Almost 2!

I didn't do the 20 month update so will be doing a 21 month one soon! But I just realised that in only 3 months time our precious babbas will be turning two!!! Time is flying!

Thanks to a fellow blogger, found this amazing app...will be using it for pic updates - love it! Thanks Just Breathe xx just very frustrating that I cannot load pics from my ipad onto the blog aaargh please sort this out blogspot!

Like mother like daughter

So I stumbled across this photograph of my mother with me on her back at 7 months old and remembered I had done exactly the same with Becky when she was unsettled as she loved it - what an amazing memory echo - like mother like daughter.

 

The start of Potty training!

So, I started thinking about the potty training issue and while watching TV one night was researching potties online as I had seen nothing great in local stores - all small silly potties or garish OTT colourful ones. I really wanted nice plain white potties so that they would look as close to a real loo as possible.

I have not researched the theory of potty training as yet suprisingly, so was only going on what I thought made sense...time will tell. However, I digress. So I was on Amazon looking at potties and came across the Baby Bjorn range. Which. I. Loved. So I whisked two high back potties, the portable loo top seat and a cute stair right into my basket to try see the costs before ordering. I knew it would be a pricey total - Baby Bjorn after all, but hey, I am only doing this once...right? So I can afford to indulge in my baby stuff fantasy world if I choose.

I was watching The Following at the same time. Mistake! In the distraction, I clicked on "one click" instead of "basket" or whatever the button is called, as the two orange buttons are one above the other. Eeek. I heard my cell sms buzz. Yes - I purchased them right there without even checking costs. Yikes. R2000's worth of potty equipment!!!!

 

So my darling twins, mummy hopes very much that you will appreciate learning to wizz and poop on your rather pricey potties because with that price tag they must have some magic in them lol!

No pressure however and I think they are still too young.  They have sat on them and find it hilarious when I say "come on weee weeeeeee pssssssss". They look back at me earnestly and echo "pssssss" but as yet no actual urine has been pssssssst.  So for now they look very cute in our loo and have become favourite new push cars for the stuffed toys or places to sit on while wondering what for.

Little parrot

Well, we most certainly have a little parrot...and his name is Finn! In the last couple of weeks, he has been copying everything we say - he repeats almost any word.  Thank goodness he is having problems with "sh" and "f", and he can't say his name yet - he says "winny" instead of "Finny" lol. But he pretty much repeats everything else. He even said "primary school" the other day! Okay, it sounded like "prirar schu" but it was a damn good try. He says "a, b, c, d" and "one, two" and even sang "ee i o" with me for Old Mac Donald had a farm the other day. Becky also says words but is more reluctant to say them - she thinks about it first.

Both their comprehension is leaping ahead and they follow more and more instructions.  Any wee or poo is referred to as "bum" so you know when they are doing their business lol - I must buy a potty asap to start getting them used to having one in the loo. If you say go fetch a rice cake (Finny says Ry Cay) they walk to the cupboard to open it. They both go shower if you tell them to go to the shower and they both stand under the running water - too cute. They "put shoes on" - bring them to you to put on. If we ask them to ta for mummy or daddy, they will take the object to one of us.

I couldn't even begin to list all the words he has said - it is as if their language development has gone into fast forward - amazing to watch.

The only problem in this very cute stage is that Finn has started being a little aggro at times hitting, pushing and scratching - both Becky and me! My reaction is to say "No" firmly, showing my disproval and then ignore the behaviour - but he just laughs and does it again...need to read more about how to deal with this in my "Happiest Toddler on the Block" book...

I really feel the terrible two's looming as this behaviour becomes real - oh dear...tantrums and learning how to acnowledge and control our emotions..here we come...

One and a half!

Age: Oh my goodness...the twins are one and a half today! I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. 18 months ago, I was rushed into an emergency caeserean and out popped our two little blessings, two months early weighing just 1.5kg and 1.2kg at their lowest, spending four weeks in NICU, and growing like weeds every day since then. These two little miracles are becoming such wonderful little people day by day. We are so blessed.

Development: Wow. Their vocab has really taken off. They say so many words now and really know what they mean - not just mimicking - bowl, thank you, hello, bye, yum, banana, up, down, ball, shoes, nose, eye, tank you, Raaraa (for TV), and so many more - can't think now. They also follow quite a few instructions like - take this to Daddy or Mummy. Go outside. Nitey nite - and they walk to their rooms for naptime. Fetch your shoes. Where is your nose / eye, winkie (Finn loves his winkie lol - such a boy), bum. Up. Down. Sit. Dance. Clap hands. Stamp feet. Supper time - and they walk to their highchairs. Fetch your ball. Bathtime - and they walk to the bath. Cutest of all, Finn walks around calling "Becky Becky". Becky helps herself to dummies from her draw, Finn walks around with his lappie when he is tired. 

The interaction between them is fascinating - both have tactics to deal with different situations already. Becky will lure Finn's attention away from something so he takes another thing rather than the thing she wants - already manipulating the situation lol. Finn doesn't really like to share, while Becky will share her biscuit or give hers first to Finn - but he always says "Tank you".

Both have their canines coming through without too much fuss. I had to trim Finn's fringe as it was growing into his eyes!

Eating:  We are keeping their sugar to a minimum - the only naughty food they eat now as treats are Marie Biscuits and a little dark chocolate (dark choc chips). Otherwise we are giving them lots of avo, banana, egg, cheese, meat, veg, oats, rice cakes, oat crackers, Greek yoghurt, fruit, organic milk. DH and I are on a low carb diet / Paleo / Caveman, so will be trying to keep them on a similiar real food diet. I have only just realised how bad formula milk, futurelife and other cereals etc etc - in fact all processed foods are...no reason to eat them at all. In fact, any food with an ad is worrying lol. Want to keep away from all the prepackaged junk.  We still feed them the fruit pouches (not the best as these have been cooked) and purity when on the go, and we used to buy the nestle toddler products...but NO more. Keeping it as real as possible going forward. Am loving the new Woolies toddler meals and their fresh fruit purees - makes planning their week's meals much easier.

Having said this - we will not restrict them from carbs or sugar completely - don't want to be too extreme as sugar will be all around them as they socialise with other kids and families - just want to keep it to a minimum when necessary or as treats. They are both eating really well at the moment which is great.

Sleep: Both are sleeping just great. Finn still occassionally wakes and cries but I leave him be and he usually settles himself again. Becky doesn't make a peep until we fetch her at 7am in the mornings. They are still in seperate rooms but I am still wanting to put them back together.

Looking forward to:  Setting up their new room when we do move them back together - will be decorating for their toddler - kindergarten years and not as babies anymore - so exciting.

Mommy and Daddy musings: We cannot believe how much you two have changed in just one month. We love spending weekends together with you and miss you every day we are at work. You make us fall in love with you more and more every day - what a cute age you are now! We love watching you become the special little people you are going to be xxx

Almost one and a half...

How did our twins grow so fast?  I seem to be missing time between them being helpless little preemies to tearing around toddlers.  It is all going too fast. Slow down time please. They will be one and a half years old in March!

Little Beauty

Beyond cuteness

17 Month Update!

Age: The babes were 17 months old on 18 Feb (15 months).

Height/Weight: We decided to weight them ourselves as they are really cooperative standing on the scale.  Not sure how accurate it is as I have been having issues with this scale - but that is another story. So if accurate, Finn weighs 11.3kg and Becky 9.4kg. I plotted the weights on their graphs and both are nicely above the median. Finn is only slightly taller than Becky, but they are definitely growing and many people comment on how tall they are.

Developmental notes: They have gone from being proficient walkers to running along in a toddling sort of a way - very amusing to watch.  They sort of lean forward and go for it at quite a speed sometimes. Both can turn around in circles. Both dance from side to side. Both bend over and reach between their legs. Both climb really well. So all in all great large muscle development going on.

They have so many new words, I can't remember them all. They say hello, bye, car, train, ball, kitty, all gone and more. SO cute!

Eating: They have started using a spoon and fork. Not that great at it yet, but we found these great suction bowls, so they can practice without flinging the whole bowl of food off the high chairs! I do feel that I would be feeding them much more variety if I was at home all day to cook, but now I prepare portions of various meals and freeze them or buy the woolies toddler meals which they like and are so convenient. It would be great to eat at the table together more like a family more often, but they have all their meals while we are at work. 

When they are older, we will try do dinner at 6:30-7pm together, bedtime at 19h30... They are still drinking milk in a morning and bedtime bottle. Will look to dropping the morning bottle soon and replace with a cup of milk maybe - but they love their morning bottle. They only drink milk and water, no juice at all. We brush their teeth every morning and night.

Sleep: Going SO well, with sleep throughs from 7pm tp 6/7am the norm now.  Still in seperate rooms though.  Finn occasionally wakes up for no apparent reason now and then crying - I think he wakes up in the dark and doesn't know where he is so I still think a night light may help. He is quickly settled though and goes back to sleep. It is because of this that I have left Becky in the study as she has happily slept through without being disturbed for months now and never wakes up - even when the house alarm goes off in her room! They are still napping twice a day for an hour each nap.

Sometimes when I am giving Finn his bedtime bottle, he will reach up and stroke my face and the other night he actually said nighty night after I said it to him...no words!

Favourite Things: They now have extra-mural activities lol. On Tuesdays one goes to Toptots and on Thursdays to swimming lessons, and then they swop the following week. Silvs sends us the cutest pictures of them doing cool stuff! I do miss not being able to be mommy doing this with them :(.

Dislikes: Fighting occasionally, being scratched by the naughty cat.

Looking forward to: Moving them into their bigger room and big beds - but I probably shouldn't rush this as I am sure we have midnight playtimes and little feet pattering into our room in the early hours as they will be able to get out of bed lol. 

Mommy and Daddy musings: The cuteness factor is in overdrive  - you are in such a gorgeous stage and we find your antics so amusing and your amazing development so incredible to watch! Becky gave me the hugest hug the other day - my heart melted into a flood of love - so precious.