Today marks the boys' half birthday! It seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating their 1st and now we're halfway to their 2nd! Time flies when you're
going nutty having fun!
Truly though, 18 months feels like the biggest milestone so far. Long gone are my wee babes and in their place are two fast, curious, and VERY independent toddlers. Toddlers who prefer to use utensils at almost every meal, even if it's breakfast and they're having toast. Toddlers who cry if we pass the park on our evening walk. Toddlers who ask for snacks and juice and who like to watch
Sprout and dance to anything with a beat.
It's crazy. And amazing. And exhausting. And I wouldn't trade it for the world.
The last couple of months have marked so much in terms of discovery and learning for our little men. There seems to have been a vocabulary explosion and B&A are picking up words left and right. My personal favorites are Abe's "shoes" which sounds more like "chews" and Ben's "Hello" which sounds like "He-wro." Another beloved pastime of our guys is looking at animals and mimicking their sounds. So far, they're particular to the snake and the monkey. They will stop ANYTHING that they are doing if they see or hear a dog (or what they call a "du") and they love to give "pats" and "love" to any animal who will give them the time of day. It's very sweet to see and quite comical when it involves them chasing one of their furry friends. Our Mister A.B. loves him some book time too.
Oh my, does he ever! I spend most of my day feeding, changing, breaking up fights, and reading books. Usually the same one too. Over and over. And over. And when daddy gets home, he has to read it too. Over and over. I say it with sarcasm but really it's one of the sweetest things about that boy. He loves to read and we desire to help grow that love. So we read his books. Over and over. And try to relish the fact that all too soon he will no longer need us or want us to.
As for how the boys are responding to mom's growing belly...well, they're not so much. They will pat my belly and lift up my shirt to poke my belly button (part of a game we play) but that's about it. We talk about the baby and practice holding the baby and yet it all still seems like just fun and games. It's not really something I'm worried about though. I think for the most part my attitude is that we will just take it as it comes and over time we all adjust. Lord willing, it will be smoother than not. It is getting harder to maneuver with them though. Lifting is still not much of an issue but lap time is rough. Little elbows and knees dig in to an already tender belly and it's not much fun. We just keep reiterating that you have to be gentle and you can't climb on momma. From the way things continue though, I think it probably sounds something like "wah wah wah wah, wah wah wah wah" to them. My little Charlie Brown's! Gentle, they are not.
Another interesting wave that's hit our house as of late is that Ben's upright! Although most of his walking is just done between momma and dada, it's walking nonetheless. Atta boy, Ben!
-Utter concentration-
Diggin' the mess!
I love Abe's *paintin* face!
Ben looks like he's got a busted lip but it's just paint :)
Ben's Masterpiece!
A.B.'s Masterpiece!
