The twins are now 20 months old, but we just had their 18 month checkup a few weeks ago. Here are their official 18 month stats:
Nat
- Height: 33.25″ (63%)
- Weight: 23 lbs. 12 oz. (36%)
- Head: 47.7 cm (53%)
- BMI: 15.1 kg/m2 (22%)
Avit
- Height: 34.5″ (93%)
- Weight: 27 lbs. 5 oz. (82%)
- Head: 48.8 cm (82%)
- BMI: 16.1 kg/m2 (52%)
The heights are definitely off again because they are not over an inch apart in height, but everything else looked good. Growing right along!
So where to even begin with these two right now… I alternate between marveling (still) at the fact that we have twins and how I could not love 2 little simultaneous boys any more, and the utterly soul-crushing frustration that comes with trying to control, corral, teach, and raise 2 little simultaneous boys. Plus their 3 older siblings. And these swings often happen every 5 minutes, all day long. No wonder I always look like the walking dead!
I’m home with just the twins in the mornings now while Morrison is at school, and they have actually gotten to the point where I can put on PBS kids, let them play, and get a couple things accomplished in those few hours without worrying every second that they’re going to destroy everything or seriously harm each other. Baby steps.
I’m also trying very hard to keep them awake all morning now, but they are so very fond of that morning nap. When we walk to school they usually do fall asleep when I go back to get Morrison around 10:30 and are then asleep for about an hour, which generally screws up the afternoon nap that I need all 3 boys to take. Nat will go back down fine in the afternoon when that happens, but Avit usually won’t. (that picture below of Avit’s bed with a big green lump in it is him – one day during his nap i heard him start crying pretty hard, went in, and found that he had gotten himself all the way under the fitted sheet without getting any of the corners up. how??) If we drive to school, they can usually stay awake the whole time, which means a good chunk of 2-3 hours when they’re both asleep in the afternoon while Morrison naps, too. It is glorious, but I don’t want to give up all the exercise I’m getting walking 6 miles a day with the 3 trips to/from school.
They do still go to bed by about 6:00 in the evening, and the middle-of-the-night wakeups for a pacifier or just to cry out or whatever have dwindled significantly. Avit does talk in his sleep, though, which is hilarious. However, their new morning wakeup time is 4:45, which does not jive with me. On school days my alarm goes off at 5:30, so when they wake up too early I put on Daniel Tiger and they happily sit in their cribs learning life lessons while I sleep. I thought this early wakeup time was due to the summer light, since that’s when it started, but now I don’t know why it’s sticking around. Changing their bedtime doesn’t make them wake up any later, either. Sometimes they’ll sleep until 5-5:30, but I can’t get them to stretch it past that yet. No wonder they’re exhausted by the end of the morning – they wake up too damn early! Coffee, coffee, coffee.
They love to run back and forth across the house, which is hysterical to watch because they often get going too fast for their own feet and crash into each other. If you give them a box, they could play forever, and they are really good about getting their little toys and books out and occupying themselves. When it gets too quiet in the living room when I’m here with just them, I always walk out expecting to see a disaster, but usually it’s just a lull in their action to watch whatever is on PBS. It’s always PBS kids these days, no more Little Baby Bum. And Daniel Tiger is definitely their favorite. Sometimes I do catch them up on the couch messing with Ryan’s stuff, but thankfully nothing major has been demolished yet. (knock on wood!) They have so much fun playing with each other now, but oh, do they adore their big brother and sisters!
Avit chatters and babbles all day long, saying “Hi truck!” and blowing kisses to everything he sees pass by the window, but most of it is completely unintelligible. All of it, however, is completely adorable. He does have a very distinct version of “thank you” and knows quack-quack for ducks and night-night. He is also an incredible cleaner-upper and will put on any pair of shoes he can find and clomp around the house in them. Nat doesn’t make quite so much “talking” noise, but good lord can his screams pierce an ear drum. It is literally an enraging sound, and it takes every ounce of motherly calm I possess not to strangle him when he goes into one of his screaming fits. Which is often. Very often. More coffee. And wine.
Nat is really good at mimicking words you say – bath-bath, night-night for bed, eat-eat while signing “eat.” please while signing “please,” puffs, something that sounds like Mommy even though they all call me Mama so he never hears the word Mommy, quack-quack, and poop. Of course poop.
They have gotten a little less picky at eating, but Avit still prefers meat/protein far more than Nat. I have switched Avit to 2% milk with the rest of the kids since our pediatrician said they could both go to it now, but I still give Nat whole. Little Natty-Nat needs to bulk up compared to Avit. Avit’s feet, I swear, are already almost twice the size of Nat’s! These two really could not be more different.
Avit is so funny. For as bulldog-ish as he appears, he is the sweetest, most snuggly guy, and he gives the most wonderful hugs, back pats, and arm rubs. He was rubbing my arm today with his head on my shoulder before nap, and I could have held him there forever. Nat is a featherweight in comparison, and he is definitely the mama’s boy of the two. Whenever anything is wrong, I’m the one who has to pick Nat up to calm the screaming. Always me. Sometimes Della, never Ryan, but usually me. More wine.
To make up for Nat’s hogging of my attention, I always try to give Avit some extra hugs and snuggles whenever I can. I never thought twin boys could be so lovable, but when these two come running up to me, arms outstretched in love (not meltdowns), pacifiers going, snuggle blanket corners gripped tightly, they’re pretty irresistible.
It’s hard to believe we’re approaching 2 years with these little guys. They sure can make some days challenging, but then others I feel like the luckiest mama on earth.
