Twenty Four Months!

Our little guys are now two years old and this will be my last monthly update.  I will feel free to brag about them at different intervals however since this is my blog.

We had a fun afternoon at the local school yard several weeks ago when Mimi and Opa came for a visit.

In one sense it feels like A&W were just born but in another it feels like a lifetime ago.  Our lives have changed so much with the arrival of these little men that our former lives as DINKs (double income, no kids) seems like a long time ago.  I am grateful for all those changes however and that we have been able to experience the joy of parenthood.

Winston (left) and Abraham.

The boys are definitely all boy all the time.  They love to identify motorcycles, fire trucks, school buses and garbage trucks. They love hearing the sound of a fire truck and telling you what it is.  We have a lot of open land behind our back yard and it is heavily frequented by dirt bikes.  The boys love hearing them and seeing them.  On trash pick-up day the boys watch as the truck stops at every house at the end of our street and Winston cries when it is time for it to go bye-bye.  When I am out and about driving with the boys they can get fixated on a bus or big semi and are so disappointed that we are not going the same way as the other vehicle.  I think that they think that I can control where the bus goes and are so sad.  It is sweet but I feel so bad when they cry.

The boys are learning new stuff all the time and I am always so amazed at what they can remember.  They know their shapes such as circle, square, triangle, star, heart, etc.  They know colors but when I ask Abraham he will still frequently tell me that any object is green.  They know lots of letters and numbers.  They have begun counting small numbers of items they are playing with on their own, generally 1-4 but will go to about thirteen if I am counting for them.  They have an alphabet puzzle they got for their birthday and I was blown away by how many they could readily identify. I would say they know about 70% of their letters.  They can get mixed up sometimes like with an "H" and "M" but overall I am amazed at what they have soaked up. They remember little details from books, pictures and TV shows and it is absolutely true that kids are like little sponges.

We had the boys' two year well child exam last week and I was excited that the boys had gained back their weight from being sick.  The boys are doing great with Abraham in the 56th percentile for weight and 74th percentile for height and Winston in the 83rd percentile for weight and 76th percentile for height.  These are strong little Guddat men!

 Abraham
Birth-5 lbs. 15 ozs.; 18.75 inches

One Month- 7 lbs. 1 oz.; 21 inches

Two Months-10 lbs. 8 ozs.; 21.75 inches
Four Months- 13 lbs. 13.5 ozs.; 25 inches
Six Months- 15 lbs. 14 ozs.; 26.75 inches

Nine Months- 18 lbs. 12 ozs; 28 inches

Twelve Months- 20 lbs. 9 ozs; 29.75 inches
Fifteen Months- 23 lbs. 3 ozs.; 31.75 inches

Eighteen Months- 25 lbs. 2 ozs.; 32.75 inches

Twenty Four Months- 30 lbs.; 34.25 inches

Winston

Birth- 7 lbs. 9 ozs.; 20 inches

One Month- 7 lbs. 10 ozs.; 21 inches
Two Months-11 lbs. 13 ozs.; 23 inches
Four Months- 13 lbs. 13 ozs.; 25.5 inches
Six Months- 15 lbs. 13 ozs.; 26.25 inches

Nine Months- 18 lbs. 12 ozs.; 28 inches

Twelve Months- 21 lbs.; 30.25 inches

Fifteen Months- 23 lbs. 12 ozs.; 31.25 inches 

Eighteen Months- 25 lbs. 12 ozs.; 32.5 inches 

Twenty Four Months- 31 lbs.; 35 inches

Now that I am well into my second trimester and have more energy, it is definitely time to tackle potty training again. Abraham asks to have his diaper changed.  I swore up and down that I would never let my kid go that long being in diapers where they would ask to be changed.  Oh well, it just means he is ready.  Winston was going through a phase where he was telling me right after he pooped but now he is just shy and embarassed about it.  Again probably another sign that Winston is also ready.  They are good eaters and have a new found fondness for sour cream. I have explained that sour cream is to dip quesadillas in and not eat by itself but they like to swipe forkfuls of it.  They love olives and any fruit.  In general they love all condiments such as ketchup and barbecue sauce. They are doing really well with utensils but Abraham can be quite practical at times and just starts picking up handfuls and shoving them in his mouth.  Winston wants no help eating.  Even if he is struggling with something he wants to do it all by himself.

Abraham is speaking in more and more sentences.  His favorite as of late is "I don't know" even when I am quite certain that he does know exactly what I am asking him about.  He is a little parrot and he picks up language by just repeating what I say. I have noticed that he is learning to properly say "I" more and more instead of "you" when referring to himself.  He is stubborn as all get out which is both a blessing and a curse.  He loves to sit and color. While he gets distracted quickly, once he fixates on something there is nothing that can derail him.  Besides coloring, two of those fixations right now are having both of his Leo's (the stuffed animals) and playing with the plastic eggs from Easter.  Right now he is not a fan of having pictures taken of him because it takes away from whatever he is trying to do at the time.  Who has time to be in a picture when there are toys to play with?

Abraham's first lollipop given to him by a friend from church.  He has not had one since...too sticky.

Winston is a talker but it is not all intelligible.  He starts a speech with an identifiable word, goes on a string of gibberish and then says another word I can understand.  Amazingly I can often understand what he is trying to say by the two words I recognize.  No new development here but I think his obsession with vacuums is only getting stronger.  Anything that has batteries or  a power supply fascinates him.  The boys got play kitchen mixers for their birthday. Winston ran out the batteries in about two days and brought it up to me saying "Mama, mikser!"  I melt at how he pronounces that.  Anyways I knew the batteries were dead but I had to find a tiny little screwdriver to replace them and quite honestly the sound had been driving me crazy so I fibbed.  I said the mixer was broken and had to be fixed. Then there was a "More batteries, mama" with this sweet little look on his face.  I was busted.  He is a very independent kid and likes to do things all by himself. It can be a power struggle at times but I am glad to see he is definitely his own person.

Classic Winston face.

Right now we are at that age where the boys are either giggling, wrestling and clearly enjoying one another or they are bickering, crying and frustrated with one another.  It can be exhausting.  With two the same age that are trying to learn self-control and proper expression of their emotions, I feel like I am going to go crazy some days listening to the whining and fighting.  They have so much energy the minute their feet hit the floor in the morning and it is hard to keep up with them.  I cannot imagine it any other way however and we cannot imagine not having both our boys here with us.  They truly are a double blessing.  Thank you boys for giving us the two richest years of our lives!

Twenty Two and Twenty Three Months!

So now that everyone is up to speed with why the blog has not been updated in a while (see previous post), I am going to cram in the boys' twenty two and twenty three month updates in before their birthday in two days. I have had no motivation lately for blogging but I wanted to keep these things up until their second birthday.  I love looking back on their monthly updates and all the changes that happen in such a short amount of time.  So even if it is late, I know I will cherish this post down the road.  I did write milestones down for these months so now it is just putting it together with some pictures.  As we are on the cusp of their birthday, we are in awe of having these little boys in our lives and what a joy they are.

Twenty Two Months

The boys are growing and look like little boys.  There is no baby there anymore.  They wear 24 month clothing and size 5 diapers for night time.  Those two year molars caused us some grief with sleep disturbances but they are back to sleeping through the night.  Hallelujah! They were even back on two naps a day for a little while because they were so tired in the morning that they could not make it to the afternoon for their rest.

The boys have two favorite movies, Disney's Cars 2 and Aristocats.  They can watch those two movies over and over again...and they do quite frequently.  They are at the stage where they tell me what is about to happen in the plot and will start singing along to the songs.  They love Bible songs and try to sing along with "This Little Light of Mine" and do the motions with it. The boys do not have a lot of sentences but I do notice that they are gradually building on that with more words and phrases.  Abraham will say short sentences like, "I did it!" and "I found it!"  They are both very affectionate and love to snuggle.  They will spontaneously say, "I love you" which is absolutely heart melting.  Eric and I love listening to their sweet little voices.

Abraham loves to draw.  He can draw a circle really well and beyond that he just describes what he is trying to make and I continue to encourage him in it. He is our little clown and goofball.  He loves to do things to make us laugh and then he will say "Silly...stinker!"  He LOVES to wrestle and is constantly trying to take down his brother.  He loves when his papa comes home from work and asks to wrestle right away.

Winston loves anything mechanical and that he can take apart and put back together. He loves building his blocks and anything that makes noise like the vacuum, coffee maker, blender, etc. He loves music and dancing.  If he has not met a certain quota of kisses for the day, he will ask me for a kiss.  I love that about him.  He has a sensitive spirit and is the type that will get emotional if he is tired, hungry, hurting, etc.

As the boys individual personalities come out more and more, Eric and I discuss how we have to approach certain things like discipline differently with each of them.  It is a definitely a humbling experience to be a first time parent to twin boys and working to do the best for each of them.  I know we have moments where we fail but we pray that the Lord's grace will just guide us in the day to day moments with these boys.

Twenty Three Months

This month has been rough with sickness.  We had taken the boys to the pediatrician when they first developed croup and they weighed in at more than twenty-nine pounds and were nearing thirty.  Exactly two weeks later after having viruses continue to work them over, they were each more than two pounds lighter.  That broke this mama's heart.  Thankfully Winston seems to be 100% again and Abraham just has a nagging cough that he is trying to get over entirely.  I am hoping they gain most of their weight back by their 24 month appointment.  Their appetites are back so now it is just a matter of fattening them back up.

The boys graduated to size 6 shoes and are pretty much back in diapers full time.  When I was on bed rest it became too hard to expect different care takers to potty train my kids.  The boys will still use the potty if I ask them to and I feel pretty confident they will pick it right back up.  I wanted to wait until the morning sickness had dissipated and I just had the energy and ability to tackle the project again. I am just taking a big step back and realizing there is no prize for having my kids potty trained early.

The boys have moved beyond those favorite movies and now are back into a Yo Gabba Gabba phase.  Sigh.  It drives me crazy but they love it and I know they do learn stuff.  They both love to dance lately and I am sure some of that is inspired by Yo Gabba Gabba.  They love music but are picky.  If I put on classical or instrumental music they are clearly unimpressed and continue to request music.  I try to explain that it is just a different type of music to no avail.  They still love bubbles, haul trucks, building blocks and anything mechanical.  They are also enjoying learning how to bounce a ball and learning to play by rolling a ball back and forth.  They are really into their naps lately and often tell me "Sleep...take a rest."  A lot of this has to do with them being sick and needing to sleep more during the day but it has continued now that they feel better. I do not know too many kids that ask for naps. 

Their language development has really improved and they are speaking in more and more sentences.  They understand how to ask questions now when they want to understand something.  Common phrases and sentences they say:

• Good morning/Good night.  
• Good to see you.
• See you later.
• What are you doing?
• I did/fixed it.
• I've got it.
• I don't know.
• Hey, look a cat, dog, cow, etc.
• Take a bath/rest.

They have a lot of concepts that they string together with multiple words so even if they do not speak in complete sentences we are understanding them a lot more. 

Abraham is a real character.  He lives to get a laugh and is a total ham.  If he knows something makes you laugh then he will keep trying to do it to get the same reaction.  His latest thing is finding the vacuum, swiping some dust with his finger and then running up to me with his finger pointing upward saying, "Try it!"  I then tell him that I do not want to try dirt and he giggles like crazy.  He is so pleased when he can make someone smile or laugh and tells me that he is silly.  He is impulsive and does not have an attention span for too many things.  He will ask for a cup of juice and by the time I get it for him, he has run off and gotten involved in something else. Then he will remember that he wanted his cup and starts crying.  He really enjoys coloring and that is something he can be absorbed with for quite a while.  He still loves to wrestle and is always asking mama and papa to wrestle.  I have not been able to oblige too much lately but thankfully his papa always does. Winston seems to enjoy playing more in that way with Abraham now and it is sweet to see.

Winston is both my sweet and strong willed child.  He loves to snuggle and has even become more affectionate with his brother.  He always has an "I love you" ready. He can be so determined and gets so frustrated when he does not get his way.  After some frustrating weeks and months, he has begun to realize when he is in the wrong with his attitude and will voluntarily say "I sorry."  It is a dear thing for a parent to see that heart change.  He still loves all things mechanical and loves to spin in circles.  He has a very dry sense of humor.  He will tease you with an absolutely straight face and then breaks into a wide smile when he knows you get his joke.  For example, we were all in the car and he was whining.  Eric told him to stop whining, gave a clear explanation of why the whining was wrong and then told him, "Say yes, papa."  This is a common practice that we do and it has really helped in our parenting to have the kids affirm what we are telling them.  Winston instead said, "Yes, mama."  Eric corrected him and again he said "Yes, mama." Eric looked back and saw that Winston was smirking.  Eric asked him, "Are you being a stinker?"  Winston smiled and started laughing.  Both of our kids use humor to diffuse a tense situation but they both do it in their own unique way.

To our almost two-year olds, you are a joy and absolute bright spot in our day.  We are loving this age you are at and wish we could freeze time.  It is hard to imagine you were our little newborns and we could easily hold you both in our forearms.  We love you Abraham.  We love you Winston.

Twenty One Months!

Our sweet boys turned twenty one months old on the tenth of this month. It has been busy with the holiday activities so I am behind on getting their monthly update done.  We are loving this holiday season as the boys are so fascinated by all the decorations, lights and music.  It is amazing to be able to experience something in a new way through your children's eyes. I am trying to just take it all in and enjoy rather than trying to meticulously document everything and stress about doing it in a timely manner.

They have been going through a hat phase lately.  They actually request to wear one.

The boys are little sponges these days.  They hear or observe something once and then repeat it. They are learning more about personal relationships such as having grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.  When we visit with a friend or family member they ask for that person the next day.  Car rides now involve them naming off every person they know in an effort to guess who we are going to see.  Winston especially seems really keyed in on his Grandpa Guddat lately and is always asking to go on a car ride to see him.  They love Skyping and talking on FaceTime with family members.  They like to kiss the screen and tell everyone "I love you" or "Love you."

Abraham (left) and Winston.

They are still learning tons of new words and are saying more and more phrases and sentences.  They love books and cooking in their play kitchen. Our dining room table is their fort so they spend lots of time under there giggling and having fun.  They love each other and are sweet to one another and then the next minute they squabble.  We are trying to work on empathy and sharing.  In their minds, sharing means saying please and then taking what they want. We are trying to emphasize what sharing really means and are trying to help them assert themselves if brother steals a toy.

The other big change around here lately is that the boys are potty training.  They wear underwear while they are at home and use the potty chair.  If we go out for errands, they wear a diaper.  I am looking at it as a gradual process.  Some days they will keep dry all day and sometimes there are accidents.  A lot of it has to do with them not wanting to stop playing or not understanding how to completely empty their bladder.  They are making progress however and we are proud of them.   They will tell you that poop and pee-pee goes into the potty. I will have to do a separate post on the whole potty training thing and why I chose to start so early.  

Like I said earlier, the boys are sponges and are taking everything in. It amazes me what they can parrot back or regurgitate so quickly.  Some examples:

Winston is constantly saying "There you go"  because his mama says that a lot. He will give me something and sweetly tell me "There you go!"  It is really cute.  

Winston loves Christmas music and most of the time we had to have the local Christmas station playing.  He liked to sing the "rum-pum-pum-pum" part of the The Little Drummer Boy and mimicked the lines to "Do You Hear What I Hear?" by saying the words hear, know, see, etc.

Abraham knows quite a few sequences of numbers and the alphabet.  He likes to count to himself or say his letters as he is playing with a toy.  I have heard him say several times, "Cute...R...S...T...U." I nearly died with how adorable that was.

Abraham's latest thing is asking for something by saying, "How about (fill in the blank)?" His most frequent request is cookies...especially for breakfast.  His tone and inflection is totally copy of me: "How about cookies?"

I had taught the boys that Christmas was Jesus' birthday and that is why it is so special. I asked them one day what Christmas was about and they both answered "Jesus" very clearly without prompting.  When we mention Jesus we talk about how He is Lord and Savior.  Both boys will say "Lord" when we ask who Jesus is.

We had a pretty sweet reprieve with teething but I think the two-year molars are finally trying to make their way in. It has been a bit gnarly around here the last couple of days so that also pushed my monthly update even more behind. Now I need to get started on Christmas!

We are so blessed by the presence of these little boys.  I thank God for their ability to learn and communicate more with each passing day.  We love them more than words can say.

Eighteen Months!

Yes, we have reached the eighteen month mark.  It happened much earlier in the month when we were on vacation in Sunriver.  It feels so official to say that we have toddlers now that the boys are a year and a half old.  I had a sick little Abraham when we got back and I am still trying to get back into the normal groove of things.  Abraham had a moderately high fever and a clear runny nose but nothing else. Winston was fine. It was seriously perplexing because if one gets something then the other always gets it.  Maybe it was his last tooth trying to pop through?

Haul trucks!

The boys are active little guys. After returning from a vacation, the boys are obsessed with being outside.  I kept them indoors a lot during the summer because of the heat but after getting to do so many activities while in Sunriver they are always asking to go outside.  Now when they wake up, they clearly say "outside" and tend to throw a fit if I tell them they have to wait.  I mean, it would be nice if they at least let me put normal clothes on and feed them breakfast, right?  They both can be stubborn and strong-willed.  It is like they each pick their moments.  It is definitely never dull around here.

Winston (left) and Abraham

They both suck their left thumbs.  Winston is trying to be good here so he switched fingers.

Abraham has a goofy streak.  He dances/marches in place when he is happy and excited about something.  Blow some bubbles and that kids gets so excited he cannot help but dance.  He is a determined little guy and will not accept help very often.  He tries to eat with a spoon but it ends up on his chest.  He does not want any help and is very determined.  We call him our Dennis the Menace because he is a total mess when he eats and musses his hair right after it is combed.  Abraham has a serious sweet tooth and is always asking for cookies.  He is our fearless little guy and we have to be careful that he does not try to climb up or down things and get himself hurt.  Abraham likes to tackle his brother and wrestle with him.

Babe-braham Lincoln

Watching TV--how I get them to hold still for photos.

Winston is all about the details.  He loves building blocks and spinning wheels on his trucks.  He is our little engineer.  He is still our little singer and sings when he is content and happy.  Winston is pretty handy with a spoon and accepts help on how to use it.  He is a great thinker and I know he is quite cerebral. This kid absorbs stuff and then just clearly demonstrates new words or abilities and it is because he figures it out for quite a while before trying to do it.  He figured out how to climb up and down stairs more slowly than Abraham but he mastered it sooner.  He is a sensitive little guy and does not like when his brother takes his stuff.  We have been encouraging him to be more aggressive and take his items back rather than crying.  He is getting the hang of it and we are proud of him.

Little Stinker

Yep, he knows he got caught.

The boys love any outdoor activity, going for walks or runs in their stroller, playing with their haul trucks, dirt and playing in the bath tub.  They are great little eaters and are learning to use utensils.  Some new words they have learned include fan, bath, circle, shadow, haul truck (sounds like all guck), help (sounds like hope), drink, fork (rhymes with look...ha ha), snack (just nack) and spoon (just poon).  My heart melts now that they can tell me 'hold you' for when they want to be held.  They are also trying to say 'love you.'  They are great about telling us when they are thirsty and that they need a cup or drink.  They also tell us 'eat' when they are hungry. I am so impressed with how well they are beginning to  communicate.  They do not have any sentences yet but they are getting how to put words together.  The hard part now is that they say please and they think it is magic and they can get what they requested instantaneously.  So we are working on what it means to be patient and to wait.  We are also working on what is means to share with their brother and to not be unkind and steal toys from one another.

Gorgeous boys.

The boys fit perfectly in 18 month clothing and are wearing quite a few 2T items.  They wear size 5 shoes and size 4 diapers.  We had a great visit for their eighteen month well child exam.  Here are their most recent stats:

Abraham

Birth-5 lbs. 15 ozs.; 18.75 inches

One Month- 7 lbs. 1 oz.; 21 inches

Two Months-10 lbs. 8 ozs.; 21.75 inches
Four Months- 13 lbs. 13.5 ozs.; 25 inches
Six Months- 15 lbs. 14 ozs.; 26.75 inches

Nine Months- 18 lbs. 12 ozs; 28 inches

Twelve Months- 20 lbs. 9 ozs; 29.75 inches
Fifteen Months- 23 lbs. 3 ozs.; 31.75 inches

Eighteen Months- 25 lbs. 2 ozs.; 32.75 inches

Winston

Birth- 7 lbs. 9 ozs.; 20 inches

One Month- 7 lbs. 10 ozs.; 21 inches
Two Months-11 lbs. 13 ozs.; 23 inches
Four Months- 13 lbs. 13 ozs.; 25.5 inches
Six Months- 15 lbs. 13 ozs.; 26.25 inches

Nine Months- 18 lbs. 12 ozs.; 28 inches

Twelve Months- 21 lbs.; 30.25 inches

Fifteen Months- 23 lbs. 12 ozs.; 31.25 inches 

Eighteen Months- 25 lbs. 12 ozs.; 32.5 inches

The boys are ranging in the 50-70th percentile for weight and height.  As is normal, their heads are in the 98-99th percentile. The boys are keeping on trend with Abraham being slightly taller and Winston weighing more.

Family swing time

 

They love dirt!

We feel so blessed that they are such healthy little boys and are hitting all their milestones.  We are so blessed to be these boys' parents and feel privileged to raise them.

Seventeen Months!

Are our bubbas really seventeen months old already? Well, they are indeed. We are cherishing this age and it has been so amazing watching their communication develop with each passing day.  In this post I am going to brag about how awesome and smart my kids are, so unless you're family this will probably be pretty boring.  Our kids have lots of words and they are gaining more by the day.  I really do not take for granted that they are doing so well in language development.  It has been a point of concern for me and I have prayed about it and sought to be very consistent in how I speak to the boys. Just thinking about twin boys, most people assume there will be some language delay.  I take no credit for how well the boys are doing and I believe it is God's grace that has allowed them to progress accordingly.  All that said, I really do not like when people infantilize their language when talking to young children because I know it only hinders and hurts them.  I got in the bad habit of saying doggie in referring to our little dogs Scooter and Suzie and fortunately within a couple of weeks the boys corrected their language when I started saying the word appropriately.  Many of the words they say are not said perfectly but I understand what they are trying to say and they use their words in the appropriate context.  I will often repeat the word correctly and we will repeat it back and forth 2-3 times as they are trying to say it more clearly and learn new letter sounds e.g. door with an 'r' sound instead of a 'y' sound at the end.

Winston (left) and Abraham watching the Olympics.

A&W's Words and Phrases:

1. Hi
2. Bye-bye
3. Ball
4. Leo- Abraham's stuffed Lion
5. George- Winston's stuffed monkey
6. Bread
7. Strawberries
8. Blueberries
9. Bananas
10. Beans
11. Peas
12. Broccoli
13. Juice
14. Milk
15. Avocados
16. Apple
17. Cookie
18. Cracker
19. Cheese
20. Sandwich
21. Quesadilla (only pronounce the dee-ya part)
22. Pizza
23. Drink
24. Cup
25. Cooking
26. Please (generally sign as well as saying it)
27. Thank you
28. More (sometimes just the sign)
29. Uh-oh
30. Ow 
31. All Done (sometimes also signing)
32. Diaper
33. Bubbles
34. Bible
35. Jesus
36. Teeth
37. Gentle
38. Hat
39. Sunglasses
40. Shoes
41. Trees
42. Leaves
43. Airplane
44. Truck
45. Car ride
46. Keys
47. Phone
48. Up
49. Mama 
50. Papa
51. Bubba  (my pet name for them and what they call one another)
52. Mimi (my mom)
53. Opa (my stepdad)
54. Grammy (Eric's mom)
55. Lights
56. No
57. Okay
58. Sorry
59. Dog
60. Suzie
61. Scooter
62. Door
63. Baby

That list was for this mama's benefit as I will not remember next month what words they learned when and I want to remember where they are in their language development as they are close to the year and a half mark. The boys are starting to group words together and can say "more please" or "please mama"  They repeat lots of words for objects they are curious about but I do not count it as a word until they identify something and say it on their own.  Winston will say the numbers 1-5 but he does not say them in order or seem to understand how they identify quantity.

Snack time!

Apples!

*Since I started writing this post, Abraham has said sock, towel and outside.  I can hardly keep with these kids!

The boys have been great sleepers lately and generally sleep a full twelve hours from 7:30 pm until 7:30 am.  It has been such a blessing for this mama!  They will wake at 5-6 am occasionally but then fall back asleep because they are still tired.  They are still taking two naps a day although I am seeing some small signs that they are getting ready to transition to only an afternoon nap.  They are great eaters and are starting to request foods they like.  They excitedly say "dee-ya, dee-ya" when they want a quesadilla for dinner.  They are really beginning to understand the concept of names.  They recently played with our neighbor boy and after he left said his name, Tucker, excitedly.  They are beginning to say each other's names as well.  These boys have lots of fun together giggling and making farting noises.  They can also bicker like crazy and get frustrated with one another.  Some days it is like I am a referee!

Abraham is incredibly affectionate.  I will be on the floor changing Winston's diaper and getting his pajamas on and Abraham will come by for hugs and kisses 2-3 times.  I love that about him.  Abraham has a sensitive spirit and he desires approval from people. He will cry if we need to scold Winston and we have to encourage him that he did not do anything wrong.  He is still Mr. Take Away because if he sees something he wants he just grabs it out of impulse.  Often the item in question was in Winston's hands and Winston has a melt down. We are working on the whole sharing concept.

"Oh, I am NOT supposed to stand on the couch? My bad."

Abraham wrestles with Leo.

Winston is very analytical.  He is obsessed with lids and caps and gizmos and gadgets.  He wants to understand how things work and when he cannot replicate how something works he can get so frustrated.  We praise him for his determination but seek to help him understand that throwing tantrums is not appropriate.  He is my singer and dancer.  The other day I heard him singing and realized he was trying to sing "Jesus Loves Me."  He even sings in his sleep!  Winston is my extreme extrovert and says hi to practically everyone he sees.  If someone does not respond he gets this puzzled look on his face as if to say "What's their problem, mama?"

Handsome Winston

Managed to get a wee smile.

Mr. Winston was getting an ear infection so he kept sucking his thumb and pulling on his ear. Thankfully, he is doing better now that he is on antibiotics.

They are seriously awesome little kids and we love them to pieces.  It can be hard to explain having twins how we love our children individually and uniquely yet equally.  So much of their development is the same and they can be so similar at times but we see their individual personalities and try to nurture them accordingly.  We love our Abraham and we love our Winston.  We really cannot imagine loving these kiddos anymore.

Too Smart and Sometimes Too Naughty

These little boys are really making us laugh lately.  We are learning that they are absorbing sooo much of what we say and do.  Here are some of the happenings around here lately:

• Eric tends to blow his nose pretty loudly like most men do. When Winston manages to grab a tissue, some toilet paper, a paper towel, etc. he puts it up to his face and proceeds to make a loud zerbert.  Winston thinks this is blowing his nose and he will giggle and smile because he is mimicking his papa.
• Our boys are thumb suckers and have been since they were about twelve weeks old. They rejected all pacifiers and plopped their thumbs in instead.  The advantage was that they were great self-soothers. The disadvantage now is that we can't take their thumbs away.  When we see the boys sucking their thumbs we tell them, "You don't need to suck your thumb."  They will either pout a little, whine or be totally manipulative and hilarious. They will pull out their thumb, give us a knowing look with a little smile and then put it back in.  If Abraham is sucking his thumb and we tell him not to he will generally listen, but then Winston who was not sucking his thumb to begin with will give a naughty smile and then pop his in his mouth.  Of course we try to be stern when all of this is happening but sometimes we are just trying not to laugh.
• Abraham has been saying thank you lately. If he is given something or something is taken from him he says "dank ooo."  I was trying to figure out how he had picked it up and I realized I am always telling the boys thank you for when they are helpful and obedient.  Good manners pay off apparently.
• Eric has been teaching the boys how to "wrestle" lately. This is comprised of the boys laying on Eric while he rolls back and forth pretending to makes noises indicating a great struggle against these twenty pound toddlers.  Now Abraham looks forward to wrastlin' as we like to call it in our house and when Eric comes home he starts to make the "eee-oooh-aahh" sound that his papa makes.
• Eric taught the boys to beat their chests and make gorilla sounds.  When Eric comes home from work they immediately start doing it and they start giggling. 
• I pulled Abraham out of the bath tub the other night and while getting Winston out I saw that Abraham started urinating right there on the floor. I dove forward with a towel and explained that pee was only for the diaper or the toilet and never on the floor.  So tonight I got him out of the bath tub and warned him not to pee on the floor and to only do that in his diaper or the toilet.  Sure enough, he proceeds to pee in the exact same spot.  Coincidence?  Highly unlikely.  His face did not look like he was trying to do it in defiance but then again he has a pretty good poker face.
• Last but not least, you think I would have learned by now to always, always keep the bathroom door closed but I still manage to forget sometimes.  Winston gave me a cue for poop and said the word poop so off we went to use the toilet.  He sat there for a while and did not go so off we went to put a new diaper on.  I was trying to get organized to head out the door and help a friend with packing since she is moving this weekend.  I thought the boys were playing in the living room and called to them from the hall so we could all get in the car.  They were no where to be found and then I heard little voices in the bathroom.  I opened the door to find two little people standing over the toilet bowl with their hands inside.  They grabbed contents from the trash can, the bath tub and everything within sight and shoved into the toilet. I actually thought it was funny but repeated my speech again about how we only use the toilet to go to the bathroom.

Life with toddler twin boys is never boring.

They are all boy, all the time and I just love it. We are so blessed to be the parents to these funny, smart little boys.

Sixteen Months!

Our bubbas are sixteen months old and are now walking all over the place and getting into everything.  If it is not nailed down then they are trying to get into it.  I tell myself that one day my house will not be in a constant state of being undone.  We are learning the chaos of having toddlers but also the joy of having these little delightful people to talk to and laugh with.

Muscle shirts?  Seriously, I die.

The boys are still learning new words but it has slowed way down since last month.  Now they string all the words they know together as if they are having an actual conversation.  It sounds something like this: "Cookie...la-ba-ta ...bubble...cookie...Bible...papa...la-la...hava-ah-ohs (avocados)."  These kids crack me up.  They can now say cracker and try really hard to say blueberries. Winston can say his own version of sunglasses. They have learned to say Jesus and it is truly the sweetest thing to hear. They LOVE Bible story time and will effusively say 'Bible, Bible' when they know it is time to get ready for bed.  They love to flex and show their muscles.  Their flexing looks more like they are seizing (and I can make that joke since I actually have a seizure disorder) and it is soooo funny.  They like to strike a pose all the time when they are eating their meals.  They like to dance and sway to music and are pretty good at shaking their little booties.

I might have put on "Yo Gabba Gabba" to make them sit still and face the same direction.

The boys fit perfectly in 18 month clothing and are still wearing quite a few of their 12 month clothing. They are wearing size four diapers and size four shoes.  It is hard finding shoes because they have feet that are kind of fat so adjustable sandals are our friends right now.  Their favorite foods are avocados and blueberries and they would eat them for as long as they are put on their trays.  They love "Yo Gabba Gabba" and it is the one show they will watch start to finish without going off to explore again.  They love petting the dogs and say "ruff ruff" when they see them.  They are learning the other animal sounds for a cow, duck, horse, etc.  They love water and splashing like crazy in the bath tub. They like their water table and being misted with the nozzle on the hose. 

Both boys like to say "hi" all the time and to whomever they see...even the people on TV.  They have become such cuddle bugs and I am enjoying having active little boys that take breaks to just sit on my lap.  They love their papa and get so excited when he comes home from work.  Papa also gets hugs before he leaves for work. They will even give kisses now when asked. The boys are still taking two naps a day and generally sleep from 7:30 to 7:00ish. The boys are still producing new teeth with Winston having a total of sixteen and Abraham having twelve.  It has not been pretty lately with Winston getting all four cuspids at once and Abraham dealing with some serious crowding and this lateral incisor and cuspid that just cannot seem to push through.  Poor kids have big teeth and a small mouth like me. 

I cornered them in the hall to take a "walking" pic otherwise they take off in different directions. 

 Abraham is our little ham and lives to get a reaction and a laugh from people.  He is walking so well now and in the last week has just taken off. Abraham can almost walk as well as Winston. We learned that he is a climber.  Fortunately we do not have stairs and he has not figured out how to climb up on chairs, the fireplace. etc.  It is a life changer to have these little people taking off in different direction. He has become so affectionate lately and it melts my heart when he walks up to me and dives into my lap for hugs. The down side is that he has become more clingy and will cry whenever I need to put him down.  I am hoping it is a short phase.  He likes to steal apples and avocados out of the fruit bowl and start chowing down.  One day he had a green little face from an avocado he absconded with and when caught, spit the pieces of hard shell into my hand.  Seriously, he is so funny. He walks around and has this little hummy sing song thing that he does.  It is hard to explain except that is just how he is...always moving and a personality to match. This kid loves sugar and has a sweet tooth like his mama. He is very impressed with special treats and it is an incentive for his toilet use. 

Mr. Abraham with a trace a chocolate on his face aka bribery.

Walking with some confidence

This little peanut wanted to sit with me and then proceeded to give me Eskimo kisses.  Love him.

Winston is still our little singer and tries to sing a long with "Jesus Loves Me".  The only words that come through are Jesus and Bible and it is absolutely adorable.  Winston loves dirt and will sit right down and start sifting it through his hands and dumping it all over his clothes.  He is our little engineer and has to see how everything works up close.  He "helps" unload the dishwasher, plays with all the attachments on the vacuum and wants to open and unload every drawer. He is wonderful at entertaining himself and playing alone. Abraham has been taking longer naps lately and Winston will walk around the kitchen and play happily allowing me to get some stuff done. He is becoming very verbal and likes to try to repeat new words.  He likes to try to mimic Eric and say things with this deep, growly voice.

Mr. Winston

Hot stuff

Oh, just helpin' mama with the dustin'...or playin' my air guitar, whichever you prefer.

Giggles with Papa.

We are loving this stage in A&W's life.  It can be hard some days but I know we are going to look back with such fondness on these days in the future.  We are trying to live in the moment each day.