Back in November I did a ‘What’s Been Happening Over the Last 6 Months While I Haven’t Been Making Proper Posts’ post called “This Blog is Pointless“. It was about how much the twins had changed in that time, with lots of pictures of course.
I said there “It just goes to show that babies, even twins, develop at very different rates & in different ways. In fact, that’s probably a subject for another post…”. And I always meant to do it, just haven’t had/made the opportunity.
Well, as I will probably have inscribed on my tombstone, “better late then never”. So this, dear reader, is that post.
For the first 3-4 months of their lives they couldn’t do much else but lie on their backs. In July, at about 4 months, they started rolling onto their fronts. After that they gradually found themselves able to lie on their sides, then move around by rolling.
Then things changed. Around late October, at about 7 1/2 months, Ellie started sitting up by herself. Jake would stay sitting if plonked on his bum but couldn’t do it himself.
Then Ellie started crawling.
Then, on November 4th, she stood up. She managed to pull herself up in her cot to a standing position by leaning on the rail. I still remember how shocked I was.
Poor little Jake, (I say ‘little’; he weighs a ton compared to Ellie), was still lying on his belly, kicking his little legs, arms outstretched, & rocking vigourously while hyperventilating. He then seemed to get a bit confused as to why he wasn’t moving! He seemed quite happy about it, & to be honest, it was really funny to watch – so none of us minded.
Well it works in the swimming pool doesn't it?!
Ellie then, quite frankly, just started showing off. She started trying to climb, bear-walking style:
If the Daddy won't move to Eleanor, Eleanor will move to the Daddy
Every time she spotted an open door she would zoom towards it with incredible acceleration, with a determination that would flatter an Olympic athlete:
Held back from the Abyss by the Hand of Mum
She could support herself with 1 hand while trying to take a step:
"Look, Ma - one hand!"
She even tried to climb into the TV (& it looks like rugby presenter Simon Lazenby has a new fan…):
"Don't go towards the light!"
This is how it was at the time: at a music / play group while Jake was rolling around noisily trying to nick other babies’ toys, Ellie was sitting quietly on a cushion, looking like ‘butter wouldn’t melt’. Then the leader turned off the music; she straight away jumped up & crawled right across the room at top speed to yell at the tape player. I guess she was enjoying the music! Afterwards, by the way, just as the music stopped again Jake – right on cue – blew a huge raspberry. Not such a fan then, I guess.
Then, just before Christmas, Something Changed. Maybe Ellie went just that little bit too far with her Gangsta-stylee pants exposing taunt
"These young people! Why do they have to wear their trousers so low? How do they even walk?!"
Whatever it was Jake just suddenly seemed to get fed up with Ellie getting around so quickly & easily while he could only twist & roll. So he started to sit himself up:
See: The World's Youngest Strongman!
crawl:
"Oh no you don't - this toy's mine!"
And finally (“Anything you can do I can do better!”) pull himself up to a standing position:
Howdy neighbour!
It seems amazing to me that twin babies born only 2 minutes apart can develop at such different rates.
After being behind for so long Jake has now clearly pulled ahead. He’s now very good at opening doors that aren’t properly shut: which lead to The Great Escape. But that’s for another post & another time, I think 
Title courtesy of The Beach Boys. And France
- Their First Noël (whiskeyforaftershave.wordpress.com)
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. Has developed a slight fixation with holes. Well, he is ‘
