12 Months Old

These two people right here. Let's just take a moment and give a slow clap to US for happily making it through the first year of twin parenting life with two other kids under age 5. Yeah, it wasn't easy but it also wasn't horrible. There were days that we just looked at each other and laughed, cried, ordered takeout, let laundry sit in the dryer far too long, skipped bath time, left the kitchen a mess and went to bed anyway, sometimes cleaned up toys from the living room and other times didn't lift a finger to move a single thing. We took road trips, stayed home, went out to dinner, had a few date nights, went to friends houses, celebrated holidays, birthdays and normal days. One of the number ones things I remember telling Matt when we found out we were pregnant with twins up to the days before their arrival was that I didn't want these little people to change our life so much that we didn't feel like we could go anywhere. We knew it would be hard and there were times that it would take us an hour to just get ready to leave the house and wherever we went we would stay for less than the time it took us to get there. There were tantrums, crying, diaper explosions and stressful situations but the more we did it the better we got. We didn't want to be hermits to our home. We like to go out to eat, go on vacation, go to the zoo, playgrounds, swimming and just exploring. We wanted to continue all of these things not just for us but for our kids. I wanted to make sure that Hattie and Rhett didn't get the shaft and never get to go anywhere or not be signed up for anything because it was just too much to handle. There were days going to gymnastics class or swim lessons where I was solo taking all four wherever it was and trust me, it was not easy and I'm sure I looked like a crazy person but we all survived. Now, don't get me wrong there were a lot of things we did not do because we thought it would be too much for us or we couldn't get a sitter. Have you ever thought about asking someone to watch four kids? Two of them less than a year old? Yeah, not too many people knocking down our door for that opportunity but thankfully we have a pretty awesome support system that loves our kids and will watch them from time to time and for special occasions. What's on our bucket list for next summer? Oh man, I think we will for sure be hitting up Chicago a couple of times for Cubs games, the zoo and more. We will also be hitting up swimming pools, splash pads, mini road trips, water parks and who knows what else. This past year has been one of learning, growing, loving and laughing. We cannot imagine these two little people not having surprised us in the way they did because every time we look at them and they look right back with those scrunch nosed smiles and immediately crawl right toward you for a big hug and snuggle we melt all over again and know every single moment, whether is was good or bad has been worth it times a million. 

Oh, what did you say? No No No? Yeah, that means nothing to me. I'm a one year old Mom.

We have officially hit the age where they aren’t exactly baby baby anymore,  yet they aren’t full blown toddler/kid age either. The twins are beginning to show they are listening, learning, testing limits, understanding so much and becoming little people more and more everyday. One of the things we are noticing is when we tell them “no” (and yes we tell our kids “no”...hopefully not too much but we do...a LOT). 99.9% of the time we tell them “no” when they are doing something that could harm themselves like pulling on electrical cords, trying to grab my cup of coffee, going toward the stairs, pulling down picture frames or putting crayons in their mouth. Ya know, the usual suspects when it comes to babies and exploring the world around them. However, what I am finding quite hilarious is that when we tell Harlow to not do something she drops the item right away, looks right at us and shakes her head “no” or just stops whatever she was doing. Ryne on the other hand continues to do whatever it is we are telling him not to do, appears to not hear us or completely ignore us, looks right back at us and laughs or gets super mad and upset and throws a full blown tantrum on the floor. From the very beginning we have always thought Harlow as a little more of a daredevil, one who would push the envelope and keep us on our toes and Ryne seemed to be the more laid back one who would comfort his sister and be so dang chill that we barely noticed he was there! It appears that as they are now “growing up” per say they are switching roles and showing us a lot more of their distinct different personalities and it cracks us up. I have a hard time keeping a straight face when I tell either of them “no” because their different reactions seem to be so darn cute and clearly a reaction no matter if its a positive or negative one and I am loving learning their personalities throughout each of these stages.

Bounce Baby Bounce

Everybody dance now! But really, seeing babies dance is just about one of the cutest things ever. They look at you with this big smile, slowly kinda bounce up and down or sway back and forth, maybe throw a random clap in here or there and just seem so darn proud of themselves you can’t help but bounce right along. Sometimes our two littles will even decide it’s dance time when there isn’t anyone else dancing. Whether a commercial comes across the TV with a good tune or jingle, a toy begins to play some music or they just have that feeling where they just need to boogie it’s the cutest darn thing. They look at you with this huge grin, begin to bounce, clap or sway and of course your respond with the same or bigger goofy grin and you begin to bounce with the same rhythm which could definitely NOT guarantee a spot on dancing with the stars but you don’t care who in the world sees you because you and this sweet baby are dancing away in your own little world. Another thing that is completely adorable that the babies are doing similar to dancing is just randomly clapping when we are in a crowd that is also clapping. Two times that this has happened recently were one time at church and we were praising a few parishioners who were preparing to head off on a mission trip and at the end the congregation clapped for them and to see Ryne turn his head as fast as can be and begin clapping along like he couldn’t believe something was happening that he also knows how to do was just hilarious! Another time was out to eat at a restaurant and the table next to us was celebrating a birthday. They sang Happy Birthday to the little boy at the table and of course at the end, everyone clapped. Including the babies. They looked right over there like they were part of the group with the biggest smile and clapped right along. Sometimes I don’t feel like my heart can handle watching the two of them grow up into these little people they are becoming but then, my heart doesn’t actually explode and I keep moving forward with a goofy mom grin 24/7.

Cha-Ching!

PRAISE THE LORD (and our bank account) that we are officially DONE with formula! Our very last container of formula ended three days before the twins turned one and I messaged our pediatrician to make sure it was okay to make the switch before the 12 month checkup and thankfully she said “yes!”. You better believe I texted Matt right away and had him pick up a gallon of whole milk on his way home from work and did not hesitate to make the switch as soon as the last scoop of formula was gone. Now, don’t get me wrong I was very thankful that we found the Target subscription service to help save some money when it came to buying the tubs upon tubs of formula we went through in this past year BUT I am ecstatic about the idea of not storing those tubs, scooping out formula into containers for the diaper bag, preparing bottles every night with the infant water for the next day and throwing away ounces that were not consumed but went past the time limit suitable for saving formula from one sitting to the next. Sure, at first I was a little apprehensive about the twins liking whole milk, handing how cold it was straight out of the fridge and hoping there wasn’t any allergies that would arise switching over. Thankfully I am happy to report after the initial shock of the temperature I think the switch has happened without a hitch. Now, to get Harlow to just take a sippy cup like a normal child and we would be done with the bottles forever too!

Switch It, Change It A-Rearrange It...AGAIN

(Where my cheer girls at???)

So here’s an issue, now that we are done with formula and bottles on a specific time schedule we now are in the transition of eating and snacking on a “normal “ person's schedule That means they should eat food three times a day like the rest of us and a snack or two in there somewhere. It’s a bit of a challenge transitioning because the babies and myself are so used to having a bottle as soon as they wake up from night time or nap which helped with keeping them in one spot so I could do quick diaper and outfit changes. Fighting two babies for both of those tasks can be quite the challenge, especially when the older two kids are also in need of food, drinks, outfits and other directions to get ready for the day. I’m all about doing whatever is easiest for the entire group to ensure efficiency, minimal drama and for me to not be sweating at every transition time...especially now that I am going back to work. I definitely don’t have time to be sweating post shower every morning just getting four kids ready to go. For the most part, I have either been able to stick with giving the babies a bottle or sippy cup first thing when they wake up to help with diaper changes and getting dressed for the morning but we have taken away those bottles post naps. They seem to be doing a good job when it comes to being patient for meal time to begin and that is a blessing. I was nervous that they would want food like right away, which wouldn’t be horrible as long as I would have the time to prepare the food before getting them up so it was ready. So far (fingers crossed) they seem to be content with joining the group and playing as soon as they are awake which allows me time to hang out, get food ready or do whatever else needs to be done....because there isn’t ever anything else to do right? Ha, right. Now this will all hopefully continue as school starts and the younger three wake up, maybe have a quick cereal bar, dry cereal or nothing before we head out the door. They get to eat breakfast at their preschool which is SO helpful on so many levels but two that are the most important for me is 1-I don't have to prepare or clean up food in the morning before heading out the door and 2-I don’t have to fight the dreaded “keep eating, come on eat up, we have to go” conversation every single morning when I have no doubt I’ll be running late, every single day.

Ewwwww, But Whatevs

I want to clarify this I am NOT wanting to wish time away, at all. Trust me. I am the furthest from wishing anytime away ever. However, having said that I do think having the babies be able to walk, with shoes on will help (mostly my husband) when we go out to dinner, to church, to Target, the Zoo, the playground or really anywhere we go that is not home. The babies loved to be held, they really do but only to a point. They also like to explore and to them nothing is dirty or off limits. They want to get down on the ground, the parking lot, the floor wherever they are and crawl around. Having two of them is hard because it’s not like we can just keep passing one baby back and forth to try and avoid letting them down. We usually just allow them to get down and hopefully have a bottle of hand sanitizer and wipes readily available to clean them off as soon as we pick them back up to head to the next location. I have not really been one to be a germaphobe, unlike my husband who for sure is. I definitely get grossed out in bathrooms, especially public ones but really other than that I seem to do okay for the most part. In order to make our lives easier we do have to give a little in areas that we may not have been as lenient with Hattie or Rhett. For example, while waiting for a table at a restaurant the babies can only being held and wait so long. We usually end up letting one or both of them down and they crawl around, yes on the dirty floor where people walk and sneeze and cough over and who knows what else. Basically, we just keep our eye on them so they don’t grab anything and put it in their mouth and don’t just start licking the floor or their hands or anything else really. Once we are ready to leave that area we pick them up and either head to the bathroom to wash up or grab some wet wipes and clean them up basically head to toe! We have had to let them down in the church pew and again, it is SO gross but the alternative is to try and attempt to wrestle a screaming baby with superhuman strength. When really, we can just chalk it up to building their immune system and then they get extra washcloth baths throughout the day so we can avoid the real bath huh? Whatever your view point is on letting your kids crawl around on the ground, garage floor, church floor or even the floor of a restaurant I ensure you that if you have twins, lack of adults to help pass them around or if they are not your first kid and you have a way of cleaning them up afterward...you would do the exact same thing. And if you wouldn’t, please enlighten me as to an alternative approach. Until then, we will continue to just gross out innocent bystanders by allowing our one year old babies crawl around on I can only assume dirty and gross floors...but hopefully they see us clean them up after? Eh, who cares.


Ryne and Harlow's 12 month milestone pics! I will upload their chair pics with their stats as soon as I get them off my camera. It's been way too long for me to post this one that I just needed to post it and will add those pics later....hopefully!