Not Babies Anymore

After the twins turned 1, they still were very much "babies", despite being at the age where they're supposed to be bumped up to the toddler category. They weren't walking, talking, or really interacting in a super meaningful way. Probably because they were only supposed to be 9 months old then and spent the first 2 months of their lives in incubators. Duh.

But the past few weeks, since their 1 year adjusted birthday, I can see why 1 year olds are toddlers and I'm sad to say I don't think they're babies anymore :(

So what are the twins up to?

They're both walking, and walking well. Ok, let me rephrase that, Jackson CAN walk well. We're still going to PT once a week and OT 2-3 times a month to work on his delays but he is completely capable of walking across the house without falling. Problem with that, he is slow. He doesn't like to go slow. Especially when his sister is practically sprinting to all the good toys and finding the pacifier that I swear I remembered hiding upstairs. It's crazy that just 2 weeks ago, he was barely taking steps from couch to couch and now he'll get up, stroll leisurely around the house carrying a sippy cup and laughing about something to himself. His first choice for transportation is still crawling but I think as soon as he picks up a little more speed, he'll be a full time walker. Amelia has been walking 100% of the time for over a month now and doing great! Can't believe how big they look walking around the house!

They're talking and learning new "words" every day. Most of them don't sound like words yet, but if you spend enough time with them, you can definitely pick out quite a few words. Dog is still their favorite, but they say more, done, ball, walk, ma ma, da da, hi, bye, yes, no and a few other random things from time to time. Amelia will point to what she wants (like a sippy cup, the stairs to go take a nap, or the door when she wants to go for a wagon or stroller ride) which has actually cut back on some screaming episodes. My favorite is she points to what I'm eating like she'll get a bite. Dream on kid. Momma's eating for 2 haha They also seem to understand me better. When I say it's time to go upstairs for a bath, they immediately walk to the gate to be let upstairs. When I tell them it's time to eat they walk over to their booster seats. When I ask them if they're done they'll nod yes or no. As fun as it is to finally communicate with them in some way, it makes them seem so much older :( Definitely not my little screaming babies anymore.

They pick up skills almost daily. What used to be random play time is now actually using a toy for it's intended purpose. They can screw the lid back on my water bottle, go up AND down steps, go up a ladder (down is still a little too hard), go down a slide the right way, attempt to put puzzle pieces and shapes in the right places (they're not always great at it but they get the point now), and all kinds of random little things. Amelia just learned how to go forward while sitting on a little car we have so she scooches herself around the room. Jack can go backwards but gets frustrated that he can't do what she does. I think he'll pick it up soon though. Amelia likes to open and close doors and drawers and pull everything out of a drawer. If you start putting things in with her, she'll usually catch on and start putting things back in too. Jack just likes to slam doors and if it's not loud and annoying, he's not too interested. Boys.

 

They also move toys from room to room. It's their new favorite thing. They will take your keys and put them in a drawer in their playroom or put your cell phone outside with the sprinkler, ya know, since they can open the back door now, so I wouldn't put anything down at my house without checking with me that it's high enough or hidden enough that it will be safe. Tom spent 2 days looking for his car keys that were in the dog treat box. True story. So if you come over, please excuse the constant mess, and keep all important things at home. I like to call the mess letting my children's creativity and adventurous side run free. But it's probably laziness. I'm not getting any less pregnant here people.

So we spend our days at the park, getting out as much energy as possible, and terrorizing the house. It's been a lot of fun seeing them play and grow and learn, but it's so sad that they're really not babies anymore. They're my big toddlers and I'm not even going to discuss them getting any older because I just can't handle it. Good thing we have another baby coming into the house soon ;)