Passed the 18 month mark

I really shouldn't be surprised, but it's amazing how much the boys have grown. So cliche, but so true. They definitely aren't babies anymore. I absolutely love this stage. The 18 month mark. They are toddling around. They can totally feed themselves. They understand enough that you can talk to them and they respond by either listening to you or laughing and running in the opposite direction. Their little personalities have blossomed. Truly a blessing to see these boys grow. It absolutely makes my heart melt to see them interact with each other.

Heart exploded

Thomas 

You are such a little jokester! What a great sense of humor you have. I never really thought of kids developing humor until they got older but you are such a pro at psyching people out and doing things you think are hilarious. Your favorite activity is to make things disappear by throwing them into the diaper pail. Especially if they aren't dirty diapers. You find this so funny. Just the other day I was changing Jacob's diaper and I could see you out of the corner of my eye standing at the diaper pail with a sock in your hand staring at me. When I turned to look at you, you quickly threw the sock in the pail and ran out of the room laughing. As I was finishing up with Jacob, you came back into the doorway and stood there staring at me again. I turned to look and you ran down the hall laughing. Melt my heart. 

You have the most perfect sleep habits ever. Every night we put you to sleep and you go down without a fight. Every. Night. If you aren't quite ready yet, you just entertain yourself or bug your brother until you eventually doze off. In the morning you wake up the same way. Without a peep. You patiently wait for the rest of the house to wake up and someone to come get you. Occasionally you will call out for someone when you've gotten tired of waiting, but even then it's not a scream. It a nice request.

Speaking of calling out, you can say momma clear as day. There are times when you are calling out "Momma!" And I can't tell if it's you or Sofia! You also say  uh-oh pretty well, but not much else. Lots and lots of babbling though. I'm sure you will talk soon and I almost get the feeling that when you start you won't stop... 

It amazes me how you can play all by yourself already. While your brother is running around the play area dumping out every single container of toys onto the floor, you are quietly playing at the play kitchen, opening doors and taking out plates and fake food. Just precious.

Things you love:

• a sippy cup of milk - you will suck that thing down in ten seconds flat
• kicking your legs so putting pants on has become the most difficult thing in the world
• ripping off your socks the minute your shoes come off
• grabbing my glasses off my face the second I get close enough - ninja style. You are so quick!

Things you strongly dislike:

• getting strapped into your carseat - even though as soon as the buckles are snapped, you stop complaining
• being put down at night without your brother - no complaints if Jacob is with you, but if we try to let him stay up later than you, you call no fair on that real quick
• having your sippy cup anywhere but in that little cup holder on your tray while you are eating. If someone moves it, you put it back. That is where it is supposed to go. 

Jacob 

Biggest love bug ever. You give out hugs and high fives to everyone like they are going out of style. You have got to be one of the happiest toddlers I've met. Smiles radiating from that sweet face of yours all day long. Best part of the day is when you give out random leg hugs - just because. Totally doing something else and you run up and give a huge squeeze. I think it's because you just love love. You give your sister love. You give your brother love. You give the dog love. It warms my heart to see you be so happy with life, especially when I think of how tiny and fragile you were when you were first born. You were constantly being held for the first few months of your life. Proof that you can't spoil a baby.

Unlike Thomas, you have to be the worst kid at going to sleep. You never want to go to bed. Ever. You will be rubbing your eyes and falling asleep at the table and as soon as we turn the corner into the bedroom, you start complaining. Even though you may clearly be tired, you will cry bloody murder for at least five full minutes before giving up and falling asleep. You have to be just exhausted in order to go down without a fight. With Sofia, we started the bedtime story routine at a young age. We've only recently started the bedtime story routine with you boys. Previous attempts were unsuccessful (read crying, screaming, slapping the book out of our hands...) But now that we are doing a story every night, you seem much more comfortable going to bed. Last night you even pointed at the bookshelf to make sure I was going to read a story. And even though you didn't seem super tired, you went down without a fight. You are the reason why I have sat in the car in the driveway after running errands on multiple occasions just wasting time while you finish napping because there was no way I was going to cut that nap short by taking you out of your seat. You wake up, you aren't going back down again any time soon.

Things you love:

• eating - you must eat three times the amount of your older sister. And you don't savor the food, you just shovel it in
• making the loudest noises possible with your toys - legos dropped from high elevations onto the tile, banging metal play pans from the kitchen on the floor, finding the most annoying musical toy and pushing keys over and over in quick succession, etc.
• getting told not to touch something and then just keep touching it while staring me right in the face (I blame your Zio Tony and genetics on this one. You are a recreation of him for sure)
• bathtime - splashing for days!

Things you strongly dislike:

• holding a hand while walking - Mr. Independent, I can do it on my own!
• having the smallest amount of food left on your plate when you've decided you're done eating - I'm full so let me throw all this stuff on the floor and then pull my high chair tray off the table, put it over my head and rub the rest into my hair

Having two kids at once is definitely more work than a singleton. At least from birth through this stage it has been. Everything has been just slightly more difficult. I'm sure it won't always be that way. It is true that it just keeps getting easier. The boys do such a wonderful job playing together. Do they interact with each other every single second of the day? No. Of course not. They aren't inseparable. But they do enjoy each other's company, that's for sure. Maybe I'm just projecting something I want to believe onto the boys, but I can see how they have a strong bond to each other. I can see how they feel totally comfortable together. I can picture them five, ten, twenty years down the road being close siblings. And I love that their big sister adores them with all her heart because I'm sure that means she won't be left out.

Thomas and Jacob, thanks for making your first 18 months a breeze. I am so lucky to have had three super easy babies. You boys are the icing on the cake for sure.