tODDlers

When Michael gets home from work we put the kids in the wagon and take a few laps around our neighborhood.  They love the fresh air and it gives Michael and me a chance to swap stories from our day.  I love sharing stories about the kids and right now they are in such a strange stage that I end up laughing through most of them. 

Here are a few items that happened just yesterday:

1.  Sloane had a dramatic conversation with her reflection.  It ended with a giant wave and then she raised her shirt and flashed herself.

2.  Jude loves straddling his sister.  If he sees her on the floor, he stops whatever he is doing so he can sit on his sister.  She doesn't mind it.  I do.

3.  They both love the computer keyboard.  I left the room for one minute and came back to two toddlers on the computer chair, typing away on the keyboard.  When I told them "No!" and "Get down!" they both stood up and BANGED on the keys.  Definitely typing at least 90 words a minute.

4.  Neither use many words, but they "talk" to each other all of the time.  I took them outside to walk up and down our street and asked them to hold hands.  They grabbed hands and proceeded to have a full blown conversation with one another.  At one point Sloane stopped and pointed to something, babbled to Jude, and then he pointed at the same thing.  I looked in the general direction and saw NOTHING.  What are you two talking about?  How am I already the third wheel?

It's not uncommon for me to finish my stories, look at Michael, and say, "They're so odd."  And then it hit me.  Toddler.  tODDler.  The name fits.

They are also so different from one another.  So very different.  This has been a huge struggle for me lately.  I remember seeing this quote a few years ago and it really hit home with me personally.

Now it hits home on an entirely different level - with my babies.  I am constantly comparing them to other children and (even worse) to each other.  It's horrible but I do it every single day.  It steals my joy.  You know what else?  It steals their joy.  For 18 months I let them give me cues of what they wanted to do.  I've always kept to a schedule, but I made sure play time was exactly that: PLAY time.  We learned at their 18 month appointment that they're behind in speech, which is fairly normal for twins, but it flipped a switch inside of me.  Since then, I have become a paranoid mother who notices what every other child is saying.  Play time has essentially become school time and it's pretty clear that when I'm at my worst, so are they.  When that happens, I have successfully managed to steal their joy. 

Someone emailed Amber and me at Twin Talk the other day and asked if she could write a post about PPD.  She mentioned we make it all look so easy.  I laughed out loud because right before I read her email I'd had a meltdown about something child-related.  Honestly, I did find their first year to be pretty easy.  They were happy babies, great sleepers, and terrific eaters.  tODDlerdom is a whole new world and I find myself struggling quite a bit.  When you have babies, there's only so many decisions you can make.  Most areas seem to be black/white.  Toddlers?  All grey.  So much grey.  Too much grey.

No tidy bow on this post.  My dad says the most important thing you can do as a parent is love your kids.  I know I'm doing that right.  Everything else?  Not a clue.

Weekend Recap!

This past weekend was a good one.  Most are, but this one was filled with a lot of friends and family, and NO ONE WAS SICK.  I took too many pictures and figured they needed their own post.  :)

Amber and I meet every month to discuss Twin Talk and we decided this month's meeting needed to happen outside, with a pool, a water table, a giant yard, and four toddlers.  We have a giveaway going on right now and we needed some pictures of the girls wearing bows from the sponsors.  Don't feel sorry for Jude; while the girls were our little models, he was busy running victory laps around Amber's backyard.  I think he had more fun than anyone.

Here we go!

Parker & Jolie's Head Wraps:  Shelby Chic Boutique

Sloane's Glitter Bow: Sweet T Baby

"What is this magical place?"

"Parker and Jolie got grape slushes.  I got nothing.  Worst mom ever."

You haven't pushed all of the neat buttons on the lid?  Here, let me help!

"Holy crap.  This yard is amazing.  I'm never leaving!"

"OMG. OMG. OMG. Weeeeeeeee!"

"I must refuel so I can continue running laps around this yard."

"Sloane, what is he doing?" "That is what boys do.  It doesn't make sense.  It will never make sense."

"Worst.  Mom.  Ever."

"I'm going to act like I'm giving Jolie a hug, and then I'm going to steal her drink."

 

"I'm sorry, what?  Mom, Jolie just tried to kiss me."

The End. (Of Friday.)

On Saturday, we took the kids to a new area in Old Town Coppell.  Our first stop was Frost Cupcakery, which is the cutest shop and, most importantly, has delicious cupcakes to boot.  The store is owned by my friend's mom and she has done a fantastic job with the place.  You must check it out.

After we had our fill of cupcakes (the kids loved them), we went to nearby fountains (Kaitlin, I'm sorry).  Jude & Sloane were both a little hesitant at first and then Sloane just threw her hands up and ran right in.  Jude took a little bit to warm up to it but really enjoyed himself as well.  One of my favorite parts of being a parent is watching your child do something for the very first time.  This was no exception.

On Sunday we gathered our rafts and went to the neighborhood pool.  And I was very intentional about something - I left my camera and phone at home.  I'm grateful I've captured so many pictures of these two but it does change the dynamic a bit.  Sometimes I miss a great moment because I'm too busy capturing the moment.  Does that make sense?  Anyway, the four of us had a wonderful time and I have absolutely nothing to show for it.  And I am ok with that.  :) 

Hope you all had a lovely weekend as well!

Jude & Sloane | 19 Months

Jude Sullivan...

..loves to laugh.  He's been voted, "Best Belly Laugh" by anyone who's heard it.

...continues to lose the baby fat.  He's still a big boy, but that's just it.  He's a boy.  Goodbye baby.  :(

...adores music and dancing.  Loves to clap his hands and rock back and forth.  His favorite song on Youtube is "Hey Jude."  Go figure.

...Loves giving his sister hugs (and they will finally hold hands when you ask)!  He thinks you hug someone from the back so he walks up and puts his arms around her, which is terribly sweet but he inevitably knocks her over.  No problem, he just crawls on her back.  By this point she is in tears.

...still has 16 teeth but his hand is in his mouth constantly so I'm searching for the two-year-old molars.  He's always been so ahead with his teeth that I imagine these will come early as well.

...has become quite good at puzzles.  This happened overnight.  He now enjoys them and will complete a few before he decides it's time for something else.  His favorite is the shapes puzzle - he always puts the circle in first, typically followed by the pentagon.

...has finally started talking more.  Don't get me wrong, he talks all of the time, but using actual words has been slow for sure.  He appears to have a bit of a speech impediment, just like his mama did.  I see speech therapy in our future.

...is stubborn.  He wants to do it his way and he is NOT happy if you disagree.  He pitches a small fit and then seems to be over it.

...is adapting to utensils.  I think the most frustrating part for everyone is we don't know if he favors left or right so we're not sure how to help.  He seems to prefer left but is better with his right.

...loves to lay on my lap, belly down, while he watches tv (picture below).  He is my little lap dog and I adore it.

...was the proud owner of his first scraped knee.  He tripped on the sidewalk and busted it pretty badly.  We didn't even know about it until we saw blood on his shorts.  Tough guy for sure.

...appears to be a water baby.  He enjoys when dad throws him high in the air or spins him around.  We're putting them both in swim lessons in June so we will hopefully ALL be prepared for Sanibel in July!

...loves life.  He loves to explore, learn, and find out everything he can about his surroundings.  He does all of this while running, laughing, and using big hand gestures.  I hope this reckless abandon lasts forever.

 

Sloane Elisabeth....

...has been waking up earlier than usual and naps are shorter than ever.  Baby girl, you need your sleep.  For your sake.  For my sake.  For everyone's sake.

...figured out how to take off her sleepsack and does this every chance she gets.  We have now turned it around so the zipper is in the back, which makes her look like a tiny patient in a straight-jacket but it seems to be working.

...has become very, very dramatic.  If she gets stuck somewhere, frustrated with something, or her brother looks at her the wrong way, she brings out the crocodile tears so fast.  It's clearly fake as she is running around and laughing a minute later, but in that moment, it is the worst day of her life.  Oh Sloane.

...talks quite a bit more these days.  She prefers to point but will talk if you coax it out of her.  We've been really working with both of them and have noticed improvement.

...is a pro with the utensils.  I think she's a neater eater than me (although Michael believes this is the case for 99% of America).

...is SO funny.  I have a feeling she is going to have dry wit (my favorite!) and I cannot wait.  She already seems so clever and sneaky.

...continues to be charismatic.  I took the two of them to a children's area at the mall and three children followed her everywhere, desperately trying to hug her or get her attention.  She did not care for the hugs but seemed to enjoy being the leader.  I pray (if this continues) she uses her charisma for good and is a sweet friend to everyone.

...is very OCD.  She still likes everything to be in its place.  Spills, crooked chairs, and spots on her clothes are not acceptable.

....has gained four new teeth and now has 16 total.  Poor girl has been sick for the last week while cutting four teeth.  Pretty rough to say the least.

 ...really enjoys music and dancing.  Maybe not as much as her brother, but right behind him.  She especially loves "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" and Pharrell's "Happy."  I think she likes that he wears a hat all of the time too!

...appears to be a water baby as well!  Doesn't have much fear and kept trying to go under the water.  We need those lessons fast!!

...is such a sweetheart.  She waves at everyone (even her reflection and videos of other babies) and adapts to new situations easily.

Love you both!!  -Mama

 (Airplane...)