18-month Update / Looking back on 2008

Hello and Happy New Year! Anna and Margaret turned 18 months old on December 29. For those of you keeping track, that was about 2 weeks ago, which shows just how behind I am on everything lately.  Though it's a lame excuse to make up for the poor blogging - raising 2 eighteen month olds seems equivalent to running a cage-free zoo of wild monkeys. The girls are all over the place and into everything. The other day, they left the kitchen for just a minute, and when I walked down the hallway to find them, out of the corner of my eye I catch them standing on top of the dining room table, flashing me mischievous smiles as if to say, "I know we're not supposed to be doing this, and that's why it's so much fun!"

I think my exhaustion in taking care of them stems from the fact that the girls have always been incredibly physical. They're coordinated and agile for their age, as was pointed out to me by an instructor at a "Parents and Tots" YMCA gymnastics class I took them to last weekend - during which they leaped, kicked, twirled, ran, tumbled, and jumped their hearts out, often running circles around the 2 and 3 year olds in the class (and subsequently took a 3 hour nap, much to my delight). They can jump, walk backwards, twirl in circles for minutes at a time, climb up and jump off of high surfaces, and manage to maintain their balance when I almost always expect a tumble. Some photographic evidence of their zaniness:


They're constantly requesting to sit on the kitchen counter (which their sucker of a mom gave in to one too many times, and now they fully expect to sit up there every day)


So much climbing!! No horizontal surface has been spared of their climbing


And then one particular lady thinks it's downright hilarious to take off her diaper and make a run for it, giggling with glee while her mother attempts to chase her down


The ride-on toys still give them endless amusement and so we take advantage of warmer winter days to take a ride on the deck


The girls have recently developed an obsession with clothing choices, with hats being the most common request ("Hat! Hat!" while furiously pointing to their heads)

While they seem to take life at full speed, the one area in which they seem to hesitant to jump in with both feet is talking. I've had some friends reassure me that there just are some kids who are "talkers," while some are "doers," and our children tend to be of the latter. While they do use about 10 words on a daily basis, they largely rely on baby sign language and furious pointing to get their point across. As a parent, you worry about everything - and I discussed my concerns about their seemingly delayed verbal skills with the girls' pediatrician, who thankfully reassured me that they are average, there doesn't seem to be cause for concern, and they'll be talking in no time. I imagine one day I'll look back at this post and laugh- and long for the days when they weren't talking my ear off. ;)

Speaking of pediatricians...here are their 18 month stats!:

Anna
Height: 32 inches (59%)
Weight: 24 lbs 3 oz (48%)

Margaret
Height: 32 inches (59%)
Weight: 22 lbs 2 oz (18%)

And since we've entered a new year - here's a quick "Twinskis Year in Review," in photos!:

January: Playtime (and perhaps the last month that they could be contained to one area)


February: Learning to crawl

March: First Easter spent at the beach in Sarasota, FL


April: Sharing a swing at the park

May: Exhibiting their love for mom and dad's laptop

June: our little girls turn ONE!


July: Uncooperative and goofy for mom during an attempted photo shoot on the front porch

August: Cooling off on a hot summer day by running through a reflection pool in front of Nashville's courthouse

September: A photo shoot with our friend and favorite photographer Kim

October: A fantastic trip to Nana and Grandpa's place in Sarasota, Florida

November: Running an errand with Mom and Dad and enjoying a ride in the cart


December: Finding joy in feeding each other snacks




I wish you all a joyous start to the New Year! Joey and I are looking forward to another year of constant love and laughter that these 2 little gals bring into our lives.