Oh-oh, Livin' on a Prayer

When we found out we were having twins, we consulted immediately with the people we knew who had twins (oddly enough, we know about six families with twins).  Everyone said the first year was the worst and if we could make it through it, we would be fine.  I cannot even believe I'm about to utter these words:  Anaya and Audie are SIX MONTHS OLD!  They are halfway through their first year - the craziest year of our lives.  On one hand, it feels like these past six months have just flown by, it's such a blur.  But on the other hand, it's been the longest six months of my life.  I mean, these guys are demanding and high-maintenance!  I'm not sure where they get that from.  They are on a schedule now, for the most part, which makes life easier, but it's still very crazy.  I force them to be on the same schedule, which is really necessary when you have multiples.  If I didn't, I would probably have all grey hair and be insane.  I'd never even get a chance to go pee.  When they go down for naps, I literally shut their door and run through the house, doing chores.  You think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not.  I run from our room down to the laundry room to load laundry, back to our room to make the bed, to Adam's room to tidy up, to the kitchen to wash bottles and maybe eat, to our bathroom to shower and, if I'm lucky (if everyone's lucky, really), shave my legs.  But I never want to push it because if I take too long in the shower, I won't have time to check email and facebook and shop online and Skype with everyone.  Alas, no matter how quickly I shower, someone is always crying when I get out.  It's like Murphy's Law.  So I quickly dress and run to their room, praying as I run that the crying one hasn't awoken the other one.  They usually have.  So then I pick up the crying one to calm them down and that, naturally, makes the other one jealous.  They get pissed if they aren't the one chosen first.  So I run to the living room with the one I'm holding and put them somewhere satisfactory (usually unsuccessfully), while I run back to retrieve the other one, who is screaming.  I bring that one in and start playing with them both and, finally, exhale.  They are awake for about two hours, during which they eat and play and talk.  Then, it's time for another nap and we do it all over again.  As crazy as it is, though, things continue to get easier to manage.  One of these days I may even start a baby book for these two!  I'm not holding my breath, though.  I'll make sure and keep the photos organized on the hard drive, though, so they can pour through them when they're older and want to see what they were like as babies.  It shouldn't take them long.  As it turns out, there isn't much time for snapping cute photos of twins.
     

Anaya

Photography by Adam:

Anaya has a smile that will absolutely melt your heart...but you still have to work a little bit to see that smile.  Turn on the Mommy and Daddy show.  Or just turn her toward the Adam show - it's always on.  She continues to strive for royalty in all she does.  If you aren't doing exactly what she wants you to do, she'll demand that you do.  If you're holding her while she's trying to sleep and you're talking, she'll reach up and put her hand on your face or mouth, to tell you to shut it.  She likes her beauty sleep, and is a great sleeper.  She sleeps through most nights, from about 11 p.m. until about 6 a.m., which is great.  Sometimes she wakes up around 5 a.m. and gets a little chatty, though, which is not so great.  Thankfully, she'll usually go back to sleep when no one takes her conversation bait.  She's going to be a handful, though, and I'm scared.  Rosie should be too, because she's watching her every move.  Poor Rosie.  Both babies are fully in to baby food now, so it's fun to have them try new things.  Anaya has dramatically gagged and coughed and stuck out her tongue when trying carrots, squash and peas.  She can't just spit it out, of course, because that wouldn't be the diva thing to do.  She's got to make a scene.  She's still got a worse temper than Audie and cries the loudest, especially when she's hungry.  She comes by that honestly, though.  Who could blame her?  It sucks to be hungry!  I hear ya', Sweetheart.  Speaking of Sweetheart, that's what Adam calls her - "Hey Sweetheart!  Good morning!  You're soooo silly!"  She loves Adam and he seems to love her too.  It's funny to see that he already interacts differently with Anaya than with Audie.  Anaya loves to watch Adam ham it up and she just laughs at him.  That's just what I need - someone encouraging him!  For the most part, Anaya is the serious one.  She's not as smiley as Audie and she's not as easy to please, but she's coming around little by little.  She loves peek-a-boo and she loves the bath.  She's just now beginning to look interested in rolling over and moving away from wherever we've put her.  She's a little behind Audie on that front, but that's okay by me.  Two learning to be mobile at the same time...there just aren't enough Karinas in the world.* 

Audie

Another one by Adam:

Audie is more of a joker.  He's sweet and smiley and cuddly and loud and excited about you.  He especially loves when you put your face close to him and he can reach up and touch it.  It's really kinda sweet...until he tries to rip your nose off.  He loves to play peek-a-boo and even uses his blankie to cover his face and play.  He doesn't seem to require as much sleep as the princess, which throws a wrench in the whole "keep them on the same schedule" plan.  His naps are shorter, which I'm learning to deal with, schedule-wise.  Sometimes he sleeps all night just fine, but he is mobile in the form of rolling and scooting, so he gets into predicaments at night that he cannot get himself out of and requires assistance.  Sometimes a dozen times a night.  And after you've tasted the sweetness of a full-night's rest, it's tough to go back.  Luckily, Adam has told me recently that I can just sleep all day, so I'm looking forward to catching up on all that lost sleep.  As far as eating is concerned, Audie is a total mess!  He is, without a doubt, going to be my little mudpie-making (and eating, probably) child.  He insists on "helping" the spoon to his mouth and he's really strong, so inevitably the spoon misses his mouth and hits his chin or cheek.  Then, he spits some out and puts his hands in his mouth and rubs them all over his face and legs.  He'll try anything twice, though.  The first time he tries it, I'm usually successful because he takes it and swallows it before he realizes it tastes funny.  The second time, he realizes it the moment it hits his tongue and he'll spit it out.  Audie is generally easy to please and is pretty easy-going.  Often times, he doesn't even bother to cry because his sister has that covered enough for the both of them.  But he is beginning to develop a little bit of a temper lately.  If I'm doing something he doesn't want, he'll just swing at me.  He's got a killer left hook.  He's nearly sitting up by himself and he's dangerously close to pushing up onto all fours when he's on his belly.  I think he'll be crawling soon.  Then, it will be time to bring Mom over for another three months.

Well, I think I'll wrap up here.  All the kids are in bed and I haven't had a shower in a couple of days, so I think I'll capitalize on the opportunity.  Maybe I'll even get to shave my legs ;)       

*Karina is my mamasan and, quite possibly, an Angel, for those who don't know