Time Flies....

So the twins are now 19 months old!

They are so much fun at this age and are becoming little 'people.' It amazes me every day how much they learn and grow. They are such little sponges right now. They typically are each other's best friends, however that's not to say that they get along 100% of the time! Typically it's been Kai pushing Katherine, or giving her a whack on the head, or stealing her toy....but lately little miss "Kat Kat," as they both call her, has been fighting back. She's much more determined to keep her own toys and not let her brother bully her around. And of course, anything Kai can do, Katherine can do too!

They have both generally been really good sleepers at night for the past few months. We have even been able to lay them down completely awake and they'll fall asleep on their own 95% of the time. And if they wake in the middle of the night, we rarely have to go in their room. They've been sleeping from 7pm-ish to 7am-ish. Sooo nice and sooo appreciated! They still nap twice a day, and they usually only take cat-naps, anywhere from 30 min to an hour. I'm thinking they'll transition to one nap a day soon...and hopefully it will be for a longer duration of time, also. Mama needs time to get some things done around the house!!

Kai is around 23 pounds. At his 18 month checkup he was in the 10th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for height! (true age scale!) Katherine was 20 pounds, 4 ounces yesterday with her diaper, clothes, and shoes on. At 18 months she was in the 5th percentile for height and weight, true age scale. I think that's pretty darn good!

We just got home from our first trip to Wisconsin! The plane rides were interesting, to say the least. They actually did quite well - better than I expected. They rode on our laps for 3 of the 4 flights, and one of the shorter flights they had empty seats which allowed us to bring their carseats on. It was all about distraction, new toys, new books, more distraction, snacks, walking the aisle, and more distraction. Not too many melt-downs. And we were very thankful the people around us were so understanding. Traveling with two toddlers is not an easy feat!

While we were in Wisconsin we went to two waterparks (they are both water kiddo's, that's for sure!), went to Rich's cousin's wedding, spent a few nights at Rich's parent's house, spent a few nights at my parent's trailer, spent a couple nights in hotel rooms....the most difficult part of the trip was packing and repacking every day or every couple days. The twins went on their first boat rides, jet ski's, a tractor, four wheelers, ate a popsicle for the first time, got their first mosquito bites....all in all they had a blast. They met an overwhelmingly amount of people, and Kai was attached to his daddy like you'd not believe! In a way, it made it easier on me...Rich had one and I had one. We finally met my niece Grace who is 10 months old and such a cutie. Unfortunately the twins are now super attached to their binkies, as they really wanted them as a comfort measure. So I gave in while we were in Wisconsin for 10 days. Now it's been torture trying to get the binkies to 'live in their cribs' again.

When we arrived back in San Diego, both of them were acting a little 'off.' Kai refused to sleep in his crib, his classic ear infection sign...but part of me wondered if he just wasn't used to his crib after being away for so long. After a couple sleepless nights, I took them to the pediatrician (alone, by the way, which is really not an easy task these days as they're afraid of the doctor now!). Sure enough, Kai has another ear infection. Katherine's ears looked okay, but her throat was red and swollen, she's had diarrhea, a low-grade fever, a rash, and hasn't been feeling well. Just a virus...which will inevitably turn into an ear infection...

So we're not quite back to normalcy yet. I have a crabby little boy who clings to his daddy at any chance he gets and I have a little girl who wants nothing more than to suck on her binkie all day long. Unfortunately her top teeth are coming in a little crooked, so I'm really trying to stay strong and keep that binkie in the crib for 'night night' only. She has been doing such a great job of telling me when she has to go 'poo poo' though - and both of them have gone on their potty a few times already! They are fascinated by the potty, which is both good and bad...but certainly makes me keep a clean bathroom!!

While I had a few moments of peacefulness with Katherine dozing on my chest on the airplane ride home from Wisconsin, I gazed out the window and thought about Kai running around my parent's yard following his older cousins everywhere. He looked like such a big kid, hanging out and admiring all the older boys. At one point they were climbing around the fence and Kai's shirt got stuck on it. Pretty funny to see him hanging there, almost helpless, until his older cousin stepped in and got him off. Never a peep from him. Just a look of 'thanks, man.'

Gosh, they have come such a long way! Such a big boy he's becoming...and such a big girl my princess is becoming....and as I gazed out the airplane window I got a little tear in my eye thinking about how fast time flies.

Where has time gone?

My goodness, it's been awhile! I am long overdue for an update!

The twins are 16 months old! They are beginning to walk...and they are everywhere! They seldomly crawl now, as I think they've realized it hurts their knees. So stinkin' cute to watch them both on their feet at the same time!

Katherine is my mellow girl now. She is very patient and she is able to entertain herself quietly with toys or books. She likes to share everything she has, including sharing with her brother. She loves her baby dolls, and her nana has recently spoiled her with a baby buggy, which she adores. She loves to rock her babies and give them kisses. She is a very smart girl and loves to imitate and make signs. Both babies are learning sign language, and she really seems to pick up on it quickly. She still adores her brother like crazy, and I think her favorite word is "Kai." She is a bit of a taddle-tale and likes to point at him when he's doing something naughty and say "Kai, Kai." They are both on the true-age scale now and Katherine is in the 5th percentile and Kai is in the 10th percentile for 15 month olds! Hooray babies!

Kai is my little boy who is now giving me a run for my money! He is ALL boy! He is very rambunctious and full of energy. My parents have nick-named him "Bam Bam" which is very, very fitting. He has a short fuse and an even shorter attention span! He keeps me super busy and needs a lot of entertainment from mama. When he is teething, he is in a terrible mood, and unfortunately they both seem to be teething a lot these days. I still wish they could go to sleep and wake up with a full mouth of teeth. His favorite thing to do is steal toys from his sister...and he also loves to climb stairs and has absolutely NO fear! His gaze is still so enchanting and he has the cutest smile with a huge gap between his front teeth. Even though he keeps me on my toes, I don't know what I'd do without my little boy! He adores his daddy and always wants to be outside with him - anything to get dirty! He is hystarical in the sand and I think both babies will definitely be beach babies this summer!!

My parents were just visiting with my neice Madeline for 10 days. My dad built us another deck around our new hot-tub, and it extends off/goes around our toy room. The kids already love it out there!! We bought them little life jackets to go in the hot tub with us (at just a warm temperature)...they've been in once and had a blast! The twins really miss their nana, and they crawl around the room and say "Na Na, Na Na, Na Na" and look for her. It breaks my heart! Madeline was such a great little helper and it made me realize how much easier my life would be with a 10 year old around the house! My sister has certainly done something right with raising that girl because she was absolutely an angel while she was here. I need some parenting tips from Kathy!!

We are looking forward to our visit to Wisconsin this June. I'm not looking forward to traveling on the airplane with the twins...that will be interesting, to say the least. But I can't wait for our extended families to finally meet them! I think they get cuter and cuter as each day passes!