in like a lion, out like a lamb

Dare I say it?  Spring is in the air.

Each day the patches of snow disappear, one by one, and a few more songbirds peek out from the shadows.

And yet:  here in Casa Multiple Realities, we've been holed up with Junebug, our four-year-old, who is now going on day 4 of a nasty stomach bug.  Long nights and days have left dirty dishes piled high, barfy towels and sheets lined up for the washer, and a sweet, lethargic girl with her flushed cheek pressed to my lap.  Poor sweet bear.

Meanwhile, Buddy and Bee are ready for some sunshine.

My Aunt Shirley, also a mother of a toddler + twins (though she did it back in the 1950's, bless her!), told me once that life would start to get awesome again once the twins turned two.  Well, maybe she didn't actually say the word "awesome," but she might have... she's quite hip for being almost 80 years old.

Anyway, she was the one who kept telling me how much easier and more fun things would get after they turned two.  And she was right! 

I must admit that the 1-year mark in the life of toddler + twins was anti-climactic.  So many other twin parents told me that we just needed to put our noses down and get through the first year, and then things would get better.  So we did, and true, things got a bit better after the babies turned one.  But not *THAT* much better.  Sleep was still a major issue, they still couldn't walk or talk, they still needed us all the freakin' time. 

But now that they are two, I admit to experiencing whole multi-hour stretches where I find my twin children fun. 

Have faith, other parents of twin babies!  IT GETS SO MUCH BETTER!

They are such characters, Buddy and Bee.  Empathetic, joyful, curious, loving, and completely into cracking each other up.  In particular, Bee is into cracking Buddy up.

For instance, yesterday, after I stripped yet another barfy set of sheets from Junebug's bed and set her in the bathtub to soak, I heard Buddy and Bee talking in their room. 

I'll be honest.  It was 2:15pm and my first thought was, "They are supposed to be napping still!  Somebody please shoot me."

But as I leaned in closer to the door, I could hear Bee singing, "Hello, Everybody!  So glad to see you!" Which is the Hello Song they learned in their Music Together class.  After Bee finished singing this line, I heard the two of them collapse in their cribs, in fits of hysterical laughter.  Squeals, shrieks, uncontrollable giggles.  Bee sang the song line, and the laughter repeated, again and again.

So I cracked the door to watch.  There, standing in her crib, with her shirt pulled up to her armpits, was Bee.  As she sang, "Hello, Everybody!  So glad to see you!", she was moving, with her two little hands, her belly button!  Opening and closing the hole of her belly button like a mouth, as if her belly button were singing the tune.  This absolutely cracked her brother up.  He thought it was THE.  FUNNIEST.  THING.  EVER.  Again and again and again. 

So you see, I could hardly stay mad at them for thwarting their naps.  I decided, on this particular day, with the smell of vomit on my hands and Junebug, at last, peaceful in the tub, to join my twin two-year-olds. 

I threw open the door, lifted up my shirt, and moved my own belly button to the words as I sang:  "Hello, Buddy and Bee, so glad to see you!"  The laughter that ensued was the highlight of my week.

Spring is on its way. 

Comments

[cary]

lovely. there is hope!

[Laura F]

LOVE IT! Happy Spring indeed!