More Magic Moments

Almost exactly a year ago I wrote a post about the awesome incredible experience of being a new mom. I wrote about the special moments that made life and the struggle to have our babies all worthwhile. And today I find myself full of those thoughts again, about how magic it is being a Mommy At Last.

We have a new home! I’m not sure why I haven’t blogged about this before now, but we finally after two years of searching for just the right house have found it and bought it and moved in last week! It has space, oodles of space and the Hope Babes are loving it.

We decided to keep them in a bedroom together and use their other ‘bedroom’ as a play room. They take themselves off to their playroom and find their own toys and it s just so amazing how independent they can be now. Expect (if I get time) to see photos of the twins play room once we start getting around to doing it up. Already we have just put their books out on a bookshelf in there and they fetch us books to read to them. Funny enough they only ever seem to take books to their Daddy to read, I guess my theatrical voice just isn’t good enough. Listening to the love of my life, my soul mate, read to our babes is heart warming stuff (and quite frankly very sexy!) I especially love that my kids already love books. We have packed out the kitchen so that everything breakable in is in the upper cupboards and all the plastic stuff and foods (without chilli) are on the lower shelves so that they can have the run of the kitchen and I’m not sure if we are actually doing bad thing, but it is so cute watching them explore the cupboards. The other night we lost track of time and Sausage kept going into the cupboards and bringing me food, I thought he was just being cute, only when we were just about ready to put them in bed did we realise we did the whole routine from supper onwards an hour later than usual, so the poor boy was hungry and begging me for food!

This age (how is it possible they are 13 months already!) is simply awesome. It really seems they have a new word everyday or are doing something new every time I turn around. They are both covered in bruises from just falling over things, walking into things, or being in too much of a hurry or even sometimes just falling over nothing? Sausage has mastered climbing into his little chair and now has started standing in it too, I really think he is going to cause me grey hairs, he is such a typical boy, into everything, exploring everything and getting into mischief! Saturday he stood up on the bed and ran away from his Dad, yes, right off the bed. I was there close enough to see exactly how his neck bent backwards as his forehead hit the floor, but just not close enough to catch him. A frightening moment of thinking he might have broken his neck, then the screaming started and the arms and legs moved and the screaming switched off as soon as he realised his sister had something he wanted! Monster child!

Last night Pudding went to sleep, but woke up about an hour later and wouldn’t settle. So I went in and lay her down and stood by her bed until she settled. She kept opening her eyes and looking at me, deep into my eyes. I think she was checking I was still there. So I started closing my eyes every time she looked at me, so she would get the idea she should close her eyes too. She stood up in her cot, brought her perfect little face right up to mine (with my eyes still tightly closed) and said “hey” at me. Well try as I might to keep everything calm and sleep inducing, at that point I packed up laughing and she smiled at me and lay back down.

We have been trying to teach the kids who the family members are (especially my family who all live up country) and so we show them photos. My sister looked after them for the first six months of their lives, first helping me out at home and then when I went back to work, so I put a lot of extra effort into making sure they remember her and know who she is. Her name is difficult for a littlie to pronounce and so she requested that we call her “Aunty Kaka” (South African readers will understand how bizarre and funny this is as Kaka is a term for poo). Anyway, so we constantly point at pictures of Aunty Kaka and say “Aunty Kaka” over and over and it seemed they understood, because they repeated it and often point at our digital photo frame and say “Kaka”. This morning, they woke up and we heard “Kaka” coming over the monitor. I was a little confused until I realised Pudding is pointing at the picture frame on their bedside table and saying Kaka. She thinks all pictures are Kaka, she hasn’t realised it’s a specific person in the picture. LOL.

The talking is mind blowing. We sit every evening in our new lounge looking out at our amazing view across the park (directly in front of our house) out towards the mountains while the twins have their bottle. And the kids sit there and watch the world go by and comment on it. “Ka” for every car that goes by with pointing. “Daa” for every dog in the park, along with “woo woo” (woof woof). “Be” for the birds flitting by. And when they have had enough and are ready to go to bed, Pudding sits up and says “lala” and opens her mouth saying “ahhh” as her indication that she is ready for goodnight kissies. Then we sing our goodnight songs and kiss each other good night and take them to bed. It is perfect! I have arrived! This evening ritual is how I know that my life is complete, I could be no happier, honestly.

The first few months of being a twin mom were so tough, so overwhelming, but now… Now it is pure bliss. Very busy, still slightly overwhelming at times when they run in different directions, or both jump into the pool into your arms at the same time, but oh so worthwhile, so rewarding, so much fun and so very precious.