We are TWO!

The girls turned TWO last weekend! Oh my!

I remember when the girls turned 1 as if it were yesterday.

It was so bittersweet.  My precious peanuts were no longer my little "babies".

And not only that, everyone who already had kiddos older than mine felt the need to tell me that the second year would go even faster than the first did, so to hold on tight! I didn't believe them.  How could it possibly go any faster than the first year already had?! Well it was possible alright! I feel like this last year has gone significantly faster than the first year did. Crazy.

I suspect the major difference between how we (as parents) view "Year 1" and "Year 2" is that the first year the kiddos are hitting so many huge developmental milestones (rolling over, sitting up on their own, crawling, first words, first steps, first foods, sleeping through the night, etc.) that there are more huge accomplishments to document and keep track of.  And pictures - oh the pictures - we had pictures taken so many times the first year! Newborn, 6 week, 3 month, 6 month, 9 month, 1 year.  And year two?  18 months, and two years. Maybe one more time in between somewhere, if we were lucky.

The second year the kids are building on what they learned the first year....they learn how to run, hop, and jump; how to color, how transfer items from one container to another, how drink from a cup or water bottle without a lid; how to use silverware properly; how to use multiple words together (like today at lunch "lights up more please" - Olivia asking us to turn up the lighting in the dining room during lunch); how to communicate with each other and show love and affection; learn that they have a choice (I want to wear this, not that).  It's no longer a year of firsts. Accordingly, I don't think we (as parents) document it quite as much.  That sure doesn't mean that not as much happens though!

So, what's new with our two year olds?

Miss Olivia - 
Olivia is our little diva! Loves to be dressed up, clean, and cute. She is Miss Independent. She hates having her hair done. She always wants to be first to do anything and will race her sister to the bathroom to go potty, to the dinner table to eat, and to the door to go outside. She's defending her first born status I think...I'm older...I get to go first...LOL!  

Olivia has become very attached to her baby doll "Llellow" ("Yellow" for those of you who don't speak toddler), and insists on putting "Llellow" in Hudson's swing, car seat, bouncer, exersaucer, etc..  Super cute.  

Olivia is becoming more and more verbal every day.  It is common for her to speak in 3-5 word sentences ("Mommy go work, bye!").  She likes to do lots of different activities, but she doesn't like to do anything for more than 5-10 minutes at a time. Unless she is outside...she LOVES to be outside.

Favorite foods include: eggs, ham, cheese, macaroni and cheese, ice cream, bananas, and yogurt

Miss Brianna - 
Brianna is our lover. She loves to cuddle.  When she gives you a hug, she will pat you on the back as if to say "it's okay Mommy". She will hit, or kick, or pull hair, just so that she can give a hug and kiss afterwards.  We've tried to explain to her that you can give hugs and kisses without hurting someone first, but she just doesn't get it! 

Brianna is very attached to her blanket "Bella".  I have no idea why her blanket has a human name and Livvy's baby has a color name, but whatever! Bri looks for "Bella" constantly when we are at home.  She doesn't  have to have her always, she just wants to know where she is at all times. Interesting.

Brianna loves to sing, dance, jump, and color.  She has been working on her ABC's and knows almost the whole ABC song.  She gets stuck on L-M-N-O-P, just as I know I did when I was little =). 

Favorite foods include: "K" (Special K cereal), yogurt, string cheese, peaches, cupcakes, and ham

Both girls can identify all of the letters of the alphabet and love going for walks up and down our block, stopping at each of the political signs in people's yards, and pointing out the different letters.  I'm so proud.  LOL. They also know all of the neighbors by name, and know where they live.  Awesome. That should come in handy when they start escaping out the front door when we take our eyes off them for 20 seconds to go potty...=)

The girls have their differences as well, naturally.  While Bri likes to sing, Livvy really doesn't.  Conversely,  Bri doesn't really talk much (in actual words) and Livvy talks a lot. Similarly, Bri excels physically - running, jumping, and spinning - where Livvy lags a bit behind. It's funny really.  We watch as one girl surpasses the other in one specific developmental area; and then almost like clockwork, 3 months later the other girl comes up from behind and surpasses the one that was previously in the lead.  It's amazing to watch.  We are so blessed to have twins =).

So that's what's going on here with our two year olds!  We had our two year well check this week too, but this post is already long enough, so I will post those stats separately =).

Hope you guys are having a wonderful fall weekend!

Until next time -
Megan

Our beautiful differences =)

When we are out and about with the girls, at least once a day (usually multiple times a day!) we are asked "oh, are they twins?!". When we answer yes, at least 60% of the time the follow up question is "are they identical or fraternal?". I like to say that our girls are "very fraternal". Apart from the (I think) obvious differences in their appearances, they are also very different in terms of their personalities and individual development.

And I LOVE those differences.

Miss Olivia can single-handedly light up a room - instantly offering a huge smile and making friends with everyone around her.

Miss Brianna is more shy and reserved, will cower behind mom and dad, or refuse to be put down around strangers. Well - until she gets to know you - then she is a fireball! Always wanting to be the star of the show.

Miss Olivia does an excellent job of listening to what is said, and following instructions.

Miss Brianna listens about 50% of the time, and follows instructions less than 10% of the time. She likes the additional attention she receives when she has to be asked or shown something repeatedly (sneaky little lady).

Miss Olivia knows what she wants, and she wants it NOW. Patience is not a skill she posesses at this point. She becomes frustrated quickly, and will act out by hitting or screaming, when she doesn't get what she wants.

Miss Brianna is pretty patient with her sister and other kiddos. She doesn't love to share, but she will usually do it to keep the peace. Like Olivia, Brianna also knows what she wants, but she is more likely to incessantly sign the word "please" over and over again while whining until she gets what she wants then she is to hit or scream.

Miss Olivia dislikes getting in trouble. Time out is her arch enemy. She cries and cries the whole time she is in time out.

Miss Brianna lives on the wild side, and will push her limits right until the very end (right before she would get in trouble or get time out) then would stop. Time out does not seem to be an effective deterent for Brianna. When put in time out she plays by herself or talks. She rarely cries or becomes upset. This could be a challenge later on!

Miss Olivia gets SO excited about things - for instance - we adopted a new kitty (Dora) last week. Olivia LOVES this kitty. Every time she sees Dora, she does this high pitched scream and barrels toward the poor cat. Luckily Dora came from a home with children, so she is relatively familiar with this procedure and doesn't freak out as much as she would otherwise.

Miss Brianna is pretty even keel. You can tell she is excited, but it isn't quite as obvious. She gets a great big smile and becomes very affectionate (hugs and kisses). The kitty and the pugs both really like Brianna.

Miss Olivia is a very independent little toddler. She is happy to play on her own, without much direction from others. If she wants you to read a book to her, she will bring it to you and ask. She expects your full attention while reading. After you are done reading, she is content to go back and play by herself. Affection from Olivia is rare.

Miss Brianna is has more of a dependent personality. She is okay playing by herself for a short period of time, but she prefers to be involved in activities suggested/regulated/directed by others. She is happy to sit in your lap and read books for hours, and doesn't mind if her sister wants to sit in your lap too. She is content to share her space. She also LOVES to cuddle and give kisses.

Miss Olivia is very particular when she eats. She loves food, but only certain kinds of food (currently crackers, cheese, and macaroni and cheese) She prefers to remain relatively clean, and hates to be cleaned up after meals.
(Picture caption - I'm done!! I'm dirty! Ewww! Get me out of this chair!!!)

Note how clean Miss Olivia is - her hands, her face, and her tray...items are still relatively organized....

Miss Brianna LOVES food! She loves how it feels between her fingers, how it tastes when mixed together, how it sticks to the walls or feels in her hair. She too has become a bit more particular with what foods she likes (macaroni and cheese has been a massive hit over the past week) but she spends more time playing with it and flinging it than she does eating it. Not that she is starving in any way...we have big healthy girls =).
(Picture caption - I'm happy just being messy!!!)

Note how very dirty Miss Bri is...food all over her hands, arms, face, in her hair, all over her tray, and whether you can tell or not, there is actually rice on the wall!

It's these differences, along with many others, that really make me cherish each girl as an individual. I love their beautiful differneces...every one of them...even if sometimes they frustrate me or drive me absolutely batty =)

I really feel like instead of having "twins" in the traditional sense/belief (alarmingly many people think that twins are simply two of the exact same child) we have two siblings who just happened to be born on the same day. They will have a very special bond because of these circumstances, naturally, but my expectation will never be that they will be "the same" person. They are so very very different.

Do you love the differences is your kiddos? Are they incredibly apparent like ours, or are they more subtle?

Until next time -
Megan