He's a Boy and She's a Girl

When I wrote that I am exhausted every night because of the kids, I really wasn't joking. I am EXHAUSTED every day. During the past few months we have seen more than our share of tantrums and typical 2 year old behavior - times two! Having twins really is a unique experience and I often find myself venting or asking questions of my fellow twin moms about discipline issues. Nathan and Audrey really are typical 2 year olds, but being the exact same age is often very frustrating because they want the same things at the same time (i.e. our attention, toys, certain foods, drinks, etc.). This often results in crying, yelling, hitting and grabbing. (Sigh......) Some days are easier than others, don't get me wrong. The wonderful thing about having twins is watching them interact and really change and grow up together. Todd and I have seen some of the sweetest interactions between these two crazy toddlers and overheard even sweeter conversations. It's been a roller coaster ride these last few months, that's for sure. I am constantly being challenged as a parent of twins. I've read several wonderful parenting books, full of great information and advice, but somehow in the heat of the moment, I can't always seem to remember the "right" words to use or the perfect way to handle a toddler tantrum. Most days I have to take a deep breath and remember that they are only 2 (almost 3!) and we are all learning together. Patience is something I pray for every day! haha I've also learned so much from the kids' preschool, which has required parent education classes. It's nice to know these crazy tantrums are normal and they are learning so much from us and the world around them every day.

Being a child development major in college, I remember learning about gender stereotypes with children and toys. That children should be exposed to all kind of toys and to discourage gender specific toys. Having a boy and girl really gave us the opportunity to expose both kids to different types of toys without really thinking about it. We have a little bit of everything. I quickly learned from being in the kids' classroom at preschool that some of the best toys are gender neutral - blocks, art supplies, pretend food, animals, sand toys, books, play dough, etc. Given all this, it still is so interesting to me how Audrey is so drawn to girl specific things like dresses, jewelry and dolls and Nathan is into rough and tough play, trucks, cars, power tools, sports equipment, etc. I think the following pictures really reflect that!