October: Koen was Mader for Halloween and Sage was an adorable little flower. Koen really got into the spirit of things this year and chased Cooper Willoughby all over the neighborhood in search of KitKats, M and M's and suckers. He doesn't really like any other candy so Kenn and I helped him finish off the rest :)
Sage began crawling this month (at 8 months) and got her first tooth! She's still not sleeping through the night thanks to constant fluid behind her eardrums or an ear infection :( Otherwise she's doing well and is happy to be on the move so she can (try to) keep up with Koen. She has been signing "more" for awhile but recently said her first word "bah, bah" (bye bye). Is it a bad sign that her first word is "bye bye"? ;)
November: We made our annual visit to the Festival of Trees with my mom, aunt, grandma, Cousin Molly, Jill and Luke. Koen was excited to see Santa but wouldn't you know it, he was taking a lunch break the whole time we were there! We tried to see Santa again at the mall later that week but he was gone to dinner. Koen's beginning to think all Santa does is eat! :) Koen also started a 6 week indoor soccer class which is a hoot! Koen's not very coordinated and he was a bit hesitant to join in at first but he ended up really enjoying it and we'll do it again in January.
Sage got her second tooth this month and within a week fell on the tile knocking it loose. It bled all over the place and we had to push it back into place but a dentist friend assured us that it happens all the time. It may turn grey and ruin her pretty looks till her permanent tooth comes in but it's apparently no big deal (phew!).
December: Koen had his first trip to the dentist and was cavity free! He loved the whole experience and keeps asking when we get to go back. He's also really excited for Christmas and asks every day when Santa is coming. He's full of questions about the logistics of Santa - is there enough room in the sleigh for all his toys, what do the flying reindeer eat, will Santa need to stop for a snack/nap before he makes it to our house, etc. His questions certainly keep us on our toes because he's got a great memory so I have to keep my story straight or he'll call me on it!
Sage finally had tubes put in and we're hoping for an improvement in her sleeping habits. Right now she goes down at 730, is up again at 230 and then again at 630 before waking for good at 8. As soon as she's fully healed from surgery we're going to work on phasing out the 230 waking. I'm not looking forward to it because I'm not great at letting her cry, but I'm worse at living without sleep so I'll be strong ;) Sage is now walking along furniture and will take a few steps if you're holding her hand. She's eating table food now and enjoys being a part of the family at meal times. She recently added the signs "all done" and "please" to her vocabulary and randomly says "mama" and "dada" but we're not sure if they're intentional or just babbling. Sage is very vocal and active and her feisty personality is still going strong. Her new thing is to yell, glare at you and then try to bite if she's upset! Her two little teeth don't hurt and the fierce look on her face is actually comical but I don't really want a biter. Hopefully it's just a phase....
