ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

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Heather

8::52

One picture per kid per week for a year.  

Win at his first gymnastics class. ‘The Pit’ was a big hit. 

 

 

Holt with sidewalk chalk in our back’yard’. 

 

7::52

One picture per kid per week for a year.

Holt

Win

Valentines Day

For Valentines Day, we get sunshine…and love it.

6::52

One picture per kid per week for a year.

Holt

Win

kidbits: birthday edition

When I was talking to Holt about their upcoming birthday.

Me: Hey Holt.  Do you know that you have a birthday coming up?

Holt: K.

Me: You do?  Well, how old are you going to be on your birthday?

Holt: Santa!?

Win walking toward me carrying a toy that has been taken apart.

Win: Oh no!  Oh no!

Me: What’s wrong buddy?  Did your toy come apart?

Win: Holt did it.

Me: You’re already selling your brother out?

Win: K.

Win

Holt

Twos

We are in that stage now…the twos.

I should probably be more scared of them.  We’ve already had some funny (if you want to call them that) “twos” moments with the boys.

But the number 2 now has some special meaning in my life.

I have 2 boys (goes without saying).

They were born on 2.2.12 at 12:12 am, 20 seconds apart. That day is also my maternal grandmother’s birthday, the woman from whom I get my middle name, who also had twins, one of whom is my mother.

So, even though the birth of my twins wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for, we feel pretty certain that everything happened exactly as it should have.

As the 2s are now here for our 2, we are amazed at what a fantastic and flabbergasting age this is. Their memories are incredible. Their vocabularies are growing everyday. They ask us what “dis” is so they can learn the word for it.  They are funny. They can answer questions and understand everything (more than we would like sometimes).  Win said, “bless you, mommy” after I sneezed the other day ?! They will go from crying because they lost a toy to the sweetest bunch of cuddly goodness to saying a word over and over until we understand it to dancing and spinning in circles at the drop of a hat.

To us, they are the best parts of still needing us and wanting to be picked up all the time and saying “I do it” to most everything.

Most recently the number 2 has meant something much more.

Because in the 2nd week of his 22nd month*, my boy, who was born on 2.2.12 and is 20 seconds older than his brother, came back to me.

Our boy came back to us.

Holt had spent the last few months frustrated for not only not being able to communicate effectively (he has a real NEED to be not just heard, but understood), but also for not being able to be as free with his movement as he once had been.  He was frustrated and would cry and whine a lot.  He had not always been like that, but we thought it was due to early onset terrible terrific twos (as my mom calls them).  We thought it was going to be a phase.  But as soon as he had that last treatment in November, the laughing, joking, smart, running boy came back.  He was funny again.  He was sweet again.  His fuse was much longer.  He was happy.

Even though the GBS wasn’t finished with him and he had a relapse in January, I can see Holt coming back faster this time.

I think this year is going to be his year (not the best of his life…I’d like him to remember that year).  I think this is going to be the year the I remember the most.  The year that I saw Holt struggle.  The year I saw us grow as a family.  The year I saw Win become a brother by looking out for Holt, almost care-taking for him – being upset when Holt was upset – giving Holt a toy when he was upset – stopping and waiting for Holt to catch up while we’re on a walk – really showing love in ways that we didn’t know he was capable of.

Two.  Who knew that 2 could bring such change?**

Who knew that 2 could bring such good?

*The only reason I know that is because I get those weekly babycenter emails.  I, seriously, wasn’t keeping an eye on the exact week and month.  Who has time for that?

**Anyone who is already a parent of more than one child is laughing at that statement right now.

5::52

One picture per kid per week for a year.

Win: his first experience with snow.  Doesn’t it look like Narnia?

Holt: going for a walk on the beach, with his hands in his POC-KETS, on his birthday

Snow!

You may laugh all you want, but when it snows here, it’s a big deal.  All it takes is an inch of ice and then a couple inches of snow and we are housebound for days (3 and counting).  And even though it takes an hour to dress both boys for the snow (and they only spend about 20 minutes outside), it is completely worth it.

I wouldn’t say the boys loved the snow, but they were definitely interested and liked it.

I really enjoyed having the appropriate occasion to wear my red boots I got for Christmas.  I have worn them quite a bit since Christmas, but this was the first time that actually warranted the wear.

And of course, no snow day is complete until you’ve had hot chocolate.
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4::52

One picture per kid per week for a year.

This was the first week that it was actually hard to pick just one.   This challenge has given me the reason to take pictures often, and I’m getting a bit better at pulling the camera out.

Win protecting one of the pair of stone bunnies that we walk by on our weekend walks.  The boys have named the stone “babbets” Win & Holt.

Holt hugging the “babbet”