Twins...

I'm no expert on twins, but I have found some things that are saving my sanity and which the boys seem to be enjoying: "Reading Time" and "Quiet Play Time". Let me explain. Both boys are extremely busy and curious. We have about 10 hours a day together before Don comes home from work and really they spend a lot of the day (especially in the winter) kind of wandering around the house and looking for things to do. Toys still do not hold their attention for any more than 2-3 minutes before they are on to the next thing. Plus, they don't have much interest in movies or reading books together. I've tried coloring; it's not happening yet... all the tips of the crayons have been bitten off and I'm still finding shards in their diapers. So, all that to say, we have a lot of time to fill, and when the weather isn't nice, we don't have a lot of options!

Enter "Quiet Play Time". Let's be honest, this isn't quiet at all, it's more independent play time. I pack up a basket of special toys for each of them, with a variety of options like books, blocks, cars, musical toys, etc. Each boy goes into his own crib and gets his own basket and plays independently for a set amount of time. When I started this, they went for about 15 minutes before they got sick of it, and we've now worked our way up to 30-45 minutes depending on the day. I usually do this at the end of the day when I'm trying to pick up the house and make dinner, and it's been amazing. It helps me so much to feel more sane by the time Don comes home and I think the boys really enjoy it. It's the one time in their day that they aren't competing, either for my attention or for toys. They can build with blocks without the other one knocking anything over and they can look at a book without the other one snatching it away. They spend most of their day within 6 inches of each other (by choice!) so this is a chance for them to have some space. By the end of it, they usually have tossed all of their toys over the edge and are just bouncing and giggling together. One time they were giggling so much, I had to check and see what they were doing. Jacob was covering his eyes and playing "peek" with Josiah, which Josiah thought was hilarious. Not to be outdone, Josiah then proceeded to go through touching and naming body parts to entertain Jacob. They're pretty stinkin' cute. 

"Reading Time" has also been a bit of a life saver. Neither of the boys have naturally been that interested in books even though we've been trying since they got home. They just don't have the sit in them and it's hard with two. One wants to turn a page forward, the other wants to turn the page back, or one wants to close it entirely. One pulls it closer to himself, resulting in the other trying to pull it back, and I'm in the middle as the referee. "No, Mommy holds the book. No, Mommy turns the pages." 

So, for "Reading Time" I set the kitchen timer, put the boys on separate couches with a stack of books and tell them it's their special time to look at books and they can't get off the couch until they hear the beep-beep-beep. I also sit on the chair with a book and read, partly for my own enjoyment and partly to model it for them. The first time we started with 6 minutes and Josiah probably got up 7 times and whined the whole time. Each time he got up, I'd pick him up, put him back and say, "No, it's reading time. You have to sit on the couch during reading time until you hear the beep-beep-beep." We're up to 11 good minutes now (with the goal of getting to 15), and neither of the boys try to get down before they hear the timer. In fact, today Josiah grabbed a book and said "Read?" and then headed to the couch... his way of asking for the reading time. 

Having two little ones that are exactly the same size and into all the same things certainly has its advantages and disadvantages. Don says he's praying for another set of twins for this next adoption- I say I'm not so sure. Actually, I really say that as much as I love our little twinners, I can't handle another set! At least not yet.

Independence is a messy undertaking!!

In their little thrones. 

Making cookies.