One and a Half Years Old!

One and a half might be my favorite stage so far.  Life is so much more simple than it used to be and Allie and Harper aren't babies anymore.  These ladies run, slide, climb, talk, and eat like real people.  I've been kinda fuzzy until recently about whether life with twins gets easier.  It is easier than the newborn days, but I think until about 16 or 17 months there were only certain days when taking care of A&H didn't feel like a strategic game to master.  These days we eat three meals a day and one snack. They walk themselves to the car, and most of the time we can successfully make it through a parking lot with both of them holding my hands. No more breaking out the double stroller just to get them to their classroom or inside the Y.  At playgrounds they climb and slide and I can sit on a bench and watch instead of worrying one is about to back off a ledge while I'm catching the other one at the end of a slide.


But mostly I love how funny they are now that they are talking.  Allie keeps a running commentary, babbling sentences with a few comprehensible words.  Harper constantly shouts words and identifies her surroundings.  They are both good at saying bye-bye and thank you when prompted.  Harper lets you know what she needs and wants Allie to get whatever she has.  She'll say "banan" and I'll give her a banana and then immediately "Ah-ee" commanding me to give Allie a "hunk" (we eat hunks of banana).  When she gets put in the stroller, she says "Ay-ee" so I don't forget to put "Ay-ee" in too.  I'm glad I've got one to keep an eye on the other.

At their 18 month visit over a month ago, Allie was 32.5 inches (77th %ile) and 24.5 lbs (56th %ile).  She loves to be read to and flip through books. Right now her favorite books are Amelia Bedelia and the Baby and Madeline.  She likes riding her "bike" and really loves a good slide, the big and faster, the better.  She also enjoys flushing toilets, turning on faucets, cooking in her kitchen, and singing "bitsy bitsy" and "ABCBD." Lately she has been particularly cuddly and I just realized this morning that a canine tooth is poking through, so with all four molars she now has 13 teeth!  She's also starting to take more interest in stuffed animals and soft blankets.  The other day I watched her pat one of her bunnies to sleep and cover it with a blanket.

At her 18th month appointment, Harper was 31.5 inches (47th %ile) and 23.5 lbs (40th %ile).  Harper enjoys identifying shoes (croc shoe, ked shoe, church shoe, etc.), trying on different pairs of shoes, throwing things into the bathtub, and singing "itsy bitsy," and "noah, noah." She is very loud and her walk is more of a sashay.  The Academy Award for Best Actress goes to Harper when we drop her off at the nursery, school, or Y.  She is fine 30 seconds after we leave but puts on a true show for Mom and Dad.  She has all four molars too and 12 total teeth.

They both enjoy pushing their baby stroller, eating "goldsheesh," saying no, swinging, swimming, tea parties, and wearing sunglasses.  We nap in separate rooms and after switching Allie to the pack and play we get three hours on a good day, usually from 1 to 3:30 or 4.  They go to sleep sometime before 8 and these days have been sleeping til around 8:30.  What a joy they are!

We went to the beach last week with my mom, sister, and San-San and had a blast.  They loved the beach, especially on the first day.  Our friend in swim lessons told us to try climbing in and out of the pool ("elbow, elbow, knee, knee") and they did that for hours.

Allie loves swinging on the railing

Harper