After having boys and not really knowing any difference, Travis and I didn’t know what to expect when having twin girls. And to be honest, only in about the last month or two have I really started noticing a big difference as I watch my toddler girls and remember what the boys were like at this age.
I have said it a million times before, but I’ll say it again. The year between 1 and 2 is probably one of my favorite times in parenting. Don’t get me wrong, it is exhausting and draining and you feel like you should probably just record your voice repeating the same 10 things you say all day to continuous play back to save your voice. Some of the phrases on this list would include: leave your sister/brother alone, give that toy back to them, we don’t hit, are you all done?, STOP throwing your food, biting hurts, get out of the cupboards, you can throw a fit, but that isn’t going to give you what you want, come back here right now, NO!, you need to listen, leave the TV alone, etc. You get the idea. Besides all the fighting, biting, toy throwing, food throwing, hitting, screaming, temper tantrums, boycotting of naps, and the newly learned independence there are so many fun things to enjoy and cherish!
One of theeee most precious, newest things the girls have started doing is helping me with stuff. Nadia is like my little side kick. She is where ever I am and always wanting to help. Now, usually one doesn’t really enjoy letting a night quite 18 month old help with tasks around the house. As we all know that definitely adds precious time to every task. However, in my situation, it is better than the alternative which is holding her while doing everything or…letting her scream on the other side of the gate while shaking it profusely as if she is in a small cage and can’t get out even though she has the whole living room and toy room to roam. Sigh…..so I have been letting her help me. She is very particular I am realizing, not to mention thorough! If there are things out of place, she is picking them up. Her newest thing is to say ‘hop’ (translation: help) if she can’t get something by herself. Yesterday she was trying to throw some stuff in the garbage which is on the other side of the gate in the kitchen. If Kinzey finds something that needs to be thrown, she just chucks it over the gate and moves on with her day. Not Nadia though. She will come and repeat her new word over and over and over and OVER again until Travis or I help her with the gate so she can open the lid to the trash and put the garbage where it goes! One day she found a mug laying either in the kitchen or living room. And she took it and set it on the window sill in the living room where we set our drinks. It’s just cute to see how she pays attention to details and is very worried about everything finding its way to where it belongs. Kinzey loves to help me too, but it’s on her terms and is usually motivated by whether or not her sister is trying to help. If Nadia is helping then Kinzey seems more apt to help. Both girls are so proud of themselves when they are able to help me. It really is so sweet! I am hoping this holds. I could use a little help around here! haha! 
One other area that Nadia’s personality is really coming out is in her caring and concern for people, especially her sister. If Kinz is crying for any reason, Nadia is right there with her nuk, blanket and maybe even her cup. If I get Nadia a sippy cup, she says, “Kinney? Kinney? Kinney?” over and over as a question as if to say, “what about Kinzey’s drink?” Once I get Kinzey’s drink, I hand both cups to Nadia and she makes sure to bring Kinzey her cup. Kinzey is not so worried about meeting her sister’s needs. She has more important things to do such as dancing constantly and throwing balls around the house! ha!
One more quick story that was just too precious not to remember. This past week was the first time that I saw the girls ‘talking’ to each other. Kinzey fell and got hurt and of course, Nadia was right there to comfort her. I come around the corner to find Kinzey sitting on the floor crying, Nadia standing by her rubbing her head saying something over and over. I didn’t understand any of it, but knew that she was trying to comfort her. Kinzey looked up at her sister and using her hands was talking away in an unknown language. She stopped and Nadia started again and then Kinzey said one last thing. It was just SOOO SWEET! They were talking to each other! Awwww….. I know from watching my boys become such great friends, that these girls will be friends too and it is so fun to see them starting to interact with each other in ways other than by stealing toys from each other or biting!!! Oh toddlerhood…you really gotta love it! 
