Wow...tomorrow Luke and Olivia turn TWO. Babies no more, we are officially entering toddlerhood. Our tiny, helpless infants are now independent, very opinionated little people. Say a little prayer for us, please!
Dan returns home from Japan on Friday, and we are looking forward to skyping with him tomorrow. Even though he can't be here in person, I'm so happy they'll be able to see each other for at least a little bit. If it works out, we are going to try to have breakfast together.
Another birthday means time to reflect on all that has happened over the past year. This time last year, Luke and Olivia were barely walking and now they are running and climbing all over the place. Their vocabulary has also come such a long way, and it's awesome to be able to have mini-conversations with them. They have gone from one/two syllable words (dada, mama, ball) to 3-4 word sentences. They are also starting to understand cause and effect a little bit (I do something wrong, I sit in time out), and they are starting to barter for toys. Olivia will "trade" a toy with Luke in exchange for one she wants, and vice versa. I absolutely love to see their little minds at work.
They also make us laugh lots. One day recently Olivia decided to color on the wall. I told her not to do that because it will give the wall a boo boo. After she sat in time out, she went back to the wall and said "sorry, wall." Seriously, how can you not laugh at that? And when we try to do something for Luke, he'll say "no, Guke does it." Ah, minds of their own!
They LOVE bath time, and I think they would sit in there and play for hours if they could. Luke will open the cabinet and get the bubbles out so they can take a bubble bath. They have also discovered the joy of bath crayons. Olivia will draw on the tub while Luke comes behind her and cleans it off. They are a perfect combination...Olivia loves to make a mess while Luke loves to clean up (except at mealtime; then all bets are off and they are both a mess!).
Mealtime...something else I could write a book about. Feeding them has become quite difficult actually since they can be a little picky. I feel like they eat the same stuff everyday, but they don't seem to mind. They have grits, cereal or oatmeal for breakfast (unless it's Sunday and daddy makes waffles). Lunch consists of fruit of some sort, applesauce, veggie chips/munchies, and maybe a sandwich (which Luke won't eat). I have tried ravioli, soup, all kinds of sandwiches, quesadillas, and pasta salad. Let's just say thank goodness they are great at taking their vitamin. Dinner is more fruit, yogurt with prunes, and an attempt at whatever we are eating for dinner. If all else fails, they will sometimes get chicken nuggets or a hot dog, but we try to encourage them to eat what we eat. If it comes off of our plate, they have a better shot at eating it. Go figure!
They are sleeping like champs now and I have to say, it's really nice. They usually wake up around 7am but play in their cribs until 7:30am or later. We try to play outside or do something fun until lunch around 12:30pm. Naps are from about 2/2:30pm-4:30/5pm (up before then but more playtime in their cribs) and playtime before dinner around 6:30pm. They get baths every night and are usually in bed around 8pm. They go to bed without a fight, and we are hoping that lasts!
We will start potty training soon, but for now we just ask them if they want to sit on the potty with diaper changes. They are good at going to them but have yet to figure out what to really do. All in good time. We are also in no rush to get them into a toddler bed so they will stay in their cribs until they decide to start climbing out. They still get their paci's for naptime/bedtime and while we were hoping to get rid of them by the time they were 2, we figured they don't have them that much so no real hurry. We are a little concerned because Olivia asks for her paci once in bed and they both reach for it immediately. They are getting more attached to them, and while we know it's harder to get rid of them the older they get, some battles just aren't worth dealing with right now!
They play pretty well together and seem to generally love having a playmate all of the time. Not surprisingly, there are some tantrums over toy sharing, but they don't seem to happen too often. They are rarely apart (other than sleeping) and they ask for the other sibling when they aren't around. It's really sweet. Soon Dan and I will start spending one on one time with each baby so they get used to being apart and spending time with just one parent. We are looking forward to our "dates."
Luke and Olivia love to be outside. We still go to the playground lots with other friends, and they have formed some true "friendships", especially with Lilah, Tyler and Sean. They ride their little 4 wheelers around in the driveway and feed the deer almost daily. Daddy also takes them for a wagon ride before dinner for their special time together, and it gives me time to get dinner ready. They can climb the stairs at the playground like the big kids, and they tackle the big slides like they are nothing. They still like to swing-the higher the better-and hunt for bugs in the grass.
Their personalities are really starting to emerge. Luke has a little grin that will melt your heart. He loves to be held and can be sensitive at times. He loves to play with cars and is such a rough and tumble boy. He is happiest at the end of the day, which surprises us. It's like he gets a second wind after dinner and he gets really full of himself playing. Olivia is always on the move and has the most infectious laugh. She is super stubborn and independent and likes to have things done a certain way. Dan says she is just like me and unfortunately I can't really disagree! She talks herself to sleep-literally-and wakes up ready to go.
They don't watch a lot of TV, and Olivia thinks it's a real treat. After about 10-15 minutes, Luke usually gets up and starts to play with his toys. Olivia will sit mesmerized, and we are convinced she would sit through an entire movie if we let her. They usually watch one 30 min. show in the morning and one before dinner and sometimes one in the middle of the day. They both love, love, love, Elmo. Olivia loves Icky and NeeNee (Mickey and Minnie) and WordWorld. Luke is more likely to watch shows with animals. Once the show if over, Olivia will say "bye bye show" and start playing.
Luke is definitely a "daddy's boy" and Olivia is certainly a "mommy's girl" although they have their times of wanting to be with the other parent, too. We are excited to see what the next year had in store for us, and we are hoping the "terrible twos" prove to not be so terrible. We feel like if we can survive having newborn twins and moving all within a span of 4 mths, we can handle 2 toddlers. Guess we'll just have to wait and see!
