The twins are six months old today! I thought I would share an update so that you can join me in praise for their growth and health:
Unbelievable how time has passed. It has been LESS THAN ONE YEAR that we have even known that we would be adding to our family, much less with twins. And now it is so normal on one hand, but still so farfetched on the other. I still say to R at least every other day “Do we really have twins?” Today, though, I could clearly see through the exhaustion and crying, and I could see myself saying soon enough “This is the best thing that has ever happened to our family, having our babies this close together.” We were at the playground and I could just see L, T, and S squealing and chasing each other around in the not-too-distant future. But on their half-birthday, I will let you know more about our twins.
T has such a gentle spirit. He gets very sad sometimes just when his big brother is upset. T's cries are rarely of a “mad” kind. His crying is usually “You have just hurt my feelings” for putting me down. It will just break your heart. He has the same bright blue eyes of the uncles he is named after, coupled with long eyelashes from his Daddy. He has a sideways grin like his Daddy too, and is so cute when he dips his head shyly into his mommy’s neck if you catch him a little by surprise. T is the snuggler that I didn’t have in L (either by conditioning or personality, who knows). He will put his head down on your shoulder or chest whether he has recently had a nap or not. T is soft in all places like a baby. He surprised me by being the first to roll over, since he seemed more content to sit in his bouncer chair than S. He is also a very smart, observant kiddo. He used to be the easier twin, not crying, but more just yelling out to make sure you knew he was still there. But after observing how much attention S got when he cried, T has now become more needy. Go figure.
S is a study in extremes. When he is happy, he is the cutest, smiliest, squealiest, little buddy you ever knew. He loves to be held high in the air over your head and he’ll give you a dimpled grin to thrill your heart. He wakes up in the morning with sweet baby coos and babbles, usually sucking on two fingers. He kicks and kicks in delight, which might be the reason he isn’t as big as T - he is burning all his calories with happiness! He has spent up to an hour in the jumperoo, pushing off with his feet and even using his arms to get better lift. He has been the first to really reach for toys (while T is content to just talk loudly to them). S also likes to suck his thumb, which is great when he soothes himself to sleep, but judging on how irritated I have become with L’s paci and wondering how to get rid of it, I really don’t want to try to “get rid of” the thumb later on. Now on to the other extreme. When S is upset, he doesn’t have his feelings hurt or a little whine. He is mad. He cries loud, mouth wide-open cries with eyes tight shut, flailing his arms. He cries mostly because he is hungry, since T is on the schedule as first to be fed most days (T is the first to wake up at 5 am, so for the rest of the day, he gets fed 20 min before S). He also cries because he is in pain, but I don’t know for sure why. I think he is very sensitive to gas pain, and I feel so sorry for him. But I have learned the tricks of the trade, like how to hold him just so and walk around very “purposefully” as I like to say. Or at night, he responds very well to the gas drops, but so suddenly that it can’t be the ingredients…I think he just needs to be nudged out of his crying fit! But my sweet S is so much better than he was from 2 to 4 months when he would cry for no reason for hours at bedtime. I feel like now I know his little personality, and he knows and trusts his mommy, so he is easier to calm down.
My precious T and my sweet S, we are so blessed that God gave you to us. I can’t wait to see how my three boys become inseparable friends, how you pretend and play together, how you share the best moments of your young lives together. I am so glad that I feel like I can protect you now, that I have some control over you feeling safe and loved. It was hard for me that you were in the NICU and I couldn’t hold you and make it all better. But we have years ahead of us for mommy to hold you and kiss you and always make everything right in your world. I love you, my babies.
