Boheme & Reverie, Eleven Months

These posts sneak up on me and then I don't really know where to begin. I started this post last night, on the same day I woke up and greeted my girls with "Happy Eleven Months!" and then this morning, "Happy Eleven Months and one day!" Tomorrow I'll just say good morning and then in a few weeks, they'll be one year old and then after that I'll stop counting months.

"They're one," I'll say even when they're one and three days and one and three months. "They're one and a half."

It's funny because everyone keeps telling us, "they were just born!" but I feel like they were born a thousand years ago. I don't even remember what those first few weeks felt like. Those first few months.  I was trying to remember how it was in the beginning, when my mom was here and I was up all night with my girls watching Rachel Zoe and crying for no reason. All of the twin parents I've talked to have told me that the first year is a total blur and without record of it here it absolutely would be. And even still I refuse to believe that Bo was ever anything but a bubble of sweetness and light. 

A curly haired bubble of sweetness and light with a spirit to match and pools for eyes and OH MY GOD, this child, this cherub of a sweetheart, who hugs strangers and claps anytime anyone says, "hooray!" Who stands and steps and still falls, but barely. Who lets Archer carry her around the house by her armpits and giggles all the while.

I refuse to believe that Revi wasn't born making mischief. That she wasn't attempting to climb out of the bassinet in the NICU with her signature cackle. All those early months spent watching were merely her quietly plotting to make this house her own. Girlfriend knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get it. Bo couldn't care less about who takes her toy. But if you LAY A FINGER ON REVI'S FAVORITE GOGGLES YOU WILL BE SORRY! She's our little muscle, this one. My style conscious little muscle, already getting into my sunglasses and wearing my hats. The big striped hat is her favorite and the other day she disappeared into my closet and reappeared wearing it. She crawled around for a while, bumping into things before finally tearing that bad boy off. 

Only to put it right back on again. 

"What?"

She is serious and mischevious and shy. She has two blankies and a thumb she takes with her everywhere even when she's practicing her various skills. Both blankets belonged to Archer and she throws herself down upon them and rubs the ends against her nose and purrs and OH MY GOD, this child. 

Revi's my first and only thumbsucker and therefore sleeps incredibly well. Sometimes until 8am, when Bo's been up and playing for hours. Her laugh sounds like this: "Kee hee hee hee heeeeeeee" and when she knows she's being naughty she kee hee hees as she crawls at lightning speed toward the dog bowl where she splashes with all her mighty might until somebody grabs her and tells her no. And then she'll kee hee hee some more. Rascal.

She's petite for her age, a whole size smaller than her sister, but her appetite is just as voracious. Her hair is so dark its almost black and her eyes are these big beautiful almonds that stare without blinking and every time you say, "bye bye, Revi" she waves backwards with both hands.

Bo doesn't wave but she claps her hands and does this inside out giggle that sounds like a squeal and then she squints her nose and flares her nostrils and sometimes she looks exactly like my Nana and sometimes she looks like me and sometimes she looks like Hal. 

Mostly, though, she just looks like herself.
And just this week, she started taking steps. And boy was she proud...
(We all were.)

We all are. Of both of them and all of them and each other for (mostly) rocking these last eleven months. 

These babies have brought more joy to our lives than is street legal. More mess and more stress and more struggle and more work and craziness and joy and joy and joyjoyjoy.

***

Bo and Revi, one hour old:
(birth story is here, here and here.)
One Week
One Month:
Two Months:
Three Months:
Four Months:
Five Months:
Six Months:
Seven Months:
Eight Months:
Nine Months:
Ten Months:
Eleven:

GGC