15 months

Klaire
1 Has developed a sudden interest in dolls and all things cuddly.
2 Says “Dat-Do” (thank you).
3 Very intuitive and always knows exactly what (and who) is going on around her at all times.
4 Loves to pat Grace on the head. Say “be gentle” and the patting gets not so gentle.
5 Recently decided bedtime is no fun, and reading books is just a precursor to bedtime. (no thanks!)


Grace
1 Loves to walk backwards…usually into things:)
2 Says Ollie (AH-dee) (our dog) plain as day and loves to “pet” her.
3 Has no fear of anything at all.
4 Still wakes up once a night (anywhere between 10:30 and 3 AM)– not for any particular reason.
5 Loves to cuddle.

Both
1. Love to play in the “jungle gym” of our kitchen table and chairs.
2. Not too excited about being strapped in the stroller, or anything for that matter.
3. Can’t figure out why cats don’t like to be petted.
4. Can point out their toes and know where their shoes go.
5. Love to dance!

I’m reflecting a lot lately on the last 15 months. In the beginning, there was a lot of survival mode. There were times when I got mad, times when I got frustrated, times when I lost my cool and all three of us were crying (actually I still have those days now:). I freely admit that there were really, really hard parts and bad days.


But, it’s not like I ever felt as though I somehow wouldn’t make it through. The times when I felt really overwhelmed didn’t last TOO long. Looking back, a lot of it is a blur. And maybe that’s part of the survival mode bit. I can hardly remember what I did when they were three months old. People ask me specific questions about what we did as far as feeding, schedules, naps, etc... and I honestly have no idea. Good thing I have this blog to go back to!


And yet, I did it. Whatever it was, it happened. I wasn’t spinning out of control. We all had food and drink and clean clothes and dry diapers. People always ask “how do you do it with two babies?” And my answer is the same: “you just do, and you do everything twice!”


There were lots of things that helped. Our whole family, Blogging. Getting out of the house. Routine. Brian. Cutting myself some slack.


When they were newborns, people would randomly come up to me and say “it gets better!” I thought it was odd (even annoying) at the time. Did I look that strung out? The babies weren’t screaming, all was well. And yet, I do that to other people now. It really does get better. Less never-ending screaming for no apparent reason (I’m not saying it disappears completely, but there’s a whole lot less). More sleep (most of the time). Sitting up, I remember, was a big milestone that seemed to change the way we all interacted. Crawling, even more so. Walking, well now our house is plain chaos at times!!


While it definitely gets better as they get older, I hesitate to say it gets “easier.” It gets… different. At the beginning, it’s all feeding and sleeping. Bottles got easier, more predictable, faster. They held them on their own. They got into a good nap schedule and they slept through the night. That stuff is easier.And yet, now there are entirely new things. Opinions, frustrations, distractions. Childproofing. A sudden dislike for grilled cheese, which was such a hit last week. Sleep is certainly easier than the, say, two-month stage, but it’s never great for too long. Nap strikes, the impending 2-to-1 nap transition, and pacifier take-away on the horizon.


I think if it is actually easier, that has more to do with confidence and knowing your kids than it does about the actual challenges. Now I have to worry about things like falling down the stairs and slamming fingers in doors. I worry about developmental things…should they be talking more? Are we reading enough? When should they know their ABC’s?, Why don’t they say Mama? I know these things will come in time, but I still worry.

And yet… it’s better. Way better than the haze of the newborn days, wondering why they wouldn’t sleep for more than 2 hours at a stretch for four straight days. At the time, I questioned whether I’d survive. Now, if they skip a nap, we deal. Here we are. 15 months.


We survived! Now, onto even bigger adventures.