BEST stage ever

 

My sister’s youngest child is 7 months older than my two and we have this thing where she calls me and says “you have so much to look forward to, 12 / 13/ 14 / 15 etc months is the BEST Stage Ever”. Each stage just gets better and better. Although I did get a call from sister a few months back to say that 18 months was NOT the best stage ever. But I think Fifi (her daughter) was just being particularly annoying that day.

 

It really does get better and better. I know you all told me way back then, when they were newborns and I thought the nightmare would never end. Ok, go ahead, say “I told you so”, I’ll wait….. Finished? Good.  

 

We are having such fun with the kids. They are so funny / clever / silly / amazing*. They learn new things everyday; they amaze me. They are getting really chatty, and will repeat everything we say.  I can’t believe how much they are talking now. Kate has this thing where she says “what’s this” ALL THE TIME!  She will pull things out her toy box or drawer, hold it up and say “what’s this?” and we have to tell her what every thing is.  It is so cute and so funny. Adam is not as chatty as his sister.  Funny, she has always been a few weeks ahead of him in terms of the language / tricks things, and he ahead of her in terms of the physical milestones.  Is that a girl / boy thing or just a Kate / Adam thing?  

 

Damn, but these kids are cute. I tell them they are clever about a million times a day.  But they really are! Must take after their mother.

 

15 months is the Best Stage Ever!

 

*Don’t mean to be funny, but I think my kids are actually geniuses or something. Seriously! They are that clever. They could quite possibly be the cleverest babies in the Whole Wide World.

 

(Chatted to my sister this morning and told her that I would be posting about this and she said that 22 months is the Best Stage Ever. Yay! It gets even better!)

 

Comments

[andrea]

Just a little head up for you - 2 till about 5 is NOT the best stage ever!

[Celia]

It is such a magical time! I think things get harder when the kids get more clever and more mobile, but haven't yet learned social graces. And they get to an age when it's not cute to other people when they let rip with a loud burp, or pull out the pot plant. You're expected to be right on top of everything. So you follow them around yelling "No! Don't touch! Don't do that! Say please" and then fall down exhausted at the end of the day.

Your babes really are sounding incredibly clever...one will invent a new vaccine that the world needs, the other will find the secret to world peace. I am sure of it!!!

[Michele]

I have to agree that 18 months is NOT the best stage ever. Jacob is walking all over the place, and wanting to do so much more than he is capable of. I can't wait for him to be able to talk instead of just whining whenever things aren't going his way. He's so cute & fun & just hilarious, but the whining has got to go. I'm looking forward to when he'll be a few months older, then once again I can say, "This is the best stage ever."

[Laura(southernxyl)]

It is a boy/girl thing. And each new stage is the best ever.

Well, the terrible two's aren't very nice, it's true. It's not hell all the time, but there are moments. They're discovering their existence as independent humans and forcing the reorganization of the relationship they have with their mothers, which has to happen. You can't have the same relationship with your six-year-old that you did with your six-month-old, and that babylove is hard to let go of until your hell-on-earth toddler forces you to. The same thing happens in the teen years, which is why toddlerhood is sometimes called "the first adolescence". My daughter has actually been pretty nice all through her teen years, which she is almost finished with, and I've been told by many people how lucky I am. But I think she might have gotten it all out of her system the first time.

[Bridgette]

I have to agree with Andrea. My son is almost 3, and this is not the best stage ever. He is a handful, to put it mildly.

[Judy]

You hit it, girl - it just gets better. And, don't believe what you hear about the "terrible twos" - I loved two. Three, four and five - not so much.

Six and they start to be cool again, IF you can put up with them for those three years in there!

[Suzie-Q.]

Yayyyy!!!!!! Agree with you 100%! It is finally, "better" at 15 months! But, Samantha can only say, "Mama" and is extremely cautious physically Evan says everything. Repeats so many words, climbs on everything, explores the world, has no fear. Is way ahead of his sister in language and gross motor skills. So, it is not a boy/girl thing. Everyone says girls develop faster and first,... not mine!!!
It is a shocking revelation for me, mommy, who is very verbal, very athletic, very smart(ass)!

[Emmie]

My twin boys are 13 months (one year adjusted) and I both love and hate this age. Love the jabbering, the laughing, the trying so hard to toddle and do new things. Hate the jealousy, and the whining that I can't do a thing about yet. We are working on signing, and I really hope that helps. I HATE whining, and I think that's going to be a real challenge for me as a parent. I think that this is a lovely age, but maybe a bit of a tough age to be a twin? I can't wait until I can say "use your words" and have it mean something. It's so good to hear your enthusiasm - gives me hope!

[Gretchen]

17 months = not best month ever. My daughter has not taken a nap all week and has been criying before bed for at least 1 hour and during the night too! And she doesn't give up easily either! Ready to pull my hair out!!!!

As far as A & K's development, it's not necesarily a gender thing,although you do hear that a lot. My oldest, a boy, was developmentally ahead of my daughter in both language and motor skills every step of the way. I was taken by suprise because you always hear about girls being ahead in language skills. Hasn't rung true in our household.

[mindy]

Sorry, but my DD just turned 3 and this is the best stage ever. ( i think I've said this for 3 years though)

[Penny Farthing]

I would say I told ya so, but I hadn't had the courage to comment back then!

[Kate]

I don't remember if I posted way back when, or not, but I do remember at least thinking it...so I told you so! Won't even get into the terrible two's right now, nope not going there! When/if you post about them, then I'll share my story.

Back on topic! You have the smartest, cutest, (what word did you use?) cleverst babies! I loved watching my son go through all the stages. It truely does get better and better. My son is in kindergarden now, and it just floors me how different he is now, compared to the beginning of the school year.

[CityMama]

18mo-2yo = SO NOT FUN.

You hit the nail right on the head, Tertia. It is not my favorite stage. It's the "dashing out into traffic" stage. It's the "tantrum in public" stage. It's the "stand up in the bathtub when I tell you to sit down a thousand times" stage.

In my experience 2-3yo is pretty great (despite the bad rap the twos get), and 3-4 is H-E-double hockey sticks.

[Moxie]

16 months to about 22 months is not the best stage ever. But everything else gets better and better.

[puppermom]

Don't know about other twins, but mine are like yours. Joseph doesn't talk as much as Nicole, but he climbs everything in sight and has no fear. Nicole says "what's that" and repeats words and understands things like "please go bring me your pants."

On the other hand, while I love 14.5 months, Nic has discovered something that you had a problem with - biting. Bit her brother v v hard. She has also discovered tantrums. Not so nice. But they are fun and interesting and though I am yearning for another baby (not going to happen), I love this stage too.

[Rachel H.]

Heh, I'll be all negative and say ... 18mo was a real low poitn for me and my first, but that was in part because his lack of speech made him v. v. frustrated. We spent a lot of time being angry at each other :(.

Also, just to sow seeds to be able to say "I told you so!" later on, "3 is the new 2" in that "terrible twos" aren't so much, but man alive I would trade every 3yo I've had to the gypsies for a chain of pretty beads and a cup of coffee.

So far, every age from 3yo on up has been an improvement though. Five months old is still my hands-down favorite age though.

[21stCenturyMom]

And then they turn 22 and move 1,000 miles away! Wah!!!!

But it's still the best stage ever because you get to start dreaming about grandbabies and enjoying the best stage ever all over again.

My personal 'best stage ever' was the one most people hate the most 18 mos - 3 years. For me the 'terrible twos' were the 'terrific twos'. I loved watching them figure out how to do things for themselves. Sometimes it required a lot of patience but watching my kids become who they are was really and truly the best stage ever. And as I said, it still is.

[abogada]

I can vouch for what your sister said -- it does keep getting better and better.