8 months old: Isaac and Dahlia

The babies turned 8 months old this week, and if you're wondering why I skipped the 7-month update ... well, I have quads! I have no free time! And now that I'm officially a full-time, stay-at-home mom (yes, I finally took the leap and quit my job a few weeks ago), blogging time is even more scarce. Since there is a lot of news to share and I can't seem to write more than a sentence or two before being called away, I've decided to divide the 8-month update into a series of shorter posts ... perhaps this way I'll be able to catch everyone up before the 9-month mark! Now, without further ado, the latest on the "oldest" and the "youngest":

Isaac is a happy, energetic boy who gets a kick out of life: He loves to interact with people by giggling, squealing, and cooing—sometimes for no apparent reason. In the past couple of weeks, he has started to give hugs, sometimes pulling hard on my ears or hair (the better to grip me with—he's very strong!), and occasionally he will even give me a "kiss" by sucking on my face. Isaac has been our champion eater from the beginning, and it's really paying off for him. Not only is he the longest and the heaviest (18 lb. at last check), but last week he was also the first to sit, crawl, and pull to standing, all within the space of a few days! It's funny because Isaac initially hated tummy time so much that he was the last to roll over (both belly to back and back to belly)—now he's ahead of the pack. Check out some of the trouble he's been getting into lately:

"Now that I can stand, I think I'll climb in here for a nap!"

"Hmmm ... I wonder how I can break out of this joint?"

"You think you can fence me in?"

Queen Dahlia (as my cousin Glenda calls her) is a fiery ball of energy. When she's happy, she beams; when she's not happy, she lets you know, and loudly. Dahlia needs more naps than the other babies, but when it's time for bed she gets so excited that it can take forever for her to calm down enough to fall sleep. She loves music, and her favorite place to be is in her daddy's lap while he's working. Dahlia can now say, "ta, ta, ta, ta," and she loves to try to talk to (read: squeal at) her brothers and sister. Developmentally, this girl is hot on Isaac's heels: She sat up by herself for the first time on the day she turned 8 months old (exactly a week after Isaac sat up), and although she isn't technically crawling, she can definitely get wherever she wants to be!

"See how pretty I can sit?"

"Ah, so this is what you're doing all day!"

"I may be stuck, but I'm still smiling!"

You know, being home with the babies may be physically and emotionally exhausting, but the fact that I've been present for these milestones makes the utter fatigue worth it. Bring on the energy drinks!