Hapy New Year!

Happy New Year!  

Can I still say that?   It's the end of January...

www.madeinoostvlaanderen.be

Wow!  Hard to believe it's been 4 months since I last "blogged" and what a whirlwind these months have been!  Between the twins walking, sicknesses, the holidays, a trip to Reno/Tahoe and life in general being filled a with a ton of activity it's no wonder they've flown by and I haven't had a moment to write!

I am happy to share that things are finally, after 16+ months of relentlessness, beginning to get a tiny bit easier.  The twins are getting very stable on their feet (and are even working on running), they only nap once a day now for 1.5-2 hours so we are no longer stuck in the house all day and they are consistently sleeping from 6:15-6 rather than 6:15-4:30, 5, 5:30 or 5:45 (it's amazing how much those extra 15-90 minutes makes a difference in your day).  For awhile there I felt like I was about to lose my mind (especially managing two babies in the middle of the night), but I'm happy to say I didn't...well not completely!  Sleep deprivation is no joke!  It is a form of pure torture and I had no idea just how hard it could be to wake up multiples times a night, until I became a mom.  However, now that I've been getting 8-9 hours of sleep a night, for the past few months, I am feeling energized and lively again!

The twins personalities are shining bright!  They are curious, smart, loving and adventurous!  Although they both have these great qualities, their personalities and looks are quite different.  Twin A has blonde hair, light blue eyes and is nice and "fluffy." She always has a smile on her face and is super silly, loves to say "Hi", "Bye"and"Thank you" to people and already has a love for dancing!  She will start swaying back and forth to anything that makes a sound whether it be a song on the stereo, my hubby or I singing or the blender whirling.  It's so freaking funny and cute! Twin B hhas light brown hair, deep blue eyes and is teeny tiny.  She loves to climb on EVERYTHING (which ignites my stress levels), she is a total cuddler and has no problem letting you know when she wants something (I'm really looking forward to when she can make complete sentences rather than grunting and moaning).  When the twins were born they only had a half pound difference, now they are a whopping 3.5 lbs different!! Doesn't sound like much, but in baby weight that's a huge percentage...don't ask, I have no idea exactly what percentage, but my back and arms know it's a big difference.  They definitely have a twin bond that is absolutely beautiful to watch.  When I hand one of them something to eat, often times, she will give it to her sister and then come back for something for herself or if one of them starts saying agua (this is what they say for water) the other one will find a sippy cup and bring it to her.  They rarely fight over toys, which I find amazing since they are always together, and for the most part, they get along really well.  At night, before getting into their cribs, they give each other a kiss goodnight and smile big while doing so.  They truly love each other and it is so sweet to see.

It's a big job and she's so great at it!

Their big sister is doing fantastic!  She is now riding a 16" bike with training wheels and loving it.  Her favorite activities are yoga, dancing, swimming, drawing, bike riding...and taking things from her sisters.  She has her "special" 2 year old moments that continually test my patience and make me wonder where in the world the sweet, little angel I saw first thing in the morning went, but I guess it's all normal and to be expected. It truly is incredible though just how crazy a meltdown can be. I try to be compassionate but OMG can it be hard to deal with!  Often times I wonder, "Why can't she just do what I ask without all this nonsense!" It is pretty amazing to see how I handle these moments.  Every time there's a meltdown, I learn a lot about myself and how I react. Sometimes I have to put her on time-out...after being upset for awhile, she will calm herself down and then let me know when she is feeling better and ready to talk.  She just needs her space to let out her emotions and then she is ready for a hug, a chat, to say sorry and move on.  It amazes me how much closer we become after moments like these and to see the trust building between us. It makes me very happy that she is able to regulate and communicate at such a young age.  She is definitely out numbered by her little sisters, but she is an awesome big sister! Sure, there's lots of whining, crying, lack of sharing, challenging moments and everyday I'm running my ass off, most nights too exhausted to think, but that's not what I feel like writing about right now...lol!

We're off to Jackson Hole, WY (one of my favorite ski resorts) in a few days for a family/fader friends ski trip and my only prayer is that the twins sleep well and do well on our two days of traveling there and back. We're looking forward to lots of snow and fun!  Wish us luck!  I'll share some traveling with twins tips in my next blog!

Wishing you and yours a marvelous, joyful, prosperous, peaceful, adventurous, loving and abundant 2015!