1 Year Old

Our boys are one YEAR old!!!

This is their last picture with their stickers, and it just cracks me up!  They have definitely gotten harder to take pictures with their stickers over the last few months, and we didn't even come close to smiles this time. But I loved the little personalities that we captured here!  These boys are so expressive with their faces, especially with their eyebrows, so this had to be the picture for the month! Will (blue sticker) tends to be more serious about new things, making sure all is okay before giving his huge smile and belly laugh.  Jack tends to have more of a sense of humor lately, and is quick to giggle at things. Oh how we are blessed each and every day to be their parents!!!

I waited to post this a little bit past their birthday so I would have their latest stats from the pediatrician.  We went to the doctor this week, and the boys had their 12 month shots... the first shots they've had in 5 months!  Poor babies! They weren't too happy, but actually didn't cry as much I was anticipating!!

Here are their 1 Years Stats:

William
  Weight: 20 lb 14 oz (18%)
  Length: 29.5 in (35%)
  Head Circ: 18.75 in (81%)
Jackson 
  Weight: 21 lb 6 oz (25%)
  Length: 30 in (52%)
  Head Circ: 19 in (91%)

(They haven't really grown that much since their last appointment, but our pediatrician says that they have finally caught up from their 'preemie-ness' so she wasn't concerned.)

-They are still in size 4 diapers and are mostly wearing 12 month clothes.  They are long and skinny, so they can still fit into some of their 9 month clothes!

-They eat about 26 oz formula in 4 bottles, along with 3 meals and some snacks throughout the day.  I feel like they eat a ton, but these guys are so busy that they are must be burning off most of what they eat!  The pediatrician told us to go one more month on formula, then to switch them to whole milk and take away bottles at the same time.  Yikes! Mommy has to get ready for that one!! =)  But it sure is nice to be able to feed them anything!  They are getting pretty good at finger foods, and it sure is fun being able to take them out to restaurants and give them things off our plates!  They are good little guys when we're out!  That will most likely all change once they can walk and want to go exploring, but for now, it is nice!

-Like I mentioned before, they are developing the best little personalities!  They are so different from each other, which makes life with identical twins super fun!

-Jack is definitely our giggler, like I mentioned earlier.  The other night we had over some friends, and Jack spent the first few minutes just gut laughing at their 2 1/2 year old!  His laugh is contagious, and we love that he has a joy deep inside that just bubbles out!

-Will is quieter, and tends to take things in more before reacting to a situation. He is happy and giggles just as much a Jack, but usually it takes him a few minutes to make sure all is okay.  He is starting to have some "mommy don't let me go" moments!  We went to play at a new friend's house last week, and the first 10 minutes or so, he was like a little monkey attached to my chest!  But then, he realized how much fun his brother was having, and he was off and playing the rest of the time!

-They both are still thumb suckers, but Will much more than Jack in the last few months.  Jack sucks his thumb when he is super tired (or at the doctor's office!) and Will sucks his when he is tired, but also quite often as a security sort of thing.  As a mom of twins, I don't mind that they suck their thumbs.  It is so much easier for me than having to keep track of 2 pacifiers!  I talked to our pediatrician about it and she wasn't concerned at all either.  She said they will most likely grow out of it by around 4, and if they don't, I'll just deal with it then! =)

-They are both into EVERYTHING!  They crawl, they are beginning to climb, and they scoot around furniture with no fear at all!  Will is fearless and has this thing about climbing over the green box we keep their toys in...which hasn't bode well for his poor little forehead.  Usually I can catch him and get him down before his head carries him over, but this week, he was too fast for me and he now has a scrape on his forehead from hitting the baby gate on the way down. =(  But it doesn't stop him and he is back at it again! Boys!!  They are so cute when they play together! Many times throughout the day, they giggle, tickle, and play with each other with huge grins on their faces!  I love seeing their interactions and how much they love each other!!

-They still sleep all night long, from around 7:30/8pm to 7:30am.  They take a morning nap from about 9-10:30 and an afternoon nap usually around 1pm for an hour or so. We're so thankful for our good sleepers!

-The boys seem to be loving their new house!  Every morning when we wake them up, we look out of their upstairs window at our 'front yard" (the huge park across the street) and they are just mesmerized! They also like to sit out with us on the front porch and people watch!  There is usually a softball game going on at the park, people playing, riding bikes, etc, and they are fascinated!  We are so glad we moved out here!

-They are both getting to be pros at attention-getting sounds... fake cries, gagging, coughing, et c.  It cracks me up that even though they are so young, they already have figured out how to do this! There are rarely real tears around here, but there is a lot of 'crying' for attention! It is so funny!

-The boys say all sorts of noises/vowel sounds and "dada".  They still think "mama" is just hilarious and will not say it. =( This is the only area where our pediatrician still thinks they are behind on.  I guess by one year they should have said their first word, but none of us are concerned. When we left the NICU, they told us that speech would most likely be the last thing to catch up, since they were preemies, boys, and especially, twins.  So we are not worried at all, and they will figure out how to talk when they're ready to!  It is super cute to watch them "communicate" with each other though... I'm convinced that twins have their own way of understanding each other.  Even though they don't talk, they sure seem to know what they other is doing, or laugh hysterically together at things!  Having twins is wonderful!!


I think those are all the major updates of our little guys for now! We thank God each and every day for these two precious miracles He gave to us, and are so honored to be their parents!  I am so thankful to my husband for working so hard for our family so I can be home enjoying every single moment with my little boys!  I can honestly say that being their mommy is the best thing that has EVER happened to me (other than marrying their daddy!) and I treasure this job that God has given me!  Being their mommy is the best!

I love you, Will & Jack, more than you'll ever know, and I can't believe that you are 1 year old already!  I look forward to our adventures together as you figure out this great big world!  You two are the best!  Love, Mommy