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Carrie and Melina celebrated one year of life on Wednesday. Grammy's side of the family, the Meths, would also call this birthday their Golden Birthday, meaning that their age (1) equals the day of their birthday (August 1st). That means their birthday celebration is supposed to be extra special. I can't imagine how much more special you can get than my sweet girls crawling pertly around in their pink tutus and "I'm the Birthday Girl" cupcake shirts, squealing like they know that today is all about them.
We tried for some good pictures of the girls in the morning light, but they weren't feeling very poseable. No surprise there. Although they aren't walking by one like Devon was, they're getting more and more mobile all the time.
Melina, especially, has put horizontal progress on hold in favor of vertical. This past week she's amazed and alarmed us by scaling the rocking chair, the coffee tables, the toy keyboard, and the ottoman.
Devon got to pick out the cake at Publix with Grammy and Grandpa. We proposed waiting until the evening to dig in. He respectfully expressed his disagreement. Apparently you can't tell a two-year-old that we're going to look at the cake and not taste it yet. Everyone decided that a cupcake after lunch wouldn't hurt!
Craig texted me a "Happy Birthday Melina and Carrie" right on the dot to commemorate their entrance into the world at 2:11 and 2:12 respectively. What were we all doing at the time? The girls were napping and I was cleaning the kitchen like a madwoman in order to get the crumbs and sticky spots up so we could celebrate in a clean house.
Craig asked me at dinner what I was doing at the moment they turned one and I said I was mopping the floor. "Hmm." he said. "In a way, that's totally appropriate!" I had to think for a moment before I figured out what he meant by that, and when I did I was so shocked I almost dropped my fork. Not only has Craig never talked about my c-section even when I ask him about it, but he also NEVER talks about anything medical while people are eating.
The fact that he made a joke about it and I could laugh just shows how much people can heal in one short year. All the scary parts have been wallpapered over in my mind and I can honestly say that all I feel about that day is peace, love, and gratitude that my babies are here and so healthy.
After dinner we gathered around them in their high chairs for some pictures. Carrie and Melina held court like royalty, looking from one smiling face to another.
"Oh!" said Carrie. "Party? Cake? Pictures? For me?" She still starts every morning with a gasp of interest and pleasure, looking like she can't believe her good fortune.
"Yes!" said Melina. "I love this! Keep it coming!" She's still the party girl, starting every day with her trademark wide-mouth smile.
That's right, sweet girls. Today is all about you.
Craig, Grammy, Grandpa, Devon and I made a semi-circle around them, smiling and cooing, offering one toy after another to make them smile for pictures.
People often say they have the same smile, but they rarely have the same smile in any picture.
Devon got to get his beloved step stool and join the fun. This was a big deal. For obvious reasons, Mommy doesn't usually let him carry it around the house and stand on it to reach for things, even though he really enjoys it.
"Carrie-and-a-Weena!" he shouted. "Carrie-and-a-Weena!"
We're still waiting for the day he can tell them apart. Every once in a while he comes out with "Carrie!" or "Weena!" and we clap with surprise, thinking he's finally realized that they have individual names just like he does. Then he points to the other twin with the same name. He does this for every set of twins he knows, too: Kaywee-and-a-Wywee, Wobber-and-a-Wyann, Cowee-and-Addison, etc.
Weena got a birthday kiss...
...and then it was time for cake.
When we put the cake on the table, all three kids started shrieking and reaching for it, looking like a pack of hyenas reacting to a haunch of venison tossed in their midst.
We sang to the twins, Craig singing "Happy Birthday, Melina and Carrie" and me singing "Happy Birthday, Carrie and Melina" to even things out. Then we mouthed a count of three and placed a cupcake in front of each child.
Carrie and Melina prodded them skeptically.
Devon dug right in.
On his first birthday, he took a cautious handful of frosting, wiggled his fingers, and started to cry. He and cake have really patched up their relationship since then.
It was as if he showed his sisters what to do.
They went for the tops first,
Melina sucking rhythmically on her fingers like she was nursing.
Carrie decided that was a good approach.
Then Melina discovered the soft, spongy vanilla cake underneath.
I've never seen this happen at a one-year-old party.
They
ate
the
whole
thing!
When we finally took them down from their high chairs, only a small smear of frosting remained on each tray. Carrie managed to get a lot of cake on herself.
Melina kept her outfit pretty clean but managed to spread cake on her high chair and sprinkle it on the floor. The general consensus was clear: life will never be the same now that Carrie and Melina know that there is cake in the world. Every meal since then they crane their necks avidly around as if looking for more cake.
It seemed like a good time to give them their baths and clean the kitchen again. Then, we sat around opening presents. Carrie and Melina seized the tissue paper and flapped with delight.
By this time it was getting late, dark even on a long Florida summer day. Did that mean we put the kids to bed and promised to continue tomorrow? Not a chance!
We began celebrating with those who wanted to be part of the celebration via Skype: Mama and Papa in Nashville, Great Auntie Esther and Auntie Naomi in North Dakota, and Uncle Tim and Auntie Bojana in California.
Everyone sent gifts and cards for each of the girls. One special present was scheduled to arrive in another week, but a noon doorbell announced its arrival, giving Mommy and Grandpa enough time to sneak it in the house and put it together for a surprise unveiling. Their new wagon was an instant hit. All three enjoyed climbing in and out, in and out. Then they realized that it wasn't just meant to sit on the living room floor, but to take them outside on their nightly walks. Even better!
"Just hang in there until they turn one," so many people have told us. "Everything will get so much easier!" I suppose there were a few high-fives and shouted "We made it!"'s today, as well as a few nostalgic sighs. This year they've each quadrupled their body weight, sprouted hair that still refuses to lie flat, and smiled at Mommy and Daddy for the very first time.
Now they're getting so big! Sometimes during playtime they each decide they want the same toy, gripping it and rolling over and over each other in a struggle like cats. It makes me wonder how I survived nine months with that going on inside of me, but it was worth it.
Now in the morning I go in to get them and find them standing up in their cribs. I reach for my girls, calling to them in my delighted Mommy voice:
Carrie! Melina! My sweet girls! My two babies!
For me?
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