To a first-time mother like me, it’s pure joy to witness my twin toddlers achieving different development milestones together and on their own. Every day I wake up excited about the “next little thing” that the twins will do that will melt my heart and make me a proud, weepy Mama. It’s hard to be a mother with all the sacrifices we all take to raise children. But to see these exciting toddler milestones more than pay for all those sacrifices:
It might sound like garbled words to you and me, but toddlers can perfectly understand each other and are just starting to cobble a few words together. You can even have conversations with them. It is very exciting. Our twins are already bilingual and they speak words in our two languages (English and Cebuano). Very exciting times!
Boy can they finish that bowl of mac and cheese in five minutes. Nicholas himself eats as much as a baby hippo and keeps coming back for more. He gobbled up several pieces of my KFC chicken for dinner and his belly is huge. They’re up for several episodes of growth spurts, I guess, so they consume anything. They start to experiment eating using the spoon and there I was telling my husband in my signature weepy voice: “My baby is a big boy now.”
Right after eating his fourth breakfast, little Nicholas opened my bedroom door himself, climbed into bed and snuggled right up next to me. My snoring didn’t seem to bother him as he wrapped himself up tight in a blanket next to my face and passed out. He would enter the room and say “Hey Mama”. Same thing goes with Antoinette, who is now her Dad’s best friend.
I say: “Antoinette, close the door” and she does it. They understand simple instructions and requests. “Pick up your toys” is a common line said in the house these days. They know what it means when we say “It’s time to take a bath” or when we say “Let’s pray”. Toddlers and their ability to surprise us, adults, are just simple joys in life to enjoy why we still breathe.
Both Nicholas and Antoinette mimic everything we do. Tonight our boy was front and center with a broom and a dustpan. Although he doesn’t yet know what to do, it is heartwarming to see him jump off the couch and want to help out. Or I fold some clothes and Antoinette hands me a shirt or a pair of pants. Too cute!
When she wants to, Antoinette can light up the room with her smile and already is a “Daddy’s Girl”, twisting my husband around her little finger. She calls her Dad and waves her hand while saying “hi”. Nicholas too is adorable with his baby curls, wide smile and his dimple.
It’s something natural and normal to see both our kids give all of their love to us. Say we got very upset because one of them took off his diaper and made a mess in his crib. Some disciplining is in order so expect that some tears are shed. But after that, they always come back to our arms for a hug or a kiss. As parents, this is the most special time and we cherish every moment we can be with them.
What’s your most memorable toddler milestone?