17 Months + A Day

I can't believe it.  The babies are 17 months old.  And as much as I still see their newborn selves when I look at them, they are all toddler now.  We have plenty of "No-no", head shaking and running away going on.  They are both very much into anything that asserts their growing independence... Like taking their shoes and socks off in the grocery store.  Like standing on the sofa.   Like feeding themselves all of what they like with enthusiasm and then laughing at each other as they try to brush everything else off the table.  Also, they make sure that everyone is well aware of their feelings and wants, with emphasis!   It is truly amazing to remember that less than a year and a half ago they were completely dependent on me for ev-ery-thing, all-of-the-time.  Exhaustion doesn't begin to describe how it felt to be needed that way, times two. And while I sleep well now most nights, I am still pretty dog-gone tired most of the time just trying to keep up with all the changes (I've given up on staying ahead).

Addison's speaking vocabulary is upwards of sixty-five words now and exploding fast, while Caden is creeping in at thirteen.  They can probably climb out of their cribs if they put their minds to it, but thankfully no one has tried yet.  And I'm running out of ways to rearrange the nursery, because the little ones are always reaching for blinds, furniture, closet doors or pictures on the wall.  If this current arrangement fails we're putting the cribs in the middle of the room.  Not kidding.

The babes are changing so fast, every day.  It reminds me of those sweet newborn moments, where I was alone in their nursery in the wee hours of the morning, after tending to one baby and trying desperately not to wake the other one up.  In those moments of bleary-eyed bliss, when both babies were asleep I would look into their contented faces, and see... a new face.  Their features had changed, in a day!  Time was racing faster than it should in that pre-dawn nursery, and so it still goes...