Show-Offs

Riley and Leah go to bed at 7:30 pm. Or rather, 7:30 pm is when we place Riley and Leah in their cribs. At 7:30 pm, all signs appear to show that they're ready for some shuteye. Riley's rubbing her eyes. Leah's all mellow and sucking her thumb. We lay them down in their cribs, kiss them goodnight, tuck them in, all that good stuff. And then we leave the room and they're totally quiet for about two to three minutes. To the uninitiated, it seems like they've gone right to sleep.

And then at 7:33 pm, it begins. 7:33 pm is Showtime.

Leah will usually start it off, suddenly singing as loudly as her little lungs will allow:

HEL-LO!!! HEL-LO!!!
HEL-LO AND HOW ARE YOU!!!

And then at this point, Riley will join in, and they will sing in unison.

I'M FINE!!! I'M FINE!!!
AND I HOPE THAT YOU ARE TOO!!!

And then with their opening number complete, they break into enthusiastic applause, with occasional "yays" and "bra-vos" thrown in for good measure.

Their setlist varies from night to night, but typically they follow up their opening song with a song aimed at any potential Spanish speakers in the audience:

(To the approximate tune of Frere Jacques/Are You Sleeping/Where is Thumbkin, also sung at the top of their little toddler lungs)

BUE-NOS DIAS! BUE-NOS DIAS!
COMO ESTAS! COMO ESTAS!
MUY BIEN GRACIAS! MUY BIEN GRACIAS!
Y USTED! Y USTED!

(Enthusiastic yays and bravos)

Riley and Leah then proceed through their entire Greatest Hits Library, which currently includes such classics as "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Happy Birthday to You", and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", plus occasionally they'll throw in an original song such as "Neeew Diaper!" (which basically consists of them repeating the words "new" and "diaper" over and over and over.

The show usually wraps up around 8:15, but if they're really feeling the vibe, they'll play a couple extra encores and extend their set to about 8:30.

Kathy and I read some of the local Twins Group postings, and apparently this whole routine is pretty common among twins. Bedtime becomes "extended playtime" when your best friend lies just a few feet away, and apparently some parents worry that it might make their kids develop some bad sleep habits. Some parents even go so far as to sit in the room and then lay down the law if they start talking or giggling or singing.

I dunno. I can't say I'm too concerned. Basically, as long as they're not crying or injuring themselves, it's a-okay with me. Maybe I'll take action if the neighbors start complaining or if they start tearing up the room like rock stars. In the meantime, I think I'll just enjoy the show. 'Cause I hear they're taking requests tonight.