Two (times two)

Earlier this month, Nix and Gax turned two years old.  Yes, TWO.  On one hand, it seems like forever ago that we welcomed them into the world.  That's probably because I hardly got more than an hour's sleep at a time for the first year of their lives, and that whole period is a hazy gray mist in my memory.  In fact, I don't feel entirely certain that they ever were newborns, but the pictorial evidence is compelling.

Being a twin mommy is an adventure.  That's putting it mildly.  Having one tiny and completely helpless human being rely on you for everything 24/7 is a challenge enough, and two of them arriving at the same time (give or take two minutes) can be overwhelming to say the least.  I don't think anyone can prepare you for what it will be like, the highs and the lows.  But watching the two of them together, sharing each stage of life, it's incredibly special and unique.  Not to mention so ridiculously adorable I could often eat them right up.

Nix is as sweet as sugar with a sly little smile that makes you want to hand over the M&Ms that he's asking to eat for breakfast.  He is giggly and playful and cautious and snuggly.  He is fascinated with trucks and plays with them for hours every day.  When we hear a loud one drive by, he exclaims, "GUCK!" and then will sign "more" and start crying after it passes.  Nix is a fabulous sleeper, he'll go 12 hours at night (only waking if he can't find the bink that's inevitably 2 inches from his mouth) and then take a solid two hour nap.  His current favorite foods are oranges and eggs, but ask me tomorrow and it will be something new.  He's kinda picky at mealtime, but not overly so.  Nix's favorite television shows are Little Einsteins and Super Why!, those having replaced the beloved old Sesame Street.  (He also would never admit it, but he does enjoy the Wiggles when Gax requests them.)  Nix adores being outside, climbing the ladder on our playset or being pushed on the swing or chasing bubbles around the yard. He was a quiet guy for a long time, but in the past few weeks, his language has picked up quite a bit.  Hopefully he'll be able to use words to communicate soon (instead of just label objects), which should cut down on the roughly 4 hours a day that I spend trying to guess what either one of the twins is wanting.  Interestingly, though, Nix only seems to learn words that Gax says first.  Nix's stats at his pediatrician check-up were 28.4 pounds in weight and 34.2 inches in height.

Gax is two going on 20.  He does not want to be held back by the fact that he weighs less than 30 pounds and can't yet speak in sentences.  Whether you are doing laundry, preparing dinner, assembling storage shelves, or walking the dog, he wants to be right in on the action.  Which at this point means he's often throwing a tantrum when you won't let him chop onions, but one day it'll be great to have such a self-sufficient child.  As long as he doesn't accidentally burn the house down first.  He is observant, fearless, energetic, and serious -- although he can also be quite goofy when he wants to be.  He lives by the motto, "I'll sleep when I'm dead, mom."  Gax knows exactly what he wants, and God help you if you stand in his way.  He will pick out his own clothes AND tell me what Nix should wear as well.  He is very vocal, and like his twin brother, it's starting to be actual words instead of just uninterrupted screeching.  He is also a semi-picky eater like Nix, but it's most often the opposite foods.  If he sees Nix eat something, he's not at all interested in it, until you try to give his leftovers away.  Then it's "MINE!"  He loves yogurt and Pop Tarts best.  I mean, not that I let my two-year-old eat Pop Tarts for breakfast.  What kind of mother do you think I am?  (Yeah, okay, I am totally that mother.)  Gax doesn't have a similar passion to Nix's love of playing with trucks, he's more of a roamer, following us around the house and insisting that he helps with whatever we are doing.  He's not interested in the toy vacuum -- he will drag the gigantic one out of the closet and try to figure out how to circumvent the plug covers.  So far no one has been electrocuted.  Gax's stats at his pediatrician check-up were 27.8 pounds in weight and 33.8 inches in height.

To celebrate their birthday, we invited their preschool friends to join us at My Gym, which has play equipment for little kids.  (In other words, I am far too lazy to host a party at my house and will continue my personal mission of hiring out as much of the work as possible.)  Here are some pictures from their big day, and a couple from Easter.