According to my "TimeHop," two years ago today, we found out we were having twins. It is crazy to think that it was only two years ago because it seems so long ago!! Now this journey has led us to two thriving eighteen month olds (in a few days) and it has been quite the ride!
A lot has happened since I last blogged. In the past 6 months, these boys have blossomed into two little men. As a family, we have had several changes and dealt with several stresses, but the New Year is bringing about a great new beginning!
Zachary has definitely come out of his shell and has become a very confident little man. At 12 and 13 months, his pediatrician was concerned that he was barely crawling, so she ordered him physical therapy. Those 3 months of physical therapy were the confidence boost he needed. He crawled faster than Ayden could walk within a few weeks and by the end was a walking champ. He has now "caught up" to his brother and surpassed him sometimes in his speed (especially if there is food involved!). He is a good 27 pounds, so that slows him down a little. His Lolli's nickname for him is "Chubbs." It is kinda funny, though, because he has now become a picky eater and eats less than Ayden. He has begun talking real words and loves to repeat what you say. He is really good at "Daddy," "Eat", "Lolli," "Bye, Bye," "Thank You," and "Uh-oh." He makes animal sounds and really does repeat whatever else you say to him. He talks from waking up until going to bed in whatever language he decides. He loves his "stinky feet" and for you to smell them. He can point out body parts, but anyone's belly button is his favorite. He loves to sing and dance and play the drums. He is definitely our musical child! He loves for people to laugh at him, so will do about anything to make someone smile or laugh. He has an angelic smile about him and will just melt you when he comes to give you a kiss and hug and smile. He is also our temper tantrum thrower. He was blessed (haha) with his Momma's temper…no doubt. It is a spitting image of what I have seen of me in home videos when I was his age. Somehow he has learned to stomp his feet and a good screaming fit can happen in a second. But, it can also turn off in a second, too. He is the more sensitive of the two, as well, just like his Momma, too. He is very independent in wanting to accomplish things himself, but loves to cuddle. He has become very attached to his blanket and over the past 2 days the plastic play spoon. He loves to feed you and "make" things in his kitchen. He loves to put puzzles together or fit the pieces of the train track or race track together. It is funny to watch him get onto Ayden for things and he is definitely the quiet leader of the two. Though he is not anything quiet. He is a Daddy's boy and will take him any time he can have him.
Ayden is just a spit fire. He is our "jackrabbit" as my mom calls him. If he is awake, he is moving. He has been walking since around 13 months and hasn't looked back since. He loves pushing things, whether it is a train, play car/train/jeep, box, chair, table, or anything in-between. If it is able to be moved, he is going to move it all over the house. He loves going up and down the stairs. He is, also, our climber of furniture. He has made it to 24.5 pounds, so gained 3 pounds in the past 3 months. He has become our eater, FINALLY! He loves about everything. Once he decided he was done with baby food/soft food, it was on! His favorite is chicken nuggets with bar-b-que sauce. He isn't talking as much as Zach, but can definitely get his point across. He does say "Zach", "Daddy," any sound an animal makes, "Bye bye," and occasionally I get a "Momma" from him! He is good at "uh-oh" too….probably a favorite. He is very into trains and cars. He is our little "supervisor" and will watch whatever you are doing to make sure it is done right, or you aren't out of line. If something is going on, he's involved! He can focus in on things pretty well! I think he takes after his Daddy on all of those things. He has a smile that is going to get him in trouble one day. He isn't as attached to his blanket, but is becoming that way because his brother is. It's funny watching him follow his big brother's lead on things. He is independent in his own way, but doesn't mind you helping him out every once in awhile. He loves to dance and has some popping moves. He is a big flirt and it is hilarious in stores to watch him just out of the blue wave, give his charming smile and "talk" to women/girls. He loves his Momma and is definitely a Momma's boy. He loves the outdoors and probably would be out there all of the time if we let him, even in the cold. He loves the water, as well, and probably would stay in a bath for hours if I let him (along with his brother). He is our adventurer.
We have finally completed building our new home and have started settling into it. It was quite the hassle and headache towards the end, and middle, well really the whole thing, but we are happy to be in a home we can call our own with enough room for the boys to grow and play. In our last home we were all on top of each other, literally, so it is nice for everyone to have their own space. The whole building process is a venture. We are still working to have everything on the "list" completed that needs to be fixed. Alan and I did well during the building process. They say if you can build a house together you can outlast anything. We never had a disagreement with each other about the house, but sure did get mad together at the builders. It is definitely an extra stress, but we are happy with what we have and are truly blessed! The boys love that our backyard has cows come up to it and they will run to the window or if it's warm enough out the backdoor to find the cows every morning. They will even "moo" at them. We built the house with intentions of people coming and visiting, so if you are wanting to visit Nashville, let us know and you have a place to stay!
We are extremely happy that my mom continues to come and watch the boys while I work. She is extremely glad she has her own bedroom and doesn't have to be shoved into Alan's office any longer! They love her more than life itself and it is so fun and joyous to watch their faces light up when she enters in the room. Lolli trumps everyone in this house. She is even our go to FaceTime call to calm any screaming baby. She is truly a blessing in our lives and we thank her and my Dad all of the time for sacrificing for her to do this for us.
We are excited about this new year and the fact we aren't starting off with a lot of projects ahead. It seems we are always going and we decided this year was going to be the year to be present in each day and enjoy it. So, hopefully not as much traveling (though Alan still will for work and we can't live without a beach vacation or two!) or building a home or IVF or having a baby or moving. That we know of anyway! We will be settling in our new home and continuing to enjoy the moments of the boys growing. They are growing way too fast and I am ready for it to slow down. I just cherish the times they both crawl in my lap and let me hold them. Though that only lasts for a few minutes now instead of hours on end, I cherish it more and more.
We are truly blessed by God over this past year in all things. We look forward to the blessings of this new year.
