Twins at One Year Old

Today at Colin and Claire's one year old check up, I couldn't be more positive.

Colin: "Mom. Seriously. You're going to have to try harder to be funny." Claire:"Everything is funny!!"

Since their surgery we have seen 100% improvements. Immediately Colin was more playful and showed that he could do things like brush his hair, play peek-a-boo and blow kisses. Claire's speech improved incredibly and is now inches from walking because of her improved balance with no ear infections.

I told him it was his birthday so he threw his cup at me.

"Woo hoo!! It's my birthday!"

I know I make this a theme in my blogs, of how utterly incredible I believe my children to be, but I can't help it... They are. Without me, without pressure, they are amazing.

This week our pediatrician told us that:

Both are two to four weeks ahead in their motor skills, and no one had to tell me that they will soon be walking. I am watching it with my own eyes. She noted that they both will probably not do much walking but because of their ambition will go from walking to running in no time flat. I fully believe that is true. Colin can stand up for long periods of time and has taken a few steps on his own, and Claire cannot stand up quite as long as Colin (she's close), but she can stand up from the floor with no assistance and is more sturdy when she takes her steps.

At their one year appointment we also talked about the following:

Claire:
I start with Claire first because she's the "baby" and shouldn't always be last.

Claire is in the 75th percentile for weight, lots of muscle, and 10 ounces heavier than Colin. She's probably about to go through yet another growth spurt. She's also in the 50-75th percentile for height, tentatively estimated to be about 5'4" to 5'6",  but no one really gets too concerned about the height for girls, and I instinctively expect her to be a little taller in the long run.

Claire says "Mama," "Dada," "Ada," and for Colin, "Bru-da,"(Brother). I pulled out a banana for breakfast and she said, "banana," without prompting.  She repeats after me, "yum," and "thank you."

If you sing,"If you're happy and you know it," she claps her hands... Every single time.


We were told her speech and responses to speech are at around the well developed 18 month old level. And that "banana" is an unusual "first word," but we'll take it. (Actually all of the kids' first words were "Adam." Second words: "Dada.")

When she gets in the tub or pool, she turns on her stomach and kicks and puts her face in the water. If she sees a body a water, she's immediately furious if you don't put her in it.


Colin:
Colin is in the 50th percentile for both height and weight. He's predicted to be at least 5'10", maybe taller. For comparison, Adam was predicted to be around 6'1" around this age... But now they aren't sure. It's really all just a prediction. Yet again, Colin and Claire are the exact same height - 29 and 1/2 inches.

Colin can mimic incredibly... Brushing his hair, hiding his eyes to play peek-a-boo, and blowing kisses like a champ.

He had already eaten lunch, but Adam's was just sitting there so he helped himself.

Colin insists that if you are going to feed him with a fork, he should be the one to feed himself. If you put food on a utensil, he will do the rest. And he's so proud of himself!


And while no normal person besides me would be proud of this, he has for a very long time had the knowledge of jealousy and the ability that no one his age should have.... to throw pretty impressive temper tantrums... That, combined with the knowledge and DESIRE to use utensils, are a two year old developmental traits.

Colin's speech consists of babbling including words of dada and Ada, and while it is not as clear as Claire's words, that is expected of boys. I think sometimes he tries to say "Gus," but still no "Mama" yet. He is still very vocal and expressive, especially when it comes to volume and expression. This is also impressive for both of them, who have Adam to translate their every need... Which should eliminate some of the desire to speak.

But if there's anything my kids lack.... It is not ambition.

The way the twins interact with each other and with Adam is always entertaining. Adam can body slam Claire to the ground, and she will laugh hysterically. She intentionally antagonizes him in the hopes that he will wrestle with her. Colin is the same... Adam can do no wrong, but gets really mad when he can't hang on to just one toy, between Adam claiming everything in site and Claire always thinking that the best toy has to be the one that Colin has. And the twins are inseparable... we give them some freedom to explore, and if you lose track of them for a moment, you can usually find them by following the squeals and giggles... in Adam's room.

Last night, Colin and Claire were taking a bath when they looked at each other, and then simultaneously Colin gave Claire a kiss on the cheek at the same time that Claire blew him a kiss. It was adorable. Then Colin leaned back, grinned at her, and smacked her on the cheek. She ignored him.

 

What? She didn't mind.

Today when we picked them up from school (the whole school knows who they are and tell me how cute they are to watch... and apparently they get frequent visitors in to just hold them), everyone was laughing/shaking their heads about how Claire refused to nap and then regretted it later, and snuck off away from the group to have a "moment," (it was probably not a very quiet moment). They tried to reign Colin in to give Claire some space, but he insisted and when their backs were turned, he went over and bopped her on the head. She made her way to the water table, grabbed a plastic shovel, and then smacked him across the head with it.

For the rest of the afternoon they said Colin held onto that shovel and waved it around at her, just in case she got anymore bright ideas. Claire was asleep in the five minutes it took to get home, and went straight to bed.

It's a good thing I had a brother and sister close in age, or else I might not realize how normal (and hilarious) their interaction is. They still interact more with each other than with the other kids their age, although Claire (being a girl), is a little more interested in socializing than Colin is... Colin really goes for the adults, the ones who will hold him and hug him. One hug for Colin, and all is forgiven. Just ask the nurse who gave him his one year old immunizations. Claire glared at her and was pissed. Colin just wanted a hug and all was okay.

I've done a lot of talking about how Adam is responding to the new school, but so are Colin and Claire. It seems so sudden to me that they are sleeping on nap mats and sitting a a table in real chairs, and not falling... well, Colin slides off sometimes but Claire sits still and proper. She knows she does not want to fall. They are done with formula... eating only table foods... and by all accounts are "toddlers," just not toddling yet.

This "growing up" thing happens way too fast.