#1 thing I love about having twins - the fact that they have each other. I love that they have each other to love, respect, share, and interact with. They care about each other - from the deep parts of their souls - because it's ingrained in them from before they were even born. They are most comfortable and themselves when they're together. Without the other, the universe is out of balance.
And I love that they are able to lean on each other and give hugs when they need it most.
Sydney is on the left, and Ella is on the right - giving Sydney hugs and pats on the back <3
*disclaimer: the night before they kept biting each other, and more often than not I catch them hitting each other across the great crib divide
Most impressively recently, the girls have gotten really good at recognizing that they take turns, whose turn it is, and the word "too". I'm sure there's a technical term for this development (sequencing maybe?), but I don't have a clue.
For example, I'll ask Ella if she wants more blueberries. Sydney pipes up with "Syd-ee boo-berries too". They will also say what the other one is going to have, too. In the same situation, instead of Sydney talking, Ella would say "Syd-ee boo-berries too".
Or, at bath time (every single time), when it's time to brush teeth,
"Syd-ee's first" (Sydney),
then "No, Eyya's first" (Ella).
And when we start brushing someone's teeth, the other will say "Syd-ee/Eyya next".
Well, this morning takes the cake. Sydney was stumbling around after she got dressed and I jokingly said, "Sydney are you drunk?" She said "yah" and Ella said "Eyya drunk too". And then a few minutes later, Sydney was laying on the ground and I jokingly (Momma's got jokes today) said "Sydney do you need coffee?" and Ella said "Eyya coffee too".
They are going to go to daycare saying their drunk and they need coffee. CPS, nothing to see here...
These two. So adorable. Their little personalities and the way they interact and communicate. Their little voices, I want to bottle it up and hear it forever.
Two toddlers - yes, it's madness. Delightful and entertaining, but crazy!
At the end of this month, we will have two two-year-olds. I can't even think about it, so I'm going to avoid the issue and just carry on like everything is normal. That means one long marathon post of all of the fun we had in March :)
it's starting to get warmer! you can't see them, but they have the CUTEST ruffled bloomers on under their sweet dresses
Grandma Georgia came over and brought dinner and a quick visit
Sydney didn't eat dinner. Like not even a bite. I've learned my lesson before and don't force food down their throats. It's a good thing, too, because she ended up puking for a few hours :(
no clothes on - this is our puking outfit of the day
Ugh, it was miserable. I feel soooo bad for those little humans who throw up and don't understand what's going on. It's so sad and pitiful. She threw up from about 7 until 10:30/11, and then slept all night, so the timing worked out well (silver lining?).
I love having twins and the whole twin bond thing they have going on... but can't a momma just rock her sick baby in peace? Nope, no I cannot! And can't a girl just puke in peace? No, no she cannot.
Daniel and I did a split shift the next day, and sent E to school. I had the morning shift, and I don't mean this offensively to my singleton friends, but...
Haha, I'm kidding... kind of. Sydney was feeling about so-so. We balanced out snuggling and getting a few things done. Only having one sweet girl seemed so.... easy. I wouldn't trade having two, but damn ;)
Sydney loved helping me unload the dishwasher
a lap full of animals
I was even able to get some clothes folded, and learned that doing it at the table is SO much easier than the floor
sick Sydney
And by some miracle from the Heavens above, Ella did NOT get sick. I don't know if this has ever happened to us, but thank you Baby J! I kept waiting for it... and waiting for it... and it never happened. They missed Dr Seuss day at school, so we made up for it when they were reunited.
twinning
I was shopping at Walmart and just so happened to see these ADORABLE monster potties, which I had to buy since they match their monster bathroom. We aren't going to attempt potty training until they're in their next classroom, so for now, they are just an extra chair during snack time.
We were thrilled that Harrison came to play for the day! Harrison on the other hand....
Harrison did NOT appreciate the olive branch being offered by S&E
baby besties
line 'em up for grub. Ella is trying to share, and Harrison is still not having it
<3 <3 <3
this kid..
We celebrated Daniel's birthday with Chipotle catering with his family... it was delicious and we all had fun :) We had to wear our birthday party dresses to celebrate, and naturally needed a photo shoot!
holding hands like sweet sisters
Where's your belly?
Where's Sissy's nose?
little old men courtesy of Snapchat
Sisters make the Best Friends
I went to visit my coworker, Anne Bev, who had B/G twins a month before! Meet Sutton and Ellie. Soooo hard to believe this was my life just two short years ago.
she thought I was qualified enough to be in charge while she went to pump. rock one in my arms, rock the other with my feet... just like riding a bike! so much sweetness <3
This is what an awesome sister looks like
(Ella disagrees)
the tickle monster strikes again
Uncle Mop came to visit! And he read us our bedtime story, the current favorite: "The Snowman Book"
Jacob came to play for a day, while Aunt Ashley worked.
cute cousins
haha
new game we like to play: rolling the ball back and forth
adorable outfits, and they love having pockets!
new Pinterest-executed activity: moon sand. Relatively speaking, it was a fail.
sweet girls and their babies and bunnies
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Not only are they Daddy's lucky charm, but we are immeasurably lucky for our twins!
They don't look it, but these two LOVE the car at the grocery store. They honk and squeal!
sweet Saturday morning view
I'm the luckiest momma in all the world
cute little tots wearing overalls
We went to CMoR to play
S
E
they need to grow a little before they can steer the ship safely
story time
Then we found the sand (gravel?) pit. We {finally} got to sit for a few minutes!
Operation: cover up Ella
Syd's a boss
Daddy the server at the diner
casual grocery shopping
To prep for their birthday and all the fun toddler activities, we had to test out the sand table. THEY LOVED IT. Lesson learned: it's messy! We keep it outside now, because they don't understand the concept of keeping the sand inside the table.
this is my view from the kitchen, and my heart is so full
baby yoga (that's Sydney trying to be like her Daddy)
Nana with all of her grands
A good friend at work, Ashley, is having a sweet baby boy soon! A few coworkers and I threw her a couples shower, and it was adorable. Actually, her safari-theme paved the way for the Monkey See Monkey Do party.
Friends, not just coworkers
Tiffany (baking a boy!), Kim, Ashley (baking Cole), and Jamie (Brooklyn's mama)
While we were planning and executing the shower, my mom took the girl's to visit their Great Granma Fails <3
Since I was holed up in bed with the flu, Daddy snapped a few cute pictures for me to enjoy
wee!
the yard needs serious work, and we need all the help we can get
bed time from afar, and the best daddy in all the world.
Ella was pooping (yes, that happened), and at our house, one cannot do anything without the other.
perfect scenario
We had free tickets to the Circus, and since Ringling Bros. is done after this year, we had to go! Even though they are little and don't get it, we did our best (it was a lot of work) and they did great! We made it for half of the time.
cute girls ready for the circus!
they hated that clown. he ranks up there with Santa
We got there early (logistically, things like this are hard), so once we found our seats, we spent some time dancing and getting our wiggles out until show time.
best $9 we've spent, they LOVE popcorn
so cool
Ella girl was happy!
and so was Sydney
:)
.... and they're out, too much fun at the Circus.
They no longer transfer for naps from the car to the crib, so we ended up snuggling up for the second half of naptime. I can't complain one bit!
After napping, and since we skipped lunch, we went to Chick-Fil-A for chicken nuggets, French fries, and chocolate milk - and they enjoyed the play area.
E
S
The next day was Da-Da's bday! We had to make him a cute video and color birthday cards while he slept in.
monkey card from the monkeys
We've really been enjoying the nice weather, and are back to spending a ton of time on the porch. Best money we've ever spent on our house, hands down.
testing out water beads for our party - another big hit, and messy :)
Okay, I'm probably beating a dead horse, but a lot of times this twin-toddler, life-with-multiples gig is too tough for one person. Daniel and I often plan our lives around making sure we are both together to tackle any sort of outing, or someone is going to do an errand alone (because it ain't happening with taking our two). Daniel rocks. He is way better at just doing something, and doing it successfully. I'm way more high strung. Everything seems to be a logistical challenge in my mind. What do we pack, are they wearing the right clothes, how long will we be gone, what meals/naps/schedule will be impacted. Daniel just does it. I admire him for that, and also for pushing me to do things that I'm not completely comfortable with. When he picks up the girls from daycare, he will often take them on little field trips. That makes my blood pressure rise (although, I'm getting wayyyyy better). And the thing is, I don't want to be that mom that just stays inside our bubble, but I do understand that life with multiples is different.
In order to get out and do stuff, we practice. And we make every effort to set the girls up for success. Walking into and out of daycare, we practice holding hands - they hold each others, they hold momma's/daddy's, etc. They have to listen and stand at the ball attached to the car while the other is being buckled in or unbuckled. We practice having them stop and go and just all-around listening. Understanding they are small and need a lot of work, we try so hard. We also plan outings for when they'll be successful - when they aren't too tired or have unreasonable requests (ie we go out to eat when it's time for them to eat, or we go to a loud place like Mexican and not Fleming's).
So anyway, Daniel went to NC for a hockey game, and I decided (super spontaneously might I add) to take the girls to the park after daycare. ALONE! Well, I did call my sister and asked if she wanted to join since I knew she was solo too, but I was in charge of my two. And it went great! I packed us a quick dinner and changed clothes, and we did it! Nobody was hurt, and the girls had fun.
The key to success: just do it. Don't overthink, and be confident that you got this. And set them up for success.
quick picnic dinner before playing
we did it!
My mom watched the girls one day that daycare was shut down. I love that she had a day - when nobody was sick - to just enjoy them! She's such a great Nana, and we're all so lucky to have her.
