Don't mess with the schedule...

...so sometimes, it's ok.

Whenever other parents of multiples found out that I was pregnant with twins, they would often tell me to "get them on a schedule!" It was drilled into our heads from very early on. I remember when the girls were about 2 weeks old, despite trying to get them on a schedule, they didn't have one. I remember feeling panicked. If we don't get them a schedule ASAP, we're screwed, I thought.

Patience is sometimes not my strong suit. Sure enough, a few weeks later, the girls were on a pretty good feeding and bedtime schedule. Naps were still iffy. We stuck to that schedule, like a fat kid on cake. It was sometimes a pain. It felt limiting. We would have to rush home for 7pm, close the blinds, turn off the lights and block out that amazing summer sunshine that poured through our windows late into the evening. But, because of our perseverance, we soon had two fabulous little sleepers who went down like dreams at 7pm, giving us time to eat dinner like civilized adults.

When the girls were a few months old, we would cart them around all day because they would sleep anywhere at anytime. It was fantastic! They'd sleep in the car, in the stroller, in a restaurant. They wouldn't wake up when we would transfer them from place to place. As they got older and more mobile, this luxury disappeared. While I was alone during the week, we were out all the time. It was more for me than them. I wasn't ready to let go of my pre-baby freedom.

In the last few months, not only has our daily galavanting caught up to me, it makes for miserable and cranky little babies...er, I mean, toddlers ;) The girls are so active and do not want to sit in a stroller or car seat for longer than they have to. So now, our busy adrenaline-driven days have been replaced by "boring afternoons," as my mom jokingly calls them. We are always home at 8:45am for morning nap and about 1:30pm for afternoon nap. While I've only recently started "boring afternoons," I've grown to love them. The girls tend to nap for about 2 hours in the afternoon. The 'crazy me' of a few months ago, would never have dreamed of grabbing a quick nap or sitting down with a book. I had mommy guilt. Always mommy guilt. I don't deserve to have time to myself when the kitchen needs to be cleaned, dinner needs to be prepared, laundry needs to be folded...

Well, mommy guilt has exhausted me. The girls schedule has forced me to enjoy "boring afternoons." I do some chores but also take time for myself. Today I took 45 minutes to read Catching Fire, the second book of the Hunger Games trilogy (awesome, btw).

The schedule is good for me for sure, but has been amazing for the girls. They are far happier when they're awake. Have you heard the phrase, 'the more they sleep, the more they sleep"? Even on a perfect day of 2 2-hour naps, we'll get 11-12 hours of sleep from them at night. Happy and well-rested babies = two happy mommies.

My Toddler

I've been getting updates from Baby Centre since the pregnancy days. I started by getting a weekly update on what "my fetus" looked like or how he/she was developing. It then turned into updates about "my baby." This week, though, I received yet another new update..."my toddler."

My toddler. We talked about it. We knew it was coming. It still sounds so...old. I cannot believe that I have two toddlers. They don't look like toddlers. They don't look any different than they did last Monday when they were 11 months and 29 days old. I still see them as my little babies. 

There is something so innocent and sweet about the word baby. When I think of a toddler, I think of a pint-sized little human running through the grocery store begging his mom for candy. When she refuses, he promptly begins screaming and crying, which then turns into a full-blown tantrum in the aisle of the store. Ok, this is extreme, I know. Sadly, I can picture my toddler, Quinn, doing just this eventually!

It has been incredible to see these actual people evolve from the little blobs that they were at this time last year. The first year is all about physical development, but I can already see how this next year is going to be focused on the cognitive side. Yes, walking will probably be our next big milestone, but the personality development is truly fascinating. This is when having twins is pretty cool -- nature vs. nurture. These two couldn't be more different. 

Despite the label of toddler at the 1-year mark, I still see my little girls as babies. Maybe it's because they're not walking yet, I'm not sure. Or maybe, I'm just not ready to let go of "my baby."

The Smart Trike

The Smart Trike was one of the girls' birthday gifts. We had a pretty miserable weekend weather-wise so the girls had to wait until this evening to give it a whirl. Not surprisingly, it was a huge hit. While we only spent a few minutes outside with the trike, the thing steers incredibly well one-handed. I also love the canopy/sun visor to protect the little ones from the sun. Check out the video and pictures below for the girls' feedback.

Q sports the matching sunglasses to the
ladybug Smart Trike

The boys watch over their sisters