TWO!

Happy 2nd birthday to our sweet baby girls!

To see all the chair pictures together GO HERE!  You should totally do this - they are SO BIG now!

Two years.  I'm amazed.  I'm amazed at these precious little girls and how completely incredible they both are.  I'm amazed and grateful I can call them my daughters.  And, let's be honest, I'm amazed we've survived the past two years and have even enjoyed ourselves along the way!

I pulled out the good 'ol blue chair for this last installment growth photo.  I think it is incredible to see how much they have grown and changed and I'm so glad I did these monthly posts.  I look back on the blog all the time and these posts are some of my favorite.  Baby book done?  Uh no, but at least we have some awesome blog posts to look at instead!

Here's a snap of life with these two:

• They are talking a ton - mostly half word/intonation sounds but they are putting more and more words together - probably up to 4-5 at a time now.  I'm fairly certain their pronunciation is close enough that people who don't know them would understand a fair amount of what they say.
• Both prefer wearing dresses and have started to request them.  Erin is the most insistent "NO THAT MAMA!  DRESS!"  and of course, both know that "booms" (bloomers) go with dresses.
• We are going through a phase where they are obsessed with "banyads"  (band-aids) - Halle's band-aid in the above picture is just for decoration.
• We've determined that Lia is indeed part monkey.  Neither Erin or Halle are as gross motor oriented as she was at the same age.
• They are both wearing 24 month and 2 T clothes.  Their 2T wardrobe is amazing, so they got bumped up to that sooner than they probably fit into many of the items.  I refused to spend a fortune buying 24 month summer clothes when the 2T worked just fine.  Hopefully they will last longer....
• They have 12 teeth - front 8 (4 top, 4 bottom) and then 4 molars.  No signs of any more teeth as of yet.
• They are starting school in September!  They will attend 2 days per week in the same class as each other and will be in the same class that Lia is in now.  Lia will move up to the next class when Erin and Halle start.  So excited for them - they are SO ready.  When Lia leaves for school in the morning they (especially Halle) are so sad - "Me school Mama"
• We've been continuing on the same routine, but are shifting naps back to later in the afternoon (1:30pm instead of 12:30pm) to prepare for school.  Halle is fine with this, Erin gets tired at 12:45 and then by 1:30 when she is in bed, she is hyped up and over-tired.  Hopefully this will resolve itself soon!
• We have not made the shift to big girl beds (yet) but we've got them planned out and are getting ready.  I'm thinking this will happen sometime in July to get them settled in their beds & rooms before school begins.
• They have learned my routines and help me do a check when we are about to leave - "shoes, bag, keys, phone, glasses" - if something is missing, they know.  I'll say "what do I need?  they yell "KEYS!"  So awesome.
• I think there are some things about being a twin that are probably really hard on them (not that they know any different) but I know that sharing all the time is really difficult, never having space or peace to play without having to defend your work, and the ongoing competition for attention and affection.  
• That said, there are some things that I know they love.  You can tell they adore being together and immediately notice if one of them is gone (on a muffin date, etc).  They are really good at taking turns now and constantly check to make sure the other is okay.  The other day in the care I overheard them talking.  Erin was coughing - Halle: "you okay?"  Erin: "yep" but then started coughing again.  Halle: "okay?  here. water."  Erin:  "thanks Halle"   Halle:  "welcome."
• They play together so well.  There is a noted difference when Lia is at school during the morning hours and Erin and Halle are home with me.  They play happily, quietly and for easily over an hour together with limited interaction from me.  You can tell they just enjoy each other's company.  Having someone at the exact same developmental stage must be nice.
• Erin, Halle and Lia do well together, but argue often.  Most of the issues happen when Lia wants Erin and Halle to participate in her pretend play (in a certain way, standing in a certain place, wearing certain clothes - she's a control freak which doesn't help matters...) but Erin and Halle either don't want to (which makes Lia SO MAD) or they just plain don't understand what the heck they are supposed to do.  Regardless, much of the time it ends with Lia yelling at them and then saying to me "Erin and Halle aren't listening to my words!"  
• They can identify red, blue and yellow pretty consistently and are getting pink, purple and black more often.
• They call Lia "Ya Ya" which I think is the cutest thing ever.
• Both YELL at the top of their lungs "TOAST!" whenever the toaster pops up.  Hilarious.
• I feel accomplished in the fact that constipation is not a daily concern for us anymore.  About 2 months ago we eliminated milk as a beverage and they are doing so much better!  They still get lots of dairy, but for some reason the milk was stopping them up.  Happy to have a solution!
• "Want sit me" = "I want to sit with you."  Funny when you realize what they hear is "Do you want to sit with me?"  
•  They talk to each other and seem to be communicating really well with each other.  They will come to me and ask for something and both get upset if I don't understand.
• Both are good at showing what they want - asking for "banyads" and I didn't know what they were saying - sat down and pointed at their (fake) owies and said "banays owie" so that is really helpful
• They both follow directions and rules better, but also defy them on purpose and they are heavily influenced by Lia's actions.
• I haven't noticed anything supremely interesting or odd about them being identical twins, most of the time they just seem like siblings.  However, there was one night recently where Erin started crying in the middle of the night randomly and when I looked on the video monitor, Halle was awake too.  Not sure why she was up - you could argue sleep cycle was naturally lighter at that point in the night since they went to bed at the same time or you could argue that Halle felt something and knew Erin was upset and woke up.  They are still in two different rooms so I know the sound didn't wake her.  Who knows.  Take from that what you will!

ERIN

• Erin is expressive, joyful, smart, bold, loud, exuberant, and independent.  She is slow to warm up to new situations and new people and seems easily intimidated at times.  She desires a predictable routine and likes to know what is happening next.  Erin LOVES to be in the mix of any activity and is always where the action is (as long as she is comfortable in the location and with the people...) 
• Always sleeps with a blanket, but changes the one she is super attached to every few days.  Makes it very confusing to find the EXACT blanket she is demanding that particular night.
• She has started expressing her opinion about things and usually shouts "NO LIKE!" and then says "Yep!" if you figure out what she wants.  She gets really upset and abrupt about something she doesn't want, but then is happy as a clam when we are able to figure it out.  Like the flip of a switch.
• After nap or in the morning I hear "Mommy, all done ni night.  Mommy, get out.  Mommy, are you?"
• Erin still struggles the most with illness compared to her sisters.  She hangs on to coughs in particular for long time.  A humidifier in her room is almost constantly running.  Poor girl.
• Figured out the other day that she can count to ten - shocked us!
• Puts her hands on her face and cries when her feelings are hurt or when she gets in trouble.
• She prefers to wear her shoes on the wrong feet
• Erin sleeps with a zebra stuffed animal at night and calls it her "bra"
• "Do self!"- really wants to do things all herself
• Loves Doc McStuffins "dah Ins"
• She climbs out of her crib occasionally after waking from a nap but not before going to sleep
• Erin is more verbal than Halle and is more accurate with her speech.  
• She still doesn't like things to move under her, but is getting better at the swings lately
• She can be stubborn and fights for what she wants.  When she and Halle fight about something, without any adult intervention, Erin will win nearly every time.  When it is Erin and Lia, LOOK OUT!
• If she wants something from me and I'm not listening or I'm walking away, I hear "Wait Ma! Wait!"

HALLE

• Halle is dainty, silly, content, sensitive, flexible, happy, and playful.  She doesn't like being dirty or sticky and doesn't like things on her hands or feet.  She seems to enjoy quieter, individual activities more than Erin and is very go with the flow.  She adapts easily to new situations and just walks right in like she owns the place.  Halle can be quite passive aggressive which is hilarious to watch and I almost find myself cheering for her since she tends to be the one who gets picked on.  
• Whenever she does something she is proud of or does it all by herself she happily yells "I DO!"
• Bedtime routine always ends in a "kid hud" (kiss, hug)
• She is the slowest walker EVER - she's always at least 20 feet behind us when we go on a walk anywhere.
• Halle gives me big hugs and wraps her arms around my neck (so cute right?) until she starts trying to stractch off the raised mole I have on the back of my neck.  Awful.
• She has been known to head butt others when mad
• All her hair now fits in a ponytail
• She eats really well - better than her sisters and is the most adventurous with food
• Halle likes to sleep with her hippo stuffed animal - calls it "hit toe"
• She still calls Erin "Halle."  Erin only seems to answer to it when Halle says it, so I think she knows her name is Erin, but it is pretty funny.
• She steals toys from her sisters and runs away (see passive aggressive)
• She is more daring than Erin when trying things that are risky - swings, slides, etc
• She is the biggest cuddler ever.