10.5 weeks old and cooing

Both kids are now making the miraculous little sounds that endear them to our hearts and reward us for enduring the occasional crying and, yes, screaming that come with being alive.

It's time for a Developmental Update, since this blog may be the closest thing these kids will be getting to the satin beribboned how-much-she-weighed-and-when baby book cultivated by so many good mothers.

Sarah: Overall, she's a quiet, happy kid. Nothing seems to surprise her-- be it a loud sound or a sudden bump in the road. She smiles lovely closed-mouth smiles has been perfecting her tongue calisthenics routine (in - out - side - curl - again!). She continues to squeak ever so cutely, and we're thankful that the source is vocal and not, say, her elbows. Her cooing inventory includes close-lipped vowels, the "r" sound and an almost "b" sound. She loves doing baby yoga and hates getting into the car seat.

Juanito, meanwhile, is busy coordinating his lung capacity with his vocal range, focusing on the higher registers. In other words, he's something of a screamer. Lucky for us, he uses this skill only a lot (as opposed to always). He's got a killer smile (see previous post) and coos with sincerity. Juanito loves looking at himself in the mirror and hates being naked (unless it's while taking a bath-- or in front of a mirror). His an expert brow furrower, often giving him an air of pensiveness. He's a responder, opening his eyes and mouth in complete wonder when he hears a sudden noise.

Both kids are starting to hold on to things other than fingers, such as blanket edges, but neither holds on to (or even notices) toys yet. They track things with their eyes but are not yet turning to see what causes a given noise. Both are close to holding their heads steady, and both love to stretch out their limbs after a good night of sleep. And they're great sleepers, we're happy to report-- let's hope it stays that way.

Despite the good sleeping, waking up several times a night means that Papa Juan and I have become caretaker zombies-- filled with love and utterly void of rested thought. Thank god for the friends and family who visit often from near and far; each pair of hands helps exponentially both in terms of my sanity and baby happiness.