Courtney and Bennett have the SAME birthday. Every year. Forever.

This was a bit of a shocker for Brianna. She thought it was very sad that they have to share such a special occasion. 

But I'm thrilled - it's much easier for me! And maybe more fun too. 

Though I'm not big into the whole let-the-baby-dig-through-sugar-and-fat tradition, we definitely enjoyed their one-year commemoration of birth. 

Bennett and Courtney got to do all their favorite things - go down the elevator, go up the elevator, go down the stairs, go up the stairs.... big smiles the whole time. Very easy to please. 

For real though, they're pretty easy-going kids, I think. I mean, I only have Brianna to compare them to, but they seem pretty resilient. They've had a LOT of falls during the past month as they've been learning to walk and climb. They've also put up with a lot of Brianna-harassment. And they've had to learn that crib time means SLEEP time, even if that means ignoring the other's noises. I'm grateful they can roll with the punches. 

I'm also grateful that WE HAVE SURVIVED THE FIRST YEAR!  Can I get a WHOO HOO ?!!?!  All my twin-mom friends say the first year is the hardest! And now it's done! Though I can't imagine having two toddlers is going to be a cake walk. 

Not only have we survived the first year - we've enjoyed a good portion of it. And it hasn't really zoomed by, as is so commonly heard...  but I'm glad I have lots of pictures and video so I don't ever forget what it's been like to have two babies in our home. I love babies. I reallyreallyreally love babies. Every stage is so amazing. I definitely had a favorite stage (after they learned to sit up, but before they learned to really crawl well. So perfect)  but right now is fun too, because I get to teach them puppy-tricks. They love to clap on command, shake their heads, put their arms UP, blow kisses, sign "milk," and chase balls while saying "baw! baw!  

They also have some tricks that I did NOT teach them that they enjoy doing regularly... unplugging cords, dumping out every container possible, throwing food off the table, eating dirt, hiding my cell phone, and banging on computer keys whenever they can seize the opportunity.  
Both lists of tricks - the good and the bad - grow longer every day. 

We've thankfully had a very healthy year. Neither baby has had any real sickness worse than a mild cold. So grateful for that. I think the Lord knew I couldn't handle any more. 

We've had a full year of breastfeeding - no bottles, no pumping. Simple and free. So grateful for that too. I might do a full post just on that, because I feel like it's significant, and not something people talk about much (but should! It doesn't have to be such a tip-toe backdoor topic). I asked Courtney and Bennett if they wanted to wean. They glared, chucked their sippy cups at my head, and signed, "milk." So there ya have it. 

This past year, Courtney was consistently about 2 weeks ahead of Bennett in physical milestones - rolling, sitting, crawling, walking - but now they're both walking very well - no crawling anymore - so we'll see if things even out. It'll be pretty embarrassing for Bennett if Courtney starts doing pushups and 5Ks first. He better start working out.  

According to my scale, Courtney is exactly 19 pounds and Bennett is 20 on the dot. Not exactly heavy weights, but as my sister Meredith said - "they're cute skinny, not sad skinny."  We'll be keeping their car seats facing backwards for awhile still. Not even cuz the AAP recommends it til age 2 - more because it will keep them facing Brianna, who loves to toss toys and snacks at them while we're driving. She's so helpful. 

Sleep. I haven't slept more than like 4 hours at a time in a year now. So I'm living proof that people DO, in fact, NEED sleep to function normally. 
Yes, you read that right.  I'm sure I'd be a much more competent person if I got decent shut-eye. 

But I wouldn't change the way we've handled nights. I know my babies' needs and wants (same thing) have always been met. They've never cried for more than a few minutes (because I do believe in teaching them to fall asleep by themselves. Just in a gentle way). I think it's gradually... very gradually... getting better.  We have a spare adult bed in the babies' room for me to lay down while feeding them if I want to. It gets used. And I don't mind at all. Night time feedings - sometimes tandem - have been the most precious moments with my children. 

Speaking of tandem - a few months ago I balked at the advice that their schedule/routine be synchronized. I mean - they're two different people - how can I expect them to want to eat and sleep at the same exact time every day?! 

Maybe I was right then for that period.  Or maybe I've seen the light now.  They definitely eat and sleep at the same time. And it's lovely. 

ME - after a year, how I do I feel about me?  Sometimes I feel like I'm doing pretty well. Like after I have a great race (won a half marathon last week!) or do something else physically cool. But most of the time I'm honestly pretty depressed/embarrassed about my post-baby body. I mean, my standards are pretty high after all that collegiate-athlete stuff... so it's understandable that I feel frumpy now, comparatively.... I'll always be chasing that 5-15 lb loss, I guess. But I'm grateful that I'm fit enough to do any physical activity I want, and have plenty of energy to take care of my crew. Maybe it would help if I consumed LESS than 3,000 calories/day.  Maybe?

The twins and their daddy...  Brian has really risen to the occasion. He's been so supportive and tireless in almost every way. The man does some seriously long hours at a very demanding job - yet comes home to three kids racing towards him screaming DADDYDADDYDADDY! (or da! da! da!), and somehow finds the energy to get right into father-mode. He LOVES totting them both around at the same time (he likes the public attention, I think) and makes a conscious effort to give them equal QT (which is odd to me, because I never think about that. Keeping things fair?! Ha!)  I made Brian a shirt on CafePress (Groupon!) that says "You can't scare me. I have twins."  It's amazing the things that don't scare us anymore after doing this for a year. But I think all moms could say that in regards to motherhood too, right?

What else... how could I possibly make this post longer  (because everyone likes reading ridiculously long posts, right? Or is anyone even still reading this....)

Oh yes - differences! Very popular question - what are their main differences?

Courtney's a girl.  Bennett's a boy.  That's the main one.

Other than that...  I really can't say. Because every time I make labels, they change their behavior. So it's a waste of time. And my time is very limited these days. But it's also very much enjoyed. Every minute. Except right now, somebody's screaming and yelling. Over a plastic 25 cent toy missing half it's parts, of course. Time to put on my referee hat and take off the birthday hat... because we are DONE with the FIRST YEAR! 

I made a quick video of the birthday posse this morning and uploaded it onto youtube. So veryvery much easier said than done. Hope you enjoy :)