something she shouldn't have (and you have no idea where she got that something from).  We are in trouble.  Big time.  She also decided to learn to sit up on Saturday.  I looked over at one point and there she was, casually sitting there like she had been doing it all her life.

Wyatt is still working on rolling on his back and rolling over again.  He was assessed at group last week and all are quite happy with his improvement.  He is a little behind according to the developmental scales (more on that next week), but he is progressing steadily at his own rate.  They were pleased with the level of head control that he has mastered as well as the way in which we continue to work with him frequently though play.  His trunk strength and control is progressing similarly.  Through this we are also discovering his capacity to learn, which so far doesn't strike me as being too bad at all.  He doesn't seem to have the ability to remember things that he hears right away (it may take him a few times before he associates a sound with a particular action, which is typical of children with Down syndrome).  He will, however, learn if he sees something.  He watches our faces intently and continues to mimic the facial expressions and sounds that we make.  It is loveable and fascinating all at the same time.

One of our newest "things" is the back and forth communication between the two.  Of course, we have suspected it all along;  a nod here, a touch there, holding hands all the time.  Now they have started to communicate verbally.  It started with raspberries.  Wyatt loves making "thhhpppptttthhhh!" noises and we encourage it as he is actively using his tongue to do it.  The other day, Zoe started doing it back.  Now, if you catch them at the right time, you will hear "thhhpppptttthhhh!" going back and forth between them, with the occasional "ga-ah!" or giggle or Zoe's feet thumpa-thumpa-thumping in between.  I can't tell you how darling it is, I can't even begin to give it justice.  It is wonderfully adorable, totally snorgable moment.  You will need insulin.

Rolling, sitting, crawling, communicating.  That's a lot for a handful of days.  It makes me both curious and apprehensive of the coming weeks.  Soon there will be teeth.  Soon there will be standing.  Soon there will be many more ways for both of them to give us heart failure.  Our journey continues as each milestone is ticked off one by one.  We have learned in the last almost eight months to not ask "why?" but to ask "why not?"  There are so many instances where we would not know the joy that both of them have brought us.  Why two?  Why not?  Why now?  Why not?

Why DS?

Well, "Wy" not?

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