Fifteen Months with Twins

I keep meaning to do a "day in the life" post, but I always forget to keep track of things until close to the babies' first nap. Maybe that's a good thing for those who read this blog. ;) There would be a lot of repetition. Pick books off the floor and put them back on the shelf. Pick up puzzle pieces and put them back in the puzzles (or just throw them on the shelf ...). Pick up plastic bowls and plates and put them back in the kitchen drawer. Pick up the newspapers we use for starting fires after chasing the babies away from the fireplace. Pick up a baby from the bathroom he knows shouldn't be in, set him down outside, pick up the second baby and set him outside, go back and pick up the first who has crawled back in the meantime, repeat. Etc. ;)

Michael now calls our closet "Gregory's room." He's not that far from the truth.

We've been sick the past couple days but seem to be over the worst of it. Gregory is still pretty phlegmy; he had the croup, but it seems to have passed by the others, who only had colds. He is such a sweet boy. Sitting in doctor's office, smiling and chatting with people in a raspy-frog voice, his gentle disposition undisturbed by his illness. Beautiful baby.

A few weeks ago at Mass, as he was looking around the cry room after nursing, I asked him, "What do you see?" And he turned to look at the huge crucifix and with a big grin on his face said, "Jesus!" He was so excited to kiss and touch the crucifix. (But he also has an incredibly impish side--which is totally emphasized by that hair that sticks up all over the place, even after its first cut.)

Dominic is feeling better, and it is so good to have my cheerful baby back. This guy is a man of extremes. It's either all happiness and toothy smiles, or sheer anger, throwing himself on the floor and throwing things in distress. His life is a drama he enters into with his entire body. He "reads" books to himself with gestures, facial expressions, intonation that would put any orator to shame. He's all about movement--climbing over anything and anyone in his way, sudden dashes across the floor, throwing balls and driving cars. And yet, unlike Gregory, he can settle in for a good cuddle without wiggling all over the place, just curled up against you soaking you in. It's all on or off with this kid; no in between.


And then, the two of them together. If one of them is awake for more than ten minutes without the other, he starts getting grumpy and restless, until I ask if he wants to go wake up his brother. Then the eyes will light up and the head will crane forward as we tread up the stairs, eager for his twin.

I hope I can capture the way they go up the stairs together on camera--how Dominic will start up, stop and look back at Gregory with a grin, "Well? Are you coming?" And then up they speed one behind the other, looking at each other and bursting into laughter, all full of mischief.


This didn't start out as a "mommy blog" type post, but there you go--fuzzy pictures and all. :)


PS Happy Mardi Gras!