Recent Happenings

Natalie and Abby have been doing so many great things in the last few days (and weeks). Here are just a few:







Natalie

• Natalie has two new teeth - they started coming in a few weeks ago. They are the two on either side of her bottom two. It was really funny at first. They were poking through and looked sharp - she looked like a little vampire with fangs:-)
• On 1/13, she was looking through an ABC book. She was on the "D" page which had ducks on the page. I watched while she made the sign for "bird" while looking at the ducks.
• Natalie can walk backwards. She's been doing it a little while - maybe a few weeks. Sometimes she'll look at us and walk backwards down the hall like she wants us to chase her. It's pretty cute.
• She can also spin in a circle - like she's trying to make herself dizzy.
• She loves her new Christmas toys. She climbs into the little baby playpen - after tossing everything out first! She will also take her kitties and put them in the play pen. Putting the kitties in the stroller is also a fun game as well as trying to feed the babies and the kitties with the little bottles.
• Yesterday, Natalie built a tower of two wooden blocks! She has also gotten really good at putting the circle in the shape sorter. Today, she did it without any help. We are also working on the triangle and square.
• One of the funniest things Natalie does is "dance a jig". Picture her standing and picking her feet up in quick succession as if she walking on hot sand. It's hysterical. She'll do it on command too. I'll try to get some video. She seems to be the more musically inclined. She is quick to sway or bop to music.
• Natalie is becoming quite the little social butterfly. Previously, she was more likely to hang back and watch things and stay close to mommy when others were around. But, last week we had a play date here and she was following the other kids around, especially Ethan (2.3 years old). It was really cute.
• She has now learned the signs for please and thank you. She will ask for something by signing more please. I'm not sure she gets when to use thank you, but she will make the sign when you say it.
• She say "Na-Na" for herself when she wants something. For instance, she'll come towards you with a book and say, "Na-Na, Na-Na".
• She has started to share really well - she will take something and hand it to Abby.
• Natalie has finally started saying "mama" or "ma-me", and is putting it to good use. Anytime she's sad, "mamamamama". When she doesn't want to go to bed, "mamamama", if she gets hurt, "mamamamama"
  

Abby

• Abby is funny. She loves going down her slide - on her bottom and stomach face first! She actually spends a lot of time on the slide. Sometimes she'll be playing in another part of the room or with another toy and when she's done, she'll head to the stairs for a quick slide. Then she's off to another toy or book. It's almost like a security blanket. She's also likes to put things down the slide - kitties, blocks, cars, etc.
• Abby has added the sign for banana to her vocab. It's not a word I reinforce since we don't eat them often. She actually surprised me with it. We were looking at a book with a banana in it, and suddenly she started making the sign! Natalie immediately started to copy her.
• Abby tries to blow "spit bubbles" in her mouth. It's so funny. She gets enough spit in her mouth and then opens it slowly. It forms a little bubble she can feel. She knows she can do it too. If you ask her to blow bubbles she will try it.
• Abby also likes to spin. She is also fond of getting into the "dog down" yoga position (like an inverted V) and pushing her head along the floor. I'm not sure why; I think she just likes the sensation.
• She has a funny thing she does if she falls. She'll just stop and lay really still. She doesn't cry at all. It's almost like she's playing dead, or trying to decide if she's okay. It's funny to watch. In the last week or so, she's started coming to me to have me kiss things to make them better:-)
• Abby is very cuddly. She'll crawl into my lap and just bury her head into me. Sometimes she'll run at me like her life depends on it and just hang on so tight. It's very sweet. Natalie is not as cuddly right now. She has her moments and will hang on tight, but usually she's not as cuddly.
• Abby is also starting to share. She will take things to Natalie and sort-of throw them at her - or get her to take them. They both recognize the word "share" and will usually hand over things when asked.
• Since early January, Abby has really started trying to repeat words like "hot", "rock", "sister". She is trying SO hard to talk
  

A few dates:
- early Jan - girls start using "mama"
- Jan - Their babbling has become very multi-syllabic. They sound like they are talking in sentences - only we have no idea what's being said!
1/6 - The girls jumped on their first trampoline. They loved it! they laughed and laughed.
1/7 - Abby touches food and says "hot"
1/7 - I took the remote to turn on the tv and Abby immediately started signing "baby signing time" to indicate she wanted to watch it. I was floored since I've never taught her this. The signs are just in the beginning of the video when the theme song is sung. She learned it only by watching. She twice "requested" the video when she saw me turning on the tv.
1/7 - Both girls build two-block high towers.
1/8 - Abby starts doing horse sign
1/16 - Natalie does horse sign
1/18 - We notice that Natalie is getting a molar! Doesn't seem to bother her though...
1/19 - I think I see one of Abby's bottom side teeth trying to poke through.
1/22 - This is my favorite - Today Abby was trying to copy me when I signed "I love you". It's a sign we've always used in my family - you hold up your thumb, pointy, and little finger. She was able to get her thumb and little finger into position and was trying SO hard to get the pointy finger up. It was so precious. I kept saying, "I love you, I love you". She would repeat something back that sounded a lot like she was trying to say it too :-) *sniff, sniff*
1/? - about two weeks or so ago, Abby caught a ball Ben threw to her - two or three times in a row! Natalie has also gotten better at throwing the ball in the last week. She was also able to catch it while sitting on top of the slide.

They both have really started watching and copying our behavior. For instance, on 1/7 Abby took her diaper and tried to put it over the gate to the kitchen. She has seen Ben try to make baskets by throwing the diapers from the living room to the kitchen trash can. Natalie is especially fond of trying to clean things with wipes - the slide, the floor, the chair.

Another not-so-endearing behavior is their love for toothbrushes. It's good in a way, but the fits they throw when you try to take their toothbrushes away is crazy. You would think the world had ended. We are usually able to brush their teeth pretty well. Sometimes it takes a few rounds of "mommy's turn, Nat's turn, mommy's turn",

Here's a list of the signs they can make:
eat, more, all done, kitty, dog, horse, baby, more, please, bird, elephant(well, our make-shift sign), "more please", banana, milk
Abby also does "more book" and the rest of the phrase "baby signing time". Natalie can do thank you.

They can say:
mama, dada, kitty, and auntie pretty well - they have words for dog and poppy that seem consistent but you might now know unless you knew. Abby also says hot and NaNa for Natalie(I think) and no no no no no no. I think she says sister too. Natalie tried to say ball today. She tries to say other things, but they aren't as clear yet.

Animals:
meow, elephant (sort of a lip blow with raising the arm above their head for the nose), quack (I think they say duck too, it's hard to tell if it's duck or quack or both), baabaa, fish (sucks in lips to pucker) rabbit (will wrinkle nose), roar - for tiger. I think they have a sound for pig and sometimes cow. Dog is strange - they always do the sign, but are reluctant to make the sound.

Body parts:
head, ears, nose, eyes, mouth, teeth, arm, toes/foot, belly button

Self-care:
tries to put on socks and shoes, helps dress and undress

Okay - I think I've covered most things they are doing right now. This was put together in two parts so if it seems jumbled - that's why. Next time, I won't wait so long and I'll try to post things as they happen!