They're Two!

This post is a little late, as Tessa and Annie turned two years old on the 18th.  As for my inability to blog about this until now, I'll plead to a lack of energy and lack of time -- definitely not a reluctance to put into writing that our babies are TWO!!  No, definitely not that...

I'm trying to stop calling them the babies.  This is no easy task, especially since Annie insists every day that she's the baby, and only sometimes acknowledges my growing belly.  She also maintains that she's still one year old.  Obviously, she's in denial like her mother.  I have to say --  the only thing that makes this milestone at all palatable is the fact that we have another baby on the way.  I know I'll be a mess when there are no more babies in the house!

But, back to the babies big girls who just turned two!  As bittersweet as this birthday was more me, I have to admit that they are at a super fun age.  Their age, coupled with their, um, "twin"ness makes for constant entertainment in this house.  They are learning new words and sentences every day, and it's so neat to hear them express themselves.  Of course, now that they're talking so much, they can't get enough of telling us what they want.  ("No touching that."  "First, go park. Then go store." "First nap, then Gogo and juice." "I take two bites. I done." "I want relax on couch and watch Dodo." Come to think of it, we may have two little dictators on our hands -- who really like Dora and Diego, and juice, in no particular order.)  Annie, in particular, likes to call Matt and I by our names just to get a rise out of us, like her recent, "Matt, go get my juice please."  It doesn't help at all that the older girls egg on this "name calling." 

And, their language is very different from Megan and Bridget at the same age.  For two little girls that are not enrolled in daycare or around a bunch of other kids on a daily basis, they have some interesting phrases that I can only attribute to the constant companionship of siblings so close in age:  "C'mon guys. Let's go play with blocks."  This was definitely not in Megan's vocabulary at two.  How our family has changed in two years!! 

Obviously, they have their own little personalities, but it's becoming increasingly evident that Annie looks and acts more like Megan, and Tessa looks and behaves more like Bridget.  A lot of Tessa's mannerisms are spot on for Bridget's, and Annie seems to be mimicking a lot of Megan's recent attitude.  They each have their own little mini-me's, which is cute, except when Annie scowls defiantly with her arms crossed, just like Megan has been doing lately.  In comparison, Tessa is just sooo easygoing and happy most of the time -- definitely more shy around other people, but very good-natured.  Annie knows what she wants, and is going to get it.  Yikes.

Favorite games include, "No Finding Me! (Hide and Seek)" and Ring Around the Rosy.  It's hard to tell in this video, but they're playing the latter here:




Most shocking of all of their differences, though, is a sudden weight discrepancy.  Despite the fact that Tessa was 11 ounces heavier at birth, there has never been more than a pound difference between the two.  In fact, at 18 months, they weighed exactly the same, down to the ounce.  At 24 months, however, Tessa has shot ahead and weighs two pounds more than Annie! 

Tessa:  26 pounds, 4 ounces (50th percentile) and 33.75 in. (50th percentile)
Annie:  24 pounds, 4 ounces (25th percentile) and 33.25 in. (almost 50th percentile)

And, for comparison purposes:

Megan:  27 pounds at 2 years
Bridget:  23 pounds, 13 ounces at 2 years


Here are the girls getting ready for their weigh-in.  I'm not sure I see where the 2 pounds is hiding in Tessa (left).

And, more outtakes from the last few months:

Tessa

and

Annie

And, some more together:

Happy Birthday, big girls!!