Gingersnap vs Shortbread

When I found out that our twins were absolutely, 100%, positively, boy-girl, I was over the moon.  With one pregnancy, we completed our family in the most ideal way possible.  And of course, I'd be be far less likely to constantly compare them to each other because they were so obviously outwardly different, right?  Opposite-gender twins just rock for a million reasons.  

Fast forward 16 months, and I still think that we hit the twin jackpot.   Unfortunately,  my aspirations for equality and non-comparison flew out the window on day one.  I still struggle daily with it, but Molly and Jack are so different that it's impossible not to notice.  It seems that we have one tough cookie (Molly) and one little one who crumbles easily (Jack).  That's right, folks....  Gingersnap vs Shortbread.  

Molly is a clumsy, adorable, running disaster and she doesn't even care.  Unless I witness a trip or fall, it is exceedingly rare that I will know it happened.  No tears, she just picks herself back up, trips again, and repeats the process.  There are days when she looks like a walking bruise.  You'd swear someone was beating my child while she naps!  She's just a tough little girl.  Our gingersnap.

Speaking of boo-boos, I can probably pinpoint to the minute, when Jack got each of his.  He makes it painfully clear when he has fallen, whether he's actually hurt or not.  If you look even at him funny, cue the waterworks.  To call him sensitive is the understatement of the year.  Crumbly, messy, shortbread.  

Until recently, I hadn't put much thought into our response to the kids' mishaps.  We just did what came naturally.  Now, I'm thinking that my "natural" reaction may not have been the most appropriate one.  

Chicago Bears Wide Reciever, Brandon Marshall, was recently interviewed about bullying in the NFL, and he said this:

"When a little boy falls down, the first thing we say as parents is 'Get up, shake it off. You'll be ok. Don't cry.'  A little girl falls down, what do we say? 'It's going to be ok.'  We validate their feelings.  So right there from that moment, we're teaching our men to mask their feelings, to not show their emotions."

I am still not sure how to balance our little cookies outrageously different personalities, but I love Brandon's take on how not to address the crumbling.  

Here I go again... Playing catch up!

At the constant urging  and behest of my husband, I am finally updating the blog!! It's been months, and the thought of all those un-chronicled memories makes me sick to my stomach.  Honestly, I think that's why I haven't written a post since Molly and Jack's birthday.  Every time I sit down to write, I realize how many awesome little moments have passed, and I get overwhelmed thinking of where to start.  So I guess I'll start with the highlight reel:

August:

- Molly and Jack both started walking.

- Mommy and Daddy learned about the importance of baby-proofing.  

- Jack learned to say "Up!", which was insanely cute for about 2 days, until I swore that if I heard UpUpUp one more time...  Well, you get the idea.  

                      

September:

- Jack expanded his vocabulary to include juice and go, and spent most of the month with a  nasty upper respiratory infection.  He loves stealing his sissy's lovey and blanket, so she caught all of his germs, too.  

- Molly has no real words yet, but is steadfastly holding on to her catchphrase, "duckaduckaducka".   I'm sure that she's trying to tell us something brilliant and life-changing, but for now, it is just really adorable to hear.  Meh...  She'll talk eventually.  I hope.  

-Both kids have decided that food is for the birds, and that they shall subsist on macaroni and grilled cheese until they go to college (where they'll only be able to afford junk like this, and they'll wish they'd taken advantage of the great food we made for them...).   

        

October: (we're almost caught up, folks!)

- Molly has learned to shut doors and loves to run down the hall and shut herself in her room.  She'll play happily by herself until she realizes that she's alone.  Then she has a panic attack.  Silly girl.  

- Jack is in major boundary testing mode. He'll open a cabinet that he knows is off limits and just stand there, waiting for me to notice.  Once I see him, he rushes to grab something and hand it to me, like he's trying to help.  It's so hard not laugh!  

- They are starting to play with each other.  By "play", I mean that they steal each other's toys and notice when it happens.  

- We're working on rolling/throwing their soccer balls back and forth, and it is the only activity that will hold their attention for more than 30 seconds.   Thank God (and Nana) for balls.  

                                     

They are both so much fun right now.  Paul keep saying what a joy they are, and he's absolutely right.  This age is my favorite so far.  Whew!  3 months in a flash.  I swear, it was almost that fast in real life.   

One year later...

One year ago, I was holding two tiny, fragile newborns while wondering how on earth I got so lucky.  Today, I spent the entire day with two rambunctious toddlers and wondered the very same thing.  Over the past year, Jack and Molly have taught me more about patience and unconditional love than I'd have imagined possible.  I was born to be their mom- to teach them about the amazing things that life has to offer and marvel at how they learn and grow.  This year has positively flown by and, while I'm disappointed in myself for not being more diligent with my blogging, I don't regret one second that I spent snuggling with my little lovebugs.   Happy Birthday, my sweet babies!!

                                   

Months 9 & 10

9 months

 Remember when I told you that Jack was never going to crawl?  Well, I was wrong!  Jack is a crawling fool, and he and Molly race around the house like it's the Baby Grand-Prix.  Chasing behind two crazy little ones and working part time gives me very little downtime to do other things that I love (like blogging, for instance). 

When M & J were born, I tried to peer into the future and imagine a time when they would hold their own bottles, snack from our plates, and learn to walk, but I just couldn't picture it.  10 months ago, I found that it was impossible to even make-believe that this day would come.  Now I know why-  if my exhausted, newly post-partum self had begun to realize how insane life would be, I might have tried to return them!  In all my prophesying, I didn't even come close to how much fun we'd have, either, which more than makes up for the craziness most of the time.  Every day one of the twins is doing something new.  New sounds, new skills, new likes and dislikes...  I am constantly amazed by how fast they are changing.

10 Months- They look like toddlers!!

We've started letting them loose with supervision in the kitchen/living room/playroom areas of the house, and they love it.  They've only eaten dog food once (Molly's idea), but constantly try to pull the night light out of it's socket in the hall (Jack's daily mission).  Both of them say Mama and Dada with intent, and I love it!  There is nothing I'd rather be than Molly & Jack's Mama.

Goodness, Gracious!

It's been 2 and a half months since I've updated this blog.  I'm having such a hard time finding the spare minutes to type even a short blurb about what's been going on in the Pierce house!  There's no way I can catch up on my monthly updates, which is terribly depressing because this is the main way in which I am cataloging our life.  Molly & Jack's baby books are completely empty, but my goal is to have them up to date by their birthday. 

Oh well.  Enough of the poor-me, I-have-no-time whining.  I've effectively wasted about 5 minutes during which I could have been telling you about the babies!

Over the past few months, we have gotten 5 more teeth, Molly has started to crawl, and both little ones can pull up and cruise around in the playyard.  Jack has decided that crawling is really not his thing, so he is skipping that milestone altogether for the time being.  Neither one is really talking, though Jack will say Dada and Mama occasionally- mostly when he's upset.  Molly is ridiculously independent, observative and loves to explore, while Jack is more reserved, sensitive and eager to please.  I never would have guessed that this is how their little personalities would turn out, but I am loving the contrast in them!

We are officially leaving "baby-baby" territory, and have our feet firmly planted in the "big-baby" zone.  It seems like time is flying even faster than I'd imagined it might, and I'm trying so hard to hold on to these moments.  When I think about all of the stages we've been through, it's hard to recall the details of them without looking back at pictures or reading my blog entries.  Surely it's like this for everyone, right?  I just hope that I can find more time to dedicate to chronicling the adventures of Jack and Molly, so that I'll have blog posts to look back on!

(5 and) 6 Months!!

Hello out there... Is anyone still reading? I am so terribly sorry for being MIA for so long. It's inexcusable really, but things have been so incredibly hectic at my house. Forgive me?

Month 5 was exhausting. The babies were sick with croup for weeks and had a pitiful cough-y Christmas, so we're going to focus on the good stuff: they made it safely into 2013, and are back on track!

 The highlight of our December was learning to roll over from backs to tummies. Now that tummy time is voluntary, it's so much more fun! It does make nighttime more interesting for Molly, though. She spends ALL night, EVERY night practicing her new skills. It would be much cuter if she didn't wake up every single time- getting up every 30 minutes to replace a dislodged pacifier is insane.

Molly and Jack both have 2 teeth, and they are the cutest, sweetest, sharpest teeth ever. Seriously- those suckers are like little Ginsu knives. Now I know why they call it "cutting" teeth! Molly had no problems at all. She woke up one morning with a tooth and that was that. Jack, however, screamed for 2 months. He drooled, chewed, and sweated them out. He's a typical man already!

We started oatmeal this month and have moved on to (mostly) homemade veggies and fruits. They are starting to get the hang of the spoon-mouth relationship, and have liked most of the foods they've tried. Avocado was our least favorite, but it took their Daddy 25 years to realize how awesome guacamole is, so I'm not giving up!

Jack has become the most loving, laid back baby over the past month. He smiles all the time. I think he's trying to make up for the early months when he didn't grin at all. While Molly is a little mover and shaker, he is content to lay back, relax, and chill out.  When he's eating, he'll reach up and rub your face.  It's so sweet!  This little guy is always up for cuddling and I love it.

Molly is a baby monster. She is always on the move, scooting backwards on her belly and shimmying everywhere. The floor is no longer a "safe" place to let her play.  If we turn our back for a few moments, she'll disappear under a chair or table.  It's a good thing that she's super adorable, because she is stubborn and sassy already, which is a B-A-D combination.  I am semi-terrified of raising her!

 M & J have been complete opposites since the day they were born, and I don't foresee that changing anytime soon.  Molly is a biting, scratching, grinning wild child.  Jack is a snuggling, laughing, sensitive Mama's boy.  This age is my absolute favorite yet, and I am so lucky that I get to share it with them.