At their 18 month appointment, I took Colin and Claire solo... which isn't a feat, really, but I was given a pitied look by the nurse when we walked in. Yes, walked, no stroller. (Well, I left it in the waiting room. The thing is a beast.) When she asked, "Are you alone?" I said yes, not thinking that she might be saddened and freaked out by that a little bit. I wasn't.. until then.
But they were great. When I walk, I say, "come on, guys," and they gladly follow after me. Adam, at 11 months until just about 6 months ago, would laugh hysterically and run the other way. So as we tell lots of other people, Adam prepared us for having two healthy, active and bright twins. (No offense, Adam.)
Our doctor came in, evaluated both of them in a flash, and asked all the questions, "What are they interested in?" Climbing, as you can see. Also playing with big kid toys and antagonizing me. "What kind of help do they want at the dinner table?" None. They sit and wait for their forks if I forget. They are big kids doing big kid things. "What are their favorite toys?" Claire loves the shape ball, stuffed animals, manipulatives and COLORING. Colin loves coloring, play-doh, CARS and STOOLS TO CLIMB ON and whatever he finds, as long as he can hold onto it without his siblings figuring out the awesome toy/dangerous object he discovered. Balloons. Both of them love boxes.
She watched Claire wet her diaper, look at me distraught, tug at it, and then pull a clean diaper out of my purse and try to put it on herself. "Claire's find motor skills and ability to reason are incredible, is she potty training?" Not yet. "She looks ready. How's her speech?" Claire was speaking and then kind of quit. But she understands everything, including being able to identify nearly all of her main body parts. "Well, the comprehension is clearly there. She's just not speaking by choice.
She watched Colin climb on every chair, move every stool-like object and race around like a mad-man, only stopping to play with a puzzle. "He's quite busy and goal-oriented." Uh, YES. "How's his speech? You know with twins they have a 6 month 'buffer'?" Colin talks all the time - he's got about 18-20 words in his vocabulary, but I'm not sure he is understanding as much as Claire. It's hard to tell. "Judging by watching him, I imagine he's just not interested." HA! I'll believe that.
"Where are they for childcare?" They just started at Adam's school... he switched schools in early November and he LOVES it... "OH GOOD!! I'm glad he's in a place he's happy!" Yeah, he's really thriving with the older kids, and Colin and Claire started there last week and they run in every day for hugs. When I get there Claire runs to the cubby and demands her nap mat, her blanket and her piggie and marches out the door like she already owns the place, even though they are the youngest and are in a class with three year olds. Colin refuses to sit in a highchair now and would prefer to do everything on his own, including climbing into the big chairs at the dinner table and taking care of everything himself.
"Do you have any concerns, questions?" Uhhh... no. We're pretty good. "They've always been outstanding, and seems like now they don't need to see us as much any more now that their immunities are building up. If we can just get Claire's sinuses and eyes cleared up you guys will be the healthiest family throughout elementary school." You know I never believe you but that's encouraging!
She left us for the nurse to come in for shots. Claire went first, got really mad but recovered quickly. I only had her least favorite paci to offer her, but she dealt with it. Colin knew what was coming and gave every nurse he could find the longest, sweetest hug, and I'm pretty sure they questioned the need. But he got his shot, yelled at them pitifully, and I had nothing to offer him but comfort except a hug... didn't matter, because once I picked him up he was happy as could be and looked to see where Claire was. Tough guys.
Colin is in the 50-75th percentile, despite being 6 week premature. (They have until two to "catch up.") He's expected to be between 5'10" and 6'.
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| I simply cannot cut his hair. I joked with him that I was going to trim it. Adam declared he would help, and ran off. "I said, DO NOT GET THE SCISSORS!" and then walked to put something away and immediately came back. When I returned, everyone was smiling and Adam said, "I cut his hair!" and pointed to a lock of blondeness on the floor. Apparently he had grabbed the scissors, pulled straight up from the top and took a chunk, then ran and put the scissors back. I consider myself lucky. You can't tell, but maybe when the time comes I'll just ask Adam to do it for me, because I can't. |
Claire is in the 75th percentile for both height and weight, and is expected to be "tall." I don't know what that means, but assume that she will be taller than me (I'm 5'7") but maybe not as tall as 6'. It's hard to tell. (Adam at this age was expected to be approximately 6'2" but truly, who can tell).
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| Claire was antagonizing Adam by dipping her crayon in her milk and licking it at IHOP on our road trip to East Texas. He would beg her, mortified, to stop, and then begged me to make her stop. And she just grinned her big Claire grin at him, because she knows she has everyone but Colin wrapped around her finger. (Colin will just tackle her and it's actually quite scary and entertaining to watch them go at it.) |
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| Oh, you don't want me to do this? |
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| The have all spent so much time at the doctor that she uses the toy construction drill as an otoscope. |
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| Sharing some strawberries and watching Mary Poppins for the first time. |
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| demonstrating their new-found love of Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes. |
Colin is ORN-ERY! I seriously think he thinks that he is a 4 year old trapped in a toddler body. But he is sweet, sweet, sweet, and will cuddle for longer than either of the other two put together. Cross him though, and you'll get the most melodramatic tantrum of your life. I tell people Colin just has a really, really hard life. He is very clearly right handed and has a perfect grip on a pen (he'll be a writer some day). He is wreckless, excited by life and loves everything speed, height, and danger. Which helps me tons, because he's also completely accident prone. Despite what pictures might suggest, Colin is far more social than Claire and far more willing to talk to a new person (well, grin at and ask for a hug).
Claire is in charge... but actually, despite her smiles and grins and being completely and utterly in control of every situation (you want that toy? You'll have to go through me first.), she is actually very concerned and a little at loss for what to do when her brothers aren't around. She is highly aware of her surroundings and craves comfort until she knows what's going on. She glares at well meaning new people as if she is very aware she does not know them and is unsure if they are worthy of her esteem. Claire is very clearly left-handed (and it has been obvious since before she was one), afraid of heights, and HATES to go really fast. However, cross her, and you do it at your own risk. (Just ask Colin, who was sitting on a push and ride and got yanked off for daring to play with a toy that she was ready to use).
But the best thing that I want to remember right now is the kisses. When I ask Claire for a kiss she puckers up so sweetly and gently kisses me on the lips. When I ask Colin for a kiss, he grins, grabs my cheeks with both hands, yells "AHHH!" and attacks me with teeth and drool for as long as he can (or as long as I can take it), then leans back, giggles, tries to claw my eyes out and then head-butts me in the nose. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
When I ask Adam for a hug he leans up and gives me a sweet kiss and then begs me to hold him as tight as I possibly can, forever.
I have deemed all forms of affection absolutely perfect.
Basically, I have the sweetest kids in the world who are also ALL type A personalities. That's right. I'm 3 for 3.
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