Our toddler twosome turned 2 yesterday! What a journey we have been on since they arrived…..i won't lie…having twins has been tough on all of us…especially Miss Teen who had been an only child for 14 years! But it is a journey that has already given us so much love, laughter and joy. From the moment i heard our specialist say it was twins i think we were both a little terrified. Our IVF journey had been so emotionally fraught that although we were so very pleased to finally be pregnant….twins was a very scary reality to be faced with!
Ruby in the pink hat…Tara in the white….she had stopped putting on weight so they had to come out quickly!!
My best friend and the best Dad ever!
I worried about PND coming back to cause havoc in my world…after all i had suffered badly with just one baby…how was i going to cope with 2? Well….i am going to be very honest with you here….it was as bad as i had imagined it would be. I had terrible morning sickness for 9 months which started the feelings of depression and when the girls were born i was completely overwhelmed…it is only now i can look back at the photos and see the joy that was there….just under the veil of exhaustion and tears.
Exhausted but still Mummy!!!
I am still struggling with the spectre of postnatal depression but i have come a very long way and am proud of myself and my supportive partner and teen for getting these beautiful 2 yr olds to where they are today. I am going to write more about my journey through IVF and PND over the next few weeks as they are topics often discussed in hushed tones but i know that having the courage to talk about these events in our life can often help someone who is travelling a similar path and feeling overwhelmed or not quite ‘good enough' as a Mum.
But in this post i just wanted to share some fun from the toddler twosome's 2nd Birthday…..it was only our little family celebrating with them as i wanted it to just be about us and the joy of being blessed with these 2 special little people to our lives…both so unique in their own ways…yet so similar in others……..
This red balloon was picked out joyfully by Tara and we all now understand that it is MINE…welcome to 2 yrs!!!
Unwrapping presents in our dressing gowns…it was such a cold morning but that didn't deter Ruby!
Silly Mum forgot to finish the lovely felt crowns i had started a few weeks ago and Tara asked where her party hat was so Dad fashioned this little crown (which didn't go close to fitting as you can see!)I felt like such a bad mum as i wanted them to have their special little crowns…but you know what? She loved that thing and is still wearing it!
It was fun to have young children in the house again to marvel at the simplicity of a few balloons and colourful streamers as well as some fun little gifts!
Ruby was fascinated by a little torch she received and it now goes everywhere!
But books were her favourite….they both simply love to read…and i love to encourage them!
Then it was time for cake! Everything i have read about twins suggests that they like to have their own individual cake even from a young age…i thought it was a bit much to do 2 novelty cakes for them at the moment when they don't even eat cake so i decided to make a train with 2 carriages…one for each girl with 2 candles.
They just love trains and zoo animals at the moment so i combined the 2 and we let them have some fun playing with the cake after blowing out the candles!
They have never seen or tasted lollies so that was interesting!
This is Tara wiping out her mouth after tasting some icing…not a sweet tooth this girl of mine!
Ruby's face said it all after her first try of a lolly! She is more of a sweet tooth and enjoyed picking off the freckles to nibble. I can safely say that the adults in the house are going to be eating a lot of cake now though!
I was really pleased with how the cake turned out though…i knew they wouldn't want to eat it but they had such fun rearranging all the animals and lollies…and it wasn't as messy as i feared it would be. It was a bit wonky in places but it was made with love and i just enjoyed watching the joy in their eyes when we brought it out with candles blazing. I love having young children to make novelty cakes for again! I'll do a little post during the week about how easy it is to put together in case anyone is interested (i'm sure you will manage icing better than me…it's my achilles heel!!!)
Time to burn off some energy outdoors…so glad the rain went away for an hour or so although we all got rather muddy!
Ruby discovered if you reach up you can draw a little higher….Miss Teen seemed to be having a lot of fun with this!
Look at the joy on her face…goodness she loves outdoor time!
Tara thought it was great to ‘steal' her big sisters drink bottle….
As did Ruby….
Time for a little Birthday reflection in the sun!
After their nap they loved playing again with one of their favourite gifts of the day….this little wooden set made by the talented Kelly from Happy Whimsical Hearts
I see so many opportunities for imaginative play with these gorgeous wooden gnomes, trees and houses and i shall be doing a post about the ways we discover play with these simple but beautifully made items in the near future.
In the meantime, if you are curious about them or simply have to have some yourself why don't you pop over and visit Kelly's whimsical blog….it's a lovely place to explore! I am so lucky to have discovered her craftsmanship before their birthday…thank you Kelly…they loved them!!
It was a simple but fun day for our big 2 yr olds…thanks to all who have been joining us on this journey so far…i'm sure there is lots more fun (and also tears!) to come. I know there will be a lot of love.
Happy Birthday Ruby and Tara
xxx
Warm Wishes..
Happy Birthday to the girls…love the cake…x
Happy Birthday to your gorgeous girls. I loved reading all about it and I am looking forward to reading your next few posts as well. xx
Happy birthday to your beautiful little girls! Funny our twins are so close in birth dates, but a year a part. Mine are almost one. My how the time flies.
Thanks Allison! Almost 1….it was lovely when they reached that age…starting to not need you for everything all at once!!!
Happy Birthday to your girls, and well done mum. It is a very hard job raising children, and you are doing a great job, because above all else no matter what you do or don’t do, you are their mum, you love them and that’s all that matters.
Thanks so much…your words really brightened my day xxx
Happy Birthday Tara and Ruby! Wow! Two years old and such a journey! Looking forward to reading more about your journey Jode. I am only a text away if you need some support. Processing a similar journey as you know, so only love and positive thoughts here for you! XOX
oh beautiful, lovely post, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for such a lovely comment Racheal x
Happy birthday Ruby and Tara. Looking forward to hear more about your IVF experince as this may be on the cards for us.
i love love LOVE the cake! you are so brave to attempt it! lol
Happy birthday Ruby and Tara! Thank you for sharing the ups and downs. The cake was incredible. Don’t think I would ever be able to attempt something on such a grand scale.
In answer to your question about our wood heater. We tried to buy a screen locally but could only find ones that either fitted a traditional fireplace or were far too large for our space. In the meantime we noticed that Violet had a natural sense of danger with the fire and wouldn’t go near it. She has never touched it (so far). That’s not to say that every child is the same and it could be quite dangerous for some. Hope that helps Jode.
Beautiful post! Three things I love about this post- That train cake, that outdoor chalkboard and that amazing wooden toy set! Oh! And Happy Birthday to your babies!
Thanks Tricia…lovely of you to stop by…3 of my favourite things too!!
Nawww, happy birthday beautiful girls!
Give yourself a pat on the back. IVF plus nine months morning sickness sucks….(I had this with our first) but PND on top of it all….I don’t know how you did it! Give yourself a massive pat on the back. Look at the beautiful life you are creating for your family. Inspiring. (fellow down to earth forum member twoandthree) 🙂
Lovely to see you again…do you have a blog i can visit?…couldn’t find one but wanted you to know i tried if you read this lol!!! i have to find more time to visit the forum!!I love to read your comments…thanks so much for taking the time to xx
Hi. No blog for me. I don’t know how you all do it. I do love visiting my few favourites though. Thanks.
Happy birthday to your beautiful girls! Every child should be so loved and cherished (despite any and all odds) as yours so clearly are. And that cake – AMAZING!!
-Jaime
Hello Jode. This is the first time that I have visited your blog and I have loved checking it out. I popped over from Rhonda Jean’s “Down to Earth”. I will be checking in again to read more about your beautiful family. And I love the photographs. You are a very busy woman – take care, be kind to yourself, you are doing great things. Best wishes from Jean.
awww…Happy Birthday Ruby and Tara! how quick they grow, right? that cake is sooo cool! and Kelly did an amazing job on those! thanks for linking this up to tip-toe thru tuesday.
Lovely! What a great birthday celebration. Plus, I love your outdoor chalkboard.
Thanks Jennifer….that chalkboard gets played on every day…we love it!!
Happy birthday to your girls! An outdoor chalkboard is a great idea. And what a marvelous cake!!
Thanks so much for your lovely comment Carolyn!!
What an awesome post. Firstly happy birthday to you two beautiful girls. Secondly the birthday cake was awesome and they looked like they had a fabulous day. Thirdly, well done you for coping like you have. Twins are hardcore on their own so to cope with that as well as PND I think you are incredible.
The time flies doesn’t it. My twins will be three in September. I don’t know how that time has slipped by.
Your girls are gorgeous and you can so easily tell them apart from the beginning. Non identical twins are amazing that they just cook at the same time the genetic makeup is so different.
Thanks for sharing on Family Frolics.
x
The time does slip by doesn’t it? They are really so different and have been right from the start which i think has been a blessing…and we try to treat them as the individuals they are!Thanks for taking the time to comment…i love family frolics!!3 is such a lovely age…enjoy xx
What a lovely reflection on 2 years of life. A very happy birthday to 2 lovely girls and wow what a cake. Lovely to see them enjoying some outdoor run around time too, looks like a great birthday all round. So many more magic moments to come with them this year, enjoy them all x
Happy Birthday to the girls and congratulations to you!
Thaks so much for your lovely wishes and stopping by x
Your girls are growing up just beautifully Jode and that is all due to the wonderful job you are doing as their Mum!! Don’t forget it!! I am constantly inspired by your posts and reading about your life with your girls 🙂
Thanks Amanda…what lovely words…you have brightened my day xx
Beautiful post Jode, and a super happy birthday to your girls again. You are an amazing mum and you’re girls are all so lucky to have you as their mum!
Oh how sweet! Happy birthday to those lovely little girls and thanks for sharing the fun with us at tip toe thru tuesday!