A Day In The Life | 20 Months

A few times each month Twin Talk features a mom sharing a typical day in her life with (fill in the blank)-month-old twins.  It's always a shock to see how different days look from one month to six months to 15 months to now.  When I wrote Jude & Sloane's posts the first year I described their daily schedule in detail.  It's been a while so I decided to capture a typical day around here.  I didn't decide to do this until we were a few hours into our day so the pictures are lacking in the beginning.

A Day In The Life of 20-Month-Old Twins

7.11.14

 

7:15 am : Sloaney is awake!  I hear her chatting to herself.

7:20 am: Jude is awake!  I fill their sippy cups with milk and head upstairs to greet my employees. (Or am I their employee?  Some days it's hard to tell.)

7:22 am: They see me, smile, and wave.  Sloaney immediately asks for Papa (Michael's dad).  I apologize and tell her it's just me.  I change their diapers and tell them to say goodbye to their pacifiers.  They throw their pacifiers in the cribs ("bye bye") and both ask for milk ("mil? mil?"). 

7:25 am: We venture to their pristine playroom and I watch as they pull each and every toy down from the bookshelf.

7:29 am: Playroom is destroyed.  They drink their milk and we sing a few songs.

7:58 am: I head downstairs as they both yell "nana!"  They love routine as much as I do.  I cut up a banana and sprinkle in some Cracklin Oat Bran.  I also make myself a cup of coffee.  I head back upstairs and say "Breakfast!"  They know this means to sit in their chairs.  I give them their food and turn on Daniel Tiger.

8:00 am: I make sure the Twin Talk blog post is live and then post on Twin Talk's Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.  Reply to previous day's comments and questions via Instagram.  Spend remaining time enjoying my coffee while the kids learn about how they are special.

8:28 am: Reply to play date invite.  Several girls are going to "Tot Swim" at the aquatic center.  I'm still uncomfortable taking my kids to places that aren't enclosed (basically anywhere outside) when I'm alone, especially if water is involved.  Reply that I can't attend and wonder how many more times I will turn down play dates before we stop getting invited.  The thought makes my heart hurt.  Not much longer and we will be ready!

8:30 am:  Time to play!  We complete puzzles, sing songs, read books, talk (a ton of real words lately but also a lot of twin talk), throw balls, kick balls, kick each other (whoops!), climb on sofas & chairs, run in circles, spin, jump, wrestle, hug, kiss, point out body parts (my forehead mole is by far their favorite.  Sigh.), climb in bookshelves, count to five (I count as they point at five different random objects), and MOST importantly, roll over... and roll over... and roll over.  This is their favorite activity right now!

 

9:30 am: Time for their "second" breakfast and my first. I fix them oatmeal mixed with a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter.  As they're eating I make myself a bowl of Cracklin Oat Bran.  

10:00 am: Once they're done eating I clean their faces and Sloaney asks for a bath ("baa?"), which has become pretty common after breakfast. We head upstairs and they stop on the steps to say "Bye bye" to "dada."  There are several pictures of dada (and mama - hurumph) that they can see from the steps.  They never say bye to mama.  

10:05 am: Bathtime!  I let them play in the water for a good 15 minutes before I use soap.  Since they both have eczema we keep the soap time very limited.  They love playing with the ducks ("duck duck") in the water ("wa wa"). 

10:30 am: Dry them off, cover them in lotion, put them back in their pjs (yes, I realize it's 10:30 but they stay in their pjs until after nap unless we leave the house), and let them play some more until they're visibly tired.  The plan is to meet Michael at Northpark for a late lunch so I decide to put them to bed earlier than usual.

10:50 am: Curl up in the rocking chair and read a few books.  Sing a few lullabies and then put them in their sleepsacks in their cribs.

 

 

 

10:55 am: Check Dropcam.  Already fast asleep.

(During naptime I complete a few assistant tasks for my R+F job, work on a Twin Talk post for next Monday, put some laundry away, take a shower and get ready to meet Michael.)

12:18 pm: Sloaney stirs.  I panic.

12:19 pm: Sloaney goes back to sleep.  Whew!

1:15 pm: Both wake up after a decent nap.  Michael and I have texted and since the earliest I could get all of us to the mall is 2p, we decide it's too late for lunch.  Bummer.  Change diapers, exchange pleasantries, etc.

1:30 pm: Lunch!  I realize our cupboards and fridge are mostly bare.  Oops.  The kids eat hummus and pita chips, vanilla (whole) yogurt, applesauce, sweet pickles, and cheese.  Lunch of champions.  To be honest, that's actually pretty close to the norm except there's typically lunch meat and blueberries/strawberries thrown in the mix.

2:15 pm: Play some more.  I teach Jude to say "Gooooal" while raising both arms in the air.  We complete puzzles, sing songs, talk (a ton of real words lately but also a lot of twin talk), read books, throw balls, kick balls, kick each other (whoops!), climb on sofas & chairs, run in circles, spin, jump, wrestle, hug, kiss, point out body parts (my forehead mole is by far their favorite.  Sigh.), climb in bookshelves, count to five (I count as they point at five different random objects), and MOST importantly, roll over... and roll over... and roll over.

3:15 pm: I decide we need to run to Market Street to grab some items.  Leave the kids in their room while I head downstairs to pack the diaper bag with diapers, sippy cups (water), and snacks.

3:19 pm: Return to a disaster.  All dirty clothes are now out of the hamper and on the floor.  Lovely.  Fortunately they understand "Help mama clean up!" and put everything away.  I get them dressed and we head downstairs.

3:30 pm: Load up the kids in the car.

3:31 pm:  Consider changing tops because I am now a sweaty mess from loading two toddlers in 1000 degree garage.

3:32 pm: Run inside to grab the diaper bag and realize I've been wearing Michael's shoes this entire time.  He wears a size 12.  I'm a 7.5.  Can't decide if I should laugh or cry.  I am a disaster.

3:45 pm:  Get to Market Street and put the twins' shoes on.  Realize I only packed ONE of Jude's shoes.  Hold Sloane's hand and carry my 29.5 lb toddler in my other arm as we make our way into the store.  Shop til I drop.

4:20 pm: Check out and head home with my 10 items.  Decide I'm not quite ready to be back home and the kids seem happy in the car, so....

4:30 pm:  Leave the car running in the driveway and throw cold items in the fridge.  Return to car and hit up the nearest Starbucks.

4:40 pm: Order a tall iced coffee with classic and cream (Thank you Leslie for sharing this amazing order with me - it is my absolute favorite)!  Did I mention it only costs $2.10 compared to my $3.84 white chocolate mocha? 

4:45 pm: Call my mom and catch up on the last few days.  Talking to her is good for my soul.

5:30 pm: Back home and waiting for dada.  Kids are playing (destroying) the kitchen while I tidy up downstairs.

 

5:45 pm: Sloane has a BAD diaper so we head upstairs and I pull out the nice camera again.  More watching cars ("cah") go by ("go go go!").  Where is dada?

 

And then I take this picture.  I look at it on my camera and it takes my breath away.  I know she is mine but my goodness I can't get enough of this sweet face.  Sloaney girl, you are precious.



6:00 pm: Dada is HOME!  I missed getting a picture of the initial big hug (he gets approx 17 from each kid when he gets home).  We typically have the grand reunion upstairs but we decided to celebrate the beginning of the weekend by heading to Smashburger.  The garage made a not-so-beautiful backdrop.

6:10 pm: Arrive at Smashburger.  I sit with the kids while Michael orders our food.  We make the mistake of giving them french fries first so nothing else will do.  They eventually eat some of the food we brought from home but had nothing to do with the burgers (fine by me, I didn't want to share anyway).

 

6:55 pm: Arrive home.  Fill their sippy cups with milk and tell them it's time for Mickey!  They sit in their chairs and watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while drinking their milk.  Michael picks up the playroom and I go outside to clean out my car.

 

7:25 pm:  Change into night time diapers and pajamas.  Jude and Sloane climb on my back and we play for a bit.  Then we read a few books and sing several songs (If You're Happy and You Know it; Itsy Bitsy Spider; This Little Light of Mine; Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes).  They know most of the hand motions for each song and it is my favorite time of the day: All four of us sitting in the nursery, singing our hearts out while using big hand gestures.  Life is so good.

7:40 pm:  Time to brush teeth (they both let us know it's time by putting their finger in their mouth and moving it left to right - they love their toothbrushes).

7:44 pm: Put them in their sleepsacks (Sloane's goes on backwards, which is always fun because she faces you and gives your legs a giant hug as you zip her up) and put them in their cribs.  Bedtime for our babies!

7:50 pm: Download pictures from the day and add them to this blog post.

8:20 pm: Start writing this blog post.

9:30 pm: Done.  And now I'm off to spend the rest of the evening with Michael.  :)