Last week the twins turned a year old. There have been huge changes this year: M and E’s birth and our move from New York to Pittsburgh being the biggest, plus all the smaller changes that those precipitated.
I can remember so clearly when we first brought them home from the hospital, looking down at their little sleeping bodies swaddled in the crib under the window. Their tiny, perfect faces, the hats they wore though it wasn’t cold. I remember that feeling, sleep-deprived, vibrating with nervous energy and wonder. My mom had come for the summer to help, and I remember those hot days we spent camped out with the babies in the bedroom, the one air conditioned room of the house, talking. I remember buying preemie size diapers at Target.
Still, so many things about those first few months are a blur. How many days until the NICU nurses let me hold them? How long did I keep pumping breast milk so that we could offer them a bottle first and then breastfeed after, until they got the hang of it? Until we were confident they were growing. And did we really feed them every three hours, getting only three non-consecutive hours of sleep per night, and for how long? No wonder those months are a blur.
Now suddenly they are a year old and two tiny individuals: eating cupcakes, waving and saying hi, taking little baby steps with help, climbing the stairs, getting the giggles. It’s hard to believe they’ve only been part of my life for a year. They have accomplished so much, and I am so incredibly proud.
Space Monkey Twins 
The first year is always a blur, but toward the end of that year you come out of the fog and into THE BEST time of their young lives. 9-18 months are a total joy and it only gets better from there! Enjoy them…they’re beautiful!
I feel like we are just emerging from the fog after a year. Crazy, but a good feeling!
Happy birthday sweet babies!! It is incredible how quickly it goes. In the moments it seems it will stay that way forever and then you blink and they are one!
It is amazing. I just realized the other day that I need to take more pictures. I keep thinking there will be other opportunities for a nice family photo, but then it’s a year later!
A special occasion indeed. Happy Birthday dear Space Monkey Twins. And looks like they’re walking too! Sweet pics.
Taking little steps if you’re holding their hands. Not on their own yet, but definitely getting closer.
Oh man. It goes so fast
Seriously.
Lovely post! Happy Birthday to your beautiful twins!
Thank you!
Happy Birthday to your beautiful babies, and CONGRATS on making it to the year mark!!! Have fun chasing them to age two 🙂
Ha. Yes I’m sure it will be a new adventure. How old are yours?
Absolutely! My boys are 3 yrs and 5 months 🙂
Happy Birthday beautiful babies! isn’t it amazing how they change and learn in that first year, to go from absolutely helpless to communicating and exploring. It’s staggering. I love hearing all their new adventures. Long may they continue! :o)
It is completely staggering. What a tremendous learning curve! (Also a learning curve for the parents, but that can’t really compare to what they learn in the first year). Looking forward to new adventures 🙂
Happy belated birthday M & E! Congrats on surviving Mum n Dad. 😉 Here’s to many more SpaceMonkey milestones and celebrations. 🙂
N, T, CnC…xo
Ha. Thanks for the birthday wishes! 🙂
Lovely and moving account of the incredible first year. A triumph for two inexperienced parents to have wrought. It will always be with you, this unique period of time, and you will probably wonder always how in earth you accomplished it! What a huggable pair.
Thank you Grandma. It’s hard to believe, but I guess we’ve moved past that period and onto whatever is next! Love you.
Happy happy birthday sweet girls! And congratulations to you and your hubby for surviving the first year with twins!!!
Hi Melissa! Thank you!
It goes so fast. It’s good to look back … there’s so much i don’t want to forget about my children’s early years.
I know, I’m glad I have a blog to record some of these things. Thanks for commenting!
Happy 1st Birthday, girls! All these milestones and they come and go so fast! My twins are almost 6 already and I can still remember all the little things you wrote about in your post. Here’s to another great year (and many more)!
I know, all these moments are so fleeting. Thanks for the birthday wishes!
Thanks for reminding me to enjoy every moment. Happy birthday little ones! ^_^
It’s a good reminder. Thanks for the birthday wishes 🙂
They really are completely adorable. For me, it has been a blur but yet, I definitely remember every minute of it. Crazy!
I know, it’s bewildering that it’s been a year. Last summer seems so recent, and yet they’ve grown so much…my sense of time has gotten warped.
It seems life can be a blur after so many years. I had four children and they were all into sports. It was a crazy, busy time. The cook, nurse, taxi-driver and of course, friends and overnights. I remember not sleeping through a night for years. One seemed to be always up with a cold, broken heart, exams the following day and the worse was when they started going out. Now I watch my children do the same things I had to do. Those are the good times. Enjoy!
Sleep, sleep is a constant challenge. I find I devote outrageous amounts of energy to sleep, for the babies and by extension myself.
In a short time, you will get caught up as I seem to be doing now. How exciting to have twins though I am glad it wasn’t in the cards for me. I would not have had the support of a good man by my side, and I think that is half the battle.
Happy birthday little beats!
Thanks!