I wonder how many times I have looked at them and thought pretty soon this is going to be all over. Mom says it just gets better and so far she has been right, but there is something ever so magical about toddlers. I may be in the minority here, especially among other moms of multiples. When I dreamed of having kids prior to, I always pictured little ones walking unevenly around the house and chubby cheeks singing the wrong words in the back seat. Babies are sweet, but toddlers are my jam; no matter how difficult and temperamental, seriously. Call me crazy. Aaron was out of town last week in Colorado with his friends on a much need getaway and after a very busy open enrollment period. I thought I would possibly die of exhaustion after 5 nights without him, but to my surprise, I enjoyed (almost) every minute of our one on one time. When you know you are running the show without help, the 'get things done' mentality kicks in and is in a strange way, a bit easier. Not surprisingly at all, Hallie flipped the switch on us almost as soon as Aaron came home. Either a cold or teeth had her completely out of sorts and I was praising the good Lord above that I could call Aaron after work and say/shout, 'they are all yours and I'm going to yoga. Please don't call me unless it's an emergency.' Toddler life. Ups and downs, but precious as can be.
Here are what my little man and lady are up to in their second and a half year.
LIKES
Playing outside, grandparents (Big Daddy is by far Grayon's best pal), coloring, 'swimming' in the bath together, snuggling to a good movie, Peppa Pig (esp Hallie), dinosaurs (esp Grayson), reading stories, animals and their noises, singing nursery rhymes and Jesus Loves Me in the car, the park, playing with friends, riding the horsey aka on someone's back, riding real horses and the carousel, the zoo and anything sweet (we try to make this fruit more often than not).
DISLIKES
Barking dogs including our's, going to bed without milk, brushing teeth depending on the day, shopping with mom (this used to be so easy!) and fixing miss Hallie's hair. Overall, they are happy kids with the occasional melt down.
FOOD
Other than fruit, H&G have a pretty diverse pallet. Grayson isn't into meat at the moment, but loves pasta and bread. More carbs please. Hallie loves meat and is picky about pasta. She loves cheese, Grayson does not. Both are great fruit and veggies eaters. Both love milk, have I mentioned this yet? LOVE MILK. Of course, they love sugar and cookies and treats at their grandparents and on special occasions. Graham crackers are our go to treat at home, but they'd be just as happy with blueberries or an orange.
TOYS
Hallie loves to play with small or miniature figures like Peppa the Pig or Calico Critters. She puts them in their miniature beds and takes very good care of them. Grayson likes to play with them too, but usually finishes up by swiping the table clean of Hallie's perfectly placed set up, usually ending in tears. Grayson is most into dinosaurs and play food. Currently, he carries around a basket of fruits and vegetables and serves them up to whomever is around. As for his dinosaurs, he enjoys reading about them, learning their names and making them 'ROAR' and 'FIGHT!' Both kids really like anything art related and Hallie is a sticker-a-holic. Puzzles are still cool and so are books. At night, Hallie sleeps with her girrafe-y and Grayson sleeps with his monkey. Both were shower gifts. I love that they have 'lovies' as some people call it. I had a blanket I carried around. I won't say how old I was when I ditched it or it fell apart at the seems.... I can't seem to remember.
PERSONALITIES
Similar, but very unique. Grayson is full of joy, energy and is 'all boy' as my mom would say. He has the best laugh and loves to have fun. Singing has been his thing lately. He loves to belt out nursery rhymes at the top of his lungs from his crib, carseat or while playing. Pretty adorable if you ask this mom. He challenges me most in terms of listening and following rules. We are constantly reminding him to use his manners and that yelling NO at adults is never okay. Time out works best for him as punishment. He hates to stop what he's doing and sit by himself. He loves to cuddle and says, 'I want to hold you' several whenever he needs some love or one on one time. He is very outgoing around family, but a little more shy and apprehensive around new people and new things. Once he warms up, he is all good. He gets nervous trying new things at times and weary of things that seem scary, until he knows he is safe. Lately, he repeats before bed time, 'there are no monsters in this house' like we have told him. When he sees something scary he covers his little hand over his mouth and nose and even starts to shake a little. We avoid scary TV and movies, but on an occasion something will scare him that I'm not expecting. He is my sweet, playful and funny boy. His smile is contagious and melts my heart.
Hallie, is also sweet and loving. She is independent until she decides she needs us. When she wants to cuddle, she often caresses our faces and says in her sweetest voice, 'I love you, Mommy.' It's precious. She only needs to hear something once to remember it. She's a quick study and knows what she wants. She has a stubborn side to her, but is very polite at the same time. She likes to remind Grayson when he forgets to say please or thank you and has recently started telling on him. She has a very big heart and constantly asks if 'you okay?' if she thinks something may be wrong or someone may be hurt. At the Gap yesterday she tilted her head, batted her eyelashes, gave a huge grin and asked a stranger, 'what do you think about that?' I died laughing. The woman had just told me she was pretty, so I guess, Hallie was going to give her a little bit more to really wow her. My funny girl. Dealing with her when she's sick or doesn't feel well is something else. She goes from her easy going self to sometimes inconsolable. It's hard to tell if she truly feels terrible or if she's blowing things a bit out of proportion. I think it's likely a combination of the two and I remind myself she is only TWO. She doesn't have a high pain tolerance and likes a bit of drama. Tender hearted, independent and confident are the words I think of when I think of my little girl.
SIZE
Grayson is currently 33 pounds and Hallie is about 28.5. I have their height written somewhere from their most recently well visit. G is at the top of the height chart and 75% percentile in weight. Hallie is about 50% height and weight and 90% for head circumference. She got that from her Daddy!
I am savoring these days as much as possible and trying my best to be the mom that they need.
No comments:
Post a Comment