The twins are turning on eachother.
Every 30 seconds, one or both of them is screaming (which is nothing new, of course). What is new is the cause. When just a few months ago, the screaming and crying often had no discernable source, that source is now clearly identified.
(Please ignore my disgusting and stained carpet. Once the twins get a little older, some new modern rugs-dark ones-are in my future.)
They're turned highly competitive and combative. We have a house overflowing with toys and yet they will fight over one broken, wrapper-peeled crayon. They are biting and tackling eachother, and the least wounded will run screeching to me to tattle on the other ("Luci bite me!" "Nickey push Luci!"). And what I give one of them (from sippy cup to toothbrush to book in the car), I need to give the other, or I will immediately hear about it.
Ah, life with 2 two-year-olds. It doesn't get much better.
Of course, it's not a complete house of horrors.
For Christmas, I finally got the boy (and his sisters) some actual dress-up clothes.
Of course, every chance he gets, he's still taking off his shoes and putting on mine or Isabella's.
Nicholas is also turning into a comedian. He loves saying, "You're a crab!" and then waiting for the inevitable faux-horrified reaction. I think he means an actual crab, since he plays with a crab squirter toy in the bathtub all the time, but of course few are privy to that detail, and as a result they think my son is calling them ornery.
Much like Isabella was at this age, he is super-verbal and often pulls out words I had no idea he knew. One day after picking up Isabella from preschool, we stopped by a friend's house to pick up her quesadilla maker, which we were borrowing to make dinner that night. Later, the hubs asked Nicholas where he had gone that day, and he said, "We went to Jenny's to get quesadilla maker."
Okay, then.
When I'm rocking him before bed each evening, he is still asking me about the next night's meal: "What having for dinner tomorrow?"After I answer, he'll say, "Ohh...I like chicken (or turkey, or peas, or whatever). My favorite!" When sitting in his high chair, I'll place his tray in front of him, and he'll say, "This is delicious!"
Luci is what I would call a "scorch." I'm not sure if this is an Italian slang term, but I grew up knowing this word to mean one who likes to instigate fights and purposefully incite negative reactions from people.
While they are both majorly clued in to the other's buttons and know precisely how to piss off the other, Luci has this process down to a science. Nicholas will spend 10 minutes carefully building a tall block tower. Luci will approach the tower slowly and carefully, look at him, flash a maniacal grin, knock it over, and then stand there watching him scream and cry with a smile on her face.
She is very physically aggressive and has been spending a lot of minutes in time out lately for throwing toys, and for launching herself off an end table and onto the couch beside it.
The gap between her language and Nicholas' is starting to tighten. She is still not as verbal as he is, but her words are coming faster now. One of her favorite things to do is lead the "Patience Brigade."
Getting out of the house when I have anywhere time-sensitive to go (gym, preschool, etc.) with these three is utter insanity. Luci and Nicholas just recently stopped fleeing me and then lying on the floor playing dead as I wrestle their coats and hats onto their bodies. So, the hubs developed the "patience" game, where they are supposed to sit quietly by the door with their hands folded, waiting to be called to leave.
Luci loves being the dictator and yelling: "Nickey! Patience!" and then demonstrating the act.
Hey-I need a second in command, and I'm more than happy to have her fill the role.
Current Likes: The limelight
Current Dislikes: Going down for nap or bedtime without a fight, having siblings
Nicholas
Current Likes: Shoes and show tunes (Hmmm...)
Current Dislikes: Inertia
Nicholas may hate you for these updates one day. :)
Life w/ twins doesn't sound terribly different from life with my 2 27 months apart. I still find it smart to have ready whatever I give to one, for the other. I think having kids close together, whatever close together may mean, is inevitably going to result in a constant feeling of being torn in two.
Bedtime stories? We sit on the couch one on either side. They each pick a story. They fight over sitting next to me at dinner...well they did until we instituted "days" around here--when it's your "day" you make all the decisions, get all the perks. It's resulted in making things incredibly more peaceful. I highly recommend it when the twins are older.
Good luck. They're not out to rob you of your sanity, I promise.
That patience game is sheer brilliance. Wish I'd thought of it years ago. And I have only one kid!
And I just have to say: I laughed out loud at Nicholas asking what's for dinner the *next* night and proclaiming everything "delicious." You've got a budding foodie on your hands. I'll be setting him up for a Spoonfed guest post before long. ;-)
Well of course he wears your shoes! Guys' shoes are SO boring!
Parenthood is kicking my arse right now. Is it okay that I just arse right her in your comments box ? :)
I love your updates- I think your kids will have a blast looking back and hearing these things about themselves. I love looking back at my old preschool report cards where the teachers had a preprinted list like:
I can use scissors.....and then they would fill in by hand "yes" or "no" or "but need to learn restraint", my favourite line on it has to be, "I can express myself clearly" which was followed by, "Yes, and enjoy talking...a lot..." Makes me wish that scrapbooking was bigger back then, that maybe I had more information about my childhood. Reminds me to get my butt into gear about getting our 2010 family annual (big leatherbound book) finished...as if I don't have enough to do already...
I'm sorry to laugh at your challenges, but as a person who isn't dealing with these tribulations, it's cute and funny. I should post about my tribulations, so you can laugh, I suppose.
I so admire that you post these updates, if for no other reason than that you can laugh at them down the road.
Kristi,
This post is just so funny and I apologize for laughing but you just capture the world with 3 little ones so humorously. I'm watching my son and DIL with one 2 yr old go through similar times, and the speech is also amazing.
Someday you will have a life again, I promise.
The patience game sounds THRILLING!
I often have to direct the boys (at 11 and 8! STILL!) to "Stand by the door. Do not move. Do not touch anyone. Do not... etc." ANNOYING.
As always, I am cracking up at your update... and inwardly horrified. You mean they will still be constantly screaming at 27 months? Crap.