they are crazy. 9.5 months young.

Our nine month mark has come and gone, and 10 months falls right on Christmas day. I've even started thinking about a birthday party (!). These last months are flying, and my babies are just about as fun as can be.

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At nine and a half months, Quinn . . . 

- is a total mess. And I mean that in the good way that I picked up from my years in Tennessee. (Sometimes I tell Michiganders that my girls are "a mess" and they look at me like I'm awful). She is all over the place, has this yummy fuzzy hair that sticks up wherever it pleases, and is the messiest eater you've ever met. She is climbing stairs I don't want her too, emptying toy bins and book shelves, and torturing her big sister who used to be safe on the couch, but now yells "No! Quinny! Get back! Get away!" whenever she heads in her direction. Which is all the time. She does all this handiwork by speed crawling up on her hands and knees like a boss, pulling up on everything, and walking along furniture. She also started walking with the help of the little push-walker toy thing. Heaven help us.

-is the energizer bunny. She goes goes goes, until she is gone. This makes nap time tricky, and she often resists until I find her passed out on the floor (making for endless adorable photo ops). She rarely just chills and enjoys the scene, she has to be everywhere at once, doing everything at once. 

-has started giving kisses. When Chris gets home she crawls right up to him and opens her mouth and lays a juicy one right on him. She is the sweetest.

-LOVES applesauce, puffs, and crackers.

-fits in 9 mo and even a lot of 12 mo clothes.

-finally had her two top teeth break through after torturous teething.

-just has the sweetest little expressions on her face all the time. Her little face is to die for; she is so pretty, but in a different very unique way. She has a raspy voice. Oftentimes when I'm in the kitchen, I will hear her playing all by herself, just chuckling to herself. Its the cutest thing.

-is totally skeptical of strangers. When a stranger fawns over the babies, John is all smiles and squeals, but Quinn, you can't crack her. She literally does not even let a smirk escape. Tough crowd.

-has such a sweet demeanor, even if she is hyper-motivated. I can't get enough of her.

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At 9 and a half months, John . . . 

-made a major leap into 1st place as favorite child. I have no idea what happened, but Carly is in some sort of "phase" right now (or maybe she's just 3), and Quinn is ALL OVER THE PLACE and stressing me out. And John is all the sudden so chillax and and just smiles and plays with stuff. He kind of has this attitude about him like "I'm just happy to be here!"

-moves. This is a HUGE contributor to his newfound happiness. He can arm crawl as he pleases. When he first started moving, he would drag his dense self along, grunting and gasping. We joked that he looked like he just got shot in the leg. But now he is moving like a pro, and I even catch him up on his hands and knees once in a while.

-still wakes up most nights between 2 and 4. But he sleeps through the night every once in a while, just enough to get my hopes up.

-loves to play . . . get tickled, throw into the air, play peek-a-boo with Carly. In fact, his quickness to laugh and smile has won him points with big sis, and she now really loves to play with him. She other day she was running laps around his exersaucer and he was spinning trying to keep up, then she would stop and crouch down and pop up, and he was laughing SO DANG HARD. It was the cutest thing.

-is a total dweeb. He has the goofiest laugh, snorts, and has the most delicious big ears that are perfect for nibbling. The other day I went to get him out of his crib and I could see his little face peeking through the slats, and, I kid you not, on the other sides of either slat I could see his ears poking out. I die.

-LOVES those nasty Gerber meatsticks. And pretty much any other kind of food you put in front of him. But I did give him a tomato today and it sent him into dry heaves. Guess there is something he doesn't like.

-wears 12 mo clothes.

-has 6 fabulous teeth.

-loves strangers and loves getting attention. Like I said, he smiles big at strangers at the store. And this past Sunday a sister took him to Relief Society and he ended up getting passed around a bit and was happy as a clam.

-gives tough love. He will grab you by the hair or face and try to bite your face off. And he means it in a loving way.

John is such a good boy. I never thought I'd be saying that. He still screams his high pitched scream from time to time, and sometimes he just whines all dang day, but he is really becoming such a pleasure to have around. Yum.

J and Q had their 9 month appointment a while ago. Q weighed in at 16 lbs 15 oz, while John was 19 lbs 15 oz. Two days later at a different doctor, he weighted in at 20 lbs 12 oz. Either way, he feels significantly heavier than his sister. They are both nice and healthy. Q stalled on the growth charts, and if she repeats they might test her for Celiac Disease (I'm not worried, Carly did the same thing), just because I have it. John Thomas has yet to be circumcised because a urologist has to do it, and he will have to be put under anesthesia for the procedure. We saw the urologist for the second time and they are going to set up his surgery for after Christmas. Should be a party.

They have both finally begun to hold their own bottles. Spoiled babies have been perfectly capable for a long time, but just refused. They will now, but it often ends up with a lot of rolling while they drink, and formula all over the place. And then they scream because they want a bottle  . . . . 

It is so much fun to watch them now that they both crawl. Quinn loves to pull up on the toy shelf and empty the bins. She is also OBSESSED with the bathroom, and literally throws a fit when I pull her out and shut the door. She also loves to climb the stairs and chew on shoes, and climb stairs while chewing on shoes. She likes to hold objects, like spoons or spatulas or Carly's magnifying glass or anything else that could pass for a royal scepter. And she seems to have one very important life goal: to eat my iPhone. 

John is still much more limited, but the love this boy has for floor vents is unparalleled. I take the vent cover off the one in their room because it makes the room warmer, and he is obsessed with that "hole". The second I set him down in his towel after the bath, he whips around and pulls his naked bum over to it and sticks his arm down and scratches at the metal. Gives me chills. He also loves to hit the vent covers, because obviously it makes a cool noise. He loves tags and straps. And this Fisher Price basketball hoop a friend just gave us. 

They are beautiful babies.

They are crazy babies.

They are sweet babies.

They are happy babies.

They are fun babies.

They are good babies.

Happy 9.5 months, J and Q.

We're glad you joined us.