What did you enjoy about the age of 2 (besides the fact that they weren't yet 3, lol)?

So, we're one day away from having 2-year-olds and I think I'm beginning to see what makes the "2's" tough.....fighting, tantrums, taunting (I stole your blankey and now I'm going to run awaw laughing!!), picky eating, clingyness, "MINE" and "NO", throwing, hitting, lots of whining..... :faint:

But, I know I loved having a 2-year-old with my oldest, it was such a fun age with the language explosion, the playing with toys, playing games, following directions, cute/fun teasing, etc.....so I'm curious what all of you with 2+ year olds love about having twin 2-year-olds? What makes it extra fun? What do you love to do with them now that they are 2 (or what did you love to do with them when they were 2)?

Share all of your "Terrific Two's" stories (and please, don't remind me that the 3's appear to be *really* hard! :lol.

Thanks!

 

Hmm, there certainly are a lot of challenging behaviors with twin 2 year olds, but I'm finding that this age seems to be the easiest logistically so far. I can go to the doctor's office without a stroller! They actually hold my hands and we can walk in like a civilized family! :good: Same for walking them into Aidan's therapy preschool.

They can play unsupervised for periods of time! If they're in the playroom or one of their rooms together and there is no screaming, crying or mysterious thuds, then I can leave them alone and do my own thing in the living room.

They say the funniest things and repeat back things they've heard elsewhere that sound hilarious coming from a 2 year old.

They give each other spontaneous hugs that usually end in a tackling match.

Overall, I actually feel like my life is getting easier as the kids get older and go through each stage of toddlerhood. There are still hard times, but the big picture is getting better with each passing month. Now, if I could only learn to block out their whining... :gah:

 

I liked that they could skip a nap on occasion to do something fun and it would not be meltdown city at 5pm.

I liked that they could sit at the table at a restaurant in a booth. No more highchairs or being confined to a stroller for meals out.

I liked that they began to communicate very well.

I liked that they learned how to use the potty.

There are a lot of things I liked, but sometimes it was so hard to see when in the middle of it. :hug:

 

I agree with all of the above!

I really love how they started playing *with* each other.

Their imaginations! LOVE it!

Watching them process things and figuring different things out.

Overall, two had it's moments, but I think I enjoyed it more than I didn't!

 

Mine have only been 2 for a little over a week, but so far I love:

1) They are starting to play with each other.
2) I just got rid of the high chairs this morning and we can now have our meals at the table as a family.

 

Definitely watching them just "get" things. They'd just come to me and say, "Mommy, guess what," and tell me something they learned. Also, mine were early talkers, so by 2 we were having full-blown discussions.

 

Right around their second birthday was when everything started getting easier for us. Not that it's been easy, but definite improvements ever since then. They started to be able to entertain each other and seemed to need us more for supervision than to keep the play going.

I really don't remember all the details (since they're almost 5 now), but 2 is the magic age we still talk about when having twins became a good thing. I also recall other moms of twins telling me from the start that from age 2 on it's all payback for the difficulties of the first two year, and I pretty much agree with that.

Day by day things were (and still are) hard, but the balance shifted to a little more fun and a little less misery (perhaps too strong a word, but kind of how I felt about the first couple of years).

Good luck!

Rachel

 

These are two new things for us as well! They play and talk to each other, it is really cute! Just yesterday they had a "discussion" over what Backyardigans episode to watch (Yeti or Race Around the World)! :laughing:

And I just took down our highchairs yesterday and put in booster seats - I feel like we have a piece of furniture missing from our dining room!

Thanks everyone for your responses! It is so much fun to see them grow into little people, but day-to-day the same old stuff can get a bit overwhelming - so I thought it would be fun for all of "new 2's" to hear all the great things about 2!

 

I have been totally LOVING the twos!

-Much, much, much less separation anxiety
-More independent play
-Skill explosion: self-feeding, following instructions, fine motor skills (sophisticated puzzles, etc), climbing into carseats with no help
-New interests: different kinds of play, drawing, etc
-Language explosion: mine were also early talkers and are VERY chatty kids, so we have conversations about all kinds of things! So much fun to have a window into their minds!
-The payoff (finally!) of having twins: watching them get more interested in each other and really start playing together and making each other laugh and making up crazy games together --- and watching them develop empathy with each other, bringing stuffed animals to help the other one feel better, giving each other hugs and kisses.

Sure, there's all the stuff that drives me crazy on a daily basis, but on the whole I really love having toddlers.

 

I agree with all the above...

Also, I like that they can "help" me now...cooking, picking up toys (somewhat), taking things to the trash, etc...

 

We've been two for a week and this is what I've been loving:
1. The tons of hugs and kisses
2. Everything makes them laugh
3. My DD can skip a nap and not be meltdown city by the end of the day (Mommy, on the other hand, is another story)
4. Love seeing their imaginations start to come out. Seeing DD talk to her Brobee doll or DS cheer on the Christmas Tree is so adorable
5. Picking up a ton of new words
6. Saying please and thank you, and being such little helpers. DD likes to hand you your coat, DS says "dank you" and blows a kiss.
7. It's so cool to see them really using utensils

 

I love how their little personalities have come out. The crazy things they say and do are a constant source of entertainment. Also, I'm amazed by their imaginations and how they are really starting to get things. I have to admit that I love it when they say "I love you mommy" and all the hugs and kisses. Other than the tantrums I am really enjoying this age.

 

For me, the journey of parenting is made worthwhile by the opportunity to learn just exactly who these little people are, and I think 2 has been ALL about that. I love that part. I also love that they are demonstrative of affection and able to communicate so impressively. The things they say and do are incredible - their little minds are working so hard and developing so beautifully! Today alone, my boys both spontaneously told me they loved me, and one told me I was his best friend. :wub: You can't beat that. Yes, they fight and whine, scream, and nag... but they are AMAZING and I am much happier with my daily life experience being the mother of 2.5-year-olds than I was as the mommy of 18-month-olds. Everyone's experience is different, of course... but I love the surprising new developments and discoveries that every day brings.

 

The language explosion, definitely. Also the fact that they continued to get more interested in the world around them (and that just keeps growing every year!). And they got so civilized (thanks largely to daycare), helping each other out and taking off their own clothes and using their spoons and everything. :ibiggrin:

At that age, I was also feeling really grateful that I already had my two kids and wasn't going through the whole TTC/pregnancy/newborn phase again, which a lot of my similarly late-childbearing friends were.

 

At 2, my girls eyes opened and they started noticing EVERYTHING and had a comment about it that was the cutest thing EVER!!!! I have loved each age, 2 was so awesome - my girls are 3 today and although it is the hardest thing for me to believe, I hope 3 is just as awesome as 2 was. I swear they say the cutest things and smile the sweetest smiles, those 2 things make any challenging moments worth it!! (disclaimer - my 2 are asleep at the moment LOL!)

 

We had a very rough, unenjoyable start to the 2s, but now things are great! We have a few time outs per week, but not like we did in the past. Most of my favorite things have already been listed on here...going out to eat without highchairs (and even booster seats in some restaurants!), no longer needing a stroller (they hold hands great), potty training (I don't miss diapers at all), interacting with each other more (they've played together without interacting with me for the past hour now), their conversations (it's amazing to see how they view the world), their personalities (they're actually FUNNY!), their independence (they go potty, get undressed, get into their boosters/buckle in, get into their carseats, etc, all by themselves), the language explosion (mine are also early talkers so they hold 'adult' like conversations now with BIG words!), their imaginations (I love how they can do imaginative play now), their empathy (how they get each others lovies when the other is upset, how they ask if the other is ok when they get hurt), etc etc etc.

I also love their increasing artistic abilities...they'll do art projects for much longer now & Conner actually draws PEOPLE now (a circle head with hair, eyes, mouth...a line for a body...2 lines for arms...and typically 4 lines for legs !). I also enjoy how their attention span has grown. They can sit & watch an entire movie almost, which gives me time to rest & get things done, too! And the sleep? AWESOME! I cannot fathom doing night wakings anymore (nor can I fathom the days when naps will disappear).

There is so much I enjoy about 2. Everyone talks about the Terrible 2s, but I disagree. I, however, dread 3. From all I've read & heard, I want my boys to be 2 forever...........

 

The vast language improvement...wow, I could actually carry on conversations with them. All the learning milestones they hit, it was absolutely amazing to see them grow cognitively. Starting to really understand hugs, and kisses, and I love you's, and cuddling. 2 is a great age despite the tantrums and emotional rollercoasters.

 

I loved, loved, loved the 2's!! They would play together and independently for a long time. Their imaginations were fantastic. Dress up was so much fun! They would act things out with their Little People and make them talk. They were able to take one so much more at the park last summer. And they listened really well and held my hand w/ no argument for the most part when we went places.