This has been my first full year as a stay at home mum, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Don’t get me wrong, life with three years old twins 24/7 is tough and grinds you down some days but I love that I get to just focus on them rather than all the stress I brought home from my job as a teacher.

This year, their language has exploded and they amaze me everyday with their capacity to learn new words and phrases. Right now they have a fascination with warnings and labels and want to know what every road sign means.

No doubt this is partly to do with the fact that we’ve finally rotated their car seats to forward facing. I still definitely advocate extended rear facing and think we did well to get to 3yrs and 3 months. Now they can see more, they are constantly asking questions and we can talk about what we see.

What a difference a year makes

This time last year we were going through a turbulent time trying to potty train Jess and transition to beds. The potty training had to be abandoned after a few months as Jessica just decided she wasn’t going to do it anymore. In retrospect, she clearly wasn’t ready and I shouldn’t have persevered as long as I did.

When we attempted again, after they turned three, it was much easier and they got the hang of it quickly. Now Emily is dry day and night. In fact, she picked it up the quickest and didn’t need a pull up at night after only a few weeks. Jessica still has a pull up at night but is completely dry in the day. I may finally be able to start leaving the house with a smaller bag.

For over a month bedtimes were a nightmare and the firmer I was, the more they resisted. In the end, Daddy had to take over for a few weeks and we learnt that they responded better with a few extra cuddles and a more laidback approach. We also introduced a groclock and this has been amazing for creating a consistent evening routine and keeping them in their room until the time I’ve set changes the star to a sunshine.

Routine:

They wake between 7-7:30 but their Groclock is set for 7:20. When they see the sunshine they come out and into our bed for morning cuddles. Depending on when we need to be out the door, we will cuddle and chat until about 8am

Most morning I go down and make breakfast. Because they are always so hungry, this can take a while and as a treat we will have pancakes. Part way through breakfast, Daddy will tag team so I can go and get ready. I normally throw down their clothes so he can dress them.

Now their hair is a lot longer, I have to give a few extra minutes to do this too. Jessica like to wear her hair in Ana plaits and Emily favours a simple clip. Because they want to be more independent, getting shoes and coats on seems to take forever but we are normally out the door between 9:30-10am.

Day to Day

• Monday is stay and play at our local community centre followed by lunch in the cafe. Every couple of weeks we then head to the library to change books and join in the wriggly readers session. Emily likes the singing but Jessica is only interested in the stories and elbows her way to the front to get prime viewing.
• Tuesday is our flexible day. Sometimes we go to a gym session and they have really developed their confidence on the apparatus. Other weeks we head to the swimming pool with Nannie or meet up with friends.
• Wednesday we go to another local playgroup and sometime then to the park or a friends house.
• Thursday is Preschool. The girls just started in January and it is only for one morning session a week. This means it’s taken quite a long time for them to settle. Finally they now go in happily and are seeming to enjoy their time there.
• Friday is another playgroup. I like to get us out the house everyday and enjoy the tea and cake that lots of groups offer.

Sleeping:

Last summer the girls stopped napping. I fought it for weeks before eventually conceded that the precious free time was gone for good. However, in the last month or so, they’ve started to ask for a nap. Once or twice a week they will happily just go and lie down and sleep. The only problem is they are then really hard to wake up. Jessica especially is terrible and will cry and scream. If I let them sleep past three, it really messes up bedtime.

In the evening, we don’t always bath but we brush teeth and the either Daddy or I will read two stories. They get to choose one each. Then we say goodnight to the sunshine. They say a little rhyme and do some silly actions and then Daddy and I have a quick chat with both of them individually about their day and what we are doing the following day.

At the moment, they go straight to sleep and we don’t hear or see them again until the morning. Fingers crossed this lasts as I’m very aware how quickly things seem to change.

Eating:

They have always both been really good eaters. One of the perks of twins is that they see the other eating something and don’t want to miss out. They definitely have different tastes and Emily has a much sweeter tooth than Jess. They both love sausages, avocado and curry. For breakfast they have toast, porridge and cereal. Often for lunch we’ll do picnic bits or eggs and our main meal is at 5pm.

Here are 10 facts about each munchkin

Jessica:

• Height- 103cm (+10cm this year)
• Weight- 2st 7lbs (+6lbs this year)
• Very physical and great at climbing, running and jumping
• Tells us when she’s in a ‘stormy’ mood
• Favourite Paw Patrol pup is Chase and she still love Peppa Pig
• Likes to take charge when playing and make up her own rules
• Enjoys singing ‘Let it go’ at the top of her voice and gets annoyed if anyone else tries to join in
• Loves to bake
• Needs to escort me out of preschool so I can’t sneak off
• Would eat an entire avocado with a spoon

Emily:

• Height- 93cm (+8cm this year)
• Weight- 2st 3lbs (+4lbs this year)
• Good pencil grip and can write some letters
• Loves crafts and painting
• Cries when she doesn’t get her way
• Enjoys playing picnics with the teddies
• Tells everyone she loves them
• Likes to take photos of Mummy
• Can’t get enough of cake or chocolate
• Favourite Paw Patrol pup is Marshall and she still favours George Pig

Do you have a three year old? What do you love or find hardest about this age

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