21 Months Old!

I'm a few days late on their 21-month post. Without a February 29th this year, I wasn't sure if I should post on the 28th or the 1st. It doesn't really matter now since I'm posting on March 3rd! Anyways, the tardiness of my post isn't my fault. It is T &Q's fault. At 21 months old, they refused to sit together for a picture. I have tried for four days and didn't get a single picture worth posting! Kudos to all of the twin parents who manage to keep up the monthly pictures once their children are flying around!

Here's the update from the last month:

• Their vocabulary is really developing. They are much more willing to say words when prompted.  Teagan has started calling Quinn, "Mini", while Q called T, "TT" or just "T". It is adorable when they yell across the room for each other. Newest words include: bubble, bat (bath), wawa (water), kiwi, Ry (for Riley), Gampa (Grandpa)...I should have written words down as they've said them because there are definitely more! They will ask for certain fruits, like apples or bananas, by name now. They know Jenn and I as Mommy (me) and Mama (Jenn) and will point when asked. However, they still call us both Mama,although Jenn insists that they are calling me Mimi. 

• They continue to have WWF-style fights. Actually, I think their moves wouldn't even be allowed by the WWF; hair pulling, biting, vicious scratching, so maybe it is more Ultimate Fighter-style? Teagan's impulse control is non-existent when it comes to pulling Quinn's hair. Quinn will often provoke her by stealing a toy. I'm doing by best to not always step in. 

• The girls love to read books. We will often sit and read the same book 4-5 times in a row. One of their current favourites is called Hands Are Not For Hitting, although the message seems lost because Teagan's hitting has hit an all time high! They are also loving Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton, especially when one of us sings the song in a silly way. They also love to destroy their books - ripping pages (of board books) and even the binding. 

• Conversely, they will often play together SO well. They're absolutely hilarious and are constantly creating games together. Teagan is becoming quite the joker and will often do something funny to make Quinn laugh and then continue to do it again and again. 

• I've recently hired a babysitter, Leslie, who comes for a couple of hours a few days per week. Initially, the girls had a difficult time adjusting to me leaving the house without them. Leslie and I decided that for several days in a row, I would leave shortly after she arrived, even for just 30 minutes. I would try to keep the goodbye brief with a kiss and a "see you soon." They adore Leslie and she is wonderful with them so all is well now. The help has been invaluable for me because I can get things done, but also get some breathing room from the dynamic duo.

• Toilet training continues to be on the radar because Quinn likes to sit on her little seat. She has never actually done anything, but likes the actions of taking the toilet paper after a few minutes and then flushing the toilet. I usually let her sit there for a few minutes when she asks. I haven't actively started toilet training yet and honestly, am not in a huge rush. 

• They are becoming much more independent in some respects. They can easily put on their own boots and try to put on their coats. They insist on doing the snaps on their high chairs on their own now. They have even managed to put their pants on a few times. A new lesson in patience for me! 

• This past month has been fantastic on the sleep front. Both girls have been sleeping from 7-7 without a peep on most nights. Their good sleep habits have made for one very happy and well-rested mommy! 

• They continue to breastfeed when they wake in the morning, before nap and before bed. They can easily go without the nap feed, if I'm not home, giving me flexibility during the day. I've tried to distract them in the morning, as a test, to see if they could go without it. They will see nothing of it though and grab at my shirt or pass me any pillow (because I put one on my lap for their heads). I'd like them to be able to go to bed without it occasionally, again just for flexibility on my end. Breastfeeding continues to be easy, so I don't mind them doing it for a while longer. 

A typical scene: backpacks on, sprinting across the house!

Sheer willpower: She managed to get herself
up onto a swivel stool.

My 21-month old insisted on sporting a 3-6
month winter hat at mealtimes for 2 days straight.

Meet Teagan: Lululemon's newest model

Sweet T sports some raver-style pants