22 Months

Sunday, May 6th, the girls turned 22 months old!! I really don't know where the time has gone. Their first year went by fast but I feel like this second year has gone even faster! I think I've said before that I feel like the days are long and tiring but then all the sudden another week or month has gone by. So here we are knocking on the door of 2 years old. I feel like I have been saying "they will be 2 in July" for a while. Something about 20 months, 21 months and 22 months just sounds weird to me. I guess I don't have to worry much longer because I will be saying 2 soon enough. No more "month" birthdays, just years. SO crazy! One of my favorite blogs, Dallas Moms Blog, had a post recently about how parenting is so different than any other job. She said you finally figure out what to do with a baby and they become a toddler. Then you start to get the hang of a toddler and then they are a pre-schooler and so on and so on. So true and what makes it even harder for me is I don't have one to learn with first. We are going through every stage double time and it really is double the trouble a lot of the time. People ask me all the time if we will have more kids. I would always say no or not anytime soon and I still feel that way but I understand wanting more about this time(when your first child is about 2). Your babies really aren't babies anymore and you kinda feel like you miss that stage. We are NOT planning on anymore kids but I know that God is more in control of that than we are. I feel like I would love to have another "baby" but I am not ready for another toddler, pre-schooler, etc. And I guess that means if you don't want another kid, then you should't have a baby right?? Okay, I got way off track! This was supposed to be a 22 month post about Stella and Sloane. Here goes: They can climb up into their highchairs and get snapped in with almost no help. They LOVE Barney! Everyday at 11:30 I look forward to turning the tv on or changing the channel to PBS for 30 minutes of bliss. They don't stay engaged the whole time but they watch this show more than any other and it's great for me because I am usually making lunch or cleaning up from lunch and need them to be distracted for a few minutes. They are saying tons and tons of words now, and we're on to phrases. "I love you" is my favortite! They also say "gotta go potty" when they come with me to the restroom. Stella loves oranges and she will say "more oranges" over and over till she gets more. They can also say "bye-bye Daddy" or Mommy or friends. The worst part of this age is the discipline. I feel like all I am doing is correcting. No, don't throw that, No, don't hit your sister, No don't bite your sister, No screaming, Inside voice, shhhhh quiet, no jumping on the couch, etc, etc, etc. I try to spin it all as positive as I can by saying Sit, walk, hold my hand, but they are still so active and wild that the NO's just slip out. Nick and I are trying to work on what the best solution to help their behavior is going to be. Time-outs really aren't that effective yet and with 2 of them the one who is not in time-out is usually getting into something while I am talking to the other. It's just a back and forth game to them. I think I need to get some more books or do some more research on this 2-year-old stage. I have a feeling it's going to be pretty terrible if we don't get a handle on it soon. They are still beautiful and adorable little girls and get compliments where ever we go. That part makes all the yucky Mom stuff better. Nothing makes you feel better than hearing good things about your babies! Here are a few pics from this past weekend. They got new swimsuits and played in the water both days!