The last month of Maddie and Will's first year brought the twins' last "first" holiday, runny noses and an ear infection, new teeth, a change in daycare providers, and a fantastic first birthday party! And of course, there was more dancing, playing, "talking", eating, growing and learning! Whew! What a conclusion to the most life-changing, joyous, exhausting, miraculous year of our lives!
During their twelfth month, the twins probably made the most gains in their ability to communicate with us and to demonstrate an understanding of what we say to them. Early in the month, Will began to lift his hand toward objects in which he was interested. Eventually, he learned to point with just a finger. Now, the pointing is typically accompanied by an "Oooh!" How exciting for him to learn that he can now communicate what he wants! Maddie has yet to master the point, but she definitely knows what she wants and lets us know it! She has learned to shake her head and wave her hand to express her dislike of foods. Neither Maddie nor Will enjoys getting dressed or changed, but Maddie shows her extreme displeasure with such activities with an angry cry and a variety of tactics (flips, turns, kicks, etc.) to escape the situation. Maddie and Will continue to demonstrate an understanding of what we say to them (which makes us worry about what we've said in front of them). They seem to know exactly what/who we mean, for example, when we say "bath", "outside", "Bailey", "bottle", "downstairs/upstairs", "water", "Mama/Dada", "pacifier", "diaper", "nap", and "kiss", among many other words. The twins still don't say many words with intention; though Maddie seemed to have mastered "Mama" during the twins' eleventh month, "Mama" seemed to disappear from her vocabulary this month as she practiced other sounds (/b/ was a favorite). Just because they aren't talking yet, however, does not mean that they are not "talking" - they've got a LOT to say!
For months now, we have expected that Will would walk at any point; we thought that he would definitely be walking for their first birthday. But that big birthday came and went, and still, Will wasn't walking. Yet - he's close. He cruises along and between furniture and can stand on his own for several seconds before falling. He just hasn't taken those momentous first steps on his own yet. It may just be that he is waiting for his sister to show him how it's done. He does tend to be a follower - he was the second to be born, the second to sit up, and he certainly likes to follow his sister around during playtime, stealing toys and books right out of her hands! Maddie seems to have grown accustomed to it. When her brother takes a toy or book from her, she usually moves on to something else. Every so often, though, she fusses and fights back. While Maddie also cruises along furniture, she does so less nimbly than her brother...but that doesn't mean that she won't walk on her own first! Only time will tell!
Both Maddie and Will continually amaze us with their strength! They are small, but they are strong! Take Will, for example - he frequently pushes one of our ottomans in the den, toppling it over onto its side! He has done the same with the Diaper Champ, though we were less impressed with that feat and more so disgusted. Maddie's strength is just as astounding, but probably less destructive. As aforementioned, she uses her strength to attempt escape out of situations that displease her - diaper changes, clothing changes, doctor's examinations...it's a wonder how the doctor that diagnosed Maddie's ear infection earlier this month was able to make such a diagnosis with how hard she was fighting his scope. She gave it her all!
It was at that appointment that we discovered how much heavier Will is than his sister! One look at them, and you could easily see that Will is the bigger twin, but he weighed roughly FIVE POUNDS HEAVIER! I shouldn't have been surprised - he typically eats twice the amount of food that she does. Maddie is generally the more cautious of the two when it comes to trying new foods and meeting new people. She has her favorite foods, of course, but she is slow to warm up to new foods, and certain textures in particular. Will, however, typically jumps right in - face first! His enthusiasm for food shows not only in his size but in the mess that he makes when feeding himself. He literally shovels food into his mouth, using both hands and hardly stopping to catch a breath. During their twelfth month, he developed the disgusting habit of spitting out food that had been fed to him on a spoon so that he could hold it, examine it, and then put it back in his mouth. Giving him a spoon to hold has helped, but it doesn't stop him from coming out of a meal looking as though he has bathed in his food. Maddie is MUCH more dainty when eating. However, if she does not like a food or doesn't want to eat any more of a particular food, she will pluck pieces of the food from her tray and toss them onto the floor. I probably only encourage that bad habit by inviting Bailey downstairs to eat what the twins have dropped/tossed onto the floor (It's easier than sweeping it up!)!
Will and Maddie each sprouted two more teeth this month! Both Maddie and Will now have their top two teeth in addition to the bottom two teeth that popped up in December. It wasn't just their teeth that grew this month - their hair grew thicker, longer, and curlier. Yep, curlier. It looks like both Maddie and Will will have some curl to their hair, though it's still unclear just how much. For their sake, I hope that it is just the right amount!
Toward the end of their twelfth month, Maddie and Will bid farewell to their nanny and said hello to the new daycare providers who will take care of them through the end of the school year. The transition was difficult for both Jim and I as well as for the twins. Maddie and Will, who have really only known a few caregivers, struggled to adjust to their new routine. Now, a few weeks later, it seems as though they are doing as well as can be expected. It is good for them to meet new people and play with other children - even to be exposed to some illnesses, but just when they get used to the new caregivers, though, it will be summer.
We will have a ball this summer with all of the new toys that Maddie and Will received for their birthday from family and friends! They can swim in their new pool, play with their beach ball, and splash around in their water table. They can chill out in their cozy cottage, take a ride in their canopied wagon, and head inside to cool off and play with their Little People airplane, zoo, farm, and tractor! And they can do it all in some spiffy new duds!
We celebrated Maddie and Will's first birthday with a wonderful Llama Llama Red Pajama party the weekend before the big day. It was a memorable event - one that we will not soon forget. On their actual birthday, rain ruined our hopes to take Maddie and Will to the zoo. Instead, we had lunch at Friday's Front Row at Miller Park before coming home to play with some of the twins' new toys and open a few more gifts.
It is still quite unbelievable that one year has passed since two little lives changed ours - in a BIG way. I remember asking Jim, in the early morning hours the day after they were born, "Can you believe that those are OUR babies?!?" Over a year later, and I still wonder how we can be so lucky.
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