Violet is the older twin and loves cats, pushing the washing machine and dryer buttons, writing on the walls with markers and carrying around her special blanket. She is a born dancer and loves to "shake it" anytime music comes on. She's also become quite proficient at calling the Hogs, because WPS. She's a little beauty who insists on wearing her daily bows, but it is also amazing to watch her develop an inner beauty as an empathetic little person who loves babies and really does care when someone else seems upset.
That's not to say that she can't throw down a decent fit at a moment's notice for no apparent reason, because she has a full range of that within her arsenal. She does not often love riding in the car, though I've found that opening the windows and talking about the trees helps distract her. She would eat carbs continually if allowed to do so. Sadly, she's allergic to peanuts and eggs and has some level of milk intolerance - all of which are major bummers to this cookie craving girl. I'm learning a lot about egg substitutes in baking.
William loves cats, his Tonka Truck, pushing anything around in his Tonka Truck or a laundry basket, writing on the walls with markers and yogurt raisins, which he wishes he could eat at the exclusion of all other food. Being two is hard. He is full of giggly laughter that bubbles out and spills over onto anyone around him. He says "Hi" and blows kisses to strangers drawing them into his William glow. He loves to be thrown in the air by John or be chased by Lily and Bella.
Just like Violet, he can "fall out" at any time, though he often throws silent fits, which I appreciate. He lays himself gently onto the floor, so as not to injure his head, and stares sullenly at you, which is really pretty funny. Except when it is in the middle of a crowded hallway and he refuses to get up.
For the most part, they really, really love each other. They love to blow raspberries at each other in the car and think they are so funny. It is pretty hilarious when they do fight, because it sounds a little like birds squawking at one another.
Both William and Violet are in six hours of therapy a week - Physical, Occupational, Speech and Developmental. We have been blessed with a wonderful group of therapists who pour into them and give constant encouragement. Both twins walk and run and say a hand full of words and are learning more all the time. It is amazing to watch them start to understand the world around them. I think it's one of the greatest privileges of being a parent when you get to see things start to fall into place in their minds and be able to communicate more all the time.
Violet wears braces (AFOs) in her shoes all the time and still continues to have her liquids thickened. While I don't find either one delightful, it is amazing how normal things become once they are just part of the drill. Violet also drools like a faucet much of the time. William's "medical" quirk is that he has massive reactions to most bug bites and swells hugely. I've never seen anything like it, so we have to be really careful with him when we are outdoors and diligent about bug spray. (You can see a bump on his forward in a picture below - that's from a bug bite last week.)
We are so thankful for these two precious children. We can't imagine life without them. When walking the adoption road, we never could have imagined this scenario, and it has been such a blessing. It's been hard, too - no denying it. But, it's all worth it. We love William and Violet so very much and can't wait to see what all God has in store for their lives!
Click here to see their First Birthday Post that has links to some of their adoption story if your interested. We look forward to celebrating with friends this weekend!
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