here we are. 12 months young.

You hear a lot in the twin world that you've "just got to make it through the first year." 

Here we are.

But having had a kid already, I know that while many things get easier in year two, many things also get more difficult. So maybe getting "here" isn't really getting anywhere. But we still feel like we've reached a milestone, crossed some sort of finish line. And as Chris rightly put it, "Can anything honestly be worse than when they were newborns?" True dat.

At 12 months, Quinn . . . 

-claps. It is painfully adorable, because she does it really excitedly. She claps when I say "Yay!" The other day John did a good job brushing his teeth, and I said "Yay, John, good job!" and she gave him a round of applause. She also claps when Chris gets home. Like her big sis, she's a daddy's girl.

-shares. She gives something to you and you say "Thank you!" and she takes it back and gives it to someone else. Or back to you, if no one else is around. She also gives high fives, and thinks its awesome.

-wore her first pigtails recently. It was a battle to get them in, but oh, so worth it. They struck strait up in the air and I almost fainted from her cuteness every time I looked at her. She is something of a girly-girl, apparently, because if I put a headband or necklace on her and say "Pretty!" then she likes to keep it on.

-is the messiest eater. She has started chewing her food for a second, and then spitting it out everywhere. It is seriously so frustrating. I have to strip her down after every meal, and if I feed her in just a diaper, I pretty much have to give her a sponge bath afterwards.

-signs milk, and does so vigorously when she is tired and wants a bottle to go to sleep.

-says "dada" actually referring to Chris. She jabbers a lot, and it starting to sound more and more like talking.

-is OBSESSED with climbing things. I often walk into a room and find her on top of the back of the couch or standing on a chair or little play table. Its terrifying. 

-wears 12 month clothes, sometimes 18 month.

-continues to sleep through the night consistently, and now shares a room with big sis. After a lot of stressing on my part, the girls have made the transition seamlessly.

-gives sweet kisses, and will even slip you the tongue.

-AND [drum roll please] has started taking her first steps in the last few days. She gets so excited she starts bouncing and falls down. But she is taking more and more. Watching your kid take those first steps is such an amazing and beautiful thing.

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At 12 months, John . . .

-is clingy. I couldn't figure out why he screamed all day, and then I realized it is because he want me. He wants to be held and played with and paid attention to all the time. And when he drinks a bottle, he wants me to sit right there so he can put his feet on me. I try to remember this is cute and sweet, not frustrating and inconvenient.

-has a frantic little speedy crawl, and when he wants to go somewhere, he'll put his head down and plow through any obstacle. He pulls up on things but doesn't stand on his own yet. My hope is he'll be walking by nursery.

-is currently enjoying "sleep training" if that is even a thing. We decided to let him 'cry it out' a bit, since he is one and waking up 1 or more times every single night and drinking like 2 oz and going right back to sleep. It is pure habit. He is in his own nerdy little man cave with maps, giant animals, and a Cubs Win flag. The first two night he slept all night without a peep. It was very strange. Last night he was up crying half the night; crying, then quiet, crying, then quiet. This morning I found his leg stuck between the slats of his crib. Number one mom award.

-is such a handsome little guy. We're wondering if his ears will eventually stop sticking out so far, but I just love them. He has such a great smile, beautiful blue eyes, and soft kissable lips. And when he comes at you with a kiss, it is open-mouthed and teeth-first.

-continues to love balls and stacking cups. A new favorite toy of his is the Little People stuff. We have lots of people and animals and a barn, airplane, and bus, and he just loves taking the little figures in and out and moving them around. It is so funny to watch him work. I always wonder what his little mind is thinking.

-still just loves to eat. He's such a boy that way.

-wears 12- 18 month clothes. His growing has actually started slowing down since he began crawling as well as he does. Q is catching up to him in size, though I doubt in weight. He is still rather dense, though not as thick as he used to be.

-loves to laugh at big sis. I mentioned his little nerdy chuckle. The other night I was putting Q down and he stood up in his crib and was watching us. I was dead silent, hoping he would just go to sleep, but then I hear "hee hee hee" . . . his little nerd laugh. He did it a few times before lying back down. It was so hard for me not to burst out laughing. Silly boy.

J and Q are as cool as they come. The love bottles (uh-oh), they hate snow. They have no sense of personal space. They love to brush their teeth, though sometimes I'll walk by and notice they have managed to switch toothbrushes with each other. They love to play, they love to laugh, they love to be snuggled, they love to give kisses. They are just so good. I hope I can be as good as them someday.

Here we are.

A year later. 

We're all getting more sleep, they are weighing more while I'm weighing less, they are a lot cuter than their initial preemie alien beginnings, and we are all healthy, happy, crazy, and blessed.

We've come a long way.

Happy 12 months, Q and J.

We're glad you joined us.

xoxo.