12 months, er.. One Year Old!

June 22, 2009

June 22, 2008

Sweet babies,

You are ONE YEAR OLD! We had your first birthday party at Grandma's house and so many friends and family came by to celebrate because they love you so much. You were so good and I was so happy and proud of you both. You let people pass you around and sing happy birthday to you and stare and take pictures, and no fussing! When you were teeny tiny I used to dream of your first birthday. I'm not sure why, other than I never thought I would survive the infant stage to see it! It was just a happy thought for me in the midst of the feedings, and diaper changes and bottle washing and sleepless nights and teething and crying. Ahh.. the first birthday! And it was everything I imagined and more.

You were born late at night. I had a chance to hold you and try to feed you and I kept having to ask the nurse which one was which! Shortly after that, they took you to the nursery and wheeled me to another room. Daddy got to go down and see you get your first bath, but I couldn't go. He took pictures of both of you sleeping and all night I kept waking up to look at the pictures on my camera to make sure it was real and study what you looked like again so I didn't forget. I just could not believe I really had two healthy babies!

This is the picture he took of Nate..

And Miss Lilly..

Every day you are both gaining more and more independence, which makes me happy and sad at the same time. You want to cuddle less and be on the go exploring things more, and I know that is a good thing. You are both gaining patience, probably because it is required as a twin! It is fascinating to watch all the new things you are figuring out. You are both so smart! There are no words to express the happiness that you have brought to my life over the past year. You opened up a different part of my heart that I never knew existed. What a great feeling it is to be completely open to loving like that.

Nate,

You are my big boy, and since you are a whole 15 minutes older, I will start with you. From the beginning (even the night you were born!), you required a little more attention than your sister. You are very sensitive and need to be reassured. You have the saddest little face when you get sad, and cry bug huge tears (which you can turn off in about a second)! You don't like to be left alone even for a second and now that you can crawl you love to follow mommy and daddy around the house. I love to see that sweet little face looking up at me when I turn around! You don't like us to tell you "no", because you always want praise and approval. You clap your hands when we sing "Pat-a-cake" and you love to mimic noises, gestures and facial expressions. Your favorite sound at the moment is "uh-oh!". You smile with your entire face and it is contagious! I always catch myself staring at you, wanting to take in how cute your little face is.. I just want to eat you up! From the day you were born, you have always been very aware of your surroundings; You are always checking things out and making evaluations. You love anything that makes noise, and love to sit and read books. You are just starting to push and walk with toys and walk along the coffee table. You will be walking any day now!

Lilly,

My sweet baby girl. We have an understanding about things, like our own little language sometimes. I hope this means we will always be able to talk about anything and everything. You are so tough and independent and in the last few weeks you are really on the go! You have never cared about moving around very much, but now you don't stop! Once you started crawling, you realized how fun it was to be able to get where you want to go and explore new things! You understand "no" now and you don't like to hear it! You are quick to smile and laugh and your hearty laughter is one of the best sounds in the world! Your chubby little cheeks are irresistibly kissable. You love to read and sometimes you hold up the book and tilt your head and talk like you are really reading! You are content playing by yourself and are not usually easily upset, but once you are - watch out! It takes a LONG time to calm you down when you are mad! Lately you have been more irritable than usual, so we think you have your first tooth trying to cut in. It's about time, girl!

We couldn't ask for better babies. Daddy and I will always love you, always protect you, always put you first in our lives. Our love for you has no conditions (I know you will test us to figure that out in the coming years!!).