I can't help it, I just have to say it- although I am fully aware that putting this is writing will inevitably completely reverse all of it tomorrow and I'll think it was all in my imagination.
This will come across as a brag post, but all mamas are proud of their kids and everyone has a right to profess how proud they are of their children. Someday, I want Sam and Anna to read the words I wrote about them growing up and know though my words that I was proud of them.
Simply put,
I am really loving this age. This 2 and a half stuff is
awesome. Sam and Anna are such fantastic kids, I am in awe daily at how well they interact with each other. They know so much- it astounds me what they retain on a daily basis, especially when I have more than one student in my kindergarten class that knows less colors, less shapes, less numbers, letters, sounds, etc (the list goes on and on) than my two do... and the kids in my class are twice their age. Their comprehension of stories we read is superior than more than a few kids in my class- I can read the same book in my classroom that I read to Sam and Anna for bedtime, and in my class I get a few blank stares and unrelated answers to questions that do not make sense, while at home Sam and Anna can answer my questions(the same ones!) appropriately. Keep in mind that they are 2 and a half, and the kindergartners in my room are 5 and 6 years old. It seems like every day I am shocked at what they can do or know when I'm working so hard to get those 5 and 6 year olds to get it. (For example, Sam was pointing out that I had 3 As on my shirt, and 2 Ms. He said that big M's are for Mama, and little m is in his name. Then he said- A is for Anna, but where's S? Oh there it is... pointing in the correct location. Or when my FIL was trying to stump Sam and Anna on shapes, and tried asking them to identify a octagon- you bet Sam told him that one too! Ask them what planet they live on, and they can tell you Earth. Ask them who the president is, and they say Obama. They can correctly identify their right from their left, etc.)
For the most part, both Sam and Anna listen really well and rarely test their boundaries anymore. We've got a discipline system that works well for us, and I'm thrilled. Sam and Anna respond wonderfully to choices and counting- a mere counting to 20 will hold off any impatience for toy sharing, or wanting to do something they can't right then (plus, they've gotten very good at counting to 20!). It makes things so much easier when you don't have to exert your parental power in a power struggle all day long, and then we have more time for fun things!
I also love that we can take them just about anywhere and they will behave well. I really cannot remember the last disgruntled child I had in a public place. I think my children must be extroverts, because it seems like the busier we are, the more places we go, the better and happier they are. They love going on "adventures" and often ask us, "What are we doing today? Or "Where are we going?" I took them 7 different places on Saturday by myself, without a fuss. But yet, they can play for hours at home too, together and on their own without needing much adult attention too.
I adore talking with them, having grand conversations about the world around them- seeing what they know and understand, what they are trying to make sense of, what they want to know more about. Seeing the world through fresh eyes (like when I told them they were "cracking me up," and they touched my arm and said, "Crack crack!" because they had no idea the meaning behind my words and thought I was telling them they were literally cracking me!).
And how they are together is just icing on the cake. They play together like pros (of course, they have had their whole lives to practice, haha!). They say please and thank you to each other unprompted, kiss each other's bumps, help each other other, and selflessly give up their things for the other one most of the time.
This week, my husband went on one of his longest work trips since Sam and Anna were born, and may even possibly his longest work trip since they were born. Regardless, it has been pretty easy this time around. I keep flashing back to what it was like to solo parent 7 month olds when he went on his first work trip since they came into our lives- the waking during the night, the baby food feeding, the bathing, and all the other stuff that required toting two not mobile babies everywhere something needed to be done, including to daycare at 7 am. Now, they go to the bathroom on their own, put their clothes and shoes off and on with minimal assistance, walk where ever we need to go, eat with no extra effort required that what I do for myself, and of course, sleep through the night... I can see why people often have a second child when the first is 2! This is so much easier than life with twins before the age of 2.
Mostly though, I just spent time each day feeling so blessed that these two wonderful children are mine and love me
almost as much as I love them.
* of course, last night BOTH of them woke up once- Sam hit his head against the wall and woke up crying for a minute, and Anna woke up (I think she was cold) and needed to be recovered by her blanket before quickly falling back asleep. Oh well, I still think my kids are fabulous!
*They are normal kids though, don't get me wrong- Sam likes to push Anna's buttons sometimes like a typical brother and she'll yell back at him. Sam still gets up out of bed twice before falling asleep even though our rule is that they stay in bed. Anna is a picky eater, which can be frustrating because she's the one who could use a little meat on her bones. Still love 'em to the moon and back though!
